DVD review: 'The Donna Reed Show: Season 4 — The Lost Episodes'

For eight seasons during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Donna Reed in her trim apron and breezy flip hairdo was America's favorite wholesome mom on “The Donna Reed Show.”

A five-disc set, “The Donna Reed Show: Season 4 — The Lost Episodes,” was recently released on DVD.

The show focused on the close-knit Stone family, consisting of loving homemaker Donna (Reed), her patient pediatrician husband, Alex (Carl Betz), and their feisty teen and preteen children Mary (Shelly Fabares) and Jeff (Paul Petersen) and their mild if exasperating suburban domestic adventures.

The “Lost Episodes” label refers to shows from the fourth season that were never aired during the sitcom's popular resurrection on cable TV's Nick at Nite during the 1980s and '90s. Some highlights of those unaired series include singer-actress Fabares' debuting of the pop tune “Johnny Angel,” which soon after landed on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100.

Nick at Nite also did not air all of season 6 and most of season 7 of the series, thus missing actor Bob Crane's appearance as Dr. Dave Kelsey before landing a starring role in his own popular series, “Hogan's Heroes.” So Reed fans can probably look forward to more “Lost Episode” releases on future DVDs.

“The Donna Reed Show: Season 4 — The Lost Episodes” is not rated and runs 18 hours on five discs. It's being released by MPI Home Video.

— Dennis King