The Donna Reed Show: The Complete First Season Review

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(More customer reviews)It's time to celebrate, the First Season of the ground-breaking and truly iconic classic The Donna Reed Show is coming to DVD after years of fan pleadings - along with a promise to release Season 2 next year!
Joe Amodei, President of Arts Alliance America and Mary Owen (the daughter of Donna Reed) made the happy announcement together. The release will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the show's debut episode. ABC first aired The Donna Reed Show on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 1958 at 9:00 p.m.
The series took place in the fictional town of Hilldale. It centered around the dreams, ambitions, and frustrations of the Stone family: Alex, a pediatrician; his wife, Donna; and their children, Mary, Jeff, and Trisha (unofficially adopted in later episodes).
It was the beginning of a long relationship with America as viewers tuned in weekly to visit the Stone family for eight years, representing 274 episodes. The series' final episode aired March 19, 1966.
Ms. Reed was Emmy nominated four times for her role on the show, and in 1963 won a Golden Globe as Best Female TV Star. She also won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1953 for her performance in "From Here To Eternity," but is probably best known for her role as Jimmy Stewart's wife, Mary Bailey, in the Christmas masterpiece, "It's a Wonderful Life."
The series was one of several family-based shows that literally helped shaped the landscape of reality in America - rather than the other way 'round. Other Classic iconic family shows of the era included Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Patty Duke Show and My Three Sons.
The adventures of the Stone family were similar to what those other TV families had to contend with - measles, girlfriends and boyfriends, school problems, little white lies, and so on, compounded by the fact that Dr. Alex was always running off at odd hours to attend his patients. Like those other shows, it had a wholesome quality that endeared it to audiences.
But, the ground-breaking difference between this show and all of the others was its focus: In this series, it was the Mom who knew best. This was the first show of its kind where the Mom was the lead character. And what a Mom! In my opinion, Ms. Reed was - and remains - in a class by herself.
When this show originally aired, Ms. Reed became an influential role model to women - as mother, wife and professional.
Despite all of these shows utter lack of racial and religious diversity and conservative depiction of conformity at all costs, I still love them all. I'm a liberal feminist so it makes absolutely NO sense, but there it is. My favorite is Father Knows Best, but this show comes in a very close second because of its star.
Ms. Reed was effervescent without being mechanical. She was sweet, funny and forgiving - everything a child could ever want in a Mom. In addition, her relationship with her "husband," played by the brilliant Carl Betz, had just a hint of real sexuality that was blatantly missing in the other shows.
In addition to Mr. Betz (who later starred in the Classic TV courtroom drama Judd for the Defense,) the cast included Shelley Fabares and Paul Peterson, as the Stone's children, Mary and Jeff. The Donna Reed Show remained on the air so long that the original children grew up. Mary left for college in 1962 and Jeff did the same two seasons later. An 8-year-old orphan named Trisha was adopted by the Stones joined the cast in January of 1963 to maintain the "family" appeal of the series. Patty Peterson, who played, Trisha was Paul Peterson's (Jeff Stone) real-life sister.
Close friends of the Stones were Midge Kelsey, played by Ann McCrea, and her husband, Dr. David Kelsey, played by Bob Crane (long before the Classic TV comedy Hogan's Heroes.) Children pals were Smitty, played by Darryl Richard and Herbie Bailey, played by Tommy Ivo.
The Donna Reed Show had numerous special guests stars including Buster Keaton, who appeared twice on the program, Marlo Thomas, Esther Williams, and baseball greats Don Drysdale and Willie Mays who appeared on the show as themselves.
For 10 years syndicated re-runs of The Donna Reed Show entertained new generations of young people on Nick at Nite. In a growing resurgence of nostalgia and a salute to Mothe;'s Day, the cable television network, Nickelodeon, aired a week long "Seven Day Donna-Thon" of episodes in 1990.
Ms. Reed's daughter, Mary Owen, said, "My Mother always said that she and my Father (Tony Owen was the Producer and principal architect of The Donna Reed Show) had climbed a mountain together making this show. For a whole generation of Baby Boomers, the Stone's were their second family. Today, when Boomers are starting to retire, it's time again to sit and watch The Donna Reed Show, this time with their grand kids and let them be amazed at who established and sowed the seeds of the American family. In the 1960's, before we lived with computers and cable TV with over 200 channels of mostly junk, the Stone family showed what love, respect and support for one another looked like."
In the debut episode, "Weekend Trip," audiences were introduced to the Stone family and got a glimpse of their sometimes chaotic day-to-day life flavored by the loving influence of Donna Stone who dispenses advice, discipline, humor and wisdom to her family. When series begins, Donna and Alex Stone had been married for 15 years.
All of the First Season episodes are included in this boxed set and are: 1. Weekend Trip (9/24/1958); 2. Pardon My GLoves (10/1/1958); 3. The Hike (10/8/1958); 4. Male Ego (10/15/1958) 5. The Football Uniform (10/22/1958); 6. The Foundling (10/29/1958); 7. Three-Part Mother (11/5/1958); 8. Change Partners And Dance (11/12/1958); 9. Dough Re Mi (11/19/1958); 10. Guest In The House (11/26/1958); 11. The Baby Contest (12/3/1958); 12. The Beaded Bag (12/10/1958); 13. The Busy Body (12/17/1958); 14. A Very Merry Christmas (12/24/1958); 15. Mary's Double date (12/31/1958); 16. Jeff's Double life (1/7/1959); 17. Nothing But The Truth (1/14/1959); 18. It's the principle of the thing (1/21/1959); 19. Jeff vs. Mary (1/28/1959); 20. Have Fun (2/4/1959); 21. Donna Plays Cupid (2/11/1959); 22. Love Thy Neighbor (2/18/1959); 23. The Report Card (2/25/1959); 24. Boys Will Be Boys (3/4/1959); 25. The Ideal Wife (3/11/1959); 26. Mary's Campaign (3/18/1959); 27. The Flowered Print Dress (3/25/1959); 28. April Fool (4/1/1959); 29. The Parting Of The Ways (4/8/1959); 30. The Hero (4/15/1959); 31. Do You Trust Your Child? (4/22/1959); 32. Grateful Patient (4/29/1959); 33. The Testimonial (5/6/1959); 34. Miss Lovelace Comes To Tea (5/13/1959); 35. Tomorrow Comes Too Soon (5/20/1959); 36. Advice To Young Lovers (5/27/1959); and 37. Operation Deadbeat (6/3/1959).
The theme song for the series, "Happy Days," and was written by William Loose and John Seely.
Several family and medical groups honored the series with awards. In fact, the President of the American Medical Association made a brief appearance on one episode.
Arts Alliance America has promised to follow this release with The Donna Reed Show: Season 2 next year.

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Donna Reed went from a distinguished film career to an even bigger career on Television as she starred in and co-produced The Donna Reed Show. This beloved and hugely successful sitcom premiered 50 years ago on the ABC network and aired from 1958-1966. The show revolves around housewife, Donna Stone, and her family--husband Alex who is a pediatrician, 14 year-old Mary, and 11 year-old Jeff. The Stone family reside in the midwestern town of Hilldale. Donna was the perfect American housewife and mother. She was always neatly-groomed, lovely, good-natured, thoughtful, and capable. The episodes involved the usual family problems and adventures, with Donna usually saving the day in her quiet, capable way.

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