gidgetgrape
09-16-2009, 07:46 PM
I was really surprised to find an article about "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" in the September 21, 2009 issue of The National Examiner. The National Examiner is one of those tabloid-like magazines near the register at supermarkets (don't judge me :lol: ). The two page article also has 3 black and white and 3 color photos of the Nelsons.
Here's the text of the article:
Ozzie & Harriet Was TV's First Reality Show!
'Little did they know that they would be the granddaddy of today's reality TV'
by Rafe Klinger
If you think that family reality shows like Jon & Kate Plus 8, The Osbournes and Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica are groundbreaking, think again!
The first reality show revolving around the real-life situations of an actual family was also one of the most popular sitcoms of all time - The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet.
After its launch on a radio show in 1935, it premiered on ABC in 1952 and ran for 14 years.
The sitcom featured dad Ozzie and mom Harriet Nelson, a band leader and his pretty singer wife, and their sons David and Ricky, who later became a pop singer in his own right.
The show grew out of Ozzie's band leader days when, in between musical numbers, he and Harriet would kid around about their married life.
"When Ozzie and Harriet cracked their first joke on stage together back in the 1930s, little did they know that this would lead to one of the longest running shows on TV and the granddaddy of today's reality shows," says TV analyst Vernon Stent.
The TV show actually grew out of Ozzie and Harriet's radio show, which began with regular stints on The Baker's Broadcast and then the hit program The Red Skelton Show.
They got the radio gigs after their joking during a band concert at the Glen Island Casino was broadcast over national radio.
Their radio show wasn't really a reality show because the parts of their sons were played by actors.
But in 1949, David and Ricky replaced the actors and three years later, The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet debuted on TV when the boys were 16 and 12.
The TV episodes, mostly written by Ozzie, revolved around real-life situations that occurred in the Nelson household.
While I Love Lucy seems like it too, was a reality show, it wasn't. Lucy and hubby Desi Arnaz were married in real life, but their neighbors and TV son Little Ricky were actors.
As the Nelson boys got older, their dating and girls problems were written into the sitcom.
Even Ricky's singing career grew out of an episode on the show. He was dating a girl who was gaga over Elvis Presley so Ricky boasted to her that he was cutting a record.
Ozzie included Ricky's singing on the show and soon he was a pop idol with hits like I'm Walking and Garden Party.
In 1961, David wed June Blair and three years later, Ricky tied the knot with Kristin Harmon, whose college football star brother Mark would become an actor. He now stars in the hit crime drama NCIS.
Naturally, the trials and tribulations of the newlywed boys and their brides became plots on the show.
The show finally fizzled out in 1966 and was canceled.
But Ozzie and Harriet were definitely the pioneers of TV reality shows, says Stent, adding: "What was so striking was the way that the scripts, all penned by Ozzie, paralleled their life so closely."
Here's the text of the article:
Ozzie & Harriet Was TV's First Reality Show!
'Little did they know that they would be the granddaddy of today's reality TV'
by Rafe Klinger
If you think that family reality shows like Jon & Kate Plus 8, The Osbournes and Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica are groundbreaking, think again!
The first reality show revolving around the real-life situations of an actual family was also one of the most popular sitcoms of all time - The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet.
After its launch on a radio show in 1935, it premiered on ABC in 1952 and ran for 14 years.
The sitcom featured dad Ozzie and mom Harriet Nelson, a band leader and his pretty singer wife, and their sons David and Ricky, who later became a pop singer in his own right.
The show grew out of Ozzie's band leader days when, in between musical numbers, he and Harriet would kid around about their married life.
"When Ozzie and Harriet cracked their first joke on stage together back in the 1930s, little did they know that this would lead to one of the longest running shows on TV and the granddaddy of today's reality shows," says TV analyst Vernon Stent.
The TV show actually grew out of Ozzie and Harriet's radio show, which began with regular stints on The Baker's Broadcast and then the hit program The Red Skelton Show.
They got the radio gigs after their joking during a band concert at the Glen Island Casino was broadcast over national radio.
Their radio show wasn't really a reality show because the parts of their sons were played by actors.
But in 1949, David and Ricky replaced the actors and three years later, The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet debuted on TV when the boys were 16 and 12.
The TV episodes, mostly written by Ozzie, revolved around real-life situations that occurred in the Nelson household.
While I Love Lucy seems like it too, was a reality show, it wasn't. Lucy and hubby Desi Arnaz were married in real life, but their neighbors and TV son Little Ricky were actors.
As the Nelson boys got older, their dating and girls problems were written into the sitcom.
Even Ricky's singing career grew out of an episode on the show. He was dating a girl who was gaga over Elvis Presley so Ricky boasted to her that he was cutting a record.
Ozzie included Ricky's singing on the show and soon he was a pop idol with hits like I'm Walking and Garden Party.
In 1961, David wed June Blair and three years later, Ricky tied the knot with Kristin Harmon, whose college football star brother Mark would become an actor. He now stars in the hit crime drama NCIS.
Naturally, the trials and tribulations of the newlywed boys and their brides became plots on the show.
The show finally fizzled out in 1966 and was canceled.
But Ozzie and Harriet were definitely the pioneers of TV reality shows, says Stent, adding: "What was so striking was the way that the scripts, all penned by Ozzie, paralleled their life so closely."