Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
Father Knows Best Season 5 Episodes
Season 5 Episode Guide
38 Episodes 1958 - 1959
Episode 1
Vine Covered Cottage
Mon, Sep 15, 195830 mins
Betty's boyfriend Ralph asks Jim for permission to propose to Betty. Jim says a cautious comment that Ralph is a great guy. Betty & Ralph talk about marriage and think it is a great idea - until they start seeing the reality of marriage.
Episode 2
Be Kind to Bud Week
30 mins
Betty has to write a report of a literary figure who benefited from the help of a sibling. This gets Betty to wondering if she should be kinder and friendlier to Bud. Bud figures something is up.
Episode 3
Kathy's Romance
Mon, Sep 29, 195830 mins
Kathy makes a big announcement - she has a boyfriend named Burgess. Of course, he does not know he's her boyfriend yet. She invites him over, but he seems more interested in Jim than her.
Episode 4
Voice from the Past
30 mins
Bud is nominated for the decorating committee for homecoming week. He wants a new approach from other years. Jim warns him not to be disrespectful. Bud finds Jim's old school yearbook and sees Jim played pranks when he was in school.
Episode 5
Frank's Family Tree
30 mins
The Andersons' gardener, Fronk, says he has no family to visit, so he spends his vacation working on the Andersons' yard. Kathy feels sorry he has no one in his life. Fronk does not want her to feel bad, so he makes up a family.
Episode 6
Always Plan Ahead
Mon, Oct 20, 195830 mins
Weary of their children's last minute crises from poor planning, Jim and Margaret cook up a scheme to return the favor.
Episode 7
Second Wedding
Mon, Oct 27, 195830 mins
Having learned they were originally married at home, Betty prods her parents into having a second wedding but this time in a church.
Episode 8
Bud, the Caretaker
Mon, Nov 3, 195830 mins
Bud is given charge of watching a neighbor's car while he is out of town. Bud is only to start the car every few days and not drive it around town. Alas, he drives it and the car gets scratched.
Episode 9
Betty, the Pioneer Woman
Mon, Nov 10, 195830 mins
As part of Springfield's Founder's Day celebration, Betty volunteers to accompany and assist chauvinistic Tom Wentworth on a difficult 12-mile trek pulling a heavy cart.
Episode 10
Fair Exchange
Mon, Nov 24, 195830 mins
Chanthini, an exchange student from India, spends a weekend at the Anderson home with her classmate Betty. The children struggle to make her welcome, but succeed only in making her feel like an outsider.
Episode 11
Bud, the Snob
Mon, Nov 24, 195825 mins
The show is told in flashbacks to when Bud was really shy around girls. Bud's classmates thought he was a snob. Jim talked Bud into having a masquerade party to show he is not a snob.
Episode 12
Margaret Wins a Car
Mon, Dec 1, 195830 mins
Margaret buys a raffle ticket to help for the local orphanage, and wins a car. When publicity shots are taken, the orphanage director reprimands Margaret for having so much and not giving more to the orphanage.
Episode 13
The Great Experiment
Mon, Dec 8, 195830 mins
Jim attends a meeting where the speaker's topic is to get more out of life and find out what is going on in their world. Jim becomes enthused and tries to pass this philosophy on to his family - who still have routine items to do.
Episode 14
The Christmas Story
Mon, Dec 15, 195830 mins
The Anderson's are preparing for the holidays. As they decorate the tree, they recall the story of how they managed to get that particular tree.
Episode 15
The Basketball Coach
Mon, Dec 22, 195830 mins
Bud and his friends get a sponsor for their basketball team, and they have a former college basketball player lined up for coach. But the coach's employer transfers him to another town and the boys ask Jim to be the replacement.
Episode 16
Kathy, Girl Executive
Mon, Dec 29, 195830 mins
Bud wants to form his own company for a lawn mower service. Jim and Margaret agree, but put Kathy in charge of the operation.
Episode 17
The Good Samaritan
Mon, Jan 5, 195930 mins
Bud has a school assignment to do a good deed for someone unknown. As he finds someone to help, he either gets rejected or his good deeds backfire on him. When one deed turns to disaster, his father finds a way to turn it around.
Episode 18
The Ideal Father
Mon, Jan 12, 195930 mins
The Andersons get their kitchen repainted. Also, Jim purchases items for the children they have been wanting, but the next day they all forget his birthday. Margaret gets upset at their alternative plans and asking for more favors.
Episode 19
Big Shot Bud
Mon, Jan 19, 195930 mins
Margaret does a favor for Bud and he wants to give her a thank you gift. He buys perfume using Sunday School money because he knew his boss will pay him later that day. However the boss is out of town and Bud needs the money in the morning.
Episode 20
Hard Luck Leo
Mon, Jan 26, 195930 mins
Jim's cousin Leo visits so he can look for a job in Springfield. Leo is known as Hard Luck Leo. Despite job and apartment leads from the family, it seems nothing works out. Betty soon realizes Leo does not want anything to work out.
Episode 21
Bud, the Campus Romeo
Mon, Feb 2, 195930 mins
While at the malt shop, Bud overhears three girls talking about him, all wanting to ask him to the Girls Ask Dance. He starts thinking he is a real catch and wants to play the odds.
Episode 22
Crisis Over a Kiss
Mon, Feb 9, 195930 mins
As Bud comes home from a date, he sees one of Betty's boyfriends trying to kiss Betty against her wishes. He comes to the rescue, but Betty really did not want to be rescued. Bud tries to be the romantic man with his date.
Episode 23
Kathy Grows Up
Mon, Feb 16, 195930 mins
Kathy is tired of being treated as a child. She tries including herself on dates with her brother and sister. Betty and her boyfriend agree to take Kathy and her friend to dinner with them, but the plans fall through and Kathy is crushed.
Episode 24
A Man of Merit
Mon, Nov 23, 195930 mins
Jim hears he may be awarded the Hall of Merit. He is excited and starts preparing his acceptance speech. Margaret hears the same information and starts making celebration plans. In the evening, everyone waits for word of his being selected.
Episode 25
Betty Makes a Choice
Mon, Mar 2, 195930 mins
Betty is trying out for a part in a college play but the competition is tough. It also seems Betty and the other competitor got off on the wrong foot.
Episode 26
It's a Small World
Mon, Mar 9, 195930 mins
Jim is asked to be a speaker at an Insurance Convention and asks Margaret to go with him. Margaret has another commitment and stays home. Margaret later changes her mind and goes to NY. Confusion arises as Jim and Margaret try to meet up.
Episode 27
Two Loves Has Bud
Mon, Mar 16, 195930 mins
Bud's girlfriend Joyce breaks up with him and returns his gifts. He is upset until he sees the new girl in the neighborhood. Bud courts the new girl, giving her gifts Joyce returned. Then Joyce apologizes and wants to get back together.
Episode 28
An Extraordinary Woman
Mon, Mar 23, 195930 mins
Jim receives a book in the mail that was written by a former classmate of his. She is a doctor who practices in Africa. Now, Dr Brown visits Springfield to see Jim.
Episode 29
The Art of Romance
Mon, Mar 30, 195930 mins
The show is told in flashbacks to the time when Bud needed advice on how to convince Judy to go out with him. At the same time, Judy is asking advice from Betty on how to get Bud to ask her out.
Episode 30
Formula for Happiness
Mon, Apr 6, 195930 mins
Jim has a strange dream that involves a television broadcast, a mysterious intruder named Charles Barter, and the formula for happy living. In the days that follow, the dream seems to come true.
Episode 31
Bud and the Debutante
Mon, Apr 13, 195930 mins
Bud's car breaks down and Molly passes by and offers a ride. The next day, Bud is driving Molly's expensive car and going places paid for by Molly. Jim talks to Bud about not taking advantage of Molly just because her family is rich.
Episode 32
The Promised Playhouse Flashback
Mon, Apr 20, 195922 mins
A flashback show about building a playhouse for Kathy.
Episode 33
The Meanest Professor
Mon, Apr 27, 195930 mins
Bud is stuck with having to write an article for the school paper about a teacher he doesn't like.
Episode 34
My Life Flashback
Mon, May 4, 195922 mins
A flashback episode about a time when Bud wanted to move out on his own because he was grown up already.
Episode 35
Bud Has a Problem
Mon, May 11, 195930 mins
Bud is not doing well in physics this year in school and blames the teacher. When Betty starts dating the teacher, Bud thinks his grade will improve because they are going out.
Episode 36
The Great Anderson Mystery
Mon, May 18, 195930 mins
The Andersons are all entranced in a television mystery show when a tube blows in the back of the TV before the show ends. With the unknown end of the show, the family tries to figure out what happened based upon what they already watched.
Episode 37
Margaret Goes Dancing Flashback
Mon, May 25, 195925 mins
Margaret wants Jim to take her dancing. She tries to trick him into dance lessons.
Episode 38
The Gold Turnip
Mon, Jun 1, 195930 mins
Bud gets ready to graduate from school, but is annoyed at doing the same activities and ceremonies as every other graduation class. He fights against all the traditions everyone follows.