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. Jim finds a shortcut on a map they can travel to Margaret's family home. Alas, it is a rarely traveled road and their car breaks down. Jim walks to a small town and tries 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 is coming to town to dedicate a local park. The Anderson's gardener is chosen as the official greeter to the governor when he arrives. When Fronk shows up for rehearsal, the city mayor does not want Fronk since he is Mexican.
Episode 4
The Impostor
Mon, Oct 26, 1959 30 mins
Betty returns a defective radio to a store and mistakes a customer for the store owner. She leaves without realizing 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 does not notice him. Betty tells Bud that the coach's daughter notices him. Bud decides to ask the daughter on a date as a way to get close to the coach.
Episode 6
Bicycle Trip for Two
Mon, Nov 9, 1959 30 mins
Kathy does an inspection of the house for fire safety. The attic does not pass the test. Jim & Margaret start a clean up and find things from their younger days. They 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
Listening to a radio broadcast of a homecoming gathering, Margaret & Jim remember their college years, dating, and previous boy- & girl-friends, other homecomings, etc. Margaret gets flower and 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 he has to earn his own money to buy it. Bud 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 asks him over for 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 about a Children's Clinic being built and that she is the General Chairman of the Building Committee. She realizes it is a mistake, but when her family ridicules the idea and her skill, she pretends 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 is going to interview the Andersons for an article in the magazine. The story will focus on their family unity and solid family life. Unfortunately, when the reporter shows up, the family is at odds with each other.
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 a boyfriend for the community picnic. She has a crush on George, one of her classmates, but does not 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
The Anderson gardener, Fronk, is lonely but is interested in someone. Betty decides to help him by writing love letters to the woman, pretending she is Fronk.
Episode 20
The Big Test Flashbabck
Mon, Feb 22, 1960 25 mins
A flashback to the episode where 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 to retire as he has reached retirement age. Jim invites him to dinner with the Andersons and Arthur is full of energy. This only makes it harder for Jim to tell him.
Episode 23
Bud, the Speculator
Mon, Mar 14, 1960 30 mins
Bud risks fifty dollars 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 once 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 he's interested in.
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 Betty, wins the award. Now, they are both up for the same job after their 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 where they report Kathy is not passing her math class. Kathy tells her father that she is not really wanting to graduate from junior high school as it is the happiest time of her life. Jim recalls the story of when Betty didn't want to graduate from high school.