Hazel Appreciation Thread

[OH Nuts!]

I'm lucky and work in a late office so sometimes I'd catch a little bit of Hazel when it aired at 9:30 am on Antenna. You know how you have those shows you always liked and now suddenly YOU REALLY LIKE-that's how I'm starting to feel about Hazel.

What do I like most about Hazel? I think it's her charm. Yes, she may be the Queen of Buttinsky's, pushy and manipulative, but she has A HEART OF GOLD. And, this, makes her "means to the end", endearing. I defy you to find a mean bone in her body.

The show also does a hip-hip-hooray for common sense. Snot nosed blue blood Diedre may have good breeding and know a Gucci from a Pucci, but when it comes to native intelligence and sensitivity to others, she falls flat on her face. While Mr. Griffin and Hazel, who had relatively little formal education, are the real movers and shakers. Mr. Griffin may be gruff but underneath he's a softie. The show kinda puts down snobbery in a clever way; perhaps that is what I missed in the past.

What do you like about Hazel? The show & the character...

(Right now I'm going through S3, with plans to start S4 shortly)

[Hazel Anyday]

Ahh, a thread meant for me. (Kidding) When I was a kid I remember my Dad on the floor and me sitting on his back as we watched Hazel in the living room back when it was on new. I've been watching Hazel ever since. Then it seemed to disappear for about 15 years or so from TV from mid '70's till late '80's. So that was my dry spell, no Hazel for all that time. And this was before video tapes so when it was gone there was no going to the DVD then. But when I found Hazel was played on Family Channel in the late '80's I started taping it, no b/w shows though still. Then when WOR the then superstation ran the show nightly and included the b/w episodes I was in Heaven. I've been watching Hazel either once or twice a week now for the past 28 years. It's a show I never get tired of and look forward to the next viewing each week (now I see it every Monday morning with breakfast).

By the way it's a great breakfast show cause Hazel is often serving breakfast in each episode. So drink your Orange juice with Mr. B and have either pancakes or eggs with Mrs. B.

[OH Nuts!]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

Ahh, a thread meant for me. (Kidding) When I was a kid I remember my Dad on the floor and me sitting on his back as we watched Hazel in the living room back when it was on new. I've been watching Hazel ever since. Then it seemed to disappear for about 15 years or so from TV from mid '70's till late '80's. So that was my dry spell, no Hazel for all that time. And this was before video tapes so when it was gone there was no going to the DVD then. But when I found Hazel was played on TBS in the late '80's I started taping it, no b/w shows though still. Then when WOR the then superstation ran the show nightly and included the b/w episodes I was in Heaven. I've been watching Hazel either once or twice a week now for the past 28 years. It's a show I never get tired of and look forward to the next viewing each week (now I see it every Monday morning with breakfast).

By the way it's a great breakfast show cause Hazel is often serving breakfast in each episode. So drink your Orange juice with Mr. B and have either pancakes or eggs with Mrs. B.

LOL you gotta have good discipline to watch the show as Hazel is always whipping up something mouth watering. The show has good writing too and with Shirley Booth and Don DeFore it's hard to go wrong. I just finished watching the 2part S3 ep where Hazel stumbles upon Gracie and the gangsters. But Hazel outsmarts them, of course.

Do you have a favorite ep?

[Hazel Anyday]

Mouth watering is right. After years of watching Mr. Griffin rave over Hazel's brownies, I finally went and made my own brownies (& I don't cook). I found a sugar free brownie mix at Safeway (the only place that I found that sold sugar free brownies). And the good news the brownies are as good as Mr. Griffin's recommendations. Excellent and I've already bought another box to make again.

Favorite shows is hard to do, one comes to mind is the b/w episode where Hazel makes all the arrangements for a teenage girls sleepover only to be told in the end that she's not welcome. She's grown old and for that she is past the time to join in with kids. Very sad episode and still makes a tear roll at the end of the show when she sings Row Row Row your Boat with the girls. Not a funny show but the most memorable to me.

[OH Nuts!]

Sugar free brownies? Interesting. Do you eat sugar free for a specific health reason, or just trying to cut the calories.

Me personally I'm mildly diabetic and from personal experience a lot of sugar free products still have a lot of carbs. I may try making some muffins with a nut flour and Splenda one day- and pray to Hazel's spirit that they come out halfway decent. But, unfortunately, I'm not that great of a cook. Adequate, but nothing to write home about.

I have to think about my favorite though. The ep you picked sounds like a really good one.

[Hazel Anyday]

I haven't had a brownie since I was told I had diabetes some years back. I used to buy them at that brownie store in the malls, forget the name of it. So when I finally discovered them a month or 2 ago made by Pillsbury at Safeway Sugarfree yet, I had to buy. (If it's sugar free I'll eat it, I don't look at the carbs, I gotta live a little.) Even though I've never baked a cake or brownie before. I followed directions and it was easy, though my sister helped out with the first batch adding her own helpful hints. They came out good, I added Pillsbury frosting to it and it was good. I made them again by myself and now I'm an expert. But next time I'm making them without the frosting, I'd rather they not be so sweet.

As for favorite episodes, I always like all the ones with Mr. Griffin. Liked the one at Thanksgiving when Mr. Griffin was dressed neatly in a white overcoat and requested Hazel make Peach Cobbler for desert. I liked the one when Hazel tried her psychology methods to get her nephew and Deidra's daughter not to run off and get married right away by showing them the lousy condition they'd be living in for the next 10 years. Also the b/w epis. when Deidra buys the famous painter's picture of Hazel when she was a little girl. Deidra, of course, didn't know it was Hazel. Then Hazel let it slip she "cheered" up the painting by painting a smile on her face and adding flowers. Another funny but touching episode too when they treated the picture like junk after they found Hazel retouched it. Lot of good episodes, if I thought more I could come up with more.

[OH Nuts!]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

I haven't had a brownie since I was told I had diabetes some years back. I used to buy them at that brownie store in the malls, forget the name of it. So when I finally discovered them a month or 2 ago made by Pillsbury at Safeway Sugarfree yet, I had to buy. (If it's sugar free I'll eat it, I don't look at the carbs, I gotta live a little.) Even though I've never baked a cake or brownie before. I followed directions and it was easy, though my sister helped out with the first batch adding her own helpful hints. They came out good, I added Pillsbury frosting to it and it was good. I made them again by myself and now I'm an expert. But next time I'm making them without the frosting, I'd rather they not be so sweet.

As for favorite episodes, I always like all the ones with Mr. Griffin. Liked the one at Thanksgiving when Mr. Griffin was dressed neatly in a white overcoat and requested Hazel make Peach Cobbler for desert. I liked the one when Hazel tried her psychology methods to get her nephew and Deidra's daughter not to run off and get married right away by showing them the lousy condition they'd be living in for the next 10 years. Also the b/w epis. when Deidra buys the famous painter's picture of Hazel when she was a little girl. Deidra, of course, didn't know it was Hazel. Then Hazel let it slip she "cheered" up the painting by painting a smile on her face and adding flowers. Another funny but touching episode too when they treated the picture like junk after they found Hazel retouched it. Lot of good episodes, if I thought more I could come up with more.

I'll have to look for those brownies. I'm getting psyched to try to make some muffins with either almond or coconut flour. Wish me luck. I tried to make pancakes with soy flour but they didn't come out too good- good enough for me but nothing like the real deal. I wouldn't dare eat real pancakes though-my BG would go through the roof!

I really like the Mr. Griffin episodes too. That Diedre though-she needs surgery real bad- to remove that bug up her *** lol. She's such a pill.

[Peppermint Patty]

I almost forgot about how wonderful this show was until recently when they started airing it again. I make it a point to watch the 2 episodes they show each day. I just sit and laugh at the great comedy and storylines.

[Peppermint Patty]

I can't believe I actually almost forgot about this wonderful show and thanks to gettv for broadcasting it two times a day it brought back great memories. Many laughs and wonderful storylines made this show very memorable.

[Wawwie]

My favorite shows from the 50s and 60s are on every morning on Antenna TV. Father Knows Best, Dennis the Menace, and then Hazel! I start cooking breakfast while Dennis is still on, then we eat during Hazel. Hazel is such a cozy and comforting show. I love it. Hazel will always make me think of breakfast. She is such a great cook, so I love preparing breakfast right before Hazel starts. She probably makes better French toast than me! I love to hear about her recipes and I adore her relationship with Harold.

[OH Nuts!]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

My favorite shows from the 50s and 60s are on every morning on Antenna TV. Father Knows Best, Dennis the Menace, and then Hazel! I start cooking breakfast while Dennis is still on, then we eat during Hazel. Hazel is such a cozy and comforting show. I love it. Hazel will always make me think of breakfast. She is such a great cook, so I love preparing breakfast right before Hazel starts. She probably makes better French toast than me! I love to hear about her recipes and I adore her relationship with Harold.

When I take a morning off from work, this is close to my routine...except I skip Dennis.

[Retro Vic]

Originally Posted by OH Nuts!

LOL you gotta have good discipline to watch the show as Hazel is always whipping up something mouth watering. The show has good writing too and with Shirley Booth and Don DeFore it's hard to go wrong. I just finished watching the 2part S3 ep where Hazel stumbles upon Gracie and the gangsters. But Hazel outsmarts them, of course.

Do you have a favorite ep?

I would love to make Hazel’s lamb curry (wonder what the actual recipe was). I did follow her instructions she gives on one show about how to make a crusty, yet tender roast beef, & mine came out delicious! Her turkey dinner is also mouthwatering, will probably do this for Thanksgiving!

[Hazel Anyday]

I have long thought that Hazel was the perfect show to watch while I ate breakfast and did so for decades since I first taped Hazel in the late '80's. I used to watch my Hazel tapes every Saturday & Sunday with breakfast when I had my days off. One reason in most Hazel episodes they start out with Hazel serving breakfast to the Baxters. Sometimes it's scrambled eggs, other times it's blueberry pancakes and always orange juice and coffee. A perfect breakfast show, it's like eating breakfast with the Baxters and Hazel.

Now about 3 years ago (after almost 30 continuous years of watching my tapes later DVDs of Hazel) I had to stop watching. Hazel began to make me so angry whenever she started basically bullying Mr. B into doing what she wanted or when she would just totally ignore Mr. B's orders and then keep badgering him to do what she wanted. Everytime this happened (in the last couple of years I watched Hazel) I would yell out YOU'RE FIRED! I'd get so mad I'd have a hard time swallowing my breakfast I got so mad. Now this show never effected me like this for all the years I watch, I guess it just finally got to me the way Mr. B never stands up and fires her the way he should. I know I'm going to go back to watching Hazel again (it has been one of my all time favorite shows since I saw it when it was first broadcast on TV as a little kid). I just had to take a break from it to gather my wits again and perhaps not take the show so seriously. It's weird how it never bothered me till the last few years of watching.

[Retro Vic]

In Ted Key's Hazel cartoons, she was written as bossy. Don’t get too upset.

[Hazel Anyday]

I can tell you though, I do miss Hazel nowadays. I'll probably start watching again next year. Esp. at Thanksgiving and Christmas time, I always enjoyed those holiday themed shows. There were 4 Thanksgiving episodes, by the way. One from each of the first 4 seasons.