My review of Hazel's final season

[Robert 13]

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

I actually enjoy this episode rather well. This was 1966, I imagine many parents might have reacted this way if their kids tried to form a rock band. The use of reverse psychology is amusing with the way they dress themselves up, especially Hazel!

I agree. I always found this episode a riot, especially for (as retroTVfan4ever mentioned) Hazel's outfit. But it totally wouldn't hold up for today's audience unless you keep it in perspective with the sign of the times.

[Hazel Anyday]

Keep in mind, this is a TV show. I remember as a kid in the '60's everytime a prime time TV show tried to portray rock music, it was always lousy and goofball sounding, I remember thinking, this is the adult's version of what rock is. Same way when "hippies" were portrayed, always unrealistic and stupid. But these shows were written by adults at the time, who grew up with big band music or even tin pan alley '20's music, these shows weren't written by teenagers. To these narrow minded writers Tommy Dorsey was still the "bee's knees", & this is how they thought of rock music "it's just a fad" was the most common heard statement at the time.

Even the fact that they have all the adults in this Hazel episode dressing like beatnicks which to the apparently elderly writers is the same thing as hippies shows how out of touch the writers are in relating to any true culture of the then present day. Beatnicks and hippies are 2 completely different things, but to these stodgy writers with views from the '20's to '40's, they're the same. So I always excuse these type shows as being products of narrow minded out of touch writers and don't blame my favorite shows for these depictions.

Also this twist in the story (the straights dressing the way they think the "kids" are dressing to make them change to "normal") was a common storyline trick. Almost as common as the evil twin stroryline. I believe even I Love Lucy did a variation of this storytrick Lucy & Ethel acting sloppy to show Ricky & Fred how they look to them, the Flintstones did it, Father Knows Best, My 3 Sons did it to a degree and to the nth degree when it comes to an examples of really bad generic sounding "rock" that was supposed to be real rock. I think this was just a storyline trick that other shows shared.

And to whether Harold's hair and his "Leaping Lizards" buddies hair was long? I can remember quite well in 1968 my hair was a 1/4 of an inch over my ear and I was called a long haired hippie. Most boys had either crew cuts or very short hair at the time. So Harold's hair in 1966 could have been considered very long for the time. The funny thing is I also remember a year later the other boys hair was a lot longer than mine and these were the same jerks that called me a long hair.

[Ronny G]

While we're on the subject of Harold's "hippie" hair, I thought it looked odd that one side of his "bangs" was longer than the other side. I guess he grew one side longer for when he had it combed over and parted to the side.

It reminded me of those older, balding men who grow one side of their hair longer and comb it over their bald spot to cover it up.

[TeeVeeCloset]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

Keep in mind, this is a TV show. I remember as a kid in the '60's everytime a prime time TV show tried to portray rock music, it was always lousy and goofball sounding, I remember thinking, this is the adult's version of what rock is. Same way when "hippies" were portrayed, always unrealistic and stupid. But these shows were written by adults at the time, who grew up with big band music or even tin pan alley '20's music, these shows weren't written by teenagers. To these narrow minded writers Tommy Dorsey was still the "bee's knees", & this is how they thought of rock music "it's just a fad" was the most common heard statement at the time.

Even the fact that they have all the adults in this Hazel episode dressing like beatnicks which to the apparently elderly writers is the same thing as hippies shows how out of touch the writers are in relating to any true culture of the then present day. Beatnicks and hippies are 2 completely different things, but to these stodgy writers with views from the '20's to '40's, they're the same. So I always excuse these type shows as being products of narrow minded out of touch writers and don't blame my favorite shows for these depictions.

Also this twist in the story (the straights dressing the way they think the "kids" are dressing to make them change to "normal") was a common storyline trick. Almost as common as the evil twin stroryline. I believe even I Love Lucy did a variation of this storytrick Lucy & Ethel acting sloppy to show Ricky & Fred how they look to them, the Flintstones did it, Father Knows Best, My 3 Sons did it to a degree and to the nth degree when it comes to an examples of really bad generic sounding "rock" that was supposed to be real rock. I think this was just a storyline trick that other shows shared.

And to whether Harold's hair and his "Leaping Lizards" buddies hair was long? I can remember quite well in 1968 my hair was a 1/4 of an inch over my ear and I was called a long haired hippie. Most boys had either crew cuts or very short hair at the time. So Harold's hair in 1966 could have been considered very long for the time. The funny thing is I also remember a year later the other boys hair was a lot longer than mine and these were the same jerks that called me a long hair.

from someone from the same generation and the same love of these series, VERY WELL SAID...I applaud your well thought out educated words...not a knock to the original poster.

BTW... spending most of the entire Memorial Day 2011 weekend transferring Hazel, Season 5 to DVD from my recent Antenna TV recordings.

[Tom_Clark]

Thinking back (I was a teenager at the time), I think I recall that CBS wanted to get rid of DeFore and Blake (and the Johnsons) and bring in a younger couple in order to improve the demographics of HAZEL. "Improving" always meant attracting a younger audience. You know, most advertisers really only want the 18-49 age group to see their commercials.

I don't think they achieved their goal. The next season, HAZEL was replaced with FAMILY AFFAIR.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by Tom_Clark

Thinking back (I was a teenager at the time), I think I recall that CBS wanted to get rid of DeFore and Blake (and the Johnsons) and bring in a younger couple in order to improve the demographics of HAZEL. "Improving" always meant attracting a younger audience. You know, most advertisers really only want the 18-49 age group to see their commercials.

I don't think they achieved their goal. The next season, HAZEL was replaced with FAMILY AFFAIR.

I think the primary reason DeFore and Blake were let go was to save money. Itr was cheaper to produce the series going with two unknowns in the roles of Mr. and Mrs Baxter. I think you are correct to suggest with the first piece of business out of the way (Defore and Blake not being renewed), the second piece of business was to take the show in a new direction by getting younger.

[Leslie Eckhardt]

Originally Posted by retroTVfan4ever

I actually enjoy this episode rather well. This was 1966, I imagine many parents might have reacted this way if their kids tried to form a rock band. The use of reverse psychology is amusing with the way they dress themselves up, especially Hazel!

I believe that the "inspiration" for this episode came from an episode of December Bride where Lily (Spring Byington) did a similar "beatnik" impersonation. She even read a similar type of poetry: "Bless-ed are the depress-ed. Caress-ed are the depress-ed. Surpress-ed are the Depress-ed. For they sleep on a bed of nails." The title to this show may have been "The Beat Generation" and it came late in the series. You haven't lived until you've seen Verna Felton in beatnik drag!

[biffbronson]

The episode "My Son the Sheepdog" is also notable for Lynn Borden's outfit: A miniskirt with knee-high boots. It's easy to see why this lady was Miss Arizona 1957 who went on to compete well in the Miss America pageant. Here she is in her early '30s, 1972:

[1960'sTVfan]

Those pictures of Lynn Borden must be from Frogs, the 1972 movie she was in. She's a lovely looking lady, that's for sure.

Getting back to the My Son The Sheepdog episode, I can understand why the episodes ending can be seen as contrived, but I just figure that's how the writers wanted it. They wanted the boys to go back to being themselves and give up the idea of having a rock band. Considering their ages at the time, they were a bit too young to be in a band anyway. A few years older and it would have been more believeable.

[biffbronson]

I did think the episode had some nice touches. For example, it's fun to see Julia Benjamin's character rocking out. This ep in general was one of the most animated of the series.

[Fontaine]

Did Ray Fulmer ever appear in anything else?

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Wet Water

I can't let the subject of Hazel's last season go without commenting on this episode, which was an embarrassment to TV in general.

I'd consider it a middle-aged conservative TV writer's fantasy fulfillment episode. Young Harold and his friends form a rock band. (And despite their ages, they aren't technically bad. By necessity their sound is a rather generic boogie-- show can't or won't spring for quality, original music.)

But the adults are appalled. They say totally trite and ignorant things like, "It's all noise!" and "They look like girls!" [NOTE: Outside of prominent bangs, their hair is NOT long.]

Finally they come up with a scheme: they start dressing and acting like beatniks (!), hoping to shock the boys back to their senses. And it works. At the cusp of success, with gigs coming in and peer approval, they rather abruptly give up on their dreams and announce with an odd eagerness they're going right to the barbershop. Boring normality is restored. Huzzah ...

Looks like one of those have to see to be believed episodes.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Leslie Eckhardt

I believe that the "inspiration" for this episode came from an episode of December Bride where Lily (Spring Byington) did a similar "beatnik" impersonation. She even read a similar type of poetry: "Bless-ed are the depress-ed. Caress-ed are the depress-ed. Surpress-ed are the Depress-ed. For they sleep on a bed of nails." The title to this show may have been "The Beat Generation" and it came late in the series. You haven't lived until you've seen Verna Felton in beatnik drag!

There should be a compilation of 1960s sitcom Beat Poetry!

I've seen some pretty interesting examples on (of course) Doby Gillis, The Munsters, Petticoat Junction (recited by a young Dennis Hopper) and one of the all-time greatest, The Beverly Hillbillies, as quoted by my friend, poet George Dance:

----------------------------------------

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt....w/7ulFJi8zoXkJ

George Dance wrote:
> > My daughter asked me to share this poem (author unknown to either of
> > us):
>
> > Haiku are quite easy
> > though sometimes they make no sense;
> > refrigerator.
>
> San Francisco haiku.
>
Hmm. Remind me of the first poem I ever memorized. It was from a
Beverley Hillbillies episode in which (for some reason connected with
the Drysdales) a Beat Poet from San Francisco was staying with the
Clampetts.

One day Granny found the poet standing on his head against a wall. He
told her he was meditating; when she asked why he told her (more or
less), "When I meditate, my brains soar." So she explained that it
was sore because all his blood was rushing to it, and pulled him
down.

He was a bit upset, and told her that was how he wrote his poetry.
She asked if he'd written a poem; he told her he had, and recited it
(and this part I've committed to memory):

Blue cheesecake
A silver spoon in the sand
The seaweed barks at me.

So she turned him upside down again, and left him there to write a
better one.
------------------------

Of course, Maynard G. Krebs and his fellow television versions of The Beat Generation were mostly ignorant satire of Kerouac, Ginsberg et al, but they are still a hoot as surrealistic commentary of the pretentious avant garde types that were, as Jack Kerouac put it, "After me, the Deluge", as he drank himself to death in Florida, a victim of his own fame.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Leslie Eckhardt

I believe that the "inspiration" for this episode came from an episode of December Bride where Lily (Spring Byington) did a similar "beatnik" impersonation. She even read a similar type of poetry: "Bless-ed are the depress-ed. Caress-ed are the depress-ed. Surpress-ed are the Depress-ed. For they sleep on a bed of nails." The title to this show may have been "The Beat Generation" and it came late in the series. You haven't lived until you've seen Verna Felton in beatnik drag!

Ah... I see the "Beat" poetry from the Hazel episode isn't quoted yet in the thread, anyone remember it or care to get it from the episode?

Did Hazel recite the poem?

I have a feeling that scene could be a classic...

[Hazel Anyday]

I just saw a "Farmer's Daughter" episode today where the mis-understood all gathered in a book store to recite their meaningless beat poetry.