Season 5 - Episode Guide

Betty's forever boyfriend proposes.

A poem inspires Betty to be nicer to her brother Bud.

Does Kathy's new boyfriend want to be with her or does he really want to be around her father, Jim?

Bud's ideas for school homecoming dance cause some controversy.

The Anderson family's friend "Fronk" (Frank) is back while on a week's vacation to help the family in many ways.

Jim plans to teach his kids that they must plan ahead, but his good plans go awry.

Betty convinces her parents to enjoy a second wedding, this time in a church.

Bud takes a job caring for a man's car, home, and bird. Note: The events are narrated by Bud speaking to the viewer.

A reenactment during Founder's Day celebration tests Betty's determination. She pairs with Tom Wentworth (Dick York).

The Andersons entertain and learn from a visiting coed college student from India.

Re-cut of an earlier episode (season 1 episode 16) not distributed in syndication. The episode has a new intro where Margaret reminds Bud of the story to help him be a better person. This was often done instead of in-season reruns when the cast/crew were on vacation/holiday, in this case, Thanksgiving week 1958.

Margaret wins a new car in a raffle for a children's home, but the children win the Anderson family's hearts.

At a Kiwanis meeting, Jim is inspired and motivates the whole family to learn something new and learn to enjoy the process at the same time.

Re-cut of an earlier episode (season 1 episode 12) not distributed in syndication. The episode has a new intro where the Andersons reminisce about a family experience at Christmas several years ago. This was often done instead of in-season reruns when the cast/crew were on vacation/holiday, in this case, Christmas week 1958.

Jim steps in when the basketball team's coach is called away to another city.

President of the family's new corporation, Kathy, learns some important lessons.

Bud's creative writing teacher assigns task to help a complete stranger and learns a good Samaritan is sometimes not appreciated.

Charlie the painter tells Jim his kids are ungrateful toward him because they forgot Jim's birthday.

With good intentions, Bud temporarily borrows the $10 he collected for needy children. Bad luck reigns, and he fails repeatedly to get cash back to make the donation on time.

Kathy changes her adult second cousin Leonard's (Leo in the title but never used Leo name in episode) view on how others see him, and he turns his life around

Bud turns down an invite to a girls-ask-boys dance and the "mean girls" start an anti-Bud Anderson campaign.

Bud protects Betty's honor at Prospect Point, a lover's parking spot, and learns to respect his date's wishes and reputation, too.

Kathy is impatient and wants to be treated as an adult in the Anderson family, but she learns she likes still being a kid, too.

Jim discovers a secret that he will win a community award, while Margaret is told of the selection and the rest of the family make plans to celebrate. Confusion reigns as the telegram does not arrive as promised at 9:00 PM.

Betty's college dance class is putting on a musical and Betty must compete against a girl who claims to never practice.

Margaret tries to join Jim in NY city but mishaps keep them from getting together.

Bud's steady girlfriend Joyce temporarily breaks up with him, and Bud starts dating new girl next door. When Joyce unbreaks up with Bud, he tries to have both as steady girlfriends. When they find out about each other, Bud finds himself in trouble and must decide between the two of them.

Margaret's collegiate competitor arrives unexpectedly and finds Margaret's hectic family life wonderful. Look for Bud-the-dinosaur to be "bagged" by Margaret in a great scene with Betty.

Recut of season 3 episode 16 retold by Margaret to Bud and Betty. Episode not in syndicated package

Suspense, intrigue, and a bit of mixture of Alfred Hitchcock and Twilight Zone special effects make an award winning episode that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Listen for a familiar voice (Jonathan Harris, Lost in Space, Dr Smith).

Bud Is picked by a wealthy family's daughter for a series of dates that she arranges and covers the expenses and Bud gets to drive her fancy sports car. Bud learns that she is content to go on regular dates that he can afford.

Recut rerun of season 1 episode 17. Bud wants his dad to promise to go to a carnival but Jim says he won't make promises like that and recounts the story of Kathy's playhouse.

The high school year book feature editor, Bud is assigned task of writing the books's dedication to Professor Stark. He first writes a comedic version before he interviewed people to write a true dedication letter.

Recut rerun of season 1 episode 5. Kathy is frustrated and tells her father she wants to leave home. Jim recounts when Bud left home years ago.

Bud blames his physics teacher for his bad grades and written notice of unsatisfactory work.

The Anderson family must solve a who-done-it murder mystery when the television goes out during a storm.

Betty wants to arrange a romantic midnight boat ride, Margaret recounts the story as a flashback of when she took dance lessons without telling Jim. This is a re-cut rerun of season 1 episode 11 and is generally not in syndication. The networks often did episodes like this when cast/crew were on scheduled vacation times and holiday weeks.

Bud's high school graduation ceremony's traditions seem old-fashioned to Bud.