 Is Maxwell House the best coffee in the whole world? Well, your father says so, and your father knows best. Yes, it's Father Knows Best, transcribed in Hollywood, starring Robert Young as father. A half-hour visit with your neighbors, the Andersons, brought to you by Maxwell House, the coffee that's bought and enjoyed by more people than any other brand of coffee at any price. Maxwell House, always good to the last drop. Here's a quotation I'm sure you all remember. I shot an arrow into the air. It fell to earth I know not where. I lose more darned arrows that way, or something like that. Anyway, tonight we aren't exactly concerned with arrows, but we are interested in other things that fall to earth, meteors to be exact. When a meteor crashes to earth, a heavenly hot rod on the loose, that's news. When it crashes in the backyard of the White Frame House on Maple Street and becomes the personal property of the Andersons, that's news with an unpredictable future. Like this. Ink. Ink. Where do they hide the ink? I can't leave it to my kids if it isn't nailed down. It's gone. Margaret! What a way to run things. Can't ever find anything when you need it. Someday I'll come home and there won't be any house. Serve them right too. If I ran my office the way they run things around here, we'd be heading for the poor house right now. Margaret! Just a minute, dear. There you are. How does that look? It looks fine, but do you think we'll have enough for 16 girls? Oh, we aren't half finished. We've got all the little sandwiches to make. Oh, I was beginning to get worried. Margaret. Just a minute, dear. Betty. Yes, Mother? Honey, all I want is the ink. Jim, what would we be doing with the ink? I don't know. Have you looked for it? Naturally, I've looked for it. I've looked everywhere the ink could possibly be. In the fireplace, under the rug, on top of the chandelier. That's fine, dear. Do you think four plates of sandwiches will be enough? Well, it depends on how big the plates are. Margaret, you aren't even listening to me. Of course I am. Figuring 20 sandwiches to a plate, that would be 80 sandwiches. But they're so small. Honey. How about six plates? I think that'd be better, don't you? Margaret. Let's see now, the deviled eggs and the sandwiches, and how about an aspic salad with lime jello? That sounds wonderful. Loella. Then some ginger cookies and some brownies and something to drink. That certainly ought to be plenty, don't you think? Tallulah. Jim, what do you want? I want the ink. Why do you suddenly need the ink? Because Mr. Gribble is coming over to sign for insurance on the new apartment house he's building, and I haven't finished making out the papers. And the home office just passed a new rule that they won't accept insurance papers that are written in blood. That's why I need the ink. Oh, have you looked in the desk? I... Just forget that I ever mentioned it, please. But, dear, if you need the ink... I'll go down to the aquarium and see if I can find a friendly octopus. They get wonderful ink. Kathy? Is she an authority on octopi? No, dear, on ink. Kathleen? I'm out here, Mommy. Will you please come into the kitchen? Okay. Honey, if I know Kathy, it'll be much easier for me to go out and buy a new bottle of ink. That's silly, dear. We've got a bottle of ink. All we have to do is find it. That's all. Did you want me, Mommy? Of course not. Your mother was practicing to be a Swiss yodeler. She was? Jen. Couldn't we have a cake instead of cookie? Betty, will you please... But, Father, this is important. So is Mr. Gribble. Kathy, have you seen the ink? What ink? The ink ink. Kathy, it's very important that your father find the ink. Where is it? I don't know. Why didn't you say that in the first place? Well, you didn't ask me that in the first place. You asked me if I saw it, and I did. Where? In the garage. What were you doing with ink in the garage? Well, I didn't have it, but I did. He and Joe Phillips were making signs. What kind of signs? About the meteor. Oh, well, suppose you go out in the garage and the meteor? Uh-huh. What meteor? The one in the backyard. Now, look, Kathy, if you're going to make up these wild stories... But I'm not daddy-honest. We have a meteor? In our backyard? Sure. Let's go outside. Okay. Jim, if Mr. Gribble comes... I'll be in the backyard, honey. I'm going to teach these children that when I ask for the truth, I want the truth. But it is the truth, Daddy. How about the ink? We'll take care of the ink later. I didn't tell a fib daddy-honest I didn't. Kathy, if a meteor falls anywhere, people for miles around can hear it. It makes a noise like... Well, it makes a very loud noise. But said maybe it landed last night while we were at the movies. Then one of the neighbors would have heard it. After all... But this is only a little meteor. See? Kathy, that isn't a meteor. It's a plain ordinary rock. But it's so black. It's still a rock. If it's a rock, how did it get in our backyard? Well... That's a very good question. And how come it's still hot? Kathy... It is, Daddy, feel it. My golly, it is hot. Bud says that's how you can tell it's a meteor. I still say... Where is he? Bud? Well, he and Joe Phillips are putting up the signs. We're going to charge admission. There's something fishy going on here. And if I find out... It's certainly hot all right. Bud says anybody ought to be glad to pay a dime to see a real live meteor. Margaret... He says it's probably the only meteor that ever fell in anybody's backyard in the whole neighborhood. Honey... What is it, Jim? Come out here a minute. 16 girls, my sorority for tea. But there's a meteor out here. Mommy? Don't go too close to it, dear. Margaret, ask Betty if she knows anything about meteors. Well, when she comes back, ask her if she knows anything... Here she is, dear. Father... Betty, do you know anything about meteors? About what? Meteors. Tell her it's still hot. It's still... Why don't you let me handle this? Father... Well, do you? I wouldn't care... Oh, tell him I'll be right in. I'll be right in. Kathy, for the last time... Betty, ask him if he'd like to see the meteor. What meteor? This meteor. Jim! JP, come on out here. I'd like you to see this. Tell him it's still hot. Kathy, if I hear one more word out of you... I'll see you here, Jim. I'm a busy man. I haven't got time to go running around looking at every fool... What's that? Well, we... We think it's a meteor. Poppycock. What do you think you are to have a meteor fall in your backyard? Tell him it's still hot. Kathy, so help me if you don't stop that. What are you two mumbling about? Nothing, JP. I told Kathy it was just a rock, but... It's still hot. JP, I... Kathy, why don't you go into the house? But, Daddy! George, it is hot, isn't it? Yes, but it's probably just something the boys... You know, the more I look at Jim... Jim, look at this. What? This black formation. That's iron oxide. Oh? It does look like iron oxide, doesn't it? You know what causes that, don't you? Well, naturally, I... Naturally. Jim, when a meteor hits the Earth's atmosphere, the friction causes intense heat. And, uh... By George, that is a meteor. It is? Look at it. See those flow marks and that irregular pitting? Jim, this is sensational. Oh, I don't know, JP. It's only a small meteor. Small? Well, it's half buried in the ground, and I'll bet it weighs over a hundred pounds. I know. Jim, my boy, this is one of the greatest things that ever happened to us. Well, it's... Well, when the State Historical Society hears about this, we're a cinch to become honorary members. We are. I can just see the headlines. Springfield Industrialist discovers meteor. Mr. Gribble! Just a minute, Kathy. You know, JP, I don't like to say anything, but this is my backyard. Well, naturally, my boy, and you'll go down in history as the man whose backyard was lucky enough to receive this heavenly gift. I know, but if there's going to be a headline... Jim, are those insurance papers ready for my signature? No, but as soon as I find... Oh, I see what you mean. Mr. Gribble! Kathy, please don't annoy Mr. Gribble right now. I wasn't annoying him. Of course he wasn't. What is it, child? You owe me a dime. Kathy. Well, both said everybody had to pay a dime. But kitten, Mr. Gribble... And besides, it's for a worthy cause. She is absolutely right, Jim. JP. Well, I consider it a privilege. Here you are, Kathy. Ten cents for, uh... What is the worthy cause? We're gonna buy sodas. Yes, I can. Jim, if we want this to hit the morning papers, I'd better get busy on it right away. But how about your building insurance? Later, my boy, later. First, I'm going to see to it that our meteor story is giving the proper attention. But, JP, we've got to do this thing right. You know, reporters, photographers, the full treatment. I'll be back before you can say hello, bud. Hi, Mr. Gribble. Oh, my boy, beautiful day, isn't it? I'll be back in a few minutes. Here, go away. I'll be here, JP. What's he all excited about? Hiya, Dan. Hello, Mr. Anderson. Hello, boys. I understand you've been rather busy. Did you put all the signs up? Boy, did we. You know what, Dan? We even got Mr. Crannell to let us put one in the drug store. That was nice of him. Look what I got. A dime. For the meteor? Uh-huh. What did I tell you? Boy, are we gonna clean up? And we haven't had the signs up five minutes. Why didn't we think of this before? What a couple of dopes. Wait a minute. Why didn't you think of what before? The meteor. We could have been millionaires. You know, Mr. Anderson, it came to me last night in a flash. I was reading about all those meteors out in Oklahoma and Arizona, and I said, boy, couldn't we clean up if we had something like that? In a backyard, sort of. Where we could charge admission. And then, when we saw this rock... Rock? We said, boy, what a meteor that'd make, didn't we, bud? We sure did. Wait a minute. You mean this isn't a real meteor? Oh, gosh, no. It's just a rock. But it's hot. How could it be hot? We locked it up here in Joe's Jalopy. And then we built a fire under it. Oh, no. Oh, but you don't have to worry, Mr. Anderson. It doesn't belong to anybody. We found it in the lock where Mr. Gribble is building that apartment house. Oh, no. Don't you feel well, Mr. Anderson? What's the matter, Dad? Kathy, why didn't you tell me? They told me it was a meteor. We had to, Dad. You know how she is. She'd have told everybody in the neighborhood. But why can't you ever learn... What am I going to do? About what? About Mr. Gribble. He's on his way down to the newspaper to tell him about our meteor. He is? Holy cow. Gosh, we didn't mean to... I mean, we were just going to fool some kids, weren't we, Joe? Sure. That's all we were going to do. What is it, Kathy? If you're worried about Mr. Gribble, I know what you can do. You do? Uh-huh. Give him back his dime. Just offhand, I'd say father's in pretty much of a mess this time. How's he ever going to explain the meteor to Mr. Gribble? Well, I don't know just what you or I would do about this crisis, but I suspect we'd start the same way. By taking time out to relax over a freshly brewed cup of truly good coffee. Maxwell House Coffee. Coffee with all the rich, heartwarming goodness that only that wonderful good to the last drop flavor can give you. And you know the enjoyment of that superb flavor is the very reason why more families buy and enjoy Maxwell House Coffee than any other brand at any price. Now, that good to the last drop flavor belongs to Maxwell House alone. And for a very good reason, coffee beans grow all over the world in countless grades and varieties. The Maxwell House people, however, choose the fine extra flavor varieties, the kind that are grown on high mountain plateaus in Latin America. For example, they take fancy Manizales coffees for fragrant mellowness, superb mellons for extra richness, choice Bucaramangas coffees for fine full body. Then these wonderful extra flavor coffees in just the right proportions are expertly blended in the Maxwell House tradition to create the world's best loved coffee flavor. So keep this in mind, won't you? To enjoy coffee at its downright satisfying best. Start serving our Maxwell House. It's the one coffee that's always good to the last drop. It isn't much later as time goes, but for Jim Anderson the moments have been endless. He's seen his entire life float agonizingly before his eyes. And while there seems to be plenty of sickening past, there doesn't seem to be an awful lot of future, not with Mr. Gribble at any rate. Clients like Mr. Gribble are few and far between, and now look at him, gone with an old hot rock, or practically, like this. There's got to be something we can do. I mean, we can't just stand here. You suppose we ought to sit down? Joe. Yes, Mr. Anderson? Wouldn't you like to go home? Oh, no. I got you into this, and... Yes? Well, I'd like to see how you get out of it. You know, Joe, you get more like your mother every day. Thank you, sir. You're welcome. Dad, I've got an idea, but... Well? Kathy. Oh, uh, Kitten. Yes, Daddy? Wouldn't you like to go somewhere and play? No, Daddy. How about doing your homework? I don't have any homework. Margaret! Oh, please let me stay, Daddy. I won't say anything. Well... And if I do say something, I'll just tell him it was Bud's fault, and how are you supposed to know it was only an old hot rock? And anyway... Margaret! What is it, Jim? Call Kathy. What would you like me to call her? Honey, this is no time for games. She, uh, she wants to help you with the sandwiches. No, I don't. Yes, you do. Yes, Mommy? Why don't you come in and help me with the sandwiches? Say, that's a great idea. All right, Bud. Go ahead, Kitten. Kathy? You just wait, Bud. Someday you'll be the youngest one in the family, and then see how you like it. Bud, you said you had an idea. Oh, how would it be if we hid the rock and told Mr. Gribble the meteor exploded? Hey, that's terrific. Bud? You know, meteors do explode, Mr. Anderson. They explode when they hit the Earth, not the next day. Maybe this was a delayed action meteor. No, Bud, we'll have to do better than that. Well, what if we covered up with dirt and tell him it disappeared? And if he wants to know what the dirt is, we tell him we're making a mountain out of a molehill, right? What? Never mind. Well, it's a cinch we've got to get the rock out of sight, so let's get going. Where do you think we ought to put it, Mr. Anderson? I'll settle for the garage. Okay, Joe, let's go. I'd better give you a hand. Oh, you don't have to, Mr. Anderson. We've been lifting it in and out all day. You have? Sure. We had to keep the fire going, didn't we? Come on, let's go, Bud. Okay, Eve. There, that does it. Now, suppose we each take an end and walk sideways. Okay. Wait a minute, why don't you just roll it? Oh, gosh, no. It'd leave a track. He'd find it in two minutes. Pardon me. Are you ready, Bud? I'm ready. Here we go. Why don't you let me take one end of it? We're doing fine, Dad. You know, it's an amazing thing. If you boys use half as much energy, you're working on something useful. Mr. Anderson, could you please open the garage door? Are you sure you don't need any help? It isn't even heavy, is it, Joe? Oh, gosh, no. It's light as a feather. Well, I won't argue with you. There you are. Let's put it down, huh? Okay. Joe, don't drop it. Joe! Are you all right? Oh, sure. It wasn't heavy. It just slipped. Hey, look at the way all that black stuff peeled off. Well, let's not worry about that now, Bud. Let's... Mr. Grib, oh, my gosh. Jim, my boy! Let's get out of here. The ashes! What? He'll see the ashes from the fire. Well... Maybe I can cover them up. It's too late, Joe. Just... Hello, JP. Certainly didn't take you long, did it? Jim, you know Joe Hogan of the Springfield Herald, don't you? Oh, sure. Mr. Anderson and I are old friends, aren't we, Mr. Anderson? Jim! What? The meteor. It's gone. Gone? What do you mean, gone? I meant to tell you about that, you see. It was awful, Mr. Gribble. It sure was. What was? Well, you see, somebody swiped it. They what? They sure did. We hadn't turned our backs more than two minutes and bang! It was gone. Now, wait a minute. Who goes around swiping meteors? Crooks? Haven't you heard? Gosh, there's a whole gang of them. International meteor crooks. They specialize in hot meteors. What? Don't they, Joe? Sure, everybody knows that. They do, do they? Jim, what's going on here? Well, it's... It isn't easy to explain, J.P. You see... J.P. Excuse me, J.P. What's the matter, Betty? Kathy and... Okay, honey. Yeah. Whole plate of sandwiches. It was only 16. Kathy, she ate 16 sandwiches? A little tiny ones. Oh. Oh, right. Does she have to tell me? Kathy... What happened to the rock? What rock? She means the meteor. She's very young. She can't say big words like meteor. She calls everything a rock. I do not. Like rocket ships and rocky mountains and... A John D. Rockefeller? But why don't you and Joe take Kathy away for a few minutes while I try to explain to Mr. Gribble? Come on, nothead. Well, stop calling me. Mr. Anderson, don't you think maybe I ought to stay here and explain with you? Thank you, Joe. I'll manage all right. But nobody can get mad at us. We're fun-loving, irresponsible children. I know, Joe, but... Oh, we can get away with murder. See here, Jim. How long have you been running this madhouse, J.P.? I know it seems very peculiar. Mr. Gribble, look at this. Ashes. What? The meteor was hot, huh? Oh, we can explain that. You see, it landed on a bunch of wood. Hey! But what did you do with Kathy? It's okay, Dad. I locked her in the garage. In the garage? Holy cow. Oh, my gosh. I forgot. Well, I guess that takes care of that. Shall we move in the general direction of the garage? Gosh, Dad, I didn't mean to... It's all right, son. We should never have started this in the first place. But you didn't start it, Mr. Anderson. We did. We're coming, kitten. Jim, if this is what I think it is... Well... I don't know what you're so mad about. I'm the one who got dragged out of a nice warm office to look at a hole full of ashes. We'll have you out in two seconds, Kathy. I don't know where the ashes came from, but there was a meteor in that hole. I've seen too many meteors in my time not to know about it. There you are, baby. So, J.P., the whole thing started very innocent. You weren't satisfied sharing the credit with me. You wanted the whole meteor for yourself. I what? How do you like that, Hogan? After all I've done for this man, treated him like my own son. J.P., you've got this all wrong. That's the part that hurts to be treated this way after all I've done. But, J.P., It's all right, Jim. It's your meteor, and if you want to keep it for yourself, I want you to have it. But it isn't a meteor. That's what I've been trying to tell you. Oh! Now I don't know a meteor when I see one. But the boys found it on your lot, didn't you, boy? You bet, dad. It's just an old rock. I think you're wrong. Hogan, it's a rock. Yes, I know, but... The boys carted it over here and built a fire under it. That's why it was warm. And then when they dropped it, all the black stuff was knocked off. Don't you see? You mean it really isn't a meteor? That's what I've been telling you, J.P. The whole thing was a scheme the boys cooked up to promote a few dimes from the other kids in the neighborhood. Do we have to give the dime back? Hogan, if my name is so much as mentioned in this disgraceful affair, but so much as mentioned... Are you all through? You mind if I say something? Look, why don't we just forget the whole thing? I'm willing. I am, too. Well, I'm not. This is the biggest thing that's happened to me in years. It is? Hogan. Look at this. Do you see those marks down there on the bottom of the rock? It's right. It's a message. For Mars. Just a minute. Hogan, what are you driving at? Don't you understand? 150 years ago, when they first laid out the village of Springfield, they used a rock as a benchmark. And this is the rock. Say that again? This is the cornerstone of Springfield. They've been looking for it for 60 years. They'll go nuts. I think I will, too. Hogan, do you mean that this will get us into the state historical society? They'll make you the president. Jim, my boy. J.P. Now, let's be fair about this. After all, it was Buddy Jones. I can see the headlines now. Springfield industrialist discovers cornerstone. Here we go again. Truly good coffee can do so much to make your day a happier one. It seems a shame not to enjoy the one coffee with the very most enriched full-bodied flavor. Which coffee is that? I say it's Maxwell House Coffee. Bought and enjoyed by more people than any other brand. The only coffee with that famous good to the last drop flavor. Of course, you're the judge. But if you'll just try our Maxwell House, taste the zestful, joyful richness of our blend, I'm sure you'll say it's the best coffee ever. Then just count all the truly good cups you get from each pound. You'll know you found your best coffee by. This weekend, look for the big white cup and drop on the familiar blue tin. Take home Maxwell House coffee. Always good to the last drop. It's breakfast time in the White Frame House on Maple Street. And a rosy day it is indeed. The sun is shining indoors and out, which is a very good way for a day to be. Like this. Wasn't it the most wonderful tea you ever saw, Mother? Yes, dear, it was very nice. Everyone said they had such a wonderful time. And there were two sandwiches left over. That wasn't any fault of yours. I'll leave her alone, Betty. She's been a very good girl. Thank you, Daddy. Oh, I wish Bud would get back. I'm so anxious to see that picture. Why couldn't he wait until they brought the newspaper? Betty, he's only a boy. The way Gribble acted, I don't think there'll be any papers left. He probably got up at dawn and caught them as they came off the press. Jim, he's been very nice to you. I know, but what a ham. Springfield Industrialist. I got it. Bye! Is the picture in? No, let's not get all excited. Dad, when you see it, it's all over the front page. It is? Let me have it, Bud. Jim, I'm trembling all over. Mr. Gribble and Dad and Joe and me on the front page. Well, what do you know? I want to see. What does it say, Jim? Oh, there's a long story about the cornerstone. What does it say under the picture? Read it, Father. All right, it says, The Messers Anderson and Phillips, who yesterday discovered the long-missing cornerstone of Springfield. With them are Mr. Anderson's father and a friend. If my gal could make coconut cream pie like this, I'd marry her tomorrow. Marry the girl, Pete. The pie's easy, with new jello coconut cream pudding and pie filling. You mean any gal can make swell coconut cream pie like this? Sure. Just add milk and bring to a boil. It takes about five minutes. You mean nothing can go wrong? Not a thing with jello coconut cream pudding and pie filling. So get jello coconut cream pudding and pie filling for red letter desserts. Join us again next week when we'll be back with Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young as Jim Anderson, with Roy Bargy in the Maxwell House Orchestra. In our cast, for Gene Vanderpile as Margaret, Rhoda Williams, Ted Donaldson, Norma Jean Nielsen, Lou Merrill, Gil Stratton Jr., Harry Bartel, and yours truly, Bill Foreman. So until next Thursday, good night and good luck from the makers of Maxwell House, America's favorite brand of coffee. Always good to the last drop. Father Knows Best was transcribed in Hollywood and written by Ed Jane. Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons brings you mystery tonight on NBC.