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The Best Episodes of The Donna Reed Show Season 5

Every episode of The Donna Reed Show Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Donna Reed Show Season 5!

Binge this in 12h 30m•Peaking at 8.4/10

Revolves around typical family problems, such as firing a clumsy housekeeper, throwing a retirement bash for a colleague, and finding quality time away from the children.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 1 - Mister Nice Guy
    8.4/10(38 votes)

    S5:E1

    Mary can't understand why her brother Jeff is being so polite to her - unless there is some ulterior motive behind his good behavior.

    Director:Jeffrey Hayden
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 6 - My Dad
    8.3/10(44 votes)

    S5:E6

    Alex tries over and over to spend a day with Jeff,but his plans are always interrupted by emergency calls.Jeff later shows that he still loves his father by singing the song,""My Dad.""

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Barbara Avedon

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  3. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 18 - The Chinese Horse
    8.3/10(40 votes)

    S5:E18

    At an auction a mysterious woman asks Donna to buy a huge Chinese horse statue and gives her the money for it, so Donna does buy it and takes it home. Mary, Jeff and Alex all wonder why?

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 3 - To Be a Boy
    8.1/10(34 votes)

    S5:E3

    Trying to save enough money to build a boat, Jeff and Smitty make a pact to give up dating. Then Jeff finds Mary's friend Joanne hiding under his bed.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 21 - Three is a Family
    8.1/10(24 votes)

    S5:E21

    Mary learns the joys and pains of having a little sister,as she has to baby-sit Trisha on a night when she'd planned to go on a date.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 22 - Big Sixteen
    8.1/10(30 votes)

    S5:E22

    On Jeff's 16th birthday he has a big fight with his girlfriend. Then he falls for an older woman.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Barbara Avedon

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  7. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 19 - The New Look
    8.0/10(31 votes)

    S5:E19

    A boyfriend of Mary's calls her wholesome,and she doesn't know weather to take it as a compliment or an insult.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 24 - The House on the Hill
    8.0/10(40 votes)

    S5:E24

    Donna visits a reclusive woman who lives in an old Victorian house.She feels trapped in a haunted house after a while.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 15 - Jeff Stands Alone
    7.9/10(38 votes)

    S5:E15

    After a conversation with a telephone lineman, Jeff decides that it's about time he becomes independent himself. He tests himself by going to a strange town without any money to see whether or not he can make it on his own.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 23 - Pioneer Woman
    7.9/10(32 votes)

    S5:E23

    Alex and Jeff spend the weekend at the cabin of Alex's friend Red. Donna and Mary follow them and prove that women can, ""rough it"" in the wilderness as well as men can.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Barbara Avedon

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  11. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 25 - Where the Stones Are
    7.9/10(31 votes)

    S5:E25

    The Stones all end up at Shelter Bay during ""mid-term vacation"", better known today as ""Spring Break"". Mary doesn't know the rest of the family is there; she thought it was just her and her girlfriends. Donna, Jeff, and Alex get to stay on a fishing boat named ""Big Daddy"", and boy, does Donna hook a big one!

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 4 - Who Needs Glasses?
    7.8/10(34 votes)

    S5:E4

    Jeff decides wearing glasses would make him look older, and sets out to prove he needs them.

    Director:Jeffrey Hayden
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 5 - Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
    7.8/10(34 votes)

    S5:E5

    Mary decides it's time to leave home, and moves into the college dormitory.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 8 - Rebel With a Cause
    7.8/10(34 votes)

    S5:E8

    Donna is selected to take part in a survey of housewives to dtermine how long they spend doing their household chores.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Barbara Avedon

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  15. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 11 - The Baby Buggy
    7.8/10(32 votes)

    S5:E11

    Everyone chips in to buy the elderly baby doctor a new car.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 30 - Boys and Girls
    7.8/10(30 votes)

    S5:E30

    While Jeff and Joanne are dating as seniors in high school and Mary and Scotty are dating in college, turns out Scotty would rather date Joanne, and Joanne would rather go out with Scotty got it? Then they all go to a college dance and Jeff and Mary wind up being the wallflowers. What can Jeff and Mary do?

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 12 - The Makeover Man
    7.7/10(28 votes)

    S5:E12

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 27 - Everywhere That Mary Goes
    7.6/10(31 votes)

    S5:E27

    A new boy at college has taken a shine to Mary. To Mary's consternation, he follows her everywhere and scares off any other boy who approaches her. Mary decides to find him another girl to protect.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 14 - The Soft Touch
    7.5/10(25 votes)

    S5:E14

    If Jeff wants to be able to afford to go to a special event this weekend, he had better collect on the loans he gave his friends. This prompts Donna to suggest that Alex collect from his deadbeat patients.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 33 - The Big Wheel
    7.5/10(26 votes)

    S5:E33

    Jeff buys an old bus at an auction and plans to use it as a school bus. However, it breaks down the first day-and no one can fix it. Trisha loves playing like she's driving the bus while wearing a bus-driver's hat. Mary is so worried because she had planned a party that night. Donna decides to decorate the bus-so it became part of the party.

    Director:Barry Shear
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 17 - A Woman' Place
    7.4/10(25 votes)

    S5:E17

    When Donna decides to run for town council, Jeff and Mary agree to take care of the house. And how! But when Alex dreams about Donna's political future, as Mayor, perhaps Governor, he decides he'd rather have her back home again.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 20 - A Way of Her Own
    7.4/10(32 votes)

    S5:E20

    A little girl named Trisha follows the Stones home from the park and says that she is one of the family.After a long effort to find her real parents,her uncle arrives.He realizes that the orphaned Trisha loves being in a family and that the Stones are fond of her.He arranges it so Trisha can stay with the Stones.Thus a new family member is added.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 34 - Day of the Hero
    7.4/10(28 votes)

    S5:E34

    Jeff makes a date with Rosemary for the senior prom. Smitty then lets Jeff know that Jeff has been nominated to run for Senior Class President. Now gorgeous Dolores wants Jeff to take her to the prom. What can Jeff do? He's already committed to Rosemary, or is he? Will Jeff actually dump Rosemary for Dolores?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 10 - Man to Man
    7.3/10(25 votes)

    S5:E10

    Alex and Jeff go camping in order to spend more time together, but the trip turns out to be a plot cooked up by Jeff to meet his friends.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Donna Reed Show Season 5 Episode 7 - Fine Feathers
    7.2/10(25 votes)

    S5:E7

    Jeff discovers a lost bird.He thinks it might be a rare cockatoo and sends the story to the newspapers and audobon societies-only to find out that the bird is really a cockateel,not quite a cockatoo.

    Director:Gene Nelson
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 5 Ratings Summary

"Mister Nice Guy" is the best rated episode of "The Donna Reed Show" season 5. It scored 8.4/10 based on 38 votes. Directed by Jeffrey Hayden and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/20/1962. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "My Dad".