My Three Sons -CBS Radford

Before it was CBS, this lot was Republic Pictures.

CBS Radford, Studio City, California. The Hollywood Hills and Mulholland Drive are off in the distance.

My Three Sons family residence, in the 80’s. Talk about ruining a shot, parking stalls are delineating the street in front. That’s because many buildings double as office space and employees park their cars here to go to work. That would never have happened when this series was on the air.

I took the color picture and the B/W 10 years apart. Both trespassing…

This home was originally used in Gene Autry’s 1940 Western Melody Ranch. Then, the lot was known as Republic Pictures.

I like kids who have their name stamped on –Their Cookies! Really good idea…

Adjacent to The Wild Wild West–there was a family of boys…

What appears to be a garage is actually the side view of this home used in My Three Sons.

These rustic homes are some of the first sets you come across after hopping the near-by fence. Gilligan’s Island was once the closet set to these.

The Wild Wild West sets…

Every Western Street on any lot has a Gunsmith, Bank, Livery Stable, Provisions, Saloon, probably a brothel…definitely a jail!

Same building, over 10 years apart.

Small Town Square. Just like the TV series My Three Sons was filmed, I have both color and B/W photos from my escapades that transcend time.

Small Town Square during my first ever trespass on this backlot. Come along with me, I know where to get in, I’ll show ya! I’ll take you inside for another adventure in my forth coming book “The Uninvited Visitor”

These guys were ship wrecked in Studio City, California. The Lagoon was side by side with the L.A. River, a boundary for this studio and the place where this trespass was first made.

A tiny- New York Street was configured into this backlot.

Mr. Arnold Ziffel hams it up on a set fit for a star. Green Acres was another hit series going on. Eddie Albert turned down the part of Dad on My Three Sons. He ended up with a farm in need of repairs, a beautiful wife- Eva Gabor and lovely pig. “This has been a Filmways Presentation, Darling”

Shaggy, one of the many stars in the stable of the legendary Frank Inn. Don Grady, before being Robbie Douglas, was one of the Mouseketeers in Mickey’s Club.

American Bandstand 1967. This successful show at one time featured “The Captain” Daryl Dragon of Captain and Tennille fame. Singer and drummer in this Band, a Graduate from Burbank High School, pictured here, Incognito. A hat and glasses hide Don Grady aka Robbie Douglas, also billed as as “Luke R. Yoo”

My dad, handling “Pokey” with one of the many movie stars who would visit my street. I met Benji a few years after this photo. Glen Smith was Frank’s right hand man and trainer and lived directly across the street from me.

A Tale of Tails…

In 1943, Fred MacMurray was the highest paid actor in Hollywood, and the fourth highest paid American. When he appeared in Disney’s The Shaggy Dog, he became stereotyped and best remembered as the perfect father of three kids and a shaggy dog.

12 seasons and a whopping 380 episodes later, it finished second only to Ozzie and Harriet with 425 in the can. Eddie Albert was first offered the role but turned it down. He would fall into Green Acres and find that seven years of farm livin’ was the life for him. ABC aired My Three Sons for 5 years before moving over here to CBS. Reason being, ABC did not wish to pay the cost for color episodes.

Frank Inn was the animal trainer and every show with animals had one of his on set, at least. Frank owned and trained other stars including Arnold the Pig, as well as another young budding star on another TV series, Petticoat Junction. The terrier was uncredited in that series, but went on to melt movie goer hearts as Benji. Needless to say, Benji became the biggest star of all, starring in his own feature as lead dog. Yet, I’m sure he remained loyal to those three pretty girls in Hooterville. Woof!

Fred worked a lucrative deal allowing him a 10 week hiatus while the rest of the show continued on schedule. This created continuity issues that can sometimes be observed in final edits. The show endured despite never cracking the Top 10 in ratings. It once climbed to 11-season 2.

CBS had several hit TV series going on including Gilligan’s Island and The Wild Wild West, both big favorites of mine. Robert Conrad played a thinking man’s cowboy in this series while what kid didn’t enjoy the lush settings of the lagoon located not far behind this home and street. CBS had a tight knit backlot with varying types of filming locations. This lot- located on Radford, in Studio City, still exists as does this house once occupied by My Three Sons.

An interesting side bar is Don Grady played drums in a psychedelic band while starring in this show. The Yellow Balloon. It featured Grady as Luke R. Yoo, they had a hit song that reached # 25 on Bill Boards top 30.

I originally snuck on this lot with one goal in mind, finding-Gilligan’s Island. Sadly, it no longer existed as a lagoon. Some jungle did remain in the original section that hugs the L.A. River, but no S.S. Minnow, no castaways, but a very cute, contrite, effective backlot presented itself to me in the 70’s.

In my second story book I will take you down the streets used in The Wild Wild West. Come Trespass with me, as it happened. Bring your camera. We start, as usual, with finding a way inside. Risks…of course there’s risks! That’s why its title has three W’s!

Written and lived by…Donnie Norden