I was born three years after this show, by the time I was watching it, it was a staple in our home. When his daughter’s show, “ That Girl” hit the airwaves I had no idea she was Danny Thomas’ kid, and talk about a crush!
3:58: "Show me a rose...or leave me alone..." (Danny) Then... 5:54: "She taught me how to do the tango..." (Benny) Then... 16:00: "I saw your eyes..." (Julia) Then... 23:08: "On Moonlight Bay..." (Julia) This show may have been Danny Thomas's vehicle; but Ben Lessy singing at the piano was no slouch. His musically comedic timing wasn't half bad (in other words, very good). And Nana Bryant's voice was a wonderful reminder of an era of vaudeville gone by...
Dorothy Collins (one of the stars of Luckies' "YOUR HIT PARADE" {"on another network"}), was known as "The Sweetheart of Lucky Strike" for her many commercials for them.
Rusty is so talented and adorable. I really love ALL of them! Every cast member is important. I really want to see the seasons after Jean Hagen left as well as other episodes missing from Amazon Prime.
They never revealed the disappearance of Jean from the show. It waa presumed she died in a car accident but we csn only speculate. She wnd Marjorie Lord dif a great job portraying Danny's wife.
@@jackkircher1755 hello. I know that I’m more than a year late responding to your comment but during the season four opening of the show, it was revealed that Danny had been taken care of the kids on his own for more than a year. The supposed story is that the character actually died. It was said the storyline took this route because divorce was not permitted between characters on TV during the time.
Sheldon Leonard appeared in several early episodes as "Gus", Danny's masseur. By 1957, he occasionally appeared as "Phil Brokaw", Danny's agent (in addition to producing and directing the series).
He also appeared on Jack Benny's show. He played a mob style advance giver at the May (a department store like Macy's) company when he met Mary. Then he appeared on The Lucy Show as a movie producer who Lucy mistakes for a bank robber.
@@jackkircher1755 He's famous for playing good Nick in Bedford Falls and mean Nick in Pottersville. Poor Jimmy Stewart didn't know good Nick from bad Nick.
Yes he was and an excellent actor. Sadly, he fell VICTIM of Hollywood's greatest crime: Typecasting. It took several years of struggling before he finally had enough abd ended his life in one shot. I still am shocked by it but not surprised since Hellywood has been known to be very cruel towards child actors. I would have never survived it as long as Rusty did Thus incident inspired Paul Peterson from The Donna Reed Show to launch a support group for former child actors. My heart melts every time I see Rusty being cute in one of these episodes.
Directed by WILLIAM ASHER Story Consultant MELVILLE SHAVELSON Teleplay by BOB FISHER & ALAN LIPSCOTT Produced by LOUIS F. EDELMAN Music by msi SPENCER -HAGEN Cast NANA BRYANT BEN LESSY SHELDON LEONARD
Sherry Jackson, the daughter in the series, left after 5 or 6 seasons to pursue other jobs. Her career flamed out soon afterwards. Jackson was actually pretty hot, although it's hard to make that out in the conservative clothes from back in the old days. We were all issued imaginations then and it was in constant use. When she left the series Jackson wasn't very happy about working with Thomas. For one, she was close to the first wife, Jane Hagen and was upset when she left not long before. And, Jackson wasn't a fan of Thomas who she believed was harsh and dominated everything and acted they tyrant. Jackson probably had some strong arguments as you can see when watching the episodes. Thomas character is overbearing, harsh, judgmental and sexist. The series was often held up as an example of the 'bad' husband/father who treated his wife like a child and the children like little adults. Thomas, who was very popular during the run of this series for some reason, became an icon of the old role model for a father/husband. Looking back, you can almost see the beginnings of women's lib and male neutering. Feral 'dad's' began to vanish from TV, movies and eventually in real life. Today, dad in modern TV programs is almost always a stupid, arrogant and ignorant rock head and marginalized to the side as the females, young and old control the world with the help of the always non-feral male of today. Jackson may have started something by pointing this negative qualities of Thomas out. She was branded a spoiled sport and full of sour grapes but her statements hit home with females back then. The message was 'keep an eye on petty tyrants like Thomas in the home' and 'other than his role, what makes him so special anyway?'. Donna Reed was Thomas female counterpart in the tearing down of Icons, Female Division. During those whacky 60s Reed was held up by real women of the era only to be beat up and compared and contrasted to their lives. Reed had a plastic and often hard-headed low-budget version of Thomas as a hubby. She had an airhead oldest daughter, Mary, played by a beautiful and popular actress and a poster child for ADD spastic son who amounted to nothing and, over 8 years on the series developed a character arch that left him as a little version of Thomas, ready for life as a new generation of the Feral Male. Reed was seen as the ultimate fake mom/wife who somehow controlled everything without a whimper or failure. Although bringing back hot chick Candy Moore as Jeff's girlfriend in season 8 was a fine move, IMO she should have been a major character pushing Reed, the father, the little chick and Jeff off the screen while focused on her 90% of the time. Reed vigorously defended the series and pointed to its 'wholesome American values' content dripping with helpful hints to happy family life and implied that anyone not like them could get stuffed. That interesting logic is carried today by the actor who played Jeff on the series, who also believes the series was all about American middle class values. A sort of 'test lab' of how to behave. Women began to discard the Reed female myth as the 60s challenged everything and anything. Thomas and Reed both made millions from their respective series, each owned their series and made serious cash. Neither really gave serious though about 'values' of their iconic shows but they did care about ratings and big money. Playing roles they believed reflected actual 'values' those values eventually led to deep scrutiny and rejection by many Americans. Jackson was pretty and later became a hot woman. Thomas should have tried harder to keep her on the series. Her hotness was wasted as her career went down the tubes. Maybe that career became a victim of her firing one of the first rounds in the battle of female change and women's liberation. I doubt, however, if anyone sees it like that.
@@sardu55 Thanks for the answer. I was working my way (thanks to RUclips and self-isolating) through whatever episodes I could find on the series chronologically, and haven't gotten to #2 wife. When I first started watching the MRFD episodes, I thought it was odd that the intro announcer said "Danny Thomas, his wife, his daughter, his son" (not even close to verbatim, I forget now what exactly it was) - without giving anybody real names but him, like they weren't actually people, except as they were in relationship to him. You don't have to answer this, but I assume Hagen left voluntarily? I bet that episode (the one killing her off I mean) was a tear jerker!
He was a big family man, with traditional values, a voice, and a "schnoz". Charm is something difficult to define, but he had it. As a Lebanese/American, he embodied many attributed of which Americans were proud: a typical citizen of the melting pot. I liked him & many of my generation did too. Not overrated at all: perfect for the time & place in American history.
I agree he’s definitely overrated for 1953 but in 2thousand18 this is a gem man like him don’t almost exist anymore. Except I have a good strong working husband. Boy am I blessed.
every star and celebrity is overrated, especially the so-called celebrities of today...and without Danny Thomas there would be NO ST JUDE'S HOSPITAL.. Think about that you idiot...
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I was born three years after this show, by the time I was watching it, it was a staple in our home. When his daughter’s show, “ That Girl” hit the airwaves I had no idea she was Danny Thomas’ kid, and talk about a crush!
You were not the only one to have a crush on Marlo Thomas. 😊😊
The children are well cast. They are adorable - especially Rusty.
I like these vintage TV commercials.
3:58: "Show me a rose...or leave me alone..." (Danny)
Then...
5:54: "She taught me how to do the tango..." (Benny)
Then...
16:00: "I saw your eyes..." (Julia)
Then...
23:08: "On Moonlight Bay..." (Julia)
This show may have been Danny Thomas's vehicle; but Ben Lessy singing at the piano was no slouch. His musically comedic timing wasn't half bad (in other words, very good). And Nana Bryant's voice was a wonderful reminder of an era of vaudeville gone by...
Originally telecast on October 20, 1953; this is the May 4, 1954 repeat (as Dodge had become the alternate sponsor in January 1954).
I am going to the Dodge dealership right now to buy a brand new 1954 Dodge.
Dorothy Collins (one of the stars of Luckies' "YOUR HIT PARADE" {"on another network"}), was known as "The Sweetheart of Lucky Strike" for her many commercials for them.
Ooh! Deluxe wheel covers, tell me more!!!
Rusty is so talented and adorable. I really love ALL of them! Every cast member is important. I really want to see the seasons after Jean Hagen left as well as other episodes missing from Amazon Prime.
I used to didn't like Rusty, thought he was annoying, but I grew to like him a lot......he's quite a character !!
They never revealed the disappearance of Jean from the show. It waa presumed she died in a car accident but we csn only speculate. She wnd Marjorie Lord dif a great job portraying Danny's wife.
@@jackkircher1755 hello. I know that I’m more than a year late responding to your comment but during the season four opening of the show, it was revealed that Danny had been taken care of the kids on his own for more than a year. The supposed story is that the character actually died. It was said the storyline took this route because divorce was not permitted between characters on TV during the time.
Sheldon Leonard appeared in several early episodes as "Gus", Danny's masseur. By 1957, he occasionally appeared as "Phil Brokaw", Danny's agent (in addition to producing and directing the series).
He also appeared on Jack Benny's show.
He played a mob style advance giver at the May (a department store like Macy's) company when he met Mary.
Then he appeared on The Lucy Show as a movie producer who Lucy mistakes for a bank robber.
@@jackkircher1755 He's famous for playing good Nick in Bedford Falls and mean Nick in Pottersville. Poor Jimmy Stewart didn't know good Nick from bad Nick.
The kind of roles Sheldon usually played were "gangsters"- benevolent *and* bad.
@@jackkircher1755 txt;5t,55, i read it t t
e
tw
Rusty is a cute little rascal.And I can do it too lol.
Yes he was and an excellent actor. Sadly, he fell VICTIM of Hollywood's greatest crime: Typecasting. It took several years of struggling before he finally had enough abd ended his life in one shot. I still am shocked by it but not surprised since Hellywood has been known to be very cruel towards child actors. I would have never survived it as long as Rusty did
Thus incident inspired Paul Peterson from The Donna Reed Show to launch a support group for former child actors.
My heart melts every time I see Rusty being cute in one of these episodes.
Good One!
Busted out the Kleenex on this one! Very sentimental!
Me too Tracy, and I'm a 70 year old former Marine.
Directed by
WILLIAM ASHER
Story Consultant
MELVILLE SHAVELSON
Teleplay by
BOB FISHER &
ALAN LIPSCOTT
Produced by
LOUIS F. EDELMAN
Music by
msi
SPENCER -HAGEN
Cast
NANA BRYANT
BEN LESSY
SHELDON LEONARD
I do not remember the first wife .
Just the second wife .
Oklahoma city 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
From tfou 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Sherry Jackson, the daughter in the series, left after 5 or 6 seasons to pursue other jobs. Her career flamed out soon afterwards. Jackson was actually pretty hot, although it's hard to make that out in the conservative clothes from back in the old days. We were all issued imaginations then and it was in constant use.
When she left the series Jackson wasn't very happy about working with Thomas. For one, she was close to the first wife, Jane Hagen and was upset when she left not long before. And, Jackson wasn't a fan of Thomas who she believed was harsh and dominated everything and acted they tyrant. Jackson probably had some strong arguments as you can see when watching the episodes. Thomas character is overbearing, harsh, judgmental and sexist. The series was often held up as an example of the 'bad' husband/father who treated his wife like a child and the children like little adults. Thomas, who was very popular during the run of this series for some reason, became an icon of the old role model for a father/husband. Looking back, you can almost see the beginnings of women's lib and male neutering. Feral 'dad's' began to vanish from TV, movies and eventually in real life. Today, dad in modern TV programs is almost always a stupid, arrogant and ignorant rock head and marginalized to the side as the females, young and old control the world with the help of the always non-feral male of today. Jackson may have started something by pointing this negative qualities of Thomas out. She was branded a spoiled sport and full of sour grapes but her statements hit home with females back then. The message was 'keep an eye on petty tyrants like Thomas in the home' and 'other than his role, what makes him so special anyway?'.
Donna Reed was Thomas female counterpart in the tearing down of Icons, Female Division. During those whacky 60s Reed was held up by real women of the era only to be beat up and compared and contrasted to their lives. Reed had a plastic and often hard-headed low-budget version of Thomas as a hubby. She had an airhead oldest daughter, Mary, played by a beautiful and popular actress and a poster child for ADD spastic son who amounted to nothing and, over 8 years on the series developed a character arch that left him as a little version of Thomas, ready for life as a new generation of the Feral Male. Reed was seen as the ultimate fake mom/wife who somehow controlled everything without a whimper or failure. Although bringing back hot chick Candy Moore as Jeff's girlfriend in season 8 was a fine move, IMO she should have been a major character pushing Reed, the father, the little chick and Jeff off the screen while focused on her 90% of the time. Reed vigorously defended the series and pointed to its 'wholesome American values' content dripping with helpful hints to happy family life and implied that anyone not like them could get stuffed. That interesting logic is carried today by the actor who played Jeff on the series, who also believes the series was all about American middle class values. A sort of 'test lab' of how to behave. Women began to discard the Reed female myth as the 60s challenged everything and anything. Thomas and Reed both made millions from their respective series, each owned their series and made serious cash. Neither really gave serious though about 'values' of their iconic shows but they did care about ratings and big money. Playing roles they believed reflected actual 'values' those values eventually led to deep scrutiny and rejection by many Americans.
Jackson was pretty and later became a hot woman. Thomas should have tried harder to keep her on the series. Her hotness was wasted as her career went down the tubes. Maybe that career became a victim of her firing one of the first rounds in the battle of female change and women's liberation. I doubt, however, if anyone sees it like that.
Looks like you did some serious research here. Didn't know any of this. Why did the wife leave? How did they write her out?
@@heidikickhouse- She was supposed to have died. The second wife was a nurse/homekeeper hired to watch the kids. I think she was supposed to be Irish.
@@sardu55 Thanks for the answer. I was working my way (thanks to RUclips and self-isolating) through whatever episodes I could find on the series chronologically, and haven't gotten to #2 wife. When I first started watching the MRFD episodes, I thought it was odd that the intro announcer said "Danny Thomas, his wife, his daughter, his son" (not even close to verbatim, I forget now what exactly it was) - without giving anybody real names but him, like they weren't actually people, except as they were in relationship to him. You don't have to answer this, but I assume Hagen left voluntarily? I bet that episode (the one killing her off I mean) was a tear jerker!
Thomas was way overrated.
He was a big family man, with traditional values, a voice, and a "schnoz". Charm is something difficult to define, but he had it. As a Lebanese/American, he embodied many attributed of which Americans were proud: a typical citizen of the melting pot. I liked him & many of my generation did too. Not overrated at all: perfect for the time & place in American history.
I agree he’s definitely overrated for 1953 but in 2thousand18 this is a gem man like him don’t almost exist anymore. Except I have a good strong working husband. Boy am I blessed.
every star and celebrity is overrated, especially the so-called celebrities of today...and without Danny Thomas there would be NO ST JUDE'S HOSPITAL.. Think about that you idiot...
@@juliemnm8273 👍
Danny Thomas provided millions of dollars in hospital care to children you imbecile. He helped sick children you VILLAGE IDIOT