Posted on 02/24/2026 11:49:35 PM PST by lowbridge
Lauren Chapin, who portrayed the precocious Kathy “Kitten” Anderson on the iconic 1950s TV series Father Knows Best, has died. She was 80.
Chapin, who said she was molested as a child before dealing with drug abuse, jail sentences, several miscarriages and divorce after her show ended, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, her son, Matthew, reported on Facebook.
Following appearances on a 1952 episode of CBS’ Lux Video Theatre and in the Judy Garland-starring A Star Is Born (1954), Chapin was hired for Father Knows Best when she was 9.
She said she got the job in part because she bore a strong resemblance to one of star Robert Young’s four daughters, also named Kathy. (Norma Jean Nilsson had played the part on the preceding NBC Radio version.)
Chapin’s older TV siblings were Betty “Princess” Anderson (Elinor Donahue) and James “Bud” Anderson Jr. (Billy Gray), and their mom was the level-headed homemaker Margaret Anderson (Jane Wyatt). Young played Jim Anderson, an insurance salesman.
Father Knows Best ran for six seasons, from October 1954 through May 1960, with two stints at CBS sandwiched around one at NBC. Reruns then aired for another couple of years in primetime on ABC and for decades in syndication, and the cast reunited for a pair of TV specials in 1977.
(Excerpt) Read more at hollywoodreporter.com ...
Fantastic TV show, and she was perfect in the part.
True.
Before my time but seeing it in the last ten years or so I find it was an excellent and classy show.
It’s no wonder the hippies and leftists hated it so much and made it an object of ridicule.
R.I.P. Lauren . She was a Facebook friend .
I used to watch reruns of it. I was born in the 60s. R.I.P.
On no, not Lauren...
Who?
Just kidding, I remember her and that show very well.
I remember “Bud” was working on some kind of hot rod car and it had the coolest flame job on the front of it. It looked like it was done with his thumb and used various colors for the flames. It looked nothing like today’s flame jobs.
“(O)ne that has no violence, no sex and shows nothing but purity and love.”
That’s the television she wanted, not today’s Premium Pay grade X-rated junk.
A modern version of that show would be titled “Father Knows Nothing”.
Funny how she didn’t change much at all over the years
I never heard a hippie make fun of Father Knows Best, they didn’t.
One of my favorite shows. Along with Andy Griffith, My 3 Sons and McHales Navy
It was ridiculed by the left as fake and conformist etc…
I think you were using the word hippies to describe the media and leading liberal public figures, not actual hippies.
One of my favorite shows. Had a huge crush one Eleanore.
One of my favorite shows. Had a huge crush one Eleanore.
No, it would be titled, "What's a 'Father?'"
Regards,
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