Amiable and unassuming, Fred MacMurray went from small-town boy to one of Hollywood and television’s major and most enduring stars.

Subscribe for more Hollywood biographies and stories! http://bit.ly/HollywoodCollectionSub

A talented saxophonist and vocalist from his high school days, his easy-going charm combined with his good-looks brought him early success as a Broadway performer before he signed his first contract with Paramount Studios in 1934.

Fred quickly rose to play romantic lead against such major stars as Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Katharine Hepburn, Paulette Goddard and Marlene Deitrich. However, his great dramatic roles came when he went against type and appeared as a murderer opposite Barbara Stanwyck in Billy Wilder’s film-noir classic Double Indemnity (1944). The cowardly naval lieutenant in The Caine Mutiny (1954) and the cynical executive in The Apartment (1960) completed a trio of roles that helped define MacMurray as a major acting talent.

A series of Disney films in which he portrayed a good-natured father figure included The Shaggy Dog (1959), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and Son of Flubber (1963). Renowned for his true-life stability and contented role as father to four adopted children, in his later years MacMurray’s flagging career was revived when he became television’s best loved father in the long-running series, My Three Sons (1960-1971).

After the death of his first wife, Lillian Lamont, MacMurray married actress June Haver in 1954 with whom he lived happily until his death in 1991. Included in the program are clips from some of MacMurray’s most notable films, such as The Gilded Lily; Swing High, Swing Low; Double Indemnity, The Caine Mutiny, The Apartment, The Absent Minded Professor, and the TV series, My Three Sons. Fred MacMurray: The Guy Next Door also includes the participation of Fred MacMurray’s wife, June Haver MacMurray and daughters, Kate MacMurray and Laurie MacMurray, actors Nancy Olson, Beverly Garland, and Jack Lemmon, and directors Billy Wilder and Edward Dmytryk.

Subscribe for more Hollywood biographies and stories! http://bit.ly/HollywoodCollectionSubs...