Make Room For Daddy: Cast Photo - Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries

Make Room For Daddy aired from September 1953 until September 1964 on ABC and CBS.

Danny Thomas's first major exposure on television had been as one of the hosts of NBC's All Star Reviue. His nightclub routine was a flop on tv, as a result of which he blasted the new medium as being suitable " only for idiots" and vowed never to return. But return he did in 1953, with one of the longest-running family comedies of the 1950's and 1960's. Make Room For Daddy, as it was called for its first 3 seasons, was a reflection of Danny's own life as an entertainer and the problems created by his frequent absences from his children. The title came from a phrase used in the real-life Thomas household: whenever Danny returned home from a tour, his children had to shift bedrooms, to " make room for daddy." In the series Danny played nightclub entertainer Danny Williams, a sometimes loud but ultimately soft-hearted lord of the household, who was constantly being upstaged by his bratty but lovable kids. The kids were, at the outset, 6 year old Rusty ( Rusty Hamer) and 13 year old Terry( Sherry Jackson). Jean Hagen played Danny's loving wife, Margaret. A number of major changes took place as the show matured. In 1956 Jean Hagen quit. Instead of replacing her, Danny had her written out of the show as having died. In the fall of 1956 the title of the show was changed to The Danny Thomas Show. During the 1956-1957 season Danny courted many eligible women-with frequent assistance from the kids. He eventually proposed to an Irish lass Kathy O'Hara (Marjorie Lord). The wedding did not take place on the show, but when the program returned in the fall of 1957 ( on CBS) Danny and Kathy were just returning from their honeymoon, and little Linda ( Angela Cartwright), Kathy's daughter by a previous marriage, had also joined the Williams household. Sherry Jackson left the cast in 1958. At first the character she played, Terry was supposed to be away at school, but in 1959 a new actress ( Penney Parker), assumed the role. Terry then had a season-long courtship with a young nightclub performer named Pat Hannigan ( Pat Harrington Jr), whom she eventually married. Terry then left the household for good. A number of other youngsters also passed through the series, including Gina ( Annette Funicello), a foreign exchange student, living in the Williams home. Picola Pupa, a young Italian singer discovered by Danny, was also seen in a few episodes. Other regulars included a succession of Danny's agents, the first played by Horace McMahon, later ones by Jesse White-who simultaneously was appearing as the agent on Private Secretary-and Sheldon Leonard ( Leonard was the real life producer of The Danny Thomas Show and had appeared in 1953 episodes as Danny's masseur). Benny ( Ben Lessy)was Danny's original accompanist, Louise ( Louise Beavers and later Amanda Randolph), the family housekeeper, and Charley Halper ( Sid Melton), the owner of The Copa Club, where Danny Williams frequently performed. No doubt the most memorable regular was Hans Conried in the role of Uncle Tonoose, eccentric patriarch of the Williams family. Conried was seen in several guest roles on the show, including those of ne'er do well Cousin Carl, Uncle Oscar, and visiting Derik Cambell, and he turned up as Tonoose as early as 1956. The role was perfect, and he continued to appear in it, periodically for the rest of the series run. Others who made guest appearances were songwriter Harry Ruby as himself, Bill Dana as Jose Jiminez, the elevator operator and many top names from the entertainment world including Jack Benny, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Jimmy Durante, Shirley Jones, Tony Bennett, and even Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo ( Lucy and Desi's Desilu Productions produced the show). The series produced 3 spinoffs. They included The Andy Griffith Show ( 1960-1968), The Joey Bishop Show ( 1961-1965), and The Bill Dana Show ( 1963-1965). Ultimately a weary Danny Thomas, by now he had entered the ranks of the showbiz beloved, working tirelessly for a personal cause, St. Judes Hospital For Children in Memphis-decided to call it quits and the show ended in 1964. The Danny Thomas Show was syndicated under its original title Make Room For Daddy although the Jean Hagen episodes weren't syndicated. Many of the principals were reunited in 2 specials aired in 1967 and 1969 and in 1970 the crew re-appeared in a new sitcom Make Room For Granddaddy which was unsuccessful.

For more on Danny Thomas go to www.museum.tv/archives/etv/T/htmlT/thomasdanny/thomasdanny.htm