Father Knows Best
The popular radio show comes to life in this hit sitcom about a wise family man, Jim Anderson; his common-sense wife Margaret; and their children Betty, Bud, and Kathy. Whenever the kids need advice on anything at all, they can always turn to their father, because Father knows best.
- 1954-1960
- 6 seasons
- CBS
- Comedy, Family
- TV-G
The popular radio show comes to life in this hit sitcom about a wise family man, Jim Anderson; his common-sense wife Margaret; and their children Betty, Bud, and Kathy. Whenever the kids need advice on anything at all, they can always turn to their father, because Father knows best.
Season 6 Episode Guide
32 Episodes 1959 - 1960
Episode 1
A Day in the Country
Mon, Oct 5, 1959 30 mins
The family prepares for a trip to a family reunion. On a map, Jim finds a shortcut they can take to Margaret's family home. Alas, it;s a rarely-traveled road and their car breaks down, and Jim walks to a small town to find help.
Episode 2
Bud Branches Out
Mon, Oct 12, 1959 30 mins
Bud goes to college and quickly develops a crush on his attractive French teacher.
Episode 3
The Gardener's Big Day
Mon, Oct 19, 1959 30 mins
The governor's coming to town to dedicate a local park and the Andersons' gardener is chosen as the official greeter when he arrives. When Fronk shows up for rehearsal, the mayor doesn't want him because he's Mexican.
Episode 4
The Impostor
Mon, Oct 26, 1959 30 mins
When Betty returns a defective radio to a store, she mistakes a customer for the store owner and gets all the way out without realizing that Tom is a customer. The store owner gives Tom a replacement radio and he takes it to Betty without correcting his identity.
Episode 5
Bud Plays It Safe
Mon, Nov 2, 1959 30 mins
Bud tries out for a position on the football team and bemoans the fact that the coach doesn't notice him. Betty tells him that the coach's daughter notices him, and he decides to ask her out as a way to get close to the coach.
Episode 6
Bicycle Trip for Two
Mon, Nov 9, 1959 30 mins
Kathy inspects the house for fire safety and the attic doesn't pass the test. Jim and Margaret start a clean-up, find things from their youth, and decide to go bicycling to relive some of those younger days.
Episode 7
First Disillusionment
Mon, Nov 16, 1959 30 mins
Bud tells Kathy of the time he lied to get a job as a stock clerk.
Episode 8
Margaret's Old Flame
Mon, Nov 23, 1959 30 mins
Margaret and Jim listen to a radio broadcast of a homecoming gathering and remember their college years, dating, and previous boy- and girlfriends--and in the present, Margaret gets flowers from a mysterious former boyfriend.
Episode 9
Kathy Becomes a Girl
Mon, Nov 30, 1959 30 mins
Kathy sheds her tomboy jeans for a feminine dress.
Episode 10
Bud, the Willing Worker
Mon, Dec 7, 1959 30 mins
Bud tries to talk Jim into buying a boat, but Jim says that he must earn his own money to buy it, so he gets a job at a gas station, and Betty is infatuated with the station owner.
Episode 11
Turn the Other Cheek
Mon, Dec 14, 1959 30 mins
Jim acts as a mentor to a new young insurance agent and invites him to dinner. Bart feels that he can jump ahead of all the steps up the ladder--and ends up stepping on Jim. Kathy feels the same way about one of her friends.
Episode 12
Good Joke on Mom
Mon, Dec 28, 1959 30 mins
Margaret gets a letter naming her as General Chairman of the Building Committee for a Children's Clinic. She realizes that it's a mistake, but when her family ridicules the idea and her skills, she pretends that she accepted it.
Episode 13
Betty's Double
Mon, Jan 4, 1960 30 mins
Betty's strong resemblance to a popular movie star gains her instant celebrity.
Episode 14
Father, the Naturalist Repeat
Mon, Jan 11, 1960 25 mins
Jim helps Kathy finish her camp book by finding plant examples.
Episode 15
Bud Hides Behind a Skirt
Mon, Jan 18, 1960 30 mins
Bud makes Betty take the rap for his reckless driving.
Episode 16
Togetherness
Mon, Jan 25, 1960 30 mins
An insurance magazine will interview the Andersons for an article in the magazine, focusing on their family unity and solid family life. Unfortunately, when the reporter shows up, the family is at odds with one another.
Episode 17
Second Best
Mon, Feb 1, 1960 30 mins
Betty takes up the sport of fencing.
Episode 18
Kathy's Big Deception
Mon, Feb 8, 1960 30 mins
It seems that all of Kathy's friends have boyfriends for the community picnic. She has a crush on classmate George but doesn't think he likes her. She decides to make up a boyfriend for the picnic so she looks popular.
Episode 19
Cupid Knows Best
Mon, Feb 15, 1960 30 mins
Fronk, the Andersons' gardener, is lonely but interested in someone. Betty decides to help him by writing love letters to the woman, pretending to be Fronk.
Episode 20
The Big Test Flashbabck
Mon, Feb 22, 1960 25 mins
A flashback to the episode in which Bud studied a lot for a test at school.
Episode 21
Jim's Big Surprise
Mon, Feb 29, 1960 30 mins
Jim tells the family to be home at 4:00 for a big surprise. As the family waits for the announcement, everyone has their own idea of what it will be. Each thinks it will be something that benefits just them.
Episode 22
Time to Retire
Mon, Mar 7, 1960 30 mins
Jim must tell Arthur, a co-worker in the insurance company, that he has reached retirement age and must retire. Jim invites him home to dinner with the family, and Arthur is full of energy, which only makes telling him more difficult.
Episode 23
Bud, the Speculator
Mon, Mar 14, 1960 30 mins
Bud risks $50 purchasing stock in a new copper-mine company.
Episode 24
The $500 Letter
Mon, Mar 21, 1960 30 mins
The Andersons receive a $500 check in the mail: a former neighbor wants to thank an Anderson for a kindness, but did not remember which one did it. The Andersons try to remember who might have done a favor for him, and what the favor was.
Episode 25
Adopted Daughter
Mon, Mar 28, 1960 25 mins
Kathy reminisces with Mother and Bud about the time she thought she was adopted.
Episode 26
Family Contest
Mon, Apr 4, 1960 30 mins
Hoping to win a free trip to Hawaii, the Andersons enter a family-photo contest.
Episode 27
Love and Learn
Mon, Apr 11, 1960 30 mins
Bud resists his mother's plea for him to boost his English grades by being tutored after school--until he learns that one of the available student-tutors is a good-looking girl who interests him.
Episode 28
Blind Date
Mon, Apr 18, 1960 30 mins
Betty is embarrassed when her friends make fun of Rudy because they think he is inferior to them. She chastises her friends and leaves the soda shop. Her friends decide to play a joke on Betty by setting her up on a blind date with Rudy.
Episode 29
Betty's Career Problem
Mon, Apr 25, 1960 30 mins
Betty is about to graduate from college and hoping to win the Scholastic Achievement Award. Cliff, another student who is an achiever like her, wins the award. Now they're up for the same job after graduation.
Episode 30
Bud Lives It Up
Mon, May 9, 1960 25 mins
Determined to get to Chicago and renew his acquaintance with attractive Nancy Millbrook, Bud is able to join the University debating team just in time for a trip to the Windy City. After learning that he can simply sign for his hotel expenses while representing the University, he asks Nancy to join him at the hotel's upscale restaurant and nightspot. The extravagant date results in a total bill in excess of $185. The University denies payment and Bud is unceremoniously advised that he will likely be expelled unless he is able to find a way to pay the bill himself.
Episode 31
Not His Type
Mon, May 16, 1960 30 mins
Diane's boyfriend shows an interest in Betty and asks her out. Betty is reluctant to come between Diane and George or get caught up in a love triangle, so she helps the two get back together.
Episode 32
Betty's Graduation
Mon, May 23, 1960 25 mins
Jim discusses a letter from Kathy's school: she isn't passing her math class. Kathy tells her father that she doesn't really want to graduate from junior high; she's finding it the happiest time of her life. Jim recalls the story of when Betty didn't want to graduate from high school.