Hazel's harping on Mr. B's weight

[Jude The Obscure]

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).

[gidgetgrape]

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.

[1960'sTVfan]

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.

[old grouch]

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

[Jude The Obscure]

^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

[Hazel Anyday]

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

[Jude The Obscure]

^

[missy's pop pop]

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!

[MichaelKeith]

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.

[comedyfreak]

Well stated.

[Lisalu]

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

[PracTz]

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.

[Chip J]

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!

[Chip J]

Originally Posted by missy's pop pop

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.

[Chip J]

Originally Posted by Jude The Obscure

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."