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.
Review of Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
(1954–1960)
A True Classic; Emotionally Satisfying; a Situation Comedy Based on Selfhood
8 September 2005