 Actress June Lockhart, who had appeared previously in the second of MGM's popular Lassie films ("Son of Lassie"), was eventually signed to play his wife.In order to protect the image of the show, producers introduced long clauses into their contracts that forbade them from appearing in other vehicles as anything but wholesome, All-American characters.The two performers debuted in the opener of the fifth season, "The Storm" (1958) with no explanation offered the audience regarding the new faces on the show.