Has Donna Reed's film career become a footnote

[TMC]

Or more specifically, the fact that she was an Academy Award winner prior to her launching her sitcom? I started thinking about this after watching the recent Nick Knacks retrospective (about the history of Nickelodeon) on The Donna Reed Show on YouTube.

If I have my facts straight, Donna Reed was always cast as girl-next-door virtuous types. But she never had much of a career as a contract player at MGM during their Golden Age. She with all due respect, mostly made forgettable B films as like I said before, the perennial good girl. After leaving MGM, she was still trapped in mostly forgettable B films except for It's a Wonderful Life, but that wasn't appreciated until years later when it was seen annually on TV.

She was then brilliantly cast against type as a bad girl prostitute in From Here to Eternity, WON an Oscar for it, and never had any follow up except for the huge success of her TV series playing the perfect wife and mother.

[merlinjones]

Film or TV, I love Donna. She's so good at conveying honest emotion and tugging heart strings. So many subtleties and such honesty in her work.

Any actress would be lucky to have several iconic film roles for the ages (The Picture of Dorian Grey in addition to It's a Wonderful Life and From Here to Eternity) and a fondly recalled, still relevant series -- I'd like to reassess her work on Dallas - but I haven't seen those episodes since they were originally run (shame she had to be compared to the equally compelling Barbara BelGeddes).

[Duster76]

The difference between movie acting and TV acting, movies are big screen requiring the performer's personality to be larger than life, TV requires a more intimate portrayal. I think Donna Reed was better on TV. Jimmy Stewart blamed the box office failure (hard to believe) of "It's A Wonderful Life" on the lack of screen chemistry between himself and Donna Reed. She was originally scheduled to be the female lead in "The Stratton Story", but Jimmy Stewart refused to work with her so she was replaced by June Allyson.

[merlinjones]

Well, I hate to disagree with Jimmy, but as a frequent viewer I've always felt he and Donna had AMAZING chemistry in It's a Wonderful Life. As Mary, she has to carry a lot of the romantic and emotional connection because George's character is often distant and self-indulgent, so there isn't the usual sort of relationship due to the needed character's arcs. I think both performances are powerful and wonderful.

My belief is that the film's concept was simply too despairing/dark (though the narrative is just as often lighthearted), for the direct-postwar era. It was ahead of its time.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by merlinjones

Well, I hate to disagree with Jimmy, but as a frequent viewer I've always felt he and Donna had AMAZING chemistry in It's a Wonderful Life. As Mary, she has to carry a lot of the romantic and emotional connection because George's character is often distant and self-indulgent, so there isn't the usual sort of relationship due to the needed character's arcs. I think both performances are powerful and wonderful.

My belief is that the film's concept was simply too despairing/dark (though the narrative is just as often lighthearted), for the direct-postwar era. It was ahead of its time.

Very interesting comments concerning "It's A Wonderful Life". The film can be viewed in many different ways producing a unique experience each time. You mentioned that you found the concept too despairing/dark for the direct- postwar era. Some film historians believe exactly the opposite, feeling the disappointing performance at the box office is due in part to its overly sentimental simple view of life. Remember a film that was embraced by postwar America was "The Best Years of Our Lives", which presented a postwar experience full of complexities and uncertain futures.

"It's A Wonderful Life is a true masterpiece and I don't agree with Stewart's appraisal of Reed's performance, the shared phone scene is very powerful and loaded with chemistry, as is the bush scene, and the scene in the angel sequence between Stewart and Reed where Donna creates a completely different Mary Hatch (some old maid!!). The picture can be viewed as a straight movie, or an American version of "A Christmas Carol", or very dark appraisal of some of the individuals in Bedford Falls who seem two-dimensional, vapid without George in their lives. One very interesting aspect I've seen discussed concerns Bedford Falls itself, it's certainly different without George, but it also seems full of life, look at Martini's as opposed to Nick's, or downtown Bedford Falls. You know you are looking at something very special when it can evoke so many different viewing experiences.

[merlinjones]

Hmmm. You may have a point about the optimistic payoff of "Wonderful Life" not connecting with the times as opposed to "Best Years" as a necessary psychological outlet to the war experience. Personally, I lean toward the weighty but optimistic myself (which else would I be found online discussing The Donna Reed Show - I also like Walt Disney's films, the real Walt ones). I find "Best Years" relentlessly depressing though I am a big fan of Theresa Wright (especially in "Shadow of a Doubt").

"Full of life" or "out of control"? Truly a conundrum for our own times as well as theirs. Interesting view of the film I hadn't considered.

Anyhow I just ordered a Donna Reed biography to learn more about her big screen years.

[Schmo]

Donna began appearing in films in the early 1940s. My guess is that after winning an Oscar for her part in From Here to Eternity Reed thought she would get more substantial roles, but she didn’t, and turned to television. Other actresses did the same with varying success after their big-screen careers waned.