Make Room for Daddy: Season 6 (1953)

One of the longest running family comedies of the 1950s, "Make Room For Daddy" ran from September 1953 until September 1964. The series was nominated for 14 Emmy® Awards, winning four, including "Best Situation Comedy" and "Best Actor" for Danny.

The series was a reflection of Danny Thomas' own life as an entertainer and the problems created by the frequent absences from his children. Even the title came from a phrase used in the real-life Thomas household: whenever Danny returned from a tour, his 2 daughters (Marlo and Terre) had to shift bedrooms to "Make Room For Daddy".

In the series, Danny plays nightclub entertainer Danny Williams, an occasionally loud and cantankerous, but ultimately warm and soft-hearted master of his domain. Constantly being upstaged by his bratty but loveable kids, played by Rusty Hamer, Angela Cartwright and Sherry Williams (whose role was taken over by Penny Parker), the ensemble also included beautiful Marjorie Lord as his understanding wife, and legendary character actor Hans Conreid as irascible Uncle Tonoose.

"Make Room For Daddy" was unique for many reasons, including how it portrayed the family life of an entertainer dealing with both industry and ordinary family issues. Another reason was its frequent appearances by top celebrities. In this Season 6 boxed-set, William Demarest, Jack Benny, Dinah Shore, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Shirley Jones, and Bob Hope are but a few legendary performers lending their talents. In addition, upcoming stars had recurring roles, such as Tony Bennett as Danny's cousin Steven from Toledo, and Annette Funicello as Italian exchange student Gina Minelli.

"Make Room For Daddy" served as a springboard for then little known talents like Joey Bishop and Bill Dana, both of whom wound up with their own Danny Thomas produced television series. Other Thomas produced series include the Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle, Real McCoys and Mod Squad.

 Tv comedy at it's best.
Being from England I'd never heard of this show before, and I don't think it's ever been shown on British TV, so I bought the set purely based on the reviews here and a little internet research. Wow! I've only watched the first disc so far but I'm hooked! Anyone who assumes that 50's comedies are going to be dull and twee should open their minds because much of the humour in this show (and others of the era) is reflected in the likes of The Simpsons, Seinfeld etc. A special mention must go to Angela Cartwright, a little girl who's comic timing makes her look like a real pro. Her performance here is incredible.
This is fast becoming one of my favourite comedies and I'd urge anyone looking for a classic to check this out. 5 stars and more... April 19, 2008

 But Why Did Sherry go?
Great work bringing this season to DVD, but this is the season that poses a question I have been wondering ever since I was a kid watching this series. Why was Sherry Jackson removed from the series, later to be replaced by a lookalike actor (Penney Parker)?????She appears in three episodes then is just "gone", in the 1959-60 she returns as having come back from college and having graduated (what a short course!!)I read somewhere at one time that Jackson who had played his daughter since the series began, had become intimidated by Thomas as she matured and grew into a young woman and asked to leave. Does anyone know the real story? Would love to hear. March 6, 2008

 Extremely enjoyable
This video is a must-have for anyone who remembers and enjoyed the classic family sitcoms of the 50's. The episodes are still funny today and the family values and high moral standards are a far cry from anything currently on television. February 14, 2008

 5 stars for the shows; 0 stars for the PSA
Don't get me wrong. St Jude's does excellent work; I've even given to them on occasion, but I resent the fact that I had to sit thru an info-mercial for them every time I put in one of these discs. You couldn't even forward ahead to the main menu. I hope the Danny Thomas family is giving proceeds from this set to the Hospital and not just hoping the DVD viewers will do so with these PSAs, because, for me, it did just the opposite. January 24, 2008

 The New, Improved "Daddy"
Running from 1953 to 1964, "Make Room for Daddy" a/k/a "The Danny Thomas Show," was one of the key situation comedies from television's golden age, chronicling the humorous experiences in the life of nightclub entertainer Danny Williams (Danny Thomas) and his family. The show went through several distinct changes. From 1953 to 1956, Jean Hagen played Danny's wife Margaret, and Danny's children, Rusty and Terry, were respectively portrayed by Rusty Hamer and Sherry Jackson. Hagen left the show after the conclusion of the 1955-56 season and, for the 1956-57 season, Williams was a widower. For the 1957-58 season, Marjorie Lord joined the cast as Williams' second wife Kathy, who brought along her daughter Linda (Angela Cartwright) into the new family. By the beginning of the 1958-59 season (the 6th season, which this DVD set covers), Sherry Jackson's character was phased out of the principal cast and the show would continue with the regular lineup of Thomas, Lord, Hamer and Cartwright for the duration of the series. The show was produced and frequently directed by the legendary Sheldon Leonard.

Though it's considered by many to be one of the all-time classic family TV sitcoms, "Make Room for Daddy" has not fared well in the digital age . . . . until now. Previous DVD releases of the series have consisted of a handful of episodes from the Jean Hagen years that have fallen into the public domain, as well as the release of season 5 of the series in 2004 which, unfortunately, utilized edited, syndicated episodes losing 3 or more minutes per episode. Many fans of the series criticized that release and, for a while, it looked as if there were not going to be any additional DVD releases of the series. That situation has now been rectified, thanks to a change in the company releasing the DVDs. The new company, S'more Entertainment, has considerable experience in bringing vintage and classic sitcoms to the market, including "Mister Peepers," "Good Morning, World" and "Lotsa Luck." For those who have been concerned about the length of the season 6 episodes, you can put your mind at ease . . . . these are the full-length episodes, including full opening and closing credits, and clocking in at just under 26 minutes per episode. In addition to the full-length episodes, S'more has secured prints that are appreciably cleaner and sharper looking than those utilized for the season 5 release; simply put, the prints utilized for this release are as good as one might expect for a show that was broadcast 50 years ago. The bonus features for this release are also an improvement over the season 5 set and include the following:

Present day interviews with Marjorie Lord (Kathy Williams), Angela Cartwright (Linda Williams) and Sid Melton (Uncle Charley Halper)
Photo Gallery (includes 43 promotional, on-set, and behind-the-scenes photos)
Blooper Reel
St. Jude's Hospital Promotional Film

S'more has also included brief episode synopses for the 32 episodes contained in this collection, as well as the original broadcast date, and season and series production numbers, so you can either watch the episodes in original broadcast sequence or in the order in which they were originally produced. This type of information is rarely included on TV-on-DVD releases and is a small, but nice touch that more releasing companies ought to consider when issuing television shows on DVD.

Bottom Line: "Make Room for Daddy" is a bonafide television comedy classic that has not received it's just due on DVD in the past. This season 6 collection showcases the series in the way it was meant to be seen on DVD . . . . uncut and with the strongest visuals available for a 50 year old television show; it easily earns my full five stars.
January 22, 2008

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