Donna Reed
Encyclopedia
Donna Reed was an American film and television actress.
With appearances in over 40 films, Reed received the 1953
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the tramp Lorene in the war drama From Here to Eternity
. She is also noted for her role in the perennial Christmas favorite It's a Wonderful Life
(1946). She also worked extensively in television, notably as Donna Stone, an American middle class mother in the sitcom The Donna Reed Show
(1958–1966), in which she played a more prominent role than many other television mothers of the era and for which she received the 1963
Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star - Female. Later in Reed's career she replaced Barbara Bel Geddes
as Miss Ellie in 1984 season of the television melodrama, Dallas
, and sued the production company for breach of contract when she was abruptly fired upon Bel Geddes's decision to return to the show.
, the daughter of Hazel Jane Shives (1899–1975) and William Richard Mullenger (1893–1981). The eldest of five children, she was raised as a Methodist
. After graduating from Denison High School, Reed planned to become a teacher, but was unable to pay for college. She decided to move to California to attend Los Angeles City College
on the advice of her aunt. While attending college, she performed in various stage productions but had no plans to become an actress. After receiving several offers to screen test
for studios, Reed eventually signed with MGM, but insisted on finishing her education first.
. Billed in her first feature as Donna Adams, MGM decided against the name and changed it to Donna Reed. She starred in The Courtship of Andy Hardy and had a supporting role with Edward Arnold in Eyes in the Night (1942). In 1943, she appeared in The Human Comedy
with Mickey Rooney
, followed by roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray
and They Were Expendable
, both in 1945.
Her "girl-next-door" good looks and warm on-stage personality made her a popular pin-up for many GIs during World War II
. She personally answered letters from many GIs serving overseas.
In 1946, she was lent to RKO Pictures
for the role of Mary Bailey in Frank Capra
's It's a Wonderful Life
. The film has since been named as one of the 100 best American films ever made
by the American Film Institute
and is regularly aired on television during the Christmas season.
Following the release of It's a Wonderful Life, Reed appeared in Green Dolphin Street
(1947) with Lana Turner
and Van Heflin
, and Scandal Sheet (1952). In 1953, she played the role of Alma "Lorene" Burke, a prostitute and mistress of Montgomery Clift
's character in the World War II drama From Here to Eternity
. The role earned Reed an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
for 1953.
Beginning in 1958, she starred in The Donna Reed Show
, a television situation-comedy series that featured her as Donna Stone, the idealized housewife of pediatrician
Dr. Alex Stone (Carl Betz
) and mother of Jeff (Paul Petersen
) and Mary Stone (Shelley Fabares
). It ran for eight seasons on ABC
. Reed won a Golden Globe Award
and earned four Emmy Award
nominations for her work on the series.
After The Donna Reed Show ended its run in 1966, Reed took time off from acting and helped form the advocacy group
, Another Mother For Peace
in 1967. Reed also became an opponent of the Vietnam War
and the use of nuclear weapon
s. She returned to acting in the 1970s, appearing in various guest spots in television series and television movies.
In 1984, she replaced Barbara Bel Geddes
, who had decided to step down from her role as "Miss Ellie" in the television series Dallas
in the 1984-85 season. When Bel Geddes agreed to return to the role for the 1985-86 season, Reed was abruptly fired. She sued the show's production company for breach of contract
and later settled out of court for over $1 million.
Tony Owen (1907–1984) with whom she raised four children:
Penny Jane, Anthony, Timothy, and Mary Anne (the two oldest children were adopted). Reed and Owen divorce
d in 1971, and three years later, she married retired U. S. Army Colonel
Grover W. Asmus (1926–2003).
During the Vietnam War, Reed was a peace activist, co-chairing a group opposed to the war called Another Mother for Peace.
On January 8, 1945, Reed went to Juarez, Mexico, to obtain a divorce from Bill Tuttle. Returning home on the night of January 9, 1945, Reed boarded a plane in El Paso, Texas, for a flight back to Los Angeles. Just as the plane was about to take off, Reed was bumped from the flight to make room for a military officer. The airliner crashed on approach to Lockheed Air Terminal (now called Bob Hope Airport
) in Burbank, California, killing everyone on board.
in Beverly Hills, California
, on January 14, 1986, thirteen days short of her 65th birthday. She had been diagnosed with the terminal illness three months prior. She is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
in Los Angeles
.
In 1987, Grover Asmus (Reed's widower), actresses Shelley Fabares and Norma Connolly, and numerous friends, associates, and family members created the Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts. Based in Reed's hometown of Denison, the non-profit organization grants scholarships for performing arts students, runs an annual festival of performing arts workshops, and operates "The Donna Reed Center for the Performing Arts".
Reed's hometown of Denison, Iowa, hosts the annual Donna Reed Festival. Reed's childhood home was located on Donna Reed Drive in Denison but was destroyed by a fire in 1983.
Reed's Academy Award is on display at W.A. McHenry museum house in Denison
, Iowa
.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Donna Reed has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1610 Vine Street
.
In May 2010 Turner Classic Movies
honored Donna as their star of the month which saw Mary Owen pay a special tribute to her mother.
With appearances in over 40 films, Reed received the 1953
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the tramp Lorene in the war drama From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the...
. She is also noted for her role in the perennial Christmas favorite It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
(1946). She also worked extensively in television, notably as Donna Stone, an American middle class mother in the sitcom The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
(1958–1966), in which she played a more prominent role than many other television mothers of the era and for which she received the 1963
1963 in television
The year 1963 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1963.-Events:*January 13 – BBC Television broadcasts the play The Madhouse on Castle Street in the Sunday-Night Theatre strand...
Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star - Female. Later in Reed's career she replaced Barbara Bel Geddes
Barbara Bel Geddes
Barbara Bel Geddes was an American actress, artist and children's author. She is best known for her role in the television drama series Dallas as matriarch Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing. Bel Geddes also starred in the original Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the role of Maggie...
as Miss Ellie in 1984 season of the television melodrama, Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, and sued the production company for breach of contract when she was abruptly fired upon Bel Geddes's decision to return to the show.
Early life
Reed was born Donna Belle Mullenger on a farm near Denison, IowaDenison, Iowa
Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 7,339 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Denison is located at ....
, the daughter of Hazel Jane Shives (1899–1975) and William Richard Mullenger (1893–1981). The eldest of five children, she was raised as a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
. After graduating from Denison High School, Reed planned to become a teacher, but was unable to pay for college. She decided to move to California to attend Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
on the advice of her aunt. While attending college, she performed in various stage productions but had no plans to become an actress. After receiving several offers to screen test
Screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film and/or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a camera to see if they are suitable...
for studios, Reed eventually signed with MGM, but insisted on finishing her education first.
Career
After signing with MGM in 1941, Reed made her film debut that same year in The Get-Away, opposite Robert SterlingRobert Sterling
Robert Sterling, born William Sterling Hart was an American film and television actor.-Early life:...
. Billed in her first feature as Donna Adams, MGM decided against the name and changed it to Donna Reed. She starred in The Courtship of Andy Hardy and had a supporting role with Edward Arnold in Eyes in the Night (1942). In 1943, she appeared in The Human Comedy
The Human Comedy (film)
The Human Comedy is a 1943 drama film directed by Clarence Brown and adapted by Howard Estabrook. It is often thought to be based on the William Saroyan novel of the same name, but actually Saroyan wrote the screenplay first, was fired from the movie project, and quickly wrote the novel and...
with Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
, followed by roles in The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)
The Picture of Dorian Gray is an American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin and stars George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray...
and They Were Expendable
They Were Expendable
They Were Expendable is a 1945 American war film directed by John Ford and starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne. The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating the story of the exploits of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, a PT boat unit defending the Philippines against Japanese...
, both in 1945.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She personally answered letters from many GIs serving overseas.
In 1946, she was lent to RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
for the role of Mary Bailey in Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
's It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life
It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern....
. The film has since been named as one of the 100 best American films ever made
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies
The first of the AFI 100 Years… series of cinematic milestones, AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies is a list of the 100 best American movies, as determined by the American Film Institute from a poll of more than 1,500 artists and leaders in the film industry who chose from a list of 400 nominated movies...
by the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
and is regularly aired on television during the Christmas season.
Following the release of It's a Wonderful Life, Reed appeared in Green Dolphin Street
Green Dolphin Street
Green Dolphin Street is a 1947 historic drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Plot summary:In the 1840s, two sisters fall in love with the same man...
(1947) with Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
and Van Heflin
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
, and Scandal Sheet (1952). In 1953, she played the role of Alma "Lorene" Burke, a prostitute and mistress of Montgomery Clift
Montgomery Clift
Edward Montgomery Clift was an American film and stage actor. The New York Times’ obituary noted his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men"....
's character in the World War II drama From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the...
. The role earned Reed an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
for 1953.
Beginning in 1958, she starred in The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
, a television situation-comedy series that featured her as Donna Stone, the idealized housewife of pediatrician
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
Dr. Alex Stone (Carl Betz
Carl Betz
Carl Betz was an American film and television actor. A native of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Betz participated in childhood theatricals and later worked in summer stock. He graduated from Mount Lebanon High School in 1939 and then served in the military...
) and mother of Jeff (Paul Petersen
Paul Petersen
William Paul Petersen is an American movie actor, singer, novelist, and activist. Primarily known for his character-type roles in the 1960s and 1970s, as an adult Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child stars and other child laborers through legislation,...
) and Mary Stone (Shelley Fabares
Shelley Fabares
Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...
). It ran for eight seasons on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Reed won a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
and earned four Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations for her work on the series.
After The Donna Reed Show ended its run in 1966, Reed took time off from acting and helped form the advocacy group
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
, Another Mother For Peace
Another Mother For Peace
Another Mother for Peace is a grass-roots anti-war advocacy group founded in 1967 in opposition to the U.S. war in Vietnam. The association is “dedicated to eliminating the use of war as a means of solving disputes among nations, people and ideologies...
in 1967. Reed also became an opponent of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and the use of nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s. She returned to acting in the 1970s, appearing in various guest spots in television series and television movies.
In 1984, she replaced Barbara Bel Geddes
Barbara Bel Geddes
Barbara Bel Geddes was an American actress, artist and children's author. She is best known for her role in the television drama series Dallas as matriarch Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Ewing. Bel Geddes also starred in the original Broadway production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in the role of Maggie...
, who had decided to step down from her role as "Miss Ellie" in the television series Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
in the 1984-85 season. When Bel Geddes agreed to return to the role for the 1985-86 season, Reed was abruptly fired. She sued the show's production company for breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
and later settled out of court for over $1 million.
Personal life
From 1943 to 1945, Reed was married to make up artist William Tuttle. In 1945, she married producerTelevision producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
Tony Owen (1907–1984) with whom she raised four children:
Penny Jane, Anthony, Timothy, and Mary Anne (the two oldest children were adopted). Reed and Owen divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d in 1971, and three years later, she married retired U. S. Army Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Grover W. Asmus (1926–2003).
During the Vietnam War, Reed was a peace activist, co-chairing a group opposed to the war called Another Mother for Peace.
On January 8, 1945, Reed went to Juarez, Mexico, to obtain a divorce from Bill Tuttle. Returning home on the night of January 9, 1945, Reed boarded a plane in El Paso, Texas, for a flight back to Los Angeles. Just as the plane was about to take off, Reed was bumped from the flight to make room for a military officer. The airliner crashed on approach to Lockheed Air Terminal (now called Bob Hope Airport
Bob Hope Airport
Bob Hope Airport is a public airport located 3 miles northwest of the central business district of Burbank, a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
) in Burbank, California, killing everyone on board.
Death
Reed died of pancreatic cancerPancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, on January 14, 1986, thirteen days short of her 65th birthday. She had been diagnosed with the terminal illness three months prior. She is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood....
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Legacy and tributes
Reed's hometown of Denison, Iowa, hosts the annual Donna Reed Festival. Reed's childhood home was located on Donna Reed Drive in Denison but was destroyed by a fire in 1983.
Reed's Academy Award is on display at W.A. McHenry museum house in Denison
Denison, Iowa
Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 7,339 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Denison is located at ....
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Donna Reed has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1610 Vine Street
Vine Street
Vine is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north-south from Melrose Avenue up past Hollywood Boulevard. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine was once a symbol of Hollywood itself...
.
In May 2010 Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
honored Donna as their star of the month which saw Mary Owen pay a special tribute to her mother.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1941 | The Get-Away | Maria Theresa 'Terry' O'Reilly | Alternative title: The Getaway |
| Shadow of the Thin Man Shadow of the Thin Man Shadow of the Thin Man is the fourth of the six The Thin Man films. It was released in 1941 and was directed by W. S. Van Dyke. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Also, in this film their son Nick Jr. is old enough to figure in the comic subplot... |
Molly | ||
| Babes on Broadway Babes on Broadway Babes on Broadway is a 1941 musical film starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland and directed by Busby Berkeley, with Vincente Minnelli directing Garland's big solo numbers. The film, which features Fay Bainter and Virginia Weidler, was the third in the "Backyard Musical" series about kids who put... |
Jonesy's Secretary | Uncredited | |
| 1942 | Personalities | Uncredited | |
| The Bugle Sounds The Bugle Sounds The Bugle Sounds is a 1942 World War II movie starring Wallace Beery as a cavalry sergeant resistant to replacing horses with tanks. The supporting cast includes Marjorie Main, Lewis Stone, George Bancroft, Donna Reed, and Chill Wills. The film was directed by S... |
Sally Hanson | ||
| The Courtship of Andy Hardy Andy Hardy Andy Hardy was a fictional character played by Mickey Rooney in an MGM film series from 1937 to 1958. Spanning over 20 years, the 16 movies were based on characters in the play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol.... |
Melodie Eunice Nesbit | ||
| Mokey | Anthea Delano | ||
| Calling Dr. Gillespie Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series... |
Marcia Bradburn | ||
| Apache Trail | Rosalia Martinez | ||
| Eyes in the Night Eyes in the Night Eyes in the Night is a 1942 American mystery film directed by Fred Zinnemann based on Baynard Kendrick's 1941 novel The Odor of Violets .- Plot summary :... |
Barbara Lawry | ||
| 1943 | The Human Comedy The Human Comedy (film) The Human Comedy is a 1943 drama film directed by Clarence Brown and adapted by Howard Estabrook. It is often thought to be based on the William Saroyan novel of the same name, but actually Saroyan wrote the screenplay first, was fired from the movie project, and quickly wrote the novel and... |
Bess Macauley | |
| Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series... |
Marcia Bradburn | Alternative title: Crazy to Kill | |
| The Man from Down Under The Man from Down Under The Man from Down Under is a 1943 drama film starring Charles Laughton as a man who raises two war orphans.-Plot:After the end of World War I, Australian soldier Jocko Wilson admires the spirit of a destitute Belgian orphan who fights a larger boy. He feeds the child, whom he names "Nipper", and... |
Mary Wilson | ||
| Thousands Cheer Thousands Cheer Thousands Cheer is a 1943 American comedy musical film released by MGM. Produced at the height of the Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families.-Plot:The film is essentially a two-part program... |
Customer in Red Skelton Red Skelton Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing... Skit |
||
| 1944 | See Here, Private Hargrove | Carol Holliday | |
| Gentle Annie Gentle Annie (film) Gentle Annie is a film with a Western theme, directed in 1944 by Andrew Marton, starring Donna Reed and James Craig.. Marjorie Main played the role of Annie Goss. A notable actor in this film is Harry Morgan, who plays Cottonwood Goss... |
Mary Lingen | ||
| 1945 | The Picture of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film) The Picture of Dorian Gray is an American horror-drama film based on Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel of the same name. Released in March 1945 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is directed by Albert Lewin and stars George Sanders as Lord Henry Wotton and Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray... |
Gladys Hallward | |
| They Were Expendable They Were Expendable They Were Expendable is a 1945 American war film directed by John Ford and starring Robert Montgomery and John Wayne. The film is based on the book by William L. White, relating the story of the exploits of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, a PT boat unit defending the Philippines against Japanese... |
Lt. Sandy Davyss | ||
| 1946 | Faithful in My Fashion | Jean Kendrick | |
| It's a Wonderful Life It's a Wonderful Life It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American Christmas drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern.... |
Mary Hatch Bailey | Alternative title: Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life | |
| 1947 | Green Dolphin Street Green Dolphin Street Green Dolphin Street is a 1947 historic drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Plot summary:In the 1840s, two sisters fall in love with the same man... |
Marguerite Patourel | |
| 1948 | Beyond Glory | Ann Daniels | |
| 1949 | Chicago Deadline | Rosita Jean D'Ur | |
| 1951 | Saturday's Hero | Melissa | Alternative title: Idols in the Dust |
| 1952 | Scandal Sheet | Julie Allison | Alternative title: The Dark Page |
| Hangman's Knot Hangman's Knot Hangman's Knot is a 1952 western movie written and directed by Roy Huggins and starring Randolph Scott and Donna Reed.-Plot:Matt Stewart leads an ambush and robbery of a military gold train. It is 1865 in Nevada and Major Stewart's band is a unit of Rebels... |
Molly Hull | ||
| 1953 | Trouble Along the Way Trouble Along the Way Trouble Along the Way was a 1953 film starring John Wayne and Donna Reed, with a supporting cast including Charles Coburn and Marie Windsor. The movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, director of Casablanca. The black-and-white comedy was released by Warner Bros... |
Alice Singleton | Alternative title: Alma Mater |
| Raiders of the Seven Seas | Alida | ||
| From Here to Eternity From Here to Eternity From Here to Eternity is a 1953 drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and based on the novel of the same name by James Jones. It deals with the troubles of soldiers, played by Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Ernest Borgnine stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to the... |
Alma "Lorene" Burke | Winner: Best Supporting Actress Academy Award | |
| The Caddy The Caddy The Caddy is a 1953 American film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It was filmed from November 24, 1952 through February 23, 1953. It was released by Paramount Pictures on August 10, 1953... |
Kathy Taylor | ||
| Gun Fury Gun Fury Gun Fury is a 1953 western film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Rock Hudson and Donna Reed. The film is based on the novel Ten Against Caesar by Kathleen B. George and Robert A. Granger... |
Jennifer Ballard | ||
| 1954 | They Rode West | Laurie MacKaye | |
| Three Hours to Kill | Laurie Mastin | ||
| The Last Time I Saw Paris The Last Time I Saw Paris The Last Time I Saw Paris is a 1954 romantic drama made by MGM. It is loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited." It was directed by Richard Brooks, produced by Jack Cummings and filmed on locations in Paris and the MGM backlot. The screenplay was by Julius J. Epstein,... |
Marion Ellswirth/Matine | ||
| 1955 | The Far Horizons The Far Horizons (1955 film) The Far Horizons is a 1955 Western directed by Rudolph Maté, starring Fred MacMurray, Charlton Heston, Donna Reed and Barbara Hale. An expedition led by Lewis and Clark is sent to survey the territory that the United States has just acquired in the Louisiana Purchase from France... |
Sacajawea | Alternative title: The Untamed West |
| The Benny Goodman Story The Benny Goodman Story The Benny Goodman Story is a biographical film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, directed by Valentine Davies and released by Universal Studios in 1956. The film is based on the life of famed clarinetist Benny Goodman, who recorded most of the clarinet solos used in the film... |
Alice Hammond | ||
| 1956 | Ransom! Ransom! Ransom! is a 1956 crime drama examining the reactions of parents, police, and the public to a kidnapping. Written by Richard Maibaum and Cyril Hume, the film was based on a popular episode of "The United States Steel Hour" titled "Fearful Decision," which aired in 1954... |
Edith Stannard | Alternative title: Fearful Decision |
| Backlash Backlash (1956 film) Backlash is a 1956 Technicolor film released by Universal-International Pictures. It was directed by John Sturges , and unfolds in the vein of the psychological Western Backlash is a 1956 Technicolor film released by Universal-International Pictures. It was directed by John Sturges (with whom... |
Karyl Orton | ||
| Beyond Mombasa | Ann Wilson | ||
| 1958 | The Whole Truth The Whole Truth (1958 film) The Whole Truth is a 1958 British thriller film directed by John Guillermin and starring Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Donna Reed and Peter Dyneley.-Cast:* Stewart Granger as Max Poulton* Donna Reed as Carol Poulton* George Sanders as Carliss... |
Carol Poulton | |
| 1974 | Yellow-Headed Summer | ||
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954 | The Ford Television Theatre | Lydia Campbell | 1 episode |
| 1955 | Tales of Hans Anderson | 1 episode | |
| 1957 | General Electric Theater General Electric Theater General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:... |
Rayna | 1 episode |
| Suspicion | Letty Jason | 1 episode | |
| 1958–1966 | The Donna Reed Show The Donna Reed Show The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September... |
Donna Stone | 275 episodes |
| 1979 | The Best Place to Be | Sheila Callahan | Television movie |
| 1983 | Deadly Lessons | Miss Wade | Television movie |
| 1984 | The Love Boat The Love Boat The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain... |
2 episodes | |
| 1984–1985 | Dallas Dallas (TV series) Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing... |
Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing Farlow | 24 episodes, replacement 'mom' |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Academy Award | Won | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | From Here to Eternity |
| 1963 | Golden Globe Award Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign... |
Best TV Star - Female | The Donna Reed Show | |
| 1964 | Golden Apple Awards | Most Cooperative Actress | |
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| 1959 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Nominated | Best Actress in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series | The Donna Reed Show |
| 1960 | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead or Support) | The Donna Reed Show | ||
| 1961 | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) | The Donna Reed Show | ||
| 1962 | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series (Lead) | The Donna Reed Show | ||
| 2004 | TV Land Awards TV Land Awards The TV Land Awards is an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with awards such as the Emmys. It is presented in a manner that spoofs other entertainment award ceremonies... |
The Most Irreplaceable Replacement | Dallas | |
| 2006 | The Most Irreplaceable Replacement | Dallas |