The Donna Reed Show | |
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Cast of The Donna Reed Show (1958, first season) | |
Starring | Donna Reed Carl Betz Shelley Fabares Paul Petersen |
Opening theme | Happy Days |
Ending theme | Happy Days |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 151 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | September 24, 1958 March 19, 1966 | –
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The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom television series. It aired on ABC from 1958 to 1966. The show stars Donna Reed as Donna Stone, a housewife, Carl Betz as Alex Stone, a pediatrician (baby doctor), Shelley Fabares as their teenage daughter Mary, and Paul Petersen as their son Jeff. Mary left for college in the show's fifth year and Paul Petersen's real life little sister Patty Petersen joined the show as Trisha, a child the Stones adopt. Bob Crane and Ann McCrea joined the show in its last years as Stone family friends Dave and Midge Kelsey.
The show is about an upper middle class American family. Donna is a somewhat idealized housewife who capably handles any problems or situations that come her way. The show had many famous guest stars: singers James Darren and Lesley Gore, actor George Hamilton, swimmer and actress Esther Williams, Lassie as her TV character, sports stars Don Drysdale and Willie Mays, Buster Keaton, and Jay North as his TV character Dennis the Menace. Reed won the 1963 Golden Globe Best Female TV Star Award.