 Transcribed. Now listen to Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young's father. A half hour visit with your neighbors, the Andersons. Brought to you by Crosley, makers of pace-setting products for happier living. Crosley Automatic Television, oh boy. Beautiful Crosley-Schelvedor refrigerators, the world's most convenient. Wonderful Crosley-Automatic Electric Ranges. Crosley-Schelvedor Frisers, color-style radios, and many other leading home appliances. At this time, we wish to send out a call to the SPCFA, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Fathers in America. Come to a certain white frame house on Maple Street. Bring full emergency equipment, including large doses of sympathy. See a man named Jim Anderson. He's entering the house at this moment. Happy, eager, unsuspecting, like this. Margaret! Where have you been, dear? You slipped out after dinner. I had some business to talk over with Ed Davis. Margaret, listen to this. What do you say? You and I... Father, where have you been? Next door at the Davises. Margaret... Father, you'll simply have to help me with these candles. Candles? Hiya, Dad. But I was... Your father was talking about? He was talking to me. Daddy, I heard your voice. That's more than I've been able to do. Kathy... Daddy, if a farmer planted six rows of potatoes and five rows of corn... What farmer? Dad, if you feed 110 votes into a transformer... What transformer? I was here first. I was here first. I have news for all of you. I was here first. Your mother and I... And I was about to ask her something. May I continue? Is it something important, dear? Of course it's important. I had a great idea. Let's you and I go bowling tonight. Bowling? Bowling? Bowling? I must be standing on Echo Point. I don't mind you kids listening while I talk to your mother. I don't mind you kids listening while I talk to your mother. Jim, it's sweet of you to think of it, but it's been so long since... Ed and Ethel Davis went bowling a couple of nights ago, and they had the time of their lives. Why don't we go? There's no reason why we can't. All we have to do is call the bowling alley. It's such a simple thing. I'd like to go, dear, but there's Kathy. Butt and Betty are here. I don't want to stay with them. Father, you have to help me make a candle tree. Candle tree? I have to put nine candles together like a tree. It's for my sorority initiation. How about my transformer, Dad? But what's this about a transformer? Could you help me wire it up? Daddy, you have to help me with my arithmetic problems. If a farmer planted six rows of potatoes... It's a transformer for our doorbell. And five rows of corn. Kathy. What doorbell? You have to put nine candles together like a tree. Daddy, what about the farmer? What's the farmer doing in here? He's planting candles. Jim, listen. I have a problem, Father. I know, nine rows of doorbells for your sorority transformer. Why can't anybody in this house talk all at once? I mean one at a time. Your door, bud. The doorbell's working all right. Bud, what do you need a transformer for? For the doorbell on our clubhouse. When we get a clubhouse. Bud, the front door. I'm going. Margaret, I came back from the Davises. All I wanted to do was... Sure, Mrs. Johnson, come on in. Oh, hello, Evelyn. Hello, Margaret, Jim. Well, hello there. Good evening, Mrs. Johnson. Betty, Kathy. Paul. Excuse me for breaking in like this, but Charles came home with tickets for the concert tonight. Betty, we wondered if you'd like to come and sit with the twins. Well... They're four years old now and they're not too much trouble. I'm awfully sorry, Mrs. Johnson. I'd like to, but we have a sorority initiation tomorrow and I have so many things to do. Oh, I understand. I wish we could help you, Evelyn. Oh, it's a problem whenever we want to go out. How I envy you and Jim with your children old enough to be independent and do things for themselves. Oh, it must be wonderful. Oh, it is. Well, I'll just have to keep trying, I guess. I hope you find someone. Oh, I will. Come and see us soon. We will. Good night. Oh, poor Evelyn. They're so tied down with those little boys. What's tied down? They're tied down? What about us? We've been tied down for 18 years. And now tonight, for once, I suggest you and I go bowling and what happens? I run smack into a wall of transformers and farmers and candles and corn. What's the matter, Dad? Nothing, bud. It's just that... Well, Father, if we're in the way... That's not what I said. It's simply that you kids are old enough to realize that your mother and I deserve a little time to ourselves. You have to learn to assume a few of your own responsibilities. Do we have to start tonight? I can't take him a better time. Your mother and I are going bowling and that's final. Do I have to stay with Betty and Bud? They're your brother and sister. That's the trouble. Who helped me with my candle tree? Do it yourself, Betty. Find a book. Look it up in the Encyclopedia. How do I fix my transformer? Look it up in the Encyclopedia. Where are we going, Jim? Look it up in the Encycl... We're going bowling down to Harvey's Recreation Center. Kathy, you run next door and see if you can spend the evening with Patty Davis. She wins. I'll never get the candles fixed. What about my transformer? Betty, why don't you call Janie Leggett? Maybe she can help you. And Bud, you can take your transformer over to Joe Phillips' house. Now run along. Jumping creepers. What a life. Well, there you are, Margaret. You see, all it takes is a firm stand. The children have been hanging on our apron strings, relying on us for everything. Well, it's natural. Certainly up to a point. We've been fed with a spoon all their lives. Yes, dear. No more staying at home every evening, devoting every minute of our lives to the children. I'm glad I've taken a stand. From now on, we're going to be free. We're going to be young and gay again. We're going to get out and see people. We're going to have fun. Well, I'm ready, dear. How do we begin? You see, you're lost. You've been locked in so long, you don't know how to be free. All right, Gordon. You're like a bird out of the cage and all the time you don't know where to fly. Well, you take off first and I'll follow. Believe me, we'll have no trouble. I'm just glad we made the break before we forgot how to live. How to have a good time. All right, I'm convinced. Let's fly. You bet. I'll call the bowling alley, make a couple of reservations, and we'll be on our way. You just have to take the bull by the horns, that's all. Hello, Harvey's Recreation Center. This is Jim Anderson. I'd like to reserve an alley for eight o'clock. They are? How about eight thirty? Nine? Nothing at nine either. The phone is Riverside 430. Thanks very much. What do you say? All the alleys are reserved. They'll call us if there's a cancellation. Well, we're back on the perch. No, we're not. The bowling alley isn't the only place in town we can go. We'll go down to the townhouse. Have late supper in the crystal room. Dance and have a... Hello, this is Jim Anderson. I'd like to reserve a table in the crystal room for... Oh, it is? Thanks very much. Well, that was a short flight. They're closed for all the rations. All right, we don't have to go there. There are plenty of other things we can do. Let's call the Smiths. We'll get up a foursome and... The Smiths can't go, Jim. They have relatives visiting. All right, then. Let's call the Phillips for an evening of bridge. They're playing bridge with the Evans tonight. Count Fonda, we don't need the Phillips or the Smiths. We can go out somewhere by ourselves. Just you and I. We'll go to a movie. Hand me the paper. Let's see what's playing. All right. Here's a nice double bill. Across the Arctic by Zeppelin and life among the giant lizards. Let's see if the strand is sitting pretty. Have you seen that? What's at the majestic? Bambi and the horn blows at midnight. There's nothing playing that we haven't seen. Well, there must be. Is that you, bud? It's me. It's inviting me to stay all night with Patty. We're going to have a keen time. Kathy. Where's my overnight dad, Mommy? On the shelf in your closet. Well, Jim, what have you decided? No movies in town. Margaret, Kathy didn't speak to me when she came in. Oh, she's excited about going to the Davises. I suppose I was a little hasty running the children out of the house. I certainly don't want them to feel that I'm trying to get rid of them or anything like that. Oh, they understand, dear. I guess I didn't realize how important we are to the kids. How much they depend on us for help and understanding and companionship. Well... Margaret, I'm going to be truthful. I couldn't go out this evening and leave them. I'm going to tell them we've changed our minds. We'll have a real nice evening at home. That's fine, dear. Has Betty gone over to Janie's? No, she's upstairs. Oh, Betty! Betty! Yes, Father? Come downstairs a minute. Do we have any popcorn, Margaret? I think so. We'll have popcorn. Play some cards. What is it, Father? Betty, your mother and I have changed our plans. We're staying home tonight. But, Father... If you have a problem with those candles for your sorority initiation, we'll work it out. You can always count on me. You know that. But there's no reason for you to stay home. There isn't? I wouldn't think of denying you and mother a little freedom. Besides, I'm going over to Janie Liggett's. Her cousin's visiting her, and he's a big fraternity man from Princeton. I've been dying to meet him. He's going to help us with the candles. Bye, mother. Have a good time. Goodbye, dear. A big fraternity man from Princeton. What does he know about arranging candles? Don't be bitter, dear. Who's being bitter? Is that you, Bob? Yeah, Mom. Come in the living room, Bob. What do you want, then? I've been thinking over that transformer problem of your son. That's very interesting. Your mother and I decided not to go out this evening, so why don't you and I go down in the basement? Oh, you don't have to stay home on my account, Dad. That's all right. You kids come first. You can always count on your dad. But it worked out swell. We call Joe Phillips' uncle. He's got an electric appliance store, and he's going to let us work on the transformer down there. He's got tools and everything. But we have things in the basement. Oh, he has twice as much stuff. You and Mom go ahead. Don't worry about me. But, Bob... I'm ready to go, Mommy. Do you have your toothbrush and pajamas? Sure. And my kickball. Well, you can put them back in your room, kitten. Mother and I are staying home, so you won't have to go over to the Davises. We'll work on your arithmetic. But Daddy, Patty's going to help me with my arithmetic, and I'm going to show her about kickball. Yes, but... And when Patty helps on my arithmetic, I get A's. When you help me, I get a B. Now, wait a... I've got to go. Good night, Mommy. Good night, Angel. Good night, Daddy. Good night. That's gratitude for you. You give the best years of your life to the kids, bringing them up through the mumps and measles, working like a dog for them. Then, just when they're old enough to be companions to you, they cast you aside like an old shoe. Now, Jen... You're not even good enough to do their arithmetic. They'd rather be down in some two-bit electric shop, simpering over some lame brain with a fraternity pin. Well, you were the one who insisted we go out tonight. You chased them out of the house. I didn't chase them out. I only suggested. All right. You suggested. Fine loyalty. Jen, the children didn't realize we couldn't find anything to do. Margaret, that's not the reason we decided to stay home. What was the reason? Well, it was... Why do you ask me? You know very well. No reservations at the bowling alley. No movies we haven't seen. I don't know where you got the silly idea. We have no place to go. There are dozens of things we can do. 100 places we can go. Well, good. Let's go. All right. We'll go. Where are we going? We're going out. Out where? Where do you want to go? What would you like to do? What would you like to do? It doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter to me either. This is like playing badminton. Jim, I have no ideas. You said there were a dozen things we could do. Now you tell me. All right. We can... Well, there's the... Or we could... How about... I guess you wouldn't care about doing any of those things. No. I guess not. Well... Get the cards. Let's play canasta. What are your plans for Saturday night? Wouldn't it be fun to see an exciting prize fight, watch a gripping play, meet America's leading celebrities? Well, that's the kind of entertainment you can enjoy week after week, with America's leading television set, Crosley Automatic Television. Here's how Crosley sets the pace with television that's five ways automatic. First, Crosley's special antenna selector automatically tunes to the channel you've chosen. Second, Crosley has extra power, and the Crosley power control automatically brings in the picture with a clearness you wouldn't believe possible, even from distant stations. Third, the Crosley picture lock automatically keeps that picture steadier than any you've ever seen. Fourth, the Crosley interference control automatically keeps that picture virtually free from electrical disturbances. Fifth, when the picture's right, the sound's right, as the exclusive Crosley unituner automatically matches picture and sound. There's no question about it. Once you've seen and compared Crosley, you'll say that here is the best performer of them all. You'll see the brightest, clearest, steadiest picture because Crosley TV is automatic TV. Crosley also sets the pace in authentic cabinet styling and absolutely top values with the biggest cash savings ever offered. This Saturday night, let your favorite armchair be a ringside seat at the most exciting entertainment in America. See your Crosley dealer tomorrow. You can't always tell how a good idea is going to turn out. In the White Frame House on Maple Street, Jim Anderson had what seemed to be a beautiful idea, a free evening for Margaret and himself to do just as they pleased. There were dozens of exciting and interesting things to do, Jim and Sister. So they chose one, like this. Let's see. It gives me 6,530 points and gain. I never did like canasta. You were the one who suggested we play, dear. How do you like this? Two people, young, almost, with friends, a car, a thousand things we could do, sitting here at home playing canasta. Well, dear, I'm ready to go. Let's not go through that again. Still worrying about the children? Worrying? Why should I worry about them? If their parents no longer mean anything to them, all right. Jim, it's not that serious. Isn't it something of a shock to you, Margaret, to discover that you're not only unnecessary, but obsolete? What are you talking about? Bring home the money. That's all I do. Cook the food. That's all you do. Face it, Margaret. You and I can be replaced by a bank and a hamburger stand. No, fine. I don't even rate a good restaurant. We'll put a little fire on the hearth. We'll huddle together in our declining years. Alone and forgotten. Telephone, dear. Oh, yes, this is Jim Anderson. You have? Great. We sure will. Yes, sir. Margaret! Jim, what in the world? That was the bowling alley. A couple of reservations. Just cancel out. There's an alley open right now. I told him we'd be right down. Well, for an obsolete bank, you're showing a lot of life. Don't be ridiculous, Margaret. We have to hurry. What happened to the huddling hearth in the declining years? Margaret, they won't hold the alley all night. Jim, stop dragging me. We have to let the children know we're going. They know, Margaret. It was clearly understood before they left that you and I were going out. Well, I think we should at least leave a note. Give me your pencil, Jim. All right. Here. Gosh, an evening out. We could have done this long ago if we'd had my way. It's simply a matter of letting the children know we have a right to live too. They just take it for granted that we have to be at their beck and call 24 hours a day. Have you finished? Jim, I can't think when you're talking. What do you have to think about? Just say, dear kids, we've gone out. If they come home and we're not here, they'll know we've gone out. Then why write a note? Well, I want to leave something. Dear Betty and Vir... What you don't realize, Margaret, is that the children aren't babies anymore. They're old enough to get out and do things on their own. They don't care for them if they feel we're not hovering over them every second. Let them develop a little independence. What have you put down? Dear Betty and Bud, your father and I... All you have to do is come right out and say you're old enough to go out and do things for yourself without relying on your... Margaret, haven't you written that note yet? We could have been at the bowling alley. Jim, please stop talking and don't pace up and down. You think you were writing a play or something? There. Dear Betty and Bud, your father and I have gone bowling. If you're hungry when you come home, there's chocolate cake in the pantry and two custard eclairs. There's cold roast and fresh milk in the refrigerator. All right, let's go, Jim. Maybe we should have a bite to eat before we go. All right, all right, get your things. I just thought you might be hungry. I'm ready to go. So am I. We're off, Margaret, as free as the... Daddy! In here, Kathy. Daddy, can you fix a window in a garage? Quick! Fix what window in what garage? In the Davises. Patty and I were practicing kickball. Kathy, your mother and I were just about to... But, Daddy... Margaret, I told the bowling alley we'd be right down. Go ahead, Kathy. Well, Patty and I were practicing kickball before we started our arithmetic and Patty kicked the ball through the garage window. Well, if Patty broke the window, why do I have to fix it? Well, Patty was afraid if she told her father she did it, she'd get spanked. Oh? So we told him I did it. I knew I could count on you to fix it. But, Kathy... You said I could always count on you. Margaret. Don't look at me, dear. All right, I'll do it first thing in the morning. Come on, Margaret. You've got to do it right now. The snow will come in the window. I told Mr. Davis you'd do it. And, Jim? I could go over and lean against him. You'd get cold. Oh. Call the bowling alley, Margaret. Tell him we'll be a couple of minutes late. What are you going to do, Jim? I'm going down in the basement. Maybe we have some tar paper. You're going to put that on instead of glass, Daddy? Yes, Kathy. You can't see through it. I know that. This is temporary. Call the bowling alley, Margaret. This will take me about five minutes and then we'll go. I'm going to do a garage. No. Jim, what's the number of the bowling alley? What? The bowling alley. Call him up. Sir? He's in the basement. Jim. What? Well, your father wants me to... What are you doing, father? I'm looking for tar paper. Margaret, did you call the bowling alley? I don't have the number, Jim. What's written down there somewhere? I thought you were Janey Liggetts. I was, but we're in a mess. Well, the line forms on the left. Kathy's ahead of you. But this is important. Look at this throw rug. It belongs to Janey Liggetts mother. It's practically priceless. We're not buying any rugs. Here's the tar paper, Daddy. Kathy, take that downstairs. What's that, Daddy? It's a rug. Are you going to put that over Mr. Davis's window? No, Kathy. Margaret, have you called the bowling alley? I called this rug father. Janey's cousin thought he was so smart, and he spilled wax all over it, and Janey's mother is furious, and Janey's father was fit to be tied, so I brought it home. I knew you'd find a way to get the wax off of it. Betty, your mother and I... Father, you promised you'd never let me down. Janey's positively desolate. I'm a little desolate myself. Let's go fix the window, Daddy. He's going to work on the rug first. Aren't you, father? You said we could always count on you. You did, Daddy. All right. Margaret, look up the number of the bowling alley. Tell them we'll be about 15 minutes late. All right, dear. Let's go, Daddy. Kathy, you find a hammer and some tax, and while you're doing that, I'll see what I can do with this rug. Where's the hammer? In the basement with the tools. Look at the way that wax soaked into the rug. Do you suppose gasoline would lift the nap? Yes, it'd lift the roof of the house, too. We'll have to use cleaning solvent. We can't do that in here, father. We'll have to take it out in the garage. Here's the hammer, Daddy. Oh, Kathy, that's not a tack hammer. That's a mallet. What hammer do you want? The little one. You suppose we could wash the rug, father? We probably could. When it was dry, we could use it for a doily. Don't you know some way to clean it? Well... Daddy! Never mind, Kathy. I was so sure you could do it, father. How are you getting along, Jim? Oh, fine. Rugs, hammers. It must be that girls are just naturally helpless. But you told us to come to you. A man has to be a carpenter, rug cleaner, magician. What do they say at the bowling alley, Margaret? They're waiting, Jim. Thank heaven, Bud is at least able to do things for himself. Down there in that electric shop, working on his transformer, figuring out his own problems. I'll get it, dear. I'll answer it, Margaret. You take over the rug for a minute. All right, all right, I'm coming. Hello? Mr. Anderson? Yes? This is Fred down at the bowling alley. Well, it'll be a few minutes. We've been delayed. Oh, take your time, Mr. Anderson. We've had to close down the alleys for a while. Our lights have gone out. Lights gone out? All right. Thanks for calling. Goodbye. What was that, Jim? Fellow at the bowling alley. Their lights are out. Take it, mother calling. What am I going to do, father? Betty, give your father a chance to think. I wish Bud were here. He's the only one who goes along quietly, isn't always getting into some compounded... That's Janie's mother. Probably the bowling alley. Have their lights on again. Bud. Oh, hello, Bud. Where are you? Down in the basement at the electric shop. Can you come right down? Come down there? What for? We didn't have another one, so we put a penny in it. It blew out the lights on the whole block. Oh, Bud. All right, stay right there. We have to. We can't see anything. Goodbye. Goodbye. What happened to Bud? They mixed up the fuses in the electric shop. Burned out the lights. Put the bowling alley out of business. I have to go down there to rescue him. But, father, the rug. What a bee. Children, please. Phones, doorbells. I'll go, dear. Father, what am I going to tell Janie's mother? What am I going to tell us today? Oh, hello, Mrs. Johnson. Hello. Well, I couldn't find anyone to stay with our twins, Mr. Anderson. Oh, that's too bad. But I thought someone should use these two tickets to the concert tonight, so I brought them over to you and Margaret. For us? Yes. You're the only people I know whose children don't need them anymore. Mrs. Johnson, if you only knew. When you buy television, be sure you buy the leader, Crosley, automatic television. For only with Crosley, can you enjoy the thrill of sitting back, relaxing completely, and enjoying the finest television you've ever seen. And enjoying the finest television in the world. See and compare Crosley. You'll find that Crosley is simpler to operate, because everything is automatic. No jumping up and down to adjust the controls. You just select your station. All the rest is done automatically. From any viewing angle, you'll find that Crosley gives you clearer, brighter, sharper pictures automatically. You'll find that Crosley gives you fuller, richer sound. When the pictures right, the sounds right. Automatically. You'll find that Crosley brings in distant stations clearer and more strongly. Yes, just see Crosley automatic television in action. And you'll be convinced. Here's the finest in television. Price to make you doubly satisfied. It's a few minutes later in the White Frame House on Maple Street. And Jim Anderson, with quite a collection of problems himself, is on the telephone trying to help a certain Mrs. Johnson with hers. Margaret and Mrs. Johnson are in the kitchen awaiting the results. Like this. Jim's calling the Bennets down the street, Evelyn. I'm sure they'd love to have the ticket. Don't they have children? Oh, yes. But theirs are married. Oh, how wonderful it must be to have raised your family and then settle down to a life of your own. Yes, they can go where they please any time. They're absolutely free. Oh, how I envy them. Well, I call the Bennets. They can't go. Why not, Jim? They're sitting with their grandchildren. Something wonderful has happened to radios. Not only do the new Crosley color-style radios set the pace technically with tone engineering that gives you rich full sound from stations near and far without fading or blasting, but Crosley gives you more, much more. For Crosley color-style radios come in a wide selection of gorgeous colors. A decorator designed to add fresh new beauty to your home. Lovely to look at, thrilling to hear. You'll want a Crosley color-style radio for your favorite room. Join us again next week when we'll be back with Father Knows Best starring Robert Young as Jim Anderson with Roy Barkey's orchestra in our cast where Rhoda Williams is Betty, Gene Vanderpile, Ted Donaldson, Norma Gene Nielsen and Edith Simmons. So until next week at this same time, good night and good luck from the Crosley division of the Habco Manufacturing Corporation. America's leading manufacturer of today's pace setting refrigerators, television and radio sets, electric ranges, home freezers and many other products for happier living. Father Knows Best was transcribed in Hollywood and written by Paul West. Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons brings you Mystery Tonight on NBC.