 Transcribed. Now listen to Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young's father. A half-hour visit with your neighbors, the Anderson. Brought to you by Crosley, makers of pace-setting products for happier living. Crosley Automatic Television. Oh, boy. Beautiful Crosley-Schelvedore refrigerators. The world's most convenient. Wonderful Crosley Automatic Electric Rangers. Crosley-Schelvedore freezers, color-style radios, and many other leading home appliances. Back in the days of ancient Rome, folks used to go to the Coliseum to watch a gladiator fight a lion. That must have been quite a tussle. Almost as spectacular as the struggle going on in the living room of the White Frame House on Maple Street, where a man is fighting with a newspaper. The man, Jim Anderson, 160 pounds. The newspaper, The Springfield Clarion, six-and-one-half ounces. Where in the name of Count Founded Caesar can't find anything in this mixed-up pile of junk they call a newspaper. What in the world do they do with this thing? Too bad he's losing. Let's look into the kitchen where two of the younger Anderson are engaged in the battle of the dish-band. Like this. Why do I have to dry dishes? Where's Kathy? I told you about it. I skewed Kathy tonight. It was very nice of you to volunteer to help Eddie, who volunteered? I was drafted. Margaret, where's the rest of the paper? It's all there in the living room, Jim. Drying dishes is not a man's work. Look who's a man all of a sudden. Eddie, don't argue with him. A family like us ought to have a dishwasher. We have. I'm it. I mean an automatic. Seven nights a week. How automatic can you get? Watch the dishes. Oh, grown. We ought to have an electric lawn mower, too. I could use the motor when I'm not mowing the lawn. Which is 365 days a year? Children, if you're going to argue, you'll just have to... Margaret! I'm busy in the kitchen, dear. What is it? Margaret, where's Kathy? I dismissed her from drying dishes tonight. She has something very special to do. Like getting out of wiping the dishes. But I'm sure that's not what you had in mind. Well, there's something mighty strange going on in this house. What do you mean, dear? The financial page is gone out of the paper again. Last night the financial page was gone. Night before the sport page. Every night for over a week. Betty? I don't know anything about it, Father. It wasn't me, dear. Well, somebody's taking them out. Every night some page is missing. It's aggravated, especially the financial page. I don't understand it. I certainly haven't much use for the financial page, Jim. Or the sport page either. I didn't do it. Betty didn't do it. You didn't do it. What would Kathy want with two-week financial pages? She can't even spell financial. Neither can you. I can't see why she'd do it. I can't possibly see why. She seems to be very busy on some great project lately. She goes around in kind of a trend. No, it couldn't have been Kathy. Jim, I don't know what to suggest. Well, I do, and I think I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to call my old pal Fred Mattson down at the paper and make a complaint. Fred Mattson, the editor? Certainly, I pay the full subscription. I want a full paper. Jim, you're being ridiculous. I am not. I've been waiting for a chance to bend his ear about something. How do? I'm going to call him right now. You want to hear me polish him off? Come on, listen to him. Jim. Come on, this is going to be good. Mother, about to keep scrapping the dishes before they're ran. Okay, you don't have to make a federal case out of it. See, I think Fred's number's in the book here. Jim, why do you have to call Fred Mattson? I can't be in charge of missing pages. Margaret, when you buy a shirt and a button's missing, do you call the button so or on it? The what? Suppose you buy a loaf of raisin bread from the bakery and there are no raisins in it. I don't see what buttons and raisins have to do with Fred Mattson. You're missing the whole point. If the raisins are missing, you don't call the person who stuffs in the raisins. You call the head baker. So? So, if the buttons are missing from my paper, the raisins, I mean the pages are missing. I don't call the paper stuffer. I call the head man, Fred Mattson. Jim, you're doing this just to provoke him. You're supposed to be friends. We are friends, but Fred just loves to rid me every chance he gets. It's a friendly feud. I'm sure I don't understand. Women never do. Last month, when one of my salesmen called him about renewing some fire insurance on his building, did I hear about it? Wow! Why? The renewal wasn't due for two years. Boy, did he jump on that. Anxious Andy, he calls me. Jump the gun, Jim. Now, will I get back at him? I wish you'd please hold off until I at least ask Kathy. I'm sure she had nothing to do with it. Oh, this is going to be good. Fred, I'll say, what's the matter? Paper shortage? Then I'll say, don't look now, Fred, but your sport page is slipping. Oh, that's the silliest thing I ever heard. I'm going to find Kathy. Betty, bud. Yes, mother? Have you any idea where Kathy is? No, I have a mother. Oh, that's him. Fred Mattson. Jim Anderson. Yeah, Anxious Andy. What's the matter down there? Paper shortage? She was in my room once this afternoon. Dropping the financial page, are you, Mattson? I'm probably too late, but I'll go look. I'll go. You'll finish wiping the dishes if it takes you all night. Get to work, flow poke. I don't see what Dad's so steamed up about. Financial pages. Holy cow. If it had been the comic section, you'd have howled your head off. Well, it's better than that junk that you read. I don't read junk. Dear Miss Fairfax. It's not Fairfax. I am a beautiful girl of 16. Bud, don't be silly. I am madly in love with a handsome lettuce picker. Oh, Bud. Do you think I should leave my family to answer my true love's call? Take that dish towel off your neck and quit acting like Betty Davis. Please answer this before my true love dies of old age, signed Puzzled Heart. What in the world are you doing? Who me? Never mind. Where's your mother? She's looking for Kathy. Oh, well, I've got something real choice to tell you. Jim, Jim. Right here, Margaret. I knew you shouldn't have called, Fred Mattson. Why not? I enjoyed it. Oh, dear. I'd have been on the phone yet, but he hung up on me. Couldn't take it. Anxious Andy is right. Look here. Oh, what's this? Only your precious missing pages. Where did these come from? I told you it was Kathy. It wasn't Kathy. Betty, I found these in your room beside your typewriter. Oh, boy. Bud, leave the room. I can't, Dad. I have to wipe the dishes. Mother, you certainly don't think... Oh, Betty, let's not get excited. You just had to call Fred Mattson. Margaret, what Mattson doesn't know won't hurt him. Betty, the missing pages themselves are nothing. It's just... Father, please, I... It's just that sometimes we do a little thing and we hate to admit it. It's not the thing itself, but it just, well, it builds up. Sure, I know. You start out stealing pins and the first thing you know... Bud, leave the room. What can I do? Go look for Kathy. I never get to wipe the dishes. Kathy! Kathy! It's all right, Princess. I'm not going to school. Jumping creepers, I didn't take the papers. Betty, the evidence... What could I possibly want with financial pages? I don't know, but... With my allowance, you think I'm playing the stock market? Well, there's a sport pages. Sport pages. Look at those pictures. Wrestlers. You. Well, then, who is a... Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Jim. Look on the other side of the pages. Oh. Story writing contest for children between 8 and 10. On every single page, look. Final week of contest brings wealth of manuscripts. But it must have been Kathy. Grand prize winner to be announced Saturday. Daily winners exhibit mature talent. Kathy! Kathy! She's entered this contest and was typing her story in my room. You want me, Mommy? Here I am. I found her lugging bird seed up to the attic. Kitten, you've entered this story contest? I'm going to win a typewriter. Jim, why did you have to call Fred Natson? He had it coming anyway. Then you did take those pages, Kathy. Oh, sure. The rules and stuff were all on them. Thank goodness that settled. Grab the dish towel, bud. Give me a chance. You should have asked your father, dear. As a matter of fact, it's not important at all. I'm very proud of you, Kitten. Now I can have a typewriter for my very own. Oh, yeah? How do you know you'll win it? My story is a lot better than those that have been printed. I'm sure it is. Anderson is quite a name in literature. You know, Hans Christian? Oh, we aren't in a relation to him. Are we? Ask your father. Are we, Dad? It's entirely possible. Anyway, I'm going to help Kathy with her story. Oh, that wouldn't be fair, Daddy. It's the rules. Rules? Of the contest. I'm not allowed to color rabbit with any of the family. Not allowed to what? Color rabbits. That means get any help. Oh, I think you mean collaborate. Collaborate. And the story has to be a true story. I see. Well, I just thought... I'll win it anyway, Daddy. Yeah, her. Never mind, boy. I'm sure you will, kitten. The first prize winner is going to be announced on Saturday. That's just fine. What is your story about? Oh, it's a real sweet story. That's good. That's the kind I like. What is it about? It's a secret. Maybe you could just kind of give me a hint. I might just make a suggestion or two. It wouldn't be fair. Is it about us or the house? Jim, don't be so inquisitive. I'm not inquisitive. I'm just enthusiastic. You'll find out what it's about Saturday. I don't see why I can't just glance over the story and make a suggestion here and there. I wish you'd be as anxious to help me when I have to write something for school. I'm always willing to help any of you kids anytime. You know that. No, kitten. Certainly, but I've never refused you when you asked, have I? Well, I've got a project now. I could sure use some help. All right, son. Tell me what it is. I'm your man. Will you really take over, dad? I said I would, didn't I? Okay. Here you are. What's the dish towel for? That was my project. I was wiping the dishes. Wait a minute. Thanks a lot, dad. You promised him, daddy. Swindled by my own son. And now here is our very special guest, lovely and talented Hollywood star Margaret Lindsay. Good evening. You know, I wish you could watch me on the Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney TV show because it's so easy to show you why Crosley Automatic Television is the world's finest. For example, with Crosley, you just turned one control knob, the exclusive Crosley Unituner to select the channel you want. The result? You automatically get the clearest, sharpest, finest picture and performance you've ever seen. And that's true even in areas where reception is generally poor. And with Crosley Automatic Television you never have to jump up to match the picture to the sound or get rid of picture disturbances or adjust the controls to keep the pictures clear, strong and steady. Crosley, you see, does all those jobs for you. Crosley TV automatically makes all adjustments. And believe me, you'll enjoy the steadiest, most disturbance-free picture you've ever watched. But you see for yourself how true that is. You visit your Crosley dealer tomorrow. See Crosley Automatic Television in action. Admire the beauty of the authentically-styled cabinets. You'll be convinced. Here's the finest in television, priced to make you doubly happy. There's an old saying to the effect that he travels fastest who travels alone. If this is true, the youngest Anderson is bound to set an all-time speed record, which is working a considerable hardship on the other Anderson. Well, all but one. On this Saturday afternoon, he's not concerned about anything like this. Bud? Yeah, just a minute, I will. Well, what? Oh, I don't know, whenever you say Bud like that, you want me to do something. I want you to get your feet off the back of the Davenport for one thing. Why do you always have to get your feet up over your head when you're reading something? My feet? Don't look at them like you'd never seen them before. They are yours. Yeah, I guess they are. Hello, feet. Bud, don't be facetious. What's that? It's what you're being. Now get up and get busy. You promised to gather up the old magazines and put them in the garage today. Okay. Did you know that grasshoppers live longer in the tropics than they do in colder climates? Bud, you're not supposed to be reading the magazines. Holy cow, everybody else gets to read them. All I do is carry them out. Well, start carrying. Where's Kathy? She's sitting around some place waiting for the paper to come with that story. Now, Tralicia's excited. We all hope her story wins. What a beat, old brain. Writing that gooey love stuff. What makes you think it's love stuff? Probably starts out with a hero saying, I love you, my angel eyes. What did you say? Nothing. Margaret, I'm home. We're in the living room, dear. Hi, Abad. Hello, honey. Hello, dear. Well, how's the literary family? Where's Kathy? Have you heard anything yet? Heard anything? Heard newspaper. I thought maybe they'd call if she won. The day's the day, you know. I know, dear. We haven't heard. I thought they might want to take pictures or something. She probably didn't even come close. Bud, go take out the magazine. Hey, Dad, did you know that grasshoppers live longer in the topics? I'm sure if I were a grasshopper, I'd head south immediately. Where's Kathy? Bud, if you don't take the magazines out right now, you're going to wash and wipe the dishes tonight. I can't. Joe Phillips and I are going to color rabbits tonight. What? You know, help each other on some problems. Oh, Bud, don't be facetious. All my life, I've never been facetious. Now twice in one afternoon. What's he talking about? I don't know what's come over him. Bud, do as you're told. Okay, okay. I haven't been able to do a thing with him this afternoon. Well, kid, go through pages. It's a funny thing the paper hasn't called. If Kathy won, I mean. Well, dear, maybe she didn't win. After all. But there seemed to be no question in her mind. I think you'd be more disappointed than Kathy. Well, it's just that I'm enthusiastic about my family. You can't blame a man for that. How was your golf game today? Huh? Oh, very good. Did you see, uh, Fred Mathen? I certainly did. I let him have both barrels again. Oh, Jim, you didn't. He came in with 103. I told him to print that one on his missing sport page. Jim, you shouldn't. Why not? What does he know? You shouldn't have done it. Didn't he say anything? Oh, he mumbled about something loose in my attic. What a comeback. What a snappy retort. He's probably figuring some way to get back at you. No, I don't think so. Say, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Do you suppose he would purposely keep Kathy from winning that prize? Jim, he probably doesn't even know Kathy entered it. He's the managing editor, isn't he? Probably one of the judges. Well, he certainly wouldn't stoop to... I'm not so sure. Jim, he wouldn't. You said yourself it's just a friendly feud. Maybe this is going beyond the friendly stage. If he brings my daughter into it... Jim, please. Wouldn't that be a sneaking, underhanded trick? Jim, calm down. I am calm, but believe me, if I find out that he... Oh, Jim, for heaven's sake. What a petty thing to do. Hello, Daddy. Oh, hello, kitten. Gee, Daddy. Are you sick or something? Me? No. I'm all right. Uh, how is my favorite daughter between the ages of eight and ten? Fine. Daddy? Yes, kitten? What makes you so red in the face? Your father probably had a little too much gall. Well, kitten, have you heard from the paper about whether you won or not? I don't have to. I know I'm going to win. Well, I certainly like your confidence, but it seems they'd notify you of the... It'll be in the paper tonight. Pretty soon. Kathy, if it should happen that you don't win... But I'm going to. Your father means that there should be a slip-up or something. There won't be. I only wish you'd have let me help you. It wouldn't have been fair, Daddy. The rules. I might have added just a touch of color here and there. But this story had to be true. And if a story is a true story, you don't do anything to it. Of course. What? You just say it the way it is. Margaret, did you hear that? Naturally. Now, there's a great rule for good writing if I ever heard one. Kathy's developing a remarkable mind. Believe me, there's nothing loose in her attic. Oh, it's just a figure of speech. That's funny. Funny? Attic, I mean. That's the name of my story. The Secret of the Attic. Secret of the Attic? Well, is it about something that happened in the attic? Jen, don't pry. I'm not prying. I'm just interested. Attic. I can't imagine what could happen in the attic. It could very easily rain in the attic, since you haven't fixed the roof. That could happen. Rain in the attic. I bet it's about how the little raindrops sound on the roof, like little toy soldiers marching up and down the roof with their little drums. Little toy soldiers with their little toy drums. Say, that's rather good, isn't it? Is it that, Kathy? No. Oh. When did you find out about this, I mean the secret? When I was taking the bird seat up to the attic one day. That bird seat I won. Oh. Is it about the bird seat? Jen, for heaven's sake, stop being a prosecuting attorney. Margaret, if Kathy feels she wants to consult me about things, if she feels like telling her own father what her story is all about, she has a perfect right to it. Haven't you, Kathy? No. Jen, I've never seen you so insistent. Who's insistent? I want it to be a surprise. Then maybe you shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place. Jen, everything she's told you, you've positively wheeled out of her. The child wants it to be a surprise. Let it be a surprise. It's like Christmas, Daddy. The story? No. I mean, you never let me open any packages before Christmas morning because then it wouldn't be a surprise. That's right. Forgive me, your daddy is just so proud and excited. Well, you just wait until you're a father. I mean... You run along now, Kathy, and let Daddy rest a while. Okay. I'll let you ride in my new typewriter, Daddy. Bless her heart. If she doesn't win, it'll be just... She will. When you know something, you just know what I get. It's amazing, a child's confidence. Well, I guess I'll go and clean up. The paper should be here before long. I'll see if she doesn't win. And I find out that Fred Mattson is behind it. Jim Anderson. Dad! Hey, Dad! Yes? Come here a minute, Lydia. Don't shout at me, Bob. If you want me, you come here. When will kids learn that parents are not supposed to jump at their beck and call? I swear... If you want me to save these old financial pages out of the papers? Of course not. Just thought I'd ask before I took them out. There's no interest to me anymore. Take them out. The only paper your father is interested in is tonight's. I don't see why everybody's so excited about Kathy's old love story. Bob, what makes you think... Angel eyes, scar of my dreams. Bob! Words from your lips like the falling of rose petals. But Anderson, where did you... Yes, where in the world did you get that silly drivel? Silly, Jim, it's... What kind of trash have you been reading lately? Oh, well, I just happened to be... Bob, have you gotten into the attic trunk? Attic trunk? Jim, that came from the love letters you wrote me 20 years ago. They were in that trunk. But Anderson... I didn't look in any trunk on this. Those very words, where did you find them? Well, I just happened to look in Kathy's room. Kathy's room? And I was just looking around. What for? Well, I got to wondering what her story was about. And I happened to find a letter... Jim, for heaven's sake, do you know what this means? It means that Bud is entirely too curious. Now, look here. Jim, what'll we do? Well, there's no particular harm. Jim, don't you see the connection? Kathy's story, the secret of the attic. Your love letters, they're going to be published today. Oh, no! Hi, everybody, what's all this? Hey, bring me the phone. Bring me the phone. Who in the world can you phone? Father, how can I bring you the phone? The cord's fastened to the wall. Never mind. I'll call Fred Manson. Apologize. Jim, it's too late. Betty, go find Kathy. This is the silliest, Pamela. I've got to stop the press. I'll call Fred. I'll crawl. Humiliate myself. It's too late. The paper will be here any minute now. I'm ruined. It will be all over town. Jim, there's a chance that Kathy didn't use those letters. You want me, Mommy? I'll be the laughingstock of the town. Kathy, you found some of Daddy's letters in the attic. I was putting the bird seed in the trunk. Ridiculous in the streets. What's the matter with Daddy? Your father is sick. Of course, on my own guitar. There's the paper. I'll get it. I will. Jim, maybe she didn't win. No difference. Ruin man, all over town. Well, I'll be doggone. Look at this. Story finals won by Kathleen Anderson. I told you I would. Oh. The secret of the attic. But maybe you better not read it. In a quiet corner of our attic lives a couple named Jim and Margaret. Corner of the attic? They will never have to work hardly at all, for they will have enough bird seed to last in the rest of their lives. I thought this had to be true. It is. Wait until he reads farther down. Rest of their lives. Jim and Margaret are two little birds who have built a nest there. I think they are swallows. Kathy. I named them Jim and Margaret because those are the nicest names of parents I know. Why kitten? I think they will soon be parents as they are sitting on an egg. What kind of a story is that, bird? What kind of a story? Only the most wonderful story ever written. I knew she could do it. Kathy, Angel, it wasn't much. Sure wasn't, but... But, Kathy darling, we thought, I mean, how in the world did you pass up daddy's letters? Well, Mommy, I thought that was a secret between you and daddy. I don't think it's right to tell other people secrets. Kathy, you're marvelous. You're so right. To one and all, never meddle in the secrets of others. Let that be a lesson to you. Jen. To all of us. Now, Kathy, I'm going to get comfortable while you read us the rest of your wonderful story. You know, friends, you can't really enjoy television at its finest if you're forever jumping up and down to adjust the controls. That's why the biggest thing in television today is causally automatic television. Television that adjusts itself automatically to give you the clearest, brightest, steadiest picture in television. And that's true even if you live in a so-called fringe area. Once you've selected the station you want, you just sit back and enjoy the show to your heart's content. There's no getting up to eliminate picture disturbances or keep the picture steady or fiddle with the sound. No, sir. For when the picture's right, the sound's right automatically. Yes, visit your causally dealer tomorrow. Watch causally automatic television in action. Compare the beautiful, authentically-styled cabinets. You will say, here's television at its finest. Price to make you doubly happy. Evening has drawn its sheltering cloak around the White Frame House on Maple Street. And tonight, with a celebrity in the family, the order of things has been slightly changed. Like this. Hey, Dad, how come you and Mom are doing dishes? Well, Betty had a date tonight. What about Kathy? We can't very well ask a prominent authorist to dry dishes. I think she earned the evening off. She writes some junk about a couple of little birds. For this, you want a typewriter? That was a surprise. Maybe I'll write a story. Once upon a time there were two ostriches. Look, if you're going to hang around, there's another dish towel there. I'm going. Jim, I've been thinking about those letters in the trunk and some of the things you said in them. After 20 years, do they sound ridiculous? No. You're still my angel eyes. Thank you, Jim. Margaret, you can hand me the potato masher now. Add exciting new color to your home. Enjoy radio reception at its best with Crosley's exciting new color-style radios. Tone engineered to give you full, rich sound from stations near and far without fading or blasting, these radios are setting the pace in radio reception. Decorator designed to bring gay new color to your home. These colorful beauties add fresh charm to your favorite room. They come in a tempting variety of color combinations and sizes. One just right for that new radio you've wanted. See them at your Crosley dealer soon. Join us again next week when we'll be back with Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young as Jim Anderson with Roy Bargy's Orchestra. In our cast were Rhoda Williams as Betty, Gene Vanderpile, Ted Donaldson, and Norma Jean Nielsen. So until next week at this same time, good night and good luck from the Crosley Division of the Abco 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 and Carl Hertzinger. Now it's Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons on NBC.