Situation Comedy (1949 - 52)
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Robert Young |
 The radio version of Father Knows Best stars Robert
Young as Jim Anderson, and was the forerunner to the classic
TV show of the same name. June Whitley plays his wife
Margaret, with Jean Vander Pyl later taking the role.
The kids act very similar to the way they do on the better-known
TV show. Daughter Betty is played on the radio version
by Rhoda Williams, Ted Donaldson plays Bud, and Norma
Jean Nilsson is great as the littlest Anderson, Kathy.
Of course, to Father, Kathy is "Kitten" and
Betty is "Princess." Bud is just Bud.
The plots are family friendly, often misunderstandings that get
blown out of proportion, generation gap issues
or trivial but lesson-inspiring arguments between the kids. Jim Anderson works for
an insurance company, but this is little more than background,
since the stories invariably begin after Jim enters, saying,
"Margaret, I'm home." The sponsor for the three-year
run was General Foods. Of course, the Anderson's extol
the virtues of the many fine General Foods products drawing a lucid connection between family bliss and consumerism.
Robert Young appeared in his first movie in 1924, and
was in many fine films such as Hitchcock's Secret Agent
(1936), Northwest Passage (1940), H.M. Pulham,
Esq. (1941) and Crossfire (1947).  He had ultimately
well over a hundred movies to his credit. In the early
1950s Young had effectively retired from films, Yet on
the success of the old time radio show, he welcomed the return
to on-screen acting, even if the screen was only 9 inches
high! The rest of the TV cast are the ones fans of Nick
at Night know and love. Along with Ozzie
and Harriet and Leave it to Beaver, Father
Knows Best was one of the first and best-loved All-American
sweet-hearted family situation comedies. The old time radio show
created a loyal audience that were happy to see their
show on the "little screen" after hearing it
on the radio.
More radio family situation comedies are Blondie,
The Aldrich Family,
The Life of Riley, Ozzie
and Harriet, The Goldbergs,
Phil Harris and Alice
Faye, The Great Gildersleeve,
and Vic and Sade. Of
course, couple-type family comedies were on radio, too,
such as Burns and Allen,
Fibber McGee and Molly, My
Favorite Husband, and Easy
Aces. And of course, there were some funny singles
such as Our Miss Brooks,
The Mel Blanc Show, Life
with Luigi, Honest Harold
and Jack Benny.
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