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Joanne Morreale
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The Donna Reed Show (TV Milestones Series) Kindle Edition

by Joanne Morreale (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
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At a time when television offered limited opportunities for women, Donna Reed was an Oscar-winning Hollywood actress who became both producer (though largely uncredited) and star of her own television show. Distinct from the patriarchal family sitcoms of the era, The Donna Reed Show's storylines focused on the mother instead of the father, and its production brought a cinematic aesthetic to television situation comedy. In The Donna Reed Show, author Joanne Morreale illustrates how the program pushed the boundaries of the domestic sitcom at a time when the genre was evolving and also reflected the subtle shifts and undercurrents of unrest in the larger social and political culture.

Morreale begins by locating Donna Reed in relation to her predecessors Gertrude Berg and Lucille Ball, both of whom were strong female presences in front of and behind the camera. She also explores the telefilm aesthetics of The Donna Reed Show and argues that the series is a prime example of the emergent synergy between Hollywood and the television industry in the late fifties. In addition, Morreale argues that the Donna Stone character's femininity acts as a kind of masquerade, as well as provides a proto-feminist model for housewives. She also examines the show's representation of teen culture and its role in launching the singing careers of its two teenaged stars. Finally, Morreale considers the legacy of The Donna Reed Show in the representation of its values in later sitcoms and its dialogue with contemporary television texts.

Morreale illustrates the interplay of gender, industry, and culture at work in the history of this classic TV series. Fans of the show, as well as students and teachers of television history, will enjoy this close look at The Donna Reed Show.
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  1. Part of series
    TV Milestones
  2. Print length
    171 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Wayne State University Press
  6. Publication date
    November 1, 2012
  7. File size
    2322 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Morreale's volume deepened my knowledge and appreciation of the series. The biographical information about Reed enriches her analysis and the sections dealing with melodrama bring forward a less examined dimension of the genre."―Sarah Matheson

"Joanne Morreale frees Donna Stone from the iconic identity of complacent supermom and presents Donna Reed as a working mother, uncredited producer of her eponymous series, and film actress positioned at the cusp of major changes in filmed entertainment. Morreale brings to life The Donna Reed Show covering episodes on blacklisted writers, teen dating, parenting strategies for teen rebellion, and guests like baseball player Willie Mays, popular singer Leslie Gore, and teen heart-throb James Darren. Morreale situates Donna Stone on a sitcom mom timeline extending from Lucy Ricardo and Molly Goldberg to her legacy in Laura Petrie, Roseanne, and Lily Munster."―Mary Beth Haralovich, Professor in the School of Theatre, Film & Television at the University of Arizona

"When Nick at Nite brought The Donna Reed Show back into our living rooms, a TV spot promised to reveal for the first time the classic 1960s domestic sitcom's subliminal messages. We learn, for example, that one episode contained the secret message 'Marry a Doctor.' In her revealing and welcome study of The Donna Reed Show, preeminent sitcom scholar Joanne Morreale never delves into its subliminal secrets, but she does explore, comprehensively and precisely, what this often neglected but revealing show tells us about its genre and its era. This is the sort of book the TV Milestones series was designed to cover."―David Lavery, Editor of the Essential Cult Tv Reader

"Joanne Morreale illustrates that The Donna Reed Show was far from the average 1950s sitcom and Reed was far more than the stereotypical happy housewife. In fact, Reed and her show are revealed to be at the forefront of the dynamic transformations taking place in the TV industry, the sitcom form, teen culture, and gender roles during the 1950s and 1960s."―Alisa Perren, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Georgia State University

About the Author

Joanne Morreale is associate professor of media and screen studies at Northeastern University.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00KB4E1Z0
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wayne State University Press (November 1, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 1, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2322 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 171 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

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Joanne Morreale

Joanne Morreale

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Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
3.4 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ChrisJ.
5.0 out of 5 stars Donna Reed, a book about her show!
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
This compact book is full of much detail that enhances a viewer's enjoyment of the Donna Reed show, and helps you understand Donna herself, and the thinking and feeling that went into the tv series. They discuss in detail some of the more pivotal episodes. It makes you understand the series better, the more depth that it involved, and you realize it wasn't just a simple superficial series in a way. It brings me back to my childhood in the early 1960's, Donna Reed and her character Donna Stone comes off as the perfect wife and mother and that is admirable, but she gets criticized for this portrayal by some people. Yes, sometimes she does seem so sweet, however she is a very strong woman and a very underrated actress. You realize the subtext and underlined strength of character if you keep watching more episodes of the Donna Reed show, that are not always apparent on a first viewing. Donna Reed the actress and woman, to me, is the best example of a strong and gentle and caring human being from all I have read about her, and by watching her on the screen as well. This book helps to give her more appreciation.
One person found this helpful
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John Largan
4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating and in-depth look at a classic show
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2013
Verified Purchase
Great book to have with you if you're rediscovering and enjoying this classic series on DVD. Although I'm too young to remember this series during its original network run, and I vaguely recall watching reruns in the afternoon, I have to admit that I'm really enjoying this series on DVD. And a book like this is a great companion to the DVD sets because it gives very intriguing behind-the-scenes information regarding production and the politics of the times. It made me admire Donna and the cast even more and appreciate all the good work that went into this terrific series. I book made me want to see more.
8 people found this helpful
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Twitter Fingers.
1.0 out of 5 stars Lackluster
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
A rather lackluster book about a great TV sitcom. And it's not true Shelley Fabares had her head turned by the success of Johnny Angel; she always maintained she wasn't a singer, despite a Number One record. The book is not very insightful in my opinion.
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Top reviews from other countries

AS
3.0 out of 5 stars OK Read
Reviewed in Canada on September 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
This books was smaller than expected for the price, "The Donna Reed Show" was a great TV show, I loved it since I discovered it on DVD. But I am wondering if this author ever really watched the show at all? On page 95, she said that at the start of the eight year series, Jeff was fourteen and Mary was sixteen, actually at the start of the series, Jeff was 11 going on 12 and Mary was 14, they even looked their ages too plus it was mentioned several times in certain Season 1 episodes, so how the author missed that I don't know. Also I have to agree with another reviewer that the idea that Shelley Fabares had her head turned by the success of her hit record was nonsense, she never seemed to be an actress that thinks she is better than anyone else, not anything like the ego driven celebrities of today, so I highly doubt she started to believe anything like she would become a big pop star, just because she left the series after Season 5 doesn't mean she had a big ego, she is just about the most humble and sweet celebrity that is out there, even her TV bro said she wasn't thrilled about being forced to sing and she said so many times she is not a singer on interviews, so I highly doubt that she wanted a musical career at all. It was an OK read but it's not necessary to enjoy the series.
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