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.

I owned a 16mm Film Library for over 45 years.I have a number of FTB episodes in my collection.Growing up in the 50's it was one of my favorite TV shows.Bud(Billy Gray) was my favorite character on the show. Had a chance to meet Laurin Chapin(KATHY) when she came to our town for a Christian Womens Club function. I even got her to autograph one of my 16mm print episodes in which she was the main focus "ADOPTED DAUGHTER"..She was a very Nice and Cordial person.I know kids today look at these old TV episodes and laugh and think they are cornball. That's too bad;cause maybe if Television shows of today still had some morals and ethics our youth of today would also have the same...S.M.

Like many family sitcoms of the 50's and 60's, Father Knows Best was intended to be simple, fun family entertainment. I think some people "miss the point," feeling they must share cynical, bitter, and jaded opinions. The saddest part of this is that it is easy to end up being unable to simply enjoy a TV show for what it was meant to be..."simple, fun entertainment." As those who watched those family sitcoms will know, most shows endeavored to interweave into their story lines a message of hope, morality or truth, and I find this a GOOD thing (although some observers have unkind and contemptible things to say about these classic shows and mores). As IMDb points out, it's one thing to say you "disliked" a show; it's another altogether to rant on and decry a show for personal, emotional reasons.Compared to today's shows – where every possible innuendo, every chance of rudeness, crudeness or being offensive is seldom missed – the shows from the 50's and early 60's were excellent family fare, and most families (believe it or not) enjoyed them and were better for it. I know I am, and that's not to say that I'm just some old "fuddy-duddy" who can't enjoy the "new, hip" shows of today, because I can and I do (but let's be honest, most shows today "push the outside of the envelope," and now even commercials are doing it!).In the 50's (and I was a kid then), the choice of ANY kind of show was "slim pickin's," to be sure, but even so it does not mean they were bad or even poorly-made shows. Oddly enough, of all the family sitcoms of that era, the only one I ever had a problem with as a child was the very well-made and highly popular "I Love Lucy Show," and this was simply because of her open disregard for her own husband. She constantly lied, snuck around, tricked, connived, hid from, embarrassed, and openly defied him, and – as young as I was – this bothered me. There was just something contrary and contradictory about it. Of course, I know that show is an icon, but I had real problems with it and never enjoyed it, even though my family watched it. (NOTE: for those who may wonder about underlying prejudices…even as a youngster, it never even occurred to me that Ricky was "different", "a Latino," and "of another culture," so put your judging sticks down. Nor was I ever troubled on any TV show when or if two people slept in the same bed, so there's no prejudice there either.) On the other hand, Father Knows Best had a fairly typical, upper middle-class husband, wife, son and daughter, each one playing a role that seemed fair and accurate, not only then but now (unlike my own very dysfunctional and disparate family). For someone who blatantly suggested that Father Knows Best "is just another piece of crap" that fostered the dishonoring of women and family and other such tripe, I can only say, "I am truly sorry that somewhere along Life's Journey people can be hurt so badly and became so bitter and cynical." It's truly sad to see anyone become bitter and cynical, especially about something as benign as a TV show, and especially such an "innocent" 50's family sitcom. Some reviews and some comments in the Message Boards (on various shows and movies) are downright scary and disheartening. I say this, because I believe the true purpose of some movies or TV shows is often entirely missed (they are meant to entertain and uplift, i.e. "Seventh Heaven" of today).Anyone who watched Father Knows Best quickly realizes that Father did NOT "always know best," and sometimes he had to play it close to the vest or fly by the seat of his pants until the dust settled. Then, as any "good" father, he would own up to any misunderstanding or mistake and make it right, but the show always ended on a note of love and/or reconciliation (albeit sometimes with resistance, especially from Bud or Kitten). Is this kind of family behavior "real" and "honest"? Maybe not in your life, and surely not in mine, but it did not detract from the meaning and purpose of the show. Even though my own father was hateful and prejudiced, I STILL loved to watch this TV show, even if only to "live vicariously" through the kind, loving, conciliatory Anderson family.I should also point out that Mom (Margaret) was always loving and patient with her husband and kids (and oftentimes quietly and patiently one step ahead of dear ole Dad). Betty was your typical older, somewhat serious sister who had her own friends and her own life, and she never really enjoyed having her two younger siblings involved in her high school matters…but she always came to their aid when needed. Bud was the typical, coming-of-age teenager, and (with all due respect to LTB's Eddie Haskell) he was one of the best near-rebels and on-the-edge youths of his time. Kathy ("Kitten," to Dad) was the youngest, the quickest to get into a predicament, the first to taunt either Betty or Bud, and usually the one to challenge most authority, but never to her great harm…(the family always saw to that).In this, as well as most other family sitcoms of the 50's and 60's, I cannot recall any one family member ever being overly mean or unduly harsh or cruel or disrespectful, and, if there ever was a misstep, it was clearly and decisively met with some kind of fair punishment, followed by a peaceful, reconciling conclusion. In short, this kind, loving family and this wonderful sitcom was one of the "Best," and I heartily recommend it as a ten-out-of-ten Classic TV Show…!

I was so pleased today, being a baby boomer, to turn on TV land and see three hours of 50's television. From 9am to 12pm I saw, Burns and Allen, the Honeymooners, an hour episode of the Lucy-Desi comedy hour, Hazel, and last but not least an episode of Father Knows Best. Kudos to TV land for this three hour bonus which is supposedly going to happen every sunday morning all summer long. Why does it only have to happen on Sunday mornings? I want more of these shows from my childhood. Father knows Best was one of my favorites. As has already been said by others, the show had wonderful values, laughter and pathos. Jane Wyatt was always my favorite TV mother. Why has she never been included in specials about favorite tv moms? Yes, she always dressed nice and wore pearls but I remember the particular episode when she was wearing a long shirt and pants to clean the house and she had a smudge of dirt on her face. That was when Jim was bringing home a women who was a famous author, someone he had been friends with. You never would have seen June Cleaver with a smudge of dirt on HER face. Jane (Margaret) was always there for her kids but she was so very human too. She lost her temper several times and once told her kids that they were brats. She made faces behind their backs once when she wanted to clobber them. She did what I never saw any other tv mother do, but what our own real mothers would do.The whole cast was pretty wonderful. Bring back this show to tv again. There are plenty of baby boomers who would like to see it again and maybe it would be nice for it to get a whole new audience of a new generation.