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Father Knows Best (1954 –1960)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 11, 2020 5:59 pm    Post subject: Father Knows Best (1954 –1960) Reply with quote



I watched this series in the fifties and enjoyed it with my own happy family, but since it aired during the years when I was between the ages of seven and twelve, the true merits of the show sailed right over my head like a flock of geese headed south for the winter! Confused

Now I'm sixty years older, an elderly gentleman with both kids and grandkids, and this wonderful series has been transformed by my mature, later-in-life perspective!

The trials and tribulations of the Anderson household seem like a perfect representation of the more successful American families — like my own, I'm happy to say! Very Happy

My father was a skilled mechanic at Delta Airlines who learned aircraft maintenance on a Navy carrier during World War II. He went to work for Delta Air Lines soon after his discharge in 1946.






Eventually he became the foreman of the landing gear shop at Delta's maintenance base in Atlanta. Every single one of Delta aircraft landing gear were serviced by my father's department at the Atlanta jet base.

I painted this portrait of him in the late 1970s.



____________


My mother was both a dedicated homemaker and a full time proofreader at the Foote & Davies Printing Company. I took this picture of her around 2005.


__________


My sister was five years younger than me, and an Honor Roll student, as well as a very popular young lady in high school. Today she lives just five miles from me here in North Carolina. (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of her.)

However, she's happily married and has a son (a member of All Sci-Fi), along with two wonderful daughters and several adorable grandkids. Very Happy

My point is that Father Knows Best might seem like a rosy depiction of a fantasy family from the 1950s — but I'm living proof that there really were families like that!

So, I've been revisiting my past while watching this series on MeTV and FETV these last few weeks. The fictional town in the series is Springfield in an unspecified state — but I grew up in College Park, GA. It was a perfect example of middle class America, complete with a short Main Street, a row of locally owned stores, and a railroad station.








The rambunctious teenage boy of the Anderson family was Bud, and he disappointed his devoted father from time to time with conduct unbecoming the son of his distinguished father.

I'm sorry to report that I, too, was guilty of such behavior from time to time — and it's something I deeply regret. (I guess perhaps we "Buds" just can't help making bad decisions on some occasions.) :opps:

However, I assure you I was just as devoted to my loving and mechanically-inclined dad as Bud Anderson was to his own father!

In fact, I assisted him occasionally when he applied his talents to keeping all the family's machinery in good working order . . . as shown in the photo below from 1954 — which happens to be the first year of the TV series! Very Happy

My gosh, if this doesn't demonstrate that I grew up believing that my Father Knows Best, I don't know what does! Cool



______
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Pow
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you for the insights to your growing up and family, Bud.

And thank you for the pictures of your nice looking folks.

Further thanks to your dad and you for your service to our country.

I always enjoyed FKB too. I realize that there are those whose home life was a far cry from that which was depicted on the show. Some scorn the series for that; others fondly love the show and dearly wish their homes had such love, warmth, support, and forgiveness.

Billy Gray who portrayed Bud Anderson spoke out about how the show messed up a generation by having them believe that this was how life was when, in fact, it was not the reality for some others.

Gray loved the cast from the show but not how it presented a life that was unreachable for those in homes with anger, violence, and so forth.

I read that interview many years ago. So, who can tell if Gray's views have changed with time and hindsight?

The Anderson family's home is what I would hope and pray for all. Perhaps it gave some something to aspire to and offered inspiration and hope.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2020 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Many thanks for the kind remarks and encouraging words, Mike! Very Happy

It did my heart good to hear that my comments brought a bit of joy to the members of this board during these troubled times.

By the way, before I discovered your reply a few minutes ago, I had just finished adding a few elements to my post that I'm sure you'll enjoy. Please take another look at it.

As for Billy Gray's objections to the series, he clearly doesn't realize how inspirational it was to Americans in the 1950s.

Thankfully, my own family didn't need to be shown how to have happy lives together, but I'm sure many other families were inspired by this heart-warming and inspirational series!

By the way, the full set of DVDs for all six seasons of the series is available on Amazon . . . for $269.96. Shocked

However, I'm currently bidding on the same set on eBay (in "like new" condition) for only $67. Wish me luck! Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Apr 13, 2020 10:22 am; edited 1 time in total
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Pow
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Elinor Donahue would earn her sci~fi cred as a guest star on ST:TOS episode "Metamorphosis"from November 10,1967.

Ironically, a week later on November 17, 1967 Jane Wyatt would also guest star on ST:TOS in the episode "Journey to Babel" playing the mother of Mr.Spock.

Both are excellent episodes.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I started thinking about that, too, and it occurred to me that Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Bill Gray, Lauren Chapin and Mark Lenard could have starred in a Star Trek sitom. Jane could have three more half-Vulcan kids, and we could see their happy home life on Vulcan.

The title of the series would obvious be this. Very Happy






Based on those grinning faces and human ears, I guess they all took after mom more than dad. And therein lies the comedy in this sitcom.

Poor Sarek! He looks rather haggard.
Wink
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Krel
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't seen this show since the 1960s, so my memories are a bit faded. I do remember liking the show.

Billy Gray was once asked about having a drug problem. His reply was that he had no problem with drugs, the Law did. I don't know if he had actually used drugs, most probably not. But he was plagued for years by a rumor that he used and sold drugs. This rumor came from a part that he played in a movie. It did damage to his career, and led to a law suit in the 90s against a critic, that just wouldn't let the rumor go. He won the suit.

David.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 3:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

It's ironic that Billy Gray thinks the series didn't depict American family life honestly.

Apparently he didn't remember that cute little Kathy was frequently temperamental, disobedient, and downright stubborn. Sometimes she was such a total brat that I thought she needed a good spanking! Shocked

And Bud Anderson was often disrespectful, selfish, disobedient, lazy as hell, and even dishonest! Whenever he had a family choir to do, he tended to lay around and whine about it! If he'd just gotten off his lazy ass and done the job done, he'd be have been lot better off! Sad

And he frequently did things he knew damn well he wasn't supposed to do. Add to this the fact that his grades in school were never particularly good, and he was occasionally in danger of failing. Once or twice we got to hear a sample of his writing skills . . . which were shockingly bad! Rolling Eyes

Meanwhile, the "Good Child" of the family was clearly Betty. She was intelligent, self-sufficient, and reliable. She was both practical and ambitious, a young lady with high standards who was giving serious thought to her future.

Betty was the just like my own sister — five years younger then me, but smarter and more mature to this day!

We never EVER got the impression that Betty's long-range goals including finding a man to marry and becoming a housewife wife like her mother. In one episode she even signed up for a school vocational program which allowed her to work with a county surveying team — because she was considered becoming an engineer!

When the handsome young foreman of the surveying team told her she should focus on becoming a good wife for some hardworking man like himself, it infuriated Betty!

I was very impressed by the pro-feminist message of this episode, and it certainly cemented my high opinion of Elinor Donahue's character in the series. Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I'm pleased to report that I won the eBay bid for the complete set of the Father Knows Best DVDs (all six seasons) for mere a $92.00! Very Happy

Amazon sells the set for $267.00, so I saved $175.00. And when I get the DVD set, I'll have the ability to travel back to the 1950s and enjoy that happy era, when life was simple and American families were safe and secure.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Pow
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jim Anderson used the nickname "Princess" for his daughter Betty on the show.

I always got a chuckle when I read somewhere years ago to never date a woman whose father calls her princess.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 17, 2020 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Both Jim and Margaret Anderson called Betty "Princess", and they called Kathy "Kitten".

When I was raising my own daughter in the 1980s, I called her "Pumpkin". When she was little, she had bright red hair. But her hair turn light brown eventually . . . like mine.

I still call her Pumpkin — even though she'll be forty this June.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2020 12:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

____________________________________

The episode called Mr. Beal Meets His Match is loose based on Alias Nick Beal, a 1949 fantasy which stars Ray Milland as Satan, and Thomas Mitchell as an honest district attorney who is tempted by Milland to make comprises in this efforts to be elected governor.

In this Father Knows Best version, veteran actor John Williams (the British insurance man from To Catch a Thief) plays an agent of Beelzebub who "gives" the Anderson family a set of beautifully illustrated encyclopedia-like books.

The set is called "Keys to the World", and Mr. Beal promises they will allow them to acquire anything they want.



__________



The family soon discover that if they wish for something shown in the books, they'll get it a short time later! Kathy gets gorgeous bicycle from a friend whose family is going to Europe, and Bud gets a sports car when he helps a rich businessman get to the airport when his car breaks down.

The episode is presented as a story which Betty has written for a school project, and she reads it to the family. They're suitably impressed, especially with the climax in which Margaret's basic goodness and instinctive feelings about Mr. Beal and his "magic books" saves the Anderson family from being taken by the Devil's agent.

If all this sounds a bit sappy, it was actually handled extremely well. It was a genuine fantasy with some very serious moments, and very little of it was played for straight comedy.

This one is another fine example of the skill and variety the stories in this fine show demonstrated.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2020 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just viewed one of my favorite FKB episodes titled "The Great Anderson Mystery.''

On a very stormy night, Margret, Betty, and Bud are all caught up in a murder-mystery television show that they are watching . . . when suddenly the set glitches out in the middle of the story.

For fun, Jim has the family recreate the fictional characters on the mystery show, and he announces he will solve the case much to the the rest of the family's doubts.

Kathy will be Jim's assistant.

But as they act out their charade, the lights go out due to the heavy lightning and rainstorm . . . and then some real mysterious events start to occur inside the Anderson's home that surprises and then frightens the family.


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 02, 2020 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I haven't finished my box set of this series yet, and I do NOT recognize this episode! Shocked

I stopped watching the DVD a few weeks ago and started enjoying other series I'd bought recently — like Monk.

But your wonderful post has guided me back to Father Knows Best! Very Happy

Thanks, Pow! I owe ya one!"

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 5:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Just when you think you've seen the full range of excellent drama and comedy this series can offer, you suddenly discover a season 5 episode entitled Formula for Happiness . . . a surrealist story that out-does 90% of The Twilight Zone tales!

Guys, I am NOT exaggerating! This episode is genuinely creepy. Shocked

The episode starts with a late-night scene in the Anderson's dimly-lit kitchen, with Jim wearing a robe and a worried expression while he fixes a glass of warm milk because he can't sleep. Margaret comes into the kitchen behind him and startles her distraught husband.






Jim explains that he had a very disturbing dream, which he begins to tell Margaret about as the picture dissolves into a scene in Jim's crowded office where TV newsmen, cameras, and studio lights are set up to broadcast James Anderson's important announcement to a global viewing audience! Shocked







The entire family is with Jim, eagerly waiting their moment in the public spotlight . . . except for Kathy, who is sulking visibly in the chair next to her father.





Meanwhile, Margaret is wearing an elaborate hat which has a long black feather sticking out the top — a detail of the dream which Jim recalls vividly when he relates it to his wife.





The important media event which the news crew is there to cover concerns the fact that Jim Anderson has actually discovered the Formula for Happiness . . . a discovery which will transform the world! He has this vital information on a piece of paper in an envelope, and he's about to share it with all mankind! Very Happy

Just as the broadcast begins, a man suddenly appears at the back of the room, barging in and disrupting the film crew!






The news crewmen and several policemen shout at the intruder, and they rush towards him — but he simply waves his hand and instantly removes all the people and their equipment from the room!

When two policemen rush towards the man, he points his finger at them and they vanish in a ball of flames!








And that, folks, is when things REALLY get weird.

The dark silhouette of the man comes closer to the Andersons (but still standing in the poorly lit portion of the room) and tells Jim that his name is Mr. Charles Barter, and he’s willing to pay several million dollars for the formula Jim has discovered!

Guys, the moment this shadowy figure first spoke, I recognized the deep and imposing voice of . . . Jonathan Harris, giving each line of dialog a serious delivery which was magnificent!








Jim is determined to protect his Formula for Happiness from this unearthly figure, so he refuses to give it to him. (This character is listed in the IMDB credits as "The Intruder").

Jim dashes over to a safe in the corner of his office, tosses the envelope into it, and slams the safe shut!






The Intruder laughs and proclaims that if HE can’t have the formula, NO ONE will! He then waves his hand and makes the safe disappear in a fiery maelstrom!





That's when poor Jim Anderson wakes up from his incredible nightmare! He tells Margaret that his inability to remember the Formula for Happiness is what's trouble him so much. Sad

Jim and Margaret head back to bed as Margaret says, "Remember what they say — tell a dream before breakfast and it will come true."

The following morning, this bizarre tale takes on an even stranger turn when it actually tops many of The Twilight Zone episodes!

The next scene takes place that evening when Jim is sitting in this favorite chair, reading his newspaper when Kathy comes up to him and interrupts with repeated request to have her allowance raised.

Annoyed by Kathy's rudeness, Jim chastises her for bothering him with her "chatter" while he's reading. Deeply hurt by her father's rejection, Kathy leaves, vowing to "never bother him with her chatter . . . ever again!"

She leaves the house angrily. Sad

Shortly after Kathy leaves, we see Margret setting the table in the dinning room, and she's wearing a new hat she bought that day . . . the same hat which Jim saw in his dream. Confused

When Jim sees it a few moments later, he's astounded by this new element from his disturbing nightmare. Margaret explains that she bought it that day, based entirely on Jim's description in the dream.

But Jim is bothered by this new and strange "coincidence" in an increasing list of events which connect to his bizarre nightmare!






Moments later, Jim and Margaret are in the kitchen when Betty comes in to announce that there's a man at the front door who wants to see Jim — and his name is Mr. Charles Barter.

Jim and Margaret are stunned by this new "coincidence"! The look on Jim's and Margaret’s faces are perfect . . . and the music is wonderfully creepy as well.








But when they confront t average-looking man standing in their foyer, he politely tells them he "just came by to pick up the envelope — the one with the formula for happiness".

Jim and Margaret are stunned by the way all these events which happened in Jim's dream have also occurred in real life — such as Kathy's sudden hostility, Margaret's purchase of the hat, and the appearance of a man named Charles Barter who came to "pick up the envelope with the formula for happiness."

Jim and Margaret are shocked by the way Jim's disturbing dream is playing out in every detail! Shocked

However, the poor Mr. Barter is totally baffled by the couple's strange and hostile attitude! Jim and Margaret demand that Mr. Barter explain why he has come to their home.

However, their odd behavior alarms the confused man, so he leaves hastily because he's convinced he's come to the wrong house!

I should mention at this point that the direction, the editing, the acting, and even the creepy music throughout the episode make this disturbing story play out like one of the better episodes of The Twilight Zone!

After the frightened Mr. Barter flees from the house, Jim and Margaret discuss the bizarre situation and agree that the events in the dream and the events that have occurred that day "cannot be just a coincidence".

It’s important to note that these scenes are played by the two leading actors with no trace of comedy. The entire episode is a complete departure from the light-hearted comedy which America loved for six years.

The next morning we see Jim in a friendly little dinner with a local psychologist named Dr. Daily, with whom he's discussing Jim's concern about the bizarre situation. (Dr. Daily was perfectly cast: an elderly, balding man wearing horn-rimmed glasses.)








The scene with Jim and the psychologist is like an homage to all those 1950s sci-fi movies in which a wise old scientists lectures the main characters on the subject of giant ants or the possibility that a prehistoric beast could still be alive! Very Happy

Dr. Daily confesses that he has no simple answer to Jim’s unusual mystery. He offers an interesting lecture on the strange nature of our dreams, but I was impressed by the fact that the psychologist makes no attempt to simply dismiss Jim Anderson's dream as the product of his deep-seated concerns.

Dr. Daily admits that the situation is truly bizarre. In other words . . . we're still in The Twilight Zone! Shocked

Jim then goes to his insurance office and nervously asks his loyal secretary if a certain "Mr. Barter" has come by, looking for an important envelope. She says he hasn't . . . but then she stuns Jim by telling him that there IS an envelope in his safe that’s supposedly Top Secret!

Jim is shocked, and when he opens the safe he actually finds the envelope . . . marked Formula for Happiness!

At that moment, Kathy comes into Jim's office and interrupts his desperate efforts to read the message in the envelope and finally solve this maddening mystery!






However, before he can read it, Kathy informs her father that the envelope he desperately wants to read actually contains her own submission to a contest which required her to, "Describe in 25 words or less the Best Formula for Happiness".

Jim learns (to his dismay) that he failed to listen when Kathy told him about the contest several weeks ago! On that day he was engrossed in a TV news report about the urgent need for mankind to achieve world peace. Because of this, Jim ignored Kathy's enthusiastic news about the contest she'd entered. Sad






The fact that Jim Anderson was so focused on the news broadcast about this important subject actually demonstrates that he's sincerely concerned about world peace.

However, his impatience with Kathy's interruption did not mean he was indifferent to his daughter. He simply failed to realize at that moment how important the contest was to her.

And so, folks, the moral of this story concerns the importance of the relationship between a loving father and his devoted child. Smile

But it’s also a brilliant tale about how our subconscious mind processes our deepest concerns and then presents them in vivid dreams — which blend the relevant facts into truly bizarre fantasies! Shocked

Frankly I found this story more skillfully done and more enjoyable than many of the quasi-sci-fi episodes of the somewhat overrated series, The Twilight Zone.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 5:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like a good story well retold!
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.
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