The Donna Reed Show

1958

4.3

3 reviews

Eligible

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Season 3 episodes (38)

1 Weekend

9/15/60

Season-only

The family wants to get away for the weekend. The brochure shows Lakeview Lodge to be a great place to go, so Donna and Alex head up there early with Mary and Jeff to join them later, but Lakeview Lodge turns out to be a major disappointment.

2 The Mystery Woman

9/22/60

Season-only

A lady spots Donna and Mary having lunch in a restaurant, so she stops to say hello. She recognized Donna, even though "it's been 13 years." Donna doesn't recognize her but is polite and too embarrassed to ask her name. Later, Donna realizes she must find out who the mystery woman was.

3 Donna Decorates

9/29/60

Season-only

Donna tries to redecorate the house, but neighbor boy Dennis Mitchell (Jay North) tries to help her...and ends up making things more of a mess. Donna finally calls Dennis' nearer neighbor Mr. Wilson (Joseph Kearns) to ask if Dennis would help him with anything. This was a crossover show-with two people from "Dennis the Menace" guesting. It turns out both shows are set in the town of Hilldale...

4 The Love Letter

10/6/60

Season-only

Nick the Greek is the handyman at the Stone's house. He's still learning how to write English, so he asks Jeff for help in writing a love letter to his girlfriend. Later, Mary finds this love letter in Jeff's handwriting and wonders if Jeff is involved in a new romance.

5 How the Other Side Lives

10/20/60

Season-only

Mary's friend Ginny lives in a mansion with a maid, a tennis court, and a swimming pool. Now Ginny is going to spend the weekend at Mary's house. What can Mary do to impress Ginny?

6 Alex's Twin

10/27/60

Season-only

Mary is enamored with the new boy at school Elroy, because he reminds her so much of what her dad must have been like as a teenager.

7 Worried Anyone?

11/3/60

Season-only

Like, are we worried about Mary riding in Scotty's car? After all, it’s only a hot rod made with parts taken from wrecked cars!

8 Higher Learning

11/10/60

Season-only

Jeff has scored in the "genius" category on a school I.Q. test. The principal, Mr. Conroy, suggests that Jeff go away to a school more suited to his intellectual needs. Jeff doesn't like this idea because he just became quarterback on the football team.

9 Never Marry a Doctor

11/17/60

Season-only

The Stones' cleaning lady has troubles. Her baby is sick and her husband lost his job due to illness. Alex takes care of the baby's health, and Donna hires the husband to do odd jobs in their house. Now the Stones have troubles. The twenty dollars that Alex left on the counter for Mrs. Cruikshank's charity is missing.

10 It Only Hurts When I Laugh

11/24/60

Season-only

The tables are turned as Alex becomes a hospital patient, and a difficult one at that.

11 The Model Daughter

12/1/60

Season-only

Mary goes to a session at Taffy Cinders Charm School and wins a scholarship to learn how to be a model. Most of the girls who went with Mary also "won" scholarships, too! Then the expenses mount up, as she needs the School instruction book, the School grooming aids, etc.

12 Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

12/8/60

Season-only

Mary is so indecisive, always asking her mother about what clothes to wear or which boys to date. Tonight though, she starts making her own decisions when she, Roger, and Larry go out on the town. They get into money troubles with dinner at the Flamingo Club, and that's when Mary makes the right decision.

13 Donna Goes to a Reunion

12/15/60

Season-only

Donna heads to a Blaine Women's College reunion, and while she's away, Jeff adopts Duke, the dog.

14 Someone Is Watching

12/22/60

Season-only

Jeff wants a motor scooter like Gordie just got, but his father won't allow it. When Gordie shows off his riding skills and drives the scooter into a tree, Gordie proceeds to fake a leg injury convincing the Stone family to take care of him in the process.

15 The Lean and Hungry Look

12/29/60

Season-only

Donna can't fit into the dress she bought a few months ago, and she still wants to wear it! She decides it's time to exercise and diet the extra pounds off. Then, Alex notices his tuxedo is a little too tight now, so he decides, well, you get the picture!

16 Character Building

1/5/61

Season-only

When Donna's letter-to-the-editor about parents needing to make sure that their children follow through by finishing what they start gets published, it prompts Donna to follow through herself.

17 World's Greatest Entertainer

1/12/61

Season-only

Jeff just can't seem to do anything right --- The family needs to build up his spirits, so when he does mediocre imitations of movie stars like James Cagney, Peter Lorre, and Edward G. Robinson, he gets all the family's praise and decides to participate in the upcoming school talent show!

18 Variations on a Theme

1/19/61

Season-only

The piano becomes a "parking lot" with everyone dropping things on it, like books, the newspaper, so Alex decides to sell it. But, all of a sudden Mary has a problem with that idea, it turns out a boy she'd like to date just loves to play the piano!

19 The Stones Go To Hollywood

1/26/61

Season-only

Alex needs to go to Hollywood to discuss suggestions for a Children's Clinic, so the whole family takes the opportunity to go along and see Hollywood, except it rains, for 2 days! They all wanted to meet a movie star before they leave, and they do!

20 Donna Directs a Play

2/2/61

Season-only

Donna fills in for the director of Mary's drama group when he is called to Hollywood for a part in a movie.

21 Trip to Nowhere

2/9/61

Season-only

Jeff has been complaining that there's nothing to do, so Donna decides to take Jeff and Mary camping at Trues dale Park. But, this isn't the kind of camping trip Jeff had in mind.

22 The Geisha Girl

2/16/61

Season-only

The new doctor is married to a Japanese Geisha girl. She is constantly seeing to her husband's needs, and the married couples of Hilldale have a difficult time adjusting to her. Leave it to Donna to "Americanize" her.

23 The Busy People

2/23/61

Season-only

In an attempt to try for more togetherness as a couple, Donna signs Alex and herself up for painting lessons.

24 Tony Martin Visits

3/2/61

Season-only

While driving through Hilldale, Tony Martin is arrested for speeding. He knows he wasn't speeding, but figures he'll just pay the fine and be on his way. In court, Tony sees Donna fighting a parking meter violation and insisting on a jury trial rather than pay a $2 fine. Tony decides to ask for a jury trial, too. It's a matter of man versus machine.

25 Aunt Belle's Earrings

3/8/61

Season-only

Alex's Aunt Belle has come for a visit and resumes her relationship with Oliver Greavey much to Alex's consternation. The relationship soon turns sour. Can a pair of earrings bring them back together?

26 Poodle Parlor

3/16/61

Season-only

Donna and her friend consider opening a poodle parlor where owners can bring their poodles to get clipped and buy fancy accessories. The husbands think the whole idea is ludicrous which make the ladies all the more determined to succeed.

27 Mary's Heart Throb

3/23/61

Season-only

While babysitting for the Damons, Mary meets their older son, Rick, who has dropped out of college because he wasn't accepted by his father's old fraternity. He plans to join the Foreign Legion and wants Mary to help him.

28 Donna's Helping Hand

3/30/61

Season-only

Dr. Steinhaus is retiring as the head of the Board of Health. Donna thinks this is the perfect opportunity for Alex to have a position that offers him more regular hours and she intends to help him get it.

29 The Merry Month of April

4/6/61

Season-only

Income tax time, Alex decides to save money and prepare his own taxes this year rather than have Harvey do it. When Alex figures out he owes money, he gets mad about a hat he thinks Donna bought for $49.50. When Harvey arrives at the Stone residence, having done Alex's taxes anyway and announces that Alex will be getting a refund, Alex's attitude becomes very pleasant indeed! Turns out Harvey's wife Nora had Donna buy the hat, but it was for Nora!

30 Music Hath Charms

4/13/61

Season-only

Donna and Alex remember their honeymoon and this wonderful musical tobacco jar for Alex. When the jar is broken, unknown to one another Donna and Mary buy an identical replacement, Alex also finds another one, while Jeff glues the original tobacco jar back together!

31 Let's Look at Love

4/20/61

Season-only

Mary is so angry when she finds two boys tossed a coin to see who would take her to the dance, she swears off boys and decides to devote herself to science.

32 For Better or Worse

4/27/61

Season-only

A story about every married couple's dilemma: what decisions can a husband make on his own and which require a conference for his wife's permission?

33 Jeff, the Treasurer

5/4/61

Season-only

Jeff is elected class Treasurer. He has the class dues to protect all $32 of it. Now what could possibly happen? The class picnic is Saturday and Mrs. Haskell needs the money to pay for the bus that will take the class to the picnic. Can Jeff find the missing money in time?

34 The Good Boys and the Bad Boys

5/11/61

Season-only

The school bully makes fun of Jeff being in the choir. Jeff starts "pumping iron" because it looks like there will be a fight. Can Mr. Trestle's advice possibly stop the conflict?

35 Military School

5/18/61

Season-only

When Herbie suggests his friend Ken go to the dance with them, Mary decides not to go to the dance at all. But, when she meets Ken, in full uniform from the Carter Military Academy, she of course has a change of heart….but where does that leave Herbie? It's another good "Mary learns a lesson" episode.

36 Mary's Driving Lesson

5/25/61

Season-only

Scotty, smitten by Mary, agrees to teach Mary how to drive. Oh boy! Does he have his hands full! Will their romantic friendship last through this experience?

37 The Mustache

6/1/61

Season-only

Alex growing a mustache turns out to be quite a controversial event in the Stone household.

38 Mary's Little Lambs

6/8/61

Season-only

Mary and Mark decide to have a Saturday nursery school (i.e., day care) to earn enough money to paint Mark's car. Alex, on the other hand, would like to sleep late on Saturday morning, unaware of the bedlam that's about to take place.

About this show

Originally airing on ABC-TV from 1958-1966, THE DONNA REED SHOW became one of the most popular family situation comedy series in television history during its eight season run. Starring Academy Award-winning actress Donna Reed as homemaker Donna Stone, Carl Betz as her pediatrician husband Alex, Shelley Fabares as daughter Mary, and Paul Petersen as son Jeff, The Donna Reed Show is a humorous and heartwarming slice of Americana that earned a legion of new fans in reruns on Nick at Nite, TV Land and MeTV.

Ratings and reviews

4.3

3 reviews

Joan Wayling

April 26, 2020

Great!