Father Knows Best 50-01-05 Ep020 Safety Campaign

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Father Knows Best – "Safety Campaign" (Ep020)

Father Knows Best (January 2, 2026)
Host: Harold’s Old Time Radio
Episode Theme:
A comedic but heartfelt exploration of family responsibility, teenage driving safety, and generational perspectives on risk and truth-telling—set in the context of a highway safety campaign.

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Episode Overview

In this classic episode from the golden age of radio, the Anderson family navigates everyday dramas, misunderstandings, and a timely lesson in responsibility. The plot centers on Jim Anderson’s (the father) initial reluctance to lead a highway safety campaign, Margaret’s (the mother) new role giving a public speech, and Bud’s (the son) reckless driving escapade. The episode culminates in an earnest call to action for family-driven safety initiatives and features a special segment with a real-life traffic judge.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family Dinner and Everyday Dynamics

• The episode opens with the Anderson family at dinner, featuring playful sibling banter and light interjections from the parents.
• Kathy and Bud negotiate chores, with humor and exasperation over whose turn it is to dry dishes (01:28).
• Jim expresses feeling overwhelmed by community obligations, setting up his aversion to more responsibility (02:33, 02:51).

2. Parental Fibbing and Moral Nuance

• Kathy catches her father in a harmless lie when Jim dodges Judge Mitchell’s call (04:40–05:12).
• Jim stumbles through justifying his fib, trying to explain the difference between adult "white lies" and childhood fibs:

  "There are times when if you tell an untruth, it isn’t really an untruth because you mean to tell the truth… You want to be kind, that’s all."
  —Jim Anderson (05:32)

• Kathy cuts through with the child’s perspective:

  "It’s a fib when you’re little, but when you grow up, it isn’t."
  —Kathy Anderson (06:35)

3. The Dinner Disrupted: Dr. Swain’s Request

• Family dinner is interrupted when Dr. Swain visits seeking advice for a church discussion on family relationships (08:29–10:15).
• Jim expects to be asked for yet another speech, but instead Dr. Swain requests “a mother’s viewpoint,” asking Margaret to address the congregation (11:20).
• Jim’s disappointment is both comic and telling about gender roles at the time.

4. Margaret’s Speech Preparation

• Margaret struggles to find a unique perspective for her talk, trying to draw Jim into helping (13:36–14:54).
• Jim, showing passive resistance, jokes:

  "If I wanted to make the speech, why didn’t you say so?"
  —Jim Anderson (14:34)

• Margaret pushes back playfully, highlighting married life’s little battles over credit and responsibility.

5. Bud’s Reckless Driving Revealed

• Judge Mitchell arrives and, after some parrying, urges Bud to confess to his parents (16:34–17:02).
• Bud admits to taking part in a dangerous game driving (“playing chicken”), which led to damaging Judge Mitchell’s tree (17:27–18:01).
• Jim’s stern lecture on driving responsibility is the episode’s moral crux:

  "I failed to teach him the responsibility that goes with a car… He holds the power of life and death in his fingertips."
  —Jim Anderson (19:13)

6. Apology and Road Safety Commitment

• Jim admits his own failure to reinforce true responsibility in driving, expressing shame over dodging his civic role (19:00).
• Judge Mitchell gracefully accepts the apology and de-emphasizes the damaged tree’s importance:

  "We can just forget the tree, Jim. Let’s say that it died for worthy cause."
  —Judge Mitchell (20:06)

• Margaret points out that Jim has just given her speech for her, implying that parental example is the real lesson (20:14).

7. Real-World Highway Safety Advocacy

• The narrative pivots to a segment with Judge Roger Pfaff (actual historical figure), introduced as a “popular traffic judge” for his work in Los Angeles (22:12).

• The judge discusses the pervasive danger of overconfident young drivers—even those with good skills:

  "Our problem is with competent drivers… so confident of [their] ability that [they] take ridiculous chances…"
  —Judge Roger Pfaff (23:25)

• He recounts a shocking incident:

  "A boy was driving… in excess of 55 miles an hour without a steering wheel… steering with a pair of pliers."
  —Judge Roger Pfaff (24:32)

8. The Safety Campaign & National Call to Action

• Jim Anderson outlines a nationwide program: the Man-to-Man Club, where parents and teens pledge to drive responsibly via signed agreements (25:45).

  "There are voluntary good driver agreements provided for… These are agreements between parents and children… designed not to take the joy out of life, but rather to give you a longer life to enjoy."
  —Jim Anderson (25:45)

• These agreements, featuring membership cards, are positioned as a way to distinguish responsible young drivers.
• Judge Pfaff closes:

  "If you can get all the drivers… to operate their vehicles safely, carefully and with simple, good old fashioned American courtesy, well, every once in a while fellows like me will have a chance to go fishing."
  —Judge Roger Pfaff (27:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Comment | |-----------|-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:49 | Margaret Anderson | "Jim, you love it and you know it." | | 04:43 | Kathy Anderson | "You told a fib… and if that isn't a fib, what is?" | | 05:32 | Jim Anderson | "There are times when if you tell an untruth, it isn’t really an untruth…" | | 06:35 | Kathy Anderson | "It’s a fib when you’re little, but when you grow up, it isn’t." | | 11:20 | Dr. Swain | "We feel that the crystal clear viewpoint of a mother is what this particular problem requires." | | 14:34 | Jim Anderson | "If I wanted to make the speech, why didn’t you say so?" | | 19:13 | Jim Anderson | "I put a ton of steel in his hands… and I failed to impress upon his mind… responsibility." | | 20:14 | Margaret Anderson | "Do you know what you just did? You just gave my speech." | | 22:12 | Jim Anderson | "It’s an honor… to introduce… Judge Roger Pfaff." | | 24:32 | Judge Roger Pfaff | "This boy was driving a car in excess of 55 miles an hour without a steering wheel." | | 25:45 | Jim Anderson | "There are voluntary good driver agreements provided for… sensible rules…" | | 27:39 | Judge Roger Pfaff | "If you can get all the drivers… to operate their vehicles safely… fellows like me will have a chance to go fishing." |

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Key Timestamps

• 00:04 – Opening family banter; chores and responsibility
• 02:33 – Jim laments community obligations
• 04:40 – Kathy confronts Jim’s ‘fib’ to Judge Mitchell
• 08:29 – Dr. Swain requests Margaret’s help, seeking a mother’s perspective
• 16:04 – Judge Mitchell arrives; Bud’s misdeed exposed
• 19:00 – Jim Anderson’s heartfelt confession: failure to instill responsibility
• 22:12 – Judge Roger Pfaff joins for real-world highway safety advocacy
• 24:32 – Highlighted traffic court anecdote (boy with pliers for steering wheel)
• 25:45 – Introduction of national safe driving pledges for families

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Summary Tone, Style, and Feel

The episode balances gentle comedy with earnest moralizing. The Anderson family's relatable squabbles, Margaret’s playful barbs, and Jim’s flaw-ridden authority feel authentic and warm-hearted. When the topic turns serious—youthful recklessness and adult responsibility—the dialogue becomes direct without losing the show's signature affability.

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Final Takeaway

"Safety Campaign" is a classic episode that transcends its era, highlighting the persistent challenge of guiding young people toward responsibility behind the wheel. With humor, candor, and real-world advocacy, it urges families to talk—and partner—about driving safety. The closing message is clear: good driving habits start not just behind the wheel, but at home, with the guidance and example of parents.

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Transcript

[Narrator]

By transcription.

[Betty Anderson]

Mother, is Maxwell House the best coffee in the whole world?

[Margaret Anderson]

Well, your father says so. And your father knows best.

[Announcer]

Yes, it's Father Knows Best. Starring Robert Young as Father. A half hour visit with your new 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. Well, another year is underway. All the excitement of Christmas and New Year's is over. But in the average home, the usual problems of life and living still remain. In Springfield, in the white frame house on Maple street, the Andersons, like any average family, are back in a well ordered groove. But being an average family, you can bet they won't stay there very long.

[Jim Anderson]

They never do, do they?

[Betty Anderson]

Mother?

[Margaret Anderson]

Yes, Kathy?

[Betty Anderson]

When I finish my dinner, may I go over to Patti Davis's?

[Margaret Anderson]

All right, dear, if you don't stay too long.

[Betty Anderson]

Mother, how can she? This is her week to dry.

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, that's right. I'm sorry, Kathy. I forgot.

[Betty Anderson]

Snitcher.

[Jim Anderson]

Kathy, please be quiet and eat your dinner.

[Betty Anderson]

All right, Daddy.

[Bud Anderson]

Mom?

[Margaret Anderson]

Yes, Bud?

[Bud Anderson]

I'll be glad to dry the dishes to Kathy.

[Betty Anderson]

You will?

[Margaret Anderson]

Well, that's very nice, dear, but it's Kathy's chore and she'd better do it herself.

[Betty Anderson]

Gee, wares.

[Narrator]

Margaret.

[Margaret Anderson]

Yes, dear?

[Jim Anderson]

You know, it's very funny, but I could have sworn I heard Bud say he'd dry the dishes for Kathy.

[Bud Anderson]

I did?

[Jim Anderson]

You said you'd dry the dishes for Kathy?

[Judge Mitchell]

Sure.

[Jim Anderson]

You mean just like that? Sure.

[Bud Anderson]

Why not?

[Jim Anderson]

You know, I think I've been working too hard. Everything sounds so strange.

[Margaret Anderson]

It was the holidays, dear. They're quite a strain.

[Judge Mitchell]

Well, it's something.

[Jim Anderson]

You feel all right, don't you, Bud?

[Bud Anderson]

I feel fine.

[Jim Anderson]

Maybe I'll go to bed right after dinner. That ought to fix me up.

[Margaret Anderson]

But, dear, I told you Judge Mitchell said he was going to call. He's been trying to get you all day.

[Jim Anderson]

I know. Probably wants me to serve on that Highway Safety Committee. You know, Margaret, you think I was the only man in Springfield that could make a speech every time somebody dreams up a committee or a drive or a bond rally. Get Jim Anderson. Get Jim Anderson. Speeches here, speeches there.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, you love it and you know it.

[Jim Anderson]

But I don't have the time. I don't think I've ever been so busy in my entire life.

[Betty Anderson]

Anything we can do, Father?

[Jim Anderson]

No, Betty, I'm afraid not. You know what I've got to do now, Margaret? I've got to revise the Schedule on every automobile policy in the office. The rates went up again today.

[Margaret Anderson]

No, Jim. Really.

[Bud Anderson]

How come, Dan?

[Jim Anderson]

Reckless drivers, that's how come. Oh, 7,100 kids between the ages of 15 and 24 killed in one year. And it's getting worse all the time. Bud.

[Bud Anderson]

Yes, dad?

[Jim Anderson]

Did you take the ashes out this afternoon?

[Bud Anderson]

Yes, sir, I sure did.

[Jim Anderson]

You don't have a report card you want me to sign, do you?

[Bud Anderson]

Oh, no, dad. We won't have those until the end of the month.

[Judge Mitchell]

I see.

[Jim Anderson]

How is your allowance holding up?

[Bud Anderson]

Fine, dad. Just great.

[Jim Anderson]

I don't get it. May I have my coffee, please?

[Margaret Anderson]

Of course, dear. There you are.

[Bud Anderson]

You don't get what, dad?

[Jim Anderson]

This sudden burst of sweetness and light. What are you up to?

[Bud Anderson]

Why, nothing, dad. Nothing at all.

[Betty Anderson]

He's probably in love.

[Bud Anderson]

Oh, mush, girls. All they can think about is love.

[Betty Anderson]

I'll get it.

[Jim Anderson]

No, Betty, wait. Margaret, would you answer, please?

[Margaret Anderson]

Well, of course, dear, if that's what you want.

[Jim Anderson]

And if it's Judge Mitchell, tell him I'm out. I had a business engagement and won't be back until late.

[Margaret Anderson]

All right. I just hope you know what you're doing. Hello? Oh, hello, Judge Mitchell. No, I'm awfully sorry, but Jim had to go out.

[Betty Anderson]

Yes, a business call, Daddy.

[Jim Anderson]

Kathy, be quiet, please.

[Margaret Anderson]

That'll be fine, Judge Mitchell. I'll be sure to tell him as soon as he comes in.

[Betty Anderson]

Good night, Daddy.

[Jim Anderson]

What is it, Kathy?

[Betty Anderson]

You told a fib.

[Jim Anderson]

I did no such thing, Jim.

[Margaret Anderson]

Judge Mitchell said he'd try you again later.

[Jim Anderson]

Fine. Give him a horse and he'd make a Canadian mountie look sick.

[Betty Anderson]

You said you were out and you weren't out. And if that isn't a fib, what is?

[Jim Anderson]

I. I think I'll have another piece of cake, Margaret.

[Margaret Anderson]

All right, dear.

[Betty Anderson]

Daddy?

[Jim Anderson]

Yes, Kathy?

[Betty Anderson]

You said you were out and you weren't out. And if that isn't a fib, what is?

[Jim Anderson]

Kathy, I heard you the first time.

[Betty Anderson]

Well.

[Jim Anderson]

Margaret.

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, no. Don't get me involved in this. I have enough troubles of my own.

[Jim Anderson]

Love, honor and obey. For better or for worse. Fine stuff. Kathy.

[Betty Anderson]

Yes, Daddy?

[Jim Anderson]

As you grow older, you learn to distinguish between telling an untruth and telling something that isn't true. I mean, if you tell an untruth because you're afraid to tell the truth, it's worse than if you don't tell the truth merely because you feel that if you do tell the truth. You see, Kathy, there are times when if you tell an untruth, it isn't really an untruth because you mean to tell the truth. But. Well, you. You want to be kind, that's all.

[Margaret Anderson]

Betty, please.

[Bud Anderson]

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

[Judge Mitchell]

Betty.

[Bud Anderson]

Go ahead. Dad, I think it's very interesting.

[Jim Anderson]

What is?

[Bud Anderson]

What you just said.

[Jim Anderson]

You mean you understood it? Of course. Well, I'm glad somebody did. How about you, Kathy?

[Betty Anderson]

I guess so. It's a fib when you're little, but when you grow up, it isn't.

[Jim Anderson]

No, Kathy, that isn't it at all. It's. Well, all right. I told a fib. I shouldn't have, but I did.

[Betty Anderson]

That's what I thought.

[Bud Anderson]

Kathy, can't you see Dad's tired? Why don't you leave him alone?

[Jim Anderson]

Bud, stick out your tongue.

[Bud Anderson]

What for?

[Jim Anderson]

Never mind what for. Just stick your tongue out.

[Bud Anderson]

Ah.

[Jim Anderson]

Look all right to you, Margaret.

[Margaret Anderson]

Just beautiful, dear. One of the loveliest tongues I've ever seen.

[Jim Anderson]

All right, Bud, put it back in.

[Bud Anderson]

Holy cow. Now I can't even have any privacy with my own tongue.

[Margaret Anderson]

Finish your milk, dear.

[Bud Anderson]

Well, how old do you have to be before people stop looking at your tongue?

[Jim Anderson]

Anyway, when you get that old, you start looking at it yourself. All right, Bud, please see who's at the door.

[Judge Mitchell]

Okay.

[Bud Anderson]

Why don't you look at Betty's tongue once in a while? She's goofier than anybody.

[Betty Anderson]

Why, Bud Anderson, you little snip.

[Jim Anderson]

Betty, that'll be enough of that.

[Betty Anderson]

But, Father.

[Jim Anderson]

I said that'll be enough of that. Now, either finish your dinner or go to your room. Oh, I'll be glad to after you finish the dishes.

[Betty Anderson]

Oh, may I have the sugar, please?

[Margaret Anderson]

There you are, dear.

[Betty Anderson]

Tell me I'm Goofy.

[Bud Anderson]

Say, dad, it's the minister, Dr. Swain.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, have him come in.

[Bud Anderson]

Oh, he said he'll wait for you in the living room.

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, dear, is my hair all right? Do you think I ought to change my dress?

[Jim Anderson]

You and Dr. Swain going out dancing?

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, stop being ridiculous. Bud, will you help the girls with the dishes tonight, please?

[Bud Anderson]

Sure, Mom. I'll be glad to.

[Margaret Anderson]

Thank you, dear. Well, shall we go in, Jim?

[Jim Anderson]

Hm? Oh, sure. St Margaret.

[Margaret Anderson]

Yes, dear?

[Jim Anderson]

What do you suppose is wrong with Bud?

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, you have a very suspicious nature.

[Jim Anderson]

No, I just have a very normal son. Well, how are you, Dr. Swain, Mr.

[Dr. Swain]

Anderson and Mrs. Anderson.

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, it's so nice seeing you, Dr. Swain.

[Dr. Swain]

Well, I hope you'll think so after you learn why I'm here.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, sit down, Doctor.

[Dr. Swain]

Please, Mrs. Anderson.

[Margaret Anderson]

Thank you.

[Dr. Swain]

Ah, there we are.

[Jim Anderson]

That is better, isn't it, Dr. Swain? This visit wouldn't have anything to do with Bud, would it?

[Dr. Swain]

Your son? Oh, dear, no. Is anything wrong?

[Jim Anderson]

No, I was just wondering, that's all. I see.

[Dr. Swain]

No, no. My visit is based, shall we say, on a far more general community requirement, a need which applies to our entire congregation rather than any individual.

[Jim Anderson]

Dr. Swain, you know, we've just gone through a pretty severe case of Christmas and.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, please.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, I just want Dr. Swain to know.

[Dr. Swain]

Mr. Anderson, I'm not looking for donations.

[Jim Anderson]

Well.

[Dr. Swain]

At this time.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh.

[Dr. Swain]

No, no. What I'm looking for right now is advice.

[Bud Anderson]

Oh.

[Dr. Swain]

Well, you see, at a meeting the other night, the question of family relations was brought up for discussion. Obligations of parents and children to one another, that sort of thing, you know.

[Jim Anderson]

I see.

[Dr. Swain]

Unfortunately, the majority of those present had rather vague ideas concerning the matter under discussion. And since Mrs. Swain and I have never been blessed with a family, I could add but little light on the subject of a practical nature.

[Jim Anderson]

That is.

[Dr. Swain]

That is why I have come to you.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, of course, Dr. Swain, anything we can do to help.

[Dr. Swain]

I knew I could count on the Andersons. As I told the others, the Anderson children are so thoroughly normal and so nicely behaved for the most part, I'm sure anything their parents tell us will be of the utmost interest and assistance.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, you mean you want a speech?

[Dr. Swain]

Well, not a speech, really. Just an informative little talk at our meeting tomorrow night.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, well, look, Dr. Swain, you know I'd like to help, but I'm actually up to my ears at work.

[Dr. Swain]

I'm sure you must be, Mr. Anderson. But you see that.

[Jim Anderson]

It's not that I don't want to cooperate, Dr. Swain. You know I always have.

[Dr. Swain]

Of course you have.

[Narrator]

But you see.

[Jim Anderson]

But after all, this is just a simple problem. I'm sure that any other father in the congregation will be only too glad to help you.

[Dr. Swain]

But, Mr. Anderson, we don't want a father.

[Jim Anderson]

After all, family relations are merely a practical application of you. What?

[Dr. Swain]

We don't want a father. We feel that the crystal clear viewpoint of a mother is what this particular problem requires.

[Margaret Anderson]

A mother, you mean?

[Dr. Swain]

Precisely. We want Mrs. Anderson.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh.

[Narrator]

We'll go along with Dr. Swain on that. Why, any number of problems call for mother's crystal clear viewpoint. Take coffee is another example. Who knows better than mother? The wonderful difference a really good cup of coffee can make. Coffee like our Maxwell House.

[Bud Anderson]

Mmm.

[Narrator]

That wonderful good to the last drop flavor. You won't find it, you know, in any other coffee. No coffee but Maxwell House. And there's a particular reason why. It's a recipe. The only recipe under the sun for good to the last drop flavor. It's mighty important, that recipe, and here's why. After all, the most important thing about coffee is flavor. And that flavor depends on the blend, the kind of coffees in it and how they're put together. Now, throughout the world, coffee grows in countless different varieties. And you can combine them in all sorts of ways. But there's only one way, one recipe for our famous Maxwell House flavor. And this recipe of ours accounts for the difference, the big difference between the flavor of just any coffee and the wonderfully good flavor of America's favorite brand. But I want you to know how truly good our Maxwell House is on your own. So tomorrow, open up a pound and enjoy Maxwell House, the coffee that's always good to the last drop.

[Announcer]

It's less than an hour later in the white frame house on Maple Street. Dr. Swain is gone. The Anderson kids are deep in their homework. Father is deep in his newspaper. Mother is up to her neck in preparation for a speech. And when it comes to speeches, Margaret is a wonderful cook.

[Narrator]

Pretty, too.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim?

[Jim Anderson]

Yes, Margaret?

[Margaret Anderson]

What would you say was the most important drink between a father and a son?

[Jim Anderson]

Money.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, I'm very serious.

[Jim Anderson]

So am I. May I please read my paper?

[Margaret Anderson]

If I could only find a central theme. Not juvenile delinquency. Everybody's done that. Jim.

[Jim Anderson]

Yes, Margaret?

[Margaret Anderson]

Did the automobile insurance rates really go up today?

[Jim Anderson]

That's right.

[Margaret Anderson]

Did the home office say.

[Jim Anderson]

Why, of course they did. The number of accidents involving youngsters under the age of. Oh, no, you don't. You write your own speech.

[Margaret Anderson]

You're mean. There isn't one other husband in Springfield who wouldn't be glad to help his wife.

[Jim Anderson]

Margaret, you're absolutely right. I'm nothing but a beast.

[Margaret Anderson]

You mean you're going to help me?

[Jim Anderson]

No, but I acknowledge the fact that I'm a beast. Now, may I read my paper?

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, if you wanted to make the speech, why didn't you say so?

[Jim Anderson]

If I wanted? Margaret, where did you ever get a ridiculous idea like that?

[Margaret Anderson]

Well, you're sulking like a spoiled child.

[Jim Anderson]

I'm trying to read my newspaper.

[Margaret Anderson]

It amounts to the same thing.

[Jim Anderson]

Margaret, I told Dr. Swain I didn't want to make the speech. You heard me tell him.

[Margaret Anderson]

Rubbish. You just wanted him to coax you.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, for Pete's sake, Margaret.

[Margaret Anderson]

Why is certainly isn't my fault that he wanted a mother's viewpoint. Jim, where are you going?

[Jim Anderson]

I'm going to indulge in one of my pleasant little whimsies, when the doorbell rings, I like to see if maybe somebody rang it.

[Judge Mitchell]

Hello, Jim.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, hello, Judge Mitchell. Come in.

[Judge Mitchell]

Thank you.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, it's certainly nice seeing you. I'm sorry I wasn't in when you called. Let me take your thing.

[Judge Mitchell]

All right. Hello, Mrs. Anderson. How are you this evening?

[Margaret Anderson]

Why, Judge Mitchell, what a pleasant surprise. Won't you come in and sit down?

[Judge Mitchell]

Yes, thank you, Jim. What I have to say won't take very long.

[Jim Anderson]

There's no need to rush, Judge. You know, I was just saying to Margaret just a little while ago, the fathers of this community ought to take a more active interest in public affairs. Wasn't I, Margaret?

[Margaret Anderson]

Weren't you? What, dear?

[Jim Anderson]

Wasn't I saying what I just said?

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, of course. Yes.

[Jim Anderson]

Naturally, being in the insurance business, I have to make a great many calls during the evening. But in spite of that, I'm sure.

[Judge Mitchell]

You'Re leading up to something very interesting. But I'm a busy man and I haven't got much time. Is Bud at home?

[Jim Anderson]

Why, yes. He's in his room.

[Judge Mitchell]

Would you call him, please?

[Jim Anderson]

Of course, Buddy.

[Bud Anderson]

You want me, dad?

[Jim Anderson]

Yes. Would you please come down here?

[Bud Anderson]

Okay.

[Jim Anderson]

Bud. And the stairs don't get along very well.

[Bud Anderson]

If there's anything that you want me to do, Dad, I, uh.

[Judge Mitchell]

Oh, good evening, Bud.

[Margaret Anderson]

Bud, Judge Mitchell is speaking to you.

[Bud Anderson]

I know. I mean, hello. Good evening, sir.

[Judge Mitchell]

Bud, have you told your parents?

[Bud Anderson]

No, sir, I haven't.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, there was something. I had a feeling.

[Judge Mitchell]

Well, go ahead, Bud. Let's get on with it.

[Bud Anderson]

Dad, Mom, I was out for a ride with the fellows this afternoon, and we. We knocked over two Judge Mitchell's tree.

[Jim Anderson]

His tree? Oh, Bud, what were you driving, a tank?

[Bud Anderson]

Well, was just a little tree, dad. And all the fellas are gonna chip in and buy a new one. Gosh, we said we were sorry.

[Jim Anderson]

I should think you would be. Judge Mitchell. Bud and his friends will replace your tree. I give you my word, Jim, it's.

[Judge Mitchell]

Not the tree that bothers me.

[Jim Anderson]

You mean there's more?

[Judge Mitchell]

Well, my principal concern is the manner in which the tree was destroyed. Tell him, Bud.

[Bud Anderson]

Well, we were playing chicken.

[Jim Anderson]

Bud, after all I've said to you.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, I'm afraid I don't understand. What is chicken?

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, it's a game these kids thought of.

[Bud Anderson]

We didn't think it up, Dan.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, whoever did ought to have his head examined. If he still has a head. Driving a car at full speed with nobody holding the wheel. The first one who gets a little Sense into his thick skull and tries to control the car. He's chicken and he loses.

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, Bud, how could you?

[Bud Anderson]

Gosh, mom, everybody does it. And if all the fellows hadn't gotten chicken at the same time, we'd have been all right. But, well, everybody grabbed for the wheel at once and, heck, it was only a tree.

[Jim Anderson]

It was only a tree. Bud, you can kneel down and thank all of your guardian angels that it was only a tree. What if your mother had been standing where that tree was? Or Betty or Kathy? Would you have been able to stop any sooner or steer any better?

[Bud Anderson]

No, I guess not.

[Jim Anderson]

You guess not? Well, we'll go into this matter in great detail. Believe me, Judge Mitchell.

[Judge Mitchell]

Yes, Jim?

[Jim Anderson]

Bud was wrong. But I want you to know that I feel he isn't solely to blame.

[Judge Mitchell]

Oh, I suppose not.

[Jim Anderson]

But it's. I don't mean the other boys. I have reference to myself. Oh, I'm going to be very honest, Judge Mitchell. Very frank. I owe you a very humble apology.

[Judge Mitchell]

You mean for not being home so consistently?

[Jim Anderson]

I avoided you all day because I thought you wanted me to serve on your Highway Safety committee. I thought I was too busy, I'd let someone else take care of it. After all, my son was a competent driver. Why worry about the other fellow's problem? Judge Mitchell, my son is not a competent driver. And the fault is mine. I taught him the mechanics of driving, how to start and stop a car and how to steer. But I failed to teach him the responsibility that goes with a car. I put a ton of steel in his hands, a weapon as deadly as any gun. And I fail to impress upon his mind the fact that when he's in a car, he holds the power of life and death in his fingertips. But he's going to be taught, Judge Mitchell, before he touches a steering wheel again, he's going to know the full meaning of his responsibility. The car is not a toy. It's not an instrument for childish games. And he'll drive sensibly, safely, courteously, or I give you my word he'll never drive again. Now, about the tree.

[Judge Mitchell]

Well, we can just forget the tree, Jim. Let's say that it died for worthy cause.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim.

[Jim Anderson]

Yes, Margaret?

[Margaret Anderson]

Do you know what you just did? You just gave my speech.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to muscle in on your territory.

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, Jim, will you please stop being silly? Why don't you go along with me tomorrow and tell the same things to the other parents? I think they learn a great deal.

[Jim Anderson]

Margaret, you know I don't want to make any speeches.

[Margaret Anderson]

Well, whatever you say, dear.

[Jim Anderson]

But as long as you insist, I. Well, I guess I might as well.

[Margaret Anderson]

All right, dear. Father Knows Best.

[Narrator]

So Father's going to make his speech after all. Well, that's fine, because he does have something important to say. And right now, so do I. These days, when you buy coffee, you want the most in flavor for every penny you spend. After all, flavor is what you're paying for. And we don't think you can beat the famous flavor we pack into every pound of Maxwell House. But here's the point. Air can steal coffee flavor. And ordinary containers, like paper bags can't prevent roasted coffee from losing flavor, whether it's ground or whole bean. That's why we take our Maxwell House, still fresh and fragrant from our roasting ovens and carefully vacuum pack it in the familiar blue tin. That way, no air gets in and none of that wonderful flavor gets out. So the next pound of coffee you buy be sure you get all the flavor and fragrance you pay for. You will, with Maxwell House coffee, always good to the last drop.

[Jim Anderson]

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight Father Knows Best is honored by a celebrated and rather unusual guest. An article concerning him and his wonderful work appeared in the November issue of Liberty Magazine and was reprinted in the December issue of Reader's Digest. That takes care of the celebrated part of it. As for the unusual, well, so far as I know, he is the only traffic court judge in the history of the United States ever to have warranted the use of the term popular. It's an honor and a very great privilege to introduce a young man who has made the city of Los Angeles a safer place in which to live. Judge Roger Pfaff.

[Judge Mitchell]

Thank you. Good evening, Bob.

[Jim Anderson]

Your Honor, I. Doggone, I just can't get used to feeling comfortable with a traffic court judge. I feel like I've just gone through a red light or something.

[Judge Mitchell]

Well, that'll be $25.

[Jim Anderson]

I said I feel like I've gone through it.

[Judge Mitchell]

Well, in that case, we'll suspend sentence, but don't let it happen again.

[Jim Anderson]

Thank you, Judge Fox. I believe you know what we on Father Knows Best are trying to accomplish.

[Judge Mitchell]

I do, Bob, and I can't recommend too highly or endorse more heartily the program you are spearheading. The question of accidents involving young drivers and the unfortunate incidents of traffic casualties and fatalities has become a serious problem in every community in the nation. Something has to be done about it, and fast. You see, Bob, if it were a single problem we could cope with it quite easily. If all the teenage drivers were incompetent or careless, we could insist that they avail themselves of the driver education and training courses being given in many high schools throughout America. A great many boys and girls have taken these courses and are taking them right now. But our problem is with competent drivers, skilled drivers. The youngster who is so confident of his ability that he takes ridiculous chances with his life and yours. Less than a year ago, a lad was brought into my courtroom on a charge so fantastic that it is almost unbelievable this boy was driving a car in excess of 55 miles an hour without a steering wheel.

[Jim Anderson]

There's only one suitable comment for that. Bud's favorite and all inclusive. Holy cow.

[Judge Mitchell]

This boy was steering with a pair of pliers. And he was so confident of his ability that he couldn't for the life of him understand why we considered him a potential murderer. You see, Bob, that's the way these boys and girls must think of themselves Whenever they take those wild split second chances, whenever they play chicken or hubcap tag or any of their other reckless and ridiculous games. In spite of their skill, which we do not question, in spite of their youth, which gives them reflexes much faster than yours or mine, these drivers are death on wheels. Their accidents going somewhere to happen.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, Judge Pfaff, you don't mean that, of course, to apply to all young drivers?

[Judge Mitchell]

Oh, no, Bob, of course not. Most of them I know are sensible, intelligent youngsters. But it's hard to tell the innocent from the guilty, and so they all get a bad name. That's why I think the highway safety plan, as you explained it to me, should be welcomed by the young drivers. Why don't you tell them about it?

[Jim Anderson]

Okay, I'll do it right now. Through the inter industry Highway Safety Committee, which was formed at the request of President Truman, two clubs have been set up. A man to man club for fathers and sons and a counterpart on the distaff side for dads and daughters. Voluntary good driver agreements are provided for. These are agreements between parents and children to be signed by both. And they involve pledges on both sides. The father promises to grant permission to his son or daughter to drive the family car at appropriate times. And the youngster, well, he or she has to promise to abide by eight good driving rules. But they're sensible rules designed not to take the joy out of life, but rather to give you a longer life to enjoy with each man to man or dad to daughter agreement. There is a membership card and I'd like to see them riding in teenage pockets and hat bands all over the country.

[Judge Mitchell]

You know, Bob, that's quite an idea. Those membership cards will help to separate the black sheep from the innocence of the flock. The youngsters who are careful drivers, intelligent drivers, will no longer have to protest that it's the other fellow who takes chances. The other fellow who plays the wild games. The other fellow who gives all drivers a bad name. They can prove by living up to the terms of these membership cards that they have a right to the respect of their elders and a right to share the highways with their fellow citizens.

[Jim Anderson]

Parents and young drivers. Why don't you get one of these agreements right away? They're yours for the asking. Just send a note to the Robert Young Good Drivers Club, care of your local NBC station and we'll shoot the works right back at you. Well, I guess that just about does it. Can you think of anything else, Judge Pfaff?

[Judge Mitchell]

Yes, just one other thing. You know, I have a slightly selfish interest in your whole highway safety movement.

[Jim Anderson]

How is that?

[Judge Mitchell]

Well, I figure that if you can get all the drivers of this country to operate their vehicles safely, carefully and with simple, good old fashioned American courtesy, well, every once in a while fellows like me will have a chance to go fishing. Good night, Bob.

[Jim Anderson]

Good night, Judge Bob. And thank you for coming.

[Betty Anderson]

If you like good things the easy way.

[Jim Anderson]

Good things the easy way.

[Betty Anderson]

Instant Maxwell House, that's for good. Good coffee, that's easy too.

[Jim Anderson]

No time, no trouble, no grounds, no puff. And it's good to the very last. You know what?

[Judge Mitchell]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Instant Maxwell House means great coffee instantly in your cup. Here's real instant coffee. All pure Maxwell House coffee in instant form. Enjoy. Instant Maxwell House instantly good to the very last.

[Betty Anderson]

You know what?

[Announcer]

Join us again next week when we'll be back with Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young as Jim Anderson. With Roy Bargi and the Maxwell House Orchestra and yours truly, Bill Foreman. Don't forget, parents and youngsters. For your voluntary pledges and membership cards just write to the Robert Young Good Drivers Club, care of your local NBC station. Now it's time to say goodnight. So until next Thursday, good luck from the makers of Maxwell House, America's favorite brand of coffee. Always good till the last drop. Father Knows Best was transcribed in Hollywood and written by Ed James. Now stay tuned in for Screen Gill Theater, which follows immediately over most of these stations.

[Narrator]

Here, dan daly and anne baxter on screen guild theater, next on NBC.