Biscayne, Custom 500 and Fury 1. All for the practical families that didn’t need full wheel covers, armrests, carpet, air conditioning but on most cases, an AM radio and heater were expected. We were a 2 car family with a ‘63 Biscayne with AM radio 3 speed manual but with a 283! We also had a ‘62 Falcon which had a heater and AM radio. Both spartan vehicles for sure.
I remember the Pontiacs on IDOJ, they were actually used for a while too on "Bewitched" around when the Salem episodes were filmed. "Wendy And Me" with George Burns and Connie Stevens seemed to have Oldsmobiles, the one or two times I saw it.
My first time was in the back of 61 Biscayne and then the following week I got drunk and total out three park cars and drove away. One hell of a automobile I would say.
@thanksforthemusic Actually, Bub was the boys' Grandfather. William Demarest played Charlie O'Casey, Bub's brother after William Frawley left for health reasons
Yes, Frawley had a very long career in movies before "I Love Lucy" then this was originally supposed to be his series before they realized they could bring in Fred MacMurray.
I don't think this was product placement, it was an outright commercial, but then I'm not 100% sure without watching the whole show. There were many such commercials then, including the cast of Wagon Train (with Ward Bond) driving a station wagon while still in character!
Chevrolet sponsored the series during its first four seasons (1960-'64) on ABC- as a custom, the cast usually appeared in an "integrated" commercial for the sponsor, at the end of the program...but Fred MacMurray rarely appeared in these..
I have to believe that Chevrolet was pushing the ‘61 Biscayne model as an indirect competitor to the Falcon, because the Corvair was not doing well against Falcon in the sales race. And the conventional Chevy II would not be arriving until 1962. The Biscayne really was a bargain if you wanted to own a full-sized vehicle and didn’t mind having the base trim level. Sharp looking car even as the economy special!
After you watch this commercial, do a search for the "I Love Lucy" episode "The Diet," and listen to the dialogue a little over four minutes into Part 1 (immediately after Ricky gets off the phone) and see if anything sounds familiar (besides the sound of William Frawley's voice, that is).
The 409 came out with the inroduction of the Super Sport option on the Impala, but nothing else. 1962 the 409 was available on any full size chevy including the Biscayne
I'd heard the same thing, and when I'd watch the reruns back in the 70s, I'd notice how the son's hair lengths wouldn't always be the same between the scenes shot with Fred MacMurray and the scenes without him in the same program. You didn't have to pay too close attention to notice the lapse in continuity...
At the end of the show, after the credits, they would show some of the Chevy cars riding down the road in the '61 and '62 seasons. you gotta butter your sponsors bread.
Frawley, one of the greatest character actors since Wallace Beery, was fired because the studio couldn't get insurance on him due to his declining health (he never showed up on the set drunk as far as I know). He stuck around until they could bring in William Demarest, who'd already played his brother once on the show, as his replacement.
Oddly enough, there's an episode of "I Love Lucy" that has a similar joke...except that time it was Frawley whose question was continuously ignored, but answered when Ethel asked the same question. Like Chip here, Frawley then says "Now what was I doing wrong?"
Yeah, I've heard stories about William Frawley myself. He use to show up on the set of,"I love Lucie" drunk on his butt and very abusive. Vivian Vance(Ethel) hated his guts to the core and vis-versa. He could be a handful at times. As for the Chevy Biscayne. I like the clean and uncluttered styling. I would have ordered mine with a 348/w triple carbs, solid lifter cam, 4 speed, and 4:11 posi rear end. A 409 even, but it wasn't available in a Biscayne at that time. I think
It's strange, Pontiac furnished the cars for "My Three Sons", unless they weren't when this commercial was made. GM's '61 cars were all beautiful to me.
Yes, the black and white episodes were great.I agree they were way better than the color episodes. I even named my Beagle, Bub. No one could replace William Frawley in that role. A tough act to follow for sure.
@MrGuido7007 Wrong. Frawley wasn't fired. He left the show because his health was declining (which led to his death in 1966). And he didn't play the same character as Fred MacMurray either.
I don't think Fred MacMurray filmed at home. I saw a documentary once that said all of his parts for the whole season was filmed in a couple of weeks and the rest of the cast had to film around the shots were already done. They said they lost some props along the way and had to be creative to fit all the shots together.
Then in the last (twelfth) season it was Ford. Katie had a Mustang, and Steve had a Mercury Colony Park station wagon. But cars weren't featured as often that year
I think you're mean Tommy Kirk, who played Joe Hardy opposite Tim Casidine as Frank Hardy. In any case, I'd like to have their looks any day. Both actually appeared to talk about their Hardy Boy days with Disney for the 50th anniversary. I hate to sound mean, but why did Tommy Kirk fool with a 15-year-old boy? I think even today Disney was right to fire Kirk for having an affair with a 15-year-old. What is the age of consent in California? It should be the same for either kind of consent.
he he he and we see where Chevrolet ended up lol. They are part of GM which nearly went to the ground this year if it had not been for a taxpayer bailout. :)
![1963 1-31 My Three Sons S3E20 The Dream Book [with Tim Considine, Don Grady, Fred MacMurray]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hSnzQTfbF50/mqdefault.jpg)
Biscayne, Custom 500 and Fury 1. All for the practical families that didn’t need full wheel covers, armrests, carpet, air conditioning but on most cases, an AM radio and heater were expected. We were a 2 car family with a ‘63 Biscayne with AM radio 3 speed manual but with a 283! We also had a ‘62 Falcon which had a heater and AM radio. Both spartan vehicles for sure.
My family had a 1964 Chevy Biscayne and it eventually became my first car.
Thanks for reminding me of those. It really was a creative way of doing things,and I really miss it.
I remember the Pontiacs on IDOJ, they were actually used for a while too on "Bewitched" around when the Salem episodes were filmed. "Wendy And Me" with George Burns and Connie Stevens seemed to have Oldsmobiles, the one or two times I saw it.
No seatbelts, either! The first car I ever saw them was in a 1967 Belair.
My first time was in the back of 61 Biscayne and then the following week I got drunk and total out three park cars and drove away. One hell of a automobile I would say.
@thanksforthemusic Actually, Bub was the boys' Grandfather. William Demarest played Charlie O'Casey, Bub's brother after William Frawley left for health reasons
Yes, Frawley had a very long career in movies before "I Love Lucy" then this was originally supposed to be his series before they realized they could bring in Fred MacMurray.
Stars regulary did commercials for their sponsor. That used to be the norm and many of the commercials were related to the exact show they were from.
"What's a Biscayne???" Usually the Impala got top billing!
I don't think this was product placement, it was an outright commercial, but then I'm not 100% sure without watching the whole show. There were many such commercials then, including the cast of Wagon Train (with Ward Bond) driving a station wagon while still in character!
I love My Three Sons in black and white MUCH better than the colored episodes!!
Chevrolet sponsored the series during its first four seasons (1960-'64) on ABC- as a custom, the cast usually appeared in an "integrated" commercial for the sponsor, at the end of the program...but Fred MacMurray rarely appeared in these..
I have to believe that Chevrolet was pushing the ‘61 Biscayne model as an indirect competitor to the Falcon, because the Corvair was not doing well against Falcon in the sales race. And the conventional Chevy II would not be arriving until 1962. The Biscayne really was a bargain if you wanted to own a full-sized vehicle and didn’t mind having the base trim level. Sharp looking car even as the economy special!
Yes, you're absolutely right. The quality was higher, especially in the first season, and William Demarest was no William Frawley!
After you watch this commercial, do a search for the "I Love Lucy" episode "The Diet," and listen to the dialogue a little over four minutes into Part 1 (immediately after Ricky gets off the phone) and see if anything sounds familiar (besides the sound of William Frawley's voice, that is).
The 409 came out with the inroduction of the Super Sport option on the Impala, but nothing else. 1962 the 409 was available on any full size chevy including the Biscayne
I'd heard the same thing, and when I'd watch the reruns back in the 70s, I'd notice how the son's hair lengths wouldn't always be the same between the scenes shot with Fred MacMurray and the scenes without him in the same program. You didn't have to pay too close attention to notice the lapse in continuity...
Little Dodie's front teeth kept going from one baby tooth out to both baby teeth missing.
Product placement at its best.
At the end of the show, after the credits, they would show some of the Chevy cars riding down the road in the '61 and '62 seasons. you gotta butter your sponsors bread.
Frawley, one of the greatest character actors since Wallace Beery, was fired because the studio couldn't get insurance on him due to his declining health (he never showed up on the set drunk as far as I know). He stuck around until they could bring in William Demarest, who'd already played his brother once on the show, as his replacement.
Oddly enough, there's an episode of "I Love Lucy" that has a similar joke...except that time it was Frawley whose question was continuously ignored, but answered when Ethel asked the same question. Like Chip here, Frawley then says "Now what was I doing wrong?"
Actually, Biscayne is the name of a bay, a key and a national park just off Miami.
Imagine that! A low-priced car named for a high-rent district!
My favorite car was the Impaler.
Yeah, I've heard stories about William Frawley myself. He use to show up on the set of,"I love Lucie" drunk on his butt and very abusive. Vivian Vance(Ethel) hated his guts to the core and vis-versa. He could be a handful at times.
As for the Chevy Biscayne. I like the clean and uncluttered styling. I would have ordered mine with a 348/w triple carbs, solid lifter cam, 4 speed, and 4:11 posi rear end. A 409 even, but it wasn't available in a Biscayne at that time. I think
It's strange, Pontiac furnished the cars for "My Three Sons", unless they weren't when this commercial was made. GM's '61 cars were all beautiful to me.
Later in the series they did. The early episodes they drove a Chevy.
Yes, the black and white episodes were great.I agree they were way better than the color episodes. I even named my Beagle, Bub.
No one could replace William Frawley in that role. A tough act to follow for sure.
The announcer at the end sounded like
Dick Tufield who was the voice of the Robot on the Old TV series, Lost In Space! Am I right folks? Mikie D
@MrGuido7007 Wrong. Frawley wasn't fired. He left the show because his health was declining (which led to his death in 1966). And he didn't play the same character as Fred MacMurray either.
I don't think Fred MacMurray filmed at home. I saw a documentary once that said all of his parts for the whole season was filmed in a couple of weeks and the rest of the cast had to film around the shots were already done. They said they lost some props along the way and had to be creative to fit all the shots together.
Did you forget about the Vega?
What, no GPS, satellite radio, or cupholders?
They didn't have those back in the 1950s and 1960s like they do today
And there was no such thing as OnStar in the '50s and '60s as there is right now today(or air bags either)
And also, there was no such thing as Sirius satellite XM Radio in the 1950s and 1960s either as there is today
Bill said, "damp cloth"! Get your minds out of the gutter!! Don't insult wholesome TV and movies like that!!
OR A BUBBLE TOP,,,,,I Thought 409 was available on the biscayne,,,,348 for sure was on the impala
On My Three Sons it was Chevrolet first and then Pontiac
Then in the last (twelfth) season it was Ford. Katie had a Mustang, and Steve had a Mercury Colony Park station wagon. But cars weren't featured as often that year
william frawley was replaced by william demarest...
@peeweecee Yes, "Uncle Bub..."
like is there no fricking full episodes? who the f wants to watch 2 frickin minutes of an episode
Try the Chevrolet commercial with the cast of Bananza. Can you say anachronism?
Didn't My Three Sons usually feature Pontiacs?
Yes they did after Chevrolet sponsored the show from 1960-1965
@peeweecee yup
At 1:07 is Bub saying damn cloth? Foul Mouth.
I think you're mean Tommy Kirk, who played Joe Hardy opposite Tim Casidine as Frank Hardy. In any case, I'd like to have their looks any day. Both actually appeared to talk about their Hardy Boy days with Disney for the 50th anniversary.
I hate to sound mean, but why did Tommy Kirk fool with a 15-year-old boy? I think even today Disney was right to fire Kirk for having an affair with a 15-year-old. What is the age of consent in California? It should be the same for either kind of consent.
@debfan74 Me too
he he he and we see where Chevrolet ended up lol. They are part of GM which nearly went to the ground this year if it had not been for a taxpayer bailout. :)
LOL - sellouts even in the 50's!
Chip: "What's a Biscayne?"
Me: "Possibly the ugliest Chevrolet ever built."