Customer Reviews

Father Knows Best: Season One

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3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Father Knows Best was a wonderful television program. A review of the show would get 5 stars. These reviews are not supposed to be testimonials or nostalgic trips back to one's childhood; they should be reviews of the product. That is the reason I am awarding this product a single star. There is no excuse whatsoever for a company to give the buying public edited versions of tv shows that have been in existence for so many years. I wrongfully assumed that since the Young family trust gave its blessing to this project that the dvd set would be top notch and first class. Shout Factory could not even present episode number one in its original form. The first show was barely 22 minutes with complete opening sequence and closing credits. The editing to trim the show by the three minutes was done with a hatchet that a child of four could notice. I suppose this is better than no Father Knows Best at all, but not by much. My advice is to check the manufacturer of dvd's and make sure that Shout Factory had nothing to do with it. Otherwise, you will receive less than you hoped for and less than you paid for.

I grew up in a very difficult, unconventional family during the 1950s that was anything but conservative. Nothing about it resembled the "average, American middle-class" family - the Anderson's - depicted so flawlessly on Father Knows Best. My family didn't look like the Anderson's, they didn't sound like the Anderson's, and they certainly didn't act like the Anderson's.

Nonetheless, I loved everything about that TV family just because it was so completely foreign to my life. I was totally, hopelessly captivated by their perfectly rosy lives. It wasn't that I wanted the Anderson's to be my family, I just loved visiting them each week, sort of like going to another planet without needing a space ship.

I grew up to be a liberal feminist, so nothing about my adult life now resembles the Anderson's in the least, even now. But, I STILL love them! I love the warmth, the messages, and even the strong patriarchal structure. In fact, that is exactly what distinguishes Father Knows Best from the other 50s all-white family shows, like Leave It To Beaver and the Donna Reed Show. Those other shows focus on the children, but it was the Dad that was paramount in this show - how he responded to his family and how they responded to him. So, major kudos to Shout!Factory for this wonderful release.

Father Knows Best was first a radio series on NBC Radio in 1949 before finally moving to CBS TV after more than four years. A Screen Gems production, the series aired from October 3, 1954 to May 23, 1960 for a total of 203 episodes. The series ended while it was still number 6 in the ratings. (Young left the series in 1960 at the height of the show's popularity, but reruns continued to air in prime time for another three years, on CBS from 1960-1962, and on ABC from 1962-1963. Following this, reruns were shown on ABC-TV in the early afternoon for several years.)

The Anderson family of Springfield, Mo., includes hardworking General Insurance agent Jim (Young), his levelheaded and lovely wife, Margaret (Jane Wyatt - who later became a cultural icon when she portrayed Spock's mother, Amanda, on Star Trek), and their kids, sophisticated teen Betty "Princess" (Elinor Donahue), befuddled James "Bud" Jr. (Billy Gray) and precocious Kathy "Kitty" (Laurin Chapin). Both Jim and Margaret where portrayed as responsible, caring parents, with Jim usually guiding the family (especially the children) through everyday problems and Margaret supporting them. Jim and Margaret always treated their children's youthful transgressions with authority, empathy and wisdom.

This first-ever DVD release of the series was endorsed and produced in tandem with the heirs of Robert Young and producer Eugene B. Rodney, co-proprietors of the TV series.

Father Knows Best: Season One DVD box set features all 26 classic episodes on four discs plus the never-before-seen episode 24 Hours in Tyrantland, which was created for the U.S. government in 1959, new cast interviews of the "kids," Young's Home Movies, rare "behind-the-scenes" color footage, and the pilot episode of Young's TV series Window On Main Street.

Season One Episodes (1954-1955) are: Bud Takes Up The Dance; Lesson In Citizenship; Motor Scooters; Football Tickets; Live My Own Life; Grandpa Jim's Rejuvenation; Bud's Encounter With The Law; Thanksgiving Day; Second Honeymoon; Typical Father; Margaret Goes Dancing; The Christmas Story; Sparrow At The Window; Boy's Week; A Friend of Old George's; Bud the Snob; The Promised Playhouse (Apparently, this episode was not intact in the archives, but was loaned for inclusion here by a private collector in Dallas who had a 16mm copy!); Jim The Farmer; Father of The Year; The Mink Coat; The Matchmaker; Bud the Bridesmaid; Proud Father; Father Delivers The Papers; No Partiality; and Close Decision.

DVD Special: 24 Hours In Tyrantland, the never-before-seen episode created especially for the U.S. government. 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. When Betty, Bud and Kathy don't want to help sell U.S. Bonds, Jim teaches them a lesson by making them spend a day living under a tyrannical dictator - him!

I know, I know, Mrs. Anderson always dressed to the nines and NEVER worked out of the house, she and her husband slept in twin beds, their eldest daughter was nicknamed "Princess" and everything that was already perfect in their whiter-that-white world ended up even more perfect by the end of each episode. But, there was real love in the Anderson house. I know there was because my little-kid-self felt it. So, it may not be politically correct, but I rejoice in this show's release and look forward with eager anticipation to pulling my chair up to the Anderson's table for a very long-overdue home-cooked dinner.

Let's hope additional Season Sets on DVD of this TV Classic are forthcoming.

This show was a wonderful classic production that I have been eagerly anticipating for more than a year. I was all prepared to purchase it the day of release when I saw the reviews saying that the company distributing the shows on DVD had chosen not to give us the full, unedited shows as orginally broadcast. Reviewers used the term "butchered" and that was enough for me to decide that I would NOT purchase this DVD set after all. So, Shout Factory listen up - the consumers want quality, full broadcast versions - not what you edit to fit on a minium amount of space! I urge all fans of "Father Knows Best" to wait for the best!

The show itself, as originally produced by the talent involved 50+ years ago, is a great show. But for Shout Factory to rely on butchered "syndication" and rerun prints (22-mins) instead of the original 26-min prime-time network run is unforgiveable! At least they didn't do what Infinity/Roxbury did with another Columbia/Screen Gems classic (Route 66) and butcher off the tops/bottoms of all frames of all episodes to force a PHONY "widescreen" 16x9 aspect-ratio picture! (I hope I just didn't give SF or anyone else any ideas of butchering 4x3 pictures to force phony 16x9 widescreen!)

And prior to the 1963/64 TV season, Screen Gems (Columbia Pictures) had their closing Columbia Torch-Lady Statue logo actually integrated into the end of the closing credits/theme-song.

(With 1963/64, SG started using a seperate logo/jingle after the closing theme/credits had just finished, the animated "sticks & dots" visual with "J-E-L-L-O-like" fanfare jingle; with 1965/66 and for many seasons following, the animated 'S' visual with electronic Eric-Siday-composed jingle; the torchglow sunrise animated logo with new electronic music with 1976/77; and so forth; Sony has usually REMVOVED these 1960s/70s/80s standalone SG/Columbia logos of the original era and replaced them with the current Sony logo, unfortunately).

But the pre-1963/64 Columbia Pictures Torch Lady Statue logo (and there were two versions -- the 1955-60 and the 1960-63) were integrated into the closing theme song at the very end. You see it not only in FKB, but in Donna, Dennis, Route 66, Naked City, Hazel, and other 1950s/60s SG TV shows, if the show isn't edited. And in FKB's first season, SG used a different closing logo but also integrated into the end of the closing theme, the "TV Screen" logo.

For the most part the Shout Factory DVD 1st season set has these "TV screen" logos LOPPED OFF. The music of the closing theme song just "stops" without the proper ending, since the integrated closing logo was cut-off.

At least the ORIGINAL "Promised Playhouse" (which was 26-mins) has that "TV Screen" logo on the closing theme. The "flashback" version of "Promised Playhouse" (rerun-butchered to 22-mins) from a later season has the Columbia Torch Lady Statue logo included. And the "special" episode "24-Hours in Tyrant Land" has its closing theme with Columbia Torch Lady logo intact in the closing theme as well.

Didn't the Robert Young estate or Sony (formerly Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures) have the COMPLETE unedited prints in their libraries?

mjc

I would have liked to know that this DVD was not made from the original tapes, but from the TVLand or Nick at Night chopped up airings of the show. Sometimes the scene is cut in mid-sentence (apparently where they had placed a commercial.) It's a great show and I love it, but this DVD set is very poor quality

Upon watching all of the episodes on Disc 1 of this 4-Disc "Father Knows Best" DVD set (none of which I remember ever having seen before, even though I recall watching this series many times in reruns over the years), I had simply forgotten how truly good these shows really are -- and right out of the gate too, from the very beginning of Season 1, which is a rather remarkable achievement all by itself.

And while some episodes in this DVD collection have been trimmed to 22+ minutes (which I don't like seeing), not every show seems to have fallen prey to the syndication axe, with some of the shows running more than 25 minutes.

The video quality on the DVDs looks pretty good to me too. Not perfect, but quite decent nonetheless, IMO. (Okay, shoot me...I'm just not going to complain a lot about this set at all, despite some cut shows.)

Maybe I'll sound like a sentimental sap by saying this, but some of these shows are so good and have such good acting that I found myself experiencing a large lump in my throat near the end of the last act -- particularly during the final minutes of "Live My Own Life" (where Bud leaves home to live in a shabby room above the local feed store) and "The Motor Scooter", which contains a very tender scene near the end between Bud and "Mrs. Knows Best" (played by the great Jane Wyatt).

Do any 21st-century TV programs ever leave a lump in your throat after watching them? If so, I'll bet there aren't many (especially comedies).

Even though it's not a perfect DVD set in every way, I'd still highly recommend "Father Knows Best: Season One" on Digital Versatile Disc.

Or, as Betty Anderson might put it, these FKB shows are simply "excruciatingly divine!"

David Von Pein
April 2008

I read all the reviews before I purchased this dvd. and the negative reviews had me worried. I immediately checked it out when I received it and found it to be just fine. Yes it is in the original black and white. To colorize it would ruin the quality of a classic. This was made in the early fifties, and the quality considering is exceptional and it has held up well. I did see one instance where it kind of ended abruptly, but it did not hurt the scene or ruin your viewing. There was a complaint that it was not the original minutes. Who remembers that kind of thing and anyway I grew up on the shorten reruns. You cannot tell the difference. The extras if you are a fan are wonderful! If you like Father Knows Best, go ahead and buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Despite the fact that almost half of the episodes are 22 minute cut prints, this set remains the only way of getting the series. At least one bootlegged copy of the complete series is available but has numerous problems that render it worthless. It is up to Shout. I recommend that everyone implores Shout to release the complete series ASAP and restores as many uncut episodes as possible. Maybe after that... Window on Main St. the complete series.

Lots of the syndicated (TVLand) versions here. So, if you focus on the great menus that Shout Factory created instead, you'll be much happier. Too bad, I used to think of Shout Factory as being a high quality operation. I guess I was wrong.

The show itself is good and worth purchasing if the price drops to reflect the syndicated shows. Especially with these great menus (they really are better than you can make on your own computer). That would be between $10 and $12.

It looks, to me, as though Shout Factory recorded most of these from TVLand and then cut out the commercials. There are many such versions widely available on the Internet and you can get the whole series almost for the price of this set, but the menus won't be nearly as good as what Shout Factory gives you. Since Shout Factory doesn't want to do better than this, you might as well buy the other versions. You really aren't getting your moneys' worth with this set.

Shout Factory just doesn't want to be bothered anymore with the little details - like providing full uncut shows. But they are really good with those menus!

Unfortunately, "Father Knows Best--the First Season" is a compilation of episodes from the serie's first season, and edited like you've often seen them in syndication. A significant source of the pleasure in owning such classic series is that you expect to see them unedited, as they were originally broadcast. The editing of these episodes is obvious to even a casual observer, with dialogue and scenes simply fading out. To add insult to injury, even the closing credits are edited. As the credits are displayed, instead of the show's theme playing through the end, the credits just stop--abruptly. "Father Knows Best" deserves better treatment, and so do the customers.