FATHER KNOWS BEST, Season 3 - Coming in June (1 Viewer)

[Bert Greene]

Hey there, Gary! Just got on the computer after a rather long day. I'm so glad to learn that season-3 has officially been confirmed. Season-2 was one of my top favorite dvd-sets of last year. I was getting a bit worried that Shout Factory might have abandoned it, perhaps to concentrate on their newfound niche of 70s/80s fare. This upcoming set should transition us from the William D. Russell directed episodes to the Peter Tewksbury ones, and I'm rather curious as to whether this change will be initially apparent. It's been so terribly long since I've seen any of these.

Great that they are continuing with the "Window on Main Street" bonuses. I guess I can see why that series never quite caught fire. In some ways it seems to have a more dated mindset than Young's earlier hit, and probably appealed moreso to an older crowd, more attuned to its comparatively dated Will Rogers/"Our Town"/Norman Rockwell vibe. It seems to parallel a few other early-60s tv items like "Ichabod and Me" and "The New Loretta Young Show" and such, which also didn't succeed. Probably seemed to be pretty stuffy fare to younger folks (who were probably digging "Dobie Gillis" and such at the time). But, "Window" makes for a great extra in these dvd-sets, especially with their complete, commercial-included context.

 

[Gary OS]

Good to "see" you again, Bert. I knew you'd be excited about this release and that it would only be a matter of time before we'd hear from you. As always, you've written a great post that mirrors my own thoughts. It's been a while since I've seen the Season 3 episodes as well (other than the Christmas one, which I watch every year) so I'll be watching to see if there are any subtle differences we can pick up on with the switch in directors. I've read that Russell was a big, yet very sentimental, man and would often have a hard time holding tears back if scenes were done right. That was one of the biggest things I noticed with the first two seasons - the sentimentality. It was a show that could bring tears to my eyes very easily. I'm going to see if the Tewksbury directed episodes have the same effect on me, or if that aspect of the series wanes any. Then again, as the children grew older some of the sentimentality, especially in scenes with Kathy, would have to naturally dissipate. So I'll leave room for that in my evaluation. Regardless, I remember the show well enough to know I loved the entire run when I watched it in the 70's and 80's.

Gary "glad you brought up the directorial change, Bert - good food for thought" O.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

If I remember correctly, the new director went in more for closeups.

 

[Gary OS]

You may be right on that one, Joe. We'll have a chance to see if that's the case in just a few more months.

Gary "really happy that we are getting this season on dvd" O.

 

[Carabimero]

I hope the ailing economy doesn't hurt sales on this that might in turn make a season four release a tougher possibility.

 

[Gary OS]

I'm hoping that the release of Season 3 demonstrates that Shout is more committed to this series than some first thought. I certainly hope we can get all six seasons, but right now my focus will be the upcoming set and pushing for Season 4 by Christmas time. I have a bit of an ulterior motive with wanting Season 4 real bad. Brian Ward at Shout told me on another forum that he'll notify the producer of the FKB sets to be on the lookout for the Christmas-themed episode of "Window on Main Street" so that it can be included as a bonus feature on a potential Season 4 release. I'm guessing they might already have settled on a particular "Window/Main St" episode for this upcoming Season 3 release, so it looks like it's going to take a release of FATHER KNOWS BEST: SEASON 4 to get that coveted prize of mine. Of course, I guess there's still a very slim hope they could still decide to put the Christmas episode of "Window" on this upcoming set, but Brian seemed to think it would be best to wait on that one (if it can even be found and used at all) until a release that would be near the Holidays.

Gary "the bottom line is that we keep seeing more of this show from Shout" O.

 

[Gary OS]

Forgive my spelling mistake in the last post. Jim Anderson would have been disappointed in me for that one. Cue the sentimental FKB music. LOL

Gary "hope we get an official confirmation about Season 3 soon" O.

 

[Jude86]

Gary, or any others, I thought the Young estate had the entire "Window on Main Street" series in its possession?

In any case, let's hope brisk sales of season 3, encourage Shout! to plunge ahead with season 4 by the holidays!

 

[Gary OS]

I think they do, I was just wondering if all the episodes would be in pristine shape. For instance, if the Christmas-themed episodes was pulled out of the vaults and it didn't look so hot, I could see Shout opting to go with another episode. That's my only concern. If it looks nice and can be found there at the Young Estates, then I feel confident we will see it - if a Season 4 is released.

Gary "that episode has long been on my personal wish list of Christmas TV shows - I hope we get to see it" O.

 

[Jeff Willis]

All of this FKB talk is reminding me to get back to that S1 set on the shelf I fell behind on this set. Too many on the "watching" list. But this one along with the Donna Reed Show finally got me into the mid-50's era of TV/DVD collecting. I was pulled into that "kicking and yelling" by Gary Kidding, dude. Thanks for the recommendations with that era's shows.

 

[Gary OS]

Always glad to point friends in the direction of vintage TV on DVD. That's a joy I've loved passing down to my two teenage daughters, who just love 50's and 60's television. It's fun to have people who will watch and enjoy the shows with you. And FATHER KNOWS BEST is certainly near the top of the list.

I'm glad you are enjoying Season 1, but I hope you'll give Season 2 a shot because I'm confident you'll like it even better since it utilizes complete episodes, not the syndicated ones present in Season 1. But the bottom line is that this is a great series, as are the others you mentioned. And we are fortunate to have them.

Gary "take care, good buddy" O.

 

[Gary OS]

All the talk on the FUGITIVE thread about music replacements has made me wish I had a FATHER KNOWS BEST soundtrack collection. I have no idea if such a compilation was ever even compiled and made available to the public, but I know I'd buy one if it were.

Gary "if I had a cd of FKB music I could put certain cues on any time I needed a good cry - certain tracks from that show do that to me every time" O.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Didn't get to FKB S1 last weekend as I promised myself. That one's on Runway 229'er for this weekend. I got sidetracked on Westerns last weekend....

A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-yo Silver.

I'd say that's hard to miss the clue

 

[Gary OS]

ADVENTURES OF ANNIE OAKLEY, right?

Yes, your clue was pretty obvious. And it's a great set to be watching, I must say. Just hope you can squeeze in a FKB episode every so often. I want you to finish Season 1 and then move on to Season 2 so I can get your opinion on the cleaned up, full length episodes.

Gary "take care, kemosabe" O.

 

[Bert Greene]

A number of the episodes in the 2nd-season set had the original 'Scott Paper Company Presents' headings in the opening credits. It would be nifty if Shout could perhaps include a few original commercials as extras, if possible. Not that Shout hasn't already done a fine job with extras. But I do always really get a kick out of the added historical context of commercials, as was done so nicely on Image's "Naked City" sets and VCI's "Burke's Law" and "Honey West" sets.

 

[Gary OS]

How right you are, Bert. I love the Scott towels sponsorship opening we get with these episodes. No commercials, but even that little bit at the beginning kinda takes you back in time.

Gary "another set that has great commercials is 'Steve Canyon'" O.

 

[Gary OS]

Can't wait to hear what type of extra's we will be getting with this upcoming set. The first 2 sets have had some solid extra's.

Gary "I think it's a given we'll get another 'Window on Main Street', but I don't know what else we may or may not see with this upcoming set" O.

 

[Jude86]

I got a surprise today in the mail, courtesy of my g/f--two volumes of Father Knows Best--The Radio Series!!

 

[Gary OS]

Neat stuff, Jude. I'm sure they will bring you many hours of enjoyment.

Gary "enjoying Season 2 with my wife and daughters this evening" O.

 

[Jude86]

I'm really enjoying these radio episodes....the characters aren't too much unlike the TV counterparts--esp the actress who plays Kathy on the radio show--she and Lauren Chapin are almost sympatico in the role! The first episode had the family as "The Hendersons". Robert Young was a bit more sarcastic on the radio version. it's like lost episodes

I recommend anyone who is a FKB fan to give these a whirl.