Does anyone else find this incredibly annoying? Especially when she isn't the picture perfect example of health herself? I wonder if Don Defore was irritated at the writers' constant jabs at his being overweight. (The actor in his younger movie days was quite dashing, IMO).

It doesn't really bother me, but I too think it's weird considering Hazel's girth. Maybe it was considered inappropriate for a man to comment on a woman's weight? On "I Love Lucy" I remember Lucy poking fun at Ethel's weight, but I can't remember Fred directly doing the same thing.

It's just the way the show was written, Mr. B. might have been the man of the house but Hazel was the outspoken HEAD of the house, whether Mr. B. liked it or not. Hazel was a salaried employee of Mr. B., but in the world of TV that didn't matter, Hazel ran the household. She could say whatever she wanted to Mr. B., all he could do was take it like a man. It's possible Don DeFore might have been frustrated with that type of role, but since he did it for four years it probably didn't bother him all that much. Maybe he went along with the premise of being bossed around at home, in exchange for scenes in episodes displaying his attorney skills.

What strikes me as funny when Hazel comments on Mr. B's weight, she says he should lose weight but at the same time she was always serving him these high calorie meals. :lol:

This aspect of Hazel and Mr. B's relationship reminds me of the relationship between Nell and the Chief on 'Gimme a Break'.

^Two peas in a pod! I remember the episode where they both went on a diet and then ended up binging! it was hilarious.

And Retro--you made my point at the very end :D

I want a pork chop. And bring me another brownie! (Famous Mr. B lines)

^:rofl:

Something to keep in mind here: In the Ted Key cartoons, Hazel was harping on Mr. B constantly to lose weight. That was a character trait that was brought into the TV series.

Also, when "Hazel" debuted in 1961, it was the time when losing weight was a national rage. Knox Gelatine had a diet for women in which future Whitney Blake-types were encouraged to drink an envelope of Knox mixed into water, skim milk or tea to help milady feel fuller.

There were also the first pre-mixed diet drinks. Anyone remember Metrecal or Sego liquid diet food? Not to mention those little chewy candies called "AYDS" (you ate two before a meal to dull your appetite)?

And by Hazel's S3, a woman in New York named Jean Nidetch founded a certain little group called Weight Watchers which, as you may have noticed, just launched a new campaign called "Simple Start" for its 51st anniversary as a worldwide weight-loss organization.

In this respect, Hazel nagging Mr. B was years ahead of her time!

Hazel and Mr. B had that give and take relationship, that good-natured conflict that works so well on sitcoms. Beneath that sometimes gruff exterior, George loved Hazel like one of the family.

Plus, don't you think that bit of nagging adds an element of realism to this show, which was basically an idealized portrayal of the American family of the time--I do. I mean, just about every episode ends happily so to have that note of realism in the shows only adds to its appeal for me.

:yeahthat Well stated.

Fred made fun of Ethel's weight all the time! It was a running gag on the series.

Ironically, it wasn't her ironic girth that made it annoying to hear her harp on Mr. B's weight but the fact that Hazel constantly cooked and baked large quantities of fattening foods for the family. If she truly was concerned about his weight what was the point of putting out all those fattening foods?

P.S. One of my grandmothers also did this and it's not amongst the things I miss about her memory.

I feel really silly. I just, unknowingly, repeated what someone else said about the diet craze of the early 1960's. Sorry if I stole someone's thunder!:o

Something to keep in mind here: In the Ted Key cartoons, Hazel was harping on Mr. B constantly to lose weight. That was a character trait that was brought into the TV series.

Also, when "Hazel" debuted in 1961, it was the time when losing weight was a national rage. Knox Gelatine had a diet for women in which future Whitney Blake-types were encouraged to drink an envelope of Knox mixed into water, skim milk or tea to help milady feel fuller.

There were also the first pre-mixed diet drinks. Anyone remember Metrecal or Sego liquid diet food? Not to mention those little chewy candies called "AYDS" (you ate two before a meal to dull your appetite)?

And by Hazel's S3, a woman in New York named Jean Nidetch founded a certain little group called Weight Watchers which, as you may have noticed, just launched a new campaign called "Simple Start" for its 51st anniversary as a worldwide weight-loss organization.

In this respect, Hazel nagging Mr. B was years ahead of her time!
You're right, there was a kind of "diet craze" that happened in the early 1960's.

Does anyone else find this incredibly annoying? Especially when she isn't the picture perfect example of health herself? I wonder if Don Defore was irritated at the writers' constant jabs at his being overweight. (The actor in his younger movie days was quite dashing, IMO).
It is a bit ironic considering that Hazel was not exactly slim herself. However, in the early to mid 1960's, there was kind of a diet craze. Also, it was believed at that time that nearly starving yourself to death was good (or at least an acceptable way) to diet. Today, we know that's the worst thing you can do. In addition "fat shaming" was viewed by many as a type of "tough love."

First, as many have stated: it was part of the comedy and relationship between "Mr. B" and Hazel. It was just one of many friction points upon which writers could build comedy. Having said that, I remember around the second season Dad did start taking on a bit more weight and the producer/director did suggest he needed to lose some weight. There were many dinners where Mom had made a nice juicy dinner for us kids and Dad had to eat some pretty boring stuff!
Mr. B's son

First, as many have stated: it was part of the comedy and relationship between "Mr. B" and Hazel. It was just one of many friction points upon which writers could build comedy. Having said that, I remember around the second season Dad did start taking on a bit more weight and the producer/director did suggest he needed to lose some weight. There were many dinners where Mom had made a nice juicy dinner for us kids and Dad had to eat some pretty boring stuff!
Mr. B's son
You're right Ron; it was just as much comedy as the reality of the times. It did lead to some pretty funny moments in the show.:lol:

When your Dad was put on a diet, I wonder, did he ever say, "I want a pork chop."? (To the uninitiated, this is something Mr. B said when he was on a diet in the show) ;)

Like some others have opined, Hazel harping on Mr. B’s weight is like the pot calling the kettle black; she’s not exactly Twiggy. But I do think her intentions were good though.

Hazel finally got hers though in the episode that I believe is the very worst of the series. It's in the last season and Hazel joins a tonnage reducing exercise chamber where she gets rolled by rolling pins and jigilated by giant wooden pushers up and down her girth. She emerges stiff, in pain and barely able to walk. A joy really to see after what she's put both Mr. B's thru up till now. Anyway, the only objectionable part of this episode is how the writers turned Hazel into a wimpering simpleton actually balling as she sits in a chair over the fact that she's joined this torture gym and she can't get her money back. Naturally, as is always the case for some reason unexplainable Hazel NEVER has enough money to do anything other than buy an occasional pair of shoes. She seems to be in a permanent stage of being broke, I wonder if the Baxters just had her there as a resident slave? Maybe that's why she was so nasty to Mr. B.:crazy:

Fans - I really haven't a clue whether Dad asked for a pork chop at home. I just remember a period when he was asked by the producers to lose a little and he did. It wasn't easy just like it's not easy to diet for most people including myself. In fact, I wish I were as thin as he was then!

Don't know if I've announced to this group yet, but my book comes out July 15 and will be available via all the usual places like Amazon. You're all invited to join the Don DeFore Fan Club on Facebook as well as my website: www.defore.net. The FB page and the book page will have the most info and updates about the book: www.GrowingUpInDisneyland.com
Hope you'll get to read it - it's a combination biography about Dad and autobiography about my celebrity upbringing. Much of Dad's film and TV experiences are told in his own words from his unpublished memoirs. The book title is both metaphor for my life as well as literal in that Dad owned Don DeFore's Silver Banjo Barbecue restaurant in Frontierland.

Having said that, I remember around the second season Dad did start taking on a bit more weight and the producer/director did suggest he needed to lose some weight.

Yes. This is what I was going to say. He got really chunky at some point, so I think this was also put in there by someone behind the scenes as a subtle message to the actor.

I was watching the episode today where Hazel gave Mr. B several things to ask the doctor about during his checkup, including the fact that she thought he should lose 10 pounds.

As she stood there reading this list (all of which the doctor later echoed) with a profile shot, I thought, wow, I'd like to hear Mr. B say something back, like: "OK, you need to lose 10 pounds, too. Lets bot go on a diet together."

I was watching the episode today where Hazel gave Mr. B several things to ask the doctor about during his checkup, including the fact that she thought he should lose 10 pounds.

As she stood there reading this list (all of which the doctor later echoed) with a profile shot, I thought, wow, I'd like to hear Mr. B say something back, like: "OK, you need to lose 10 pounds, too. Lets both go on a diet together."

Yeah that could have been a good story line to see which one had more will power to resist the sweets and treats!