Many years after the show ended, Donna Reed had an idea for another show that would be a reunion for all her former cast members of “The Donna Reed Show”. Unfortunately, Carl Betz passed away in 1978 before the reunion could materialize. Reed and the rest of the cast members agreed to not go forward with the plan.
Carl Betz was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1977. Unfortunately, by the time he was diagnosed, it was too far gone. He kept the tragic news to himself and continued working without sharing his medical condition with anyone else. Months later he was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where he would spend seven weeks before dying on January 18, 1978.
1 Actor, 3 Different Characters
Jimmy Hawkins was an actor who played alongside Donna Reed in the holiday classic movie "It’s a Wonderful Life." They had developed a special bond and friendship at that time, so they were not strangers to one another. Soon enough he also appeared on “The Donna Reed Show” as two separate characters.
In season three, he can be seen playing Donna's daughter, Mary's steady boyfriend called 'Scotty'. Later on, in seasons 6 and seven, he played 'Jerry'. Years later, he would go on to serve on the board of directors of the Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts, for 20 years!
Shelley Fabares; From Child Star to an Acclaimed Female Lead
Shelley Fabares was a well-known actress who started her career in Hollywood at a very young age. She was a child model by the age of 3 and at 8 years old, she snagged a role as a regular on the series, “Annie Oakley”. However, throughout her career, she was best known for her roles as Donna Reed's daughter, Mary Stone.
Another big break for Shelley Fabares came in 1953 when she became Frank Sinatra’s dance partner on a TV show. After that, she was so sought after, that she bagged the role as Elvis Presley’s co-star in 3 movies. In 1989, her winning streak continued when she was cast as one of the stars of the hit TV series “Coach”.
Celebrity Guests
Most popular TV shows at that time had a tradition of starring numerous famous celebrities to make surprise appearances. “The Donna Reed Show” was no exception. They had a long list of guest stars, the most popular being: Willie Mays, Dony Drysdale, musician Harry James, and singers Tony Martin and Lesley Gore.
Many of these guests often appeared as themselves while other stars had several reappearances on the show. Among them were Jimmy Hawkins (9 episodes), Candy Moore (7 episodes), Lindsay Workman (7 episodes), Charles Herbert (4 episodes), James Stacy (4 episodes), Kathleen Freeman (4 episodes), Don Drysdale (4 episodes) and Jan Stine (4 episodes).
Show Ownership Over the Years
“The Donna Reed Show” continued to air for decades after the show initially ended in 1966 after being bought by different TV networks. The show was last owned by Sony in 2008 before losing it back to the estates of Donna Reed and Tony Owen. Two of its most successful re-airings are from 1985 to 1999 on Nick at Nite and from 2002 to 2004 on TV Land.
The show was also released on DVD by Virgil Films and Entertainment (under the license from the estates of Donna Reed and Tony Owen). Its Season 3 was most currently re-released on June 30, 2015, on DVD by MPI Home Video. Nowadays, it isn't seen on TV because of the high cost to air it.