ILUVO&H
01-18-2011, 12:22 AM
"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet": Remembering the Classic TV Series
John Roberts, Yahoo! Contributor Network
"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" is the longest running family sitcom in television history having aired 14 seasons from 1952 to 1966. Hailing from the same era that produced "Father Knows Best"
and "My Three Sons," "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" appears on the surface to be another dated relic of idealized 1950s Americana. The content was typical for the times with its gentle domestic humor derived from a knowing if sometimes befuddled dad, housewife mom and cute kids. The series was another wholesome vision of an All-American neighborhood untouched by social and political ills.
Yet there is a difference between this series and similar programs. Ozzie Nelson's innovative creation was ahead of its time in many respects. Long before reality programming became the norm, there existed the docu-comedy "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" in which Ozzie perpetuated the myth that audiences were viewing the real daily lives of the Nelson family. Indeed, Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky were portraying themselves. The set replicated the Nelsons' genuine home. Incidents and reality were incorporated into the show including hobbies and the boys' marriages. America literally watched David and Ricky grow from precocious boys into married men.
An interesting statistic of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" is the show never once placed in the yearly top 25 Nielson ratings. Somehow the series became an institution running forever well into syndication without being a ratings monster. The show's popularity briefly sagged in 1957 and Ozzie engineered a landmark television moment saving the series. Sixteen-year-old Ricky was interested in rock and roll and boasted to a girlfriend that he cutting a record. Ricky went to his father to make it happen. He performed a cover version of Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'" that was introduced on the show. The impact was immediate. One million records sold.
The shrewd Ozzie realized he had a tiger by the tail. His handsome singing son was an overnight teen idol boosting the show's popularity. Ozzie conceived a brilliant marketing strategy. What better means of both
promoting the show and Ricky's records than by having him perform each week? Ozzie introduced a Ricky song tacked onto the conclusion of each episode. These musical numbers were pioneer musical videos, the first examples of television's power to sell a singer and his records.
Music and business acumen were no strangers to Oswald George Nelson . Born March 20, 1907 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Ozzie sang and played banjo, ukulele and saxophone while working his way toward a Rutgers law degree. He chose not to pursue a law career and instead, formed his own orchestra which in 1930 got its own radio show in New York City. National exposure followed. The true launching point for the orchestra was the addition of a girl singer named Harriet Hilliard in 1932.
Harriet was born Peggy Lou Snyder on July 18, 1914 in Des Moines, Iowa. Although constantly touring with Ozzie's nationally popular orchestra, Harriet enjoyed an independent career during the 1930s. She was under contract to RKO Pictures and appeared in such films as "Follow the Fleet" (1936), "The Life of the Party" (1937) and "Coconut Grove" (1938). Ozzie and Harriet married in 1935 and appeared together on screen in "Sweetheart of the Campus" (1941), "Strictly in the Groove" (1942), "Honeymoon Lodge" (1943) and "Hi, Good Lookin'" (1944). Harriet's last film on her own was "Take it Big" (1944).
Ozzie and Harriet possessed a winning chemistry catching on with the public. She was a sassy singer who sprinkled songs with sarcastic comments. Shrewd businessman Ozzie was hidden behind a stage persona of an easy going goof delivering self-deprecating humor. Their act landed a regular spot on Red Skelton's radio show. When Skelton left radio for military service in 1944, the Nelsons got his time slot and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" was launched.
The program originally mixed musical numbers and comedy skits that were the beginnings of the series as we know it. The musical numbers were eliminated by 1946 and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" evolved into its familiar sitcom formula. Actors played the boys until 1949 and Ozzie's decision to have 13-year-old David and nine-year-old Ricky play themselves was divine inspiration. The brothers were naturals and audiences loved them.
Businessman Ozzie struck a landmark deal with ABC. He negotiated the first non-cancellation 10-year contract in history that guaranteed the Nelsons a salary whether they worked or not and he was granted complete
artistic control without network or sponsor interference. Perfectionist Ozzie served as producer, writer, director and editor while installing brother Don as his right hand man. David later directed episodes. Ozzie was known as an uncompromising and hard working taskmaster demanding high standards and even pushing his own family to get what he wanted.
ABC was thinking television series and the 1952 movie "Here Come the Nelsons" served as pilot. The movie's success paved the way for the television version which debuted on October 3, 1952. For several years, the Nelsons performed on both radio and television with Ozzie writing different scripts for each medium. He would not duplicate as other radio/TV shows did during that transitional period. Ozzie introduced the use of 35mm film stock to enhance the show's visual quality and screened each episode before a theater audience in order to polish the editing.
The series rolled on season after season fueled by Ricky's popularity. Ricky made the transition to the big screen most notably playing the young deputy alongside John Wayne and Dean Martin in "Rio Bravo" (1959). Ozzie directed Ricky (now Rick) and wife Kris in the movie "Love and Kisses" (1965). David also went into films and co-starred in "Peyton Place" (1957), "The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker" (1959) and "The Big Circus" (1959).
The Nelsons faded away after "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" was canceled. Harriet was inactive while Ozzie played a part in "The Impossible Years" (1968). David turned to directing television shows and the hits and heartthrob days were behind Rick. Ozzie's last hurrah was the short-lived 1973 syndicated series "Ozzie's Girls" in which the Nelsons rented out the boys' rooms to college students Brenda Sykes and Susan Sennett. The man who never worked on screen (he was home all day eating ice cream!) and so hard behind the cameras, Ozzie Nelson died of cancer June 3, 1975.
After Ozzie's death, Harriet resumed acting and appeared the television movies "Death Car on the Freeway" (1979) and "The First Time" (1982). She died of heart failure October 2, 1994. David did
cameos in "Up in Smoke" (1978) and "Cry-Baby" (1990) and directed the low budget pictures "Last Plane Out" (1983) and "Death Screams" (1983). Television wife June was also David's real life spouse. June Blair was the January 1957 Playboy Playmate of the Month and had roles in films like "The Fiend Who Walked the West" (1958) and "A Fever in the Blood" (1961). David and June married in 1961 with Ricky serving as best man. They divorced years later and David remarried.
Rick is easily the most famous and popular Nelson and a rock pioneer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His singing stardom was huge with 33 Top-40 hits in seven years and classic number one songs in "Poor Little Fool," "Hello Mary Lou" and "Travelin' Man." When his star waned, Rick pursued his love of country rock and enjoyed a surprise 1970s comeback hit with "Garden Party." He loved performing and was touring when he and his band died in a 1985 plane crash. Though considered a bubblegum pop singer in his day, Rick is now acclaimed a great and influential early rock and roller.
Rick's television and real wife Kris is the daughter of football legend Tom Harmon and 1940s actress Elyse Knox and the sister of television star Mark Harmon. Rick and Kris divorced in the 1970s. Their twin sons formed the band the Nelsons during the 1980s. Daughter Tracy is a well known television actress married to fellow actor William R. Moses.
Many regulars passed through the series' long run but only two were standouts. Thorny was Ozzie's next door neighbor always ready with bad advice. He was played by veteran actor Don Defore who died in 1993. The boys' chubby high school buddy Wally constantly hung around the Nelson home. Skip Young played Wally from 1957 to 1966 and also died in 1993. Other well known actors on the show were Lyle Talbot, Parley Baer, James Stacy, Frank Cady, Mary Jane Croft and Joe Flynn.
"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" is a relic of television's past that does not seem to enjoy the same cable TV revival popularity as some of its contemporaries. Perhaps this is due to the show never being super popular during its long original run. Yet, the performances of Ricky alone should be enough for the show to be seen again. "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" definitely holds a place in radio, television and rock and roll histories.
John Roberts, Yahoo! Contributor Network
"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" is the longest running family sitcom in television history having aired 14 seasons from 1952 to 1966. Hailing from the same era that produced "Father Knows Best"
and "My Three Sons," "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" appears on the surface to be another dated relic of idealized 1950s Americana. The content was typical for the times with its gentle domestic humor derived from a knowing if sometimes befuddled dad, housewife mom and cute kids. The series was another wholesome vision of an All-American neighborhood untouched by social and political ills.
Yet there is a difference between this series and similar programs. Ozzie Nelson's innovative creation was ahead of its time in many respects. Long before reality programming became the norm, there existed the docu-comedy "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" in which Ozzie perpetuated the myth that audiences were viewing the real daily lives of the Nelson family. Indeed, Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky were portraying themselves. The set replicated the Nelsons' genuine home. Incidents and reality were incorporated into the show including hobbies and the boys' marriages. America literally watched David and Ricky grow from precocious boys into married men.
An interesting statistic of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" is the show never once placed in the yearly top 25 Nielson ratings. Somehow the series became an institution running forever well into syndication without being a ratings monster. The show's popularity briefly sagged in 1957 and Ozzie engineered a landmark television moment saving the series. Sixteen-year-old Ricky was interested in rock and roll and boasted to a girlfriend that he cutting a record. Ricky went to his father to make it happen. He performed a cover version of Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'" that was introduced on the show. The impact was immediate. One million records sold.
The shrewd Ozzie realized he had a tiger by the tail. His handsome singing son was an overnight teen idol boosting the show's popularity. Ozzie conceived a brilliant marketing strategy. What better means of both
promoting the show and Ricky's records than by having him perform each week? Ozzie introduced a Ricky song tacked onto the conclusion of each episode. These musical numbers were pioneer musical videos, the first examples of television's power to sell a singer and his records.
Music and business acumen were no strangers to Oswald George Nelson . Born March 20, 1907 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Ozzie sang and played banjo, ukulele and saxophone while working his way toward a Rutgers law degree. He chose not to pursue a law career and instead, formed his own orchestra which in 1930 got its own radio show in New York City. National exposure followed. The true launching point for the orchestra was the addition of a girl singer named Harriet Hilliard in 1932.
Harriet was born Peggy Lou Snyder on July 18, 1914 in Des Moines, Iowa. Although constantly touring with Ozzie's nationally popular orchestra, Harriet enjoyed an independent career during the 1930s. She was under contract to RKO Pictures and appeared in such films as "Follow the Fleet" (1936), "The Life of the Party" (1937) and "Coconut Grove" (1938). Ozzie and Harriet married in 1935 and appeared together on screen in "Sweetheart of the Campus" (1941), "Strictly in the Groove" (1942), "Honeymoon Lodge" (1943) and "Hi, Good Lookin'" (1944). Harriet's last film on her own was "Take it Big" (1944).
Ozzie and Harriet possessed a winning chemistry catching on with the public. She was a sassy singer who sprinkled songs with sarcastic comments. Shrewd businessman Ozzie was hidden behind a stage persona of an easy going goof delivering self-deprecating humor. Their act landed a regular spot on Red Skelton's radio show. When Skelton left radio for military service in 1944, the Nelsons got his time slot and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" was launched.
The program originally mixed musical numbers and comedy skits that were the beginnings of the series as we know it. The musical numbers were eliminated by 1946 and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" evolved into its familiar sitcom formula. Actors played the boys until 1949 and Ozzie's decision to have 13-year-old David and nine-year-old Ricky play themselves was divine inspiration. The brothers were naturals and audiences loved them.
Businessman Ozzie struck a landmark deal with ABC. He negotiated the first non-cancellation 10-year contract in history that guaranteed the Nelsons a salary whether they worked or not and he was granted complete
artistic control without network or sponsor interference. Perfectionist Ozzie served as producer, writer, director and editor while installing brother Don as his right hand man. David later directed episodes. Ozzie was known as an uncompromising and hard working taskmaster demanding high standards and even pushing his own family to get what he wanted.
ABC was thinking television series and the 1952 movie "Here Come the Nelsons" served as pilot. The movie's success paved the way for the television version which debuted on October 3, 1952. For several years, the Nelsons performed on both radio and television with Ozzie writing different scripts for each medium. He would not duplicate as other radio/TV shows did during that transitional period. Ozzie introduced the use of 35mm film stock to enhance the show's visual quality and screened each episode before a theater audience in order to polish the editing.
The series rolled on season after season fueled by Ricky's popularity. Ricky made the transition to the big screen most notably playing the young deputy alongside John Wayne and Dean Martin in "Rio Bravo" (1959). Ozzie directed Ricky (now Rick) and wife Kris in the movie "Love and Kisses" (1965). David also went into films and co-starred in "Peyton Place" (1957), "The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker" (1959) and "The Big Circus" (1959).
The Nelsons faded away after "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" was canceled. Harriet was inactive while Ozzie played a part in "The Impossible Years" (1968). David turned to directing television shows and the hits and heartthrob days were behind Rick. Ozzie's last hurrah was the short-lived 1973 syndicated series "Ozzie's Girls" in which the Nelsons rented out the boys' rooms to college students Brenda Sykes and Susan Sennett. The man who never worked on screen (he was home all day eating ice cream!) and so hard behind the cameras, Ozzie Nelson died of cancer June 3, 1975.
After Ozzie's death, Harriet resumed acting and appeared the television movies "Death Car on the Freeway" (1979) and "The First Time" (1982). She died of heart failure October 2, 1994. David did
cameos in "Up in Smoke" (1978) and "Cry-Baby" (1990) and directed the low budget pictures "Last Plane Out" (1983) and "Death Screams" (1983). Television wife June was also David's real life spouse. June Blair was the January 1957 Playboy Playmate of the Month and had roles in films like "The Fiend Who Walked the West" (1958) and "A Fever in the Blood" (1961). David and June married in 1961 with Ricky serving as best man. They divorced years later and David remarried.
Rick is easily the most famous and popular Nelson and a rock pioneer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His singing stardom was huge with 33 Top-40 hits in seven years and classic number one songs in "Poor Little Fool," "Hello Mary Lou" and "Travelin' Man." When his star waned, Rick pursued his love of country rock and enjoyed a surprise 1970s comeback hit with "Garden Party." He loved performing and was touring when he and his band died in a 1985 plane crash. Though considered a bubblegum pop singer in his day, Rick is now acclaimed a great and influential early rock and roller.
Rick's television and real wife Kris is the daughter of football legend Tom Harmon and 1940s actress Elyse Knox and the sister of television star Mark Harmon. Rick and Kris divorced in the 1970s. Their twin sons formed the band the Nelsons during the 1980s. Daughter Tracy is a well known television actress married to fellow actor William R. Moses.
Many regulars passed through the series' long run but only two were standouts. Thorny was Ozzie's next door neighbor always ready with bad advice. He was played by veteran actor Don Defore who died in 1993. The boys' chubby high school buddy Wally constantly hung around the Nelson home. Skip Young played Wally from 1957 to 1966 and also died in 1993. Other well known actors on the show were Lyle Talbot, Parley Baer, James Stacy, Frank Cady, Mary Jane Croft and Joe Flynn.
"The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" is a relic of television's past that does not seem to enjoy the same cable TV revival popularity as some of its contemporaries. Perhaps this is due to the show never being super popular during its long original run. Yet, the performances of Ricky alone should be enough for the show to be seen again. "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" definitely holds a place in radio, television and rock and roll histories.