 Mother, why did daddy switch to Postum? Your father says there's no caffeine in Postum. Nothing to spoil your sleep. And your father knows best. See, it's Father Knows Best transcribed in Hollywood starring Robert Young as Father. A half-hour visit with your neighbors, the Anderson. Brought to you by Instant Postum, the good-tasting drink that's entirely caffeine-free and by Post's 40% brand flakes, America's largest-selling brand flakes. Every dog, according to Jonathan Swift, must have his day. But not many dogs get to have their day with the Anderson's in the white framehouse on Maple Street. However, a certain French poodle is about to come into the lives of the Anderson's. Like this. God, what, Betty? Look, Father, isn't it cute? Yes, it's cute. But what is it? It's a dog. That's a dog? It's a toy French poodle. Oh, boy, infant, don't start mauling him. Well, don't even touch him. He belongs to Mr. Fawcett and he's worth over $300. I just want to put my hand on him. I'm not going to break him. I don't know. From the look of him, he might break at that. Get away, Kathy. Oh, for Pete's sake. Why couldn't we get some little ol' 50-cent dog? He's not ours. Betty, you know who always winds up taking care of the pets you children bring home. Mother, please, may I tell you why this dog is here? Yes, I'd like an explanation, too. And an introduction. This is the first opportunity I've had to meet a $300 dog. Well, his name is... I don't suppose I'm properly dressed for the occasion. Maybe I should go upstairs and change. Oh, Father, don't be so utterly cornball. Well, I don't want to commit any breaches of etiquette in front of our guests. What did you say his name was? Pierre. Bonsoir, Pierre. He doesn't think much of your accent. Well, now that the formalities are over, to what do we owe the presence of this imitation hound? He's not imitation. He belongs to my typing and shorthand teacher, Mr. Fawcett. And Mr. Fawcett is in Chicago attending a teacher's convention. You mean we don't get to keep him? No. How can a typing teacher afford a $300 dog? I know I couldn't. He was given to Mr. Fawcett by a dear friend, and Mr. Fawcett prizes Pierre very highly. How long do we get to have him? Just till tomorrow morning. Aw, heck. Mr. Fawcett gets back tomorrow. Sounds like a short convention. Oh, well, he's been gone all week. You see, some of us girls in his class have been taking care of Pierre. I see. Pierre is making quite a week of it. Well, we figured it would sort of put us in solid with Mr. Fawcett. Oh, so this is a slightly political move, huh? Yes, and listen to this, Father. There were four of us, and Mr. Fawcett was going to be gone seven days. So, in dividing up the days, one of us could only have Pierre one day. And I'll bet you think I was dumb to say I'd be the one. No, I say you showed great foresight there. Well, I did. I'm the one who gets to return Pierre to Mr. Fawcett, and he'll thank me and sort of remember me as the one who took care of his dog, which he prizes more than life itself. Now, if you just put that much thought to your schoolwork, you wouldn't have to resort to such maneuvers. Let me take him out to the kitchen and feed him some bones and stuff. He looks skinny. He's supposed to look that way, and don't feed him. Pierre is on a strict diet. Where's the dog going to sleep tonight? Can he sleep on the foot of my bed? He'll probably want the guest room. Oh, Father. It's too bad we don't have one. Hey, Mom. Let me feed him, please. No, I'm going to do it. Mr. Fawcett would simply die if anything happened to Pierre. Say, Mom. And so would I. Hey, Mom, guess what I got? I hope it's not a dog. No, it's a carrier pigeon. What? What are we running here, a pet shop? I got it from... Hey, what's this thing? This happens to be a dog. DOG, dog. Ever hear of one? Holy cow. What happened to him? Oh, keep quiet. Looks like somebody ran over him with a lawnmower. He's just been flipped. I'm keeping him for Mr. Fawcett. Has he got a name? It's Pierre. Pierre? Yipe! All right. Come on, Pierre. We don't have to associate with such utter plebillia. What did she call me? There's nothing to worry about, Bud. Just leave her alone. Where's your pigeon, Bud? Can I see it? No, you stay away from it. You're liable to let it get loose. Aw, heck, I can't touch anything around here. Bud, just what do you plan to do with a carrier pigeon? I got it from Ori Pugh. Well, that ought to explain something. But who's Ori Pugh? He's a guy. Oh, I see. Will he really carry messages? Well, sure he will. We've been trying him out this evening. Oh, boy! Can I send a message to Patty Davis? No. Why not? The only place he'll carry a message is back over to Ori's house. But I can't think of any messages I want to send to Ori. I can see how that would foul up your communication system. The main reason I got the pigeon is so I could print up some messages with that printing set of mine. But that's not working out so good, either. What seems to be the drawback there? Well, to get the pigeon, I had to trade the printing set to Ori. Well, that was good clear thinking. I think I'll tell him I want to trade back. Hey, there's a message I could send him. Are you going to send it right now? Yep. Can I watch? Okay, but don't give me any trouble. Oh, I won't, Anna. Oh, you wonder what in the world they'll come up with next. Well, at least that one-way carrier pigeon was acquired legally. But I'm a little surprised that Betty would stoop to taking care of a silly dog, just a red apple of teacher. No, don't start worrying about it, dear. I'm not worrying. I just said I was surprised. Doesn't it seem a little underhanded to you? Well, it all depends on how you look at it. No matter how you look at it, she's trying to butter up this Mr. Fosdick. Fawcett. Fawcett. All right, whatever his name is. Skeaming to be the last one to keep the dog so she can return him. What an operation. Now, don't start building this up in your mind, dear. Who's building anything up? Here, Pierre. Hello, baby. What a dog. Looks like a marshmallow sundae. With fur. Here, doggie. Come on, little fella. Well, how do you like that? He passed me up. He's going right to you, dear. Well, hello there, poochie. You're not so dumb after all, are you? He's in here, Betty. Oh, you want to come up in my lap, huh? Okay, up you go. What's he doing? He's talking to your father. You're a fine little fella. You know these dogs have intelligent faces at that. There's something very honest about a dog. Where is he? Oh, we'll be careful of him, father. If anything happened to Pierre, it would be the end of my college career. Simply the end. You've made that point very clear, Princess. I believe he likes me. I wonder if it's true that dogs have an instinct for judging character. Oh, let me have him, father. It's time for his dinner. Come on, Snooki-Poo. Snooki-Poo? You know something, Margaret? What, dear? It'd serve Betty right if something did happen to Pierre. What? Oh, nothing permanent or painful, but... Mother, where did you put that box of special dog food I brought home? Down in the cupboard, beside the sink. Uh, where are you going to feed him, Princess? Out on the back porch. Better be sure he can't push the back door open. Oh, he can. Dear, what are you... Never mind, honey. I was just thinking that... I didn't let him out, bud. I didn't say you did. Where do you think the pigeon's gone? I know where he's gone. He's gone back to Ori's. I gotta call him right away. What's the matter, pigeon problems? Yeah, he's gone. Hello, Ori. This is Bud. Say, will you look outside and see if Vern's over there? Yeah. Who's Vern? That's Bud's carrier pigeon. My name for a pigeon. Ori named him after his uncle. The pigeon's uncle? No, Ori. The one that used to be a Western Union messenger boy. Well, I can see the connection there. Oh, mother, you ought to go out and watch Pierre eat. He actually has manners. Take your word for it, dear. Eating with a fork, is he? I have to find something to make a bed for Pierre. Betty, you're sure he can't push that back door open? There's a push it open. Jim, why do you keep talking about the back door? Oh, nothing. What happened to Ori, Bud? He lost two? He's coming. Yeah, Ori. Oh, he is, huh? Well, bring him back over here because I want to send you a message. I'll tell you what the message is, and I won't have anything to send with a pigeon when you bring him over. This thing gets more complicated all the time. Well, okay then. Here's the message. I want to trade the pigeon back to you for my printing set. You will? Okay. Goodbye. What did you tell him the message for? He's going to print it up on the printing set and bring it over when he brings the pigeon. Then I'll send it back to him. Did he say he'd trade back? How could he tell that? He hasn't got the message yet. Well, now I've heard everything. If the pigeon ever finds out what's going on, he'll go south for the winner. Excuse me, I think I'll wander out and see if Pierre is ready for his crepe sousette. Mother! Didn't you take it up to the lake last summer? I think I'll go out in front and watch for Ori. I'll go with... I'll go somewhere. Betty, go out the front door. What? Yes, why? I didn't want her to see me come in. What have you been up to? I'm going to throw a little scare into Betty. When she goes out to the back porch for Pierre, he won't be there. What? I bedded him down in the garage. But let her think he's lost for a while. Teach her a good lesson not to play school politics. Oh, Jim. Let her think she's going to have to replace that $300 dog. Let her wonder what she's going to tell Mr. Fawcett tomorrow. It'll serve her just right. Are you sure he's all right out there? Sure. The door's closed tight. He can't get out. I can hardly wait to see the expression on Betty's face. Is that you, bud? It's me, Mother. Oh, did Bud know where the blanket was? No. Uh, Princess, and you better see if Pierre's all right. He hasn't made a sound out there. I'll be down in a minute. Dear, do you think the garage is a very good place for it? Someone could come along. No. He's perfectly safe. Say, Mom, Ari hasn't called, has he? No. We've been right here. He hasn't showed up for the pigeon yet. By the way, Bud, kind of steer clear of the garage. I mean, don't open the door. Don't open the door. I just closed it. What? Yeah, it was open. Oh, no. Where was the dog? I don't know. No dog out there. No dog? What's the matter, Dad? Out of the way! You better take a good look at your father, Bud. You may not see him for a long time. $300 for some information he badly needs about a missing dog. And friends, here is some information from Ed Prentice, which may be worth a lot more than $300 to you. You know, when you're not sleeping nights, when you're always worn out, cross, and nervous, you'd give almost anything to clear up the trouble, wouldn't you? Well, your trouble could be coffee nerves. Yes, coffee nerves brought on by the caffeine in coffee or tea. You know, caffeine is a drug, a nerve stimulant. That's a scientific fact. Yes, caffeine may leave you too nervous and upset to sleep properly. And while many can handle coffee okay, others, and this could mean you, suffer sleepless nights, jittery nerves. What to do about it? Well, you don't have to give up enjoying a good hot drink. Well, see, just make it postum instead. Delicious instant postum. There's a good sound reason. Postum is totally without caffeine. Not a single bit of it. No wonder so many folks have switched to postum and sleep. Why don't you make this simple test? Drink postum for 30 days. Postum exclusively. Then check up. See if you aren't sleeping better. Feeling better too. Try postum and see. You'll like it. Delicious instant postum, made instantly in the cup. Well, there used to be a game called Button Button Who's Got the Button. This evening in the White Frame House on Maple Street, a variation on that game is being played. You might call it Strudel Strudel Who's Got the Poodle. Now, the one who is most frantically searching for a certain toy poodle named Pierre is Jim Anderson. Meanwhile in the kitchen, Bud is trying to catch up on the current crisis. Like this. Holy cow, Mom. What's wrong with Dad? Well, don't say anything about it, Bud. But your father put Pierre out in the garage. Now he's missing. Oh, that's why Dad went tearing out the back door. But what did he put him in the garage for? It's a long story. The point is, Pierre is gone, but his father has to find him before Betty finds out. Maybe a butterfly chased him. Father! He's outside, Betty. I'm going to go out and see if I can help him. Poodles. The kitchen with that dumb look on your face. I'm waiting for Ory. He's bringing the pigeon over. Where'd Mother go? Outside. Where's Father? Outside. Oh, Betty's looking for Pierre, isn't he? Is he? Don't you tell anybody, but I have Pierre up in my room. Huh? I heard Father talking out here. He hid him in the garage just to scare me. So I went out and brought Pierre in the front way. You better go out and tell him. Oh, no. Let him stew for a while. It'll teach him a lesson. Poor little Pierre out there in that dirty garage. Stop. You're breaking my heart. Oh, I didn't know you were in here, Betty. I've been here all the time. Where's Father? Oh, um, he's outside, dear. Uh, weren't you planning to go out tonight? Me? Oh, no. I have to stay home and take care of Pierre. Where is he, Mother? Pierre? Oh, he's outside somewhere. Outside? Oh, your Father's out there, too. He's all right. I'm sure. I think I'll go outside, too. I gotta watch for Ory. Mother, what's Father up to? Well, uh, you see, dear, he... Margaret, have you... Oh. Hello, Princess. Father, where is Mr. Fawcett's $300 French poodle? Uh, Mr. French's three poodle... I mean... Oh, he's all right. You don't think I'd let anything happen to him, do you? Oh, I'm not worried. I'm sure you know exactly where he is. And I'm perfectly confident that you're taking good care of him. Oh, sure. Well, you'd better go out and get him, Father. I'm going to put him to bed in a few minutes. Uh, all right, Princess. I think you'd better sit down, dear. You look a little shaky. Margaret, where do you suppose that darn dog went to? There's not a sign of him anywhere. Don't look at me. You're the one who's teaching Betty the lesson. I've got to find him. But where? I'll talk about looking for a needle in a haystack. That four-legged powder puff could hide under a peanut shell. And all the silly ideas, putting him in the garage in the first place. Who's that? Maybe it's Pierre. He seems to open and close doors pretty readily. Oh, he showed up for the pigeon, finally. Yeah. But sent the message back, Dory. Look, Kathy, but... I don't know if Fawcett will be there to get the message, though. As fast as he could, but the pigeon was way ahead of him. Why didn't you hold the pigeon? Wait till Dory got home. The message was urgent. Oh, dear. Look, kids, I have a very serious problem, and Bud, you and Kathy can help me. What's the matter, Daddy? Well, don't say anything to Betty, but Pierre, he got away somehow. I want you both to go out and comb the neighborhood. I'll go, Daddy. But, Dad, there's no use going out. We've got to find him, Bud. You kids know all the nooks and crannies around the neighborhood. He can't be very far away. I'll even give it a reward for him. Dead or alive? I'm serious, kitten. Five dollars in cash. Five dollars? Holy cow! Oh, Bud, get your flashlight. Yeah, but he's not a... Well, I mean... Okay, you can stand around if you want to. I'm going out and look for him. Anything to eat in the refrigerator, Mom? I'm hungry. Find cooperation from my son. There's only one place to look for anything, as far as he's concerned, in the refrigerator. Well, dear, you brought this on yourself. Why did Betty have to bring the fool dog home in the first place and a $300 dog? He ought to be in a safe deposit box. I'm going to phone some of the neighbors. The Davises have a dog. Maybe he went over there. Where's the peanut butter, Mom? Right where it always is. I can't understand you, Bud. When your father asked you to go out... But the dog isn't outside anywhere. I mean, what's the use of... How do you know he isn't outside? Well, I'm not supposed to say. Who said you're not? Well... Bud, there's nothing that concerns the family that you can't tell me. But gee, Mom, I... Bud, do you know where the dog is? Well, sort of. What do you mean, sort of? Is he in the house? Yeah. Kinda. He can't be kinda in the house. Pierre is either in or out. Now where is he? Well, I wasn't supposed to say anything, but you see, Betty's trying to teach Dad a lesson. She got the pooch out of the garage and he's up in her room. Oh, I see. Well... Lines are all busy. What in tarnation am I gonna tell Betty? Bud, you might take just a little interest in all this. $300 doesn't grow on trees, you know. I know, Dad. Any jam around, Mom? I wonder if it would do any good to call the police. Oh, that's probably for me, dear. I'm expecting a call from Mrs. Rodney. Ask her if she's seen a silly-looking French poodle. Hello? Oh, Mr. Fawcett. This is Betty's mother. She didn't expect you back until tomorrow morning. Oh, I see. Yes, yes, we have Pierre. He's fine. Oh, it's perfectly all right. That'll be fine. Goodbye. Who was it, Mother? Did I hear you say that was... Yes, that was Mr. Fawcett. He just arrived home. He's coming over to pick up Pierre. Coming over? What's the matter, Father? Coming over here tonight? In the dark? I imagine he has lights on his car. Yes, but... Excuse me, I'll be right back. Well... Father, you haven't let anything happen to Pierre, have you? Princess, believe me, I... I didn't intend to... I have to tell you, the dog's gone. Oh, Father, how could you? But I'll buy Mr. Fawcett another one. Or I'll find him. Or I'll... All right, Father, you've suffered enough. I took Pierre out of the garage. What? I was just teaching you a little lesson, not to be so quick to jump to conclusions. Oh, Princess, that was a cruel thing to do. Not anymore cruel than what you were doing. Thank goodness he isn't lost. Where is he? Up in my room. If Mr. Fawcett's coming over after him, I want to brush him and put a ribbon on his collar. What's going on? She's still chasing that cream puff? I can't find Pierre. Not me. I hate to say this, but if you'd left him in the garage where I put him, this would never have happened. If you'd left him on the back porch where I put him, it wouldn't have happened either. This family's gone to the dogs. Nobody. Here I am, facing disgrace, utter disgrace. I'm sorry, Princess, but this shows what happens when you try to take things into your own hands. Well, what's all the wailing about now? Mr. Ambassador has gone underground again. Pierre? He's dropped out of sight. Mother vanished. I had him in my room just a few minutes ago, and now he's gone. How could that be? What was he doing in your room? Well, I was getting even with Father a little for hiding him in the garage, so I had him in my room. Now, suddenly, he's nowhere in the house. What am I going to tell Mr. Fawcett? Let's see, $300 and your allowance is $2.50 a week. That'll be about... Oh, Father, don't think about it. Pierre has to be in this house somewhere. Well, I hope you both learned your lesson about trying to teach other people lessons. I have Pierre. Huh? You have? He's sound asleep in the broom closet. Oh, thank goodness. Well, let's get him out before Mr. Fawcett comes. I want him to look his best. Oh, I forgot to mention, too, Mr. Fawcett is coming to pick up Pierre, but not until tomorrow morning. Mother... Margaret, that's not very fair. I just wanted to teach you two a little lesson. Now, I think it worked out very well. Well, let's get Pierre out of the broom closet. Well, he's right here. He's right in this... where'd he go? Oh, no, not again! But... but he was right here. I put him here. Well, let's see. Your household budget is... Oh, but Jim... He was here. I know he was here. I wonder who's teaching you a little lesson, dear. If your family races off mornings without a good breakfast, chances are they're not getting proper nourishment to carry them through the busy morning hours. Now, actually, a good breakfast, one that supplies one quarter to one third of your daily nutritional requirements, is inexpensive and easy to fix. Many authorities agree breakfast should include fruit or fruit juice, bread and a spread, milk and cereal. And which cereal? Well, for flavor and for health. Just try post 40% brand flakes. Here you get the famous keep regular benefits of brand, plus a wonderful new magic oven flavor. Yes, start serving better breakfasts and be sure to include post 40% brand flakes. For goodness sakes, eat post brand flakes. So good and so good for you. Well, it's a few moments later in the White Frame House on Maple Street, and still no clue to the missing Pierre. It's a rather tense moment, as the Andersons face the awful truth that the precious poodle this time has dropped out of sight once and for all. Like this. Well, I've looked everywhere. Not a trace of him. He's not in the basement. Oh, if only you and mother left him alone. If you hadn't brought him home in the first place. Father, if you had left him... I know, I know. Reward? All right, kiddin', we give up. Where did you find him? We're just selling brand flakes. An instant postum, the drink that's entirely caffeine free. In our cast, where Ted Donaldson is bud, Gene Vanderpile, Rhoda Williams, and Norma Jean Nielsen. If your family likes to pick and choose, give them the chance at breakfast tomorrow. Yes, let them choose their cereal for the day, the handy post tens way. Post tens gives you ten individual packages with seven famous post cereals. It's the only assortment with two leading sweet coated cereals, crinkles and sugar crisp. Post tens make a mighty thrifty breakfast treat, too. Each package holds just one serving, so there's never any waste. So when you're shopping, remember for the best choice, make your first choice, post tens. Father Knows Best was transcribed in Hollywood and written by Paul West and Roswell Rogers. This is Bill Forman speaking. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company. Thanks for watching.