Where's the Love?!?

[Kasey]

The Donna Reed Show is my 2nd favorite show ever and I love Hazel, so I would definitely like to see this one. I hope someday it surfaces again.

[Ronny G]

Originally Posted by Kasey

The Donna Reed Show is my 2nd favorite show ever and I love Hazel, so I would definitely like to see this one. I hope someday it surfaces again.

Here's a Donna Reed connection: In the episode, "One Rainy Night", Katy and Glen are stranded overnight at the Justice of the Peace's house, and they used the same living room set that was used for Donna Reed. All those old Screen Gems shows recycled sets.

Oh, and a Hazel connection: The exterior house facade where the Morley's lived is the same house where Hazel lived in the last season when she moved in with Mr. Baxter's brother. It still stands today on the back lot.

[1960'sTVfan]

I watched a couple episodes of Farmers Daughter on you tube, and while a full assessment of the series can't be made based on two episodes, from what I saw my suspicion was confirmed, the show has some nostalgia value but that's about it. Like most 60's shows, it's well made and the acting is good, but the episodes are slow moving, not much going on in the way of laughs, and the subject matter is not all that interesting. I honestly had a difficult time staying awake sitting by my computer watching these episodes. The show is a snoozer, that's probably why it's being neglected these days. Maybe Antenna TV can air the episodes at 2 or 3 in the morning for insomniacs who need help getting to sleep.

Searching around on you tube, I found a few episodes of OK Crackerby, those were really cool to see as I'm a Burl Ives fan. I would like to see all 17 episodes out on DVD, but I doubt that will ever happen, very few people are interested in this short lived show.

Also on you tube I found an episode of the one season sitcom The Second Hundred Years. Again not a very good show, but interesting to see for the nostalgia factor.

[Jude The Obscure]

So from what I gather--this show is not "lost"--it's just that Sony refuses to transfer the 35mm films to digital. What a sad sad company this is.

I remember the black and white seasons had this peppy "sort of like" Hazel theme song while the final color season had a very sophisticated unsitcom like theme.

[Ronny G]

Originally Posted by Jude The Obscure

So from what I gather--this show is not "lost"--it's just that Sony refuses to transfer the 35mm films to digital. What a sad sad company this is.

Correct. It seems nobody at Sony knows whats going on. They made a deal with Antenna TV in 2010 to air the show. From the information I gathered, when Sony went to pull the tapes, they couldn't find them. Then they told Antenna TV that the tapes are in bad shape, and need to be remastered. Another source says there are no tape masters. They were never made. The old stations back in the 1980s, used to run 16mm film prints.

[Ronny G]

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

Like most 60's shows, it's well made and the acting is good, but the episodes are slow moving, not much going on in the way of laughs, and the subject matter is not all that interesting. I honestly had a difficult time staying awake sitting by my computer watching these episodes. The show is a snoozer, that's probably why it's being neglected these days. Maybe Antenna TV can air the episodes at 2 or 3 in the morning for insomniacs who need help getting to sleep.

That's cool that you gave the show a chance. I don't know which episodes you watched. Was it the pilot and the wedding episode?
I didn't care much for the pilot myself. I thought it was too long and drawn out. They aired it in 2 parts. I think the show got better once everyone settled into their characters.

I have to agree with some of your comments to a certain extent. Yes, its dated and the first two seasons are in b&w, so that is a strike against it. It was never heavy on belly laughs. I used the words, "dramedy" and romantic comedy. The writers really played up the romantic angle. A lot of episodes had Katy falling in love, or pining over Glen, or getting involved with other couples.

The show was aimed more towards adults--specifically women. Clairol was a sponsor, so they wanted women to tune in and buy their hair products. It definitely wasn't a kids show. They didn't focus on the kids much. They never manufactured Farmer's Daughter paper dolls, or coloring books.

It offered a different setting than the typical household family sitcoms. She wasn't a housewife. She was an independent, single working girl living in Washington, D.C. Come to think of it, she was a predecessor to Marlo Thomas on That Girl.

I think ultimately the success of the show lies with its star power, Inger Stevens. I heard they wrote the show with her mind. Either you like her or don't. And I happen to like her, and would watch her read the phone book.

[1960'sTVfan]

I don't recall Ronny the episode titles, but both have the original commercials, one is from the 1st season sponsored by Lark Cigarettes, the other is from the 2nd season sponsored by Clairol. It's one of those shows that hasn't dated well, but was still cool to see a few episodes for the nostalgia factor.

[Ronny G]

Originally Posted by Jude The Obscure

CBN had a great lineup back then...you saw shows that were not "evergreens".

True. Besides The Farmer's Daughter, I remember watching The Doris Day Show, Medical Center, The Patty Duke Show, and The Courtship of Eddie's Father.