Father Knows Best - Thanksgiving Prayer

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Father Knows Best - Thanksgiving Prayer"

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Episode Date: June 21, 2026
Original Airdate: (Classic episode; original airdate in the 1950s)
Episode Theme:
A heartwarming and humorous glimpse into a 1950s American family's Thanksgiving, with a special focus on gratitude, family antics, and the recitation of Benjamin Franklin's Thanksgiving Prayer.

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Main Theme & Purpose

This "Father Knows Best" episode uses the Anderson family's Thanksgiving gathering to explore the deeper meaning of gratitude. Through comedic family squabbles, a scare with youngest daughter Kathy's health, and the structure of Benjamin Franklin's Thanksgiving Prayer, the episode combines nostalgia, warmth, and gentle moral lessons into a classic holiday radio experience.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: A Classic Thanksgiving

• The Andersons prepare for their family Thanksgiving dinner—there's laughter, sibling rivalry, and anticipation for the turkey.
  • Margaret Anderson: "Everybody close their eyes." (02:05)
  • Betty Anderson: "Well, here comes the bird. The turkey." (02:07)

2. The Thanksgiving Prayer & Family Lessons

• Jim Anderson (the father) introduces Benjamin Franklin’s 1728 Thanksgiving Prayer, dividing gratitude into four areas: material needs, natural gifts, the arts, and health.
• Jim Anderson: "Benjamin Franklin divided everything in life into four categories..." (03:01)
• Teachable moment: Jim attempts to teach the importance of gratitude, particularly for material things (like clothing), sparked by the family's bad habit of borrowing each other’s clothes without asking.
• Comic twist: Parents hide the children’s clothes to teach them a lesson about respecting each other's property.
  • Jim Anderson: "I'm getting just a little fed up with dressing in Bud's room." (03:43)
  • Bud Anderson (distressed): "My clothes. They’re gone." (05:08)
  • Margaret Anderson: "Jim, I think you’re being very mean." (03:37)

3. Family Hijinks and Teachable Moments

• The children believe they’ve been robbed when they find their closets empty. Hilarity ensues before the parents admit to the prank as a lesson.
  • Jim Anderson: "Your mother and I arranged this whole thing to teach you a lesson." (05:54)
  • Betty Anderson: "You what?" (05:59)

4. Gratitude for Nature

• Franklin’s second category: appreciation for basic elements like air, water, fire.
  • Jim Anderson: "...air and light and fire and water." (07:15)
• The family recalls a past misadventure at their rustic hunting lodge "Blue Paradise," humorously underscoring how modern comforts are taken for granted.
  • Betty Anderson: "Why do they call it Blue Paradise? Look at those cracks in the wall. You probably turn blue in the middle of the night." (09:39)

5. Intangibles: Literature, Arts, and a School Debate

• Discussion moves to the importance of knowledge and literature, with playful family banter over school assignments and classic literature.
  • Jim Anderson recites the wrong line, thinking it’s Shakespeare when it’s really Byron.
  • Betty Anderson: "Father, that's from The Lady of the Lake." (20:21)
  • Jim Anderson (chagrined): "They're both Sir Walter Scott, aren't they?" (20:28)
  • Betty Anderson (correcting): "It's from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage." (21:02)
• Family debates the value of English class, literature, and even comic books.
  • Bud Anderson: "But what good is Ivanhoe if you want to be an engineer?" (19:44)

6. Health and Family Crisis

• Third act shifts tone with a scare over Kathy’s sudden illness.
• Family expresses worry, coming together in fear and comfort as they await the doctor’s verdict.
  • Margaret Anderson (worried): "Jim? I...I don't know what to do." (23:08)
  • Bud Anderson (anxious): "She isn’t gonna die, is she, dad?" (23:18)
  • Jim Anderson (reassuring): "She'll lick this too, Bud. She's got to." (25:04)
• The crisis is resolved with comic relief: Kathy had simply eaten too many hot dogs, not a serious illness.
  • Narrator: "Translated roughly, that means too many hot dogs." (27:26)
  • Bud Anderson: "Why, the little knothead." (27:36)
• The event brings a renewed sense of gratitude for health and family.

7. The Thanksgiving Prayer

• Having completed each theme, Jim leads the family in Benjamin Franklin's Thanksgiving prayer:
  • Jim Anderson (prayer excerpt):
    "For peace and liberty, for food and raiment. For corn and wine and every kind of healthful nourishment. Good God, I thank thee...for air and light, for useful fire and delicious water...for knowledge and literature and every useful art, for my friends and their prosperity..." (28:29-29:09)

8. Closing: Return to Normalcy and Good Humor

• Post-crisis, the family’s affection and squabbling resume, with playful bickering about turkey drumsticks.
  • Betty Anderson: "I changed my mind. May I have a wing?" (28:13)
  • Jim Anderson (gentle humor): "Well, we'll have Benjamin Franklin's Thanksgiving Prayer right now." (28:29)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jim Anderson: "In this house, the first one up isn’t the best dressed. He's the only one who can get dressed." (03:55)
• Comedic family squabble about literature:
  • Betty Anderson: "You mean Benjamin Franklin had comic books?" (17:00)
  • Bud Anderson: "What good is Ivanhoe if you want to be an engineer?" (19:44)
• Sincere family moment:
  • Jim Anderson: “We've all said our little prayers. We've all got her very close to our hearts. She'll be all right.” (26:06)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:05] – Thanksgiving dinner preparations begin.
• [03:01] – Introduction to Benjamin Franklin’s Thanksgiving Prayer.
• [05:08] – The clothes caper: Kids discover their clothes missing.
• [07:15] – Second section of the prayer: Natural blessings.
• [09:01] – The hunting lodge "Blue Paradise" adventure.
• [16:08] – Discussion of literature and the arts.
• [23:08] – Kathy falls ill; family deals with worry.
• [27:26] – Diagnosis: Too many hot dogs.
• [28:29] – The family recites Benjamin Franklin’s Thanksgiving Prayer.

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Tone & Language

• The episode maintains a light, affectionate, and gently humorous tone. Even during tense moments, warmth and love are at the fore.
• Banter is quick, witty, and characteristic of a classic 1950s family sitcom.

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Conclusion

This Father Knows Best Thanksgiving episode offers a charming blend of sentimental family unity, gentle life lessons, and the humor of everyday mishaps. By structuring the story around Benjamin Franklin’s Thanksgiving Prayer, the Andersons—and listeners—are reminded to be grateful not just for the feast and each other, but for all the little blessings of daily life.

Quote to end:
"For life and reason and the use of speech, for health and every pleasant hour. My good God, I thank thee." — Jim Anderson reciting Franklin’s prayer (28:29)

Transcript

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, I have had no luck lately. Wait.

[Lady Luck Bretzky]

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[Jim Anderson]

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[Betty Anderson]

Mother, is Maxwell House really the only coffee in the world?

[Margaret Anderson]

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

[Narrator]

Yes, it's Father Knows Best transcribed in Hollywood, starring Robert Young as Father. A half hour visit with your neighbors, the Andersons, brought to you by America's favorite coffee, Maxwell House, the coffee that's always good to the last drop. So once in every year, we throng upon a day apart to praise the Lord with feast and song in thankfulness of heart. In November of the year 1621, our pilgrim fathers sat down, piled high with the fruits of a bountiful harvest. They offered their thanks in humble reverence and thereby established a precedent that we, the most fortunate people on earth, have followed with joy and gratitude for some 330 years. Thanksgiving Day is an American holiday, typically and exclusively ours. So let's spend the next half hour in the dining room of an average American home, the Andersons, and see how they, an average American family, are celebrating the most American day of the year. Thanksgiving.

[Jim Anderson]

Like this.

[Margaret Anderson]

Everybody close their eyes.

[Betty Anderson]

Well, here comes the bird. The turkey.

[Bud Anderson]

Boy, am I ever hungry.

[Margaret Anderson]

There you are, Mother.

[Betty Anderson]

It's gorgeous.

[Jim Anderson]

Put it right down here, honey.

[Bud Anderson]

It sure smells good, Mom.

[Margaret Anderson]

Thank you, dear.

[Betty Anderson]

I get a drumstick, Mother.

[Margaret Anderson]

Bud, keep your fingers out of there.

[Bud Anderson]

I just wanted a piece of celery.

[Betty Anderson]

Father hasn't said grace.

[Bud Anderson]

Oh, excuse me.

[Betty Anderson]

Don't forget, I get a drumstick.

[Margaret Anderson]

All right, Kathy. Go ahead, dear.

[Jim Anderson]

You know, I found something very interesting the other day.

[Betty Anderson]

Holy cow, Father, can't you tell us after.

[Jim Anderson]

Betty, this pertains to the grace I'm about to say.

[Betty Anderson]

And then I get a drumstick.

[Jim Anderson]

I was looking through some old books at the library and I ran across a prayer of thanks written by Benjamin Franklin in the year 1728. It was very unusual.

[Margaret Anderson]

Dear, it is getting awfully late.

[Jim Anderson]

This will only take a few seconds, honey, and I think it'll do us all a lot of good. Benjamin Franklin divided everything in life into four categories. And it's amazing how thorough a job he did. He must have been a remarkable man, Jim, for Example. In the first section of his Thanksgiving prayer, he gave thanks for the material things of life, such as food and drink and raiment.

[Betty Anderson]

What's Raymond?

[Margaret Anderson]

Clothing, dear.

[Betty Anderson]

Oh.

[Jim Anderson]

And giving thanks for clothing is a very appropriate part of a Thanksgiving prayer. When I think of some of the things that have gone on with clothes in this house.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, I hope you know what you're doing.

[Jim Anderson]

I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm getting just a little fed up with dressing in Bud's room.

[Margaret Anderson]

It isn't that bad.

[Jim Anderson]

No. He had all of my neckties, all of my socks, all of my sweaters and half of my pants.

[Margaret Anderson]

Are you sure?

[Jim Anderson]

Yes, dear, I'm sure. In this house, the first one up isn't the best dressed. He's the only one who can get dressed.

[Margaret Anderson]

But Bud certainly has enough clothes of his own.

[Jim Anderson]

Of course he has. He just likes mine better, that's all.

[Margaret Anderson]

Dear, don't you think if we told them.

[Jim Anderson]

I'm tired of telling them. Wait till they go up there and see a bunch of empty closets. That'll teach them.

[Margaret Anderson]

Naturally, I think we're right in taking our own things back. But to take all of theirs?

[Jim Anderson]

It'll do them good. Maybe they'll learn to respect other people's property.

[Betty Anderson]

Mother, we're home.

[Narrator]

Kathy?

[Betty Anderson]

I'm here, Daddy.

[Jim Anderson]

Good. All three of you go upstairs, get ready for lunch.

[Margaret Anderson]

And Betty.

[Betty Anderson]

Yes, Mother?

[Margaret Anderson]

See that Kathy washes in back of her ears.

[Betty Anderson]

Okay.

[Jim Anderson]

Wait till they see those closets.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, I think you're being very mean.

[Jim Anderson]

I'm just trying to teach them a lesson.

[Margaret Anderson]

How would you like to open your closet and find all your clothes missing?

[Jim Anderson]

Honey, I do it every day.

[Margaret Anderson]

But every young boy.

[Jim Anderson]

And Betty isn't any better. She had three of your pocketbooks, two unmentionables, five pairs of stockings, four.

[Narrator]

Dad.

[Jim Anderson]

Here it comes.

[Bud Anderson]

Hey, dad.

[Jim Anderson]

Remember, Margaret, you're to let me handle it.

[Bud Anderson]

All right.

[Margaret Anderson]

But I still think there's an easier way.

[Bud Anderson]

Dad, it's awful. It's terrible.

[Jim Anderson]

What is it, son? What's the matter?

[Bud Anderson]

My clothes. They're gone.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, sit down. Let's see if we can't figure out what happened.

[Bud Anderson]

My best gray slacks. They even took those.

[Jim Anderson]

Which best gray slacks would those be?

[Bud Anderson]

You know, the ones that came with your gray suit.

[Jim Anderson]

I see your best gray slacks.

[Bud Anderson]

And all of my ties.

[Jim Anderson]

My whole collection, which you collected from my closet.

[Bud Anderson]

And my sweaters and everything.

[Margaret Anderson]

Mother. Jim, I don't think I can go through with it.

[Bud Anderson]

I'm practically naked.

[Margaret Anderson]

Mother, I just can't.

[Jim Anderson]

Honey, what Is it?

[Betty Anderson]

Betty, We've been robbed. Somebody got in and we've been robbed.

[Jim Anderson]

No, everything's gone.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, if you don't tell them, I will.

[Jim Anderson]

All right, Margaret, I'll tell them.

[Bud Anderson]

Betty.

[Jim Anderson]

Bud, your mother and I arranged this whole thing to teach you a lesson.

[Betty Anderson]

You what?

[Margaret Anderson]

Angel, let's not give me too much credit.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, you were in on it.

[Bud Anderson]

You mean you got somebody to swipe our clothes?

[Margaret Anderson]

Nothing's been stolen, dear.

[Jim Anderson]

You'll find all of your things in our room. Father, we just wanted to show you how we feel every morning of our lives. Dad, it's gotten so that. Well, nothing in our wardrobe is sacred. Dad, my best neckties. Your mother's cashmere sweaters. You wear them more than we do.

[Betty Anderson]

Oh, Father.

[Jim Anderson]

Dad, this was the only way I could figure to impress upon you that from now on you're to leave our things alone. Dad, the next time you feel like borrowing a pair of socks or a belt or a pair of your mother's gloves, you'll think twice about it, won't you?

[Betty Anderson]

I'll get it, dad.

[Jim Anderson]

Just a minute, Bud. I want to find out who's at the door.

[Bud Anderson]

I know who's at the door.

[Jim Anderson]

You what?

[Betty Anderson]

We told Kathy to call the cops.

[Narrator]

Oh, no,

[Betty Anderson]

Father.

[Bud Anderson]

Oh.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, the grace.

[Betty Anderson]

And then I get a drumstick.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, in the second part of his Thanksgiving prayer, Benjamin Franklin concentrated on the natural phenomena of life. Things like air and light and fire and water.

[Bud Anderson]

Fire is pretty important, isn't it, Mom?

[Margaret Anderson]

Yes, dear, it's very important for stuff

[Bud Anderson]

like heating up turkeys when they get cold, huh, dad?

[Jim Anderson]

I'll get to the turkey in a minute. I just want to make sure that you all understand.

[Betty Anderson]

Father, after what happened at Blue paradise last winter, you don't have to worry about us.

[Bud Anderson]

We remember about fire and water, all right?

[Jim Anderson]

That was quite a day, wasn't it?

[Betty Anderson]

I don't think I'll ever get the drums.

[Lady Luck Bretzky]

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[Jim Anderson]

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[Safeway/Albertsons Announcer]

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[Jim Anderson]

Well, there it is. Blue Paradise.

[Betty Anderson]

You mean that.

[Bud Anderson]

Holy cow. Dad, you said it was a great big hunting lodge.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, it looked larger the last time I was here.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, are you sure we ought to buy a hunting lodge?

[Jim Anderson]

Honey, a bargain like this doesn't come along every day. I know it doesn't look like much from here, but. Well, let's go inside.

[Betty Anderson]

Will it fall down?

[Jim Anderson]

Of course not. Just don't touch any of those braces, that's all.

[Bud Anderson]

Boy, what a dump.

[Jim Anderson]

It's not supposed to be the Ritz Carlton. We just want it for weekends and things.

[Betty Anderson]

Why do they call it Blue Paradise? Look at those cracks in the wall. You probably turn blue in the middle of the night.

[Jim Anderson]

Betty, you can't expect too much for $1,500.

[Margaret Anderson]

1,500?

[Jim Anderson]

Honey, the view of the lake alone is worth that.

[Margaret Anderson]

What view?

[Bud Anderson]

What lake?

[Jim Anderson]

It's a very beautiful lake. All you have to do is walk about half a mile down the road and. Well, it's very easy to see it

[Bud Anderson]

from there on a clear day.

[Jim Anderson]

But if I hear one more word. Honey, look out.

[Betty Anderson]

What?

[Narrator]

That.

[Jim Anderson]

The porch is a little weak in spots, but. Oh, go ahead, Bud. Open the door.

[Bud Anderson]

There isn't any doorknob.

[Jim Anderson]

You don't need a doorknob. Just push. Okay.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, do you really think.

[Narrator]

Bud, grab it.

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, dear.

[Jim Anderson]

Bud, you didn't have to push that hard, did you?

[Bud Anderson]

I just gave it a little push.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, a couple of new hinges is all it needs.

[Betty Anderson]

I've got an idea. Why don't we knock all the doors down and use them for a porch?

[Jim Anderson]

Very funny. Are you going in?

[Betty Anderson]

Margaret, I.

[Margaret Anderson]

Well, you only live once. I suppose.

[Jim Anderson]

Everything may seem a little rough at first, but you'll get used to it. Well, how do you like it?

[Betty Anderson]

It's got a nice foyer. Where's the living room?

[Jim Anderson]

This is the living room. Nice and compact, isn't it, honey?

[Margaret Anderson]

Oh, yes, yes. If it's anything, it's compact.

[Betty Anderson]

It's dirty, too.

[Bud Anderson]

Hey, look at this. The closet's got a window in it.

[Narrator]

That's the bedroom.

[Betty Anderson]

No, Father, it isn't.

[Jim Anderson]

Of course it is. How large do you want a bedroom to be?

[Betty Anderson]

Large enough for a bed.

[Bud Anderson]

I've got an idea. Why don't we buy it and rent it out to some midgets?

[Jim Anderson]

But that isn't funny, dear.

[Margaret Anderson]

It is a little small.

[Jim Anderson]

You're not supposed to give dances up here. It's a place to relax, get back to nature.

[Betty Anderson]

What's in here, Daddy?

[Jim Anderson]

That's the kitchen. But I thought we could do all our cooking in the fireplace. That way we can turn the kitchen into another bedroom.

[Margaret Anderson]

Cook in the fireplace?

[Jim Anderson]

Why not? The pioneers did it all the time.

[Margaret Anderson]

I see.

[Jim Anderson]

This will do us all a lot of good. It might even teach us to appreciate the comforts we take so much for granted at home.

[Margaret Anderson]

Yes, I can believe that. If it'll do anything, it'll teach us to appreciate comfort.

[Betty Anderson]

Isn't there any bathroom?

[Bud Anderson]

Of course.

[Jim Anderson]

You just can't see it from here, that's all.

[Margaret Anderson]

Daniel.

[Jim Anderson]

Who?

[Margaret Anderson]

Mr. Boone.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, yes.

[Margaret Anderson]

If there's any cooking to be done in a fireplace, guess who's going to do it?

[Bud Anderson]

Me.

[Margaret Anderson]

I just wanted to get that straightened out.

[Jim Anderson]

Honey, you don't seem to understand. Living the simple life this way can be a great adventure for all of us.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, there is nothing in the world that's more complicated than the simple life.

[Betty Anderson]

I've got an idea.

[Jim Anderson]

Of course. Everybody's got ideas.

[Betty Anderson]

We can eat on paper plates and then we won't have to wash any dishes.

[Jim Anderson]

That's the spirit, kitten.

[Betty Anderson]

Speaking of washing, I don't see any water.

[Jim Anderson]

There's a whole tub of it in the kitchen.

[Bud Anderson]

You mean we have to carry it in from a well?

[Jim Anderson]

No, you have to bring it up from the lake. Oh, Jim, it isn't far. Why, Bud'll get used to doing it in no time at all.

[Bud Anderson]

Me? But you said it's a half a mile, dear.

[Margaret Anderson]

This is another thing we've got to straighten out. I'm not going to let a young boy like Bud carry heavy pails of water up here from any lake.

[Betty Anderson]

And.

[Jim Anderson]

But the pioneers. Honey, it won't hurt him to carry a few buckets of water. And besides, if I'm going to cook, I won't have the time.

[Margaret Anderson]

I've got an idea.

[Jim Anderson]

You, too?

[Margaret Anderson]

You can do it every morning right after you chop the wood.

[Jim Anderson]

What wood?

[Margaret Anderson]

For cooking. Remember, dear, like the pioneers.

[Jim Anderson]

Margaret, if you're trying to discourage me.

[Margaret Anderson]

Why, Jim, I think living the simple life will do you a lot of good.

[Jim Anderson]

You do?

[Margaret Anderson]

Of course you'll get up early every morning and get your lungs full of

[Betty Anderson]

good, clean air while we're breathing that old stale stuff in the bedroom.

[Margaret Anderson]

Betty, please. Then you'll run briskly down to the lake for water.

[Bud Anderson]

After you chop some wood and build

[Betty Anderson]

a fire like the pioneers.

[Margaret Anderson]

Then you'll clean and fill the kerosene lamp.

[Jim Anderson]

Wait a minute. Why do I have to do it all?

[Margaret Anderson]

You're the one who wants a hunting lodge. I know, but I think you're going to enjoy it. Cooking our breakfast and lunch and dinner

[Bud Anderson]

and chopping some more wood and carrying

[Betty Anderson]

some more water like the pioneers

[Narrator]

say.

[Jim Anderson]

I've got a great idea. Let's go home.

[Narrator]

Well, it didn't take much to convince Father that there's no place like home. And that's especially true today as families the country over get together to celebrate Thanksgiving Day and the many things we have to be thankful for. We Maxwell House people. For instance, we're happy that our coffee is America's favorite brand. Happy that in so many homes, Thanksgiving dinner means a pot of Maxwell House coffee brewing on the stove as well as the turkey in the oven and the pumpkin pies cooling on the shelf. We take a lot of pride in our coffee and we want you to know you can count on Maxwell House every cup you pour. We'll keep it always good to the last drop on Thanksgiving Day and every day of the year.

[Jim Anderson]

Let's see, now, where was I?

[Bud Anderson]

You were going to say grace.

[Narrator]

Not yet.

[Jim Anderson]

But I haven't finished telling you about Benjamin Franklin's Prayer. There are two more sections.

[Betty Anderson]

Isn't that nice? Only two more, dear.

[Margaret Anderson]

Maybe I'd better put the turkey back in the oven.

[Jim Anderson]

But it won't take more than another minute.

[Betty Anderson]

And then. Do I get the drumstick?

[Jim Anderson]

You can have both drumsticks.

[Betty Anderson]

Oh, boy.

[Bud Anderson]

Hey, wait a minute.

[Margaret Anderson]

Your father's only joking, dear. Aren't you, Jim?

[Jim Anderson]

You know, if it weren't for all this talk, I could have been through telling you about it two minutes ago.

[Margaret Anderson]

Yes, dear.

[Jim Anderson]

The trouble with this family is everybody wants to talk and nobody wants to listen.

[Margaret Anderson]

You're so right, dear.

[Jim Anderson]

Anytime.

[Betty Anderson]

I.

[Jim Anderson]

What did you mean by that?

[Margaret Anderson]

I was agreeing with you. Oh.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, anyway, in the third section of his Thanksgiving Prayer, Franklin went into the intangible things of life, such as literature and the arts. You know, there aren't many people today who realize how grateful we should be for the pleasures we get from books and things like that.

[Betty Anderson]

You mean Benjamin Franklin had comic books?

[Jim Anderson]

Kathy, this will probably amaze you, but there are other kinds.

[Betty Anderson]

Oh, that's right.

[Bud Anderson]

What a knothead.

[Margaret Anderson]

That'll be enough of that, Bud.

[Bud Anderson]

Yes, ma'. Am.

[Betty Anderson]

What about the fourth section, Father?

[Jim Anderson]

I haven't finished with a third.

[Betty Anderson]

That's what I was afraid of.

[Jim Anderson]

When Franklin referred to the arts he was expressing gratitude for the pleasures we receive and also for the help. Wait a minute. Haven't we gone through all this before?

[Betty Anderson]

Oh, yes, Father.

[Bud Anderson]

You bet.

[Betty Anderson]

Dad, I don't remember anything like this. Oh, no, I don't.

[Jim Anderson]

Something about Ivanhoe. Your mother was getting ready to do her canning and. Yep, it was about Ivanhoe, all right.

[Bud Anderson]

Schools. A lot of good schools are.

[Betty Anderson]

You said it.

[Bud Anderson]

I wouldn't care if they taught you something important.

[Betty Anderson]

You said it.

[Bud Anderson]

But all that junk they make you study.

[Betty Anderson]

You said it.

[Bud Anderson]

Why don't you keep still?

[Betty Anderson]

I'm on your side.

[Bud Anderson]

Well, get over on her side.

[Betty Anderson]

Okay. Bud, just because you got a C in English doesn't mean that it isn't important. You said it.

[Bud Anderson]

I thought I told you to keep still.

[Betty Anderson]

You told me to get on her side. Bud, you said it. Kathy, wait until I say something, okay? It doesn't make any difference what you intend to be. A knowledge of literature is one of the finest things a person can have Now. All right, you said it.

[Bud Anderson]

Just because you think you're an actress.

[Betty Anderson]

That has nothing to do with it. Literature is the principal difference between animal and man. And girls too. Kathy, why don't you keep out of this? Can't I be on anybody's side?

[Jim Anderson]

Well, what's going on in here?

[Bud Anderson]

Hiya, dad.

[Betty Anderson]

Father, will you do something about Bud?

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, I don't know. He seems like a nice enough fellow. Maybe we'll let him hang around a little while longer. What do you think? Hidden.

[Betty Anderson]

You said it. But he thinks they ought to change the whole school system just because he got a C in English.

[Bud Anderson]

I do not.

[Betty Anderson]

Yes, he does, Daddy. That's what he said.

[Bud Anderson]

I didn't either.

[Betty Anderson]

Oh, you did too.

[Jim Anderson]

Just a minute, both of you. Betty, what's this all about?

[Betty Anderson]

Bud thinks English is a waste of time.

[Bud Anderson]

No, I don't. But why should I get a C just because I don't like Ivanhoe?

[Jim Anderson]

It's part of your course, isn't it?

[Bud Anderson]

Well, sure. But what good is Ivanhoe if you want to be an engineer or something?

[Jim Anderson]

You'll find, son, that a knowledge of the classics will always come in handy.

[Betty Anderson]

That's exactly what I told him. And Ivanhoe is wonderful.

[Bud Anderson]

He's a jerk,

[Betty Anderson]

but he is.

[Bud Anderson]

Dad, the jams the guy gets into for no reason at all.

[Jim Anderson]

You know, Bud, it's been a long time since I studied Ivanhoe, but I still remember it on his bold visage. Middle age had slightly pressed its signet sage yet had not quenched the open truth and fiery vehemence of youth.

[Narrator]

Right, Betty?

[Betty Anderson]

Father, that's from the lady of the Lake.

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, I. They're both Sir Walter Scott, aren't they?

[Betty Anderson]

Well, yes, but.

[Jim Anderson]

But you'll find as you grow older that there's no substitute for a sound literary background. For example, Mr. Gribble came up with a quotation at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon the other day. I stood in Venice on the Bridge of Sighs. He was very pleased that I recognized the line from Shakespeare.

[Betty Anderson]

Father.

[Jim Anderson]

Betty, I'm trying to explain to Bud.

[Betty Anderson]

But that isn't Shakespeare. It's Lord Byron.

[Jim Anderson]

That is Shakespeare. It's from the Merchant of Venice.

[Betty Anderson]

I'm sorry, Father, but it's from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Don't you remember? I stood in Venice on the Bridge of Sighs. A palace and a prison on each hand.

[Jim Anderson]

That's right. Now that you mention it, dad, if

[Bud Anderson]

I don't like this stuff, why do I have to learn it?

[Jim Anderson]

Because it's very important. And if you don't believe me, here's a quotation that proves the arts are known as the stepping stones to success. Right, Betty?

[Betty Anderson]

Right.

[Jim Anderson]

Bet. Now, if you'll excuse me.

[Bud Anderson]

Good day.

[Jim Anderson]

I'm sorry, Bud. I promised to help your mother with her canning.

[Bud Anderson]

You mean I have to keep on reading Ivanhoe?

[Jim Anderson]

You'll read it and like it.

[Bud Anderson]

Holy cow.

[Jim Anderson]

How am I supposed to remember things like that? Haven't looked at a copy of Ivanhoe in 25 years.

[Margaret Anderson]

25 years, Jim, you won't ever learn, will you?

[Jim Anderson]

About what, honey?

[Margaret Anderson]

You can't get mixed up in those school things with the children.

[Jim Anderson]

I got out of it, didn't I?

[Margaret Anderson]

Just because you were lucky enough to remember a quotation. Well, whose quotation was it?

[Jim Anderson]

What, dear?

[Margaret Anderson]

Who said it originally?

[Jim Anderson]

Oh, I did.

[Betty Anderson]

What was that?

[Jim Anderson]

Father, I. We'd better not go into it right now.

[Margaret Anderson]

If it's the same thing I'm thinking of, you'd better stick to the turkey.

[Jim Anderson]

You're so right. Well, in the last section of the Thanksgiving prayer.

[Bud Anderson]

Hey, we're in the stretch, Bud. I'm sorry, Dad.

[Jim Anderson]

I don't mind. I can sit here all night.

[Betty Anderson]

Father, please. We won't say a word, will we, Kathy? All I can think of is the drumstick.

[Jim Anderson]

All right. In the fourth and final section of his prayer, Benjamin Franklin covers the balance of our earthly benefits, not the least of which is health. And while we've all been blessed with remarkably good health through most of our lives, there have been times when. Well, we've had our anxious moments, haven't we,

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim? I. I don't know what to do.

[Jim Anderson]

We've done everything we can, honey, but

[Margaret Anderson]

she looks so small and pitiful.

[Bud Anderson]

She isn't gonna die, is she, dad?

[Jim Anderson]

Of course not.

[Bud Anderson]

Gosh, if anything happens to her.

[Jim Anderson]

Bud.

[Bud Anderson]

I'll get it. Dad.

[Jim Anderson]

It's probably the doctor, honey. Now, pull yourself together like a good girl.

[Betty Anderson]

My poor little Kathy.

[Jim Anderson]

Margaret, that isn't going to help her at all. We've got to be strong, both of us.

[Betty Anderson]

Oh, Jim.

[Bud Anderson]

Dad, it's Dr. Simmons.

[Jim Anderson]

There you are, honey. The doctor's here and he'll take care of everything.

[Margaret Anderson]

Dr. Simmons.

[Narrator]

Hello, Margaret.

[Jim Anderson]

Do you want to go right upstairs, Doc? It's Kathy.

[Narrator]

In a minute, Jim. What seems to be the trouble?

[Jim Anderson]

We don't know.

[Bud Anderson]

Why don't you go upstairs, Doctor? She's awful sick.

[Narrator]

We'll take care of her, bud. Margaret, when did it start?

[Margaret Anderson]

I. I don't know.

[Bud Anderson]

She was okay this morning.

[Jim Anderson]

God, please.

[Margaret Anderson]

She came home at 4, I think, and she looked very white and. Oh, Jim.

[Narrator]

Has she complained of any pains in her back or her legs?

[Jim Anderson]

We haven't been able to get her to say anything. She just lies there.

[Narrator]

Any temperature.

[Margaret Anderson]

She's hot and cold and. Oh, my baby.

[Narrator]

Alone, Jim?

[Jim Anderson]

No. Betty's up there with her.

[Narrator]

Well, I'll go up and take a look. You better come, too, Margaret.

[Margaret Anderson]

Doctor, if anything happens to my baby.

[Narrator]

You've got to stop thinking that way. Nothing's going to happen.

[Bud Anderson]

Gosh, it makes you feel kind of weak inside, doesn't it, dad?

[Jim Anderson]

Yes. Inside and outside and all over. Makes you feel weak and small. So many things you want to do, and you can't do any of them.

[Bud Anderson]

You never think of anybody like Kathy getting sick. She's always been so healthy and strong.

[Jim Anderson]

I know, Hank.

[Bud Anderson]

She can lick any kid on the block.

[Jim Anderson]

She'll lick this, too, Bud. She's got to, dad.

[Bud Anderson]

If she gets. I mean, when she gets well, I'll never pick on her again as long as I live.

[Jim Anderson]

That's fine, Son.

[Bud Anderson]

I'll never call her a knothead or squirt or noodle nose or. Have you got a handkerchief?

[Jim Anderson]

I think so. There you are.

[Bud Anderson]

Thanks. Here you are, Dan.

[Jim Anderson]

You may keep it.

[Betty Anderson]

Thank you, Father.

[Jim Anderson]

We're right here, Betty.

[Bud Anderson]

Do they want us?

[Betty Anderson]

No. They made me go out. Oh, I didn't want to. But, oh, Father, she's so sick.

[Jim Anderson]

I know.

[Bud Anderson]

Want to borrow my handkerchief?

[Betty Anderson]

I have one. She just lies there, and I've been so mean to her.

[Jim Anderson]

No, dear. You've been a wonderful sister.

[Betty Anderson]

I haven't. Last week I smacked her because she spilled my perfume. Well, I don't care about the old perfume. I just want Kathy to get well.

[Jim Anderson]

She will, sweetheart. We've all said our little prayers. We've all got her very close to our hearts. She'll be all right.

[Betty Anderson]

She's such a sweet child.

[Bud Anderson]

She's a good ball player, too.

[Jim Anderson]

Your mother and I have gone through this a great many times with both of you as well as Kathy. When you're married and have children of your own, you'll do the same thing.

[Bud Anderson]

Boy, what a thing to look forward to.

[Jim Anderson]

It balances, bud. A few short moments of worry and anxiety and then long, happy hours for all of us. That's the way it goes, doesn't it, Betty?

[Betty Anderson]

I wish I hadn't smacked her.

[Jim Anderson]

You'll smack her again, Father.

[Betty Anderson]

How can you say that?

[Bud Anderson]

If she smacks Kathy, I'll smack her.

[Betty Anderson]

I wouldn't dream of touching her.

[Jim Anderson]

Well, we'll see.

[Narrator]

Jim.

[Jim Anderson]

Doctor, is she all right?

[Bud Anderson]

Is she gonna live?

[Jim Anderson]

Of course she's going to live.

[Narrator]

She'll be up and around in no time at all.

[Betty Anderson]

Oh, my poor little sister.

[Jim Anderson]

Boy, wasn't anything to get excited about in the first place. It wasn't anything serious? Of course not.

[Betty Anderson]

What was it?

[Narrator]

Well, technically, I suppose you'd call it multi caldare caninae. That's about as close as I can

[Jim Anderson]

get to the Latin canini, Right?

[Narrator]

Translated roughly, that means too many hot dogs.

[Bud Anderson]

Hot dogs?

[Betty Anderson]

You mean that's all that was wrong with her?

[Narrator]

Just eight hot dogs?

[Bud Anderson]

Why, the little knothead.

[Narrator]

You can go up if you like.

[Betty Anderson]

Wait till I get my hands on her. Scaring me like that.

[Bud Anderson]

I asked her to lend me a quarter and she wouldn't. But she had enough for eight hot dogs. Wow.

[Narrator]

It's a great life, isn't it, Jim?

[Jim Anderson]

You said it, Doc. It's a great life. Yes, we've worried and fretted, but we've always come through all right. Haven't we, Daddy?

[Narrator]

Yes. I mean.

[Jim Anderson]

I'm sorry. Kathy, what is it?

[Betty Anderson]

I changed my mind. May I have a wing? Kathy?

[Bud Anderson]

What? A beetle brain bug.

[Betty Anderson]

But I looked at it so long, I got tired of the drumsticks.

[Margaret Anderson]

Jim, now.

[Jim Anderson]

Yes, dear. We'll have Benjamin Franklin's Thanksgiving Prayer right now. For peace and liberty, for food and raiment. For corn and wine and every kind of healthful nourishment. Good God, I thank thee for the common benefits of air and light, for useful fire and delicious water. Good God, I thank thee for knowledge and literature and every useful art for my friends and their prosperity, and for the fewness of my enemies. Good God, I thank thee for all thy innumerable benefits, for life and reason and the use of speech, for health and every pleasant hour. My good God, I thank thee. Amen. Could this be you after Thanksgiving dinner?

[Narrator]

Oh, honey, I don't want to eat again for a week. But tomorrow it'll be a different story. This is the most delicious coconut cream pie I ever ate. Can I have another piece?

[Jim Anderson]

Huh?

[Narrator]

And delectable coconut cream pie is a breeze to make with new Jell O coconut cream pudding and pie filling. There's nothing to add but milk and it's Jell O coconut cream pudding and pie filling for red letter desserts. Thanksgiving comes only once a year, but some good things we can enjoy every day. For example, when it comes to truly good coffee with a flavor you enjoy cup after cup, you can count on Maxwell House every time. It's the one coffee that's always good to the last drop. Join us again next week when we'll be back with Father Knows Best, starring Robert Young as Jim Anderson, with Roy Bargay and the Maxwell House Orchestra. In our cast were Norma Jean Nielson as Kathy Jean Vanderpile, Rhoda Williams, Ted Donaldson and yours truly, Bill Foreman. So until next Thursday, good night and good luck from the makers of Maxwell House. Father Knows Best was transcribed in Hollywood and written by Ed James. Mr.

[Jim Anderson]

Keen tracer of lost persons brings you mystery tonight on NBC. Oh, I have had no luck lately. Wait.

[Lady Luck Bretzky]

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[Jim Anderson]

10 bucks for 30. I'm headed over to spinquest.com right now. Spinquest is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.

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