Ep 28. The Handy Man

The Donna Reed Show was a comedy sitcom that aired from 1958 to 1966, featuring a family living in the suburban town of Hilldale. The show starred Donna Reed as Donna Stone, a happy housewife, and Carl Betz as her husband Dr. Alex Stone, a pediatrician, and their two children Jeff and Mary Stone, played by Paul Petersen and Shelley Fabares, respectively.

In season 5 episode 28 titled "The Handy Man," Donna has been asking Alex to fix some things around the house for weeks, but he has been too busy with his work at the hospital to get around to it. Donna decides to hire a handyman, Mr. Bicks, to get things done. In the meantime, Alex has agreed to take part in a charity carnival event to raise money for the hospital, and he gets involved in a dunking booth. But he soon finds out that the booth has been sabotaged, and he gets stuck in the water.

As Donna waits for the handyman to arrive, she starts to worry about the cost of hiring him. She tells Jeff and Mary that they need to be careful with their finances, and she suggests that they start finding ways to make some extra money. Jeff and Mary come up with a plan to wash cars in the neighborhood, but they quickly realize that it is harder than they thought it would be.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bicks arrives to fix things around the house, but he turns out to be a bit of a disaster. He breaks things, makes a big mess, and even causes a small fire in the kitchen. Donna tries to be patient with him but eventually realizes that he is not reliable and decides to fire him.

As Alex gets dunked in the booth, he realizes that something is wrong, and he tries to warn the people around him. But nobody takes him seriously, and he gets dunked again and again. Eventually, he manages to escape and gets back home, only to find out that Donna has fired the handyman. He tells her about the sabotage at the carnival, and they decide to investigate.

Jeff and Mary continue to struggle with their car washing business. They realize that they need to offer something extra to attract customers, so they come up with the idea to provide music and refreshments. They end up making a good amount of money, and they are proud of themselves for their hard work.

As Donna and Alex investigate the sabotage, they discover that it was done by a jealous co-worker of Alex's who wanted to ruin the event and humiliate Alex. They manage to catch the culprit and turn him over to the police.

In the end, Alex and Donna are happy that they have been able to fix things around the house without the help of the handyman, and they are proud of their children's entrepreneurial spirit. The episode ends with the family sitting together, content and happy in their home.

Overall, "The Handy Man" is a lighthearted episode that highlights the importance of being resourceful and hardworking. The episode also shows the importance of having a supportive family and the joy that comes from working together to overcome challenges.