The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966)

Another popular 1950's sitcom about a close family. The Stones consist of loving homemaker Donna, her pediatrician husband Alex, and their children Mary and Jeff. Many situations arise like... See full summary »

Creator:

William Roberts

Stars:

Donna Reed, Paul Petersen, Carl Betz

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Donna Reed	...	Donna Stone (275 episodes, 1958-1966)
Paul Petersen	...	Jeff Stone (275 episodes, 1958-1966)
Carl Betz	...	Dr. Alex Stone (272 episodes, 1958-1966)
Shelley Fabares	...	Mary Stone (191 episodes, 1958-1965)

Storyline

Another popular 1950's sitcom about a close family. The Stones consist of loving homemaker Donna, her pediatrician husband Alex, and their children Mary and Jeff. Many situations arise like when they found a baby on their doorstep or take in a rebellious youth or when Donna tries to patch up marital spats among friends.

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Plot Keywords:

sitcom | family relationships | female protagonist | doctor | mother son relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alles draait om moeder

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Screen Gems Television, Todon

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (275 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the show's early years, whenever a scene takes place in a supermarket, look very closely in the background. Chances are, you'll see large amounts of Campbell's Soup, V-8 Vegetable Juice, Franco-American Spaghetti, and various Johnson & Johnson products including their famous baby powder. Not coincidentally, those brands were the series' original advertisers during its network run.

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Connections

Referenced in Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

User Reviews

Role Model For Pleasantville?

Like a lot of stars of the big screen as their careers wound down, so many turned to television where probably they secured their reputations for posterity. Donna Reed is a case in point.

I don't think Donna Reed ever thought that Donna Stone was anything challenging, not to a woman who had won an Oscar for playing a very different type in From Here to Eternity. She was certainly better prepared to play wife, mother, and homemaker Donna Stone after having played Mary Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life.

Donna was always beautiful and wise and ever helpful with the problems of her kids and her husband. Carl Betz was not an idiot, he was a pediatrician who had his office attached to the house. Talk about the man being ever ready in a crisis.

Though this was the Donna Reed Show because Donna's husband at the time, Tony Owen produced it. Yet it lasted as long as did because of the popularity of the two children, Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen. Fabares had that best selling teen record Johnny Angel which she introduced on the show. She successfully made the transition to adult star, most known for her role in Coach as Craig T. Nelson's wife.

But Petersen was a bubblegum teen idol back in the day. The Donna Reed Show dare I say got most of its viewers because of him. It's forgotten now, but Petersen also had a best selling record, My Dad. Didn't do half as well as Johnny Angel.

Now Paul Petersen runs a support group for former child stars like himself. So many of them end so tragically, it's good work that he's doing.

The Stone family was the quintessence of Middle America. They lived in a suburb near Chicago, they led wholesome lives. Mom and Dad were always there for the kids. Of course the problems they had usually were nothing more than breaking curfew.

It's this series I believe was the model for the TV town of Pleasantville where Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon are sucked into.

I have pleasant memories of The Donna Reed Show. Easy to take, but not too seriously.