Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries - Father Knows Best: Cast Photo

Father Knows Best aired from October 1954 until September 1960 on CBS and NBC.

Father Knows Best was the classic wholesome family situation comedy. It was set in the typical midwestern community of Springfield, where Jim Anderson (Robert Young), was an agent for the General Insurance Company. Every evening he would come home from work, take off his sports jacket, put on his comfortable sweater, and deal with the everyday problems of a growing family. In contrast with most other family comedies of the period , in which one or the other of the parents was a blundering idiot, both Jim and his wife Margaret ( Jane Wyatt), were portrayed as thoughtful, responsible adults. When a family crises arose, Jim would calm the waters with a warm smile and some sensible advice. When Father Knows Best went on television in 1954, the three children were aged 17( Betty played by Elinor Donahue), 14 ( Bud played by Billy Gray), and 9 ( Kathy played by Lauren Chapin).As the seasons passed 2 of them graduated from High School, first Betty (1956), and then Bud ( 1959). Neither left home, however, both electing to go to Springfield's own State College. The Anderson's were truely an idealized family, the sort that viewers could relate to and wish to emulate. The children went through the normal problems of growing up, including those concerning school, friends, and members of the opposite sex. They didn't always agree with their parents and occasionally succeeded in asserting their independence ( as when Jim and Margaret almost succeeded in pushing Betty into going to their alma mater, until they realized that she had to make her own decisions and let her chose State instead). But the bickering was minimal, and everything seemed to work out by the end of the half-hour. Father Knows Best began as an NBC radio series in 1949, with Robert Young in the starring role. He was the only member of the radio cast that made the transition to tv in 1954. The tv series was not particularly successful at first and CBS canceled it in March 1955. A flood of viewer protests, demanding that the program be reinstated and moved to an earlier time slot so that the whole family could watch it, prompted NBC to pick it up for the following season with an 8:30pm starting time. Father Knows Best prospered for the next 5 years. The series became such a symbol of the "typical" American family that the U.S. Treasury Department commissioned the producers to film a special episode to help promote the 1959 U.S. Savings Bond Drive. The story " 24 Hours In Tyrant Land" told how the Anderson children attempted to live for a day under a make-believe dictatorship. Never aired on television, this special episode was distributed to churches, schools, and civic organizations to show the importance of maintaining a strong American democracy. During the 1959-1960 season, its last with original episodes, Father Knows Best had its most successful year, ranking 6th among all television programs. By the end of that season, however, star Rober Young had tired of the role, which he had been playing for 11 years, and decided it was time to move on to other things. This was one of the rare occasions in the history of television when production on a series ceased when it was at the peak of its popularity.

For a great review of Father Knows Best go to www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/fatherknows/fatherknows.htm