Revisiting My Childhood Via "The Danny Thomas Show"

 

(From left to right) Rusty Hamer, Penny Parker,
Danny Thomas, Angela Cartwright, and Marjorie Lord.

Although it ran for eleven seasons (1953-1964) and ranked in the top ten in every season but one, “The Danny Thomas Show” seems less beloved today than contemporaries like “I Love Lucy,” “The Donna Reed Show,” “Leave It to Beaver” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” 

In it, Danny Thomas plays Danny Williams, a popular singer and comedian who works in a New York nightclub. He lives in a Manhattan apartment with his wife and two kids. It’s meant as a roman à clef except, ironically, during the show's 11-year run Danny Thomas was primarily a television performer living and working in Los Angeles, where the show was filmed, not a nightclub entertainer working and living in New York City.

Between broadcast TV, cable, and streaming, there’s a lot of bandwidth to fill these days so just about everything is available somewhere. Every program on television back then was either broadcast live or shot on film. Shows shot and finished on film in black-and-white digitize beautifully, so it looks great.  

I was a fan of the show, meaning my parents liked it. I was two years old when it debuted in 1953, on ABC as “Make Room for Daddy.” It became “The Danny Thomas Show” for the fourth season, then moved to CBS for year five. I could usually get a laugh from my parents by calling it "Make Room for Danny."

The original Mrs. Williams, played by Jean Hagen, was unhappy and decided to leave after year three. On the show, she died during the off-season and season four began with Danny as a single parent. The show didn’t change much, and the dead wife was rarely mentioned. By the end of season four, Danny was dating. His new wife was Kathy, played by Marjorie Lord, who brought with her a six-year-old daughter, Linda, played by Angela Cartwright, to begin season five. This corresponded with the move to CBS and the ratings soared.

Unlike many family shows of that era, such as “Leave It to Beaver,” “The Danny Thomas Show” was mostly about the adults, although the kids often got the best jokes. 

Sitcoms in those days were 33 episodes per season. That’s a lot of work, especially for kids. Rusty Hamer played son Rusty Williams for the show’s entire 11-year run. Sherry Jackson, who played Danny’s daughter, Terry, was ready to leave after season four. As her character was by then a teenager, it was natural for her to be around less often. She made occasional appearances through season six. After that she was replaced by Penny Parker. They did a seven-show arc leading to her marriage after which the character largely disappeared.

Angela Cartwright, who played Linda, was always of special interest to me because we're about the same age. After her seven seasons there, she played Brigitta von Trapp in "The Sound of Music," then did three seasons as Penny Robinson on "Lost in Space." After that she worked in TV and film only occasionally.

Unlike most of its contemporaries, “The Danny Thomas Show” featured musical numbers in virtually every episode, and sometimes two or three. Most were by Danny, but many guest stars sang a song or two. Some performances took place in the family's apartment, where he accompanied himself on piano, joined inevitably by a mysterious, unseen orchestra. The orchestra was visible in scenes at the Copa Club (loosely based on the actual Copacabana nightclub), where his act consisted of songs and funny stories.

The heavy use of musical and comedy performances, so far outside the normal sitcom model, may be what dates the show. 

Another regular feature that probably doesn’t play as well now as it did then is the frequent use of guest stars. Some played characters but many played themselves, as Danny’s show-biz friends. They included Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnez, Dinah Shore, and many others. Sheldon Leonard, who appeared occasionally as Danny’s manager, Phil, was also the show’s producer and director. 

Recurring characters included Danny’s Uncle Tonoose from Toledo, played by Hans Conried; an Italian foreign exchange student named Gina, played by Annette Funicello; and Kathy’s father, played by William Demarest, who is better known as Uncle Charley from “My Three Sons.” 

Although available to stream, I’m catching shows as they appear on the Catchy Comedy channel and MeTV+.