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

The first season opening credits of The Munsters 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.

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Connections

Referenced in Boys on the Side (1995)

User Reviews

I Still Love the Stones--Donna & Alex--not the Rock Group!

I too would rather live next door to the Stones and not the Conners! I've heard people say that this show was "syrupy", "unrealistic", etc. My reply is "have you ever sat and watched an episode?" Anyone who watched the show knows that Donna and Alex had their quarrels and so did Mary and Jeff. They even quarreled with their parents. But in the end, they all made up with one another, and kept the family unit in tact. Having come from a terribly unstable "dysfunctional" family, I loved to watch this show; I always believed that when I had a family of my own it would be like the Stones. Friends told me that this was unrealistic and I said why? If other families can live trashy, unstable lives, then why can't I have a stable, moralistic life? Why can't I have a stable family that I love, and take care of? They had no reply to this. Anyway, when times are difficult, and the world seems so chaotic & cold, I put in a tape of the Donna Reed Show, and things don't seem quite so bad-it gives me hope. I still believe in the family unit and I most certainly do not believe that we have to live like Roseanne. I know that life does not have to be like the Conners or the Bundy's--and anyone who thinks that these shows are normal and funny needs to take a long hard look at their own lives. These are not funny--they are sad.