<P> In March 1953, Danny Thomas first signed the contract for the show with ABC and chose Desilu Studios to film it using its three - camera method . Two proposed titles during preproduction were The Children's Hour and Here Comes Daddy . </P> <P> Thomas played the role of Danny Williams, a successful comedian and nightclub entertainer at the Copa Club, based on the iconic New York City nightclub the Copacabana . Jean Hagen played his serious and loving wife Margaret . Their daughter Terry was played by Sherry Jackson, and their son Rusty by Rusty Hamer . The show's premise involved Danny rarely having time to spend with his family and Margaret having to deal with the children virtually on her own . She often felt neglected by Danny, and on several occasions felt like leaving him . Margaret was a society woman and strict with the children, but loved her family . Louise Beavers made several appearances during this era as the Williams' maid, Louise Evans, and often was at odds with Danny and sided with Margaret in most of the couple's arguments . Nana Bryant often appeared as Margaret's kind mother, of whom Danny and the children were fond, but Margaret, who had been raised by her aunt and uncle because of her mother often being away on stage tours, was not as warm to her mother . (Bryant died in late 1955, and rather than the character being recast, it simply disappeared . When Louise Beavers became ill in 1955, Amanda Randolph assumed the role of Louise .) </P> <P> For its first three years, Make Room For Daddy garnered decent ratings, but failed to make the list of the top 30 programs . Shortly after the third season finished filming, Jean Hagen left the show over dissatisfaction with her role and frequent clashes with Danny Thomas . Thomas was upset with her for leaving, and felt the show would not last without her . However, he decided to push on . At the start of the fourth season, the series title was changed to The Danny Thomas Show . Both Thomas and producer Sheldon Leonard were faced with a serious dilemma--how to explain Hagen's absence . To have "Danny" and "Margaret" divorce in that era would have been unacceptable to television audiences, so it was explained that Margaret suddenly had died off - screen . It was a risky move because until this time, no character on a TV situation comedy had died . </P> <P> Danny now was a widower juggling a performing career while raising two children on his own . He had Louise and his friends often looking after the children while he was touring . He decided to move them to a boarding school, but later relented and the family moved into a new apartment . During the fourth season, the Danny character dated a few other women and nearly got engaged to a widowed singer until he found out she did not like children . By season's end, the ratings had suffered and it was decided that a wife and mother was needed to complete the family unit . </P>

What happened to the mother on make room for daddy