What a Troup-er

I recently stumbled upon photos of the Paley Center's 50th anniversary 2010 tribute to the sitcom My Three Sons. I was excited to see that Ronne Troup attended the event - to the surprise of her former co-stars (Her TV hubby Stanley Livingston hadn't seen her since 1977).

Ronne began her Tv career as a background extra on My Three Sons and Gidget. She made her film debut as extra in the all-girl ensemble film The Trouble With Angels (she is featured prominently in the graduation scene at end).



Ronne's dad was Route 66 songwriter and actor Bobby Troup and her step-mom was songstress Julie London - both of whom later starred in Emergency!

Julie London (Nurse Dixie McCall) and Bobby Troup (Dr. Joe Early) were married for more than 40 years. Julie London's first husband was Jack Webb, creator of Emergency!



Ronne thought she was on the verge of her first TV starring role in 1967 when she was cast as the lead in Screen Gems' The Flying Nun. She had started shooting the pilot - but was bumped when Sally Field (the studio's first choice) relunctantly accepted the role. Sally's stuntman/showbiz vet stepfather Jock Mahoney told her that she better take the work because she might not get offered another part for years. Who knows...maybe the old cowboy was right? The absurd nun role made Sally a household name/joke - but she never stopped working after that, and her co-star/mentor Madeline Sherwood pointed her towards real dramatic training.

A year later, Ronne was eventally cast in a TV series - the kiddie-show serial Danger Island -(shown in syndication on The Banana Splits & Friends).



The damsel in distress role was a start - and besides, there are worse sights to see at a job than a gorgeous young/ often shirtless Jan Michael Vincent.



In the 1970s, she got her most famous role - as Chip's wife "Polly Williams Douglas" on My Three Sons for two years (1970–1972), then appeared often on such popular dramas as Emergency! (in which her father co-starred), Marcus Welby, M.D., S.W.A.T., and Adam-12.



From 1987 to 1990, she portrayed "Barbara" on the CBS show, Knots Landing, and recently showed up on in guest roles on The West Wing and Cold Case.