Season 12

1971–1972

Sep 13, 1971 · 25m

Steve's look-alike Scottish nobleman cousin Fergus, comes to America looking for a bride to take back to his hometown of Sithian Bridge and moves in on the entire Douglas family, much to the dismay of Uncle Charley.

E2. Fergus for Sale

Sep 20, 1971 · 25m

When Uncle Charley learns that Fergus is looking for a wife to take back to Scotland to provide him with heirs to carry on the family name, he takes out an ad in the local newspaper in an effort to rid the Douglas home of his nemesis.

E3. Lady Douglas

Sep 27, 1971 · 25m

Steve's Scottish cousin Fergus, after only one date with Bowling Alley Cocktail Waitress Terri Dowling, proposes but gets turned down by her. She feels inadequate to return to Scotland as royalty, but is eventually persuaded by Steve.

E4. Goodbye, Fergus

Oct 4, 1971 · 25m

The wedding day for Steve's Scottish cousin and bowling alley waitress Terri Dowling finally arrives amid the traditional confusion and tears. They leave for a three day honeymoon in Las Vegas but Uncle Charley is worried about the lack of thankyou from them.

E5. Four for the Road

Oct 18, 1971 · 25m

Having no choice, Steve takes the triplets to work where a secretary offers to take them home until he is finished. However he accidentally loses her details and when she finally rings, she announces that the boys have run out the front door, much to Steve's annoyance.

E6. Polly the Pigeon

Oct 25, 1971 · 30m

Chip complains about Polly's lack of sales resistance because they have an apartment full of useless things. But she is trapped by a salesman into giving a dinner party for eight people in exchange for a free set of cookware.

E7. Happy Birthday, Anyway

Nov 1, 1971 · 25m

Uncle Charley leaves for a week's vacation in San Francisco but meanwhile, birthdays disrupt the Douglas household, when Barbara, Katie and Polly turn against their spouses over the men's apparent oversight.

E8. Proxy Parents

Nov 8, 1971 · 25m

Childless young marrieds Chip and Polly Douglas suddenly find themselvs the temporary guardians of several young children including the triplets, when Katie flies to Peru for a weekend rendezvous with Robbie. Meanwhile, Steve, Barbara and Charley go on a camping trip and Barbara isn't exactly Mrs. Daniel Boone -- as Steve eventually finds out.

E9. The Enthusiast

Nov 15, 1971 · 25m

Barbara's natural enthusiasm bubbles over into an embarrassing evening for Steve and some of his business associates. Barbara explains to Steve that adrenalin gets her going in competition, and she is apprehensive when he is asked to play in his work's bowling team for fear she will make him lose concentration.

E10. Katie's Career

Nov 22, 1971 · 25m

Katie Douglas takes a job singing in a small coffee house, but both Steve and Charley have their doubts about the man she is going to work for. After meeting the owner's wife, they realise she is in very good hands.

E11. Polly's Secret Life

Nov 29, 1971 · 25m

Polly fears that Chip is losing interest in her as a woman, and she takes some very dramatic steps to remedy the situation. Ernie gets the impression that the marriage is on the rocks when he finds out she is sneaking away from school and making mysterious calls to a man named Andre.

E12. The Sound of Music

Dec 6, 1971 · 25m

Uncle Charley is persuaded to fill in as a Cello teacher to a small group of reluctant young music students. His teaching methods leave much to be desired as he makes sure that they practice and practice for the upcoming recital.

E13. TV Triplets

Jan 13, 1972 · 25m

Katie's triplets are spotted by a talent scout for a production company and are selected to appear in a television commercial. The temperemental Director yells when the boys misbehave and make a shambles of the studio. Grandfather Steve is asked to replace the actor doing the same so the boys will feel at ease.

E14. Three for School

Jan 20, 1972 · 25m

Katie decides to put the triplets in a nursery school during the day when she fills in for a friend as a secretary, a move that enrages Uncle Charley when he hears about it. Later, it becomes apparent that he goes missing every afternoon causing the family to worry.

E15. Alfred

Jan 27, 1972 · 25m

A little first grader named Alfred develops a big crush on third grader Dodie Douglas -- much to her displeasure. When Uncle Charley invites him to dinner, Dodie tries to fake illness to get out of it. Very soon Alfred's mother reports that he is missing.

E16. Buttons and Beaux

Feb 3, 1972 · 25m

When the Douglas men feel sorry for Katie because of her husband's continued absence, they proceed to overwhelm her with attention by each one of them taking her out to the same restaurant each night.

E17. Peanuts

Feb 17, 1972 · 25m

Dodie commits the entire Douglas family to a time consuming project - the awesome task of getting a four foot tall bag of Peanuts into small little sacks which they hope to sell at the school fair to raise money for Korean orphans.

E18. Bad Day for Steve

Feb 24, 1972 · 25m

Steve suddenly becomes accident-prone when his youngest son Ernie tries to discover by graph and observation how the moon's lunar phases affect people's behaviour.

E19. Second Banana

Mar 2, 1972 · 25m

While Steve becomes pre-occupied with a time-consuming project named Taurus, Barbara blossoms forth as a Championship Cook. Her recipe for 'Tangy Tidbits' wins her a trip to Hawaii for the final cookout.

E20. Bad Day for Barbara

Mar 16, 1972 · 25m

Although Barbara is feeling very ill, she is saddled with the responsibility of looking after the entire Douglas household but in the end, to escape the pressure, she just walks out leaving Steve in a worried state.

E21. The Birth of Arfie

Mar 23, 1972 · 25m

The Douglas family becomes concerned about Dodie's despondency when Tramp, the ageing family mongrel, keeps disappearing at night. Meanwhile, Uncle Charley makes her a rag-doll and names it Arfie.

E22. Lonesome Katie

Mar 30, 1972 · 25m

Katie becomes disillusioned about life without Robbie, and seriously thinks about divorce after speaking with another of the wives in the same situation. Meanwhile, Dodie and her two pals campaign to Barbara to let them have a slumber party.

E23. Barbara Lost

Apr 6, 1972 · 25m

Chip decides to quit his Chemical Engineering studies in favour of a rock music career when he meets up with a former friend who is now a big star. When Barbara visits John in the studio she is baffled by all the switches on the recording console, and realises that professional musicians know what they're doing, so how will Chip handle it?

E24. Whatever Happened to Ernie?

Apr 13, 1972 · 25m

Steve's boss Bob Anderson and his wife share 'Where-did-we-go-wrong?' panic as they struggle to communicate with their son; Steve and Barbara are the counselors. The teenager is rude and disrespectful to his parents but his insolence doesn't bother them nearly as much as not knowing if he is taking drugs.