“The Donna Reed show” did not only open doors to the acting careers of its casts. The show also had some notable unexpected hit songs which led to successful the singing careers of its cast. Probably the most famous of these songs was “Johnny Angel” which was sung by Shelley Fabares.
The song was originally sung and recorded by both Laurie Loman and Georgia Lee, but the two previous versions were not successful. When Shelley Fabares sang it and it was featured in “The Donna Reed Show”, it became a huge hit and even made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Keeping It in the Family
Paul Petersen first became famous for his role as Jeff Stone on "The Donna Reed Show," which eventually made his transition to his real passion, singing, much easier. In the later seasons of the show, his sister, Patty Petersen was then chosen to play the role of Trisha who was Jeff Stone’s adopted sister.
Already being genuine brother and sister, the job proved to be so much easier for the two actors to translate their relationship on-screen. The actors were close in real life and they both expressed how much they enjoyed working together as they were also able to spend more time together on set.
Secret Illness
Carl Betz was an American stage, film, and television actor, who was most famously known for his role as Donna Reed’s television husband, Dr. Alex Stone. Alex’s role on the show was often to rescue his wife Donna Stone from awkward situations and to discipline and help take care of their children.
Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer in 1977. This was only more difficult for him because of his very strong work ethic. He did not want to leave his work so he kept his medical condition a secret to be able to continue working as an actor. He passed away less than one year later.
Paul Petersen the Singer
Paul Petersen was one of the breakout singers that were on the cast of "The Donna Reed Show". He performed a song called “My Dad” on the show, and it immediately became a sensation. It was then released as a single and it reached an honorable 6th place on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.
The song “My Dad” was found to be very heart-warming and true in spirit by many of the show’s fans. It is a song about how a dad was viewed by an adoring daughter. Because of this, Petersen received many recording offers which produced many other hit songs which include “She Can’t Find Her Keys”. A song that was also featured on the show.
The Donna Reed Festival
Every year, a festival in honor of Donna Reed is held in Denison, Iowa, named: “The Annual Donna Reed Performing Arts Festival and Workshops". This festival is organized by the Donna Reed Foundation for the Performing Arts. At this festival, they offer different workshops and seminars related to performing arts.
The foundation also offers scholarships and merit awards to individuals who qualify for post-secondary education and desire to pursue an education or a career in the performing arts. The festival is held every year in the third week of June. One of the organizers of the festival is Paul Petersen, who played Donna’s son on the Show. He's also become a member of the Donna Reed Foundation.