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Father Knows Best
One of the best shows in history is ‘Father Knows Best’ produced by Ken Burton, Murray Bolen, and Fran Van Hartesfeldt. Ed James created the show while Peter Tewksbury directed it. The series was a sitcom, which began on the radio on August 25, 1949, before moving to television. It debuted in October 1954 on CBS where it ran for one season and was canceled. NBC picked it, and it continued for three other seasons before it was canceled again. In 1958, CBS picked it again, where it ran until May 1960. The show aired at the same period with other interesting sitcoms like ‘I Love Lucy,’ ‘Mister Ed,’ and ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ among others. With all these shows airing at the same period, it would have been harder for any show to stand out because of the stiff competition. However, ‘Father Knows Best’ stood out because it appropriately captured and represented the way of life of an American family at the time. The portrayal of family life is one of the most loved themes by millions of America (Pearl et al. 246). It was a part of prime-time programming although reruns would air during the day. The show depicted the different roles of the members of a family and the position of a household vis-à-vis society. The show’s intended audience was American families as it tackled the social, political, and cultural issues that affected the families at the time of its airing. There were specials based on the show years after it had ended and this shows that it had been a success and had managed to entertain and teach many Americans.

The specials were ‘Father Knows Best Reunion’ and ‘Father Knows Best: Home for the Holidays.’ One of the best episodes, which efficaciously show the overarching concept of the show is Episode 10 of Season 1, called ‘Typical Father.’ The episode stood out because of its appropriate representation of the historical situation of the families in America at the time, effective representation of the American culture at the time, and the directors’ aesthetic simplicity that brought contentment among the actors and impressed the audience.
It is no secret that the Second World War helped the American women to join the labor force. It was the turning point in the women’s participation in the labor force (Goldin 741). However, this change did not happen at once across the United States. Some families still maintained the traditional set-up, whereby the man of the house would go to work, and the woman would remain at the house doing the house chores. It took many years for the former arrangement to change across the country and even in the fifties and sixties, many households maintained the former roles of the different members of a family. In ‘Father Knows Best,’ the woman of the house is a housewife. Her role is to handle the house chores when the man went out to work. This correct representation of the situation of families across the United States at the time made the show receive acceptance across the country. Cooking is one of the house chores that the women would handle. Jim Anderson, the man of the house, tells his wife, “When you find yourself cooking for an extra mouth, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The statement shows that cooking was a chore reserved for women. Apart from having formal employment, men were expected to handle other ‘manly’ roles around the house. For example, when Jim notices that the light at the front door is not working and asks his wife whether she had noticed this before, she says that she had been telling him to fix the same for over a month. The statement shows that fixing the bulb was a man’s role and that is why the woman never did it herself even after she noticed it was not working properly. In the same episode, the woman tricks the man into painting the kitchen because the painting job was also a role reserved for the men at the time. Therefore, it is correct to say that the show correctly represented the situation of the American family set-up and this was one of the reasons why it was accepted across the country.
Many cultural trends of the current day are derived from the 1950’s and the 1960’s (Marcus 3). Before these decades, the American culture was influenced by conservatism. However, this transitional period saw a paradigm shift. For example, instead of the parents interfering with their children’s affairs, some parents started giving their children a chance to decide on their own. However, most of the parents had not changed yet. Some of the parents who adopted the popular culture would now allow their children to make important decisions like career choices and other important decisions. For example, Jim is one of the few parents who let their children make their own decisions. He does not want to be like the other typical fathers of the time. When his wife calls him a typical father, he says that he has always tried to maintain an open attitude when dealing with his children, avoiding to influence or to shape his children’s lives according to his desires. By saying so, it is clear that Jim represents the few parents of the time who set their children free. However, the same episode makes it clear that at the time, America was in a transitional period and not everything had changed. For example, at the time when the show was airing, girls and boys were treated differently in many households. Jim insinuates that at seventeen years of age, it was okay for a boy to be outside the house late but it was not okay for a girl. Such a sentiment shows that girls and boys were not treated equally across America at the time. In the current day, people have done away with such beliefs, but at the time, this was the case. Therefore, many people across the country loved the show because it correctly represented their beliefs.
Perhaps the most attractive thing about the show was how it depicted simplicity. It made simplicity appear cool. The actors were content with the simple things in life in a way that connected with the audience at a deeper level. The show made it clear that to enjoy a family moment one did not need to spend a lot of money. At the time, most Americans were leading simple lifestyles. Jim reads in the newspaper about a teenager who eloped with a stranger, and she stole her grandmother’s $200. Her grandmother had been saving money to buy a television. The fact that the teenager’s grandmother had to save to raise $200 to afford a television shows that most Americans did not lead the best of lifestyles. By showing that it is possible to have fun even without having to spend a lot of money, the show was very attractive because most Americans could relate. In ‘Typical Father,’ the Andersons enjoy simple things and are happy about the same. For example, Jim and his wife enjoy playing the game of scramble. From their statements, one can see that they play the game from time to time. Jim and his wife ask their daughter to bring her date to their house. When she asks what it is there is to do in their house, her dad says that they can take popcorns, play records, or play the game of hearts. All these are simple ways of having fun but the fact the father suggests them shows that they are comfortable doing such things for fun. By depicting simplicity in a fun way, the show seemed to understand the financial capabilities of most of Americans, and that is why it was attractive to many people across the country.
As shown, there were many reasons why the show is among the best shows in history. Each episode of the show contained many lessons for the American families, some of which still apply more than half a century later. The show tackled different subjects that affect every human being. It successfully tackled the political, cultural, social, and economic aspects of an American citizen of the time. Season 1 episode 10, called ‘Typical Father,’ is packed with life lessons and humor. The episode successfully portrays the historical situation of the families residing in the United States at the time, the American culture of the time and shows the importance of accepting oneself by showing that one can be content even by doing the simple things in life. The show remains a masterpiece that the current generation and the future generations can watch to learn the changes that have taken place over the years and to appreciate the efforts of the past generations in making America a comfortable place for every citizen.
Works Cited
Goldin, Claudia D. “The role of World War II in the rise of women’s employment.” The American Economic Review (1991): 741-756.
Marcus, Daniel. Happy Days and Wonder Years: The Fifties and the Sixties in Contemporary Cultural Politics. Rutgers University Press, 2004.
Pearl, David, Lorraine Bouthilet, and Joyce Lazar. “Television and behavior.” Ten years of scientific progress and implications for the eighties. Rockville (MD): National Institute of Mental Health (1982).