"The Donna Reed Show" (1958)TV series 1958-1966

Directors:

Earl Bellamy
Jerrold Bernstein

Writers:

Gary Abrams (play)
James B. Allardice (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | unknown

Release Date:

24 September 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

Another popular 1950's sitcom about a close family. The Stones consist of loving homemaker Donna, her pediatrician husband Alex...

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Family | Father Daughter Relationship | Father Son Relationship | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Donna Reed	...	Donna Stone (71 episodes, 1958-1966)
Carl Betz	...	Dr. Alex Stone / ... (71 episodes, 1958-1966)

Runtime:

30 min (275 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Columbia Pictures Ranch - 411 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

The first season opening credits of "The Munsters" (1964) were an outrageous parody of the opening credits of "The Donna Reed Show", which always began with Donna Reed lovingly passing out lunches to her departing family members as they left the house one by one. Yvonne De Carlo, as Lily Munster, did the same thing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Robin Williams (1991) (V)

QUINTESSENTIAL FIFTIES SITCOM

Although it lasted in the Sixties, this was the typical family Pleasantiville-style sitcom of the Fifties, along with Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriet, My Three Sons, and Father Knows Best. Reed's career was on a downturn, so this series was designed as a vehicle for her - and hence the uniquely egocentric title! Can you imagine "Beaver" being called "The Barbara Billingsley Show"? Donna was, admittedly, in the center of things more, and solved all manner of family crisis. The son, Paul Peterson, is now an advocate for child actors, and Shelley Fabares, who had a hit song during this series' run ("Johnny Angel"), had a career that went from teen idol to mature beauty in "Coach". The father was a doctor - at least he had a job unlike the goofy Ozzie! A somewhat contrived and formula show even by Fifties standards, but still a pleasant and wholesome series - unlike the smutty, cynical, and mean-spirited sitcoms of more recent times of which I have little use.