Scripts

 The cast on the set with director Peter Tewksbury going over the script.

 Pictures on “stage 11”.  Bottom right is make-up man Bob Schiffer who readies Robert Young for the camera as the episode “Father’s Private Life” is about to roll.

Director William Russell with Jane Wyatt and Robert Young discussing the script.

Here are four actual 50+ year-old scripts from the show and a script from the 1977 reunion movie!   You can download them into a pdf file if you have “Adobe Acrobat Reader ” installed on your computer.  To give you a timeline how long it took to “write-the-script-to-the-broadcast”, for episode #85, “Carnival”, the final draft to the script was completed May 6, 1956.  The script was shot the week of October 4, 1956.  The episode was broadcast on February 6, 1957 on NBC.  As you read each script, you can see the vision and talent each actor/actress, the director, cameraman, editor, etc. needed, to bring this script to life . . . enjoy this RARE bit of TV history!  (Click on each script to download into a pdf file, or open into “ibooks” if on a tablet.)

Script from Season One, Episode #6 “Grandpa Jim’s Rejuvenation”, airing November 7, 1954 on CBS.

Script from Season Three, Episode #85 “Carnival”, airing February 6, 1957 on NBC.

Script from Season Three, Episode #90 “Safety First”, airing March 20, 1957 on NBC.

Script from Season Three, Episode #93 “The Spelling Bee”, airing April 17, 1957 on NBC.

Script from the 1977 TV of the Week Movie, “The Father Knows Best Reunion”, Airing May 15, 1977 on NBC.