"Father Knows Best" (1954)TV series 1954-1960

Directors:

William D. Russell
Peter Tewksbury

Writers:

Ed James (characters)
Sumner Arthur Long (writer)
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | unknown

Release Date:

3 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Springfield | Family | Father Daughter Relationship | Father Son Relationship | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

Won 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 14 nominations

Cast

Robert Young	...	James 'Jim' Anderson / ... (57 episodes, 1954-1977)
Jane Wyatt	...	Margaret Anderson (57 episodes, 1954-1977)

(more)

Series Directed by
James Neilson		(1 episode, 1954)
William D. Russell		(1 episode, 1955)
Peter Tewksbury		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Roswell Rogers		(33 episodes, 1954-1960)
Dorothy Cooper		(12 episodes, 1954-1960)
Ed James		(unknown episodes)
Sumner Arthur Long		(unknown episodes)
Paul West		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Eugene B. Rodney	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Irving Friedman		(unknown episodes)
Joseph Weiss		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Gert Andersen		(unknown episodes)
Kit Carson		(unknown episodes)
Frederick Gately		(unknown episodes)
William V. Skall		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Richard Fantl		(unknown episodes)
Robert B. Hoover		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Ross Bellah		(unknown episodes)
George Brooks		(unknown episodes)

Series Set Decoration by
William F. Calvert		(unknown episodes)
Louis Diage		(unknown episodes)

Series Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup artist (unknown episodes)
Dotha Hippe	....	hair stylist (unknown episodes)
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist (unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Webb	....	second assistant director (unknown episodes, 1959)
Louis B. Appleton Jr.	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Donald L. Gold	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Herb Wallerstein	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Igo Kantor	....	music editor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Seymour Friedman	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Dorothy Hack	....	stand-in: Elinor Donahue (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1962-1963)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1954-1955 and 1958-1962)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1955-1958)
• Rodney-Young Productions
• Screen Gems Television

Distributors

• CBS Television (1954-1955) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1955-1958) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• CBS Television (1958-1960) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (USA)
• Sony Pictures Television (2002-)

Other Companies

• Scott Paper Company  original sponsor
• Unilever Brands  original sponsor (Pepsodent toothpaste, All detergent, Imperial margarine)

Also Known As:

I Told You So (USA)

Runtime:

30 min | USA:30 min (203 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Recording) | Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

The show took place in the town of Springfield. Even though they never specified the exact state in which the town was located, several times, characters mentioned Altoona, an actual city in Pennsylvania.

Quotes:

Bud Anderson: I saw your insurance chart once and it says the life expectancy of the average man is...
Jim Anderson: Bud, for your information, I look barely in my '40s. That hardly qualifies me for the home for the aged. Yet.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Everybody Loves Raymond: Father Knows Least (#2.2)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Waiting

1950s Americana

The town was Springfield but we were never told the state. I always pictured the setting to be a very long way from either coast. Maybe Ohio, Indiana or Iowa. Wherever it was, it was far away from any of the country's real problems of the time.

There were no civil rights issues, no murders and no rapes in Springfield. Everyone was white, which was the norm for television of this era. Springfield was a make-believe fantasy by today's standards, but back then, it was the majority of real America.

With that said, I watched the show every week and wished I was a member of the Anderson family. Having belonged to a somewhat volatile family, I had the 30-minute escape every week to be a part of a caring, loving clan.

The kids had the normal 1950s problems of a white, middle-class family. Robert Young as the patriarch, Jim Anderson, showed an understanding that was not only appreciated by the rest of the family, but by the viewers, too. He was right up there with Andy Taylor and Ward Cleaver as the fathers America loved at the time.

Corny? To some it might be, but to many others, including myself, it was the family we wanted but never had.