PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: THE DONNA REED SHOW REUNION {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's Inside Media events. Held at the Paley Center in Los Angeles, this evening celebrates "The Donna Reed Show," the iconic comedy series about the wholesome Stone family of Hilldale: pediatrician Alex, homemaker Donna, and their teen-aged children, Mary and Jeff, as well as its titular star. Host Rene Reyes (director of public programs and festivals, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and acknowledges Mary Anne, Tony and Tim Reed, children of Donna and Tony Owen, the show's producer. Reyes then brings moderator Cynthia Littleton (deputy editor, Daily Variety) to the stage. Littleton introduces a clip reel including scenes from all eight seasons of "The Donna Reed Show," followed by a full episode, "The Caravan." (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 107060.)
Clips shown include the following: classic breakfast scenes with the whole family; Donna's interview on "Housewives' Corner" and objection to the idea of being referred to as "just a housewife"; an in-show advertisement for flower seed packets; Alex's misguided housework plans; conversations about boys between Mary and her friends; Donna's movie-star daydreams; Mary's challenging driving lessons; Jeff's musical taste and his sister's disapproval; in-show musical performances including "Arizona Star," "Johnny Angel," sung by Mary, and "My Dad," sung by Jeff; a family football game; the introduction of the character of Trisha, adopted by the family in the sixth season; an advertisement for Singer products; Donna and her friend Midge and their troubles with their doctor husbands; a baseball game involving Jeff and his friends and Alex's coworkers; attempts to man a sailboat; Donna's writing efforts and her family's curiosity about her work; and a Christmas special in which Mary and Jeff visit some of Alex's patients and donate some presents, finishing with a rendition of "Silent Night."
After the clips and the episode, Littleton introduces the panelists: Eddie Foy III (casting director); Stu Phillips (music producer); and cast members Jimmy Hawkins (Scotty); Ann McCrea (Midge); Patti Petersen (Tricia); Paul Petersen (Jeff); and Shelley Fabares (Mary).
The conversation touches on such topics as: the "timeless" and realistic nature of the show; Reed as the "grounding force" on set; her Midwestern sensibility and desire to avoid caricature; her character as a "burgeoning feminist" despite the typical association with "pearls and vacuuming"; the comfortable, non-stressful set; McCrea's audition and first meeting with Reed, with whom she became close friends; Foy's memories of the "cohesiveness" of the set and of working with Owen and Reed; Hawkins' coincidental history with Reed in "From Here to Eternity" (1953); the on-set jokes about his sleeping habits; Reed's willingness to let other actors have funny lines and moments; the sense of the cast as an "extended family"; Reed's "deft" ability to find clever humor in the scripts, despite the lack of a studio audience's reaction; Petersen and Fabares' real-life camaraderie, in contrast to their characters' squabbles; Fabares' history as a tap dancer and fear of performing onscreen; Reed's encouraging story about having to sing, dance and swim in "It's A Wonderful Life" (1946) despite her fears of all three; a scene of "terrible teenage angst" between Fabares and guest star James Darren, and Reed's advice to Fabares about young love; Patti Petersen's decision to "cast herself" on her brother's show at age eight; her sense of the older cast members as family; Phillips' first music producing experience on the show; Paul Petersen's desire to emulate Ricky Nelson after Owen decided that the children should sing; Owen's forceful handling of Fabares' stage fright; the strength of the writers, including several women, rare for the time; Ida Lupino's role as director on a 1959 episode; various big-name guest stars, including Willie Mays and Buster Keaton; Owen's strong presence and how he "set the tone" as much as Reed did; Phillips' memories of driving Reed's flashy Thunderbird; the generosity of Reed's real-life children in "sharing" their mother with her onscreen children; memories of "complete artist" Carl Betz (Alex Stone) and his many talents; his need for extensive rehearsal, especially when working with props; funny recollections of slapstick moments on set; the busy shooting schedule, resulting in up to 39 episodes per season and built around the children's school year; their strict on-set teacher; comparisons to today's child actors and their less-than-family-like atmospheres; and the pain of being "dismissed" by harsh Hollywood heads, especially at a young age.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: Fabares' three films with Elvis Presley, including "Girl Happy" (1965) and her dance talents; whether the kids experienced typecasting after the show ended; Fabares' long and diverse career; the use of doubled vocals and backup singers on "Johnny Angel"; the shooting location at Columbia Studios; their favorite episodes, including funny scenes of driving lessons and boxing practice; Foy's memories of adding new characters, including Midge, and Regis Philbin's audition for the role of her husband Dave; a spoof of the show that was changed at the Campbell Soup company's insistence; Paul's fond memories of learning about the moviemaking business on set; changes made to shows because of the actors' schedules, including a rare sick day for Reed; the "unsatisfying" final episode and lack of a proper series finale; Fabares and Petersen's monthly lunches with Betz and Reed after the show ended, which stopped after the deaths of their TV parents; and Reed's "finest hour," in which she patiently comforted a saddened Petersen at the wrap party.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: December 6, 2011 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:04:48
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 107039
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rene Reyes … Host
- Cynthia Littleton … Moderator
- Eddie Foy, III … Panelist
- Jimmy Hawkins … Panelist
- Ann McCrea … Panelist
- Stu Phillips … Panelist
- Patti Petersen … Panelist
- Paul Petersen … Panelist
- Shelley Fabares … Panelist
- Mary Anne Reed … Guest
- Tim Reed … Guest
- Tony Reed … Guest
- Carl Betz
- James Darren
- Buster Keaton
- Ida Lupino
- Willie Mays
- Ricky Nelson
- Tony Owen
- Regis Philbin
- Elvis Presley
- Donna Reed