Bud tries to learn how to dance from a book for his first school dance.
Jim tells his family to help others and winds up in more trouble than before.
Jim buys Bud a motor scooter but Margaret won't let him have it.
Jim has an extra ticket for the football game, and since Margaret cannot go, Betty is chosen. A friend of Jim's visits him and says he will buy insurance from Jim if he gets the extra ticket, Jim has to tell Betty she cannot go.
Bud moves out, but discovers he can't clean, cook, or take care of himself.
Jim comes to believe that he is over the hill.
Kathy plays with the new washing machine and keeps throwing everything in it. This time, Betty's items for Girls in Government Club are included as well as a letter to Bud from the police. Betty's items are ruined and Bud gets a surprise.
The family prepares for Thanksgiving. Kathy has to write a poem for a school project. She is selected as the winner in her class and the family is proud. But when she reads the poem to her parents, Jim thinks it is not as good as it should be and Kathy is upset.
Jim and Margaret plan a second honeymoon trip, and decide Betty & Bud are old enough to watch the house and Kathy by themselves. However, they are suspicious when the children are anxious for them to be out of the house.
Jim, overhearing bits and pieces of a conversation suspects Betty of planning to elope with a boy.
Jim and Margaret rarely disagree on anything. When a couple asks them to take dancing lessons, Jim goes to his own club only to find it dull.
Jim takes the family into the woods to cut down their own tree and become stranded there.
Jim receives a traffic ticket and Bud is appointed to be judge on that day.
An unwanted visitor that won't leave spoils Kathy's birthday party.
Jim unwillingly says he will sleep in Kathy's playhouse
Jim wants to give up his office job in order to move into the country to lead a quiet and less stressy life as a farmer. His wife doesn't think that he means it seriously but he has crossed many more lines to fulfill his dream than he ever did before. Soon the life at home turns more quiet than he expected and Jim starts to despair at home because no one from the office calls him, and his replacement and the secretary despair at the office because they don't want to phone and disturb him.
Jim sells the house and plans to move out into the country.
Margaret tries to get her cousin and her boyfriend married.
Margaret's cousin gets married in the Anderson house with Bud as the stand-in bridesmaid.
Jim tries to help the children regain their confidence.
Kathy and Betty fight for the attention of the same man.
A new highway gets built. And for that the old community hall should be pulled down. That's something Jim wouldn't like to see since the hall is a historical monument and also memories from his youth are connected with this hall. Everyone from the family sees how much the hall means to Jim and they use different ways to inform the public or organize help. Kathy, who also wants to help, writes a letter to the mayor - with all the unfledged names Jim has called him in his anger.
Bud loses a job to a boy who fakes his resume, which leads him to believe it is alright to do this himself
Margaret is forced to invite a woman who makes her uncomfortable because she is Jim's friend's wife.
Bud learns that the girl he likes is dating his best friend.
Bud is accused of cheating because he is suddenly getting high grades in class.
Tate Idsen saves a stagecoach from savage Indians in a flashback sequence.
Bud gets in trouble when his latest friend turns out to be a kleptomaniac.
The last few days Betty has no fun, she's sullen and does nothing. No one gets through to her, not even her parents. Betty faces a personal crisis when she has to find answers, basically, to the meaning-of-life question. The only way out for her is to put Bud's story (which he has written as an assignment) into reality: Enter a bus and go as far as the money takes her ...
Bud new friend won't leave the Anderson house because he has no family.
The family tries to think up excuses to keep from going to Margaret's family reunion.
Betty and her boyfriend refuse to see again after Jim and his father fight.
Margaret admits before the PTA that she can't control her children.
The family member who doesn't tattle for one week will receive ten dollars.
Kathy finds a receipt for $25 from the adoption center and believes she was adopted.
On a dude ranch, Betty falls in love with a cowboy only to discover the relationship won't last.
Betty announces that she doesn't want a birthday party or presents.
To teach Bud a lesson, Jim gives him ten dollars a week for allowance, but he's not to spend the money on anyone else but himself.
Betty's esteem is low after another girl gets all the attention she used to get.
A Spanish immigrant, Frank, fixes the Andersons lawn and then charges a high price.
The Anderson family becomes shipwrecked on a deserted island.
Bud tells the family they are to set up for a lawn party that is tomorrow.
While listening to Buds short wave radio the family overhears a distress call from a boat.
Betty's new boyfriend, a jet pilot, is transferred to Alaska.
When Bud receives a traffic ticket he is forced to become a crossing guard.
Bud - a hero? A chain reaction of events, starting with a girl who wants to use Bud to make her boyfriend jealous leads to Bud preventing a bank robbery, making him the hero of the town.
3Apr57 Betty becomes flower queen and wins a track race all in the same day.
Kippy takes credit for a church donation Bud made, and Bud plans to get even.
Jim and Margaret takes care of a baby Betty is baby-sitting so she can go out.
Henry Pruett, a traveling salesman on tour, accidentally knocks on the door of Margaret: she, Jim and Henry attended college together and he was a promising man back then - on his way to become a doctor. But all he is now is the salesman (and a bad one too) and that's embarrassing for him and he decides to keep it a secret. But Margaret and Jim find out about this anyway. [Note: Episode without Betty]
Bud gets advice from Jim on how to win over Judy, while she is asking Margaret.
Margaret tries to help a young woman overcome her fear of having a baby.
Jim and Margaret are called in to help Margaret's dad, who's about to hand over his printing office and retire. The main reason is his groggy health lately, but it seems that giving up his office is the actual source for this problems.
Sageman (Royal Dano) helps the Andersons regain their self confidence.
Bud must decide if he should stand up for a teacher or join the class in a revolt.
Betty tutors a football player who will escort her to a dance as payment.
Margaret receives a new house which she plans to rent out.
Bud becomes the chairman for the planning of his high school picnic.
The Anderson's gardener, Frank, is forced to get a real job and then winds up in court.
Margaret enrolls in an English class in college and is put in Betty's class.
Bud is not able to play in the football game because he wouldn't go to bed early.
Kathy competes in an essay contest judged by Greer Garson.
Jim tries to teach Margaret how to drive a car.
Bud is given the pleasure of raising Kathy when he says they are doing it all wrong.
Betty reads a story she wrote for school involving her family. In the story a devil named Harry Beal is trying to get the children's souls, Jim fights him and agrees his soul in exchange for his kids. But will the family let him sacrifice his soul?
When Kathy finds a horseshoe and she wishes for a horse, and gets one.
A girl thinks Bud is going into the Army and throws a going away party.
At summer camp Kathy rebels after her counselor, Betty, keeps pushing her to do better.
Bud practices the bongo drums to impress his new girlfriend.
Jim can either attend a business meeting or see Kathy read his biography.
Betty has two dates for the same night and doesn't plan to break either one.
Bud practices mind reading, and Betty tries to make the debating team.
The family gets mad when Margaret keeps helping a furniture maker and his wife.
Bud is in trouble when he is accused of causing damage to a neighbor's property.
26Feb58 Betty teases Bud saying he is sloppy when some very influential people come over.
The Anderson's cousin, Milly, arrives for a visit and to look at the college.
Bud believes that his father is henpecked when he willingly does everything Margaret wants him to.
Betty tries to help an old man fix up his restaurant so he isn't evicted by Jim's company.
Bud falls in love with an older woman at the grocery store who is married.
Chaos strikes when Betty hides a pair of skates for a friend of hers.
A very talented dog shows up and takes residence in the Anderson's house.
When Jim plans to build a case for trophies, and Margaret sets out to win a medal.
Betty tries to use her feminine wiles on a young man to get him to take her out.
Jim is bombarded with questions when he is getting ready for a business trip.
When Bud meets a successful business man who quit school and Bud plans to do the same.
Bud is chosen as the most popular boy in his class at school.
Betty tries to make a man remove a hedge that blocks the view on a road.
Betty and Ralph plan to get married, but find it is not as happy as they thought.
Bud thinks Betty has an ulterior motive when she is kind to him.
Kathy's new boyfriend is more interested in Jim than of Kathy.
Bud prepares for the arrival of the homecoming queen.
Frank tries to console Kathy by telling her that his family are entertainers.
Jim tries to teach the children a lesson when they are constantly not planning ahead.
Betty talks Jim and Margaret into getting married again for their anniversary.
Bud finds a dent on the back of the car he is watching for a friend.
Betty plays the founder of Springfield's wife in a play of what really happened.
An Indian exchange student arrives for the weekend from Betty's college.
In a raffle, Margaret wins a car and uses it to help the orphans home.
Jim attempts to get the family to broaden their horizons and disaster strikes.
The family recalls as they are putting up the Christmas tree, how Jim wanted them to cut their own tree, and in the process got stranded in a cabin.
Jim becomes the coach of Bud's basketball team.
Kathy is elected by the family to control Bud's lawn moving company.
5Jan59 Bud must do a good deed for an English report and ends up resenting the whole world.
Uncle Charlie believes the children are spoiled when they forget Jim's birthday.
Bud gets into hot water when he tries to buy Margaret a bottle of expensive perfume.
Leo visits and takes advantage of the whole family until something surprising happens.
When Bus refuses dates, the girl launch an anti-Bud campaign.
Bud tries to save Betty from her boyfriend but Betty resents the help.
Kathy says she wants to be treated as if she was an adult.
Jim learns that he is to be appointed as an outstanding person in the community.
Betty is faced with a hard decision that will affect her future.
Margaret must decide to attend a luncheon or go with Jim on an important trip.
Bud has a hard time when he must decide between two girls to take to the prom.
The Anderson's are visited by an author on African Culture.
Strange things begin to happen when Jim's dreams start to come true.
Bud tries to impress a wealthy girl by taking her to an expensive restaurant.
Bud regrets writing a bad article about a professor after the professor finds the article.
This is a recut version of episode 5 with the same name where Bud goes out on his own and tries to make good.
Bud blames his professor when it appears he will not pass Physics.
The Andersons act out a detective story when the television breaks down.
1Jun59 Bud feels that there is no use for tradition so he starts to break all traditions.
While on the way to visit Margaret's parents, the car breaks down leaving the family stranded on a deserted road.
Bud falls in love with his college French professor.
Frank is chosen to represent the town at the opening of a park, but when the town council meets Frank, they want another person to represent their city- someone who looks more like an average American.
Betty becomes involved with a young lawyer pretending to be the owner of a radio store.
Bud decides to date the coach's daughter in order to make sure he gets on the football team.
Jim's plans for a quiet bicycle trip end up with Jim and Margaret arguing
Bud tells Kathy about the job he didn't get when another boy faked his credentials.
Jim and Margaret tease one another about people they dated as their college reunion nears.
The family tries to change Kathy from a tomboy into a beautiful girl.
Bud wants a part-time job at a service station in order to get enough money to buy a boat.
Both Jim and Kathy are doublecrossed by their friends.
Margaret tricks the family into believing that she has been elected chairwoman of the children's clinic building program.
Betty wins a trip to Hollywood because she looks like a famous movie star.
This is a recut version of episode 30. It is not part of the current syndication package and is considered ""lost"".
Betty is campaigning for safe driving, while Bud is accused of reckless driving.
A reporter visits the family in order to do an article on family togetherness.
Betty competes in the college fencing tournament.
Kathy, desperate for a date at the community picnic, makes up a story about a boyfriend.
Betty arranges a match between Frank and a worker in a flower shop.
Jim is surprised by his family's lack of interest when he is named Father of the Year.
When Bud reaffirms and old man's belief in life, he decides to open his own insurance company and hire Bud as his assistant.
Bud invests money in a phony stock scheme and winds up losing fifty dollars
The Andersons get a check from an admirer and must find out which member of the family the check was meant for.
While Kathy is trying to repair her birth certificate frame, she recalls the time she thought she was adopted.
Kathy destroys a picture of a family competing against hers in a photo contest
Bud falls in love with his English Tutor
Betty dates a boy everyone regards as a loser
Betty becomes frustrated when every college contest she enters, she loses to Cliff Bowman, who may even steal her job, too
Bud spends more money than he has in order to impress a girl in Chicago.
Betty is caught in the middle of an argument between two of her friends who are planning to marry.
When Kathy refuses to graduate from high school, the family tells her about Betty's reluctance to graduate from High School, too. This is a recut version of episode 63. It is not part of the syndication package and is considered ""lost"".
In 1959 the producers were approached to do a U.S. Savings Bond benefit for the American Federation of Labor and the Treasury Department. Though never aired on television, it was distributed to schools, churches, and civic groups. Extremely rare copies can still be found.
This altered version aired in syndication.
First of two reunion movies starring the original cast of the popular 1950's series "Father Knows Best." Jim and Margaret Anderson invite their children and grandchildren for a visit to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
The original cast of "Father Knows Best" returns for the second reunion movie. After learning that none of the children will be home for Christmas, Jim and Margaret decide to sell their house.
Extended Father Knows Best Episode: "First Disillusionment," which aired during the sixth season (11/16/1959)
Short after Father Knows Best ended in 1960, Robert Young returned to the CBS lineup with a series called Window on Main Street. This is the 3rd Episode from this series..
Brooks notices prim school teacher Wilma Henderson has been having a romance with desk clerk Harry McGil. She wants to break it off because Harry's not at all like the man she'd planned on meeting. Brooks reminds her that no one's life ever plays out the way we expected they would.
All new interviews with Lauren Chapin and Elinor Donahue who played the Anerson sisters, Kathy and Betty.
Shortly after Father Knows Best ended in 1960, Robert Young returned to CBS in a new series starring Robert Young titled Window on Main Street. This is the 4th episode of this series. Cameron Brooks has decided that chapter four in his novel will be about the hotel's chambermaid, Lavinia Webster.
Cameron has gotten close to the son of the gas-station operator, Leonard Greenough. Cameron thinks the boy can do better in live than work at a gas station. He convinces the boy that college will open opportunities. Leonard's father gets anger at Cameron for putting ideas into the boys head.
Shortly after Father Knows Best ended in 1960, Robert Young returned to CBS in a new series starring Robert Young titled Window on Main Street. This is the 6th episode of this series.
Shortly after Father Knows Best ended in 1960, Robert Young returned to CBS in a new series starring Robert Young titled Window on Main Street. This is the 7th episode of this series.
Shortly after Father Knows Best ended in 1960, Robert Young returned to CBS in a new series starring Robert Young titled Window on Main Street. This is the 8th episode of this series.
Lloyd Ramsey is editor of the town newspaper. He daily gets interesting letters from his readers. Todays letter is a difficulty one. A young boy is reaching out to him with a hard question. The letter reads: "I know that G_d started the world, but who started G_d?"
Cameron finds his room has been rifled through and culprit hiding on the balcony. The thief is a nervous young man making his first robbery which netted a mere $1.19. Talking with the thief, Cameron realizes that Elroy is not a dangerous criminal, just a confused young man who deserves a second chance to get on the right path.
