FATHER KNOWS BETTER

FATHER KNOWS BEST
1954-1960, CBS, NBC

AROUND THE WORLD WITH U. S. TELEVISION
MAD #54, July 1960
w: Larry Siegel
a: Wallace Wood

Remember that at one time, it was okay to make fun of ethnic groups.

Actually, this isn't that bad. It's basically first-world stereotypes anyway. But what do I know? Being a 52-year-old-white guy means I'm not as hip to the twitter wokeverse as a lot of people. Maybe I'm making too big a deal.

We begin with a parody of the long-running sitcom Father Knows Best, its premise was just a family with three kids. It all took place at the home. The husband, Jim (Robert Young) would come home to his wife Margaret (Jane Wyatt). His oldest daughter was Betty (Elinor Donahue), The son, Bud, here modeled after Marlon Brando in The Wild One was played by Billy Gray. The youngest daughter is Cathy (Lauren Chapin). Here, the wife leave him for Riley (William Bendix) of Life of Riley.

The picture in the third panel is of Prime Minister Harold McMillan. The wife leaves Jim for a British version of Kookie from 77 Sunset Strip.

3 The oldest daughter in this doesn't look like her, but is modeled after Brigitte Bardot, French actress known for appearing scantily clad in films. The picture on the wall is of Charles DeGaulle and if you look closely you will notice Toulouse-Lautrec out the window.

I don't know the reason for the picture of Gen. MacArthur in the last panel. Maybe they didn't know who the leader of Japan was. The man in the last panel is a Japanese version of Paladin from Have Gun, Will Travel