Storyline

A widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas raises three sons with the help of his father-in-law, and later the boys' great-uncle. An adopted son, a stepdaughter, wives, and another generation of sons join the loving family in later seasons.

First Aired

1960-09-29
Last Aired

1972-04-13
Creator
Genre

Comedy, Family
Seasons

12
Episodes

380
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

CBS

Keywords:

single father sitcom

Stream and watch My Three Sons

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10

Season 11

Season 12

1. Chip-Off the Old Block

Aeronautical Engineer Steve Douglas and his youngest son Chip face a parallel problem -- how to rid th...More

Aeronautical Engineer Steve Douglas and his youngest son Chip face a parallel problem -- how to rid themselves of two designing females: Widower Steve is introduced to attractive and eligible Pamela MacLish, and is pursued by her because she wouldn't mind being the new Mrs. Douglas. Steve's youngest son Chip, aged eight, has similar problems with his classmate Dorine Peters, who would love to be his steady girlfriend. Pamela decides to call upon Steve with some leftover cake from their dinner, only to be met with a rambunctious houseful of children. Michael O'Casey, Steve's father in law, affectionately known as 'Bub' attends to the household chores. The eldest son Mike, aged eighteen and named after his Grandfather, is talking on the telephone, while middle son Robbie, aged fourteen, plays with the family's shaggy dog, known as Tramp. Before long Steve is accompanying Pamela and Chip to Chip's grade school dance. Chip takes it upon himself to give his father some sonly advice. MeLess

1960-09-29

2. The Little Ragpicker

The Annual School ragdrive starts Chip off on a scavenger hunt of the neighbourhood. Everytime Miss Pi...More

The Annual School ragdrive starts Chip off on a scavenger hunt of the neighbourhood. Everytime Miss Pitts looks out the window she sees strange happenings at the Douglas household. She sees Bub outdoors waving a bottle that looks like whiskey,and later, Robbie carrying in a dummy that she thinks is Bub smashed to the nines. Later she goes over to talk to Steve about her concerns, and sees Chip in his bedroom hitting the dummy and when it accidentally falls out of the upstairs window, she faints on the sidewalk.Less

1960-10-06

3. Bub in the Ointment

When Bub steps on the toes of each grandson in turn, Steve is about to rebuke him when the household r...More

When Bub steps on the toes of each grandson in turn, Steve is about to rebuke him when the household returns to normal once again. Being chief cook, dishwasher and housekeeper to three boys is not fun for a grandfather as Bub soon finds out.Less

1960-10-13

4. Countdown

A Missile launch, sleeping in and Daylight Saving make for an interesting Monday morning. The Douglas ...More

A Missile launch, sleeping in and Daylight Saving make for an interesting Monday morning. The Douglas household is a chaotic affair of lost indian arrow heads for Chip's turn in show and tell at School, Robbie's missing trumpet and some important lost plans of Steve's that Mike has nearly burned in the incinerator.Less

1960-10-20

5. Brotherly Love

When Mike and Robbie cross swords over a blonde schoolgirl, the issue widens until the whole family is...More

When Mike and Robbie cross swords over a blonde schoolgirl, the issue widens until the whole family is involved in the argument. But it is difficult for Steve to teach his sons that violence solves nothing with a pugnacious father-in-law around.Less

1960-10-27

6. Adjust or Bust

Steve's theory that 'life is just a small series of adjustments' is put to the test in just one day's ...More

Steve's theory that 'life is just a small series of adjustments' is put to the test in just one day's discovered doings. Steve must meet with a top Air Force General to discuss plans for a rocket design, and in the process, he must borrow Mike's car, but gets a flat tire and must take the bus home.Less

1960-11-03

7. Lady Engineer

Steve is enamored of his new business associate, an attractive woman who is strictly business. He is t...More

Steve is enamored of his new business associate, an attractive woman who is strictly business. He is tempted to mix business with pleasure but finds that she thinks only about the job at hand and doesn't have any plans to expand her love life, despite this romantic interlude.Less

1960-11-10

8. Chip's Harvest

Thanksgiving Day's turkey dinner is threatened when the electricity is short-circuited throughout the ...More

Thanksgiving Day's turkey dinner is threatened when the electricity is short-circuited throughout the neighborhood. Chip decides to bring along his Indian friend as his sole guest much to the annoyance of his brothers who say he is a bum who lives near the railway tracks in a rundown old shack.Less

1960-11-17

9. Raft on the River

Feeling left out when Mike and Robbie decide to go camping at Gunman's Gulch, a lonely Chip uses a raf...More

Feeling left out when Mike and Robbie decide to go camping at Gunman's Gulch, a lonely Chip uses a raft his brothers helped make in the backyard, on which he and Steve spend a night, pretending to float down the Mississippi. They are accidentally locked out when it begins to rain. Steve begins to worry when he wakes up from a nap and thinks it is way past 4am in the morning and thinks that Bub has not yet returned from his pinochle game.Less

1960-11-24

10. Lonesome George

TV Star George Gobel is invited to dinner by Bub, who forgets to tell his son-in-law Steve who returns...More

TV Star George Gobel is invited to dinner by Bub, who forgets to tell his son-in-law Steve who returns from an out of town business trip and arrives home late at night. He tiptoes around the house only to find a strange man occupying his bed.Less

1960-12-01

11. Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year

Robbie is baffled when his girlfriend rejects the excitement of his new motor in favor of standard fem...More

Robbie is baffled when his girlfriend rejects the excitement of his new motor in favor of standard feminine frills. He tries to win her over by telling the boys on the football team that no girls are allowed, knowing this will upset her as she is considered one of the guys.Less

1960-12-08

12. My Three Strikers

The boys want a raise in their allowance, but Steve tells them that they are spending money recklessly...More

The boys want a raise in their allowance, but Steve tells them that they are spending money recklessly and not doing their chores. Bub has been picking up the slack and doing their work for them. Everyone has bad dreams that night.Less

1960-12-15

13. The Elopement

Mike and the girl next door arouse the suspicions of Steve and Bub when secrets are exchanged and the ...More

Mike and the girl next door arouse the suspicions of Steve and Bub when secrets are exchanged and the two are seen leaving with suitcases. Meanwhile, Robbie is on a clock salvaging attempt to find historic clocks after he gets into a spot of bother with his teacher.Less

1960-12-22

14. Mike's Brother

Constant comparison to his brother, Mike, leaves Robbie feeling inferior and angryâ€”and their father ...More

Constant comparison to his brother, Mike, leaves Robbie feeling inferior and angryâ€”and their father has to face the consequences as Robbie and Mike are about to come to blows when Steve shows up just in the nick of time from work.Less

1960-12-29

15. Domestic Trouble

When Bub is suddenly called out of town, Steve seeks an agency to get temporary helpâ€”unaware that he...More

When Bub is suddenly called out of town, Steve seeks an agency to get temporary helpâ€”unaware that he may be recruiting a wife. With his older brothers passing the buck, Chip accidentally rings Domestic Bliss, Inc. - a marriage seeking department who send out a woman inspector right away.Less

1961-01-05

16. Bub Leaves Home

When Steve invites his second cousin Selena to come and visit, Bub gets the strange impression that he...More

When Steve invites his second cousin Selena to come and visit, Bub gets the strange impression that he is being neglected and isn't really needed. He decides to take up the offer of managing a movie theater in Plainview, and nothing the boys say or do can make him change his mind.Less

1961-01-12

17. Mike in a Rush

Mike prepares for the transition from high school to college and the question of joining a fraternity ...More

Mike prepares for the transition from high school to college and the question of joining a fraternity is one that complicates his life considerably. When Mike and Jean attend a party as prospective applicants, he later finds out the they have been dropped from the waiting list and suddenly the cold war turns pretty hot.Less

1961-01-19

18. The Bully

Chip falls foul of the school bully who isn't interested in fighting with him. Steve soon realises tha...More

Chip falls foul of the school bully who isn't interested in fighting with him. Steve soon realises that Chip is deliberately provoking the boy each day in the school yard to prove a point, and feels the boy must must solve his own problems even though it costs him detention in the Principal's office.Less

1961-01-26

19. Organization Woman

Steve's ever efficient sister arrives for a visit, and immediately changes and complicates the entire ...More

Steve's ever efficient sister arrives for a visit, and immediately changes and complicates the entire Douglas household. The challenging aspect to the whole deal is a decision that Harriet soon regrets, especially once Steve returns home from his business trip.Less

1961-02-02

20. Other People's Houses

When Robbie Douglas sees his new friend's home he is envious of what he thinks is really the perfect t...More

When Robbie Douglas sees his new friend's home he is envious of what he thinks is really the perfect teenage home and becomes almost as envious as Hank is of the turbulent, happy-go-lucky Douglas household.Less

1961-02-09

21. The Delinquent

Mike Douglas and the family mongrel Tramp keep disappearing at night, and Jean becomes increasingly su...More

Mike Douglas and the family mongrel Tramp keep disappearing at night, and Jean becomes increasingly suspicious, unaware that Mike and his friend Tim are building her a hi-fi set for her upcoming Birthday.Less

1961-02-16

22. Man In a Trench Coat

On a dark night when Steve is away, Robbie and his date are frightened by a man in a trench coat. It a...More

On a dark night when Steve is away, Robbie and his date are frightened by a man in a trench coat. It all happens when Robbie is seen putting on the hubcap of his next door neighbour. Steve isn't too concerned when he hears about the incident as he thinks it all stems from Robbie's steady diet of spy and mystery stories.Less

1961-02-23

23. Deadline

Mike has to finish the layout and write a sports article for the school paper by himself in between ru...More

Mike has to finish the layout and write a sports article for the school paper by himself in between running in a track meet and going to a dance with Jean.Less

1961-03-02

24. The Lostling

Chip begins to think it would be great to be an older brother, so he wishes for a little sister. Afte...More

Chip begins to think it would be great to be an older brother, so he wishes for a little sister. After the new Hawkins family move into the vacant house across the street, a wild sequence of events results from an improbable case of mistaken identity -- an infant is somehow confused with a leg of lamb left in the boot of Steve's station wagon.Less

1961-03-09

25. Off Key

Chip brags to his new playmate that his genius brother Robbie can fix almost anything. Soon Robbie is...More

Chip brags to his new playmate that his genius brother Robbie can fix almost anything. Soon Robbie is repairing a Grand Piano and has five minutes to have it fixed before the boy's mother comes in and wants to practise a new tune on it.Less

1961-03-16

26. Small Adventure

With Steve away in Seattle on a business trip, the Douglas household's version of man's best friend ha...More

With Steve away in Seattle on a business trip, the Douglas household's version of man's best friend has been known to drag home anything he can get his jaws into. This time Tramp slinks in with a large stick of dynamite that has somewhere and somehow survived since the end of the Second World War.Less

1961-03-23

27. Soap Box Derby

Unaware of each other's problems, Steve and Robbie engage in what seem to be widely varied projects. R...More

Unaware of each other's problems, Steve and Robbie engage in what seem to be widely varied projects. Robbie is trying to construct a race kart and Steve is in a rush to help a missile manufacturer get his project off the launch pad in a race to beat a rival company.Less

1961-03-30

28. Unite or Sink

Robbie and Mike want some extra pocket money but Steve tells them that they will have to earn it by th...More

Robbie and Mike want some extra pocket money but Steve tells them that they will have to earn it by themselves. The boys ask their neighbours if they could paint their front fence and before long several neighbors pitch in together to help restore the yard to its former glory.Less

1961-04-06

29. The Wiley Method

Robbie can't seem to arouse the interest of the affairs of the heart with his classmate Maribel Quinby...More

Robbie can't seem to arouse the interest of the affairs of the heart with his classmate Maribel Quinby. So with the help of his best friend Hank Ferguson, he proceeds to try and get her attention by noting the theatrical method of approach that his history teacher employs to make a dull subject interesting.Less

1961-04-13

30. The National Pastime

Chip is so discouraged by his batting slump that he quits the baseball team. After his brothers encour...More

Chip is so discouraged by his batting slump that he quits the baseball team. After his brothers encourage him to return, one of the parents, a volunteer umpire, calls in sick and Steve is asked to substitute. Chip thinks this will be the perfect opportunity to become the team hero.Less

1961-04-27

31. The Croaker

Malcolm, a frog that Chip has captured for a school project is the focus of all eyes in the Douglas ho...More

Malcolm, a frog that Chip has captured for a school project is the focus of all eyes in the Douglas home. Bub discerns a marked resemblance to his his Uncle Clancey in Malcolm's face. Further evaluation of its character becomes quite difficult when he leaps out of sight.Less

1961-05-04

32. The Musician

Robbie's new girlfriend, lives in refined and elegant style, causing Robbie to turn a critical eye on ...More

Robbie's new girlfriend, lives in refined and elegant style, causing Robbie to turn a critical eye on his own home life. To impress her he tells her he really digs the classics, but in actual fact he doesn't know the difference between Puccini and Presley.Less

1961-05-11

33. The Horseless Saddle

Bub sets out to find the mysterious person who sent him an old saddle... C.O.D.

Bub sets out to find the mysterious person who sent him an old saddle... C.O.D.Less

1961-05-18

34. Trial by Separation

Its final exam time and Mike and his girlfriend Jean have thought up a test of their own - to try the ...More

Its final exam time and Mike and his girlfriend Jean have thought up a test of their own - to try the strength of their affection by not seeing each other the week before school has its graduation ceremonies.Less

1961-05-25

35. The Sunday Drive

Mr. Pearson's idea of a quiet drive in the country with his wife is altered by a station-wagon load of...More

Mr. Pearson's idea of a quiet drive in the country with his wife is altered by a station-wagon load of Douglases. Meanwhile Robbie is trying to avoid the clutches of a girl named Mary Lou.Less

1961-06-01

36. Fire Watch

Mike Douglas gets a Summer job with the Forestry Service and he thinks its going to be a barrel of fu...More

Mike Douglas gets a Summer job with the Forestry Service and he thinks its going to be a barrel of fun until he learns that he's expected to do a real man's job. When his boss is stranded down at the creek and a wild storm brews up, Mike spends a harrowing time trying to stay calm.Less