Father Knows Best
Season 5
38 episodes
- S05E01
Vine Covered Cottage
Betty's forever boyfriend proposes.
- S05E02
Be Kind to Bud Week
A poem inspires Betty to be nicer to her brother Bud.
- S05E03
Kathy's Romance
Does Kathy's new boyfriend want to be with her or does he really want to be around her father, Jim?
- S05E04
Voice from the Past
Bud's ideas for school homecoming dance cause some controversy.
- S05E05
Frank's Family Tress
The Anderson family's friend "Fronk" (Frank) is back while on a week's vacation to help the family in many ways.
- S05E06
Always Plan Ahead
Jim plans to teach his kids that they must plan ahead, but his good plans go awry.
- S05E07
Second Wedding
Betty convinces her parents to enjoy a second wedding, this time in a church.
- S05E08
Bud, the Caretaker
Bud takes a job caring for a man's car, home, and bird. Note: The events are narrated by Bud speaking to the viewer.
- S05E09
Betty, the Pioneer Woman
A reenactment during Founder's Day celebration tests Betty's determination. She pairs with Tom Wentworth (Dick York).
- S05E10
Fair Exchange
The Andersons entertain and learn from a visiting coed college student from India.
- S05E11
Bud, the Snob
Re-cut of an earlier episode (season 1 episode 16) not distributed in syndication. The episode has a new intro where Margaret reminds Bud of the story to help him be a better person. This was often done instead of in-season reruns when the cast/crew were on vacation/holiday, in this case, Thanksgiving week 1958.
- S05E12
Margaret Wins a Car
Margaret wins a new car in a raffle for a children's home, but the children win the Anderson family's hearts.
- S05E13
The Great Experiment
At a Kiwanis meeting, Jim is inspired and motivates the whole family to learn something new and learn to enjoy the process at the same time.
- S05E14
The Christmas Story
Re-cut of an earlier episode (season 1 episode 12) not distributed in syndication. The episode has a new intro where the Andersons reminisce about a family experience at Christmas several years ago. This was often done instead of in-season reruns when the cast/crew were on vacation/holiday, in this case, Christmas week 1958.
- S05E15
The Basketball Coach
Jim steps in when the basketball team's coach is called away to another city.
- S05E16
Kathy, Girl Executive
President of the family's new corporation, Kathy, learns some important lessons.
- S05E17
The Good Samaritan
Bud's creative writing teacher assigns task to help a complete stranger and learns a good Samaritan is sometimes not appreciated.
- S05E18
The Ideal Father
Charlie the painter tells Jim his kids are ungrateful toward him because they forgot Jim's birthday.
- S05E19
Big Shot Bud
With good intentions, Bud temporarily borrows the $10 he collected for needy children. Bad luck reigns, and he fails repeatedly to get cash back to make the donation on time.
- S05E20
Hard Luck Leo
Kathy changes her adult second cousin Leonard's (Leo in the title but never used Leo name in episode) view on how others see him, and he turns his life around
- S05E21
Bud, the Campus Romeo
Bud turns down an invite to a girls-ask-boys dance and the "mean girls" start an anti-Bud Anderson campaign.
- S05E22
Crisis Over a Kiss
Bud protects Betty's honor at Prospect Point, a lover's parking spot, and learns to respect his date's wishes and reputation, too.
- S05E23
Kathy Grows Up
Kathy is impatient and wants to be treated as an adult in the Anderson family, but she learns she likes still being a kid, too.
- S05E24
A Man of Merit
Jim discovers a secret that he will win a community award, while Margaret is told of the selection and the rest of the family make plans to celebrate. Confusion reigns as the telegram does not arrive as promised at 9:00 PM.
- S05E25
Betty Makes a Choice
Betty's college dance class is putting on a musical and Betty must compete against a girl who claims to never practice.
- S05E26
It's a Small World
Margaret tries to join Jim in NY city but mishaps keep them from getting together.
- S05E27
Two Loves Has Bud
Bud's steady girlfriend Joyce temporarily breaks up with him, and Bud starts dating new girl next door. When Joyce unbreaks up with Bud, he tries to have both as steady girlfriends. When they find out about each other, Bud finds himself in trouble and must decide between the two of them.
- S05E28
An Extraordinary Woman
Margaret's collegiate competitor arrives unexpectedly and finds Margaret's hectic family life wonderful. Look for Bud-the-dinosaur to be "bagged" by Margaret in a great scene with Betty.
- S05E29
The Art of Romance
Recut of season 3 episode 16 retold by Margaret to Bud and Betty. Episode not in syndicated package
- S05E30
Formula for Happiness
Suspense, intrigue, and a bit of mixture of Alfred Hitchcock and Twilight Zone special effects make an award winning episode that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Listen for a familiar voice (Jonathan Harris, Lost in Space, Dr Smith).
- S05E31
Bud and the Debutante
Bud Is picked by a wealthy family's daughter for a series of dates that she arranges and covers the expenses and Bud gets to drive her fancy sports car. Bud learns that she is content to go on regular dates that he can afford.
- S05E32
The Promised Playhouse
Recut rerun of season 1 episode 17. Bud wants his dad to promise to go to a carnival but Jim says he won't make promises like that and recounts the story of Kathy's playhouse.
- S05E33
The Meanest Professor
The high school year book feature editor, Bud is assigned task of writing the books's dedication to Professor Stark. He first writes a comedic version before he interviewed people to write a true dedication letter.
- S05E34
Live My Own Life
Recut rerun of season 1 episode 5. Kathy is frustrated and tells her father she wants to leave home. Jim recounts when Bud left home years ago.
- S05E35
Bud Has a Problem
Bud blames his physics teacher for his bad grades and written notice of unsatisfactory work.
- S05E36
The Great Anderson Mystery
The Anderson family must solve a who-done-it murder mystery when the television goes out during a storm.
- S05E37
Margaret Goes Dancing
Betty wants to arrange a romantic midnight boat ride, Margaret recounts the story as a flashback of when she took dance lessons without telling Jim. This is a re-cut rerun of season 1 episode 11 and is generally not in syndication. The networks often did episodes like this when cast/crew were on scheduled vacation times and holiday weeks.
- S05E38
The Gold Turnip
Bud's high school graduation ceremony's traditions seem old-fashioned to Bud.
More from the 1950s.