Classic TV-- MY THREE SONS

I have recently bought a DVD recorder and have begun recording my VCR tapes-- some of which are several years old now-- onto new DVD's, and one of the first I started with is My Three Sons,, the episodes in which Robbie meets and marries Katie; so I have been watching these eps, for the first time in a long time. It's interesting to note how much these shows-- not overtly Christian-- exemplify many of the values conservative Christians espouse today. There is no indication of premarital sex between the young couple, they wear "modest" clothes for the 1960's; and even though they are still in college, they live in the home of one of the families, preparing to establish their own home in the permanent, male-headed, conservative tradition with few complications.

Briefly, as the Dougles family moves to California, they are put off at first by how "standoffish" the people seem to be, but then Robbie, a 20-year-old college student, meets Katie, a beautiful blonde coed, and they hit it off right away, chaging all their opinions of their new situation. Robbie is so taken by Katie, he surprises himself by asking her to marry him when they had known each other only a couple of weeks. He actually wants to renege on this, but can't bring himself to do it, even though he tries. Katie's girlfriends doubt that she knows what she is getting into, so they begin to snoop, and find out only that Robbie is not out to take advantage, but really loves her. Katie arranges a meeting of Robbie with her extended family (Katie's father had died, as had Robbie's mother), and even her cantankerous grandmother strongly approves of him. But then there are complications and distractions the day before the wedding, Robbie and Katie have a fight, and they announce they want to call the wedding off. Persuasion seems useless until Katie's grandmother gets in on it, and she demands to know if they love each other. They answer Yes, and that's all it takes to persuade them to forget their disagreement and all the tensions and trying to self-analyze, and they do get married, in spite of further complications.

After they return from their honeymoon, they move into Robbie's old room at the Douglas family's house, and Katie has trouble adjusting, for it has been an all-male family for years. She cries a lot-- sometimes because she is happy, sometimes because she is sad-- and no one, including Robbie, understands that, except for the dad, Steve [Fred MacMurray]. Steve tries to explain to Robbie that he is alright; that new brides cry because of the extreme emotions they feel, and because they naturally have been taught an idealism about being married; that it's all supposed to be beautiful and perfect, and inevitably they find out it's not that way every minute of every day. Example dialog:

Robbie comes down stairs after trying to console Katie
Steve: Is everything alright, Rob?
Robbie: I think so, Dad. [sighs] I really don't know what's wrong with me-- she must have cried 50 times today.
Steve: Rob, there's nothing wrong with you-- but there are a few facts of life that you still have to learn.
Robbie: Dad, I'm serious.
Steve: So am I, Rob. Now, Katie didn't cry because of anything you did. She cried for 2 reasons-- first, she's a woman, and second, she's a bride.
Robbie: Well, that doesn't make sense.
Steve: And there's another fact for you-- alot of things women do don't necessarily make sense.
Robbie: [sighs] Was my mother this way?
Steve: Oh sure. I remember when we first got married, it was just like this. And I was just like you; I thought the whole thing was my fault.
Robbie: Will it always be like this?
Steve: No.. no, Rob, as time goes by, you'll find that you and Katie will become more alike than either of you ever thought possible.
Robbie: [contemplates] Thanks, Dad. You make me feel alot better.
Steve: Of course, Rob, you and Katie do have a special problem.
Robbie: What's that?
Steve: All of us living here together.
Robbie: Yeah-- do you think we'll be able to work it out?
Steve: Oh sure-- as long as everyone realizes everyone has to make adjustments... Katie has to learn to live in an all-male house, and we have to learn to live in a house that is no longer all-male.

Then the scene switches to the next day as Uncle Charley, the flippant old sailor who takes care of the household chores, is humming and hanging out the wash. He takes the next article, and sees it is Katie's bra, and he hangs a sheet on the line between himself and where he is working to conceal it from the next-door-neighbors.

Well, it's a "square" show, and young people today certainly wouldn't think much of it, but when I was a kid, it was a show I liked, and I've never stopped liking it. And admittedly, I wondered as a first and second grader what Robbie and Katie were really up to between them; why, when people get married, they share a room and a bed, which wasn't allowed before, and such things. All I knew was that Katie was pretty :laugh: . From a middle-aged adult's perspective, I like all this for different reasons.

Anyway, does anyone else like this show? Was it too straight and clean?-- especially since they ignored the big 60's issues of race relations and the Vietnam War? Or was it a pleasant diversion to escape the harsh realities and focus on establishing the positives of life?