When we think classic television dads there are many “dads” who fit that bill: Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy (1951-1957), Andy Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968), Rob Petrie from The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966), Herman Munster from The Munsters (1964-1966), Mike Brady from The Brady Bunch (1969-1974), and the list goes on and on. Steve Douglas, the father from My Three Sons (1960-1972), is another character who would be included on that list, portrayed for twelve seasons by Fred MacMurray on both the ABC and CBS Networks. While appearing on the show, MacMurray simultaneously began a contract at Walt Disney Studios, and became a close of friend of Walt Disney in real life. In honor of Father’s Day, I thought we could reminisce MacMurray’s Disney legacy, which includes portrayals of fatherly figures.
Fred MacMurray made his Disney debut as Wilson Daniels in The Shaggy Dog (1959). This film co-starred Tim Considine as Buzz Miller, who coincidentally would go on to star with MacMurray as Mike Douglas in the first seasons of “My Three Sons.” “Shaggy Dog,” was a beloved hit for Disney, being Disney’s first live-action comedy to produce as well as second-highest grossing film of 1959, just under Ben-Hur (1959). His second Disney film, The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), proved an even bigger hit, becoming the very first live-action Disney film to spawn a sequel, Son of Flubber (1963). Fred MacMurray enjoyed shooting the party scene in “Son of Flubber,” because he actually plays the saxophone in the scene and MacMurray had considered a career as a saxophone player before becoming an actor. In between the “Flubber,” films MacMurray made another film for Disney entitled Bon Voyage! (1962), during which Walt Disney himself taught him how to hypnotize chickens. Whoever would have thought that was a thing?
In the first four films he made for Disney, MacMurray acted with Tommy Kirk, who played his older son in “Shaggy Dog,” and “Bon Voyage,” and the son of his main enemy in the “Flubber” films. Kevin Corcoran portrayed his younger son in “Shaggy Dog,” and “Bon Voyage.” Fred MacMurray starred in Follow Me, Boys! in 1966 and The Happiest Millionaire in 1967. These two films would be the Disney/feature film debuts of Kurt Russell and Lesley Ann Warren, respectively. Fred MacMurray later cited “Follow Me, Boys,” as his favorite of all his Disney films, having grown up a boy scout himself.
“Follow Me, Boys,” also reunited him with Elliot Reid, who portrayed his competitor for the affection of Vera Miles in the film. Ironically, Reid had also portrayed MacMurray’s competitor for Nancy Olson’s affection in “The Absent-Minded Professor,” and in both films the ladies ultimately chose MacMurray’s character. Charles Ruggles, who also appeared in “Son of Flubber,” appeared in “Follow Me, Boys” as well. MacMurray was also sad to bid farewell to his friend Walt Disney, whose December 15th, 1966 death occurred while both “Follow Me, Boys,” and “The Happiest Millionaire,” were still in production. He made his final Disney film Charley and the Angel in 1973, once again reuniting him with Kurt Russell.
Fred MacMurray was somewhat typecast as a chivalrous gentlemanly husband/father throughout most of his career, but he did, on occasion, have roles that weren’t so gentlemanly. He was often quoted as having said his best roles ever were whenever he cast against type. His portrayals of Walter Neff, the insurance salesman who plots with Barbara Stanwyck on how to murder her husband in Double Indemnity (1944) and as Jeff Sheldrake, the womanizing corporate executive executive having an affair with Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment (1960), are two great examples of that. Another example was with Humphrey Bogart and Jose Ferrer in The Caine Mutiny (1954), where he played deceitful Lieutenant Thomas Keefer. These three films were all nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and “The Apartment,” won, but sadly MacMurray never received an Oscar or any major award nomination throughout his entire career.
Fred MacMurray will forever be remembered for his “nice guy” roles, though one can definitely argue that he proved his versatility throughout his career and certainly was underrated as an actor. He retired from acting in 1978 after working for nearly 50 years, due to throat cancer and he passed away at the age of 83 on November 5th, 1991, having suffered from both leukemia and pneumonia. His adopted daughter, Kate MacMurray remembers her father being interviewed a few years before he passed away and the interviewer asked him how he’d like to be remembered and MacMurray replied “Fondly.” Taking into consideration the films he made for Disney, we certainly will remember him fondly.
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