11/6/06: Father Knows Best (1954-1960)

We were busy with our Halloween horror festival when Jane Wyatt passed away, and that was probably for the best. We didn’t want to comment on every dreary obituary that ridiculed her popular role on Father Knows Best. As an example, though, here’s a pretty good L.A. Times obituary that still manages to be moronic.

Also, we were curious to see if any conservative type would provide a proper defense. Nobody bothered. We’re beginning to wonder if we’re the only people who’ve ever watched the show. Of course, we felt the same way when Robert Young passed away in 1998. That’s when Ellen Goodman wrote a pandering piece ridiculing the legacy of both the actor and the series. “In the real postwar era,” she assured us, “men and women were going separate ways.”

That would explain the immaculate baby boom.

Goodman also quoted some ditz named Stephanie Coontz, author of The Way We Never Were. (There’s a book easily judged by the cover.) Coontz was upset by the “impossible ideal” that was established by this great American sitcom: “Here is this father who is never angry, never flummoxed, never wrong, never had to negotiate with his wife.”

Again, did anybody actually watch this show? Those who did would also see that the title was firmly in jest. Jim Anderson was baffled by his wife and kids. His daughter Betty still remains a fine feminist role model. She rebelled against her parents choosing the college she would attend, and moped around for days after a boy described her as “wholesome.” Like the parents on Leave It To Beaver, the Andersons constantly made mistakes with their children. It’s just that love always conquered the daily struggle. That, too, is like real life.

We originally had a closing line that went back to Ellen Goodman, but too many people already say that conservatives are mean-spirited. We’ll be a class act and walk away from that, like Jim Anderson would—after talking it over with Margaret Anderson.

Make it your own: Seriously, we’re not making this up—as you can see for yourself.

 

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