When Jane Wyatt died on Friday at age 96, her diverse career spanning film, Broadway and TV was defined by her three Emmy wins in the lead sentence of her Hollywood Reporter obit: "Jane Wyatt, who won three Emmys for her portrayal of Margaret Anderson on the classic TV series 'Father Knows Best,' has died."

Wyatt was not only a multiple Emmy champ, but she never lost. Curiously, she failed to be nominated during the first few years of "Father Knows Best" while her costar Robert Young managed to rack up a few bids and one win. The snub was no real surprise, however, considering how stoic her role was as a smiling, snickerdoodle-baking momma, which really didn't give her much of a chance to show how momma can really cook with gas.

Initially, her odds of reaping Emmy recognition were lessened by the fact that the series was placed in the drama categories. Then, as the 1950s progressed and "Father Knows Best" was placed in the comedy races, Wyatt's Emmy competition thinned out as "I Love Lucy," "Private Secretary" and "The Burns and Allen Show" went off the air.

When she finally broke through into the gang of Emmy nominees, Wyatt romped, even beating two Oscar champs: Donna Reed and Loretta Young! In those days Emmy voting was conducted using a popular vote (instead of the juried system in place today that evaluates individual episode submissions), so her victories probably had little to do with a belief in the dazzle of her acting, but rather reflected how highly she was regarded on a personal basis by her Hollywood peers.

Photo: Co-star Robert Young only won two Emmys for "Father Knows Best," which was nominated three times for best comedy series and once for best series (half hour or less), losing all of those match-ups. Young earned a third Emmy when he starred in "Marcus Welby, M.D." in 1970.
(CBS)