S1 E1: Bud Takes Up the Dance
Bud uses an old book to teach himself to dance in time for his very first date and his very first dance.
23 minutes
Father Knows Best
- Age 8
A look at the trials and tribulations of Jim Anderson, a hilarious and knowledgeable insurance broker, as he helps his family with their day-to-day problems.
Cast: Robert Young, Miss Jane Wyatt, Mary Donahue
Director: William D. Russell, Peter Tewksbury, James Neilson
S1 E2: Lesson in Citizenship
Jim sets out to teach his layabout kids a proper life ethic. He tells them that 'active participation equals good citizenship,' and that they should volunteer willingly and cheerfully. They take this lesson to heart, but not with the expected results.
26 minutes
S1 E3: The Motor Scooter
Jim and Margaret disagree on whether Jim should buy Bud a motor scooter.
23 minutes
S1 E4: Football Tickets
Jim and Margaret go to the big football game every year. This year, Margaret finds she cannot go and Betty is promised the ticket until Jim offers it to someone else.
23 minutes
S1 E5: Live My Own Life
Bud feels beleaguered by his parents and siblings, and believes he is ready to take responsibility for his own life. The teenager decides to move out of the house to live on his own.
26 minutes
S1 E6: Grandpa Jim's Rejuvenation
Jim wants to play badminton, but his kids see him as too old for such things. When a school chum writes that he has become a grandfather, Jim is convinced that the best years of his life are behind him.
26 minutes
S1 E7: Bud's Encounter With The Law
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.
25 minutes
S1 E8: Thanksgiving Day
When Kathy writes a prize-winning Thanksgiving poem, Jim envisions his kitten as the next Emily Bront'. His proud fantasy is shattered when he actually reads the poem.
26 minutes
S1 E9: Second Honeymoon
Jim and Margaret could use some time away from the house, so they plan a weekend getaway. Jim worries that the kids will be upset if they go, but they adjust more easily to the time apart than their parents.
23 minutes
S1 E10: Typical Father
Betty is falling hard for a new guy, and it upsets her father. Jim becomes convinced that Betty is exhibiting all the recognizable symptoms of someone who is about to elope.
26 minutes
S1 E11: Margaret Goes Dancing
Margaret is sure she could never get Jim to agree to take dancing classes with her. Her friend Myrtle suggests she try the art of persuasion; Margaret tries to make Jim think it was his idea, but he's on to her. 'women are never so obvious as when they're trying to hide something,' he counsels Bud.
26 minutes
S1 E12: The Christmas Story
In an attempt to remind his family of the real meaning of Christmas, Jim decides the Andersons will cut down their own Christmas tree this year. When they become stranded in the woods during a snowstorm, the true spirit of the holiday seems even more elusive than ever.
23 minutes
S1 E13: Sparrow in the Window
When Kathy discovers an injured sparrow on the windowsill, the family takes the little bird in to nurse it back to health. Jim promises her it will get well and worries what will happen if it doesn't.
23 minutes
S1 E14: Boy's Week
After Kathy breaks another window, Jim is committed to teaching his kids about personal responsibility. Then Jim himself gets a parking ticket he thinks is unfair. He takes his fight to court and finds out that his judge is none other than Bud, appointed to sit in during his high school's Boy's Week.
23 minutes
S1 E15: A Friend of Old George's
The family has a lovely dinner and a special event planned for Kathy's birthday. She's been looking forward to it, but an uninvited visitor upsets the best-laid plans.
23 minutes
S1 E16: Bud, the Snob
Bud is getting a reputation as a snob; his difficulty in talking with girls is being misinterpreted as standoffishness.
26 minutes
S1 E17: The Promised Playhouse
Jim demands that his family start living up to the promises they've made to people. Promise is supposed to mean something, he tells them. Then Kathy reminds him of a pledge he made to her, and Jim winds up sleeping in her homemade playhouse.
23 minutes
S1 E18: Jim the Farmer
Feeling stressed out from all the pressure at work, Jim decides to give up his job, move to the country and become a farmer. As he makes plans for the move, Margaret suspects there is more motivating Jim than just a longing for simplicity and self-reliance.
26 minutes
S1 E19: Father of the Year
The Springfield newspaper is sponsoring a Father of the Year contest. The Anderson children set out to write the winning essay, but can't find the words to describe the 'best father in the world.' Jim would love to win, but that doesn't stop him from putting his foot down with Betty and Bud.
26 minutes
S1 E20: The Mink Coat
Money is tight and Jim lectures the family on fiscal responsibility. The very next day he is presented with an extraordinary opportunity to buy Margaret a mink coat for less than half the regular price, and he grabs it. Margaret loves the coat, but even though she looks like a million bucks, they're more cash-strapped than ever.
23 minutes
S1 E21: The Matchmaker
Margaret wages a campaign to get her cousin's boyfriend to propose. Though Louise is hesitant to trap Tom, Margaret is sure she knows what to do and takes over.
26 minutes
S1 E22: Bud the Bridesmaid
Cousin Louise is getting married in the Anderson home. Margaret is going all-out on the wedding, and Jim is not happy about the bills. When a case of wedding jitters keeps Louise out of the rehearsal, Bud has to stand in for the bride.
23 minutes
S1 E23: Proud Father
After he runs into a friend who brags about his overachieving children, Jim wants to help inspire his own brood to acts of greatness. He feels they lack courage and challenges them to face their fears.
23 minutes
S1 E24: Father Delivers the Papers
The customers on Bud's paper route have been complaining about him to his boss. When Mr. Collins tells Jim about it, Jim assures him that Bud will fulfill his duties if he gives him another chance. The very next day, Bud skins his elbow and can't complete his deliveries.
23 minutes
S1 E25: No Partiality
Kathy demands equal rights with Betty and Bud. Jim agrees and says that whatever Betty gets to do, Kathy gets to do too. When Betty asks to invite a boy over for dinner, Kathy wants to do the same but no one expects that they both want to ask the same boy.
26 minutes
S1 E26: Close Decision
Bud is slacking off by not doing his chores and he's put off memorizing a poem to recite in church. Margaret insists he skip his softball game and catch up on his work. When Jim sees that the team is losing without Bud, he sneaks Bud out to the game against Margaret's wishes.
23 minutes