 Keep tuned now for Robert Young starring in Father Knows Best, which follows this listening reminder. Tomorrow evening, there's more wonderful comedy entertainment when you set your dial to this station for the Bob Hope Show, with guest Jane Russell and the musical stylings of the Les Brown Band of Renown. Then stay tuned for more fun on the Phil Harris Alice Faye show with the comedy of Elliot Lewis, Julius Sabruzio, and the entire Harris household. It's 30 minutes of mirth and music to keep you joyfully entertained on Friday evenings. Be sure to listen tomorrow and remember there's more fun with can you top this at a new time tomorrow. Now hear Father Knows Best on NBC. Now listen to Father Knows Best transcribe starring Robert Young as Father. In the spring field in another half hour visit with the folks in the White Frame house on Maple Street. Sit back and enjoy life with the Anderson. Kathy, Bud, Betty, Margaret, and Jim as the head of this typical American household again sets out to prove that Father Knows Best. You've probably heard that the veteran woodsman can predict what the weather is going to be just by listening to the sounds in the forest around it. Well, the woodsman may be a smart fellow, but he doesn't have anything on the head of the Anderson family. Jim Anderson can predict the weather in the White Frame house on Maple Street. He can tell in advance whether life is going to be stormy or clear just by listening to the sounds that come from the various rooms of the house. For example, this evening as Jim settles himself in the den with a paper, he hears sounds like this coming from Betty's room upstairs. Bear and warmer. Hi, Dad. You home? No, but I'm up panning gold on the Klondike. What's on your mind? Nothing. I just wondered if I could sit in here with you. Sure. Pull up a chair. Hiding from somebody? Women. How come we got so many women in our house? I don't know, Bud. We're just lucky, I guess. Lucky, huh? Just what is the feminine contingent doing that you find so repugnant? You know what repugnant means. Yeah, that means it drives your nuts. Well, roughly, yes. Oh, Betty's got a big crush on old Ralph again. She's moaning around like a sick calf. Well, I wouldn't let that upset you, son. She's at the romantic age right now, full of dreams. She's full of hot air, if you ask me. All she talks about is how simply two, two wonderful Ralph is. Ralph is Ralphette. When is she going to get over that stuff, Dad? Oh, it won't be long, Bud. She's 18 now. She'll begin to act like a human being any day now. Gus Rudnick at school's got a sister, 18, and she's grown up, married even. Well, it's true. Girls do get married at 18. Who gets married at 18? Oh, Bud and I were just talking about girls. Any girl in particular? Well, Bud was mentioning that the sister of some friend of his was 18 and that she was married. What are you going to do about Betty? What do you mean, do about her? How are you going to get some guy to marry her? Well, that's not exactly a problem right now. Why are you so concerned about it all of a sudden? I was just wondering where we're going to find a guy stupid enough. Mother, do we have a picture frame? What kind of a picture frame? Well, Ralph had some new pictures taken. He gave me the best one. Look, isn't he the handsomest thing you ever saw? That's a good picture of Ralph. Hmm, he's changed since I last saw him. Looks fairly intelligent. Trick photography. Father, will you do something about this boy child? Don't bother. I'm going outside. Father, did I tell you about Ralph? Well, I'm sitting here looking at his picture. Is there more to tell? We have plans. Oh? We talked for simply hours and hours last night. About what? The future. Ralph's going into business for himself. Business? He's an interior decorator now. Oh, just like that, he's an interior decorator. No, Father, Ralph's been studying art and all that for years. Now he's made up his mind what he wants to do and he's doing it. Well, good. Isn't it customary for a person to, well, work for someone else for a while to learn the business? Interior decorating is a rather specialized field I'd always thought. Oh, an ordinary person might do that, but not Ralph. He's simply bursting with ideas. He'll make a big success. I just know he will. He says he can't fail as long as I'm by his side. What are you going to do? Hold the wallpaper? Oh, Father, you know what I mean. Well, I just hope Ralph shows a little more common sense in this venture than he has shown in the past. Oh, he settled down. He's just a different person now. You'll see. I wish I could find a frame for this picture. I want to have it out when he comes over tonight. Why don't you look up in the attic. There might be some picture frames up there. Oh, let me use your pen, Father. Ralph wants this picture of me that you have on your desk. I want to write something on it for him. Now, wait. That's my picture. You gave it to me. Well, I'll give you another one. Now, let's see. What shall I say on it? How about stolen from Jim Anderson? Betty, what's all this sudden flurry of interest in Ralph? It's not a sudden flurry, Mother. We've been going together for almost five years. Let me see now. Oh, I know what I'll say. To the man in my life, yours forever. Oh, brother. Steady, dear. Why didn't you put on something like good luck in your interior decorating business? Oh, Father, don't you know anything about love and romance? Besides, we know we're going to succeed. There's no question about it. I'll look in the attic for that picture frame, Mother. What's this wee business? I don't know, dear. Jim, what do you think about Betty and Ralph? Oh, it's nothing. I'm sure. They're just kids. Kids? How old were we when you asked my father if we could get married? We were a lot older than Betty and Ralph, I can tell you that. I was one year older than Betty and you weren't much older than Ralph. Oh, honey, don't be ridiculous. When we were married, we were grown up. I remember. Oh. Certainly. We were a couple of sensible, mature, young people. We knew what we were doing. That's not what my father thought. Your father was a very stubborn man. Do you remember what he did the night you first hinted about our getting married? Yeah. Threatened to call the police, didn't he? Not quite. He just ordered you out of the house. He was a stubborn man. I found a frame. How does Ralph look now? He doesn't look any smarter than he ever did. Father. Well, he doesn't. That's for me. Well, you know. Well, it just is. There are other people in this house who get phone calls, you know. Hello? Yes, she's here. I told you it was for me. I'll take it in the breakfast room. Ralph, Betty will be on in a minute. I swear we need two telephone lines into this house. One for Betty and Ralph, and one for the common people. Do you remember what my father used to say when you'd phone my house? I was never at your house when I phoned you. He used to yell out, Margaret, it's old nuisance again. I don't know why your father disliked me. I don't think he disliked you, dear. I trust you. But I think of the way we had to plot and scheme and connive to make him give his consent to our marriage. So wonder we went through with it. You were a stubborn man, dear. Well, after he ordered me out of the house that night, we knew he'd never say yes if I came right out bluntly and asked him if I could marry you. That's when you really put your mind to work. We really ganged up on the old boy, didn't we? I recall it was your idea to make him think we were going to a lope if he didn't give his consent. Yeah, I guess that was my idea. Remember all the trouble I went to finding a long ladder in our garage? And then very obviously hiding it in the bushes outside your window. Making sure that your father saw you do it. He couldn't figure out at first what we were up to. I think he first got the idea we were going to a lope when you made such a big point of looking for a suitcase. Yes, yes, that did it. I was gathering my clothes together and trying to scrape up some money. Knowing my financial situation at the time, this must have convinced him you were going to marry me. Oh, how lucky can a girl be? Just how lucky! What do you mean? Ralph, there is undoubtedly the most wonderful, the most brilliant, the most thoughtful, the kindest, cleverest, most adorable man in the world. From outside of that, there's very little to recommend him. Oh, he has everything to recommend him, positively everything. He's going to be a great man some day, Father, you'll see. I doubt if I'll be around that long. Now, dear... Well, I know a little about people. I've lived a number of years. It's part of my business to be able to judge people and take my word for it. Ralph's chances of being a great man are about the same as those of a Shetland pony running in a Kentucky Derby. Father, how can you say that? You don't know anything about Ralph. I know this much about him. He'll be the luckiest man in the world if he manages to reach the position of being a likable failure. Oh, Jim, that's not fair. Not fair? I suppose it's fair for that calf-eyed would-be interior decorator to hang around Betty year in and year out. Hypnotize her with that slick talk of his. Hypnotize? Father, you must be out of your mind. Ralph is a simple, honest, straightforward young man. Simple, yes. Honest? I'm not at all sure. Look at that car he drives. No civilized person would be caught dead in that contraption. Dear, the fact that he drives an older model car doesn't reflect on his honesty. At least he's not squandering his money on a car he can't afford. What money? To my knowledge, he has never had a nickel of his own. That car was probably given to him by one of his enemies. Of which I'm sure he has many. Oh, Father, you're the most... Oh, really? Dear, why did you do that? Why did I do what? Betty's very fond of Ralph, and he's a nice boy. I don't trust him, Margaret. I never have, and I never will. But he's been going with him for years. You've never made any point of it before. Well, she's never seemed quite so interested in him before. The trouble with you, honey, is that you're just like Betty. You have no judgment whatsoever about people. You'd put your faith in any bomb that comes along. I put my faith in you. That was entirely different. Well, you simply have to face it, dear. Sooner or later, some young man is going to come into our living room and ask you if he can marry Betty. I know, but that's a long way off. I don't mind if it's anybody but Ralph. Father? Yes, Princess? Are you going to be home this evening? I expect to be. Why? Ralph is coming over. What for? He wants to ask you a very important question. Well, I'm not interested in... Oh, my gosh. Act two of Father Knows Best in just a moment. Each weekday, Monday through Friday, you're invited to enjoy the wonderful daytime programs on the NBC Radio Network, such as the Bob Hope daytime show, the phrase that pays, and welcome travelers. Then there are your friends on the daytime dramas, Peppery Young's Family, Life Can Be Beautiful, Young Witter Brown, The Woman in My House, Just Plain Bill, and The Road of Life. Every day as you do your housework, hear and enjoy these and more fine daytime programs, the listening's fine in the daytime on the NBC Radio Network. Now there is no joy in the White Frame House on Maple Street this evening. There is no joy for the head of the Anderson family. Tonight he faces the prospect of a meeting with Betty's boyfriend, Ralph, who is coming over to ask Jim a very important question. How does Jim feel about Ralph? Just about the way Margaret's father felt about him in their courting days. In Jim's own words, his attitude toward Ralph is something like this. Ralph is a bum. Now, Jimmy's nothing of the kind. Margaret, you're not in favor of letting Betty... She's too young. No, no, I'm not in favor of it, dear. I think they should wait a while. Oh, thank you, Princess. If you'll come in the living room and lie down on the couch, I'll rub your head. Now, look, you're not going to soften me up with that head-rubbing routine. Soften you up for what? You know very well what I'm talking about. You're not going to wheedle me into saying yes to Ralph no matter what you do. Oh, Father, please at least listen to him. Be fair about it. I will. I'll be absolutely fair. But there's only one answer. But you will talk to him. The answer to Ralph is going to be no. N-O. Well, you don't even know what he's going to ask you. Oh, yes, I do. How did you find out? Well, it doesn't exactly take a genius to discover these things. Well, maybe you'll change your mind after he talks to you. Believe me, Princess, there is not one chance in a million. Oh, what a family. Dear, if I may make a suggestion, I don't think you're approaching this in quite proper fashion. Is there any other way to deal with a boy like Ralph? I'm simply going to tell him as directly as possible that Betty cannot marry him, and that is that. But that's the wrong thing to do. That's the way my father handled it, and look what happened to him. Your father didn't reason. He was just stubborn. And what are you being? I'm being logical. Well, do it your way. But if I know Betty, you're asking for trouble. Hey, Mom, where's the big suitcase? Which big suitcase? Oh, I don't know. Betty just told me to come down and ask you and Dad where the big suitcase is. What's she doing with a suitcase? Hey, Tallulah, what are you going to do with a suitcase? Never mind. Just bring it up. Oh, no, she wouldn't. Wouldn't what? Tell her we don't know where the suitcase is. Hey, Betty! It's all right. I found it. Where's she going, Mom? I don't know, but... She's not going anywhere. This is just a part of the act, Margaret. She's heard you tell that story about your father and she thinks she can work it on us. What story? Funny thing, dear. My father said almost the same thing. I don't know what's going on in this house. The idea. Betty trying to make us think she'll elope if I don't say yes to Ralph. But they elope too. I don't really know. With that car of Ralph's, they couldn't get to the city limits. There are other cars, you know. Margaret, whose side are you on? Do you want Betty to marry that goof all right? I didn't say that. I merely suggested that you might take a little more diplomatic approach. A man doesn't raise a daughter just to see her go prancing off of the first Tom Dicker Harry that comes along. I'd like to know who that Ralph thinks he is. Oh, me, oh, me, oh, my. Where have I heard that song before? I can close my eyes and hear my father. Margaret, I wish you wouldn't keep bringing your father into this. There is not the slightest similarity in the two situations. Daddy. What is it, kitten? Can I have my next week's allowance? What for? Betty wants to borrow it. Betty? It's all right. She can get it back from Ralph. That's what she said anyway. Margaret, kitten, it's a bad policy to lend money. And furthermore, if she's depending on Ralph, the breadwinner, to pay it back, I'd consider it a very poor investment. OK. Hey, Betty. What? Ralph win the bread. First the suitcase, now the money. You think she would at least have switched the act around? She must think we're awfully dumb. I just had a rather horrible thought, dear. I'm quite sure we never told the children that story about my father. Oh, you must have. Where'd Betty get the idea? Jim, how do you know it's an idea? Maybe they're really planning to elope if you won't consent. Oh, no, that's silly. You know Betty. Oh, no. Father, where's our long ladder? What do you want that for? Nothing. I just want to know where it is. I may want to use it. It's in the garage, but... Thank you, Father. Now, what do you suppose is in that girl's mind? You know, my father wanted the same thing. Margaret. I just mentioned it. They wouldn't elope? Of course they wouldn't. They wouldn't dare. Do you think they would? It has been done. Count found it. I'm not going to give my consent to that fool, Ralph. Why don't you just explain to him? Try to make friends with him. I don't want him for a friend. I'll bet you dollars to donuts. He was the one who put Betty up to this idea of the ladder and all. What makes you think so? It's just the sneaky kind of a thing he would do. I wouldn't be surprised if he did. You gave the idea to me. That was different. Was that a car stopping out front? No, it was not a car, it was Ralph. In that peramelating collection of cans, he calls a car. Look at him getting out, straightening his tie. Move over. Let me look. I always thought he was a nice-looking young man. Honey, you need glasses. I'd like to know if these kids are bluffing. I wouldn't count on it. Father, Ralph's here. I know. I heard him arrive. Now, please don't be obstinate. Please. But, Princess, this is a big step. I know, Father. I just can't, Princess. We'll go ahead anyway, so you might just as well... Betty! Now, look, Princess. Oh, here he is, Father. You'll have to make your decision. Hi, Betty. Hello, Ralph. Come on in. Is your father home? He's right here in the den. Come on in. Hello, Ralph. Good evening, Mrs. Anderson. How are you, Mr. Anderson? Fine. Fine. Just fine. Well, Ralph and Father have some things to talk about. Shall we go upstairs, Mother? Yes, I suppose. Maybe you can help me with the suitcase. It's nice to see you again, Mr. Anderson. It's been quite a while. Yes, it has. It's yesterday. Would you care to sit down? Oh, thank you, sir. All your family well? Oh, yes, sir. They're all fine. Pretty busy. Yes, everyone's busy these days, I guess. Yeah, seems like it all right. How school? Oh, busy at school, too. Especially now that I'm going into business on the side. It keeps me pretty busy. Interior decorating, I think, Betty said. Yes, sir. Big future in it, I think. I've been studying about it. Paula has to have something with the future these days. Yes, that's true. I have a lot of plans, Mr. Anderson. Betty and I have talked about it a lot lately. Yes. So I understand. Well, a fellow has to make up his mind what he's going to do and then do it, don't you think? Yes, to a certain extent, that is. You can't let other people discourage you once you make up your mind. Betty and I were talking about that last night. Well, it all depends, Ralph. Sometimes parents, well, they know from experience about things. Yeah, but we can't let parents stop us. Well, sometimes older people, I mean parents, are, well, you know, they're afraid to take a chance with young people. Well, Ralph, it isn't that exactly. Mr. Anderson, I know things will work out all right for us. We just have to be given a chance, that's all. But Ralph, it's... I came over to ask you a big question, Mr. Anderson. I guess there's no use beating around the bush about it. No, I guess not. I've tried to think of all different kinds of ways to put the question to you and none of them sound very good. Ralph, why don't you think about it for a while? No, sir. I'm going to do it right now. Of course, I'll have to tell you whether you say yes or no, Mr. Anderson. We're going ahead anyway. Now look here, Ralph. We've got to. We can't let anything stand in the way now, so... So, I'm going to ask you... Mr. Anderson. Yes? Will you invest $500 in my interior decorating business? Is that what you came to ask me? Yes, sir. I know it's an awful lot, but I'm... Oh, Ralph. I'll be delighted to put money into your company. You will? I thought you were going to ask me if... If what? Uh, nothing, nothing. Guys, this sure is a big relief to me, Mr. Anderson. A big relief to you. You have no idea how I feel. Betty. Well, what's the answer? How about it, Father? He's going to do it. Oh, Father, you're a doll, a doll! $500 will set up our shop, Betty. What do you mean our shop? Well, that's what you get for the $500. Betty's going to be a partner in the interior decorating business. Well, from the sound of things, I take it there's good news tonight. Margaret, Ralph only wanted $500. I heard all about it upstairs. Well, I sure feel better. Wait a minute, Betty. Explain something. Why were you looking for the suitcase and the ladder? Well, Ralph and I are going out tomorrow afternoon on our first decorating job. We need the ladder for painting and the suitcase to carry the wallpaper. Well, go, children, be partners in paint and may God bless you. The Anderson's will be back in just a moment. Hi, friends. This is Gordon Macrae, your Monday evening railroad hour host. Some of Ireland's greatest songs in the musical romance based on the life of the Emerald Isle's greatest songwriter will be heard on next Monday's show train. It's Lawrence and Lee's Minstrel Boy, and the central character is Tom Moore, who wrote such wonderful ballads as Believe Me If All Those Enduring Young Charms. The heart that once threw Tara's halls and the last rose of summer. Lovely Lucille Norman, our special guest, will portray the devoted Irish Colleen, who inspired Moore's greatest works. So be sure to tune in the railroad hour on this NBC station next Monday evening for another sparkling musical romance. Well, I don't know if Jim Anderson will ever completely recover from the rigors of the evening. But at any rate, he and Margaret are now moving through the house, locking doors and turning off lights as they prepare to retire for the night. Did you get the light in the dining room, dear? Yeah, everything switched off and locked. Let's go to bed. As Bud would say, I'm beat. Just a minute, dear. What are you looking at? There's someone standing on our front doorstep. Shhh, Betty and Ralph. They're home early. Don't stand there and watch them. Remember when we stood on the front steps? Yeah. We'd stand there for hours. I was freezing every minute. Why didn't you tell me? I didn't want to change the subject. Well, let's go upstairs. You go ahead, honey. I'll be up in a second. Hey, kids, why don't you come in the parlor? Next week, we'll be back with Bob and O's Best, starring Robert Young as Jim Anderson. Bob and O's Best is an NBC radio network production in cooperation with Cavalier Enterprises. In our cast, Baroda Williams as Betty, Gene Vanderpile, Ted Donaldson, Helen Strom, and Gil Stratton Jr. Bob and O's Best is based on characters created by Ed James, 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 with Ralph Edwards on the NBC radio network. Thank you.