MichaelMartinDeSapio Having long been a fan of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, I recently decided to become acquainted with FATHER KNOWS BEST. I am glad I did. FATHER and BEAVER represent the best of the '50s family sitcom genre, and they do have similarities as well as significant differences. FATHER had a richer range of family relationships, since the Anderson clan had three children of widely varying ages, including two girls. Jim Anderson (Robert Young) was the model of a thoughtful, principled, self-reflective father of that era. Margaret Anderson (Jane Wyatt) was also a pillar of strength and virtue as the mother of the family, while the three children (Betty, Bud and Kathy) braved the struggles of childhood and adolescence under the guidance of their parents. Betty was ambitious, smart, spirited, in some ways a prototype of the independent woman. (Her look in the show also, I believe, became the model for the popular image of the "50's teenage girl.") Bud was an easygoing guy prone to mistakes due to hubris or selfishness but able to learn from those mistakes. And then there was little Kathy - impish, mischievous and cute as a kitten (which was Jim's nickname for her, in fact). Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin filled their roles perfectly; Gray in particular showed great physical flair and agility as Bud.FATHER differed from BEAVER also in the darker tone of some of the plots, dealing with topics like business ethics and the meaning of success and focusing on the parents just as much as the children. The cinematography fit this darker tone, using light and shadow in a way reminiscent of film noir. The show was often innovative in terms of structure, with dream or fantasy sequences serving as a complement to the plot. Two episodes of this type are "Mr. Beal Meets His Match" (in which Jim Anderson meets the devil!) and "Formula for Happiness." I could go on about this fine show, but talking is no substitute for watching - which, thanks to the DVDs from Shout Factory, it is now easy to do. If you haven't seen FATHER KNOWS BEST, treat yourself to one of the greatest family shows ever created.

asfhgwt-1 The best episodes of this comedy-drama series are still excellent and memorable. Why? Because unlike today's drivel, they deal with human emotions: guilt, honor, fear, shame, etc. One of my favorites involves delivery-boy Bud and his tough-minded newspaper boss; the ending could bring tears to the eyes of Mike Tyson. Another finds the family gathered around a radio listening to the life-and-death problems of a ship at sea. A third revolves around tennis-challenged Betty being chosen "queen" merely because of her appearance. There are many more great episodes.On the other hand, when the episodes weren't so good... well, sometimes they could be pretty sappy; hence, my 8 rating.

John Smith I remember watching this T.V.show as a kid after school in the 70's. Unlike many people who say this show was fake and there was no such families with wonderful parents like the Andersons.I am here to tell you yes there were.I had and still have parents like the Anderson's !!! I came across an old VHS tape I recored in the early 90's with several episode's and watched it a few weeks ago.What a delightful walk down memory lane of my childhood and the America of old that has long since vanished with the onslaught of vile debased bilged that is TV today.What else would one expect with the break down of the American family. So called Parents of the MTV generation. Oops I meant the second generation of MTV when it was sold to the anti American family perverts.Whos main goal was to destroy and mock the American family!With an onslaught of disgusting anti social behavior and the 50 word vocabulary of MTV.Not to mention the perverted sexualizing of underage boys and girls.Any so called parents that lets their children watch this crap should be arrested for child abuse or at least charged with risk of injury to a minor.But then again what else would one expect from parents that act as stupid as their kids!Mothers with trampstamps and fathers with pants hanging down their asses caps on sideways looking like complete morons!BTW...In case you didn't know... trampstamp refers to a girl with a hideous tattoo above here butt and across here lower back Ewwwww hence the term TRAMPSTAMP !If we had an FCC or if I was in charge no one under 18 would be allowed to watch this filth!Along with all the other anti-social anti-family trash.

silverscreen888 Whatever its faults, the" Father Knows Best"show's scriptwriters and producers operated on a level of adult self-responsibility and contexted ideas; since hardly any of other TV series' creators bother to create an ethical normative rather than an obsessive as a central character, there really can be no comparison. In a single sentence, its creators tried to make fiction; others shows' writers milk laughs. For 7 years, William D. Russell and Peter Tewsbury directed half-hour- long story after story that told of the daily adventures of James and Margaret Anderson and their three children--Elizabeth (Betty), knows also as the Princess, James Jr. (Bud), and Kathy, also called "Kitten". The family lived in a large house on Maple Drive in the town of Springfield. The town, presented over seven years, was Middle Western, inhabited by non- practicing Christians, and of a size that was altered to fit the needs of the story-lines. It could be large enough to support a charter bus service, a major state park, a country-club set, complete with mink coats, a lake suitable for fishing, a junior college. Yet its student population could also attend a single high school, and its citizens could leave town by a single bus station and fight city hall where they knew the Mayor to talk to but reserved their approbation only for a mystic thing called "the national government". The charm of the show I suggest came from the fact that its producers expected self-management of individuals; and it was this retrospective and nostalgic view of unimpeded individual progress, responsibility and self-assertive purpose that set the series apart from almost all others. As Jim Anderson, Robert Young was lively, wise and intelligent; he denied being a philosopher but used ideas most effectively unless a religious issue was raised. His wife, Margaret, a contented nest- maker, seldom needed outside stimuli to relieve her of the duties of raising three lively children; played by Jane Wyatt, she was self-effacing, quietly determined and mostly realistic. Lauren Chapin played Kathy as cute, clueless and a source of non-sequiturs; fortunately, she was given little to do. As Bud, Billy Gray was frequently believable; but much of his world consisted of false and explodable ideas about how to act, relate and take responsibility, making him a fine foil for comedic exchanges with his more-experienced middle-of-the-road father. As Betty, Elinor Donahue was radiantly lovely, eager and timid by turns, intelligent and only occasionally too-perfect. The stories featuring her I found were frequently a bit overdone but never boring. whether she was winning a hundred yard dash, being crowned homecoming queen, trying not to disappoint her parents by wanting to go to junior college or fending off boyfriends. There were a few semi-regulars to augment the Andersons-- Fronk, the Hispanic gardener (Natividad Vacio), Vivi Janiss and Robert Foulk as neighbors, Jimmy Bates, Sarah Selby, Yvonne Lime and Paul Wallace. But the real stars of the underfunded B/W half-hour series were its writers--Roswell Rogers, Dorothy Cooper, Ed James, Sumner Long and John Elliotte. The cast only left Sprigngield on a few occasions, and somehow always in pairs and groups. Art direction by George Brooks and Ross Bellah was surprisingly good in my judgment; there were many fine interiors, decorated by William F. Calvert or Louis Diage, serviceable stock music and attractively dense cinematography. My favorite episodes include Betty's winning a look-alike contest and a trip to Hollywood, the Anderson' parents visit to a big city, Bud's first job, the Founders' Day reenactment, Betty's graduation from high school, Bud's trying too hard to impress a new girl in town and Margaret's secret attempt to master flycasting. Whether Bud was calling Kathy "shrimp" or he was yelling up the stairs to report a phone call, or Betty was trying to befriend a standoffish tennis star or cliquish college types, the attempt was made by all concerned to stand for something, finally. And guest stars, including Henry Jones, Wright King, Wallce Ford, Bartlett Robinson, Duke Snider, Katahrine Bard, Tamar Cooper, Roger Smith and Dick York frequently were used very well to make ethical points. This is often great comedy, not to be missed.