The Donna Reed Show
| The Donna Reed Show | |
|---|---|
 First season title screen | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Starring | Donna Reed Carl Betz Shelley Fabares Paul Petersen Patty Petersen |
| Theme music composer | John Seely |
| Opening theme | "Happy Days" |
| Composers | Irving Friedman William Loose Stu Phillips Hans J. Salter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 275 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Tony Owen William S. Roberts |
| Cinematography | Gert Andersen |
| Editors | Richard Fantl Robert B. Hoover |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production companies | Todon of California Briskin Productions Screen Gems |
| Distributor | Screen Gems Columbia Pictures Television (1974-1995) Columbia TriStar Television (1995-2002) Sony Pictures Television (2002-present) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 24, 1958 – March 19, 1966 |
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1958, to March 19, 1966.
Background[]
The series was created by William S. Roberts and developed by Reed and her then husband, producer Tony Owen. Episodes revolved around typical family problems of the period such as firing a clumsy housekeeper, throwing a retirement bash for a colleague, and finding quality time away from the children. Then-daring themes such as women's rights and freedom of the press were occasionally explored.
The show had an uncertain start in the ratings and was almost cancelled, but fared better when it was moved from Wednesday to Thursday nights. In the show's middle seasons, Fabares sang what became a #1 teen pop hit "Johnny Angel", and Petersen had above average success with the song "My Dad", also introduced during the course of the series.
The Donna Reed Show was one of television's top 20 shows in 1963–1964. Reed was repeatedly nominated for Emmy Awards between 1959 and 1962, and won a Golden Globe as Best Female TV Star in 1963. She eventually grew tired of the workaday grind involved in the program, and it was cancelled in 1966 after 275 episodes.
The series was sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, with Johnson & Johnson as the principal alternate sponsor (succeeded in the fall of 1963 by The Singer Company).[1] Following first-run, the show entered daytime reruns on ABC and then syndication on Nick at Nite and TV Land for several years. It is currently shown on Decades. The first five seasons have been released on DVD.
This show was the first TV family sitcom to feature the mother as the center of the show. Reed's character, Donna Stone, is a loving mother and wife, but also a strong woman, an active participant in her community, a woman with feelings and a sense of humor. According to many of Reed's friends and family, Reed shared many similarities to the character that she portrayed on screen, implying that the fictional Donna Stone was a near-identical copy of Reed herself.[citation needed]
In a 2008 interview, Paul Petersen (Jeff Stone) stated:
[The Donna Reed Show] depicts a better time and place. It has a sort of level of intelligence and professionalism that is sadly lacking in current entertainment products. The messages it sent out were positive and uplifting. The folks you saw were likable, the family was fun, the situations were familiar to people. It provided 22-and-a-half-minutes of moral instructions and advice on how to deal with the little dilemmas of life. Jeff and Mary and their friends had all the same problems that real kids in high school did.[2]
Petersen continued,
That's what the show was really about, the importance of family. That's where life's lessons are transmitted, generation to generation. There's a certain way in which these are transmitted, with love and affection.[2]
Plot[]
Episodes revolve around the lightweight and humorous sorts of situations and problems a middle-class family experienced in the late 1950s and the early 1960s set in fictional Hilldale, state never mentioned.
Donna, for example, would sometimes find herself swamped with the demands of community theatricals and charity drives; Mary had problems juggling boyfriends and finding dresses to wear to one party or another; and Jeff was often caught in situations appropriate to his age and gender such as joining a secret boys' club, avoiding love-smitten classmates, or bidding at auction on an old football uniform.
Alex was the family's Rock of Gibraltar, but often found himself in situations that tested his patience: in one episode, Donna volunteered him as the judge of a baby contest, and, in another episode, Mary insisted her gawky, geeky boyfriend was the spitting image of her father. Very occasionally eccentric relatives would descend on the Stones to complicate the household situation.
Production[]
From the 1958 first season (L-R): Donna Reed as Donna Stone, Carl Betz as Dr. Alex Stone, Paul Petersen as Jeff Stone, and Shelley Fabares as Mary Stone
David Tucker writes in The Women Who Made Television Funny that most family sitcoms of the 1950s such as Father Knows Best, The Life of Riley, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet focus on the father figure with the mother as "adjunct". He points out however that The Donna Reed Show "established the primacy of the mother on the domestic front" and notes that Mother Knows Better was even briefly considered as the show's title.[3] Though The Donna Reed Show did sometimes use recycled Father Knows Best scripts that had been slightly altered, such as character name changes.
The series was created by William Roberts and developed by Reed and her then husband, producer Tony Owen (the production company "Todon" is an amalgamation of their first names.) Roberts intended the show to respectfully picture the many demanding roles a stay-at-home woman was expected to master - wife, mom, companion, housekeeper, cook, laundress, seamstress, PTA officer, choir singer, scout leader, etc. - all the while being "effervescent, immaculate, and pretty."[3] Reed stated, "We started breaking rules right and left. We had a female lead, for one thing, a strong, healthy woman. We had a story line told from a woman's point of view that wasn't soap opera."[3] In addition, Reed described her show, accordingly: "I would call The Donna Reed Show a realistic picture of small town life - with an often humorous twist. Our plots revolve around the most important thing in America — a loving family."[citation needed]
In its first year on the struggling ABC network, the show was up against Milton Berle's popular Texaco Star Theater and Reed ratings were low. ABC nearly cancelled the show, but it was renewed and ratings improved when the show was moved from Wednesday to Thursday nights. The series flourished for the next seven years, ranking #30 in 1961-62 and #16 in 1963–64. In a 1964 interview, Reed said, "We have proved on our show that the public really does want to see a healthy woman, not a girl, not a neurotic, not a sexpot...I am so fed up with immature 'sex' and stories about kooky, amoral, sick women."[4]
The opening credits showed Reed coming down the stairs to answer the telephone. She hands the receiver to Alex, then goes to the front door to hand the children their bag lunches and schoolbooks as they leave for school. Alex then leaves, kissing his wife good-bye. On some opening themes, he forgets to kiss Donna good-bye, but returns as she closes the door to give her a quick kiss. She closes the door and smiles happily. A late series variant showed Donna departing after her husband, possibly for shopping, church or community matters, or some other concern. Reed brought personal friends Esther Williams, Jimmy Hawkins, and Buster Keaton to the program in guest spots.[3]
On February 1, 1962, Fabares debuted her single "Johnny Angel" in the episode "Donna's Prima Donna". It rose to #1 and sold over a million copies.[5] Petersen introduced his single "My Dad" eight months later on October 25, 1962. It peaked at #6.[5]
Reed with Patty Petersen, who played Trisha, 1963.
By 1962 Reed felt the writers were running out of fresh ideas and had exhausted plot devices. She also wanted to spend more time with her family and was worn out from producing nearly 30 episodes a year. To coincide with Fabares's plans to leave at the end of season 5 (1962-1963), Reed and her husband decided to end the show. Since the series was still very popular ABC offered Reed a more lucrative contract with an extension of three seasons, to which she agreed. Their new contract called for fewer episodes and other incentives to allow Reed more personal time. In addition, Shelley Fabares agreed to return to the show as an occasional guest in which her character of Mary would come home from college for a visit. In the last three years of the series, Fabares would make seven appearances.
Beginning in Season 6 there was a reduction in the number of episodes produced, and work hours were shortened to please Reed.[3] In the spring of 1966, Reed had grown tired of the weekly grind and wanted to retire. The program was rated #89 during its final season. After 275 episodes and eight seasons on ABC, The Donna Reed Show ended its prime-time run. Reed expressed no interest in taking on another series, declined television guest appearances, and shunned films because she thought their depictions of women vapid.
She did express interest in a television reunion for the Stone family at one point, but the concept was discarded after Carl Betz's death in 1978. Tucker writes that women's lib supporters of the 1970s targeted the Donna Stone character as an unrealistic portrait of a modern woman and a stereotype of the impossibly perfect wife and mother. He believes that Reed "gave motherhood a tinge of glamour it usually lacked on TV".[3]
Cast changes[]
In season 5, (1963) Mary departed for college, reducing Fabares's appearances, something which continued yearly with her role becoming a minor character. Fabares left the full-time cast to pursue opportunities in films. She eventually returned seven times for guest appearances (Season 6 episodes 8, 11, 14; Season 7 episodes 5, 15, 30; Season 8 episode 13). Following Fabares's departure, Petersen's real-life sister Patty Petersen joined the show as Trisha, a runaway orphan eventually adopted by the Stones.[6] The program achieved its highest Nielsen ratings in Season 6, reaching #16 after Fabares' departure. A possible reason for higher ratings was the addition of new characters, Ann McCrea and disc jockey-turned actor Bob Crane as the Stones' neighbors, Midge and Dave Kelsey. This not only provided both Donna and Alex with best friends, but co-conspirators, as well. So popular were their roles that by the fall of 1964, both McCrea and Crane began receiving billing in the opening credits of the program. Crane left the series in 1965 to star in the CBS sitcom Hogan's Heroes. As a result, he was written out of the show although his character continued to be referred to and McCrea's character remained with the program. Also, towards the end of the series, actor was regularly featured as Jeff Stone's best friend, Morton "Smitty" Smith. Richard first appeared in 1962 and "Smitty" became a major character after Season 6. Janet Landgard was a series regular from 1963 to 1965 as Karen Holmby.[7]
Characters and cast[]
Main[]
- Donna Stone (Donna Reed) is the idealized middle class housewife to Alex, and the mother of Mary and Jeff. She grew up on a farm and became a nurse. She sometimes works as a nurse on the show. Donna was married to Alex when she was 18 and the couple live in fictional Hilldale. She participates in community activities such as charity campaigns and amateur theatricals. Like several television wives and mothers of the 1950s, she inexplicably wears heels, pearls, and chic frocks to do the housework. (Note: In one episode, it is revealed that Donna Stone's maiden name, like Donna Reed, is Donna Belle Mullenger and she is also from Denison, Iowa.)
- Alex Stone (Carl Betz) is a pediatrician. Like most television couples of the 1950s, Alex and Donna sleep in twin beds. The two show a physical affection for each other slightly more intense than other television couples of the period.
- Mary Stone (Shelley Fabares) is 14 "almost fifteen" and a freshman in high school when the show opens. She has a few boyfriends during the course of the show with Jimmy Hawkins as Scotty being a regular. Mary plays the piano like a professional and studies ballet. She leaves the show to attend college.
- Jeff Stone (Paul Petersen) is "almost twelve" when the show opens. He is a typical American boy; he plays sports, likes to eat, and teases his older sister. Jeff is a complex character: he champions the underdog at school but cheats at board games. Atypical for the fictional children in 1960s sitcoms, Jeff and Mary often get away with "talking back" to their parents.
- Trisha (Patty Petersen) is a runaway orphan the age of eight whom the Stones adopt after Mary leaves for college. She remained for the duration of the program.
Secondary[]
Bob Crane as Dr. Dave Kelsey with Donna and Alex Stone
- Dr. Dave Kelsey (Bob Crane) and his wife Midge () are friends of the Stones. Dave, Alex's colleague, appeared for the first time on March 14, 1963, in the episode "The Two Doctor Stones". Dave continued on the series until 1965; Midge appeared from 1963 to 1966. Crane's character was written out of the show at the end of season 7 when he was cast in the CBS series, Hogan's Heroes. McCrea remained with the show until its conclusion.
- David Barker (Charles Herbert) - a young military school student who the Stones look after in many episodes. David is very disobedient and troubled in the beginning but the Stone family soon grow to love and reform him.
- Uncle Bo (Jack Kelk) is Dr. Boland, Alex's bachelor colleague and friend in the first season.
- Morton "Smitty" Smith () is Jeff's best friend and first appeared on the show in 1962.
- Zachary Blake (Stephen Pearson) is Jeff's friend in the early seasons.
- Herbie Bailey (Tommy Ivo) is Mary's fairly regular boyfriend.
- Scotty (Jimmy Hawkins) is another of Mary's boyfriends. He appeared in two first-season episodes as her boyfriend 'George Haskell'. Hawkins' character returned to the show in season 3 as 'Scotty', one of Mary's dates (for seasons 3–4) then as 'Jerry' for seasons 7 & 8 (his last appearance was in December, 1965).
- Roger () is Mary's boyfriend in several third-season episodes.
- Angie (Candy Moore) is Jeff's girlfriend in several fourth season episodes. Moore returned to the program during season 8 as Jeff's 'new' girlfriend Bernice/Bebe, in episodes 3, 12, 16, & 19. Moore had just finished 3 seasons playing Lucille Ball's teenaged daughter Chris on The Lucy Show. Moore was written out after season 3 (1965). Moore had acted on the program from 1962 to 1965. 'The Lucy Show' was her last acting assignment as a major character on a regular network program.
- Babs (Melinda Plowman) is Mary's first season best girlfriend.
- Mr. and Mrs. Wilgus (Howard McNear and Kathleen Freeman) are busybody Stone neighbors in season one.
- Lydia Langley () is Donna's snobbish acquaintance in the early seasons.
Guest stars[]
James Darren and Shelley Fabares
The Donna Reed Show featured several celebrity guest stars appearing as themselves during its eight-year run. Baseball player Don Drysdale appeared in four episodes while Willie Mays appeared in three episodes and Leo Durocher once. Musician Harry James and singers Tony Martin and Lesley Gore appeared as themselves. Gore was featured in the series' finale, "By-Line--Jeff Stone", on March 19, 1966. Lassie and film director George Sidney appear as themselves in the 1961 episode "The Stones Go To Hollywood". The episode plugged Sidney's then current feature film, Pepe, in which Reed made a cameo appearance. Teen heartthrob James Darren guest starred as a pop singer with the measles.
Silent film comedian Buster Keaton guest starred in two episodes, "A Very Merry Christmas" (December 24, 1958) as Charlie, a hospital janitor who brings gifts to the children's ward, and as an auto mechanic in "Now You See It, Now You Don't" (1965). Child actor Charles Herbert also had a recurring guest role in four episodes as David Barker, a runaway child whom the Stones assist. In the 1960 crossover episode "Donna Decorates", Jay North appeared with his Dennis the Menace co-star, Joseph Kearns as Mr. George Wilson. Esther Williams guest starred as Molly, a fashion designer and friend of Donna's who is herself about to marry a doctor in "The Career Woman" (1960). In real life, Williams and Reed had been close friends since the early 1940s, when they were rising MGM contract stars.
Several actors guest starred numerous times in different roles including Richard Deacon, Gale Gordon, Harvey Korman, Miyoshi Umeki, Doodles Weaver, and Dick Wilson.
As Fabares co-starred in the Mickey Mouse Club serial Annette before the Donna Reed Show, four other Annette co-stars (Deacon, Cheryl Holdridge, Doreen Tracey & Mary Wickes) would also make respective guest appearances on this show.
Other notable guest stars include:
- Lee Aaker
- Jack Albertson
- John Astin
- Binnie Barnes
- Raymond Bailey
- Bobby Buntrock
- Bobby Burgess
- Harry Cheshire
- Dabney Coleman
- Hans Conreid
- Richard Conte
- Ellen Corby
- Johnny Crawford
- Esther Dale
- Kim Darby
- Margaret Dumont
- Stuart Erwin
- Tiger Fafara
- Jamie Farr
- Florida Friebus
- Harold Gould
- George Hamilton
- Arte Johnson
- DeForest Kelley
- Ted Knight
- Sheila James Kuehl
- Charles Lane
- Cloris Leachman
- Alice Pearce
- Gigi Perreau
- Marion Ross
- William Schallert
- Hal Smith
- James Stacy
- Tisha Sterling
- Stephen Talbot
- Marlo Thomas
- Mary Treen
- Jesse White
- Rhys Williams
- William Windom
- Estelle Winwood
- Will Wright
Episodes[]
Season 1 (1958–59)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Weekend Trip" | Andrew McCullough | Phil Leslie | September 24, 1958 | |
| Donna tries to arrange a skiing weekend for the family, because she and the kids are not seeing enough of father Alex. Donna can't understand why their obstetrician friend Dr. Boland (Jackie Kelk) can get off, but not Alex. Alex has one particularly sick boy that he does not want to leave. Alex also says he can't go because he is to be a witness in a court case for banker George Heiser (Howard Wendell). Donna manages to remedy all the obstacles and the family gets ready to leave. Jeff's sudden case of chicken pox puts the trip on hold. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Pardon My Gloves" | Oscar Rudolph | Alan Lipscott & Bob Fisher | October 1, 1958 | |
| Donna is vying for a role in an amateur stage production and does not get along so well with Lydia the director. Things get worse when Jeff comes home with a black eye, given to him by Lydia's son Chunky. Donna decides to quit the play, but when she hears that Jeff was fighting because Chunky said Donna could not act, she returns to her part. Meanwhile, Donna and Alex try to teach Jeff how to fight. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Hike" | Oscar Rudolph | Jay Sommers & Don Nelson | October 8, 1958 | |
| An emergency forces Dr. Stone to pull out of an overnight camping trip with Jeff and his friends. Donna volunteers to take over and, once in the woods, comes up with an ingenious solution to her inexperience. And it wasn't help from the forest ranger as Alex suspects. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Male Ego" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | October 15, 1958 | |
| Mary gives a speech on motherhood during a "Freshman Class Essay Contest" that has everyone praising Donna. Alex starts to feel under-appreciated. When Donna's reputation as a "super-mom" becomes the talk of the town, Alex begins to wonder even more about his worth. So, Donna turns Alex's birthday party into an homage to father Stone. Lawrence Dobkin appears as Dr. Winfield Graham, Alex's friend. Alvy Moore appears as reporter Hank Cole of the Daily Sentinel. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Football Uniform" | Oscar Rudolph | William Cowley & Peggy Chantler | October 22, 1958 | |
| Donna and Mary organize items the Stone family plan to donate to a charity auction. Meanwhile, Jeff has his heart set on getting a football uniform. Alex and Donna tell him he must save his money to pay for it. With the boys' football team due to be photographed for the local newspaper, Donna arranges for Jeff to "win" the uniform at the auction, with humorous results. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Foundling" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | October 29, 1958 | |
| At the breakfast table, Donna reminds her family that Kathleen (Fintan Meyler), an Irish woman with no boyfriends, will be coming to clean the house today. Mary goes to see if Tony the milkman (Paul Picerni) has arrived, instead, she finds an abandoned baby in a basket, left on the Stone's doorstep. Alex, who thinks the baby should be turned over to the authorities, fears the family is becoming too attached to it. Donna decides to play baby detective. She finds out the baby belongs to Tony. His wife has passed away and he hoped Donna could take care of him. Donna tries a little matchmaking between Tony and Kathleen. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Three Part Mother" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | November 5, 1958 | |
|
Donna has a bit of a problem: how can she attend Jeff's basketball game, Mary's initiation into her girl's club and her husband's speech - all at the same time? With a little running around, she manages. Ross Elliott appears as family friend, Woody Graham. Note: Although aired later, this episode seems to introduce the series. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Change Partners and Dance" | James V. Kern | William Roberts | November 12, 1958 | |
| Mary wants to go to the "Varsity Prom" with handsome George Haskell (Jimmy Hawkins), the basketball star who works in the school library. Donna suggests she invite him home, which Mary does, but it is Donna that gets all of his attention. Donna comes up with a plan to get George more interested in Mary. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Dough Re-Mi" | Oscar Rudolph | Alan Lipscott & Bob Fisher | November 19, 1958 | |
| Donna needs to raise money for the hospital committee. She wants to get concert pianist Anton Duval for a charity benefit. Donna does not know that the new girl in school, who has a crush on Jeff, is Mr. Duval's daughter Antoinette. To help his mother get into Duval's good graces, Jeff agrees to have dinner with Antoinette. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Guest in the House" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | November 26, 1958 | |
| Mary tells Donna there's a policeman at the door. He's there with David Barker (Charles Herbert ), a 7-year-old runaway who will not say where he belongs and was standing outside the house. Turns out, he ran away from the hospital where Alex was tending to him. Donna senses the boy needs some motherly attention, and persuades Alex they should keep him for Thanksgiving break. David is incorrigible because he does not want to go back to military school and he thinks his Air Force father does not love him. A reunion with his father makes everything better. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "The Baby Contest" | Oscar Rudolph | William Cowley & Peggy Chantler | December 3, 1958 | |
| Donna's Women's Club wants to organize a baby beauty contest. Everyone but Donna wants pediatrician Alex to be the judge. Alex believes that he might as well "close up shop" because all the losing mothers will be mad at him. Will Alex be able to choose the right baby without offending everyone else? Virginia Christine appears as Margaret Lang, a mother who is ashamed of her "homely" baby. Anne Whitfield, Ruth Terry and Dorothy Morris appear as some of the other mothers. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Beaded Bag" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | December 10, 1958 | |
| It is Donna's birthday and she claims there's nothing she wants as a present. Donna's friend Patsy Cole (Angela Greene) informs Alex that Donna has been eyeing a beaded hand bag. So, he thinks Donna is using a feminine trick to get him to buy her the bag. Alex buys the bag and tells Donna that her feminine trick worked. Donna, upset by this, returns the bag. Will she wind up with the bag in the end? Mary Treen appears as Miss Winters, the department store clerk. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "The Busy Body" | Oscar Rudolph | Teleplay by Henry Sharp, Kay Lenard and Jess Carneol Story by Kay Lenard & Jess Carneol | December 17, 1958 | |
| Uncle Fred (Rhys Williams), Donna's uncle, swoops in for an unexpected visit and immediately gets into everybody's business. He causes a rift between Mary and her boyfriend. He also tells the Mayor (Irving Bacon) off on the phone. He insults Mrs. Adams (Ann Doran), the mother of one of Alex's patients. But in a twist, these people actually wind up appreciating what Uncle Fred said and did. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "A Very Merry Christmas" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | December 24, 1958 | |
| Donna is frantically making last-minute preparations for Christmas and is disappointed when no one seems to care for the fruitcakes she is giving for Christmas presents. Donna believes people have lost the Christmas spirit. She also can't seem to find out who plans the Christmas party for the children who cannot leave their ward and return home for the holiday. Donna learns that Charlie (Buster Keaton), the hospital handyman, is usually in charge of the party. But, this year there is no one to help him. Donna helps Charlie throw the children a special party. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "Mary's Double Date" | Oscar Rudolph | Alan Lipscott & Bob Fisher | December 31, 1958 | |
| Mary has three potential dates to the Junior Prom. She can't decide if she should go with left tackle Ernie (Bobby Burgess), or right tackle Phil. Mary prefers Ernie, but must string Phil along while waiting to see if Ernie will break up with his girlfriend Angela. Another classmate, Charlie, fawns over Mary. But, Mary is not romantically interested in him. Ernie does ask Mary, but when Phil calls, a confused Donna says Mary will go with him. The boys find out and both of them cancel on Mary. A firmer and more confident Charlie comes to the rescue. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Jeff's Double Life" | Oscar Rudolph | Bill Manhoff | January 7, 1959 | |
| Donna and Alex return home from a dinner party and learn that neighbor Celia Wilgus (Kathleen Freeman) almost called the police, due to a noisy party at the Stone's house. Mary confesses that she had some friends over including a bongo drummer. Their parents warn Mary and Jeff, "People expect a doctor and his family to set an example." So, when Jeff injures his arm in the drummer's stolen car, he is afraid to see his father for treatment. Posing as "John Smith", he goes to Dr. Barry (Peter Adams), another pediatrician who is new in town. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Nothing But the Truth" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | January 14, 1959 | |
| David Barker (Charles Herbert), who had previously spent Thanksgiving with the Stones, decides he would like to visit them again. He tells them that it is his birthday even though it is actually not for several more months. After Jeff gets in trouble for lying, young David hears Mary say, "People who tell lies don't go to Heaven." That night David confesses his lie to Jeff, and he really feels bad about it. The next day David tells Donna it is not his birthday. She says it is OK and they will have a party anyway. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "It's the Principle of the Thing" | Oscar Rudolph | Jerry Davis & Tom August | January 21, 1959 | |
| Mr. Popkin (Hans Conried) does not have the money to pay for his son's (Robert L. Crawford Jr.) expensive treatment and he will not allow Alex to do it for free. Donna figures she can hire him for household chores instead, with disastrous results. Donna learns Popkin has a talent for making toys, and tries to get them displayed in Mr. Johnson's (Richard Deacon) toy store. Meanwhile, Jeff and shill Mary try to sell Popkin's toy rabbits on the street, but get in trouble with the law. In the end, Popkin's toy rabbits prove to be quite popular. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Jeff vs. Mary" | Oscar Rudolph | Story by : Alan Lipscott & Bob Fisher Teleplay by : Henry Sharp & Alan Lipscott & Bob Fisher | January 28, 1959 | |
| When Dr. Boland (Jackie Kelk) comes by for the night, Mary is allowed to stay up late, and entertain with her piano playing. Neither Donna nor Alex seem interested in watching Jeff performing his new magic act. Jeff thinks his parents don't love him as much as they do Mary. His friend Zack tells Jeff it is "The Law of Vanishing Returns" or, how a second child is not as loved as the first born. To prove Donna and Alex love their son as much as their daughter, Donna plans to have Jeff overhear a conversation she and Alex have, on the family's newly installed intercom system. Except it is Zack that hears it and he sets Jeff straight. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Have Fun" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | February 4, 1959 | |
| Mary comes home in tears because thinks her first date with Herbie Shields (George Hamilton) was a disaster. Donna tells Mary about her own first date with Alex on a New Year's Eve. Donna says it was a disaster as well and she did everything wrong. Later, Alex tells Mary his version of the date in which he believes he did everything wrong. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Donna Plays Cupid" | Oscar Rudolph | Story by : Alan Lipscott & Bob Fisher Teleplay by : Henry Sharp & Alan Lipscott & Bob Fisher | February 11, 1959 | |
| Donna decides that bachelor Dr. Bo Boland needs a woman and wants him to meet her friend Ceil. While at dinner with Alex and Donna, Bo and Ceil are uncomfortable, but get along. Then Ceil's old boyfriend Herbie Armbruster (Hal Baylor) shows up. Herbie came by to ask Donna's help in reconciling with Ceil. But, when he sees Ceil and Bo together, he demands that Ceil marry him. Of course, that is exactly what Ceil wanted and Bo does not mind going back to his old lifestyle. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Love Thy Neighbor" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | February 18, 1959 | |
| Alex & Donna help friends celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. Celia (Kathleen Freeman) and Wilbur (Howard McNear ) have been arguing over Wilbur's secretary Miss Sanders (Maudie Prickett) because Celia thinks he pays too much attention to her. Celia leaves Wilbur after the party and arrives at Donna's door. Donna lunches with Wilbur to try and find out if he is interested in Miss Sanders. But, Donna winds up giving Wilbur the impression that she is interested in him. | ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "The Report Card" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | February 25, 1959 | |
| Donna is upset when Jeff brings home a less than stellar report card. Jeff's teacher (Irene Vernon) tells Donna he is a smart boy, but is not very interested in learning. When Jeff befriends "straight A" student Phil Adams, Donna thinks he is only interested in copying the smarter boy's homework. But, Jeff has a lesson for his mother. | ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "Boys Will Be Boys" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | March 4, 1959 | |
| Young David Barker is brought to Dr. Stone from military school because of a dog bite, and he is permitted to stay the weekend. He and Jeff are left alone late one night, and watch a gangster show. Later, in his sleep, suffering from a guilty conscience over some forbidden cake, Dave has a dream that re-enacts the program with Donna, Alex and himself as the characters. Will Alex and Donna punish the boys by not taking them to the ball game? Carleton Young appears as Major Ryan, from the military school. John Harmon and Ric Roman appear as characters in the gangster show. | ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "The Ideal Wife" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | March 11, 1959 | |
| Donna comes to the conclusion that she is too nice for her own good. Fed up, Donna decides to change her sunny disposition, and begins barking orders. It does not take long for her to find out she is not happy with the "new" Donna. Cleaning man Mac (Sid Tomack) helps Donna find balance in her life. Don C. Harvey and Frances Robinson appear Dr. Harry Marcy and Ellen Marcy. | ||||||
| 26 | 26 | "Mary's Campaign" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | March 18, 1959 | |
| Mary is running to be the vice-president of her class. But Donna does not like the way she, or rather her campaign manager Cathy Robinson (Gigi Perreau), is running her campaign. Cathy's plan is to "sell" Mary by emphasizing her good looks, and encouraging her to make flowery promises. Donna tells Mary it is better to be yourself. And while Mary loses, she is glad she did not win if it meant being someone she is not. | ||||||
| 27 | 27 | "The Flowered Print Dress" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | March 25, 1959 | |
| After inviting newlywed couple Jim and Carol Berke over for dinner, Donna begins to feel Alex is taking her for granted and that their marriage is in a rut. Donna tries to impress Alex with a daring new dress, but he says he liked her in a "flowered print" dress, which she can't recall. When the Stones go out to dinner with older couple Dr. Martin Butler (Addison Richards) and his wife (Lillian Bronson), things begin to fall into place. | ||||||
| 28 | 28 | "April Fool" | Oscar Rudolph | Jerry Davis & Tom August | April 1, 1959 | |
|
Buzz Berry (James Darren), Mary's favorite rock singer, is coming to town for a show. On the night of the show, however, Buzz comes down with the measles, and is taken to the Stones' house to be treated by Alex. Jeff tells manager Lou Vance (Jesse White) that Buzz should hide from fans at the Stone's home. When word leaks out that he is staying there, the Stones' house is besieged by his adoring fans, but Mary tells them it was an April Fool's joke. All the girl's are now mad at Mary until Buzz finds a way to make things right. Ted Knight appears as Phil Martin, manager of the Civic Auditorium. Note: "There's No Such Thing" (the record Mary plays) was Darren's first Colpix single. | ||||||
| 29 | 29 | "The Parting of the Ways" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | April 8, 1959 | |
| Mary's friend Babs (Melinda Plowman) is upset because she thinks her parents are breaking up, which they are not. Donna is afraid the family might "drift apart" if they don't spend more time together. When a card game turns into a family fight, the kids think Donna and Alex may be the next couple to split up. Mary then tells Babs about the fight. Mrs. Myra Keppler (Mary Lawrence) comes over to console Donna. Everyone finds out that no one is splitting up. | ||||||
| 30 | 30 | "The Hero" | Oscar Rudolph | Teleplay by John Whedon Story by Nate Monaster | April 15, 1959 | |
| Biff Jameson (Ben Gage), Alex's old college roommate and former Rose Bowl star, comes to visit. Everyone's opinion of Biff is based upon his past glory and Biff is tired of living in the past. His job has him just speaking about his football days. The next day Biff plays football with a bunch of Jeff's friends. One friend, George Haskell (Jimmy Hawkins), knocks Biff down and injures him. Biff tells his boss off and Alex suggests he stay in town and get a job helping young boys. | ||||||
| 31 | 31 | "Do You Trust Your Child?" | Oscar Rudolph | Jerry Davis & Tom August | April 22, 1959 | |
| After a successful PTA speech, all of Hilldale considers Donna an authority on teen parenting. Donna adopts the belief that children are capable of making good decisions on their own. Helen Brooks (Florida Friebus) asks Donna's advice regarding Leonard (Richard Tyler), the annoying young man who is dating her daughter Nancy (Roberta Shore). Donna advises Mrs. Brooks to "have faith", predicting the couple will break up. Donna's beliefs are tested when Mary starts dating Leonard. | ||||||
| 32 | 32 | "Grateful Patient" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | April 29, 1959 | |
| Alex rushes to offer medical assistance to neighbor Celia Wilgus (Kathleen Freeman), who has been accidentally hit with a golf iron. As a reward, grateful husband Wilbur (Howard McNear) offers Alex in on a real estate deal. Wilbur says they have a chance to triple their money. Donna and the kids start planning on how they will spend the windfall. Alex urges caution to no avail. Will their ship come in? | ||||||
| 33 | 33 | "The Testimonial" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | May 6, 1959 | |
| When Donna finds out the towns favorite doctor plans to retire, she decides he should have a retirement dinner with testimonials from his patients and peers. As plans progress, Donna finds out Dr. Jason (James Bell) does not want to retire regardless of his age. Olive Blakeney appears as Mrs. Jason. Harry Cheshire appears as the Mayor. | ||||||
| 34 | 34 | "Miss Lovelace Comes to Tea" | Oscar Rudolph | Henry Sharp | May 13, 1959 | |
| Donna's work in a charity campaign leaves her with no time for housework. When they decide to hire a maid, the family learns maids are hard to find. Finally, English ladylike Mrs. Lovelace (Estelle Winwood) is hired. But, the rest of the family discovers that she is not really able to cook or clean. Soon, Jeff is vacuuming, Mary is cooking, and Alex is making beds, so Donna does not find out. Mrs. Lovelace does wind up helping Donna in a more important way. Esther Dale appears Mrs. Abrogast, a potential maid. Margaret Dumont appears as Mrs. Westcott Trilling, a sponsor of the charity campaign. | ||||||
| 35 | 35 | "Tomorrow Comes Too Soon" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | May 20, 1959 | |
| Alex and Donna are both tired of the day to day routine. Alex suggests he and Donna "try to get away for a weekend," without the children. Of course, Alex is unable to coordinate his schedule. But, when both Mary and Jeff are invited on weekend trips, Donna and Alex find their wish to be alone is unexpectedly granted. So, how long will it be until Donna misses the children? | ||||||
| 36 | 36 | "Advice to Young Lovers" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | May 27, 1959 | |
| After a fight with boyfriend George, Mary announces, "I'm through with boys!" Mary thinks he has something for her friend, Babs. In order to renew George's interest, Donna advises Mary to show an interest in another boy. Despite all of Donna's suggestions and schemes, Mary and George get back together on their own. | ||||||
| 37 | 37 | "Operation Deadbeat" | Oscar Rudolph | Si Rose & Seaman Jacobs | June 3, 1959 | |
| Jeff is living beyond his means and has been borrowing money from Mary. Alex wants Jeff to learn the value of money and pay it back. Soon Jeff has jobs as both a newspaper delivery boy and a supermarket worker. When Donna tries to get Alex to forgive the debt, they discuss the patients who still owe Alex for his services , such as Mr.Finsterwald (Alan Reed). Donna decides to collect on those bills. When she learns about delinquent Mr. McDonnell (William Keene), Donna's kind-heartedness comes through. | ||||||
Season 2 (1959–60)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | "That's Show Business" | Oscar Rudolph | Jerry Davis & Tom August | September 24, 1959 | |
| Mary is excited to be included in a school play. Kenny (Lee Aaker) is a classmate who also was accepted, but he dropped out since he stutters. Mary convinces him to remain in the play and his stuttering stops. Kenny is paired with Mary for a dance routine. Mary, however, is not happy about it because he is so much shorter than her. She suggests he gets lifts for his shoes and his stuttering starts again. He does and trips toward the end of the dance. Will Mary dance with Kenny again for the next days show? | ||||||
| 39 | 2 | "Sleep No More My Lady" | Oscar Rudolph | Henry Sharp | October 1, 1959 | |
| Donna & Alex fly to New York where Alex will give a speech at a medical convention. Donna is so excited for Alex that she cannot sleep. Alex suggests she take a tranquilizer to help her get some rest. At first she refuses, but later while Alex is asleep, she takes several. Now, during the convention, Donna is in a daze and keeps falling asleep. Because of this, Alex is unable to complete his speech. Donna explains things to Dr. Elias Spaulding (Richard Gaines), who is running the convention, and Alex is able to give his speech the next day. | ||||||
| 40 | 3 | "A Penny Earned" | Oscar Rudolph | Tom August | October 8, 1959 | |
| After Alex completes a newspaper quiz called "Test Your Wife", Donna learns she gets a perfect score for being thrifty. Donna plans to wear an old dress to a formal wedding that is coming up. But, when Louise Collier (Irene Hervey) questions that decision, Donna says she'll buy a new one. However, every time Donna tries to become a spendthrift, she backs down. Raymond Bailey appears as George Collier. | ||||||
| 41 | 4 | "A Friend Indeed" | Oscar Rudolph | Tom August | October 15, 1959 | |
| Doug is a new friend of Jeff's. Fran, Doug's mother, praises Donna for having such a wonderful, perfect child when her child is noisy and impolite. Jeff is starting to get in trouble at school, but he tells Donna and Alex it is not him doing the bad things. Alex and Donna figure out that Doug is getting Jeff in trouble because he resents that his mother is always praising Jeff. Donna comes up with a solution to the problem. | ||||||
| 42 | 5 | "The First Child" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | October 22, 1959 | |
| After a nervous couple (Alice Backes and Dave Willock) have their first baby, Alex can hardly get any sleep or spend any time with the family because of their constant cries for help. | ||||||
| 43 | 6 | "Going Steady" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | October 29, 1959 | |
| Mary wants Jeff to be more friendly with a girl named Meredith Penner (Sherry Alberoni) so that Mary will have an excuse to meet Meredith's older brother Don. Jeff might be willing to do so - if the price is right. Now that Jeff is going to Meredith's party, the whole school thinks they're going steady. He is not happy about it. Mary meets Don and thinks he is a bore, but Jeff is still stuck going to the party. | ||||||
| 44 | 7 | "The Neighborly Gesture" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | November 5, 1959 | |
| New neighbors, Joe (Robert Nichols) and Eleanor Moody, move in next to the Stones. Jeff learns that Joe was in the Air Force and finds him very fascinating. Jeff tells Alex all the great things that Joe can do, and Alex starts to get very jealous. Joe tells Alex that all Jeff can talk about when he is over is what a great dad he has. Alex finds himself feeling a lot better. | ||||||
| 45 | 8 | "Nothing Like a Good Book" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | November 12, 1959 | |
| Lydia Langley, a neighbor, invites the Stones to dinner with a group of friends. She spends the evening bragging about the intellectual books she reads. Donna tries to bring some culture to her children, who have no interest in it. Donna wants Alex and her to read War And Peace to set an example. Donna joins Lydia's book club and is told she has a couple days to give a report on War and Peace. Maybe this striving for culture is not a right fit for the Stone family. J. Edward McKinley appears as Professor Peabody. Frank Wilcox appears as Bartley Langley, Lydia's husband. | ||||||
| 46 | 9 | "Flowers for the Teacher" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | November 19, 1959 | |
| Jeff complains that Miss McGinnis (Marion Ross), the teacher at school, does not like any of the students and that's why she is so strict. Jeff and some of the other boys in class fake being sick so they don't have to go to school. Donna visits the teacher and finds she is actually afraid of the students as it is her first teaching experience. Donna finds a way to fix it. | ||||||
| 47 | 10 | "All Mothers Worry" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | November 26, 1959 | |
|
Jeff's friend Phillip changes at Jeff's home after football practices. Donna finds out and realizes Margaret Dorsey (Ann Doran), Phillip's mother, does not know he is playing football. Margaret is afraid her boy will get hurt. Jeff and Phil get to meet some L.A. Rams players when they come to town. Phil gets hurt during a scrimmage. The Rams award the game ball to Phil and Margaret now understands that she has to let Phil be a boy. William Schallert appears as Bert Rose, the Ram's publicist. Note: L.A. Rams players Sid Gillman, Jon Arnett, Bill Wade, Don Burroughs and Les Richter make an appearance. | ||||||
| 48 | 11 | "Jeff Joins a Club" | Oscar Rudolph | Tom August | December 3, 1959 | |
| Walter, a new kid in town, follows Jeff around all the time, no matter how many times Jeff tries to lose him. Walter tends to brag about the things he has. When Jeff & Walter try to join a club, the group denies Jeff since he is a friend of Walters. Walter tells Jeff he knows the club would not let Jeff in because of him. Jeff decides the club cannot tell him who he can be friends with. Donna helps the two boys start their own club. | ||||||
| 49 | 12 | "The Punishment" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | December 10, 1959 | |
| Donna is upset when Mary and Jeff arrive home late and she reprimands them. Alex comes home and it is all smiles for dad from Mary and Jeff. Donna is mad because she is always the one to yell at the children. Now, neither Donna nor Alex want to punish Mary or Jeff because neither of them want to seem like the bad parent. Mary and Jeff start to wonder what is going on. | ||||||
| 50 | 13 | "A Difference of Opinion" | Ida Lupino | Nate Monaster | December 17, 1959 | |
| Donna is forced to accept a dinner invitation from Phyllis Baker (Ann Rutherford). She and her husband Harry are a couple that neither Donna nor Alex enjoy. This causes an argument between them whether to go or not go, and they try to hide their fights from Mary and Jeff. Hal Smith appears as one of the guests at the dinner party. | ||||||
| 51 | 14 | "The Homecoming Dance" | Robert Ellis Miller | John Whedon | December 24, 1959 | |
| Mary's friend Herbie (Tommy Ivo) invites her to a dance at a nearby college with a blind date, and she would have to stay overnight in the dormitory. At first Donna is against it because she thinks Mary is too young. The Stones agree to let her go, but only because they are going to drive her to and from. Stan, Mary's blind date, turns out to be a bit obnoxious, but Mary turns the tables on him. | ||||||
| 52 | 15 | "The Lucky Girl" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | December 31, 1959 | |
| It seems as if all of Donna's friends are complimenting her on having such a wonderful husband, and that she is such a lucky girl. Donna wonders if they think she is not good enough for Alex and that it was just pure luck she got such a guy. Kristine Miller and Mona Knox appear as some of Donna's friends. | ||||||
| 53 | 16 | "The Broken Spirit" | Lawrence Dobkin | Nate Monaster | January 7, 1960 | |
| Jeff's been causing problems lately, so Alex has a talk with him about behaving. While on his paper route, Jeff throws Mr. Barnhill's (Raymond Hatton) newspaper on the front stairs. Later, the family learns from Alex that Mr. Barnhill had broken his leg falling on the stairs. Jeff's attitude changes, and everyone thinks it is because of the talk. Actually, he is feeling guilty and feels he must be on his best behavior. When Jeff visits Mr. Barnhill in the hospital, he finds out that the man tripped down the cellar stairs. | ||||||
| 54 | 17 | "The Secret" | Norman Tokar | Nate Monaster | January 14, 1960 | |
| Mary's friend Carol (Roberta Shore) is engaged to Matthew, but does not want her family to know. Carol asks Mary to hide the ring and have her boyfriend's letters sent to the Stone residence. Donna and Alex start to wonder about Mary's secret, the mail and if she is the one getting married. | ||||||
| 55 | 18 | "The New Mother" | Oscar Rudolph | John Whedon | January 21, 1960 | |
|
David Barker (Charles Herbert) has run away from his boarding school and returns again to the Stone family. Major Barker, David's father, is getting remarried, and David is afraid he will have to stay in the boarding school instead of being with his father and new mother. Major Barker comes to the Stone house and explains to David that he is not getting married after all. It seems the woman was not interested in being a mother to David. Note: This was the last of Charles Herbert's four appearances on The Donna Reed Show. | ||||||
| 56 | 19 | "Just a Housewife" | Oscar Rudolph | Nate Monaster | January 28, 1960 | |
| After being stopped for an interview by Jerry Parker (Jerry Hausner), a gimmicky radio showman at a grocery store, Donna takes a stand against being called "just a housewife". Donna confronts Jerry Parker again and tells him that women can be more than just housewives. All the women in the neighborhood congratulate Donna and she becomes a local celebrity. C. Lindsay Workman appears as Jim, a friend of Alex's. | ||||||
| 57 | 20 | "The Free Soul" | Norman Tokar | Frank Tarloff (as David Adler) | February 4, 1960 | |
| Dan Harris (Myron McCormick), a friend of Alex's father, visits the Stones and tells the family of his exciting travels. Jeff gets caught up in the excitement and wants to be a free soul like Dan. So much so, that one day Jeff just leaves school after lunch. Mrs. Sutton (Aline Towne), a mother of one of Jeff's friends, also mentions some of Jeff's unusual behavior. Dan manages to get Jeff to come back to reality. | ||||||
| 58 | 21 | "The First Quarrel" | Robert Ellis Miller | Nate Monaster | February 11, 1960 | |
| Friends of Alex and Donna's, who have only been married a few years, have their first quarrel. Donna helps Alice understand how to handle a quarrel. Alex tells Donna she should try to keep out of the situation, but then he helps Jim with contrary advice. When Donna finds out what Alex did, they have a quarrel as well. Eventually, both couples work out their differences. | ||||||
| 59 | 22 | "A Place to Go" | Norman Tokar | John Whedon | February 18, 1960 | |
| Donna's Womans Club is looking for a project. They find out from the police that the neighborhood boys are playing in an abandoned building. The women decide to build a proper gathering place for the children. They ask several local businessmen for donations. The women fix the youth house up so nice, the boys have no interest in playing there. Lester Vail appears as Matthew Sarples, the real estate man. Stafford Repp appears as Sgt. McDermott. Howard Wendell appears as George Heiser, the bank president. | ||||||
| 60 | 23 | "A Night to Howl" | Lawrence Dobkin | John Whedon | February 25, 1960 | |
| Mary discovers poetry, and then worries that her mother and father lost their passion for life and things are boring for them. To prove her wrong, Donna and Alex decide to go out on a Monday night and leave the kids home. It does not go as planned. First they wind up at an Italian restaurant, then a diner, and after not being able to eat at either, back home. But, they tell Mary they went everywhere and had a great time. Mario Siletti appears as a waiter. | ||||||
| 61 | 24 | "The Editorial" | Lawrence Dobkin | Nate Monaster | March 3, 1960 | |
| Jeff is promoted to editor of his school newspaper. In his first editorial he speaks out against too much homework. It is a well written piece, but the teachers do not think it should be published. Jeff prints the piece on his own and hands them out at school. Because of that, he is fired from the paper and he then leads a homework boycott in his class. Jeff learns there may be a better way to get his point across. | ||||||
| 62 | 25 | "The Gentle Dew" | Norman Tokar | John Whedon | March 10, 1960 | |
| When it seems Mary and Jeff are not always doing their homework or chores, Alex decides to lay down the rules and make sure everyone sticks to them. Donna thinks the rules are a bit harsh. Mary goes out on a date and Alex tells her to be home by 9:30. Alex and Donna then go to Ben and Kay (Aline Towne) Wiley's house to play cards. Alex comes home at 9:30 to check up on Mary and believes she is intentionally staying out late. Turns out she was home and in bed by 9:00. | ||||||
| 63 | 26 | "The Fatal Leap" | Andrew McCullough | John Whedon | March 17, 1960 | |
| Alex is invited to a wedding of his former college roommate Moose Edwards, who had some wild nights and lots of dates. Alex is also invited to the bachelor party. Donna is worried about what might happen, because she thinks Alex envy's Moose's prior lifestyle. At the party, the boys learn that Moose has given up his partying ways. Jack Albertson and Florence MacMichael appear as Madeline and Jack Richards. | ||||||
| 64 | 27 | "The Perfect Pitch" | Norman Tokar | Tom & Helen August | March 24, 1960 | |
| Jeff is excited to try out for the track team and even plans to practice to get in shape for the tryouts. But then Donna finds out he has perfect pitch in music and thinks he should take music lessons and learn the trumpet. The only problem is that Jeff has no talent for the trumpet. The family needs to find someone to convince Donna of this fact. | ||||||
| 65 | 28 | "Pickles for Charity" | Norman Tokar | Nate Monaster | April 7, 1960 | |
| The Woman's Medical Auxiliary host a dance event. While the dance was a success, raising funds was not. Each member of the Auxiliary decides to make up her share and raise money to pay for the dance deficit. Donna decides to sell homemade pickles. Mr. Ross (William Newell), the grocer, agrees to let Donna sell her pickles at his store. Jeff and Mary try to sell the pickles, but have no luck. Alex, without Donna knowing, buys up the pickles. Tiger Fafara appears as Charlie, a boy who works at the grocery. | ||||||
| 66 | 29 | "Mary's Growing Pain" | Lawrence Dobkin | John Whedon | April 14, 1960 | |
| Mary's decides to not go on a ski trip when her friend Roger says he is driving up with another girl. She is disappointed and feels she is unattractive. However, when Dr. Somers, an intern from the hospital, visits Alex at his home, her mood lightens up immediately. Mary envisions a life with Dr. Somers, but Donna reminds her of the age difference. In the end, Mary is back on speaking terms with Roger. | ||||||
| 67 | 30 | "Alex Runs the House" | Lawrence Dobkin | Tom & Helen August | April 21, 1960 | |
| Jeff visits his Uncle and Aunt on their farm by himself. Donna is worried and misses Jeff so much, Alex suggests she go to the farm as well. Donna's friend Wilma (Renee Godfrey) tells her she should go so Alex can see how much he needs her. Alex and Mary have to take care of the house and meals while she is gone and it does not go well. When Donna comes home, Alex tells her that they managed just fine. Donna finds out that wasn't quite true. | ||||||
| 68 | 31 | "The Career Woman" | Lawrence Dobkin | Nate Monaster | April 28, 1960 | |
| Molly (Esther Williams), an old friend of Donna's, comes to visit. She is now a well-known fashion designer, and is thinking about marrying a doctor named David who wants to practice in a small town. Molly does not know if she could take being married to a small town doctor. When David shows up, Donna and Alex find a way to get the two together. | ||||||
| 69 | 32 | "Jeff, the Financial Genius" | Hy Averback | Henry Sharp | May 5, 1960 | |
| Jeff wants an advance on his allowance to buy items for his latest project. When that fails, he tries borrowing from everyone. Alex finds out he owes a lot of people money, and puts Jeff on a strict budget until he pays everyone back. Jeff takes to selling and trading many of his possessions at bargain basement prices. Alex decides to show Jeff how to make a better deal, but gets taken in the process. In the end, it is Jeff that winds up making the best deals. Herb Vigran appears as Mr. Sprague, the Swap Shop owner. | ||||||
| 70 | 33 | "Mary's Crusade" | Lawrence Dobkin | Nate Monaster | May 12, 1960 | |
| Mary's friend Ellen is very smart at school, but plain looking. No one asks her out. Mary decides to give Ellen a makeover to show the boys in school that Ellen is just as pretty as she is smart. Mary promises Ellen she will not go to the upcoming dance unless she can get Ellen a date. Ellen tells Mary she has been invited to another party and wants Mary to go to the dance. Donna finds out that Ellen made the party up, so Mary, to keep her promise, turns down an invite to the dance. A fortunate turn of events allows both girls to go to the dance. Carole Wells appears as Melanie, one of the popular girls. Anthony 'Scooter' Teague appears as Don. Barbara Luddy appears as Ellen's Mother. | ||||||
| 71 | 34 | "The First Time We Met" | Robert Ellis Miller | Nate Monaster | May 19, 1960 | |
| Donna & Alex have different memories of how they originally met. Dr. Hank Landers (Bob Hastings), who is single and would like to stay that way, is invited over for dinner. Donna wants to set him up with someone, but Alex says no. Nurse Pat Archer (Kaye Elhardt) is very interested in Hank. Donna finds a way to get Hank to ask Pat out. C. Lindsay Workman appears as Dr. Kane. | ||||||
| 72 | 35 | "The Gossip" | Robert Ellis Miller | Frank Tarloff | May 26, 1960 | |
| Donna's friend Kay (Maxine Cooper) tells her that she is pregnant, but to keep it a secret. Kay is afraid she might lose her job if her boss finds out she is pregnant. Donna only tells one other friend, Emily (Elisabeth Fraser), and before long it is all over town. Donna feels horrible that she was the start of the gossip. But, it turns out, she is not the only one to start stories. Sheila Bromley appears as Margaret Harrison. Almira Sessions appears as Elsie, Kay's housekeeper. | ||||||
| 73 | 36 | "Love's Sweet Awakening" | Robert Ellis Miller | Frank Tarloff | June 2, 1960 | |
| Petie, a neighbor's child, returns home for a visit while on break from military school. Since Petie was a favorite friend of Mary and Jeff, he visits the Stones. Petie is smitten by Mary's grown-up looks, but she does not give him a second thought romantically. Donna finds a way for Petie to get a date with Mary. Dan Tobin and Jeanne Bates appear as Petie's parents. Carole Wells appears as Melanie, Mary's friend. | ||||||
| 74 | 37 | "The Wedding Present" | Hy Averback | Phil Sharp | June 9, 1960 | |
| Donna and her friend Louise (Molly Dodd) are to meet a very influential woman named Mrs. Manning (Harriet MacGibbon) at the decorators. While there, and to impress Mrs. Manning, Donna thinks about purchasing an expensive art object. Mr. Jason (Tommy Farrell), of the decorator shop, agrees to let her take it home and think about it. She is afraid to tell Alex about it, so it gets hidden. When Alex's Aunt Lettie calls to say she is visiting, Alex says they have to put out her wedding gift. Not remembering what gift she gave, Alex puts out the statue along with many ugly things he finds in the attic. Aunt Lettie never shows up, but Mrs. Manning does, much to Donna's embarrassment. | ||||||
| 75 | 38 | "Cool Cat" | Andrew McCullough | Jacqueline Trotte | June 16, 1960 | |
| A seemingly stray cat follows Jeff home, and the family votes whether to allow "Harry the cat" to stay. The next day, Alex takes the cat back to where Jeff first saw it. But, Harry comes back. Turns out the cat is female, and slowly brings her family of kittens into the house. Jeff & Mary give the kittens away, just as Alex finds out they are pedigree and worth $100 each. Donna comes up with a way to get the kittens back. | ||||||
Season 3 (1960–61)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | 1 | "Weekend" | Andrew McCullough | Sam Adams | September 15, 1960 | |
| To break the routine, the Stones decide to go away to somewhere different for an extended weekend. But, when Alex and Donna arrive, the actual accommodations are nothing like the fancy place they saw in the brochure. They decide that they will leave early. But, they talk to the owners, Charlie & Sunny Cooper (Parker Fennelly and Mary Treen), and feel sorry for them. The Cooper's just can't make a go of the resort. After finding out how much hunting and fishing there could be, Alex tells the Coopers to make their place into a Hunting resort. | ||||||
| 77 | 2 | "The Mystery Woman" | Norman Tokar | Barbara Avedon | September 22, 1960 | |
| While eating lunch with Mary at a restaurant, a woman named Wanda Harman (Andrea King) approaches Donna as a long lost friend. The next day she calls and invites Donna & Alex to dinner on Saturday at her home. Donna cannot remember who the woman is, but she saw the initials H.M. on her purse. Donna gets in touch with various women with those initials, but none of them are the right person. It is not until Mary's friend Herbie says something, that Donna realizes who the woman is. | ||||||
| 78 | 3 | "Donna Decorates" | Andrew McCullough | Seymour Friedman | September 29, 1960 | |
|
Donna has her kitchen remodeled and new appliances installed. Also, Alex's birthday is coming up, and no one can think of a gift to get him. Donna decides to take Alex's favorite chair to John Coutts (George Ives) to be refinished, thinking that would make a perfect gift. But, now Donna thinks the new chair makes the other living room furniture look drab. Donna gets some unexpected help while redecorating. George Cisar appears as Baxter the electrician. Paul Marco appears as a painter. Note: Jay North and Joseph Kearns reprise their roles from the CBS series "Dennis the Menace" in this episode, which aired on ABC. This marks one of the earliest times in TV history that two scripted series on different networks cooperated on a multi-network crossover, not counting variety shows. | ||||||
| 79 | 4 | "The Love Letter" | Robert Ellis Miller | Tom & Helen August | October 6, 1960 | |
| The Stones hire handyman Nick (Jay Novello) to do repairs around the house. Nick asks Jeff to help him write a love letter to his girlfriend Kitty. Donna finds Jeff's practice letter laying around, and thinks Jeff is in love with a classmate. Donna and Mary run into Donna's friend Jean Brown (Irene Vernon) and find out Jean has a daughter called Kitty. Donna invites the Brown family over hoping to help Jeff out. Things do not go well and Donna feels bad for Jeff. The family later finds out from Nick the real story about Kitty. Maurice Manson appears as Mr. Brown. | ||||||
| 80 | 5 | "How the Other Side Lives" | James Sheldon | John Whedon | October 20, 1960 | |
| Mary returns home from a weekend visit with her friend Ginny Currier. She just raves about how wonderful her friend's home is. Mr. Currier comes by to drop off Mary's coat. Mary is completely embarrassed by the way the house and her family looks. Donna invites Ginny over for the weekend. Mary proceeds to put on airs in front of Ginny. Donna has to explain to Mary, that while Ginny has everything she wants, there are things that Mary has that Ginny does not. | ||||||
| 81 | 6 | "Alex's Twin" | Jeffrey Hayden | Nate Monaster | October 27, 1960 | |
| Mary meets a boy at school that reminds her of her father. She thinks Elroy looks like what her father might have looked like at that age. Once they meet, Alex cannot believe Mary sees a resemblance between him and gawky Elroy. Alex tries to set up Mary with Dr. Higgins' (C. Lindsay Workman) handsome son Jim (Joseph Gallison). Alex's friend Jack Richards (Jack Albertson) brings over Miss Graham (Cheerio Meredith), an old school teacher. Even she thinks Elroy looks like a young Alex. It is not until Elroy does something brave, that Alex starts to feel they're alike. | ||||||
| 82 | 7 | "Worried Anyone?" | Robert Ellis Miller | Clifford Goldsmith | November 3, 1960 | |
| Mary is going out with Scotty (Jimmy Hawkins) in a car he built himself. When Donna and Alex find the parts of the car are from cars that have been in wrecks, Donna gets worried. Alex tells her everything will be OK. But, once Alex sees the car, even he gets worried. Through a misunderstanding, Alex believes Scotty and Mary have been in an accident. He calls all around town looking for them, causing Mary to become quite embarrassed. | ||||||
| 83 | 8 | "Higher Learning" | Jeffrey Hayden | Hugh Wedlock & Howard Snyder | November 10, 1960 | |
| The school issues an intelligence test to the students, and Jeff gets a score that ranks him as a genius. Mr. Conroy (Richard Deacon), the principal, believes Jeff should be sent to a special school in Chicago. After much deliberation, Alex and Donna decide he should go. Jeff, however, just made the first string football team and does not want to go. Jeff proceeds to fail the entrance exam for the school. | ||||||
| 84 | 9 | "Never Marry a Doctor" | Andrew McCullough | John Whedon | November 17, 1960 | |
| When Les (Eddie Firestone) has trouble paying his baby's doctor bill Donna let's him do some work on the house in exchange. $20.00 suddenly disappears that Donna was to give to Ellen Cruikshank (Maxine Stuart) for a charity. Ellen implies that Les is unreliable and could have taken it. Jeff does not want to see Les get into trouble so, using his own money, says he found the missing money. Mary may have the answer to what really happened to the $20.00. | ||||||
| 85 | 10 | "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" | Jeffrey Hayden | Douglas Morrow | November 24, 1960 | |
| Alex proves the old adage that doctors make the worst patients when he goes into the hospital for an appendectomy. Donna helps Fred Miller (Carter DeHaven), a patient who does not want to leave the hospital because he is all alone. Helen Kleeb appears as Nurse Jane. | ||||||
| 86 | 11 | "The Model Daughter" | Robert Ellis Miller | Tom & Helen August | December 1, 1960 | |
| Mary decides she wants to be a model. She wins a scholarship to a modeling school, but Alex finds the added costs at every turn expensive. Meanwhile, Alex finds an old camera of his, and wants to start using it again. He takes a few modeling pictures of Mary. Mary does not think the pictures are good enough to submit, so she quits the school. Alex finds a way to get Mary interested in modeling again. Henry Beckman appears as Hal, Alex's friend. | ||||||
| 87 | 12 | "Decisions, Decisions, Decisions" | Jeffrey Hayden | Theodore & Mathilde Ferro | December 8, 1960 | |
| Mary has a bad case of indecisiveness and asks Donna for advice on clothes, errands, boys, and more. She ends up having a date with Roger and his cousin from New York, Larry. Larry takes them to a Beatnik Club. And to further show off to Mary, he then takes them to an expensive dinner club. Only problem is that Larry does not have any money and keeps borrowing from Roger. When they cannot pay the check, Mary tells the headwaiter (Harvey Korman). He says he understands and she can send the money. Mary tells Donna she has come to a decision to always tell the truth. Dick Wilson appears a waiter. | ||||||
| 88 | 13 | "Donna Goes to a Reunion" | Robert Ellis Miller | John Whedon | December 15, 1960 | |
| Donna is looking forward to attending her college reunion. Alex decides to go with her. While there, Alex hears about Duke, a former boyfriend of Donna's and he gets a little jealous. The women decide to reenact their cheer-leading cheer and Donna gets a black eye the day of the dance. Donna goes to the dance anyway because her old roommate Hope (Fay Baker), who supposedly married Duke, is there. Turns out Hope did not marry him, so Alex does not have to deal with an old flame. Barbara Perry appears as Buffie. | ||||||
| 89 | 14 | "Someone is Watching" | Robert Ellis Miller | John Whedon | December 22, 1960 | |
|
While Jeff's friend Gordie (Michael McGreevey) is showing off his new scooter he accidentally hits a tree. He pretends his leg is hurt much worse than it is so that he can stay at the Stone's house. Jeff feels guitly, because while Gordie was riding around, he wished Gordie would hit a tree. Donna finds out why he does not really want to go home. Apparently, he does not get along with his Stepmother (Betsy Jones-Moreland). Plus, he fakes a lot of things in order to receive things he wants from his father. Note: This episode was broadcast three days before Christmas but did not feature a Christmas story. Instead at the end the four of them all wished the audience a Merry Christmas, while holding signs for Campbell's Soup and Johnson & Johnson, the show's sponsors. | ||||||
| 90 | 15 | "The Lean and Hungry Look" | Robert Ellis Miller | Tom & Helen August | December 29, 1960 | |
| Mary wants Jeff to pay her back from a loan so she can buy a new sweater. Mary and Alex find Donna exercising in the backyard. The dress she bought last season is tight and she is determined to lose weight. Alex says exercise will not do it alone, Donna will have to give up all sweets. Donna says that is not a problem, but then that is all she can think about. Alex gives Donna a hard time about her dieting, that is, until he cannot fit into his dinner jacket. When Mary finally gets her new sweater, she finds she cannot fit into it either. | ||||||
| 91 | 16 | "Character Building" | Jeffrey Hayden | Clifford Goldsmith | January 5, 1961 | |
| Donna writes an editorial for the paper about how parents should make their children follow thru on things. Donna gets upset with Mary and Jeff starting projects and never finishing them, losing track of items they used last, and more. She decides to make them mend their ways. But, she does wonder if she is going to far. Kristine Miller appears as Edna, Donna's friend. Danny Sue Nolan appears as Mildred, another friend. | ||||||
| 92 | 17 | "World's Greatest Entertainer" | Norman Tokar | Barbara Avedon | January 12, 1961 | |
| Jeff seems to be in a slump because lately everything he does goes wrong. Hoping to build him up, the rest of the family starts to praise him for anything he does and he begins to feel better. Jeff does some impressions for Alex and Donna, and even though they are not very good, his parents rave about them. Jeff then decides to try out for the PTA Talent show with those impressions. Donna comes up with a way to get Jeff to forget about performing in the show. Connie Sawyer appears as Mrs. Lubner, the woman in charge of the show. | ||||||
| 93 | 18 | "Variations on a Theme" | Jeffrey Hayden | John Whedon | January 19, 1961 | |
| Donna is tired of everyone using the piano as a drop area for their belongings. Alex suggests selling it. Donna arranges for a pick up, but then Mary puts up a fight to save it. Donna learns the real reason why Mary really wants to keep it. Fuzzy, a neighbor boy, plays the piano and Mary wants to have him play at a party of hers to show up another girl who is having a party soon. Fuzzy can't make it and the party plans fall apart. Donna comes up with a way to solve Mary's problem. Ludwig Stössel appears as the Piano Tuner. Harvey Lembeck and Johnny Indrisano appear as piano movers. | ||||||
| 94 | 19 | "The Stones Go to Hollywood" | Ted Haworth | Phil Sharp | January 26, 1961 | |
| When Donna, Mary, and Jeff find that Alex is going to Hollywood for a doctor's conference, they insist on going with him. They plan on two fast days of sight seeing and star gazing, but they mostly sit in the hotel due to heavy rains. However, Alex meets Director George Sidney at the conference. The Stones get an invite to the movie set where George Sidney is filming. George asks them if they would like to have a bit part in the movie. Donna has a dream about being a famous movie star. The family has second thoughts about being in the film. Midge Ware appears a secretary. Phil Arnold appears as an Assistant Director. Lassie makes an appearance. | ||||||
| 95 | 20 | "Donna Directs a Play" | Robert Ellis Miller | Tom & Helen August | February 2, 1961 | |
| Mary and her classmates are rehearsing for a school play, but Mr. Hardy, the director, gets called back to Hollywood at the last minute. Mary suggests that Donna step in and direct. Donna begins to really enjoy her new position. But, then comes word that Mr. Hardy will be coming back. Donna says that it is fine with her. Mr. Hardy says that Donna did such fine job, he would like to have her co-direct with him. | ||||||
| 96 | 21 | "Trip to Nowhere" | Robert Ellis Miller | John Whedon | February 9, 1961 | |
| When Ricky, a friend of Jeff's, brags about going on a camping trip with his father, Jeff says Alex is taking him camping also. Since Alex is unavailable, Donna decides to take him. But, Mary and a friend of hers are going with. Seems no one really wants to go. Before the trip, Jeff finds out his friend did not want to go camping, either. | ||||||
| 97 | 22 | "The Geisha Girl" | Norman Tokar | Tom & Helen August | February 16, 1961 | |
| Donna meets the wife of Arthur Stemple (Douglas Dick), a new doctor at the hospital. Mrs. Chio Stemple (Miyoshi Umeki) is Japanese. Donna invites the Stemples and some other couples over for dinner. The other wives are surprised at how Chio caters to her husband. When the Stemples invite the couples over for dinner the next night, the two other couples cancel at the last minute. Donna thinks it is because the women do not like Chio, but it turns out they do not like the way Arthur has her waiting on him. Chio tells Donna she would like to learn some American customs and way of life. | ||||||
| 98 | 23 | "The Busy People" | James Neilson | Hugh Wedlock & Howard Snyder | February 23, 1961 | |
| Donna finds her and Alex's friends stay busy with music lessons and dance lessons. Donna decides she and Alex have to take some kind of lesson together. Donna signs them up for painting lessons so they can spend more time with each other. Alex has a plan for him and the other men to get out of these lessons. Donna figures out Alex's scheme and turns the tables on him. Alix Talton appears as Harriet. | ||||||
| 99 | 24 | "Tony Martin Visits" | Robert Ellis Miller | Hugh Wedlock & Howard Snyder & Phil Sharp | March 2, 1961 | |
| Donna gets a parking ticket and does not think she is in the wrong. She decides to fight it in traffic court. While there, singer Tony Martin is also in court to pay a ticket. He decides to fight his ticket because Donna is fighting hers. Meanwhile, the family is upset with Donna as the court date will interfere with a planned ski trip. Roger Mobley appears as Tony Martin, Jr. Owen Bush appears as a cop. Herb Vigran appears as the Judge. | ||||||
| 100 | 25 | "Aunt Belle's Earrings" | Robert Ellis Miller | Henry Sharp | March 9, 1961 | |
| Donna wants to go to the Founders Ball but Alex does not. Alex is struggling with Oliver Greevy (Will Wright) about the price of some land for a new clinic. Donna's Aunt Bell visits. Turns out, Bell and Oliver know each other from years past. They broke up back then over an argument about going to the Founders Ball. They go out together a couple of times and Alex is not thrilled about it. Because of something Alex says, they once again stop seeing each other. Donna figures out a way to get them together and the four of them go to the Ball. | ||||||
| 101 | 26 | "Poodle Parlor" | Jeffrey Hayden | John Whedon | March 16, 1961 | |
| Donna and her friend Madeline (Florence MacMichael) decide to open a poodle parlor in town. Alex and Jack (Jack Albertson), Madeline's husband, think it is funny because they believe the women do not know anything about running a business. The women are determined, but find out there are only seven poodles in town. Now, they must come up with a way for their husbands to talk them out of their idea, so they don't have to tell them it would fail. Frank Wilcox appears as George Heiser, bank manager. | ||||||
| 102 | 27 | "Mary's Heart Throb" | Norman Tokar | John Whedon | March 23, 1961 | |
| Mary is babysitting the Damon's (Wilton Graff and Sara Seegar) young child. Older brother Rick comes home and tells Mary he left college. Rick says that he does not want his father deciding his future. Plus, he was turned down by the fraternity that his father wanted him to join and he is afraid to face his father. Donna talks to Mr. Damon and helps him to see how Rick feels. Meanwhile, Mary's boyfriend Herbie keeps misunderstanding why Rick is around. | ||||||
| 103 | 28 | "Donna's Helping Hand" | Norman Tokar | John Whedon | March 30, 1961 | |
| Dr. Steinhaus (Vladimir Sokoloff), the Board of Health Director, is to retire. Myra (Frances Robinson), Donna's friend, suggests that Donna should campaign to have Alex nominated. It would mean he could have regular office hours. Dr. Steinhaus would really like it if Alex took over the position, however, Alex enjoys his job as a pediatrician. Robert Shayne appears as Dr. Flanigan. Stuart Nisbet appears as a Reporter. | ||||||
| 104 | 29 | "The Merry Month of April" | Robert Ellis Miller | John Whedon | April 6, 1961 | |
| Alex realizes it is the day before income taxes are due, and he rushes to prepare the papers. Donna says Alex should go to Harvey (Francis DeSales) the accountant, but Alex refuses. What Alex does not know is that Donna has already given Harvey the papers. And because of several mistakes Alex made, it is a good thing that Harvey did the returns. Franklin Parker appears as a Judge on a TV show. Hanna Landy appears as a Sales Girl. | ||||||
| 105 | 30 | "Music Hath Charms" | Norman Tokar | John Whedon | April 13, 1961 | |
| While putting on a puppet show, Jeff accidentally breaks a gift that Donna purchased for Alex - a musical tobacco jar. The jar plays "Melancholy Baby" which Donna thinks is their song. Alex really does not like the music. Donna finds out it is broken and buys another one to replace it. Not knowing that Donna knows about the broken jar, Alex also goes out and buys one. Then, to top it off, Jeff manages to fix the original one. | ||||||
| 106 | 31 | "Let's Look at Love" | Jeffrey Hayden | Clifford Goldsmith | April 20, 1961 | |
| Mary is upset when she learns that Roger and Elroy tossed a coin to see who would take her out. Mary does not want to be considered a pawn and decides to give up on boys. She wants to devote her life to science. Meanwhile, Alex is trying to read an important article and keeps getting disturbed. A boy named Stanley comes over to cut the grass. Betty finds out he is interested in science as well. | ||||||
| 107 | 32 | "For Better or Worse" | Norman Tokar | Story by : Nate Monaster Teleplay by : Phil Sharp & David R. Schwartz | April 27, 1961 | |
| Alex and his friends Jim, Joe and Ed are planning a fishing trip. Jim and Ed say they have to ask permission from their wives to go. Alex and Joe say they do not not have to ask for permission, that is, until they tell their wives they are going. Neither wife is thrilled and do not want them to go. Alex tells Joe he is not going, but Joe says he has a way to make his wife give in. Will Alex take Joe's advice? Frances Robinson appears as Myra, Joe's wife. | ||||||
| 108 | 33 | "Jeff, the Treasurer" | Jeffrey Hayden | John Elliotte | May 4, 1961 | |
| Jeff is elected class treasurer and brings home all the money in the class fund. Alex and Donna warn him to be careful, but of course Jeff misplaces the money and has to find it before the class picnic. When Miss Haskell comes by to pick up the funds, Alex fronts the money. Right before leaving for the picnic Jeff finds the money and is able to pay Alex back. Doodles Weaver appears as Mr. Perkins, the school janitor. | ||||||
| 109 | 34 | "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys" | Robert Ellis Miller | John Whedon | May 11, 1961 | |
| Donna & Alex are encouraging Jeff to join the church choir. Meanwhile in school, Jeff sticks up for Lenny (Stephen Talbot) when he is teased for being in the choir. Jeff is then teased by Jocko and some of the other boys. Jeff takes up weight lifting to muscle up in case of a fight. Choir director Mr. Trestle (Leonard Stone) talks to Jeff because he knows Jeff being teased. Jeff is to fight Jocko, but Mr. Trestle comes by and says it takes more courage to be in the choir. All the boys join, even Jocko. Bobby Clark appears as Gordie. | ||||||
| 110 | 35 | "Military School" | Robert Ellis Miller | Henry Sharp | May 18, 1961 | |
| Herbie's friend Ken (Chris Robinson), who is in the military, is coming to visit. Herbie suggests that Mary and he take Ken with them to the school dance. Mary does not want to, but when she sees the handsome Ken, she changes her mind. Seeing all the attention Mary is paying to Ken, Herbie tries to set Ken up with Claudette (Adrienne Ellis). Ken wants nothing to do with her. Herbie then feels he has to take Claudette, but she turns him down. In the end, Mary and Herbie wind up going to the dance together. | ||||||
| 111 | 36 | "Mary's Driving Lesson" | Robert Ellis Miller | Tom & Helen August | May 25, 1961 | |
| Mary asks Scotty to teach her how to drive. He starts out by telling her all about how cars work, what types of cars there are, etc. Mary just wants to learn how to drive. Donna and Alex think Mary should just go to a driving school, because when Alex tried to teach Donna, they would just get into fights. Mary still wants Scotty to teach her. Things do not go well and Mary and Scotty just wind up fighting. | ||||||
| 112 | 37 | "The Mustache" | Jeffrey Hayden | Phil Sharp | June 1, 1961 | |
| Alex returns from a hunting trip with a mustache and beard. Paul the Barber (Doodles Weaver) talks Alex into keeping the mustache, which receives mixed reviews from the family. Donna, especially, is not fond of it. Alex and Donna get into a fight when they start being honest about things with each other. Meanwhile, Mary has a crush with a new boy at school who has more sophisticated views than all her friends. In the end, Alex shaves off the mustache. | ||||||
| 113 | 38 | "Mary's Little Lambs" | Jeffrey Hayden | Tom & Helen August | June 8, 1961 | |
| Donna is out of town. Mary's friend Mark manages to talk Alex into having a teen party later that night. The next day, Mary and Mark open the house to a baby-sitting service. After the day is over, there is one child left that hasn't been picked up. Alex has to figure out who he belongs to. Karyn Kupcinet appears as Jeannie, a friend. Bobby Buntrock appears as a crying child. | ||||||
Season 4 (1961–62)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 114 | 1 | "One Starry Night" | Jeffrey Hayden | Sumner Long | September 14, 1961 | |
|
Mary's careless driving leads to an unexpected romantic evening with Kip Dennis (James Darren), a young pop singer. Though, Mary does not know who he is, as he introduced himself as Jim Bryce. Jeff discovers who Jim really is. When Mary finds out, she is upset because of the way she threw herself at Jim. Jim is leaving for the army the next day. Donna tells Mary to just enjoy the happy memory. Note: James Darren had previously appeared on the show playing another pop star. This episode started a small trend on the show, where a new song was introduced by the record label owned by the studio. In this case "Goodbye Cruel World" was introduced and it helped the song reach #3 in the charts, which would be the biggest hit of Darren's career. | ||||||
| 115 | 2 | "A Rose is a Rose" | Robert Ellis Miller | Clifford Goldsmith | September 21, 1961 | |
| Jeff turned in a terrible paper to his English class that has his teacher Miss Nelson and parents upset at his grammar. He is told he has to redo the assignment - on the same day as the father/son baseball game. He finishes the paper, but Alex and Donna quickly realize that Mary helped. Thinking he might be sent to a boarding school, Jeff rewrites the paper and does a much better job. John Zaremba appears as Joe Smith, another parent. | ||||||
| 116 | 3 | "The Close Shave" | Norman Tokar | Sumner Long | September 28, 1961 | |
| Jeff has discovered he is growing whiskers. He decides that he is no longer a little boy and that he needs to start acting like a man. He insists on taking a job at Mr. Pearson's (Hal Smith) drugstore to pay his way at home. After getting his first pay envelope, he learns about taxes and deductions. Jeff begins to realize that he is not quite ready for manhood just yet. | ||||||
| 117 | 4 | "Mouse at Play" | Jeffrey Hayden | John Whedon | October 5, 1961 | |
| Donna's friend Iris (Cloris Leachman) is upset because her husband never notices anything new. Iris changes the color of her hair. Donna realizes Alex can also sometimes be unobservant. While Alex is away at a medical convention, Donna changes her hair color. When Alex comes home, Donna is afraid to show him her hair. She sneaks out and has it changed back. While talking to Donna, Alex mentions how good Iris looks and would Donna consider coloring her hair. John Astin appears as Eric the hair stylist. | ||||||
| 118 | 5 | "The Monster" | Jeffrey Hayden | John Whedon | October 12, 1961 | |
| Alex is taking a flight out of town. The discovery of mysterious animal prints in the backyard leads to a harrowing night for Donna and her children. In the middle of the night, they discover it is a large dog and they take it in. Later, someone tries to get in the front door and when Donna tries to call the police, the phone is dead. Turns out to be Alex, his flight was canceled do to a storm. Alex sees someone in the front yard. A Mr. Carlson (Bert Remsen) is looking for his dog. He sees how much Jeff likes the dog, and hopes the Stones will keep him. | ||||||
| 119 | 6 | "New Girl in Town" | Jeffrey Hayden | Michael Fessier | October 19, 1961 | |
| Mary offers to pay Jeff's way to a movie if he takes Angie (Candy Moore), a new girl in the neighborhood, to the movie with him. Mary's real interest is in Bill (Johnny Washbrook), Angie's brother. Despite Angie's initial attitude that boys don't like her, Jeff actually does. Daniel (Walter Brooke), Angie's father, comes over for a talk. He would like Jeff to see less of her, as she is tomboy enough. Donna gets Angie to dress like a girl. Jeff and Angie go to a party and she winds up doing things with all the other boys. Jeff leaves heartbroken. Angie comes to see Jeff and apologize. | ||||||
| 120 | 7 | "One of Those Days" | Jeffrey Hayden | John Whedon | October 26, 1961 | |
| Alex has a frustrating day where everything goes wrong and he is really frustrated with people. Donna convinces him that they should go on a picnic to relax, but even the relaxing trip has some twists. First they run out of gas. They walk to the house of an old man (Arthur Hunnicutt) and his wife and after having a friendly chat, borrow some gas. They then go to a lake that Alex went to as a child and talk to a little boy fishing there. It brings back fond memories for Alex. After returning home, where their children happily greet them, Alex realizes things are not all that bad. | ||||||
| 121 | 8 | "All is Forgiven" | Andrew McCullough | John Whedon | November 2, 1961 | |
| Donna & Alex have dinner with their friends Millie (Patricia Barry) & Ed (William Windom) Corwin, but the evening turns into an argument between their friends. Millie & Ed decide to split up. Donna knows of a baby up for adoption and she schemes to get the Corwins to adopt the child. She invites them both over to dinner and shows them the baby. Mrs. Stedman (Nancy McCarthy), the young mother, comes over to see the baby. She explains why she can't keep the baby and Ed tells her he will find a job for her husband. That kind gesture makes Millie want to get back with Ed. | ||||||
| 122 | 9 | "The Electrical Storm" | Barry Shear | Andy White | November 9, 1961 | |
| Jeff is expelled from school when he and his friends pull a prank that causes the school bell to constantly go off. Mr. Heflin (Richard Deacon), the principal, calls Donna to let her know. Alex and Donna suspect something's wrong but want to wait until Jeff is ready to come to them. Several days go by with Jeff pretending to go school. Tired of waiting, Alex has a family meeting that finally starts to get some answers. Anne Sargent appears as Miss Tucker, a teacher. | ||||||
| 123 | 10 | "The Paper Tycoon" | Jeffrey Hayden | Sheila J. Lynch | November 16, 1961 | |
| Jeff has a paper route and realizes it is not as easy as it seems. Donna asks him why he does not get someone to help him. Jeff decides to hire three other kids to do the work and he would just sit back and collect the money. At first things go well, but then the complaints and problems start to happen. Jeff comes to understand that one cannot get something for nothing. | ||||||
| 124 | 11 | "Private Tutor" | Earl Bellamy | Frank Fox | November 23, 1961 | |
| Mary is excited about an upcoming dance party and hopes Joel, the new boy in school, will invite her. Donna says she cannot go until her grades in French class improve. Donna hires a tutor for Mary and it turns out to be Joel. Joel also asks if there are any other jobs he can do. Jeff sees this and decides to compete with Joel for the extra money. Mary is frustrated because Joel does not pay attention to her. Turns out Joel was doing all this work so he can afford to take Mary to the dance. | ||||||
| 125 | 12 | "Alex, the Professor" | Jeffrey Hayden | Barbara Hammer | November 30, 1961 | |
| Donna's friend Alma (Dorothy Lovett) wants her to find someone to give a lecture for their woman's group class. Donna asks Alex, but he refuses. Somehow, Alma talks Alex into being the speaker and talking about child psychology. Alex gives the speech and then decides he is going to put his theories into practice with Mary and Jeff. After awhile, all his theories start to backfire on him and he tells his class about it. | ||||||
| 126 | 13 | "The Fabulous O'Hara" | Barry Shear | Douglas Morrow | December 7, 1961 | |
| Alex's patient Butch O'Hara (Ricky Kelman) lives with his grandfather. Mr. O'Hara (Cecil Kellaway) thinks Alex is undercharging and says he should charge more for his services. But, instead of Mr. O'Hara paying the higher fee, he tries to give Alex a tip on the horse races. Surprisingly, the horses he picks, usually win and Alex becomes very interested. Donna hears from Butch that he moves from town to town and they never really have much money. Donna confronts Mr. O'Hara and says she is worried about how Butch is being raised. Mr. O'Hara decides to settle in town and get a real job. | ||||||
| 127 | 14 | "Way of a Woman" | Norman Tokar | John Whedon | December 14, 1961 | |
| Mary charms Alex into letting her go on a skiing trip. Scotty then breaks the skiing date with Mary. Donna sees Mary's disappointment and asks Alex to take her on a trip to Chicago to make up for it. Alex makes special arrangements for the trip. Scotty comes by and tells Mary the real reason he could not go was because he did not have any money. Mary now has to use her charms to get out of the trip with Alex. Donna tells Alex she'll go in Mary's place. | ||||||
| 128 | 15 | "A Very Bright Boy" | Jackie Cooper | True Boardman | December 21, 1961 | |
| Victor (Johnny Crawford), the son of Donna's college roommate Marcia (Rosemary LaPlanche), arrives to spend a few days with the Stones. Due to his mother's poor handwriting, they expect him to have a below average IQ when in fact he is a genius. Victor tries to fit in, but it just is not working. He runs away and after Alex and Donna find him, Donna has a long talk with him. Victor takes Donna's advice and things start to look brighter. John Warburton appears as Professor Warren. | ||||||
| 129 | 16 | "The Toughest Kid in School" | Norman Tokar | Henry Sharp | December 28, 1961 | |
| Alex and Donna want Jeff to help Barlow, a new kid in school, get acquainted with school and friends. Barlow tells the other boys that he was expelled from his last school, but he really wasn't. Trying to prove that he is cool, Barlow pretends to steal some food from a bakery. But, without the other boys seeing, he actually paid for the food. Jeff finds out and tells Barlow that he does not need to pretend to be tough. Jeff says the other boys will except him as he is. Kirk Alyn appears as Mr. Crawford, Barlow's father. | ||||||
| 130 | 17 | "Dr. Stone and His Horseless Carriage" | Norman Tokar | Sumner Long | January 11, 1962 | |
| Alex is excited over his new car - an antique 1910 Flanders car. He spends a lot of time restoring the car. People around town are making jokes about the car and Alex. Mr. Webley (Gale Gordon), the Administrator of the Hospital, tells Alex that fooling around with the dirty car is not becoming of a doctor. Alex decides to drive the car to a lecture by a Dr. Thorgesen. On the way one of the front wheels falls off. The story makes the newspaper. Dr. Thorgesen comes by Alex's house and tells him that he is also interested in antique cars. | ||||||
| 131 | 18 | "For Angie with Love" | Norman Tokar | Barbara Hammer | January 18, 1962 | |
|
Jeff has a crush on Angie (Candy Moore). He jokes about her never finding her keys when he walks her home, so he makes Angie a key ring for her birthday party. Jeff feels he is competing for Angie with a rich boy named Roger. Jeff finds out that Roger is going to give Angie a Cashmere sweater, so he has to come up with something better than the key ring. Jeff has a dream were he is rich. After a talk with Donna, Jeff realizes it is not how much a gift costs that is important. Mary Lawrence appears as Roger's mother Trudy Marshall appears as Mrs. Foster, owner of a clothing store. Note: Paul Peterson sings "She Can't Find Her Keys." This song became a billboard hit for Paul. | ||||||
| 132 | 19 | "Aloha Kimi" | Norman Tokar | Paul West | January 25, 1962 | |
| Penny (Susan Gordon), the daughter of family friend Janet Palmer (Betsy Jones-Moreland), is paralyzed in a surfing accident. Alex is asked to fly to Hawaii to assist in her treatment. Dr. Kendall (Crahan Denton) and Alex believe Penny's problem could be hysterical paralysis. She had lost her father several months earlier. With the help of Kimi Makihara (Miyoshi Umeki), the Head Nurse, and Dr. Paul Phillips (James Douglas), they find a way for Penny to walk again. Harvey Lembeck appears as Rudy Meyer, a hospital attendant. | ||||||
| 133 | 20 | "Donna's Prima Donna" | Barry Shear | Barbara Hammer | February 1, 1962 | |
|
Donna is excited to take Mary to look over the college that Donna went to. Mary tells Donna she wants to skip college to pursue a singing career. Donna's friend Caroline says they need some entertainment at the college orientation. Mary agrees to go and sing. Donna is skeptical until she hears her sing "Johnny Angel". Mary decides she likes the college and will join the Glee Club there. James Stacy appears as Danny, a boy at the college. Note: This is where Shelley Fabares introduced the song "Johnny Angel", which went on to become a big pop hit for her. | ||||||
| 134 | 21 | "Explorer's Ten" | Barry Shear | David R. Schwartz | February 8, 1962 | |
| After listening to Professor Earnshaw (Ken Niles) give a talk on space travel, Jeff and his Explorer Club friends decide to raise money to buy a telescope. Meanwhile, Jeff is so busy trying to earn money that he forgets about Donna's birthday. Jeff visits his friend Mr. Coxey (Earle Hodgins) at the Home for Senior Citizens. He tells Jeff how much he would like to see Washington, D.C. Jeff asks his club if they could use the money to send Mr. Coxey to D.C. instead of buying the telescope. They all agree. The boys later find a new telescope in their clubhouse bought by their fathers. Allan Hunt appears as Howard, leader of the club. | ||||||
| 135 | 22 | "The New Office" | Norman Tokar | Leo Solomon & Ben Gershman | February 15, 1962 | |
| Alex considers moving his practice out of the house and into an office downtown. Everyone is excited about the idea at first. But, after Alex signs the lease, everyone starts to have second thoughts. Alex thinks about it and decides it is time to move on, time for something new. | ||||||
| 136 | 23 | "The Golden Trap" | Jeffrey Hayden | Paul West | February 22, 1962 | |
| Mary is confident she can handle Jeff and the house when her parents go out of town. But then the water heater goes on the fritz and all of her friends drop in for an impromptu party. Donna calls and says that they will not need to stay over night and will be home later. Mary has to take control. She gets Mr. Pruitt (Alan Carney), the plumber, to replace the heater. Then, she manages to get all her friends out of the house, and all before Alex and Donna come home. Jimmy Hawkins, Charla Doherty, Allan Hunt and Swoosie Kurtz appear as some of Mary's friends. | ||||||
| 137 | 24 | "Free Flight" | Gene Nelson | John Whedon | March 1, 1962 | |
| Donna and Alex are to go to a party, but Alex's return flight from out of town is stuck in Cleveland. Donna sends a telegram complaining about an airline's service directly to its president (Vinton Hayworth). The airline gives her and Alex two free tickets. Unfortunately, the tickets come with several strings attached. They will be part of a publicity campaign. Plus, Donna thought they would be going to Tahiti, but they are actually going to Alaska. When the flight is delayed by several hours, Alex and Donna decide they have had enough and go home. Dorothy Lovett appears as Edie. Robert Shayne appears as Joe. William Lanteau appears as the Publicity Director of the airline. | ||||||
| 138 | 25 | "The Wide Open Space" | Jeffrey Hayden | Sumner Long | March 8, 1962 | |
|
Donna and Alex pay a visit to their friends David (William Windom) and Millie (Patricia Breslin) Adams. The Adams' moved from Hilldale to a farm in the country to escape the rigors of living in the city. However, Millie is starting to have second thoughts and believes David is working too hard. Their old horse shows the Adams that working on the farm is worth it. Note: This episode was a back door pilot. The new series was to be a fish-out-of-water situation comedy to replace The Donna Reed Show after Reed had announced her intentions to retire from television. The episodes were not picked up as a series after Reed decided to not to retire. The concept of city folk moving to the country was used again by rival studio Filmways as "Green Acres". | ||||||
| 139 | 26 | "The Fireball" | Norman Tokar | Paul West | March 15, 1962 | |
| As Jeff and Angie (Candy Moore) rehearse their lines for a school play, they reminisce about the way they first met. Jeff had invited Angie to a party and then left without her. They both get angry with each other and wonder if they can continue their participation in the play. Donna talks both of them into working together. Later, Donna recalls something from the past and starts a fight with Alex. After Jeff and Angie start rehearsing again, they make up. Seeing this, Donna and Alex make up as well. | ||||||
| 140 | 27 | "Once Upon a Timepiece" | Robert Ellis Miller | David R. Schwartz | March 22, 1962 | |
| When Alex's watch seems to be shot, Donna buys an antique one to replace it. After they discover an inscription on it, Donna and Alex decide to track down Curtis Babock (Crahan Denton), the original owner. Alex finds Curtis and invites him to dinner. Curtis tells them how his father wanted him to be a lawyer, but he wanted to study birds. After college, Curtis just left to travel the world. He wrote a manuscript about his travels. Inspired by the Stones, he submits it to a publisher, who buys it. Alex sells Curtis his watch back. | ||||||
| 141 | 28 | "Hilldale 500" | Barry Shear | John Whedon | March 29, 1962 | |
| Jeff is interested in entering go-cart races. He does not have the money to do it, nor does he have his mother's approval. Alex, however, is getting interested. Jeff and Alex get together and build their own go-cart. Jeff enters a race and is in the lead. But, a scarf that Angie gave him blows into his face and he crashes. | ||||||
| 142 | 29 | "Winner Takes All" | Norman Tokar | John Whedon | April 5, 1962 | |
| Jeff and his friend Moose (Allan Hunt) enjoy playing school baseball. Mr. Edwards (Ken Lynch), Moose's father, keeps pushing Moose to do more and be better on the field. During a key game, Mr. Edwards berates Moose to the point that he throws a wild pitch and injures the batter. Alex decides to talk to the overbearing father about teens and sports. Mr. Edwards apologizes to Moose and says he just wanted Moose to be the champ he never was. Art Reichle appears as the Umpire. | ||||||
| 143 | 30 | "Skin Deep" | Jeffrey Hayden | Paul West | April 12, 1962 | |
| A friend sets Mary up on a blind date with Gregory, and she is looking forward to it. When she learns the boy is not attractive, she wants to cancel the date. A dream where her nose is enlarged helps her re-evaluate and she has a wonderful time. Allan Hunt appears as Stan, a boy in her dream. | ||||||
| 144 | 31 | "The Fortune Teller" | Jeffrey Hayden | John Whedon | April 19, 1962 | |
| Donna is coaxed by friend Edie (Dorothy Lovett) into being a fortune teller at the town's bazaar. Not knowing what to do, she ends up creating fortunes to tell people. Later, it turns out some of her predictions start to come true. Donna starts to believe she can tell the future. Evans Evans appears as Ethel. Doodles Weaver appears as a customer. | ||||||
| 145 | 32 | "Man of Action" | Barry Shear | Paul West | April 26, 1962 | |
| Jeff and his friend Smitty seem to have Hoby, Smitty's little brother, tagging along with them. They convince Donna to watch him while they go to visit their girlfriends. They say they will only be gone a half an hour. Donna has to go out. Alex ends up watching the boy all day, missing a big golf date. C. Lindsay Workman appears as Dr. Jim Higgins. | ||||||
| 146 | 33 | "Donna Meets Roberta" | Jeffrey Hayden | Sumner Long | May 3, 1962 | |
|
A friend tells Alex that Roberta Summers (Roberta Sherwood, playing a fictional version of herself) is selling her house cheap, but in another year the house value will rise and Alex should consider buying it. Donna finds out that Roberta is a widower and a mother with children to care for. Meanwhile, Jeff makes a shrewd business deal by buying a transistor radio cheap from a friend knowing he can get much more for it. Donna persuades both that complete honesty is more important than making money. Note: Todon Productions, Donna Reed's production company, used the end of that episode to introduce the pilot of Sherwood's own show, which co-starred Gale Gordon but never aired. The three Lanning brothers, who play Roberta's sons, were Roberta Sherwood's sons in real life. | ||||||
| 147 | 34 | "The Caravan" | Barry Shear | Phil Sharp | May 10, 1962 | |
| The family can't agree on a family trip, so they appoint Donna with decision-making power. She chooses a trip across the country in an RV. It turns out to be more work and problems for her, while everyone else seems to enjoy it. While in Las Vegas, the family decides to spend a night in a hotel so Donna can be waited on. That night, Donna can't seem to fall asleep. She goes back to the RV and finds the rest of the family there. | ||||||
| 148 | 35 | "The Swingin' Set" | Gene Nelson | Paul West | May 17, 1962 | |
|
A new neighbor delivers a letter intended for Dr. Stone and meets Jeff when delivering the letter. Jeff is so starstruck, he forgets to ask her name. Smitty meets the same girl, Laurie (Mimsy Farmer) at the malt shop, and forces Jeff into a role as his wingman. Because of this, Jeff asks out Jan (Patricia Lyon), whom Donna was setting him up with. At the Junior Prom, they switch dates, and the evening becomes magical! Note: While Shelley Fabares is absent from this episode, she can be heard singing "Johnny Angel" when the boys are in the malt shop. Also, Paul Petersen sings "Keep Your Love Locked" during a gimmick at the Prom. | ||||||
| 149 | 36 | "On to Fairview" | Jeffrey Hayden | Paul West | May 24, 1962 | |
| Jeff gets a job at Mr. Varney's (Paul Tripp) bicycle shop to earn spending money. He goes to Mr. Merriam (Carter DeHaven) at the jewelry store because he wants a special gift for his girlfriend. Jeff has been skipping his chores at home and Donna is furious. Donna wants him to clean his room before going out so he might lose his job. Jeff sneaks out of the house. At the bike shop, Jeff has to ride a bike on a treadmill for the equivalent of 30 miles for a contest. He does this through cold and rain. After all this, Jeff gives the locket to his mother. | ||||||
| 150 | 37 | "The Man in the Mask" | Norman Tokar | Story by : Tom & Helen August Teleplay by : Paul West & Tom & Helen August | May 31, 1962 | |
| Next week is a Sadie Hawkins dance, and Jeff hasn't been asked yet. Jeff manages to get an interview with Don Drysdale, an all-star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, for the school newspaper. He is also drafted into being the umpire for an important all-girl softball series. In the first part of the game, the girls walk all over him. In the second, after some advice from Drysdale, he takes a firmer hand. But, because of his firmer stance, Smitty says every girl in town is going to hate him. Will Jeff get asked to the dance? Candy Moore appears as Angie. | ||||||
| 151 | 38 | "The Father Image" | Richard L. Bare | Paul West | June 7, 1962 | |
| Alex has a young girl patient who just had surgery and he is very concerned about her chances. Jeff wants Alex to help him practice for getting his driver's license later that day. Mary wants him to help repair a pair of shoes she needs for her high school graduation ceremony that evening. All Alex can think about is the little girl, but he is not telling Donna. Donna calls the hospital and finds out what Alex is so concerned about. She tells the children that their problems are nothing compared to Alex's. Alex gets a call that the girl will be O.K. Walter Reed appears as Mr. Boardman, father of the girl. | ||||||
| 152 | 39 | "Dear Wife" | Stanley Z. Cherry | Paul West | June 14, 1962 | |
| After attending a friend's wedding, Mary seems anxious to get married herself. She claims she has fallen in love with Roger, a boy she met at the wedding. Alex jokes he would rather Mary elope and save him the cost of a wedding. Alex and Donna dismiss it as a passing fancy until they think she has actually run off and eloped. | ||||||
Season 5 (1962–63)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 153 | 1 | "Mister Nice Guy" | Jeffrey Hayden | Paul West | September 20, 1962 | |
| Alex believes Mr. Pruitt the Plumber (Alan Carney) wants something for nothing when he asks Alex to look at his sore arm. Jeff suddenly starts being uncharacteristically nice to Mary. Mary wonders if he has some ulterior motive in mind and impatiently waits to see what he is up to. Donna finds a letter Jeff was writing to a friend. In it he talks about how he has come to realize how much he will miss Mary when she goes off to college. Alex also has to change his mind when Mr. Pruitt fixes a faucet for nothing. | ||||||
| 154 | 2 | "Mrs. Stone and Doctor Hyde" | Gene Nelson | Barbara Avedon | September 27, 1962 | |
| Donna fills in as Alex's nurse while his nurse-receptionist, Alma (Marge Redmond), is getting married. However, Alex proves to be such a demanding boss that Donna is ready to quit. Things suddenly turn around when Mr. Drucker (Dick Wilson), the butcher from across the street, brings in a small boy who is unconscious. Alex and Donna have to forget their differences in order to work together to save his life. Sally Mansfield appears as Alice. Renee Godfrey appears as Gloria. | ||||||
| 155 | 3 | "To Be a Boy" | Gene Nelson | Paul West | October 4, 1962 | |
| Jeff and Smitty plan to not go on dates so they can save their money to build a sail boat. Mary brings home Joanne Wells (Brooke Bundy), a friend from college. She is only 16, but in college do to her IQ. Mary would like Jeff to get to know Joanne. Jeff meets her and likes her, but he still tells Smitty he can live without girls. Caroline Myers (Cindy Carol) comes by the house to see Smitty. Both boys decide they are not going to give up girls. | ||||||
| 156 | 4 | "Who Needs Glasses?" | Jeffrey Hayden | Sumner Long | October 11, 1962 | |
| Jeff's old girlfriend Angie is back in town but she says she prefers older boys now and is no longer interested in anyone her age. Jeff figures if he wears glasses he'll look older. He pretends to have trouble seeing so his parents will send him to Dr. Allison (Harvey Korman) to have his eyes checked. Jeff convinces the doctor to prescribe him glasses. Alex is suspicious of Jeff's motives. Angie thanks a dressed up, glasses wearing Jeff for making her see how pretending to be older was silly. Jeff must now explain things to his parents. | ||||||
| 157 | 5 | "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" | Andrew McCullough | Elroy Schwartz & Austin Kalish | October 18, 1962 | |
| Alex is tired of Mary constantly tying up the phone talking to her friends. Mary feels she wants privacy from the family and needs to be independent. She decides to move into a dorm on the college campus. Mary meets her new roommate Pat Walker (Cheryl Holdridge). After several weeks, Mary realizes she is not ready just yet to live away from home. | ||||||
| 158 | 6 | "My Dad" | Gene Nelson | Barbara Avedon | October 25, 1962 | |
| Alex & Jeff have entered a Father & Son golf tournament. Just as they are about to start playing, Alex is called away by a medical emergency. Jeff is disappointed as this seems to happen all the time. An attempt to go bowling that evening also falls through. At the end of Father & Son week, the boys were to put on a show. On the way there, Alex and Donna are stopped by a policeman who tells Alex they need his help. A little girl was injured in an accident. This means Alex will miss the show. Jeff performs the song "My Dad" for Alex later on. Jeff loves his father even if he is not always there. Ray Montgomery appears as Smitty's father. | ||||||
| 159 | 7 | "Fine Feathers" | Gene Nelson | Andy White | November 1, 1962 | |
| Jeff rescues a bird and after making a couple of phone calls thinks it may be a rare and valuable bird. Jeff thinks he is going to be rich. Donna still wants him to put an ad in the paper about the bird. His friend Coach Nicholson, who is into birds, tells him it is not an expensive cockatoo but a cheap cockatiel. Jeff now loses interest in the bird. A little boy answers the ad and says the bird is his. But, somehow the bird got out of its cage. Jeff tells the boy to come back in a couple hours. Just when to boy comes back, the bird shows up and Jeff can give it to the boy. | ||||||
| 160 | 8 | "Rebel with a Cause" | Gene Nelson | Barbara Avedon | November 8, 1962 | |
| Carter Melville (Harvey Korman) stops by the house and wants Donna to be in a research project about the typical average housewife. Once Donna hears more about the project, she resents being classified as just a typical housewife. Cal Winslow (Harold Gould), the newspaper editor, offers her a chance to get a scoop for the paper. A Jason Farnum (Bill Zuckert) is offering $50,000 for some worthless land on the edge of town and Winslow wants to know why. She goes undercover as a hotel maid to get the story. Because Jason knew Donna's father, he tells her the reason he wants the land and it has to do with his mother. Dick Wilson appears as Mr. Carothers, Hotel Manager. | ||||||
| 161 | 9 | "Big Star" | Jeffrey Hayden | Paul West & Barbara Avedon | November 15, 1962 | |
|
Mary's new boyfriend Clay Shannon has a great singing voice, but he is also very shy. Mary makes it her personal project that she will get him to sing for Geri Harris (Betsy Jones-Moreland), a talent agent. Professor Raskin (Arthur Malet) from the college knows Geri, so Mary covertly gets him to hear Clay sing. Raskin sets up an appointment with Harris. Clay is reluctant at first, but then sings for Harris. Mary realizes now that he will be a big star and she will probably never see him again. Note: Mary sings the song "Big Star". | ||||||
| 162 | 10 | "Man to Man" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West | November 22, 1962 | |
| Alex is thrilled when Jeff talks him into going camping. Alex thinks it is the perfect situation for bonding time with his son. Jeff then pulls a fast one and has Smitty come with. It turns out the campsite is near the campsite where Jeff & Smitty's girlfriends are camping. When Alex finds out, he plays along as if nothing is wrong. When the girls come over, the party falls flat. Alex helps to liven things up. Jeff apologizes to Alex for deceiving him. | ||||||
| 163 | 11 | "The Baby Buggy" | Andrew McCullough | John Whedon | November 29, 1962 | |
| Donna wants to help obstetrician Harriet Robey (Fay Bainter) receive recognition for all her years of service to the town. Donna talks banker Joe McVey (Hayden Rorke) into setting up a retirement fund for Harriet. Alex mentions to Harriet that the city might want to do something for her, but she says she doesn't want charity. Jeff suggests that they take the money and buy her a new car as the old one she has now is falling apart. While at an athletic awards program where Harriet is handing out trophy's, she is presented with the new car. Richard Deacon appears as Principal Moorehead. | ||||||
| 164 | 12 | "The Makeover Man" | Gene Nelson | Ralph Goodman | December 6, 1962 | |
| Mary goes on a date with Steve Callahan (James Stacy), who is rude and unmannerly. She decides she is just the person to change him. Every day, Mary works on another part of his personality until he is the way she wants. However, he is no longer himself and everyone that knows him is not happy about it. Donna talks to Mary and Alex talks to Steve in hopes of getting the old Steve back. | ||||||
| 165 | 13 | "The Winning Ticket" | Andrew McCullough | Phil Davis | December 13, 1962 | |
| Jeff enters a raffle where the winning prize is an expensive sports car. While his tickets did not win, he finds the winning ticket on the ground. It was dropped by a woman with a little girl, who disappears into the crowd. Not being able to see where the woman went, he claims the car. The car causes some problems with Jeff's friends and when he tries to get a job. While out for a drive, Jeff sees the woman with the little girl. He follows them and finds out where they live, but doesn't say anything. After a week, he tells Donna and she tells him to bring the car to the woman. Jeff does it and feels better. Anjanette Comer appears as Barbie, a friend of Jeff's. | ||||||
| 166 | 14 | "The Soft Touch" | Andrew McCullough | Ben Gershman & Milton Pascal | December 20, 1962 | |
| Jeff is learning how hard it is to ask friends to pay back money he loaned them. Alex says that Jeff shouldn't be so soft about getting people to pay him back. Donna reminds Alex that he has to learn how to collect payments from his patients. Alex has a hard time actually mailing out the payment reminders. | ||||||
| 167 | 15 | "Jeff Stands Alone" | Andrew McCullough | Barbara Avedon | December 27, 1962 | |
| Alex scolds Jeff for being lazy and taking forever to get something done. Jeff talks to Sandy (James Stacy), a telephone lineman, who tells Jeff he has it soft and has no idea what it's like to have live on his own. Jeff would like to prove Sandy wrong. Jeff decides to spend the weekend alone in the big city of Farrington to see for himself. Once there, Jeff goes to see Mr. Jepsen (William Lanteau) at an employment agency about a job. But Jepsen can't get him a job just for the weekend. Jeff struggles, but manages to make it through the weekend. When he gets home, Donna tells Alex that there is something different about Jeff now. | ||||||
| 168 | 16 | "Just a Little Wedding" | Barry Shear | Barbara Avedon | January 3, 1963 | |
| The Stones are planning a simple wedding for Mary's friend Marcia Haversham (Brenda Scott) and her boyfriend Bob Parker (Robert Hogan). When Marcia's mother Binnie (Binnie Barnes) shows up, everything becomes a big production. Binnie wants to completely rearrange the house and invite a large amount of people. Bob confronts Binnie and reminds her that they wanted things simple. While it's hard for her, Binnie comes to understand. | ||||||
| 169 | 17 | "A Woman's Place" | Andrew McCullough | Norm Liebmann & Ed Hass | January 10, 1963 | |
| Donna is asked to run for city council and she decides to do it. Mary and Jeff say they are old enough to take care of things. But, the household suffers during her absence. Alex has a dream what it might be like if Donna becomes President of the U.S. and he is treated as First Lady. Donna decides she doesn't want to run after all. She only did it because she thought her family wanted her to. | ||||||
| 170 | 18 | "The Chinese Horse" | Gene Nelson | Paul West | January 17, 1963 | |
| Donna attends an auction of unclaimed freight and an unknown woman gives Donna money and asks her to bid on a large Chinese horse. Donna wins the auction but the woman disappears. Donna brings the horse home. Jeff comes up with a wild theory about how it might have been smuggled into the country by criminals. The criminals needed someone else to buy it to keep the heat off of them. The family becomes a little unnerved. But now strange things begin to happen at the house. Later that evening a Bert Rafferty comes to the door claiming that the horse is his. The family laughs at how they let their imaginations get the best of them. But, that doesn't explain the woman at the auction. Questions are somewhat answered when Alex and Donna go out to a fancy restaurant. Jerry Douglas appears as Officer Larson. Paul Winchell appears as the Auctioneer. | ||||||
| 171 | 19 | "The New Look" | Andrew McCullough | Phil Davis | January 24, 1963 | |
| Mary returns from a date with Howard Benson (Yale Summers) feeling a bit miffed when he calls her wholesome. She decides she's going to change her looks to be more exciting. Alex suggests she ask other people first if they feel she is wholesome as well. Mary is even more upset when she finds all her friends also find her dependable and wholesome. Mary fantasizes about all the boys flocking around her and her new flamboyant look. Donna convinces Mary that she is perfect just the way she is. Allan Hunt appears as Bill. | ||||||
| 172 | 20 | "A Way of Her Own" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West | January 31, 1963 | |
|
A young girl follows the Stones home after a family outing at the park. They feed her lunch and then Jeff takes her back to the park and tells her to go home. But, Trisha (Patty Petersen) returns to the house. Donna starts to grow fond of her. This time they drop her off at the police station. But, she still makes it back to the house. That evening Fred Hawley, Trisha's uncle, comes by the house to pick her up. He informs the Stones that her parents are dead and he's been taking care of her. As the family have all grown fond of her, they all decide that she could stay with the family for a couple weeks. Note: With this episode, Paul Peterson's real life sister joins the cast. | ||||||
| 173 | 21 | "Three is a Family" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West | February 7, 1963 | |
| Trisha is now part of the family and fits in easily. Jeff enjoys playing with her, and Donna likes having another child to care for. But, Donna wonders what will happen after the agreed upon couple of weeks. Mary, however, is having a little trouble adjusting to Trisha around. Trisha senses this and wonders why Mary doesn't like her. After an evening together, things start to work out between the two girls. | ||||||
| 174 | 22 | "Big Sixteen" | Gene Nelson | Barbara Avedon | February 14, 1963 | |
| Jeff is upset that his girlfriend Joanne (Brooke Bundy) plans a pajama party on the same night as his sixteenth birthday party. Jeff did not tell Joanne that it was his birthday. Joanne talks to Donna about how her and Jeff have broken up. Donna hints around to Joanne that Jeff's birthday is coming up. But, both Jeff and Joanne are being stubborn about getting back together. The night of the party, Jeff thinks that Mary's friend Jeanette is going to be his date. But, she is coming with her boyfriend. Donna has to explain it to Jeff and now he doesn't feel like having the party. But, the party goes on and Jeff winds up picking up Joanne and bringing her to the party. | ||||||
| 175 | 23 | "Pioneer Woman" | Gene Nelson | Barbara Avedon | February 21, 1963 | |
| Alex and Jeff wake up early to go duck hunting with their friend Red (Jim Davis). As Donna sees them out the door, Red comments that women of today cannot go camping because they are too soft. He says women have too many modern conveniences. To prove Red wrong, Donna tells him that her and Mary will meet them at the lodge. When the guys get to the cabin, Alex and Jeff see that it is quite modern. Red says he just likes teasing Donna. After running out of gas, Donna and Mary hike to a run down cabin that they believe the guys will be staying in. They spend the day trying to fix the place up. When night time comes, the girls realize they are in the wrong cabin. Worried about the girls, the guys search for them. When they find Donna and Mary in the old cabin and see how fixed up it is, Red apologizes to Donna. | ||||||
| 176 | 24 | "The House on the Hill" | Gene Nelson | Barney Slater & Michael Cramoy | February 28, 1963 | |
| Donna and the Woman's Club are raising money for the children's clinic. Out of ideas for donations, Donna says she will visit Mrs. Allison (Kathryn Givney), the richest woman in town. The only problem is that she lives in what is reported to be a haunted house and she hasn't been seen in 25 years. Donna goes to the house and meets Mrs. Allison, who wonders why no one has come before asking for a donation. Mrs. Allison says she'll think about it and Donna should come back tomorrow. But, Donna can't leave as her car won't start. Time goes on and it's beginning to look as though Donna is intentionally being kept there. Alex comes by the house, but is told Donna isn't there anymore. Donna sees Alex's car leave, but Eric the butler (Joe Downing) says it wasn't him. Mrs. Allison insists that Donna spend the night. Eric finally admits to Donna that they have been keeping her at the house, but only because it seemed to bring life back to Mrs. Allison. The next day, a more out going Mrs. Allison pays a visit to Donna. Angela Greene appears as Grace. Dorothy Lovett appears as Edie. | ||||||
| 177 | 25 | "Where the Stones Are" | Gene Nelson | Seymour Friedman | March 7, 1963 | |
|
Mary wants to vacation at Shelter Bay resort with her friends on spring break. Alex is against the idea because he's heard what goes on there. Donna & Alex reluctantly agree, but decide to secretly spy on her to make sure she is OK. Alex, Donna and Jeff will be staying on a friends large cabin cruiser while there. While out fishing, Donna catches a large fish. As they're trying to reel it in, Mary and her friends come by on another boat. Alex, Donna and Jeff try and hide, but Mary sees them. By ships radio, Mary let's them know she saw them. Mary at first is very angry, but back at the dock Alex explains that he was just worried about her. She forgives them, but they have to take her, her friends and their dates out on the boat that night. Note: Darla Banks, Miss Teenage America in 1962, appears as one of Mary's friends. | ||||||
| 178 | 26 | "The Two Doctors Stone" | Barry Shear | Barbara Avedon | March 14, 1963 | |
| Alex tells Donna that they should get away for the weekend, but Donna is hesitant to leave the children. Alex's friend Dr. Dave Blevins (Bob Crane) has access to a cottage near a golf course. At the Children's Hospital, Donna thinks one of the boys is running a fever. After checking with a thermometer, Alex jokes about Donna's doctor skills. Donna gets angry, as Alex made the joke in front of Dave. When Donna finally forgives him, Alex suggests going with Dave and his wife up to the cottage. Donna says she can't go away for the weekend because she thinks Trisha is coming down with something. After watching Trisha for a few days, Donna decides it's OK to go to the cabin. The day they were to leave, Jeff comes and says he doesn't feel well. | ||||||
| 179 | 27 | "Everywhere That Mary Goes" | Gene Nelson | Paul West | March 21, 1963 | |
| Mary is being pursued by Emory Peck, a boy she danced with once, but has no interest in. Mistakenly thinking the Stone house is for sale, Mr. and Mrs. Bohmer come inside and start looking around. Once the misunderstanding is corrected, the Bohmer's introduce their son Clovis to the family. He is a rather large country boy and will be going to Mary's college. Mary attempts to help her very shy new girlfriend Vinnie (Valora Noland) adjust to Emerson College. But every time they turn around, Emory or Clovis or both are around. Mary manages to get Clovis interested in Vinnie. Buddy Joe Hooker appears as Robbie. | ||||||
| 180 | 28 | "The Handy Man" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West | March 28, 1963 | |
| Things are starting to fall apart around the house. Alex tells Donna to hire some competent people to fix everything. Donna hires Charlie Brubaker (Doodles Weaver), a handyman who likes to entertain children while he's working. Donna's friend Gloria comes by and tells her that Charlie is a handyman who is not so handy. But now, Donna can't seem to fire Charlie even though he is destroying the house. Mr. Fletcher, the ice cream truck man, comes by and tells Donna that he could fix everything, but he's just too busy. Donna sweet talks him into helping her out. In the end, Mr. Fletcher and Charlie trade jobs. | ||||||
| 181 | 29 | "Friends and Neighbors" | Barry Shear | Barbara Avedon | April 4, 1963 | |
| Alex's pediatrician friend Dave Kelsey (Bob Crane) asks him for advice in dealing with his wife and in-laws. Alex suggests he start being more assertive with his wife Midge. This compels Dave to buy the house next door. However, Midge doesn't want to leave Mommy and Daddy. Donna talks Midge into moving out of her parents house. Midge doesn't know how to live without her mother's help and looks to Donna to pick up the slack. The Kelsey's host their first dinner for Alex and Donna without Donna's help. Midge actually did a good job by herself. | ||||||
| 182 | 30 | "Boys and Girls" | Barry Shear | Andy White | April 11, 1963 | |
| Both Mary and Jeff are looking forward to the upcoming College dance. Mary plans to go with Jerry Scott, and Jeff plans to go with Joanne Wells (Mimsy Farmer). Mary does not want Jeff to go. She thinks he will just embarrass her, because he and Joanne are still in High School. But when they get to the dance, it seems Jerry and Joanne only have eyes for each other. Jeff buys Joanne a gift which she says she can't except as she is going to another dance with Jerry. Mary takes Jeff to the dance so they can keep an eye on Jerry and Joanne. Joanne comes to realize that she is not quite ready to be with a college boy. Cheryl Miller appears as Becky. | ||||||
| 183 | 31 | "All Those Dreams" | Gene Nelson | Barbara Avedon | April 18, 1963 | |
|
Donna and Jeff accompany Alex to Chicago where he has a medical conference. Jeff went along because Don Drysdale is playing a baseball game there at the same time. Jeff promised a lot of his friends that he would get autographed baseballs for them. He is unable to get in touch with Don and is disappointed. Donna says that he shouldn't run away from disappointment, but Jeff decides to take a bus home. Mr. Morton (Paul Winchell) of the hotel asks Alex if he can look in on a sick child. The child turns out to be Don Drysdale's little girl. Jeff comes back saying he was going to take Donna's advice and is surprised by Don. Note: Don's real life wife Ginger and daughter Kelly appear. | ||||||
| 184 | 32 | "All Women Are Dangerous" | Barry Shear | Phil Davis | April 25, 1963 | |
| Joyce (Lori Martin) and Sabrina (Janet Landgard) from school compete with each other to see whom Jeff will ask to a school dance. Jeff likes both of them and has a hard time deciding which girl to take. Jeff asks Alex, Donna and Mary what he should do. They each tell him to toss a coin. Jeff talks to Gwen about which girl to ask. Without him knowing it, Gwen manipulates Jeff into asking her to the dance. | ||||||
| 185 | 33 | "The Big Wheel" | Barry Shear | Barbara Avedon | May 2, 1963 | |
| Jeff needs a vehicle of his own so he buys a very old city bus with the idea he can charge his friends when they need to go somewhere. After he parks it out front of the house he finds that he can't get it moving again. Mary is planning a formal party for that night and she doesn't want the presence of the ugly old bus ruining it. Mary's friend Howard (Yale Summers) tries to get the bus started. When that doesn't work, they try and have it towed. The tow truck can't move the bus and gets stuck. A second tow truck tries to move the two vehicles, but can't. Donna suggests having the party in the front yard and in the bus. The next day Jeff trades the bus for an old police car. | ||||||
| 186 | 34 | "Day of the Hero" | Barry Shear | Phil Davis | May 9, 1963 | |
| Jeff asks Rosemary to the school prom and she accepts. Smitty tells Jeff he's been nominated for class president and his date will be crowned queen of the ball. Dolores, one of the prettiest girls at school, calls Jeff up and invites him over. Now Jeff can only think of Dolores. Jeff asks Dolores to the prom. He tells Rosemary he can't take her and she runs off crying. Jeff loses the class president election by one vote. Dolores tells Jeff she won't go to the prom with him. Jeff apologizes to Rosemary, and while she is mad at him at first, she does forgive him. | ||||||
Season 6 (1963–64)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 187 | 1 | "The Playmate" | Gene Nelson | Barney Slater | September 19, 1963 | |
| 188 | 2 | "Brighten the Corner" | TBA | TBA | September 26, 1963 | |
| 189 | 3 | "Whatever You Wish" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West | October 3, 1963 | |
| 190 | 4 | "House Divided" | TBA | TBA | October 10, 1963 | |
| 191 | 5 | "The Boys in 309" | TBA | TBA | October 17, 1963 | |
| 192 | 6 | "The Bigger They Are" | TBA | TBA | October 24, 1963 | |
| 193 | 7 | "It Grows on Trees" | TBA | TBA | October 31, 1963 | |
| 194 | 8 | "Mary Comes Home" | Gene Nelson | Ben Gershman & Milton Pascal | November 7, 1963 | |
| The Stones are excited when Mary returns home for the weekend after being away at college. But every time the family plans to do something together, Mary goes off with her friends. After one social engagement too many Jeff explains to her how disappointed their parents are. Mary, in tears, apologizes to her parents. | ||||||
| 195 | 9 | "Post Time" | TBA | TBA | November 14, 1963 | |
| 196 | 10 | "Sweet Mystery of Wife" | TBA | TBA | November 21, 1963 | |
| 197 | 11 | "What Are Friends For?" | Barry Shear | Barbara Avedon | November 28, 1963 | |
| Jeff has Smitty doing all sorts of things for him. Smitty is getting tired of being used by Jeff. Meanwhile, a Dr. Carter is coming to town for a conference and Alex would like Jeff to entertain the doctor's daughter, Amy. Jeff asked Caroline out for that night and she now sees him at school and says yes. Jeff somehow manages to talk Smitty into taking Amy out. Smitty also has to pretend to be Jeff on the date. Jeff and Smitty come to the Stone house and are surprised to see Amy and her father there. The boys try to pull off the charade. Donna sees through it, but plays along. The next day Smitty tells Donna not to be mad at Jeff, because he really is a great friend. | ||||||
| 198 | 12 | "A Touch of Glamor" | Barry Shear | Erna Lazarus | December 5, 1963 | |
| 199 | 13 | "Air Date" | TBA | TBA | December 12, 1963 | |
| 200 | 14 | "Moon-Shot" | TBA | TBA | December 19, 1963 | |
| 201 | 15 | "Nice Work" | TBA | TBA | December 26, 1963 | |
| 202 | 16 | "First Addition" | TBA | TBA | January 2, 1964 | |
| 203 | 17 | "The Combo" | TBA | TBA | January 9, 1964 | |
| 204 | 18 | "Who's Rockin' the Partnership" | Barry Shear | Ben Gershman & Milton Pascal | January 16, 1964 | |
| 205 | 19 | "Something Funny Happened on the Way to the Altar" | Barry Shear | Barbara Avedon | January 23, 1964 | |
| 206 | 20 | "Today I Am a Girl" | Barry Shear | Phil Sharp | January 30, 1964 | |
| 207 | 21 | "Will the Real Chicken Please Stand Up?" | TBA | TBA | February 6, 1964 | |
| 208 | 22 | "Guest in the Nursery" | Paul Nickell | Milton Pascal & Ben Gershman | February 13, 1964 | |
| 209 | 23 | "Home Sweet Homemaker" | TBA | TBA | February 20, 1964 | |
| 210 | 24 | "Teamwork" | TBA | TBA | February 27, 1964 | |
| 211 | 25 | "Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be" | Gene Nelson | Tommy Tomlinson | March 5, 1964 | |
| 212 | 26 | "Pandemonium in the Condominium" | TBA | TBA | March 12, 1964 | |
| 213 | 27 | "A Day for Remembering" | TBA | TBA | March 19, 1964 | |
| 214 | 28 | "One Little Word" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 1964 | |
| 215 | 29 | "Love Letters Are for Burning" | TBA | TBA | April 2, 1964 | |
| 216 | 30 | "Four's a Crowd" | TBA | TBA | April 9, 1964 | |
| 217 | 31 | "My Son the Catcher" | TBA | TBA | April 16, 1964 | |
| 218 | 32 | "The Pros and the Cons" | TBA | TBA | April 23, 1964 | |
Season 7 (1964–65)[]
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 219 | 1 | "Operation Anniversary" | Fred de Cordova | Story by : Frank Crow Teleplay by : Tommy Tomlinson | September 17, 1964 |
| 220 | 2 | "Dad Drops By" | Gene Reynolds | Phil Sharp | September 24, 1964 |
| 221 | 3 | "Play Ball" | Gene Nelson | Sam Locke & Joel Rapp | October 1, 1964 |
| 222 | 4 | "Who's Who on 202?" | TBA | TBA | October 8, 1964 |
| 223 | 5 | "The Daughter Complex" | TBA | TBA | October 15, 1964 |
| 224 | 6 | "The Tycoons" | Barry Shear | TBA | October 22, 1964 |
| 225 | 7 | "Instant Family" | TBA | TBA | October 29, 1964 |
| 226 | 8 | "Royal Flush" | Gene Reynolds | Paul West | November 5, 1964 |
| 227 | 9 | "Circumstantial Evidence" | TBA | TBA | November 12, 1964 |
| 228 | 10 | "Anyone Can Drive?" | TBA | TBA | November 19, 1964 |
| 229 | 11 | "Surprise, Surprise" | TBA | TBA | November 26, 1964 |
| 230 | 12 | "Quads of Trouble" | Fred de Cordova | Mannie Manheim & Erna Lazarus | December 3, 1964 |
| 231 | 13 | "Donna's Bank Account" | Barry Shear | Keith Fowler & Phil Leslie | December 10, 1964 |
| 232 | 14 | "It's All in the Cards" | Barry Shear | Leonard Gershe | December 17, 1964 |
| 233 | 15 | "Old Faithful" | Fred de Cordova | Barbara Avedon | December 24, 1964 |
| 234 | 16 | "Overture in A-Flat" | TBA | TBA | December 31, 1964 |
| 235 | 17 | "Thy Name is Woman" | Gene Nelson | Ben Starr | January 7, 1965 |
| 236 | 18 | "Joe College" | Alan Rafkin | Barbara Avedon | January 14, 1965 |
| 237 | 19 | "Painter Go Home" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West | January 21, 1965 |
| 238 | 20 | "Home Wreckonomics" | TBA | TBA | January 28, 1965 |
| 239 | 21 | "The Windfall" | TBA | TBA | February 4, 1965 |
| 240 | 22 | "Now You See It, Now You Don't" | Gene Nelson | Richard Conway & Roland MacLane | February 11, 1965 |
| 241 | 23 | "The Gift Shop" | Gene Nelson | Paul West | February 18, 1965 |
| 242 | 24 | "The Stamp Collector" | Andrew McCullough | Sam Locke & Joel Rapp | February 25, 1965 |
| 243 | 25 | "Peacocks on the Roof" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West | March 4, 1965 |
| 244 | 26 | "Guests, Guests, Who Needs Guests?" | TBA | TBA | March 11, 1965 |
| 245 | 27 | "The Unheroic Hero" | TBA | TBA | March 18, 1965 |
| 246 | 28 | "The Mysterious Smile" | TBA | TBA | March 25, 1965 |
| 247 | 29 | "The Rolling Stones" | TBA | TBA | April 1, 1965 |
| 248 | 30 | "Indoor Outing" | Fred de Cordova | Milton Pascal | April 8, 1965 |
Season 8 (1965–66)[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 249 | 1 | "Pop Goes Theresa" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West | September 16, 1965 | |
| Alex and Donna are going out for the evening and Jeff is playing in a basketball game. They must now find someone on short notice to baby sit Trisha. Alex remembers that a Brad Marshall (Warren Stevens) on the next block has a teenage daughter Theresa (Tisha Sterling). When Brad drops Theresa off, he seems to have a problem with Jeff. Jeff comes to learn that Theresa is a free spirit who doesn't get out much because of her overly protective father. Jeff takes Theresa to a pizza parlor where she and eventually all the kids cause a commotion. Everyone is brought to the police station. When Donna and Brad arrive, she suddenly remembers who Brad is. They went to the same college and Brad was quite the trouble maker. Donna makes Brad realize that every boy is not like he was back then. Milton Frome appears as the Desk Sergeant. Karl Lukas appears as a Police Officer. | ||||||
| 250 | 2 | "With This Ring" | Lawrence Dobkin | Don Richman & Janet Carlson | September 23, 1965 | |
| Donna loses her wedding ring which is a family heirloom that's over 150 years old. Donna recalls how she got the ring from Mother Stone (Jean Vander Pyl). When Alex finds out the ring is lost, he's not upset. He then recalls when they went out to dinner to celebrate the engagement. The waiter (Jamie Farr) kept bringing them expensive items they didn't order. Turns out Alex's parents paid for it all. Meanwhile, Jeff takes a picture of the ring to Mr. Martindale (Jonathan Hole), the jeweler, to see if he can get another one like it. Alex sees Jeff coming out of the store and believes he was there to get an engagement ring for a girl named Cynthia. Jeff tells Donna what he was up to and Donna tells a panicked Alex. Alex buys Donna a new ring. Donna finds the old ring and hides it, but doesn't tell Alex. When Alex finds the old ring, he has Donna wear it instead of the new one. Janet Landgard appears as Karen. | ||||||
| 251 | 3 | "Boy Meets Girl Machine" | E. W. Swackhamer | Paul West | September 30, 1965 | |
| Dean Whittaker (Robert Ellenstein) wants Jeff to co-chair the "freshmen-sophomore get acquainted dance" at school. Jeff is hesitant at first, until he meets his other co-chair Bernice (Candy Moore). However, Bernice starts to call all the shots, much to Jeff's irritation. Problems soon arise when a lot of the students complain about who they're set up with. Scotty suggests that they let Herman the computer do the matching up. At the dance, Herman's picks don't seem to be any better than before. Jeff and Bernice get paired up. | ||||||
| 252 | 4 | "Think Mink" | Lawrence Dobkin | David Braverman & Bob Marcus | October 7, 1965 | |
| Donna and Midge get two tickets for a raffle to win a mink coat. One of the tickets is the winner, but because they didn't divvy up the tickets, they must share the coat. The two ladies go to a charity dinner together. They agree that Donna will wear the coat there and Midge will wear it back. At the dinner, Donna checks the coat. When Midge tries to get the mink from the coat check at the end of the evening, the coat check woman thinks Midge is trying to steal the coat. Mr. Hodges (Dick Wilson), the manager, questions Midge and then calls security. Alex and Donna come back just in time. The girls decide to trade the coat in for two mink jackets. Alex goes to the furrier and buys the coat thinking he's getting a second one, so the girls don't have to share. Molly Dodd appears as Mrs. Randall. | ||||||
| 253 | 5 | "Four on the Floor" | E. W. Swackhamer | Paul West | October 14, 1965 | |
| Jeff gets his parents to agree on his buying his own car. Thinking he knows everything about autos he ignores the advice of Mr. Henshaw (Laurence Haddon) the dealer and Scotty, and buys a car that hasn't been checked out. After Jeff shows the car to Karen, it immediately breaks down. Meanwhile, Karen has lost a necklace. Mr. Henshaw is Karen's Uncle and she tells Jeff that he is willing to take the car back. Jeff won't do it as it will prove that he was wrong to buy it in the first place. Alex takes a look under the hood and sees what the trouble is. Alex doesn't tell Jeff what it is, but has him look to see if Jeff can find it himself. Jeff finds Karen's necklace and it was shorting out some electrical wiring. The car now runs fine. | ||||||
| 254 | 6 | "Charge" | Jerrold Bernstein | Sam Locke & Joel Rapp | October 21, 1965 | |
| Trisha is taking care of Samantha, a friends pet monkey. Donna applies for a credit card at Leslie's department store and is denied. Donna goes and speaks to Mr. Nelson (Arch Johnson), the credit manager of the store. It turns out that the store's computer shows that the Stone's have never charged anything and thus have no credit history. Donna decides to prove a point by creating a fictional person named Samantha Simian and establishes credit all around town for the monkey. Donna even gets a credit card for the monkey from Leslie's. In the end, Mr. Nelson is shown that computers aren't always right. | ||||||
| 255 | 7 | "Do Me a Favor, Don't Do Me Any Favors" | Lawrence Dobkin | Joel Rapp & Sam Locke | October 28, 1965 | |
| Professor James Caldwell (Lloyd Corrigan) makes a speech about how he is being forced to retire and wishes he could turn back the clock and stay. But, in actuality, he is happy about it. Jeff and Alex want to start a petition to reinstate Caldwell. Mrs. Larson (Mary Treen), Caldwell's housekeeper, finds out about the petition and tells him. Caldwell speaks to Donna and asks her to have Jeff and Alex stop collecting signatures. Alex and Donna are not in time to stop Jeff from presenting his case for reinstatement to the Board of Directors. But, Alex tells the Board that he did speak to Caldwell and the Professor wants to retire. Caldwell also shows up to say the same thing. | ||||||
| 256 | 8 | "Author, Author" | Jerrold Bernstein | Barbara Avedon | November 4, 1965 | |
| Jeff gives his parents and Midge career aptitude tests with Donna's results showing she has literary talent. The family teases Donna about being an author. At first she has no interest, but Midge talks her into starting to write something. The family find Donna's manuscript and discover that she is writing about them and some of their faults. They now try to be better and change their bad habits. Turns out Donna was hoping they would sneak a peek at her writing and decided to have a little fun with them. | ||||||
| 257 | 9 | "Trees" | Andrew McCullough | Nathaniel Curtis | November 11, 1965 | |
| Donna decides to fight city hall when the city tries to cut down a tree in front of her house. City Commissioner Trimmitt (Paul Reed) would like everyone on Elm Street to have an elm tree. Donna organizes the women on Elm Street to help her cause. The mayor tells Trimmitt to get the ladies to stop their campaign. The Commissioner comes up with a ploy to have the ladies give up. Donna comes up with a ploy of her own to stop Trimmitt. Karl Lukas appears as Mr. Swanson, the tree trimmer. Paulene Myers appears as Ethel Featherspoon, Trimmitt's secretary. Maxine Stuart appears as Helena Whitcomb. Aline Towne appears as Helen. | ||||||
| 258 | 10 | "The Big League Shock" | Andrew McCullough | Lou Shaw | November 18, 1965 | |
| Bill Dayton (Mark Slade) is the son of a friend of Donna's. After only getting excellent grades in high school he finds college a rough adjustment. His grades are nowhere near as good as he would like. Bill starts taking "pep pills" to keep himself awake so he can study more. He even forges Alex's signature on a prescription for more pills. Bill turns himself into the police. Alex brings Dr. Farrel, the staff psychiatrist from college, to the jail to talk to Bill. Bill agrees to let the doctor help him. Charles Lane appears as Mr. Samson the pharmacist. William Lanteau appears as Mr. Devlin, freshman advisor. | ||||||
| 259 | 11 | "The Gladiators" | Alan Rafkin | Paul West | November 25, 1965 | |
| 260 | 12 | "Rally Around the Girls, Boys" | Lawrence Dobkin | Jack Harvey & Irving Taylor | December 2, 1965 | |
| Jeff and Alex laugh about the prospect of women entering the Hilldale car rally. Rally drivers are given specific route directions in code to follow. Jeff and Scotty tease Bebe (Candy Moore) and Susanna (Sandy Descher) when they get lost coming back from an outing. The girls decide to enter the rally. Alex makes a bet with Donna that the boys will win. Even though they have no idea what they're doing, and with a little help from Donna, the girls make it to the finish tied with Jeff and Scotty. The girls answer the tie breaking question correctly and win. Alex doesn't think he should honor the bet when he finds out Donna helped the girls. Dabney Coleman appears as the Rally Master. | ||||||
| 261 | 13 | "Slipped Disc" | Lawrence Dobkin | Jack Harvey & Irving Taylor | December 9, 1965 | |
| Jeff's rock band plays at a local party, and a cute girl asks them if they've ever thought about making a record. They decide they should, and set out to get enough money to buy recording equipment. After they tape a song, they need to raise even more money to have records pressed. They decide to sell shares of stock in their "record company" to all the kids at school. While driving home with their records, the boys get a flat tire. In order to change the tire, they have to place the 3000 records on the sidewalk. All the records warp in the sunlight. The boys figure out a way to make money with the damaged discs. | ||||||
| 262 | 14 | "Uncle Jeff Needs You" | Lawrence Dobkin | Sam Locke & Joel Rapp | December 16, 1965 | |
| Jeff needs to be a camp counselor to get a college credit. But he is required to recruit two campers to get the position and finds it difficult to find anybody willing to sign up. Jeff meets two brothers in the park that could be good prospects. Their father, Mr. Williams (DeForest Kelley), agrees to let the boys go to the camp. The next day the boys tag along with Jeff and Karen on a picnic. Before going home, they meet two other boys and agree to take them home as well. Turns out Mr. Williams is being sent to Europe and has to take his family with. He will have to cancel out on the camp. In the end, Mr. Williams and Alex agree to split the cost of sending the two other boys to the camp. | ||||||
| 263 | 15 | "Never Look a Gift House in the Mouth" | Lawrence Dobkin | Gary Abrams & Paul Petersen | December 23, 1965 | |
| Dorothy Evans (Betsy Jones-Moreland) asks if the Stones could take care of her parents lake house while she is away in Europe. Jeff suggests that his fraternity take care of the place. When the boys show up to the cabin, they find it in total disrepair. And they find to fix it up is a lot more work than they anticipated. Jeff invites Donna and Alex to their first social at the cabin. Donna and Alex are pleasantly surprised to see some of their favorite things about the cabin are still there. | ||||||
| 264 | 16 | "How to Handle a Woman" | Andrew McCullough | Andrew McCullough | December 30, 1965 | |
| Smitty is smitten with a girl named Deborah (Linda Gaye Scott), who believes men are the weaker sex. Jeff decides males are the superior sex. Jeff and Scotty tell Smitty that he needs to dominate Deborah and she will love him for it. The boys start acting like the boss and tell the girls what to do. Donna disapproves and helps the young women make the boys see the errors of their ways, Jeff most of all. Catherine Ferrar appears as Susan. | ||||||
| 265 | 17 | "My Son, the Councilman" | Lawrence Dobkin | Ronny Pearlman | January 6, 1966 | |
| City Commissioner Trimmitt wants to close down the park. Jeff and his friend Gerelda (Sheila James) talk to Zeke (John Qualen), an old man who sits on a park bench, about what they can do. Gerelda wants Jeff to run for city council and gets enough signatures to put him on the ballot. Jeff debates Trimmitt on TV and polls afterwards show Jeff has a chance to win. Jeff agrees to leave the race if Trimmitt will keep the park open and let Zeke have his bench. Paulene Myers as Mrs. Featherspoon, Trimmitt's secretary. | ||||||
| 266 | 18 | "Do It Yourself Donna" | Lee Philips | Lou Shaw | January 15, 1966 | |
| 267 | 19 | "When I Was Your Age" | Andrew McCullough | Jack Raymond | January 22, 1966 | |
| 268 | 20 | "Calling Willie Mays" | Lawrence Dobkin | Jack Harvey & Irving Taylor | January 29, 1966 | |
| 269 | 21 | "All This and Voltaire Too?" | Lawrence Dobkin | Erna Lazarus | February 5, 1966 | |
| 270 | 22 | "The Return of Mark" | Lee Philips | TBA | February 12, 1966 | |
| 271 | 23 | "Is There a Small Hotel?" | Andrew McCullough | TBA | February 19, 1966 | |
| 272 | 24 | "No More Parties, Almost" | Andrew McCullough | Clifford Goldsmith | February 26, 1966 | |
| 273 | 25 | "So You Really Think You're Young at Heart" | Andrew McCullough | Rick Mittleman | March 5, 1966 | |
| 274 | 26 | "What Price Home?" | Andrew McCullough | Paul West & Andrew McCullough | March 12, 1966 | |
| 275 | 27 | "By-Line: Jeffrey Stone" | Andrew McCullough | TBA | March 19, 1966 | |
Syndication[]
The series was originally syndicated by Screen Gems, and, later, Columbia Pictures Television and Sony Pictures Television. In 2008, Sony lost the full rights to the estates of Donna Reed and Tony Owen.
Reruns aired on Nick at Nite from 1985 through 1994 and on TV Land from 2002 through 2004.
MeTV began airing reruns of the show (seasons 1 through 5) starting in September 2011.
In 2017 Decades began airing the show as part of their daytime "Through The Decades" lineup.
As at 2018, the first five seasons of the show are available on Amazon Prime Video in the US and Canada and on Tubi.
Home media[]
For a limited time in 2004, General Mills offered a DVD of two episodes inside boxes of Total cereal and Oatmeal Crisp.[8] (under license from the estates of Donna Reed and Tony Owen) released the first three seasons of the show on DVD in Region 1. Virgil also released a four-episode "best of" DVD on April 13, 2010.[9]
On December 17, 2010, it was announced that MPI Home Video had acquired the rights to release seasons 4 and 5 of The Donna Reed Show.[10] Season 4 was subsequently released on December 20, 2011, and Season 5 was released on December 4, 2012.[11]
On September 30, 2014, MPI Home Video re-released the first season on DVD.[12] Season 2 was re-released on March 24, 2015.[13] Season 3 was re-released on June 30, 2015.[14]
The show's sixth, seventh, and eighth (the final) seasons are yet to be released on DVD.
| Season | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 37 | October 28, 2008 September 30, 2014 (re-release) |
| Season 2 | 38 | July 28, 2009 March 24, 2015 (re-release) |
| Season 3 | 38 | December 1, 2009 June 30, 2015 (re-release) |
| Season 4 | 39 | December 20, 2011 |
| Season 5 | 34 | December 4, 2012 |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series | Donna Reed | Nominated |
| 1960 | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead or Support) | Nominated | ||
| 1961 | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) | Nominated | ||
| 1962 | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) | Nominated | ||
| 1963 | Golden Globe Awards | Best TV Star – Female | Won | |
| 1994 | Young Artist Awards | Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award | Shelley Fabares | Won |
| 1996 | Best Performance by a Young Actor – Voiceover Role | Chris M. Allport | Nominated | |
| 1997 | Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award | Paul Petersen | Won | |
| 2004 | TV Land Awards | Favorite Teen Dream – Female | Shelley Fabares | Nominated |
In popular culture[]
- In Gilmore Girls season 1 episode 14 "That Damn Donna Reed", Rory and her boyfriend Dean have a disagreement about women's roles after watching an episode of the show. The episode involved Reed's character making a lot of food. Later, Rory dresses up in a dress like Donna Reed and serves Dean a steak dinner.
References[]
- ^ Leibman, Nina Clare (1995). Living Room Lectures: The Fifties Family in Film and Television. University of Texas Press. pp. 58. ISBN 0-292-74684-9.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Glenn Garvin, “Life was better in 'Donna Reed' world, cast member Paul Petersen says”, Catholic Online. December 10, 2008 (Retrieved 2018-07-21.)
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Tucker, David C. The women who made television funny: ten stars of 1950s sitcoms. McFarland. pp. 109ff.
- ^ "Don't Call The Donna Reed Show 'Situation Comedy'". Archived from the original on February 6, 2011.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits: The Inside Story Behind Every Number One Single on Billboard's Hot 100 from 1955 to the Present. Billboard Books. p. 107. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.
- ^ Fultz, Jay (1998). In Search of Donna Reed. University of Iowa Press. pp. 151. ISBN 0-87745-625-9.
- ^ Donna Reed Org
- ^ Lambert, David (January 9, 2004). "Site News – Sony, General Mills serve TV-on-DVD for Breakfast: King Of Queens, Barney Miller, Mad About You, & Donna Reed". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008.
- ^ Lambert, David (February 10, 2010). "The Donna Reed Show – Box Front Art Changes on Virgil's 'Family Favorites' DVD". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
- ^ Lambert, David (December 17, 2010). "The Donna Reed Show - MPI Home Video Picks Up DVD Rights to the 4th and 5th Seasons". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Lambert, David (September 24, 2012). "The Donna Reed Show - 'Season 5' Announced by MPI: Date, Cost, Box Art, More!". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ MPI Home Video is Preparing to Re-Release 'Season 1' on DVD Archived December 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MPI Sets a Finalized Date for their 'Season 2' Re-Release Archived December 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MPI Home Video to Re-Release 'Season 3' this Summer Archived March 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Donna Reed Show. |
- The Donna Reed Show at IMDb
- The Donna Reed Show at epguides.com
Categories:
- 1958 American television series debuts
- 1966 American television series endings
- 1950s American sitcoms
- 1960s American sitcoms
- American Broadcasting Company original programming
- Black-and-white American television shows
- English-language television shows
- Television series about families
- Television series by Screen Gems