Father Knows Best: The Complete Series [DVD]

Maybe he didn't always know best, but beginning in 1954, insurance salesman Jim Anderson (Robert Young) of Springfield, Ohio, was America's favorite head of household. Father Knows Best premiered on CBS in October, 1954 and has been part of the American cultural fabric ever since. The program's depiction of a "typical" mid-century, middle-class, Midwestern American family is fondly remembered by many of us who grew up watching the show and rather enviously thinking: "Oh. So this is what happens in all the other houses." Margaret Anderson (Jane Wyatt) charmed us as the levelheaded domestic diva who stood faithfully behind the strong and benevolent father. Their three children—sophisticated teen Betty (Elinor Donahue), chronically befuddled 14-year-old brother "Bud" (Billy Gray) and precocious little sister Kathy (Lauren Chapin)—faced the challenges of growing up right alongside of us. And in episode after episode, Jim and Margaret treated their children's youthful transgressions with authority, empathy and wisdom. By the end of each half hour, we'd all learned our lesson. Join Jim and Margaret and "Princess," "Bud" and "Kitten" in their very first year as everyone's favorite '50s family in Father Knows Best.Bonus Content:Disc 4 - Father Knows Best Season One: Daddy's Girls with Lauren Chapin and Elinor Donahue: All-New Interviews with the Actresses Who Played The Anderson Sisters, Kathy and Betty.Robert Young's Home Movies: Beautiful Footage of Robert Young's Real-Life Family, Shot Between the 1930s and the 1970s, Reveals the Inspiration Behind Much of Father Knows Best. Narrated by Young's Grandson Bill Proffitt.Behind the Scenes: Rare Color "Home movies" from the Set of Father Knows Best. Narrated by Bill Proffitt.24 Hours in Tyrantland: In 1959, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Paid to Have a Special Episode Produced. It Was Never Broadcast, But Was Shown in Schools, Churches and Civic Groups for the Purpose of Selling U.S. Savings Bonds.Pilot Episode "The Return" from Window on Main Street: Shortly After Father Knows Best Went Off the Air in 1960, Robert Young and Eugene B. Rodney Returned to the CBS Lineup with This New Series.Disc 9 - Father Knows Best Season Two: Extended Father Knows Best Flashback Episode: "First Disillusionment," Which Aired During the Sixth Season (11/16/1959)Robert Young Western, "Stage to Yuma" (12/7/1955): The "Lost" Episode of Father Knows Best, Which Hasn't Aired in Syndication Since the 1980s.Window on Main Street Episode "The Teacher": This Second Episode from the Long-Lost Series Was Recently Discovered in the Young Family Film Vaults and Has Never Been Seen in Syndication.Daddy's Girls, Part 2: All-New Interviews with Lauren Chapin and Elinor Donahue, the Actresses Who Played The Anderson Sisters, Kathy and Betty.Disc 14 - Father Knows Best Season Three: Window on Main Street Episodes "A Doctor Comes to Town" and "The Chambermaid," from Robert Young's Next TV Series.Father Knows Best? Radio ProgramsDisc 19 - Father Knows Best Season Four: Window on Main Street Episodes "The Boy Who Got It Made" and "The Haunted House," from Robert Young's Next TV Series.Father Knows Best? Radio ProgramsDisc 25 - Father Knows Best Season Five: Window on Main Street Episodes "The Editor's Daughter" and "The Big Spender," from Robert Young's Next TV Series.Disc 26 - Father Knows Best Season Six: Window on Main Street: "Day in the Life of the Editor" and "$1.19 Thief" Episodes from Robert Young's Very Next TV SeriesDisc 30 - Father Knows Best Season Six: Window on Main Street Episodes "Day in the Life of the Editor" and "$1.19 Thief," from Robert Young's Next TV Series.