Customer Reviews
Great disc for the entire family 
2008-06-16
Season one doesn't miss a beat. I was the same age as Kathy when the original TV shows came on and I felt like I had gone back in time to my childhood when I watched these. The Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes were so touching and I was like Kathy in the Christmas episode, "I felt warm all over again when I saw the Christmas tree growing from the floor." What a great feeling to when you are sixty!
Great extras and packaging; poor picture and sound quality 
2008-06-08
"Father Knows Best" is a television classic and still has a lasting appeal. The shows themselves are still fun to watch, but the prints are edited and they vary in sound and picture quality. The extras are great; we get to hear from Elinor Donahue and Lauren Chapin about their experiences on the show (hopefully we can hear from Billy Gray, who played "Bud," on the next season set). Making money is always the bottom line with DVD releases, and sometimes quality suffers as a result; the studio that put these out didn't want to spend any extra money on restoring the shows. Hopefully season two won't have the same issue.
Perfect Family Entertainment 2008-06-02
I have not seen this show in 30 years and I amazed how well the it holds up in the 21st century. The first season aired in 1954 and 1955 and it was based on the popular radio show that was broadcast from 1949 through 1953. Although the Anderson's do not look like any family you would see today, they do portray what every family wishes it could be. The Andersons represent a solid family where ever member is valued, and character and integrity are expected by all. The parents, Jim and Margret, work together to confront the difficulties of raising three children. Margaret looks to Jim as the head of the household. Jim does not abuse his position as the "man of the house" and constantly treats his wife Margret with the utmost respect and love. Therefore, Jim feels respected and Margaret feels loved and together they make a perfect team.
Bud, the second child, is the one who seems to always find trouble which sets the stage for endless hours of entertainment. Betty, the oldest, is very level-headed and responsible but as a teenage girl, she does encounter her share of problems. Finally there is Kathy, the little sister, who keeps the pot stirring by always making the inappropriate comment or lets the cat out of the bag by purposely repeating what she heard her parents say earlier.
Unlike today's shows, the teenage daughter is not promiscuous and does not reveal her body in a way that leads one to think she is a prostitute. The son is not on drugs, does not talk back to his parents, and does not have sex with every girl in the neighborhood. The youngest daughter is not one of those untamed little animals you see terrorizing her parents in the grocery store.
I know people mock the show because it is unrealistic. But it is only unrealistic in the sense that the Anderson's have set the bar very high and in all reality few families can be like them. American television used to portray what the ideal family should be in an effort to foster a desire to be better. Today's television family shows the worst in people so that even a semi-dysfunctional family will feel good about itself in comparison and therefore, not strive to improve or reflect on how it behaves.
I really like this show and my teenage son and 11 year old daughter really like it too. The stories are well written, the production values very high, and the actors perform superbly. This is perfect family entertainment.
Wonderful Season One 2008-05-31
Must have. Excellent crisp black & white video. A few, but only a few, episodes have lower volume. Simply turn it up. About half of the episodes are complete and uncut. Can't wait for Season Two.
Father Knows Best Season One 2008-05-31
The item was exactly as discribed and arrived in good condition. I would gladly buy from this seller again...anytime!
Father Knows Best Season One 
2008-07-14
I would have liked to know that this DVD was not made from the original tapes, but from the TVLand or Nick at Night chopped up airings of the show. Sometimes the scene is cut in mid-sentence (apparently where they had placed a commercial.) It's a great show and I love it, but this DVD set is very poor quality
Father Knows Best but not this time 2008-07-14
I have been waiting for years for Father Knows Best to come out in DVD so I was excited to finally see it released. The show is great but as others have mentioned the product itself is poorly edited. The episodes are not complete!!!!!! Very disappointing.
Very clean & peaceful & funny --- just what we need sometimes. 2008-07-13
Love the shows! I have always enjoyed watching Robert Young & this is just clean fun~
Father May Know Best, but Shout Factory Should Know Better 
2008-07-06
Unfortunately, "Father Knows Best--the First Season" is a compilation of episodes from the serie's first season, and edited like you've often seen them in syndication. A significant source of the pleasure in owning such classic series is that you expect to see them unedited, as they were originally broadcast. The editing of these episodes is obvious to even a casual observer, with dialogue and scenes simply fading out. To add insult to injury, even the closing credits are edited. As the credits are displayed, instead of the show's theme playing through the end, the credits just stop--abruptly. "Father Knows Best" deserves better treatment, and so do the customers.
Father Knows Best Long Overdue!!!! 
2008-06-18
I have thoroughly enjoyed my Father Knows Best Season One DVD and hope that "Shout" is putting out a Season Two SOON!!!
