Seasons & episodes

On the rebound after his girlfriend Sally suddenly marries another younger man, Uncle Charley acquires many new lady friends when Katie schemes to put the wind back in the lovable old windbag's sails.

With three babies to look after, Dr. Osborne says Katie is completely exhausted and he prescribes a couple of days bed rest. She flies to Santa Barbara to be with her mother. While she is away the family must hire three cleaning ladies to restore the house back to normal.

The contractor that Steve hires to add a baby alcove to Robbie and Katie's room leaves much to be desired. He displays all the charm of a top sergeant and is putty in Katie's hands, but is exasperatingly gruff and non co-operative to the males in the Douglas home.

Steve meets an attractive widow who seems to be very interested in him but suddenly she turns cool towards his intentions. The family does its best to give the impression that Steve isn't really as old as he seems.

Although Katie confidently calls the look-alike triplets by name, other members of the family doubt her accuracy, and when Steve helpfully bathes them, she admits that she can no longer tell them apart because he washed off the inkdots put on their feet. They must be taken back to the hospital for proper identification.

Chip and his girlfriend announce to a startled Douglas family that they plan to marry and continue high school. Disapproving, Steve visits the girl's parents but they decide not to forbid the marriage but wait for further developments. When Katie becomes ill and Robbie takes her to the doctor, Chip and Debbie are left with the triplets for some hectic hours.

The Douglases feel that Steve is becoming sedentary, not knowing that he's just been assigned to help capture some enemy agents, but things get rough when he's taken to a Greenwich Village cocktail party where the spies start shooting when they find him hiding in the bathtub.

Steve Douglas gives Chip a well-preserved second hand car for his 16th birthday but he is astounded by his son's unenthusiastic reaction; he is embarrassed to drive it, and parks it a long way from school so he won't be recognized as the old car's owner.

Steve's old Chinese friend transfers to Los Angeles and happily renews his friendship with the Douglases. He confides in Steve and Charley that he is concerned about the man his daughter has married - an aparently aimless hippie with long hair.

Chip and Ernie observe their married older brother, Robbie, in the company of a glamorous woman. The boys report the upsetting situation to their father Steve, who assures them he has trust in Robbie and urges them to maintain confidence in their older brother too.

Young Ernie is crushed when he learns that his next door neighbors are selling their house, and his best friend is leaving the neighbourhood. Pending their separation, the two boys are together day and night; the Douglases give Gordon a touching farewell party.

Ernie and his girlfriend are dismayed when Uncle Charley and her grandmother don't act like old folks after they meet at a school band contest. Ernie confides in his amused family about his concern over Uncle Charley's behaviour.

Ernie bemoans the task of writing in Spanish to a Latin-American pen pal but she then astonishes him by accepting a dinner invitation by cablegram; Maria is the daughter of a high ranking diplomat.

After being the only one in his class to choose the correct color in a card test, Ernie is convinced he has extra sensory perception. He predicts disaster for Robbie and Katie if they keep an appointment for the babies with Dr. Osborne.

Steve's co-worker and golf buddy, suggests that Steve and two of his sons, go to the company picnic with him and his two children. To the parents' dismay, the youngsters take an immediate dislike for each other.

Ernie attempts to remould his image after a classmate he is attracted to, Margaret, refuses to give him a second look. Margaret, however, prefers Roger and is obviously disappointed when Ernie is selected as her partner in a poem recitation.

When old Bryant Park friends move into the neighbourhood, they renew their friendship with the Douglases at a family barbecue where Steve is cast in the role of marriage counselor by the eldest son who turns to him for help in saving his marriage.

Ernie's writing ability lands him in the dreaded special English class with its strict but efficient teacher. Her reputation as an ogre keeps him so uncomfortable that he not only performs badly in oral recitation but in his written work as well.

Robbie and Katie move into an apartment on the next block and widower Steve Douglas becomes the target of Katie's relentless matchmaking. However, Steve meets a remarkable woman in a high school corridor and the two are quickly attracted to each other.

Robbie needs to talk to his dad-who seems unreachable

The whole Douglas clan conspires to encourage Steve's romance with the lady in question, Barbara Harper. After dinner, Steve and Barbara go back to her house where Steve is predictably nervous around her. They are both serious about their relationship, but neither of them realizes it.

Everyone (Except Barbara) knows Steve is going to propose to Barbara

With the ring finally on her finger, Steve and Barbara's engagement is exciting for everyone except Barbara's five year old daughter who isn't sure she wants to share her mother. Meanwhile, Barbara employs her considerable store of diplomacy in an effort to gain acceptance by Steve's family.

Steve and Barbara have different ideas on how their wedding should go.