https://jacksonupperco.com/2018/11/21/make-room-for-turkey-a-forgotten-sitcom-thanksgiving/

From the first year of Danny Thomas’ series, initially titled Make Room For Daddy, here’s Episode #9, “Thanksgiving Story,” which was written by Bob Fisher & Alan Lipscott, directed by Sheldon Leonard, and originally broadcast by ABC on November 24, 1953.

If you’re only familiar with the series under its second title, The Danny Thomas Show, which it took on in 1956 following the departure of leading lady Jean Hagen, this is a treat! While current syndication packages include all seven years with Danny’s second wife, played by Marjorie Lord, along with the transitional 1956-’57 season (which we spotlighted years ago in a tribute to Mary Wickes), this is one of the 90 episodes produced with Hagen that haven’t been formally seen on TV since the 1960s. (I believe that’s the source of this particular episode — note The Danny Thomas Show opening and closing credits.) About a third of the Hagen shows are known to circulate among collectors — I myself have 34/90 — and it’s now become mainstream opinion to celebrate them as being more realistic and character-driven. Frankly, I’ve not yet seen enough to go that far, but this episode, about Danny having to do a benefit in Boston on Thanksgiving, seems based on Thomas’ own life. (Note: Melville Shavelson is credited as a Story Consultant and guests include the recurring Ben Lessy, along with Will Wright, Jerry Hausner, Peter Leeds, and Robert North.) It’s charming — never hilarious like an I Love Lucy, but perfect with a side of mashed potatoes! Enjoy.

Hi. Nice to meet someone else who's fond of this series! FYI: The 1956-57 season was STILL 'Make Room for Daddy" as the 4th season still on ABC and title changed to "TheDannyThomas Show" when the show moved to CBS in the Fall of 1957! The CURRENT Package of shows STARTS with season 4 and goes all the way through the rest of its run which was season 11. When the show was first syndicated(1967) as well as the NBC daytime reruns in the early 60's, they DID air the 1st 4 seasons on NBC DAYTIME but only through the 9th season. Later after it went off NBC, this syndicated package ONLY included the 5th-9th seasons. I contacted the owner of THIS current airing package 4 years ago and hounded them to show the LAST 2 seasons that had NOT been seen since 1964. They did the digital-transfer of those final 2 seasons and as a bonus they also included the 4th season in this package. Thanks for reading all this!

This Thanksgiving episode would be interesting to see. I haven't seen seasons 1 thru 3 since they were on NBC daytime years ago. I doubt these episodes are in broadcast condition now. Syndication opening and closing credits, all with Make Room For Daddy titles, were made for seasons 1 thru 9. Seasons 1 thru 4 were only shown on NBC daytime (and 4, with Danny Thomas Show titles, also on Cozi), as far as I know. At some point the MRFD syndication openers for season 5 were altered, and the opener that included Sherry Jackson was "lost." The MRFD syndication opener for season 4 may also be lost.

The current package shown on Cozi, seasons 4 thru 11, are shown with Danny Thomas Show titles. I'm not sure where these openers came from, since they're not original network openers. The closing credits, also titled Danny Thomas Show, feature a very chopped up theme on most episodes. This was not the case with the MRFD syndication episodes--these episodes were shown a few years ago (seasons 5 thru 9) on MeTV. The episodes were more complete on MeTV, since they included the tag scene at the end, which Cozi cuts out.

Hi. Nice to meet someone else who's fond of this series! FYI: The 1956-57 season was STILL 'Make Room for Daddy" as the 4th season still on ABC and title changed to"TheDannyThomas Show" when the show moved to CBS in the Fall of 1957! The CURRENT Package of shows STARTS with season 4 and goes all the way through the rest of its run which was season 11. When the show was first syndicated(1967) as well as the NBC daytime reruns in the early 60's, they DID air the 1st 4 seasons on NBC DAYTIME but only through the 9th season. Later after it went off NBC, this syndicated package ONLY included the 5th-9th seasons. I contacted the owner of THIS current airing package 4 years ago and hounded them to show the LAST 2 seasons that had NOT been seen since 1964. They did the digital-transfer of those final 2 seasons and as a bonus they also included the 4th season in this package. Thanks for reading all this!

Hi Howard, actually that is incorrect. The title switch occurred at the top of the fourth season, the show's last on ABC.

Here's a link to a 16mm print of an original ABC broadcast of a fourth season episode. Note the title card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=f_vJY6vH0yM

And here are two newspaper articles from 1956 that confirm the title change.

https://jacksonupperco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Kenosha_Evening_News_Fri__Aug_31__1956_.jpg

https://jacksonupperco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Public_Opinion_Sat__Sep_15__1956_.jpg

You seem like a totally cool guy with interests in this show! I thought I was a maven BUT the show was called :Make Room For Daddy" throughout its ABC years (1953-1957) and was re-titled "The Danny Thomas Show" when it switched networks to CBS. I got this information by going through "The ClassicTVArchive" which I have printed out and it totally states that the name change occurred in Fall 1957! Thanks. BE WELL!

You seem like a totally cool guy with interests in this show! I thought I was a maven BUT the show was called :Make Room For Daddy" throughout its ABC years (1953-1957) and was re-titled "The Danny Thomas Show" when it switched networks to CBS. I got this information by going through "The ClassicTVArchive" which I have printed out and it totally states that the name change occurred in Fall 1957! Thanks. BE WELL!

I'm sorry, but in this case, CTVA is incorrect. I have 16mm episodes of the series from ABC's run of the fourth season that distinctly have THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW title (see the one linked above), and have provided newspaper blurbs that confirm the intended title switch occurred in 1956, not 1957.

It's totally weird that the Thanksgiving episode from 1953 that you posted (thanks!) opens with "The Danny Thomas Show' opening as the years with Hagen were NEVER called anything but "MRFD"! I think you might be right in the name-change beginning in Season 4 as other sources I checked confirm what you say but theclassictvarchive doesn't! It would make more sense to change the title after switching networks and having a new wife. Keep posting; you're FAB!

It's totally weird that the Thanksgiving episode from 1953 that you posted (thanks!) opens with "The Danny Thomas Show' opening as the years with Hagen were NEVER called anything but "MRFD"! I think you might be right in the name-change beginning in Season 4 as other sources I checked confirm what you say but theclassictvarchive doesn't! It would make more sense to change the title after switching networks and having a new wife. Keep posting; you're FAB!

Yes, some of the Hagen episodes, when unofficially telecast in the past several decades, have aired with the modified syndicated opening from the Lord years. Go figure!

Yes, there were multiple openings over the years, confusing things. I remember a season 5 MRFD syndicated opener, which included all three kids, and it seems to have disappeared.

The DT opener used on Cozi TV is not original either. Maybe someone can enlighten us on when that was used. I remember watching the episodes on (I think) NBC daytime, and I'm pretty sure they used MRFD openers and showed seasons 1 thru 9. Local syndication, cable (either Nick at Nite or TV Land), and MeTV all used MRFD syndicated openers, and showed seasons 5 thru 9.

The original network season 4 opener, titled The Danny Thomas Show, was only slightly modified and retitled MRFD for showing on NBC daytime.