7.3/1047 votes#1 - Art of Salesmanship
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 8/31/1955
Jim tries to encourage Bud to take after him in salesmanship.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 7.3/1055 votes
#2 - Father's Private Life
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 9/7/1955
Jim comes home tired one day and is harangued by the kids. So, he and Margaret set up new rules to give him some time to relax—but it ends up backfiring.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 7.4/1054 votes
#3 - Lessons in Civics
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 9/14/1955
A new highway is getting built, and for that the old community hall is going to be pulled down. That's something Jim wouldn't like to see since the hall is a historical monument, and also, memories from his youth are connected with this hall. Everyone from the family sees how much the hall means to Jim, and they use different ways to organize help.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Dorothy Cooper
- 7.6/1051 votes
#4 - First Disillusionment
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 9/21/1955
Bud loses a job to a boy who fakes his resume, which leads him to believe it is alright to do this himself
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 8.2/1064 votes
#5 - Woman in the House
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 9/28/1955
Margaret is forced to invite a woman who makes her uncomfortable because she is Jim's friend's wife.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 7.5/1047 votes
#6 - New Girl at School
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 10/5/1955
Bud learns that the girl he likes is dating his best friend.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 7.7/1051 votes
#7 - Kathy Makes Magic
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 10/12/1955
Kathy gets a new magic set, from a trade with a friend, and becomes convinced she can truly wield magic.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers, Herman J. Epstein
- 7.9/1059 votes
#8 - Advantage to Betty
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 10/19/1955
Betty has recently taken up tennis at school and is chosen for a photo shoot for the paper. This causes friction between her and her doubles partner, Eula, who is the team’s best player.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 8.1/1059 votes
#9 - The Big Test
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 10/26/1955
Bud is accused of cheating because he is suddenly getting high grades in class.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 7.3/1053 votes
#10 - Father Is a Dope
Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 11/2/1955
After commenting on a sitcom (“Father Does It Again”) the family watches together one night, Jim speaks about how TV fathers are often portrayed as dumb in comparison with their families. Later, he plans on going hunting and starts believing that Margaret and the kids are secretly trying to get him to stay.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 7.2/1052 votes
#11 - Spirit of Youth
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 11/9/1955
When Jim gets an invitation to a dance for his class reunion—class of ‘33—the kids start behaving as if their parents are ancient. Then, when the kids at their alma mater treat them the same, Jim and Margaret deal with the thought of getting older.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Dorothy Cooper
- 7.8/1057 votes
#12 - Bud, the Ladykiller
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 11/16/1955
Bud gets irritated by a girl (whom he refers to as “Dumb Dora”) who has a crush on him, hurts her feelings when his irritation leads to cruelty, and must make amends.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Sumner Arthur Long, Dorothy Cooper
- 6.5/1048 votes
#13 - Margaret's Premonition
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 11/30/1955
Margaret has a premonition of danger for Jim’s upcoming business trip, and tries to get Jim to postpone it. But Jim believes it’s a bunch of superstitious nonsense, and insists on going anyway.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 6.5/1044 votes
#14 - Stage to Yuma
Season 2 Episode 14 - Aired 12/7/1955
Tate Idsen saves a stagecoach from savage Indians in a flashback sequence.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/1060 votes
#15 - Bad Influence
Season 2 Episode 15 - Aired 12/14/1955
Bud gets in trouble when his latest friend turns out to be a kleptomaniac.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 7.9/1056 votes
#16 - Betty Hates Carter
Season 2 Episode 16 - Aired 12/28/1955
Betty is indignant when Jim arranges a date for her with an old insurance salesman buddy’s son, Carter.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/1055 votes
#17 - Jim, the Tyrant
Season 2 Episode 17 - Aired 1/4/1956
Jim comes home early from work, after a long, hard day, and expects to gain comfort from his family, but is quickly disillusioned when they all are too absorbed in their own interests and tasks to pay attention to him. This just makes his mood more sour and he declares at dinner that if he must, he will become a tyrant. This leads to unwelcome consequences.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers, Herman J. Epstein
- 7.5/1051 votes
#18 - Betty's Brother
Season 2 Episode 18 - Aired 1/11/1956
Bud is having trouble in school and the family are hard-pressed to find out why. Eventually, Jim and Margaret come to the conclusion that, since he’s entered high school, he’s lost his confidence over being constantly compared to Betty and her accomplishments.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Paul West
- 7.7/1052 votes
#19 - Betty Earns a Formal
Season 2 Episode 19 - Aired 1/18/1956
Betty gets a job to pay for a new, expensive formal for the Cinderella Ball at the country club.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Paul West
- 7.9/1057 votes
#20 - The House Painter
Season 2 Episode 20 - Aired 1/25/1956
Jim has a bet with Betty and Margaret concerning human nature, integrity and the man painting their house—Mr. Everett.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Roswell Rogers
- 7.5/1045 votes
#21 - Bud, the Wallflower
Season 2 Episode 21 - Aired 2/1/1956
Bud seems determined not to go to a Senior/Freshman dance that is Sadie Hawkins-themed.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: Paul West
- 8.1/1061 votes
#22 - The Bus to Nowhere
Season 2 Episode 22 - Aired 2/8/1956
The last few days Betty has no fun, she's sullen and does nothing. No one gets through to her, not even her parents. Betty faces a personal crisis when she has to find answers, basically, to the meaning-of-life question. The only way out for her is to put Bud's story (which he has written as an assignment) into reality: Enter a bus and go as far as the money takes her.
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: N/A
- 6.8/1043 votes
#23 - Kathy, the Indian Giver
Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 2/15/1956
No description available
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: N/A
- 7.7/1051 votes
#24 - The Historical Andersons
Season 2 Episode 24 - Aired 2/22/1956
No description available
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: N/A
- 7.4/1055 votes
#25 - The Grass is Greener
Season 2 Episode 25 - Aired 2/29/1956
No description available
Director: William D. Russell
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Father Knows Best Season 2
Every episode of Father Knows Best Season 2 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Father Knows Best Season 2!
Family man Jim Anderson copes with the everyday problems among his wife Margaret and their three children as they experience day-to-day changes.
Genres:ComedyFamily
Network:CBS
Season 2 Ratings Summary
"Art of Salesmanship" is the best rated episode of "Father Knows Best" season 2. It scored 7.3/10 based on 47 votes. Directed by William D. Russell and written by Roswell Rogers, it aired on 8/31/1955. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Father's Private Life".