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R.I.P. Tim Considine, eldest son Mike Douglas on My Three Sons
He got his start acting for Disney, on both The Mickey Mouse Club and in The Shaggy Dog.
While the two projects were never officially tied together, the sitcom My Three Sons found a lot of its inspiration in the Disney film The Shaggy Dog. The movie hit theaters in 1959, and Disney showcased its knack for casting young talent. For the role of Buzz, the adversary in The Shaggy Dog, the House of Mouse cast Tim Considine, who had been born into a showbiz family.
Considine's grandfather worked Vaudeville, his dad was an Oscar-nominated producer, and his older brother, John, appeared on TV for decades. Tim got his start with Disney, acting in serials that aired as segments during The Mickey Mouse Club. He was Spin Evans in the Spin and Marty shorts, about two young ranch hands. More notably, he was Frank Hardy, the elder crime-solving sibling in Hardy Boys.
My Three Sons clearly wanted to recapture the chemistry of The Shaggy Dog, snagging the leads Fred MacMurray and Considine. Don Grady, one of the Mouseketeers from The Mickey Mouse Club, was nabbed to play his younger brother. Rounding out the "Three Sons" was the youngest, Chip, played by Stanley Livingston.
Earlier today, Livingston went to Facebook to post news that his television brother had passed away. Livingston wrote:
"Just want to say how sad I am to learn that my life-long friend and surrogate older brother, TIM CONSIDINE, passed away yesterday. On screen, Tim played my older brother MIKE on MY THREE SONS. Tim and I have been friends for more than 60 years. Our hearts go out to his wife, Willie and his son Christopher - and the entire Considine family. Tim went through life HIS WAY! He will be missed by all those who knew him. I love you Bro... RIP!"
While on My Three Sons, Considine briefly dated co-star Meredith MacRae. The Los Angeles native became somewhat typecast as "the big brother." He was FDR's eldest son in the 1960 film Sunrise at Campobello. Later in life, he shifted gears and became a writer focused on the world of sports, particularly motorsports.
He was 81 years old.
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76 Comments
Watching the Real episode not a repeat
One of my home care ladies and I watch MTS that I DVR each weekday (airs way too early). We both love “Mike.” I watched TC in many of early of his early projects when growing up. I always thought he was adorable and recently saw an older picture. He was still quite handsome. Condolences to his family, co stars and life long friends.
It was only later that I realized they were reruns, from almost a decade earlier
