Question About "My Three Sons" (1 Viewer)

[smithbrad]

I recall watching the color seasons a fair amount growing up. At the time, I did not even realize there were b/w seasons since I never found them syndicated. Though, I originally thought it strangely odd they started with a wedding of the oldest son. I've enjoyed even more the b/w seasons, since released. Unfortunately, after seasons 1 and 2 it was using barely watchable copies. At this point, I'll take edited, or music substitutions to get watchable video, as unfavorable an option that may be to most to get the remainder of the b/w episodes. That said, if you aren't a big fan of the show, there are many obstacles to overcome for these last ditch releases. I based the five count of edited episodes on Kasey's previous post, but even eight does not sway me. I'm happy they are at least fast tracking them to some degree. I would not expect the prices to ever drop drastically since as a MOD, there is little incentive to do so. Hopefully, season 5 will be out before Christmas.

 

[Flashgear]

I haven't gotten season three yet, but I will...after all, it features a Jimmy Stewart appearance as himself in Robbie Gets His Letter (Mar. 7, 1963). An inspiring speech delivered by Stewart.

 

[Dave Lawrence]

While I always prefer to find the best deal or wait for a sale I'm reasonably sure will happen with a bit of patience, when it comes to something like this - MOD releases with little chance of going down in price to any meaningful degree - I consider 2 things:

1) Is this one of the must-have shows on my want list, or is this a "it would be nice to have, but I can take it or leave it" show?
2) I remind myself of those days back in the 90s when I was purchasing VHS tapes through Columbia House for certain series and the price was $25+ for 4 half-hour episodes or 2-one-hour episodes per volume. And except for serialized Dallas, the volumes consisted of random episodes. Never in sequence, and they never seemed to finish a series (at least not the ones I was purchasing). And yet it was so great to get those at the time.

So while I don't make a habit of spending high full-price amounts for split volume releases (even with Gunsmoke - not MOD but does come in split volumes - I'll typically wait awhile for at least a minor price drop or a Deep Discount sale), My Three Sons is one series where I'm willing to deal with the higher price, even with split volumes and a few edits. It would certainly be better than the current Me-TV airings, or in some cases at least not any worse. And especially after the long wait between Seasons 2 and 3, I want to show my support for continued releases by not waiting very long to purchase them once they're available.

 

[ChrisALM]

i don't have S3 but plan to get it, even with the edited episodes (really, how can a CBS MOD not do better than this?) I plan to pick up any/all B/W seasons, after that, I'm not sure what I'll do.

 

[Kasey]

Still no order link on Amazon for these. What's the deal?

 

[Robert13]

Still no order link on Amazon for these. What's the deal?

I was wondering the same thing. I am not ordering from Moviezyng. There is virtually no info online about them and no reviews on their service. Why would amazon no longer be selling MOD titles from CBS?

Oldies.com also has it listed but I have heard horror stories about their customer service. Terrible online reviews. Will not order from them either.

 

[jcroy]

I was wondering the same thing. I am not ordering from Moviezyng. There is virtually no info online about them and no reviews on their service. Why would amazon no longer be selling MOD titles from CBS?

Oldies.com also has it listed but I have heard horror stories about their customer service. Terrible online reviews. Will not order from them either.

(More generally).

Nowadays I only bother buying dvd/bluray discs from amazon, costco, and wallyworld to a lesser degree. Mainly for the reason they don't usually give you the "5th degree" when asking for an exchange for defective dvd/bluray discs.

For the few other retailers I've encountered, they're a nightmare to deal with when it comes to defective discs.

 

[Gary OS]

Surprised that My Three Sons S4 didn't show up at some point last month on MOD. So I'm assuming CBS/Paramount just decided at the last minute to hold up the release. Glad it's at least on it's way now.

Gary "scratching my head on that one" O.

 

[Tom.W]

Still no order link on Amazon for these. What's the deal?

It's up on Amazon now:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07XL54...refix=my+three+sons+sea,movies-tv,1334&sr=1-5

Oldies.com also has it listed but I have heard horror stories about their customer service. Terrible online reviews. Will not order from them either.

Thanks for the steer clear on that.

 

[LeoA]

Well over $100 to buy season 3 and 4 soon is going to sting, but glad to see some action on this front even if the situation isn't perfect with the price, unrestored transfers, and some cuts here and there.

Along with Ozzie & Harriet, this is the one at the top of my wish list.

 

[TheLogoGuy94]

I don’t have the money yet, but I hope someone buys it and reviews it. I would love to know how many unedited episodes there are altogether.

 

[Kasey]

Just ordered it and will post about any edited episodes, etc. when it arrives.

 

[Kasey]

This review is for Volumes 1 and 2 since I purchased both together. These two sets are the same as the Season 3 releases. No remastering has been done on the episodes themselves, but the score has not been altered like it was on the first two seasons that were released in 2008-2010. Those were pressed discs but these are the purple burned discs. They do have a nice silk screened logo on each disc that lists the episode titles. There is no insert with titles/airdates though.


The back covers feature the same colorized cast photo, although it not a Season 4 publicity pic, it’s from the first season. The bad news is that once again there are cut episodes. Most of the episodes on Volume 1 run between 25:30-25:40. On Volume 2, the episodes all start having shorter running times that range from around 24:00-24:50. I can’t tell if they are edited, so I assume maybe mid-season they began to make the episodes shorter. I did compare with The Patty Duke Show Season 1, which aired on ABC the same year as this, but the Patty episodes were all around 25:30, so it makes me wonder. The following is a list of run times on the confirmed edited ones:


DEAR ROBBIE 22:34
SECOND CHORUS 23:45
MY FRIEND ERNIE 22:38
THE END OF YOU-KNOW-WHAT 22:26
THE TOUPEE 22:29


I liked this Season better than the first three. The addition of Ernie (Barry Livingston) and Sally (Meredith MacRae) made the show more enjoyable for me. But, this is still pricey for edited episodes that are not remastered. Casual fans may want to pass on this and just watch on Me-TV, etc. rather than springing for this set. Season 5 is my favorite of the B&W years. I do hope if it’s released, there are no edits, but I am not holding my breath.

 

[Lecagr]

It sounds to me that the 24:00-24:50 run times on season 4 volume 2 might mean the episodes are complete but time compressed. I doubt that they would shorten the run times of the episodes in the middle of the season, that doesn't make sense, especially during this time in the 1960's when half hour shows normally ran about 25:30 or so.

I have the DVD's of seasons 1 and 2, it looks like I'll probably stop there because seasons 3 and 4 have too many episodes that are edited or otherwise compromised to justify making the purchase.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

This review is for Volumes 1 and 2 since I purchased both together. These two sets are the same as the Season 3 releases. No remastering has been done on the episodes themselves, but the score has not been altered like it was on the first two seasons that were released in 2008-2010. Those were pressed discs but these are the purple burned discs. They do have a nice silk screened logo on each disc that lists the episode titles. There is no insert with titles/airdates though.


The back covers feature the same colorized cast photo, although it not a Season 4 publicity pic, it’s from the first season. The bad news is that once again there are cut episodes. Most of the episodes on Volume 1 run between 25:30-25:40. On Volume 2, the episodes all start having shorter running times that range from around 24:00-24:50. I can’t tell if they are edited, so I assume maybe mid-season they began to make the episodes shorter. I did compare with The Patty Duke Show Season 1, which aired on ABC the same year as this, but the Patty episodes were all around 25:30, so it makes me wonder. The following is a list of run times on the confirmed edited ones:


DEAR ROBBIE 22:34
SECOND CHORUS 23:45
MY FRIEND ERNIE 22:38
THE END OF YOU-KNOW-WHAT 22:26
THE TOUPEE 22:29


I liked this Season better than the first three. The addition of Ernie (Barry Livingston) and Sally (Meredith MacRae) made the show more enjoyable for me. But, this is still pricey for edited episodes that are not remastered. Casual fans may want to pass on this and just watch on Me-TV, etc. rather than springing for this set. Season 5 is my favorite of the B&W years. I do hope if it’s released, there are no edits, but I am not holding my breath.

Thank you for the review and screencaps of the My Three Sons S4 set, Kasey! That's good information. I may pick up S3 and 4 at some point down the road, as I really like this series, but that price point is pretty high...especially considering the sets include several syndicated and/or timesped episodes.

 

[John Karras]

DEAR ROBBIE 22:34
SECOND CHORUS 23:45
MY FRIEND ERNIE 22:38
THE END OF YOU-KNOW-WHAT 22:26
THE TOUPEE 22:29

Checking from complete 16mm prints, "Dear Robbie" runs 25:20. The only thing in the episode that could have been a problem were the two scenes in the soda shop with fairly prominent music playing in the background.
"Second Chorus" runs 25:25 and contains J.P. Morgan singing "I Only Have Eyes For You", and "It Was Just One Of Those Things"
"My Friend Ernie" runs 25:26. The only thing that could have been a problem is the background music played during the nightclub scenes.

 

[smithbrad]

Checking from complete 16mm prints, "Dear Robbie" runs 25:20. The only thing in the episode that could have been a problem were the two scenes in the soda shop with fairly prominent music playing in the background.
"Second Chorus" runs 25:25 and contains J.P. Morgan singing "I Only Have Eyes For You", and "It Was Just One Of Those Things"
"My Friend Ernie" runs 25:26. The only thing that could have been a problem is the background music played during the nightclub scenes.

Interesting...so, it may not have been related to syndicated (cut) prints, but just conservative CBS cutting out some music concerns instead of replacing the music. That makes more sense than damaged or lost complete episodes.

 

[Kasey]

Have been working my way through the Season 5 releases. From my Amazon review:

I bought all eight volumes that comprised Seasons 1 thru 4 but to be honest, those aren’t my favorite seasons of the show. Some of the earlier episodes were a slog to get through. Not so with Season 5. This season has the best of both worlds since we get Bub (William O’Frawley) in the first half; and when he departs for Ireland exactly half-way in, William Demerest makes his debut as Uncle Charley (whom I always preferred). And Mike is still there (along with Meredith MacRae as his lovely fiancé Sally) yet we get a healthy dose of Ernie too even though he’s not yet a full-fledged member of the household.​

By 1964, MY THREE SONS was well into the Swinging ‘60s and the plot lines reflected that. This is my favorite of the black-and-white seasons. No more of Mike’s boring Air Force shenanigans this year, etc. Loved seeing all the kids doing the Watusi at the malt shop and Robbie and his girlfriend performing the “crazy new dance” The Frog and the whole family dressed up as beatniks in the terrific episode called THE COFFEE HOUSE SET (Mike looks exactly like Maynard G. Krebs!). The episode also scores bonus points for the appearance of a pre-Katie Tina Cole and Jamie Farr (MASH) as the proprietor.

Best episode of the season GOODBYE AGAIN was co-written by Tim Considine and not only does it provide some wonderful Douglas nostalgia in the return of Cynthia Pepper as Mike’s old flame Jean Pearson, it has Ernie going “undercover” as Secret Agent 007 spying on Mike and Jean in a nod to the 1960s Spy craze and breaking the fourth wall in a delightful caper.

Gloria Swanson guest stars as an old vaudeville pal of Charley’s and William Demarest really brings some humanity to his role in several of these entries.

Once again, we get edited episodes and there isn’t any remastering like there was on the first two seasons. The cover art features Steve with a smaller pic of Robbie, Chip and Ernie. I think Mike should have been featured instead, because even though Ernie was always my favorite, I still consider this very much a “Mike” season. The rear covers also feature pics from 1965 and 1968 instead of being season-appropriate, so I guess the people in the art department aren’t big fans of the show. Still, I am very grateful my favorite of the B&W years was made available in this format. But with the recent dissolving of CBS Home Video’s MOD department, it remains to be seen whether or not we will get any of the color episodes.​

​

 

[dawnshadow]

I have good news - on a few different levels and depending on how you look at it.

If you haven’t bought Seasons 3 and 4 yet, this boxset could save you some money and get you pressed discs instead of burnt ones. This company usually provides identical discs to the US releases, so PAL speed up should not be a problem.

Currently scheduled for release in Australia on August 5 — My Three Sons : Season 1-4 | Collection

No other details are out yet, but I would assume it to be quite cheap in comparison to the volume releases, even if you already own Seasons 1 and 2. This is also huge news for the possibility of further seasons getting a release since CBS’ MOD department is supposedly now gone.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I have good news - on a few different levels and depending on how you look at it.

If you haven’t bought Seasons 3 and 4 yet, this boxset could save you some money and get you pressed discs instead of burnt ones. This company usually provides identical discs to the US releases, so PAL speed up should not be a problem.

Currently scheduled for release in Australia on August 5 — My Three Sons : Season 1-4 | Collection

No other details are out yet, but I would assume it to be quite cheap in comparison to the volume releases, even if you already own Seasons 1 and 2. This is also huge news for the possibility of further seasons getting a release since CBS’ MOD department is supposedly now gone.

I'm gonna buy it, then I'm going to laugh my ass off when CBS pulls a Becker and releases a pressed version of 1-5 in an epic pak.

And if they don't (because let's be fair, that is a long shot), I'll still have seasons 1-4 pressed.