Nobody does it like Donna Reed

Donna Reed, January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986

I had a dream the other night that I was in an old movie along with my best friends. We were stranded in a glamorous 1940s hotel where a murder mystery was being solved. But my friends and I didn’t care about the mystery; we were too excited about the ballroom. Leave it to us to ignore the troubles of the world and go dancing.

I’m a big fan of movies and television from the 40s and 50s. When I was growing up, I loved watching Lucille Ball and Donna Reed rule the roost in her own way. The Donna Reed Show was in syndication on Nick at Nite, and I watched it religiously along with I love Lucy, Bewitched, and Gidget. Of course there are plenty of criticisms you can throw at these shows for simplifying and idealising the American home life into caricatures of gender roles, family values, and stereotypes. But behind the scenes, these women were definitely ruling the roost.

The interesting thing about Donna Reed is that she was second only to Lucille Ball as far as powerful women in entertainment go. Behind the scenes, Donna was all business. Ironic? Maybe. Or perhaps she just understood the power of good storytelling. Her character, Donna Stone, was her generation’s ideal homemaker, but Donna Reed was her generation’s ground-breaker in terms of creative and productive control. And her business sense was not just reserved for her career; she applied those skills to activism as well. Not so cookie cutter, now, is she?

According to her four children, Donna was one hellova mother as well. Not exactly like her character on the show in terms of vocation, but very similar to her in spirit and temperament. She was elegant and poised, but not afraid to stand up for herself. For example, after The Donna Reed Show concluded, she was hired to play the role of Miss Ellie on Dallas. Her contract was cut short when the original actress, Barbara Bel Geddess, reclaimed the role. Reed sued Dallas and won a handsome sum of cash-o-la. She was also married three times. Hmmm. Now, we’re way outside the cookie cutter zone for the 40s, 50s, and 60s.

After the Donna Reed show concluded, she dedicated her work ethic to the Vietnam anti-war movement. She worked tirelessly with the organization, Another Mother for Peace, as a researcher and spokesperson. Reed died of pancreatic cancer on January 14, 1986.

Donna Reed was like all mothers in real life: layered, complicated, and much more than we appear on the surface. And one life role doesn’t necessarily cancel out another. Sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves to bake cupcakes for you child’s school, and sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves to punch someone in the face. Ok, I’m just kidding about punching someone. But we do have to solve work problems, and school problems, and fight for things we believe in – just not necessarily with heels on and consistently perfect hair. Oh, Donna, how did you do it?