Danny Thomas and A Great Early Sitcom

by Guy Belleranti

Danny Thomas was one of the true creative forces in television during the 1950’s and 1960’s, and his program Make Room for Daddy (later known as The Danny Thomas Show) was one of the period’s finest sitcoms.

The program began in 1953 on ABC, and followed the adventures and misadventures of the Williams family. The title Make Room for Daddy was actually suggested by Thomas’ real life wife, and the series itself was based on Thomas’ own life experiences of balancing family life with his career in the entertainment industry.

In the program itself Thomas played comedian and nightclub entertainer Danny Williams. Other original cast members included Jean Hagen as his wife Margaret, Sherry Jackson as his daughter Terry, Rusty Hamer as his smart-alecky freckle-faced son Rusty and Louis Beavers as the housekeeper Louise.

Louis Beaver left the program after one season and Amanda Randolph took over as Louise for the duration of the series. And in 1956 Jean Hagen left and was written out as having died. Danny Williams was then a single father for a season. His character dated various women, all of whom were evaluated by his two children.

With the 1957 season more changes occurred. First the series moved to CBS and the title now became The Danny Thomas Show. In addition, two new regulars – Marjorie Lord and Angela Cartwright – joined the cast. Lord had appeared at the end of the previous season as one of Danny’s dates, Kathy O’Hara. With the new season she and Danny were now married. Angela Cartwright, meanwhile, was Kathy’s daughter, a young girl who became part of the Williams’ family.

Another change occurred in 1958 when Sherry Jackson, as daughter Terry, left the show. She was written out as if she were away at school, then written back in when Penny Parker took the role for a year. When Parker left, the character was again written out of the program.

Repeat guests at different stages of the series included Hans Conried as Danny’s Lebanese “Uncle Tanoose”, Bill Dana, Annette Funicello, Pat Harrington, Jr, Sid Melton and even Sheldon Leonard, the show’s producer. A few of the well-known names making appearances included Jack Benny (as himself), Dinah Shore (as herself) and Morey Amsterdam.

Interestingly, another of television’s great comedies had its origins with this program. In one episode Thomas’ character is stopped for running a stop sign in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina. The Sheriff of this town just happened to be a man named Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith). Thus, was born the beginnings of The Andy Griffith Show, a show produced by Thomas and Leonard (Danny Thomas and Sheldon Leonard) Productions. Thomas and Leonard Productions also produced another smash comedy classic - The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show was a warm-hearted family friendly hit from the beginning. It was voted best new show in its first season and was high in the ratings even in its last season, ending only because Thomas wanted to end it.

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