History WesternAnimation / WaitTillYourFatherGetsHome

* ChildSoldiers: One episode has Irma having a pregnancy scare and Ralph having to deal with their children hating the fact that a new child may be coming (because they believe this is their parents cooperating with the "demographic explosion"). Ralph's (CreepyAwesome, although Ralph obviously finds it more "creepy") idea is to raise from the cradle to be ultra-patriotic, with his help.

* ReactionaryFantasy: Harry, a moderate conservative, typically ''wins'' his arguments with his liberal children.

* AbsenteeActor: Old Sara Whittaker who provided most of the ensuing hijinks in the series barely appeared in the second season episodes wherein the first season, she's in almost every episode and was just as important a character as Ralph who she's mostly alongside due to their shared political views. In the third season and of the only four episodes, she disappeared completely.

* TheGhost: Ralph has mentioned several times about his wife, but she has not appeared throughout the series' run.

Creator/HannaBarbera produced this 1972-1974 animated prime time series. Harry Boyle (voiced by a pre-''Series/HappyDays'' Tom Bosley) is a conservative businessman whose elder son, Chet, is a hippie who dropped out of college and does charity work, but won't get a job. His high-school aged daughter, Alice, is a sexually liberated feminist who, despite her weight, isn't afraid to wear skimpy clothes or be interested in sex. Only his younger son, Jamie, shows any signs of sharing Harry's values, and his wife, Irma, stays out of the conflict (though she has dreams of finding her own identity and being more than just a wife and mother). Meanwhile, his neighbor Ralph (comedian Jack Burns) masterminds an anticommunist organization so far to the right that they make the John Birchers (and more importantly, Harry) look pinko. Convinced of the imminent arrival of the godless Red hordes, Ralph and his followers have turned one end of the block into an armed camp. Poor Harry finds himself forced to navigate his life safely between all the extremes that surround him.

* AbsenteeActor: Old Sara Whittaker who provided most of the ensuing hijinks in the series barely appeared in the second season episodes wherein the first season, she's in almost every episode and was just as important a character as Ralph who she's mostly alongside due to their shared views. In the third season and of the only four episodes, she disappeared completely.

%%* DomCom

* FrivolousLawsuit: Harry is encouraged to file one when he has a minor accident that coincides with a tight time in the family finances. Ultimately, he decides against it.
* GameShowAppearance: To earn money for an anniversary gift, Irma appears on ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'', complete with Special Guest Voice [[InkSuitActor Monty Hall]] as himself.

* GranolaGirl: Alice

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Ralph and Whitaker

* {{Meganekko}}: Irma and Alice.

Like ''Happy Days'', ''Wait Till Your Father Gets Home'' started life as an episode of the anthology ''Series/LoveAmericanStyle'' called "Love and the Old-Fashioned Father," about a dad who worries that his daughter's upcoming lake trip with her free-love hippie boyfriend and his friends will turn into APartyKnownAsAnOrgy. The first season is available on DVD.

Creator/HannaBarbera produced this 1972-1974 animated prime time series. Harry Boyle (voiced by a pre-''Series/HappyDays'' Tom Bosley) is a conservative businessman whose elder son, Chet, is a hippie who dropped out of college. His high-school aged daughter, Alice, is a sexually liberated feminist. Only his younger son, Jamie, shows any signs of sharing Harry's values, and his wife, Irma, stays out of the conflict (though she has dreams of finding her own identity and being more than just a wife and mother). Meanwhile, his neighbor Ralph (comedian Jack Burns) masterminds an anticommunist organization so far to the right that they make the John Birchers (and more importantly, Harry) look pinko. Convinced of the imminent arrival of the godless Red hordes, Ralph and his followers have turned one end of the block into an armed camp. Poor Harry finds himself forced to navigate his life safely between all the extremes that surround him.

For two years this was Hanna-Barbera's second most popular primetime animated show, and as a result a number of [[SpecialGuest celebrity guest stars]] appeared in the second season, including perennial favorites such as Creator/JonathanWinters, Creator/DonKnotts, [[Series/GetSmart Don Adams]] and Phyllis Diller. Though it didn't last as long as ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', it was the inspiration for FOX's dysfunctional family animated sitcoms that became popular in the 1990s and the 2000s (''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', and all of Creator/SethMacFarlane's dysfunctional family shows, with ''King of the Hill'' being the most like it in tone and characterization. ''The Simpsons'' uses the show's penchant for guest star appearances and creating stories based on social issues of the day while Seth [=MacFarlane=] pretty much redesigned and [[{{Flanderization}} exaggerated]] Harry, Irma, Chet, Alice, Jamie, and Julius the dog as Peter, Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie, and Brian for ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''; Stan, Francine, Steve, Hayley, Roger, and Klaus for ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''; and Cleveland, Donna, Cleveland Jr., Rallo, and Roberta[[note]]the Browns-Tubbs have a pet dog, but he isn't prominently featured and the only talking animals ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'' has are Tim the Bear, Tim's wife Ariana, and Tim's stoner son, Raymond[[/note]] for ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'').

Like ''Happy Days'', ''Wait Till Your Father Gets Home'' started life as an episode of the anthology ''Series/LoveAmericanStyle''. The first season is available on DVD.

* ThePilot: Was an episode of the ''Series/LoveAmericanStyle'' as mentioned above.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the pilot, Chet was introduced as having finished college though he was still unemployed, the family had a maid working for them, and Jamie is nowhere yet to be seen. Design wise, everything looked the same though Harry had a small brown patch of hair in contrast to his CharlieBrownBaldness in the series proper.
** Harry Boyle was also drastically different. He was [[HairTriggerTemper much more hotheaded]], difficult to be reasoned with, yelled a lot and was even prone to threats of violence when he lets his anger get the best of him.

For two years this was Hanna-Barbera's second most popular primetime animated show, and as a result a number of [[SpecialGuest celebrity guest stars]] appeared in the second season, including perennial favorites such as Creator/JonathanWinters, Creator/DonKnotts, [[Series/GetSmart Don Adams]] and Phyllis Diller. Though it didn't last as long as ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', it was the inspiration for FOX's dysfunctional family animated sitcoms that became popular in the 1990s and the 2000s (''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', and all of Creator/SethMacFarlane's dysfunctional family shows, with ''King of the Hill'' being the most like it in tone and characterization. ''The Simpsons'' uses the show's penchant for guest star appearances and creating stories based on social issues of the day while Seth [=MacFarlane=] pretty much redesigned and [[{{Flanderization}} exaggerated]] Harry, Irma, Chet, Alice, Jamie, and Julius the dog as Peter, Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie, and Brian for ''FamilyGuy''; Stan, Francine, Steve, Hayley, Roger, and Klaus for ''AmericanDad''; and Cleveland, Donna, Cleveland Jr., Rallo, and Roberta[[note]]the Browns-Tubbs have a pet dog, but he isn't prominently featured and the only talking animals ''TheClevelandShow'' has are Tim the Bear, Tim's wife Ariana, and Tim's stoner son, Raymond[[/note]] for ''TheClevelandShow'').

* [[BigBeautifulWoman Plump Pretty Teen Girl]]: Alice is the 2nd rotund person in her family and yet is drawn prettier than her parents and older brother and doesn't have much trouble getting dates, also wearing bikinis, mini skirts, and a see through dress with no qualms about her figure.

* BigEater: Alice.

* EverythingsWorseWithBees: In one episode, Harry gets two unwanted visitors -- a colony of bees and a bumbling live-in exterminator played by Don Knotts.

For two years this was Hanna-Barbera's second most popular primetime animated show, and as a result a number of [[SpecialGuest celebrity guest stars]] appeared in the second season, including perennial favorites such as Creator/JonathanWinters, Creator/DonKnotts, [[Series/GetSmart Don Adams]] and Phyllis Diller. Though it didn't last as long as ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', it was the inspiration for FOX's dysfunctional family animated sitcoms that became popular in the 1990s and the 2000s (''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', and all of Creator/SethMacFarlane's dysfunctional family shows, with ''King of the Hill'' being the most like it in tone and characterization. ''The Simpsons'' uses the show's penchant for guest star appearances and creating stories based on social issues of the day while ''Family Guy'' and ''American Dad'' pretty much redesigned and [[{{Flanderization}} exaggerated]] Harry, Irma, Chet, Alice, Jamie, and Julius the dog as Peter, Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie, and Brian for ''FamilyGuy''; Stan, Francine, Steve, Hayley, Roger, and Klaus for ''AmericanDad''; and Cleveland, Donna, Cleveland Jr., Rallo, and Roberta[[note]]the Browns-Tubbs have a pet dog, but he isn't prominently featured and the only talking animals ''TheClevelandShow'' has are Tim the Bear, Tim's wife Ariana, and Tim's stoner son, Raymond[[/note]] for ''TheClevelandShow'').

For two years this was Hanna-Barbera's second most popular primetime animated show, and as a result a number of [[SpecialGuest celebrity guest stars]] appeared in the second season, including perennial favorites such as Creator/JonathanWinters, Creator/DonKnotts, [[Series/GetSmart Don Adams]] and Phyllis Diller. Though it didn't last as long as ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', it was the inspiration for FOX's dysfunctional family animated sitcoms that became popular in the 1990s and the 2000s (''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', and all of Creator/SethMacFarlane's dysfunctional family shows, with ''King of the Hill'' being the most like it in tone and characterization. ''The Simpsons'' uses the show's penchant for guest star appearances and creating stories based on social issues of the day while ''Family Guy'' and ''American Dad'' pretty much redesigned and [[{{Flanderization}} exaggerated]] Harry, Irma, Chet, Alice, Jamie, and the dog as Peter, Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie, and Brian and later, Stan, Francine, Steve, Hayley, Roger, and Klaus).

** In "Alice's Dress", on their TV which seemed to show nothing but advertisements featuring scantily clad women included a lady in a see through night gown, among others. She's clearly not wearing a bra underneath but it managed to get away with it because [[BarbieDollAnatomy she lacked visible nipples]].

Like ''Happy Days'', ''Wait Till Your Father Gets Home'' started life as an episode of the anthology ''LoveAmericanStyle''. The first season is available on DVD.

* AnimatedSeries

* DomCom

* PreciousPuppies: The family dog, Julius, doesn't speak, yet understands English and reacts to things said around him, usually in {{aside glance}}s.

* HalfHourComedy

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed

* RichardNixon: Ralph is designed as a Nixon caricature.

* SpecialGuest
* ThemeTune

** In "Sweet Sixteen", when Irma tells the lisping, metrosexually-dressed caterer that her husband is not completely sold on the idea of a catered party, he answers: "Oh, don't worry. I get along very well with fellas."

For two years this was Hanna-Barbera's second most popular primetime animated show, and as a result a number of [[SpecialGuest celebrity guest stars]] appeared in the second season, including perennial favorites such as Creator/JonathanWinters, Creator/DonKnotts, [[Series/GetSmart Don Adams]] and Phyllis Diller. Though it didn't last as long as ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'', it was the inspiration for FOX's dysfunctional family animated sitcoms that became popular in the 1990s and the 2000s (''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', and all of Creator/SethMacFarlane's dysfunctional family shows, with ''King of the Hill'' being the most like it in tone and character. ''The Simpsons'' uses the show's penchant for creating stories based on social issues of the day while ''Family Guy'' and ''American Dad'' pretty much redesigned and [[{{Flanderization}} exaggerated]] Harry, Irma, Chet, Alice, Jamie, and the dog as Peter, Lois, Chris, Meg, Stewie, and Brian and later, Stan, Francine, Steve, Hayley, Roger, and Klaus).

* ActorAllusion: As Ralph, Jack Burns would occasionally use his stand-up trademark of making a statement to another character then saying "huh? huh? huh?" until the other character, usually Harry, shouts an agreement with him to get him to shut up.

* HeyItsThatVoice: In addition to Tom Bosley as Harry, the youngest son, Jamie, was originally voiced by JackieEarleHaley, who went on to play Rorschach in ''Film/{{Watchmen}}''.
** The second voice of Jamie is Willie Aames, who played Buddy on ''Charles in Charge''.
** Chet's second voice actor was Lennie Weinrib, who played Scrappy Doo (yes, really) and Timer the Cheese Guy on those old public service announcements about nutrition that used to air on Saturday mornings on Creator/{{ABC}}.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: No season other than the first one has been released on DVD. Thanks to poor sales, the other seasons will probably never be released.

* TheOtherDarrin: Two of the kids had their voice actors recast: Chet (David Hayward and Lennie Weinrib) and Jamie (JackieEarleHaley and Willie Aames).

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