Father Knows Best: Season 1

Amazon.com It's telling that this family favorite began on radio as Father Knows Best? When the show came to CBS in 1954, the question mark disappeared. Contrary to popular opinion, however, Springfield, Ohio, insurance agent Jim Anderson (Emmy winner Robert Young) doesn't have all the answers. He and his wife, Margaret (fellow Emmy winner Jane Wyatt), come close, though. Were the show in production now, Anderson wouldn't smoke, but Father Knows Best reflects the standards of its time--separate beds and all. The sweet-natured pilot sets the tone when 14-year-old Bud (Billy Gray) frets about the school dance until Jim arranges for his 17-year-old sister, Betty (Elinor Donahue), to show him some steps. Other storylines revolve around community service and feeling needed, while "Thanksgiving Day" offers a glimpse of Jim's imperfect side when he dismisses a poem written by nine-year-old Kathy (Laurin Chapin), who overhears him; he realizes he was holding Kitten to impossible standards. As Chapin notes in the bonus interview (in which Donahue also features), the primary themes were cooperation and forgiveness. Naysayers can knock Father Knows Best for being square, but it espouses timeless values. And who's to say the lingo wasn't hip for the 1950s? Colorful examples include "goobers," "criminy," "creepers," "knot-head," and "simply utterly." On the downside, these 26 episodes appear in unrestored, syndicated condition. Fortunately, the show doesn't look too bad for its age and abundant extras compensate, like special 1959 savings bond episode 24 Hours in Tyrantland and Young's home movies and behind-the-scenes footage, both with low-key narration by grandson Bill Proffitt. After Young put Father Knows Best to rest, he segued to 1960's Window on Main Street (this set includes the pilot) before scoring another hit with Marcus Welby, M.D.. Donahue followed suit with The Andy Griffith Show and Wyatt with Star Trek. --Kathleen C. Fennessy Product Description Maybe he didn't always know best, but beginning in 1954, insurance salesman Jim Anderson (Robert Young) of Springfield, Ohio, was America's favorite head of household. Father Knows Best premiered on CBS in October, 1954 and has been part of the American cultural fabric ever since. The program's depiction of a "typical" mid-century, middle-class, Midwestern American family is fondly remembered by many of us who grew up watching the show and rather enviously thinking: "Oh. So this is what happens in all the other houses." Margaret Anderson (Jane Wyatt) charmed us as the levelheaded domestic diva who stood faithfully behind the strong and benevolent father. Their three children—sophisticated teen Betty (Elinor Donahue), chronically befuddled 14-year-old brother "Bud" (Billy Gray) and precocious little sister Kathy (Lauren Chapin)—faced the challenges of growing up right alongside of us. And in episode after episode, Jim and Margaret treated their children's youthful transgressions with authority, empathy and wisdom. By the end of each half hour, we'd all learned our lesson. Join Jim and Margaret and "Princess," "Bud" and "Kitten" in their very first year as everyone's favorite '50s family in Father Knows Best. Bonus Content: - Daddy's Girls with Lauren Chapin and Elinor Donahue: Interviews with the Actresses Who Played the Anderson Sisters, Kathy and Betty. - Robert Young's Home Movies – Beautiful Footage of Robert Young's Real-Life Family, Shot Between the 1930s and the 1970s, Reveals the Inspiration Behind Much of Father Knows Best. Narrated by Young's Grandson Bill Proffitt. - Behind the Scenes: Rare Color "Home movies" From The Set Of Father Knows Best. Narrated by Bill Proffitt. - 24 Hours in Tyrantland – In 1959, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Paid to Have a Special Episode Produced. It Was Never Broadcast, But Was Shown in Schools, Churches and Civic Groups for the Purpose of Selling U.S. Savings Bonds. - Window on Main Street: "The Return" – Shortly After Father Knows Best Went Off the Air in 1960, Robert Young and Eugene B. Rodney Returned to the CBS Lineup with a New Series Starring Young, Titled Window on Main Street. This Is the Pilot Episode.
ASIN: B0012Q3SZ0
VSKU: DBV.B0012Q3SZ0.G
Condition: Good
Binding: DVD
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!