Ozzie, Harriet and the Nelson Family biopic coming soon

[TJ]

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Here come the Nelsons again. One of America's best-known TV families will be showcased in a new CBS biopic, "Ozzie, Harriet and the Nelson Family," from Artisan Television. "Nelson Family" marks the first film about the Nelson clan done with the family's authorization. It will be executive produced by two of Ricky Nelson's children, Gunnar and Tracy Nelson, along with Artisan Pictures CEO Robert Cooper and Artisan TV president Judy Ranan.

Lynn Siefert (HBO's "Cross the Line") is writing the script for the
telefilm, which begins with Ozzie and Harriet Nelson's early years as a bandleader and band singer, respectively, in New York during the 1930s. In 1944, the Nelsons and their sons, David and Ricky, made a cross-country move to Hollywood to launch the radio show "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet," which migrated to ABC in 1952 for a 14-year run on the small screen.

America's picture-perfect family had its share of behind-the-scenes
heartache, including the 1985 death of Ricky Nelson in a plane crash at age 45. Ozzie Nelson died of cancer in 1975, while the former Harriet Hilliard died of heart failure in 1994.

The last part of the telefilm will focus on the lives of Ricky's
children -- Tracy, an actress who co-starred in the NBC series "The
Father Dowling Mysteries," Sam and twins Matthew and Gunnar, who recorded as the pop duo Nelson during the 1980s and '90s.

"Bob Cooper and I thought it was a really great way to do a combination of 'The Truman Show,' 'American Beauty' and to show the American culture and family turned inside out through the '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s," Ranan said. "I think at a time where family values are so important, what makes it unique is the fact that this is the first true American family."

Ranan said Gunnar and Tracy Nelson have been hands-on in the development process and have been sharing memories and other materials with screenwriter Siefert. No airdate has been set, but Ranan said they hope to begin production on the project in the summer.

The Nelson family was the subject of a highly rated two-hour episode of A&E's "Biography" series in 1998. The next year, VH1 produced the biopic "Ricky Nelson: Original Teen Idol" without the family's involvement. Although "Nelson Family" was conceived and pitched before September's terrorist attacks, it fits into the post-Sept. 11 nostalgia that led to stratospheric ratings for such programs as CBS retrospective specials on "I Love Lucy" and "The Carol Burnett Show."

The project was shopped to ABC, the original home of "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet," but it ended up at CBS, where it is being overseen by head of movies and miniseries Bela Bajaria.

"Nelson Family" is Artisan's second TV movie for CBS, following fall's highly rated "Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History." It is expected to be distributed by Fox TV Pictures as part of Artisan's overall deal with Fox TV Studios' longform unit.

The deal was negotiated by attorney Leigh Brecheen and manager Michael McConnell on behalf of the Ricky Nelson family, while Artisan Pictures executive vp business affairs Nick La Terza acted on behalf of Artisan.

[MsLulu]

Sounds like it'll be a good movie. I look forward to seeing it! thanks for letting us know about it.

[tjm730]

Hi,

Is there any recent word on when this show might be aired?

Thanks.

[mcgwirefan]

Have you heard anything more on this? I haven't seen it listed or promo'ed. Let us know!