Ed James
Director
Father Knows Best (1954)
Season 2
Family man Jim Anderson copes with the everyday problems among his wife Margaret and their three children as they experience day-to-day changes.
Released Oct. 3, 1954
Episode 30 min
8+
Keywords: tmdb.middle-class, tmdb.family, tmdb.sitcom, imdb.fictional-city, imdb.based-on-radio-show, imdb.husband-wife-relationship, imdb.1950s + 13 more, imdb.teenage-girl, imdb.teenage-boy, imdb.sister-sister-relationship, imdb.family-relationships, imdb.brother-sister-relationship, imdb.mother-son-relationship, imdb.father-daughter-relationship, imdb.sibling-rivalry, imdb.mother-daughter-relationship, imdb.father-son-relationship, imdb.laugh-track, awards.emmy-award-winner, awards.emmy-award-nominated
Watch Providers: Amazon Prime Video, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, fuboTV + 13 more, Pluto TV, Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, Shout! Factory TV, Plex, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Cineverse, Plex Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Dove Amazon Channel, Fawesome, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures Television
Network: CBS
Country: United States
Languages:
English
S2E1 - Art of Salesmanship
Jim tries to encourage Bud to take after him in salesmanship.
Aug. 31, 1955, midnight
S2E2 - Father's Private Life
Jim comes home tired one day and is harangued by the kids. So, he and Margaret set up new rules to give him some time to relax—but it ends up backfiring.
Sept. 7, 1955, midnight
S2E3 - Lessons in Civics
A new highway is getting built, and for that the old community hall is going to be pulled down. That's something Jim wouldn't like to see since the hall is a historical monument, and also, memories from his youth are connected with this hall. Everyone from the family sees how much the hall means to Jim, and they use different ways to organize help.
Sept. 14, 1955, midnight
S2E4 - First Disillusionment
Bud loses a job to a boy who fakes his resumé, which leads him to believe it is alright to do this himself
Sept. 21, 1955, midnight
S2E5 - Woman in the House
Margaret is forced to invite a woman over who makes her uncomfortable because she is Jim's friend's wife.
Sept. 28, 1955, midnight
S2E6 - New Girl at School
Bud learns that the girl he likes is dating his best friend.
Oct. 5, 1955, midnight
S2E7 - Kathy Makes Magic
Kathy gets a new magic set, from a trade with a friend, and becomes convinced she can truly wield magic.
Oct. 12, 1955, midnight
S2E8 - Advantage to Betty
Betty has recently taken up tennis at school and is chosen for a photo shoot for the paper. This causes friction between her and her doubles partner, Eula, who is the team’s best player.
Oct. 19, 1955, midnight
S2E9 - The Big Test
Bud is accused of cheating because he is suddenly getting high grades in class.
Oct. 26, 1955, midnight
S2E10 - Father Is a Dope
After commenting on a sitcom (“Father Does It Again”) the family watches together one night, Jim speaks about how TV fathers are often portrayed as dumb in comparison with their families. Later, he plans on going hunting and starts believing that Margaret and the kids are secretly trying to get him to stay.
Nov. 2, 1955, midnight
S2E11 - Spirit of Youth
When Jim gets an invitation to a dance for his class reunion—class of ‘33—the kids start behaving as if their parents are ancient. Then, when the kids at their alma mater treat them the same, Jim and Margaret deal with the thought of getting older.
Nov. 9, 1955, midnight
S2E12 - Bud, the Ladykiller
Bud gets irritated by a girl (whom he refers to as “Dumb Dora”) who has a crush on him, hurts her feelings when his irritation leads to cruelty, and must make amends.
Nov. 16, 1955, midnight
S2E13 - Margaret's Premonition
Margaret has a premonition of danger for Jim’s upcoming business trip, and tries to get Jim to postpone it. But Jim believes it’s a bunch of superstitious nonsense, and insists on going anyway.
Nov. 30, 1955, midnight
S2E14 - Stage to Yuma
Tate Idsen saves a stagecoach from savage Indians in a flashback sequence.
Dec. 7, 1955, midnight
S2E15 - Bad Influence
Bud gets in trouble when his latest friend turns out to be a kleptomaniac.
Dec. 14, 1955, midnight
S2E16 - Betty Hates Carter
Betty is indignant when Jim arranges a date for her with an old insurance salesman buddy’s son, Carter.
Dec. 28, 1955, midnight
S2E17 - Jim, the Tyrant
Jim comes home early from work, after a long, hard day, and expects to gain comfort from his family, but is quickly disillusioned when they all are too absorbed in their own interests and tasks to pay attention to him. This just makes his mood more sour and he declares at dinner that if he must, he will become a tyrant. This leads to unwelcome consequences.
Jan. 4, 1956, midnight
S2E18 - Betty's Brother
Bud is having trouble in school and the family are hard-pressed to find out why. Eventually, Jim and Margaret come to the conclusion that, since he’s entered high school, he’s lost his confidence over being constantly compared to Betty and her accomplishments.
Jan. 11, 1956, midnight
S2E19 - Betty Earns a Formal
Betty gets a job to pay for a new, expensive formal for the Cinderella Ball at the country club.
Jan. 18, 1956, midnight
S2E20 - The House Painter
Jim has a bet with Betty and Margaret concerning human nature, integrity and the man painting their house—Mr. Everett.
Jan. 25, 1956, midnight
S2E21 - Bud, the Wallflower
Bud seems determined not to go to a Senior/Freshman dance that is Sadie Hawkins-themed.
Feb. 1, 1956, midnight
S2E22 - The Bus to Nowhere
Betty becomes irritable with her family as she goes through an existential crisis.
Feb. 8, 1956, midnight
S2E23 - Kathy, the Indian Giver
Kathy is taught about fair trading from her father—and ends up trading her doll for a real baby.
Feb. 15, 1956, midnight
S2E24 - The Historical Andersons
When Bud receives an assignment to write a term paper about a Revolutionary War hero, he ends up researching the life of a relative—Major Nathaniel Oliver Anderson.
Feb. 22, 1956, midnight
S2E25 - The Grass is Greener
Jim’s old college friend, Charlie Bradley, a successful industrial tycoon, is in town. Charlie, along with Jim, were a part of a group known as The Four Musketeers, in college. Of the four, Jim appears to be the least ‘successful.’
Feb. 29, 1956, midnight
S2E26 - The Persistent Guest
Bud’s new friend, Fred, won't leave the Anderson house.
March 7, 1956, midnight
S2E27 - Family Reunion
The family tries to think up excuses to keep from going to Margaret's family reunion.
March 14, 1956, midnight
S2E28 - Family Dines Out
Betty tells a wealthy friend, Eloise Sanders, that she’s going to a charity dinner at a club. But it’s expensive and she hasn’t asked her father, yet.
March 28, 1956, midnight
S2E29 - Bud, the Boxer
Bud gets in a tussle with a boy, Eddie, at school, then dreads facing him the next day because the kid wants to fight him. Jim makes Bud face him in a boxing ring to settle it, knowing that Bud will have to face Eddie, eventually. Later, Jim has Bud take boxing lessons.
April 4, 1956, midnight
S2E30 - Betty, Girl Engineer
Betty takes a vocational guidance course and signs up to get practical experience to become an engineer, but she gets a lot of flack for it because she’s a girl.
April 11, 1956, midnight
S2E31 - The Martins and the Coys
Jim and a family friend, Frank, fight over an insurance claim and dissolve their friendship over it. Betty and his son, Bob, are dating and this affects them, too.
April 18, 1956, midnight
S2E32 - Dilemma for Margaret
Margaret is asked to represent her branch of the PTA by giving a speech, but later decides against doing so because of some mischief Betty gets into.
April 25, 1956, midnight
S2E33 - Hero Father
Former baseball star Duke Snider appears in this episode. Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray, Lauren Chapin. Sandy: Tommy Ivo. Bramer: Kenneth Tobey. Kippy: Paul Wallace.
May 2, 1956, midnight
S2E34 - Father, the Naturalist
Jim fights the elements to collect plants for Kathy's nature folder. Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray.
May 9, 1956, midnight
S2E35 - The Ten Dollar Question
The family member who doesn't tattle for one week will receive ten dollars.
May 16, 1956, midnight
S2E36 - Adopted Daughter
Kathy finds a receipt for $25 from the adoption center and believes she was adopted.
May 23, 1956, midnight
S2E37 - Betty's Graduation
None
May 30, 1956, midnight
Network: CBS
Episode Runtime: 30 min.
Season Runtime: 6090 min.
Released: Oct. 3, 1954
Last Air Date: May 23, 1960, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: TV-G
Common sense age: 8+
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