Another new opening sequence in middle of S2

[MichaelKeith]

Well I got to disc 4 of season 2 and there is yet another opening sequence that I had forgotten about but now remember it well. Hazel is getting out of car with grocery bags and gives one to each member of the household.

I guess the opening that I have always remembered most is the one from earlier in season 2 where Hazel is sitting in the car and Harold is throwing confetti out of the tree.

Can't wait till S3 comes out on May 15. Until then, does anyone know what the opening(s) for that season are?

[Leslie Eckhardt]

Originally Posted by MichaelKeith

Well I got to disc 4 of season 2 and there is yet another opening sequence that I had forgotten about but now remember it well. Hazel is getting out of car with grocery bags and gives one to each member of the household.

I guess the opening that I have always remembered most is the one from earlier in season 2 where Hazel is sitting in the car and Harold is throwing confetti out of the tree.

Can't wait till S3 comes out on May 15. Until then, does anyone know what the opening(s) for that season are?

The first opening of season three features Hazel posing the Baxters in front of a 1963 1/2 Galaxie scat-back for a portrait, with her jumping into the picture just before the shutter goes off. This is only on the first episode, although I seem to remember this opening being used for summer 1963 reruns of season 2. The second opening starting with the second episode of the season will have the Baxters climbing into a 1964 model Galaxie convertible, Harold buckling his seat belt around he and Smiley, and Hazel, at the wheel, barreling out of the driveway, turning stage right without checking the traffic! Hazel had all these openings because they were trying to showcase the latest Ford model. The season premiere of season 3 would have been before the 1964 model introduction, hence, the older intro.

[MichaelKeith]

Thanks, Leslie. that's a good explanation of why they had so many different opening sequences--that Ford wanted to show off their new cars. I really like how Shout! Factory includes the correct opening sequences for each of the episodes. Can't wait till season three to see that first episode of Hazel taking a family picture. I don't remember that one. Of course, being born in 1965 I only saw the show in reruns in the 1970s.

Now that you mention it, I do remember the opening where they are all getting into the '64 Galaxie convertible.

I remember in season four, there was a blue '65 Ford sedan and none of them could find the key to the door but Harold had it in his pedal car. Was this the only opening used for all of season 4?

[Leslie Eckhardt]

Originally Posted by MichaelKeith

Thanks, Leslie. that's a good explanation of why they had so many different opening sequences--that Ford wanted to show off their new cars. I really like how Shout! Factory includes the correct opening sequences for each of the episodes. Can't wait till season three to see that first episode of Hazel taking a family picture. I don't remember that one. Of course, being born in 1965 I only saw the show in reruns in the 1970s.

Now that you mention it, I do remember the opening where they are all getting into the '64 Galaxie convertible.

I remember in season four, there was a blue '65 Ford sedan and none of them could find the key to the door but Harold had it in his pedal car. Was this the only opening used for all of season 4?

As far as I know, that was the only fourth season opener. I understand that in the fourth season, Hazel's sponsorship was split up between Ford and Bristol-Myers. Perhaps that precluded the necessity of more than one opening sequence. There were also fewer episodes filmed for the fourth season (26). This may reflect the network's waning enthusiasm for a series whose ratings had slipped a bit. The first episode of the fourth season though, uses an opening I believe was used for the third season summer reruns. Harold is operating a pretend toll gate, and Hazel drives a new Mustang through it, as George and Dorothy look on. Again, this was employed right after the introduction of the iconic Ford Mustang and I know I saw it more than on that single fourth season opener. All the third season prints I've seen after the opener used the Galaxie convertible opening, but at some point way back when, the later ones had the Mustang opening. The rerun prints I first saw in the late 60s and early 70s had a dreadful opening cobbled together from three different openings. Hazel takes the groceries out of the back seat, then cut to George and Dorothy smiling and waving as Harold, in his football uniform is throwing confetti (at what we don't see in this version). Then we cut to a shot of Hazel carrying umbrellas back into the Steve Baxter house, from the fifth season opener. This is underscored by the (incomplete) fifth season theme music. I think the editors at Screen Gems were on acid when they conceived this!

[MichaelKeith]

Leslie, you are a wealth of information! Thanks for the details on the openings. I hope that Shout! Factory ends up releasing the fourth season too as it is the last one I am interested in. I prefer the first family with Dorothy and George. Once I have the first four seasons, I'll be as snug as a bug in a rug!

[Hazel Anyday]

WOW, that mish-mash crazy edit of all the different Hazel openings sounds really wierd. I don't remember seeing that one, I used to watch Hazel when it was originally on and in reruns through the '60's & '70's. But I wish I had seen that crazy opening.

With both Ford and Bristol-Myers as co-sponsors that year it would have been fun to see an opening of Hazel giving Mr. B a headache and him downing a few Bayer aspirins while passing the bottle to Dorothy and then to Harold who all also have headaches finally landing up in Smiley's dog bowl.

The season 5 also had 2 different openings, not only the one of the Steve Baxter family leaving the house while Hazel tries to give everyone an umbrella for the upcoming rainy day but also an opening that shows Hazel talking on a green phone and passing the phone onto the Steve Baxter family who continue to pass it to the kids.

My favorite openings you ask? The color version of the classic b/w opening with Hazel pulling out cookies from the oven and everyone catching a whiff and coming to get some. This color version of the b/w opening was seen in the very first episodes of Season 2 and also originally on the one and only color episode from the first season. Another favorite is that Hazel taking a picture of the Baxter family with a timed delay switch on the camera and running into the frame herself just before the picture snaps. I well remember my Dad using the exact same kind of delayed snapping camera, him focusing the frame setting the delayed time picture snap and running into the picture just before the camera snaps. Probably this is why I love that opening so much.

[Leslie Eckhardt]

Originally Posted by Hazel Anyday

WOW, that mish-mash crazy edit of all the different Hazel openings sounds really wierd. I don't remember seeing that one, I used to watch Hazel when it was originally on and in reruns through the '60's & '70's. But I wish I had seen that crazy opening.

With both Ford and Bristol-Myers as co-sponsors that year it would have been fun to see an opening of Hazel giving Mr. B a headache and him downing a few Bayer aspirins while passing the bottle to Dorothy and then to Harold who all also have headaches finally landing up in Smiley's dog bowl.

The season 5 also had 2 different openings, not only the one of the Steve Baxter family leaving the house while Hazel tries to give everyone an umbrella for the upcoming rainy day but also an opening that shows Hazel talking on a green phone and passing the phone onto the Steve Baxter family who continue to pass it to the kids.

My favorite openings you ask? The color version of the classic b/w opening with Hazel pulling out cookies from the oven and everyone catching a whiff and coming to get some. This color version of the b/w opening was seen in the very first episodes of Season 2 and also originally on the one and only color episode from the first season. Another favorite is that Hazel taking a picture of the Baxter family with a timed delay switch on the camera and running into the frame herself just before the picture snaps. I well remember my Dad using the exact same kind of delayed snapping camera, him focusing the frame setting the delayed time picture snap and running into the picture just before the camera snaps. Probably this is why I love that opening so much.

YouTube used to have this goofy opening but I have not been able to access it as of late. It was used on all the color episodes when the show was first syndicated on 16mm prints. When I saw the show on cable in the 80s, the 16mm jobs had been replaced by the prints you now see on Antenna TV with the correct openings. The old 16mm prints occasionally come up for sale in the classifieds of Classic Images, and dollars to donuts they probably still have this opening. The episode "The Natural Athlete" was advertised as being available described as "red but fun", which means the color has turned bad on this print.