The Donna Reed Show: Season One – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews



In the early days of TV, the mom character was either secondary to her husband (Father Knows Best) or out of control and needing to be reeled in by her husband (I Love Lucy). The Donna Reed Show rewrote the rules of family comedies. Donna Stone (Donna Reed) didn’t merely hold down the house until dad got back to teach the children a life lesson. She also wasn’t filled with idiotic schemes. She was a mom in control of her household. She cooked, cleaned and unleashed the moral lesson on her offspring. She didn’t even have a sassy maid to help her out. She was the original Supermom. Where was the dad? Dr. Stone (Carl Betz) was rather overwhelmed with his pediatrician gig to completely care for his teenage kids. His clueless moments often lead to her making him a major tool. The Donna Reed Show: Season One takes us back to a time when a mother dared to know best.

Donna already had the reputation of being the most wonderful wife and mother in the world with her performance in It’s a Wonderful Life. Now she cemented her status every week on the small screen. Donna did have the advantage of having two semi-grounded teenagers in Jeff (Paul Peterson) and Mary (Shelley Fabares). These kids were never a threat to be sent to boot camp by Sally Jessy Raphael. They had precious problems versus being pure hell raising troubled teens. This goes far into explaining how she could survive without hiring Hazel. The 37 episodes illustrate how the Stone family’s problems can have quick fixes that can get applied in 25 minutes.

“Weekend Trip” illustrates the family dynamics of the Stones. She’s the real authority figure in the house and not the doctor dad. Donna wants to have a family vacation, but her husband fears leaving the city limits. He doesn’t know when his patients might need him in a moment’s notice. It’s up to Donna to convince him he can take a day off and have another doctor handle emergencies. She properly identifies a patient’s real illness to show doctor mom can triumph a med school education. She dares to take control of her family which was radical for ’50s. “Pardon My Gloves” has her teaching Jeff how to box in order to properly confront a bully. Dad can’t mess up his doctoring hands. “The Football Uniform” takes back to the nostalgic time when full pads, helmet, pants and jersey only cost $22. However Jeff is supposed to pay for it. The folks want him to learn the price by sweating it out with hard labor. Donna attempts to lower the cost by getting a pal to donate his old uniform for a charity auction. But things go completely wrong when the bidding starts. Is their son going to have enough jack for a jock strap?

“Miss Lovelace Comes to Tea” does not center on the star of Deep Throat. But it features a famous female duo. Donna becomes completely engrossed in a charity campaign. The kids can’t hold down the fort without her. Dad hires a maid to pick up the slack. He finds a proper English nanny to man the stove and vacuum cleaner in Estelle Winwood (The Magic Sword and Bewitched). She has no clue how to cook or clean. Dad and the kids do all the chores to hide this fact from mom. Donna is completely overwhelmed by a snobby socialite (Margaret Dumont) that hates their overt begging for donations. Dumont is best known as the older woman that Groucho would razzle in the Marx Brothers movies. It’s up to Winwood to disarm Donna’s biggest headache.

“A Very Merry Christmas” is touching holiday special. Donna finds herself eager to play Santa for the patients in the children’s ward at the hospital. She fears people are forgetting the spirit of the season. What she doesn’t realize is that an orderly played by Buster Keaton (The General) does his best to keep Christmas magical for the ailing youths. The silent screen comic knows how to play a sly Santa.

The Donna Reed Show: Season One elevates the best elements of ‘50s attitudes. This is the clean living American family that people pray to achieve. Her kids make the Brady Bunch resemble the Manson family. Donna’s life is beautifully unobtainable in the real world, but impossible to resist watching. What keeps Donna from turning into a Stepford Wife is her ability to take control. She doesn’t wait till her husband gets home. She gets dirty to keep people happy. There is a comfort in watching Donna around her house. She’s an icon and not merely a cliche.

The Episodes
“Weekend Trip,” “Pardon My Gloves,” “The Hike,” “Male Ego,” “The Football Uniform,” “Three Part Mother,” “Change Partners and Dance,” “Dough Re-Mi,” “Guest in the House,” “The Baby Contest,” “The Beaded Bag,” “The Busy Body,” “A Very Merry Christmas,” “Mary’s Double Date,” “Jeff’s Double Life,” “Nothing But the Truth,” “It’s the Principle of the Thing,” “Jeff vs. Mary,” “Have Fun,” “Donna Plays Cupid,” “Love Thy Neighbor,” “The Report Card,” “Boys Will Be Boys,” “The Ideal Wife,” “Mary’s Campaign,” “The Flowered Print Dress,” “April Fool,” “The Parting of the Ways,” “The Hero,” “Do You Trust Your Child?,” “Grateful Patient,” “The Testimonial,” “Miss Lovelace Comes to Tea,” “Tomorrow Comes Too Soon,” “Advice To Young Lovers” and “Operation Deadbeat.”

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfer of the black and white image is respectable. There’s an occasional speck on the frame. You can tell when Donna gets a hair out of place. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. The loudness level is sensitive enough to hear Donna get flustered. The subtitles are in English.

TV Spot (1:03) from ABC introduces us to the Stones.

Photo Gallery has dozens of promo pics from the show and Donna’s movie career. There’s even a few of Buster Keaton in his Santa costume. Magazine ads featuring Donna Reed include one for Chesterfields with John Derek (the man who once married to Ursula Andress, Linda Evans and Bo Derek). Did you know she has her own namesake Marigolds?

PDF Files of a Press Release and Production Notes from its network debut. This is a DVD-ROM feature.

The Donna Reed Show: Season One is a delight for those with a nostalgic yearning for a calm family. The series was a staple for the first decade of Nick At Nite so even non-Baby boomers have fond memories of Donna Reed. The Gilmore Girls paid tribute to her show. She is a timeless mom. This boxset will allow you to drift into a blissful mood while Donna fixes everything.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


Arts Alliance America presents The Donna Reed Show: Season One. Starring Donna Reed, Carl Betz, Paul Peterson & Shelly Fabares. Boxset Contents: 37 episodes on 4 DVDs. Released on DVD: October 28, 2008. Available at Amazon.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.