What do you get when an escaped lion finds its way into the Douglas house? The funniest episode of My Three Sons of all-time. This is the third episode after Ernie's adoption and it's clear he is the funniest and most lovable part of Steve's family.
4 Reviews
Funniest episode
kellielulu26 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I loved this one as a kid and caught it again this morning.
After attending the circus Ernie and Chip play circus and camp out in the backyard. The lion at the circus wouldn't do anything but escapes in ends up in the Douglas home!
First Ernie sees him in the backyard but Chip doesn't. The sound of the lions loud purring freaks them out and they run in the house forgetting to close the kitchen door and the lion followed. Steve is awakened by Ernie when he finds the lion in the attic. Steve doesn't see it but doesn't scold Ernie. He just feels Ernie needs to feel secure in his new home. He tells Ernie something was missing without him. The lion in the meantime ends up in Steve's room. Steve thinks it's Tramp but Tramps barking outside makes Steve and quickly Robbie see the lion! It's back and forth trying to hide from the lion . Ernie meanwhile gets to a neighbors and calls the police. They get with the circus trainer get the lion out . They realize Ernie wasn't imagining anything.
Very basic but well done plot . One of their best episodes.
This kind of episode wouldn't work now understandably but it's a good time capsule episode .
After attending the circus Ernie and Chip play circus and camp out in the backyard. The lion at the circus wouldn't do anything but escapes in ends up in the Douglas home!
First Ernie sees him in the backyard but Chip doesn't. The sound of the lions loud purring freaks them out and they run in the house forgetting to close the kitchen door and the lion followed. Steve is awakened by Ernie when he finds the lion in the attic. Steve doesn't see it but doesn't scold Ernie. He just feels Ernie needs to feel secure in his new home. He tells Ernie something was missing without him. The lion in the meantime ends up in Steve's room. Steve thinks it's Tramp but Tramps barking outside makes Steve and quickly Robbie see the lion! It's back and forth trying to hide from the lion . Ernie meanwhile gets to a neighbors and calls the police. They get with the circus trainer get the lion out . They realize Ernie wasn't imagining anything.
Very basic but well done plot . One of their best episodes.
This kind of episode wouldn't work now understandably but it's a good time capsule episode .
Simple plot well done in a funny episode
FlushingCaps28 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
On a night after Steve took his sons to the circus, Chip and Ernie are camping out in the backyard. Hearing a noise in the night, Ernie puts on his glasses and peeks out of their tent to see a lion, licking away at Tramp's dog dish. Ernie quickly slips back inside to wake up his brother, who sleepily takes too long and by the time he looks out, the lion has moved on.
Moments later, Ernie sees the lion again by the dog dish, so this time he goes inside and wakes up Uncle Charley. He comes out and around to the back, but again the lion has moved on-this time slipping inside the house, thanks to Charley leaving the door wide open.
Ernie tells Chip about his second sighting, and the boys decide to go inside to sleep the rest of the night in their beds. We viewers have seen the lion climb the stairs and go into the attic. The lion now makes roaring sounds, not real loud ones, that both boys hear, but Chip insists it's Robbie playing a joke on them. They both go to Robbie's room, think he's pretending to be asleep. Robbie admits to nothing, so the boys go back to bed.
Again the noisy lion alerts Ernie, who goes up to the attic, spots his new "friend." This time he goes for Dad. Steve, trying very hard to be comforting to his newest son, figuring he just dreamt, or mistakenly thought he saw the lion, calmly suggests they can look for him in the morning and sends Ernie back to bed.
Now the lion has moved into Steve's room, sleeping on the floor. Steve glimpses at him as he returns to bed, thinking it's Tramp. But a minute later, Tramp, who was kicked out by Charley, thinking he was the one making noise, starts howling outside Steve's window, so after seeing Tramp outside, he takes a closer look at who's in his room, and now realizes there really is a lion in the house.
This leads to the best scenes in the show, where Steve tries to move about, shutting the dog up in the bathroom-but the lion slips out before they can close the second door, and Steve and the other boys dash about trying to not let the lion get a chance to hurt them.
It's Ernie to the rescue, as he alerts the police and an officer and the lion's trainer show up and coax the lion away.
I'd like to point out this is another example of why shows done in a closed studio have huge advantages to ones filmed in front of a studio audience. They couldn't possibly have made an episode like this at all if they needed a studio audience. They also, despite the entire plot taking place in the Douglas home, had separate sets for Steve's room, Robbie's room, Chip and Ernie's room, their backyard tent, outside of the backyard, inside the living room, back room by Charley's room, and upstairs hallway plus the attic.
No way could they do all this while having an audience in one studio. But if the lion isn't moving around, one of the older people would have seen him earlier, and the entire episode would need to have been written much differently.
It was the simplest of premises, but definitely funnier than most episodes in this series. I gave it a 9.
Moments later, Ernie sees the lion again by the dog dish, so this time he goes inside and wakes up Uncle Charley. He comes out and around to the back, but again the lion has moved on-this time slipping inside the house, thanks to Charley leaving the door wide open.
Ernie tells Chip about his second sighting, and the boys decide to go inside to sleep the rest of the night in their beds. We viewers have seen the lion climb the stairs and go into the attic. The lion now makes roaring sounds, not real loud ones, that both boys hear, but Chip insists it's Robbie playing a joke on them. They both go to Robbie's room, think he's pretending to be asleep. Robbie admits to nothing, so the boys go back to bed.
Again the noisy lion alerts Ernie, who goes up to the attic, spots his new "friend." This time he goes for Dad. Steve, trying very hard to be comforting to his newest son, figuring he just dreamt, or mistakenly thought he saw the lion, calmly suggests they can look for him in the morning and sends Ernie back to bed.
Now the lion has moved into Steve's room, sleeping on the floor. Steve glimpses at him as he returns to bed, thinking it's Tramp. But a minute later, Tramp, who was kicked out by Charley, thinking he was the one making noise, starts howling outside Steve's window, so after seeing Tramp outside, he takes a closer look at who's in his room, and now realizes there really is a lion in the house.
This leads to the best scenes in the show, where Steve tries to move about, shutting the dog up in the bathroom-but the lion slips out before they can close the second door, and Steve and the other boys dash about trying to not let the lion get a chance to hurt them.
It's Ernie to the rescue, as he alerts the police and an officer and the lion's trainer show up and coax the lion away.
I'd like to point out this is another example of why shows done in a closed studio have huge advantages to ones filmed in front of a studio audience. They couldn't possibly have made an episode like this at all if they needed a studio audience. They also, despite the entire plot taking place in the Douglas home, had separate sets for Steve's room, Robbie's room, Chip and Ernie's room, their backyard tent, outside of the backyard, inside the living room, back room by Charley's room, and upstairs hallway plus the attic.
No way could they do all this while having an audience in one studio. But if the lion isn't moving around, one of the older people would have seen him earlier, and the entire episode would need to have been written much differently.
It was the simplest of premises, but definitely funnier than most episodes in this series. I gave it a 9.
THE FAMOUS LION EPISODE. DO NOT MISS!
tcchelsey4 November 2023
This is the episode we all remember as kids, and always loved that mysterious, creepy music in the background. CLASSIC My Three Sons stuff, and probably one of the very best episodes from the entire series.
The gang goes to the circus one night, has a blast, comes home and goes to bed. But what happens when a lion follows 'em home. Watchful Ernie naturally spots the lion --and everyone thinks he's nuts -- until the lion gets into the house!
This is insane! Best scene has Fred MacMurray calling the cops and jumping out of his slippers when the lion is right BEHIND HIM! Run Steve! Sneaking around the house, peeking around corners is hilarious.
This episode is actually historical, as the lion is played by Zamba, the worlds greatest lion. He was. Trainer Ralph Helfer found Zamba in Zambia, Africa, who was an orphan lion and needed medical care. He brought him to his famous pet ranch in Van Nuys, California where he eventually became a Hollywood celebrity in his own right. Zamba is probably best known as the ADDAMS FAMILY lion, though he appeared in many movies and sitcoms, such as GILLIGANS ISLAND, MISTER ED, and MY FAVORITE MARTAIN.
Helfer was also a crusader for treating animals with respect and dignity, rallying against trainers who caged and beat animals in Hollywood, a common situation for decades. Zamba turned up at endless events, raising money for charities up until his death in 1970.
Best line department: Steve says to Ernie, "Why didn't you tell us about the lion?" To which Ernie replies, "I tried." Steve gasps, "Next time TRY HARDER!"
From SEASON 6 remastered color dvd box set.
The gang goes to the circus one night, has a blast, comes home and goes to bed. But what happens when a lion follows 'em home. Watchful Ernie naturally spots the lion --and everyone thinks he's nuts -- until the lion gets into the house!
This is insane! Best scene has Fred MacMurray calling the cops and jumping out of his slippers when the lion is right BEHIND HIM! Run Steve! Sneaking around the house, peeking around corners is hilarious.
This episode is actually historical, as the lion is played by Zamba, the worlds greatest lion. He was. Trainer Ralph Helfer found Zamba in Zambia, Africa, who was an orphan lion and needed medical care. He brought him to his famous pet ranch in Van Nuys, California where he eventually became a Hollywood celebrity in his own right. Zamba is probably best known as the ADDAMS FAMILY lion, though he appeared in many movies and sitcoms, such as GILLIGANS ISLAND, MISTER ED, and MY FAVORITE MARTAIN.
Helfer was also a crusader for treating animals with respect and dignity, rallying against trainers who caged and beat animals in Hollywood, a common situation for decades. Zamba turned up at endless events, raising money for charities up until his death in 1970.
Best line department: Steve says to Ernie, "Why didn't you tell us about the lion?" To which Ernie replies, "I tried." Steve gasps, "Next time TRY HARDER!"
From SEASON 6 remastered color dvd box set.
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