This was an intriguing premise for an episode of FATHER KNOWS BEST. Betty wins a lookalike contest due to her close resemblance to a popular movie star named Donna Stewart. The prize: a trip to Hollywood. Betty gets more than she bargained for, however, and learns a hard lesson in Hollywood about the gap between appearances and reality.
This could easily have been an hour-long story; compressed to 25 minutes it feels rushed and underdeveloped. The far-fetched nature of the plot is only accentuated by the short format. The episode does, however, show the emotional depths into which FKB dared to venture. The scene toward the end when Betty calls home in abject tears is harrowing. The scenes in Hollywood have a downright frightening edge to them.
Doppelgangers and loss of identity were common themes in the television of this era. Just a month after this episode aired, audiences got to see an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, "Mirror Image" (starring Vera Miles), dealing with the alienating effect of confronting one's double. A book could probably be written about the thematic connections between various shows of this era, both serious dramas and supposedly "light" fare like FATHER KNOWS BEST.
The episode gets five stars for daring and depth, but it deserved more time and development.
This could easily have been an hour-long story; compressed to 25 minutes it feels rushed and underdeveloped. The far-fetched nature of the plot is only accentuated by the short format. The episode does, however, show the emotional depths into which FKB dared to venture. The scene toward the end when Betty calls home in abject tears is harrowing. The scenes in Hollywood have a downright frightening edge to them.
Doppelgangers and loss of identity were common themes in the television of this era. Just a month after this episode aired, audiences got to see an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, "Mirror Image" (starring Vera Miles), dealing with the alienating effect of confronting one's double. A book could probably be written about the thematic connections between various shows of this era, both serious dramas and supposedly "light" fare like FATHER KNOWS BEST.
The episode gets five stars for daring and depth, but it deserved more time and development.
