Father Knows Best

I was born the year after this series began and remember it very very fondly. Unlike a program like Leave it to Beaver or even Ozzie and Harriet, this program was both more moralistic and more sentimental - the heartstrings were pulled every program. I watched three episodes the other night (although I was supposed to leave for a train) and was so thrilled by the warmth of it - the sentimentality, the pathos. This family had such an effect on me growing up - neither adult really lost his/her temper, small problems were treated with immense attention.

I just LOVED it - and am sure any non-cynic would.

It's ironic that culture commentators today, including many teachers, who seem never to have seen a single episode of this series, will refer to it as a frightening illustration of fifties complacency, patriarchal dominance, and even racism. In fact many of the episodes explore issues of male egotism, parental arrogance, and conformist nastiness in an effective way. Of course, it all ends well because it is a comic drama about a tolerant and loving family with solid values (and Father was often the one who had to be reminded of this). Robert Young in frustration complained that it was never meant to be a sermon or sociology lesson -- but this carefully written and popular series was bound to tell us something about our values, and despite current malcontents, the values illustrated by Father Knows Best were generally very good.

I owned a 16mm Film Library for over 45 years.I have a number of FTB episodes in my collection.Growing up in the 50's it was one of my favorite TV shows.Bud(Billy Gray) was my favorite character on the show. Had a chance to meet Laurin Chapin(KATHY) when she came to our town for a Christian Womens Club function. I even got her to autograph one of my 16mm print episodes in which she was the main focus "ADOPTED DAUGHTER"..She was a very Nice and Cordial person.

I know kids today look at these old TV episodes and laugh and think they are cornball. That's too bad;cause maybe if Television shows of today still had some morals and ethics our youth of today would also have the same...S.M.

As a child of the Sixties I grew to love and appreciate the Andersons. I enjoyed watching and listening to the dialog and reactions by each of the members of the family. I truly came to understand what was definitely "right" and what was "wrong" in decision-making. I became apart of the family when I came running home from school and plop down in front of the TV and tune in. I really wish that I could have lived there in Springfield and have a family like the Andersons. To me they were the epitomie of the way a family was supposed to be. I actually learned some "habits" and values that I stole from the series. To this day, working as a teacher in my mid 40's, I find myself whistling the theme song between classes, at lunch, etc. I remember thinking about some of the situations that Bud and his sisters would get into and how they would resolve them. I would then apply to my own life. Maybe that is why I probably have had a 'wonderful life'. Thank you, Mr Tewksberry, for this indelible imprint on my life!

Critics of this type of show are quick to point out how "unrealistic" it was. After all no episode dealt with drug addiction, teen pregnancy,dropping out of school, or any of the other "relevant" topics that pass for entertainment today. Instead this program concentrated on the, now passe, issues of family love, warmth, charity, and decency. I challenge any parent, of whatever generation, to contrast an episode of this show with any "Married with Children" or the majority of today's teen oriented sitcoms and decide which world view they would wish for their children. Perhaps this show and others of its era (e.g. Andy Griffith) was overly hopeful in its portrayal of family and community, but isn't it better to aspire to the values of Father Knows Best than succumb to the spirit of the age we live in?