Image Up Advertising & Design

10 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JUNE 2021 By Mel Zeldin What do you say about an individual who has achieved widespread recognition for his acting talents, yet digs into hands-on landscaping of his backyard? What about a person who is an actor, director, and producer, yet has created hundreds of beautiful, stained-glass windows? Well, please meet Stanley Livingston, your fellow resident at Four Seasons Beaumont. Many of you may remember "Chip" Douglas from the 1960's sitcom, My Three Sons. Stanley starred in that role for the full 12 years the program was on the air; it's the second longest running sitcom in TV history. Re-runs of that show have been so popular that it continues even today on ME-TV. It is interesting how Stanley got that part. As a very young child, Stanley learned how to swim and became good at it. He and others in the young child swim program were part of what was termed, "water babies," and the person who ran the program invited magazine and film crews to document the abilities of these very young swimmers. Stanley's outgoing personality caught the attention of those with connections in Hollywood and Stanley was given opportunities, with the concurrence of his mom, to be hired as a child actor extra. Around 1957, Stanley appeared in Lassie and Ozzie and Harriet. Ozzie was so taken by Stanley's abilities, that Stanley was invited back for additional episodes. In 1958, he was given a role in the pilot program Skippy. In those days, it was common for budding actors to be featured in private screenings. So, Stanley's mom rented a movie theater for a midnight screening to showcase that pilot for producers. Not long after, a producer contacted Stanley's agent, Tina Hall, about a new sitcom pilot being developed — My Three Sons, starring Fred MacMurray and three children. Stanley got the role of "Chip," the youngest of the three sons. The pilot was completed in 1959, and the sitcom went on the air in 1960 for a 380-episode, 12-year run. For a child actor, it was a rigorous routine: spend about 10 hours on the set, spend a few hours with a tutor for his education, then spend the evening learning the lines for the next day's shoot. Over the years, Stanley stayed involved with the TV and movie industry as both a director and producer, learning a lot about those positions from his inquisitive nature while on the sets of his early acting roles. His experience led to a multitude of additional positions including writer, cinematographer, and editor. In addition, he started a production company, First Team Productions, which produced feature films, TV pilots, documentaries, and educational videos, to name a few. One of his most interesting and notable achievements is the creation of the Actors Journey for Kids, developed between 2003 and The Multi-Talented Stanley Livingston RESIDENT SPOTLIGHT The cast of My Three Sons in 1963: Stanley Livingston (lower right), and clockwise, Barry Livingston (his actual brother), Don Grady, Tim Considine, Fred MacMurray, and William Frawley Stanley Livingston with Ricky Nelson on the set of Ozzie and Harriet, circa 1958

• Cover