 Stay tuned now for Robert Young starring in Father Knows Best, which follows this listening reminder. Tomorrow evening there's more fun-packed comedy when you set your dial to NBC for the Bob Hope show and the Phil Harris Alice Faye show. Guest star tomorrow on the Bob Hope show will be Miss Jean Turney and you'll hear a fun-filled comedy sketch featuring this talented actress as well as a laugh-packed monologue by Bob. Later tomorrow evening listen to the mirth and music on the Phil Harris Alice Faye show when Phil is joined by Elliot Lewis and Julius Abruzio for 30 minutes of hilarious comedy antics. That's tomorrow night on the NBC Radio Network and now it's Father Knows Best on NBC. Now listen to Father Knows Best transcribe starring Robert Young as Father. Another half hour visit with the folks in the White Frame house on Maple Street. Sit back and enjoy life with the Anderson. Cately, Bud, Betty, Margaret and Jim as the head of this typical American household again sets out to prove that Father Knows Best. Among life's minor irritations which plague the average householder the crushed trash can lid ranks fairly high. This was demonstrated quite forcefully the other evening when Jim Anderson on his way home from work picked up a well flattened cover on the curbing and carried it into the house like this. Look at this Margaret it's happened again flat as a pancake. Oh dear is that our trash can lid? Well I'll admit it's hard to recognize. It was practically a new one too. Sure this is about the fourth one we bought this year. You can't just buy a new cover either you have to buy a whole new can. It's a conspiracy. Do you think it would do any good to call them? I doubt it. I found ours almost down to that house where the new family's moving it. The branders? Mom! I wonder who I'd call. Have you any idea? Wait I think there's a phone number on that card they send out getting a collection date. I'll go get it. Mom! Oh say mom could I go? Just a minute but I'll be right back. Hello bud. Huh? Oh hi dad. You home? No I'm on the rock bound shore of Maine checking my lobster pots. I found the number dear. Here it is. Oh good. Say mom could I go? Just a minute bud. Here bud hold this lid while I phone but don't lose it we may need it for evidence. Okay. Say mom could I go? You know if people would take the trouble to make more of these calls I bet our city would be run more efficiently. After all we're paying taxes for these things and hello say I want to talk to someone in the trash collection department because we... What? Well I know what days they collect. That isn't the reason I'm... No I'm perfectly happy with the collection days. All I want to do is... Yes I understand how that has worked out and I'm not asking you to change the days. My trouble is that I have a bent lid. Oh I wish I could hear their answer to that one. No I mean on our trash can. Your driver ran over it. Yes that's exactly what happened. No we didn't see him do it but obviously he... Oh no we couldn't have done it ourselves because we treat our trash can with great care. Well that'll be fine thank you goodbye. Well it's all settled. Are they going to replace it? A man will come by and make the necessary adjustments. Whatever that means. Well it's high time they did something about it. Mom could I... Yes but what is it you want? Well how do you like that? I forgot now what it was I was going to ask you could I? Well I'm sure it was important. Has anyone looked for the newspaper this evening? I brought it in. It's right there on the coffee table. Oh good. You want part of it honey? No no thanks I guess I'd better get out in the kitchen and start thinking about dinner. Any suggestions? Yes that'll be fine. And how would you like that fix broiled or baked? Yeah that sounds good. I don't know what I do without your suggestions dear. Well it's nothing glad to make them. But you can put that lid down now you don't have to hold it all evening. Huh? Oh I forgot I had it. I was just trying to remember what it was I was going to ask mom. Well it'll come to you. Have you got any idea what it was? How would I know? Well it doesn't seem like both of us could be this dumb. It doesn't. It might have been something important. It seems like it was something that had to do with something. Well that gives you good clue to work on. You work on that while I read the paper. Okay. Hey did you know it's raining outside? I was starting to sprinkle when I came home. Are your clothes wet kitten? No Mr. Davis brought me home. But boy Joe Philips is sure getting wet out there. Joe Philips? Gosh now I remember what I was going to ask mom. Well you'd better go tell him to come in before he catches double pneumonia. He's gone now. Oh bad. So I was going to ask if I could have him come in for a while so we could practice mental telepathy. Mental telepathy? Yeah. Well you know what that is don't you? Yes I know what it is but I doubt if you boys have the proper equipment for it. Huh? Hey what's that in a chair? A shield? No that's our trash can cover and you'd better get that coat off it looks kind of damp. Dad. But I'm trying to read the paper. Well just look at me for a second dad and see if you can tell what I'm thinking. No I can't. Can you? Well you've got to concentrate dad. Look but I'd like to read the paper if you don't mind it. Well let's just try it once. Close your eyes and just be blank and see if you can tell what I'm thinking. Okay but hurry it up. Are you a blank? I think so. Okay concentrate now. I'm going to think of a number. A number? Yeah like 79 or something. Okay. Here goes. Can you get it? Uh 13. Nope it was 79. Oh fine. Look but I... Mother can we eat early tonight because I... Hello princess still raining outside? Just drizzling. Say father if you have any work to do tonight or anything could you do it in the den or upstairs? Why? Well I'm going to have company. Well it's not exactly company this is for school. What is? Mr. Glover you see he's my history teacher and he... Well I'm practically utterly flunking the course and so he's going to come over and try to help me. If he can you know how dumb I am. Yeah. Who asked you anything? No hold on a minute Betty when did you start getting so dumb in history? Last semester that was your best subject. Well that's just the curve of learning I guess. Yes but who threw you the curve? Tell me Betty what does this Mr. Glover look like? I suppose he's about 69 with a bald head and a long gray beard. White father how can you talk that way about Mr. Glover? He's cute. Well that clears up that situation. Just whose idea was this anyway? You mean about starting to flunk the course? Uh I mean... Oh what do you mean? I mean about getting this special help. I sort of suggested it I guess. You see Janie Liggett started to flunk the course first. So she beat you to it huh? And her father got worried about it so he talked it over with Mr. Glover. So then Mr. Glover gave her some extra help and he's darling. Is she doing better in the course now? No but now she doesn't mind flunking so much. Oh I give up. Oh for goodness sakes what's that old beat up trash can lid doing in the living room? Oh get that out of here. Oh wait a minute don't take that I need that. Well I'm not going to have it in here when Mr. Glover arrives. He'll think we're living in a junkyard. Leave it right there. But father... I'll bet that's my man now I'll get the door. God be a deer and get some logs. And tell mother we want to eat early tonight. I've got to go up and dress. Please bud pretty please. Well how do you do sir? You're the man with the bent lid. There might be some other way of putting it though. My name's Ottony I'm with the city sanitation department. Well fine come in Mr. Ottony. Cold. That's a nice rain though good for the soil. Soil can have it I don't like it. Yes could I take your raincoat? No I won't be but a minute. Now what's your complaint? Well it actually doesn't sound like a very important thing. But it's more the principle of the thing you know. I just want to get the facts. Well it is a kind of a nuisance having a lid that won't fit on the trash can. Because it's all bent. And I get tired of having to buy a new can every other week too. Every other week? Well it's not quite that bad. You must be pretty hard on them. Oh it's not us. That's what everybody says. A lot of people are careless. Bang them up themselves. We get blamed. Well I can assure you that- You get them all the time. Well the way this happened- We even got one today where they accuse us of stealing their lid. Yeah well what happened to ours- What would we do with a lot of old lids? I don't know. We get some weird ones. Yeah got a few forms here you'll have to fill out. Forms to fill out? Why do I have to do that? All I want is to get a new lid. Regulations. All this red tape. Let's see here now. Bent lid. How did it happen? Your driver ran over it. You see him do it? Well not exactly. It's the way it goes. We get them all the time. It's the way they throw them around and then leave the lids out in the street. Uh huh. I pay taxes you know and I'd like to see something done about this. Uh huh. Well let's take a look at the corpus delective. Okay. You wait there I'll go get it. Get the whole can too not just the cover. Okay okay I'll get the whole works. Now where did that thing go? Margaret. I'm in the kitchen dear. You want me in there? No I'm coming out. Okay now Kathy let's try it once more. Your mind blank. Seven. Wait till I think of a number stupid. Children please be quiet. Say Margaret where is that lid? The trash can lid. I was in the living room not five minutes ago. Oh I think I saw Betty with it. Oh I might have known probably threw it out. Have we got a flashlight that works? I doubt it. I hate to go out and hunt around in the dark in the rain but I've got to prove to this character I'm right. He's being pretty nasty about this and a lot of snide remarks about how it's our own fault. Well wait Jim you'd better put a coat on before you go out. I haven't time I'll be all right. Okay Kathy once more and this time don't guess seven. Try to read what's in my mind. My number is seven. Oh pipe down. Hey you know what? Did you find it? No but I just discovered that wasn't our lid at all. What? Ours is on our trash can out there and it's perfectly good. Oh dear. Well you better go in and tell a man. Tell him I can't now I've made too big an issue of this. Well what are you going to do? I don't know but I'm sure of one thing I could never stand Mr. Otney's look of scornful triumph. Act two of Father Knows Best after this word. Monday means music on NBC and here are some of the wonderful programs you'll hear next Monday evening when you set your dial to the NBC radio network. Gordon McRae and his lovely guest Nadine Conner will bring you Maytime as the railroad hours special musical offering. Then Soprano Roberta Peters of the Metropolitan Opera Company will grace the voice of Firestone guest spotlight and Leon Fleischer will be the guest soloist on the telephone hour. From beginning to end it's a wonderful evening of relaxing restful music designed to make your Mondays most enjoyable when you set your radio dial to NBC and the familiar Three Chimes. Remember Monday means music on NBC and you always hear the finest programs on the NBC radio network. And now back to act two of Father Knows Best. Well, what seemed like a minor civic right, the protection of one's trash can cover, has now turned into a fairly embarrassing moment for Father. He's discovered the Bentley that he's raised so much fuss about doesn't even belong to him. Right now he's desperately trying to think up a face-saving story to tell the man who came to settle a complaint. Like this. Well, Jim, you can't keep the man waiting in the hall all night long. I know, I know, I'm thinking. Well, I think the simplest thing to do is just tell him you made a mistake. Margaret, Mr. Otney is not the kind of a man you would admit a mistake to. Maybe so. But as long as you did make a mistake... Look, Mr. Otney is a man who thoroughly hates all people who complain about crushed trash can lids. He firmly believes that all are troublemakers, that they are all perveracators and schemers. He hates rain and having to go out in it. And I think he's taken a special dislike to me. Is this the type of man at whose mercy you throw yourself? My heavens, you've certainly built up a case. Do you want me to go out and read his mind for you, Dad? It'd scare you to death. Jim, you can't keep him waiting. The longer you wait, the worse it is. I know, I know. Let's see. I wonder if I could take our good lid and take a hammer and... No, that'd be cheating. Dear, the only thing to do is tell what happened. Honesty is the best policy, Daddy. Huh? That's what you keep telling us. Well, that's right, too. Absolutely right. But this isn't a matter of honesty. It's a matter of a man's dignity. And, uh, well, darling, it's downright embarrassing. All those snide remarks he kept making. Well, what do you plan to do while you're making up your mind? Invite him to dinner? No, I... Kathy, stop looking at me that way. I'll go in there right now and tell him the truth. Your right is the only thing to do. Stop, fellow. Okay now, Kathy, do it right this time. Close your eyes and... Seven! No, not yet. What's the matter with you? Sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Otney. Still got another call to make up tonight. Yeah, well, uh, kind of a funny thing happened. Uh-huh. Yes, well, you see... The whole thing was just a mistake. I went out in the back and you can imagine my surprise when there was our cover just as good as new. Yes, sir. We get them all the time. I beg your pardon? Look, if you've got a bent lid, get it out and let's get this thing straightened out. We want you to be happy. But I tell you, it's not bent. It's okay. See, the lid I found that was bent... Well, are you perfectly happy, then? No complaints? No complaints. Okay. I've got some other forms. You'll have to sign them. What? Release forms. Here we are. Oh, come now, Mr. Otney. The complaint you phoned in is on the book, so we've got to dispense with it one way or another. You, uh, sign right there. Oh, all right. Sign all four carbons. Four? Regulations. I can see where all our tax money goes now. For carbon paper. Here, sign this, too. Well, what's this? It's a release, releasing the other release. Well, that's figures. Regulation. Oh, naturally. Well, okay. Here you are. Well, good night. Good night. Why did I ever have to open my big mouth and call them in the first place? Father! I'm glad I'm not that other party he has to call on yet tonight. Who is at the door, Father? Oh, just an old pal of mine. What did he want? He just wanted the facts, ma'am. My goodness, you're certainly dressed up. I thought you were going to stay home and study history tonight, not make it. Well... Even though a girl is going to study, she has to look halfway presentable, doesn't she? Jim? Well, who do you plan on being presented to, the Queen of England? Is he gone, dear? Yeah. What happened? Well, honesty is indeed the best policy, even though you have to sign a release on it. But it's all over now, and I'd rather not hear any more about it. Well, I knew that the best thing to do with... Betty, where are you going tonight? No place, just going to study history. Mr. Glover's coming over to help me. Oh? Didn't Bud tell you I wanted us to have dinner early tonight? No, he didn't mention it. Oh, fine. I'll bet he didn't bring in the logs either. They're studying about Lincoln's early life, and Mr. Glover is... going to show her how to build a log cabin. Oh, Father, don't be so cornball. Well... I don't want them dragging a lot of logs into the living room. It's just for the fireplace, Mother. Oh. Where is Bud? Well, right now he's taking the trash can around to the front. With all this talk about it, I suddenly realize that tomorrow is a collection day. I bet our lid will get fairly courteous treatment this time. Mother, would you sort of hurry dinner along? I'll try, but you'd better come out and help me. I'll get it. Maybe it's Mr. Glover. Tell him he'd better wear his tuxedo so he won't feel out of place. Gee, I'm glad you call. I want to ask you something. What? Yes, he's coming over tonight. Oh, it worked fine. I didn't know a thing in class today. Not a thing! I wonder if this guy realizes the traps being set for him. Well, say, kiddo, here's what I wanted to ask you. Could you help me think up some real dumb history questions to ask him? Oh, brothers, if she needed help on that. What were some you used? They don't pay teachers one eighth enough. Let me write that down. What caused the dark ages? The smog? I think maybe he's here already. I'll talk to you later, Janie. Bye. Gosh, he's sure early. Far. I'm doing it. Sorry to disturb you again, Anderson. Huh? Oh, it's you, Mr. Otney. I just called in the branders a few doors down. They're the people that accused us of sealing their lid. Oh? They've got some new evidence now. One of the kids saw a man pick it up and carried into... your house. Our house? Oh, well, I can explain that. What are you trying to do, cause this trouble? Oh, no, really. That was the mistake I was trying to tell you about. I evidently picked theirs up, the bent one, by mistake. Thinking it was... By mistake, huh? Sure. That's how this whole thing started. Well, where is it? They want it back. Well, it's, uh... Well, it's no good. It's all bent. Your driver ran over it. Did you see him do it? No, I did. And how do you know that he... Look, I'll call up the branders and settle this thing myself. Or maybe they don't have a phone yet. Yes, they do. I've got it on their complaint card. Oh, good. Let me have that. You'll have to sign a release. I just want to borrow it. Wait there. I'll be right back. Okay. Who's he, father? That's my old pal. Aren't you gonna ask him in? Let him stay out there. Might cool him off a bit. What does he want? I think he wants to throw me in jail for being a lid snatcher. What? Well, my name is Jim Anderson. I just live a few doors down from you, and there seems to be a misunderstanding about a trash can lid. Is that the one I threw away? Well, it's all kind of silly. I picked it up by mistake, thinking it was ours, and I called the department, thinking they'd run over it and bend it out of shape. What'd you say? Oh, well, wait. I can give you a tip. Don't try to get a new one from them. Believe me, you'll be sorry you ever brought it up. I'll buy you a new one myself. No, I insist. We'll call it a sort of welcome to our neighborhood gift. Yeah. Jim Anderson, insurance. Well, sure, I'll be in my office all day tomorrow. Well, fine. I'm sure we can fix you up. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye. Well, how do you like that? Father, I think that man out there is getting impatient. Good. Want me to go out and hunt for that other lid? No. Well, Mr. Otney, it's all settled. You can go home now. Okay. You have to sign another release first. Now, wait a minute. When these complaints get on the books, we have its regulations. Sure, sure. Sign all four copies again? Yes, sir. Okay. Well, you sure get them at our office. All right, there you are. Does that take care of it now? Well, good night. Good night. Well, thank goodness that's over. I hope I never see another lid as long as I live. Dinner's on. Okay. It's not fancy tonight, but it's here. Hurry up, Kathy and Bud. No, no, no, no. You're supposed to try to hear what I'm thinking. Well, you don't think loud enough. Creepers, there's Mr. Glover. I told him not to come until seven. Father, you go to the door. I'm going, princess. I'm going. Come on, children. Sit down. Bud, did you wash your hands? Yes. Sorry to disturb you again, Anderson. Mr. Otney, what have I done now? Nothing. I don't know how it happened, but when I started my car, I bumped into your trash can and ran over the cover. You what? Now, if you'll just sign these papers, I'll see that you get an ear. Oh, no, you don't, huh? You keep your forms and I'll buy all my own trash cans from here on out. The Andersons will be back in just a moment. And now, here's a word about some of the fine shows you'll hear tomorrow night on the NBC Radio Network. Comedy rules the roost when Bob Hope presents his fast-paced, typical topical humor, and tomorrow evening you'll hear Miss Jean Tierney as guest of the Bob Hope Show. So, be sure to listen tomorrow. And then, stay tuned as Phil Harris and Alice Faye brighten the airwaves with 30 minutes of hilarious comedy and some of the nation's most popular music. Along with Phil and Alice, you'll hear Elliott Lewis and Julius Abruzio to keep the comedy on a mirthquaking level. Remember tomorrow and every Friday evening over many of these same stations, it's the Bob Hope Show and the Phil Harris Alice Faye Show. Hear them both on the NBC Radio Network. Well, a strange case of the crushed cover has been completely closed now. As far as Jim Andersons is concerned, it'll never be opened again. At the moment, Betty is studying history in the living room with Mr. Glover, while the rest of the family is confined to the den. All right now, Dad. This time, you write something down on a piece of paper and put it in a sealed envelope and see if I can tell what it is. But I'd rather not do any more mind-reading right now. The only thing I seem to have in my mind is Mr. Otney, and I don't think I want to think about him anymore. Well, just put something down. Kathy, stop peeking at Betty and Mr. Glover. I was just going to the kitchen to get a drink of water. That's the ninth drink of water you've gone after in the last ten minutes. You'll get waterlogged. Come on, Dad, write something down. You know, I still can't get over Mr. Otney accusing me of stealing the Bradner's lid. I've never stolen anything in my life. Come on, Dad. I don't feel like it, bud. Here, my pen. You write something down yourself. That way it'll be easier for you to guess what it is. Yeah, I believe you're right. Hey, would you get this pen? It says Oliver Otney on it. Oliver Otney? Oh, my gosh, I forgot to give it back. He'll be certain I stole it. He'll have me signing releases for the rest of my life. Join us again next week when we'll be back with Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young as Jim Anderson. Father Knows Best is an NBC radio network production in cooperation with Cavalier Enterprises. In our cast, Virginia Vanderpile as Margaret, Rhoda Williams, Ted Donaldson, Helen Strom and yours truly. Father Knows Best, based on characters created by Ed James, is written by Paul West and Roswell Rogers, directed by Arthur Jacobson and transcribed in Hollywood. This is Bill Foreman speaking. Tonight play Truth or Consequences on the NBC Radio Network.