What happens
Father Knows Best follows the Anderson family at their home on Maple Street. A new automatic washing machine fascinates young Kathy, who is accused of mischief after clothes are dunked in the machine and a family crisis follows. Jim Anderson, the father, gets a letter from the police department summoning a family member, and the household scrambles to learn why. Kathy's older sister Betty, mother Margaret, and brother Bud all react differently as the trouble unfolds. Jim, working at his office, is drawn into a business matter involving Mr. Trumbull. The episode was first broadcast on April 17, 1952, and stars Robert Young as Jim Anderson.
The Anderson home on Maple Street and Jim Anderson's office in town
Characters: Jim Anderson, Margaret Anderson, Kathy Anderson, Betty Anderson, Bud Anderson, Mr. Trumbull, Mr. Ward
Listen for: Kathy's fascination with the new washing machine and the letter from the police department
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.