What happens
On the day after Jim Anderson's birthday, the Anderson family in Springfield plans a surprise party, but they keep forgetting his birthday and then struggle to keep Jim at home until the guests arrive. Jim's son Bud and daughter Betty try to get their father out of the house while their mother Margaret coordinates from the kitchen. Jim grows suspicious when a phone call comes for him, and the children's plans lead to a series of awkward attempts to keep him occupied, including a sing-along and a complaint about the furnace. The episode is a half-hour installment of the series Father Knows Best, which was transcribed in Hollywood and aired on February 23, 1950, with Robert Young as Jim Anderson.
The White Frame House on Maple Street in Springfield
Characters: Jim Anderson, Margaret Anderson, Betty Anderson, Bud Anderson, Kathy Anderson, Mr. Gribble
Listen for: Jim Anderson asking why his family is acting strangely, and the children's attempts to keep him at home during the party preparations
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.