The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet
1 9 5 2 - 1 9 6 6 (USA)
435 x 25 minute episodes
This show originated on CBS Radio between 1944 and 1954, where
it was originally known as The Ozzie Nelson - Harriet Hilliard
Show. On the original
radio show the kids were played by actors as opposed to Ozzie and
Harriet's real kids who appeared in the TV series.
Transferring to the new medium of television, The Adventures
Of Ozzie & Harriet was basically the real-life Nelson
family, with all the little adventures that an active middle-class
American family might have. (Even the house in the series - 822
Sycamore Road, Hillsdale - was modelled on the Nelsons' real-life
home in Hollywood).
Bandleader Nelson and his singer wife made their living with
their music in the '30s and '40s, appearing on Red Skelton's radio
show and even filling in for him when Skelton was drafted.
They got their own slot and built a show that revolved around
the family's lives (the Nelson boys took over from the actors
playing them in the original radio show) and the canny Nelson even
talked ABC into a 10-year contract that paid whether his series
was cancelled or not.
In the early episodes the stories revolved mainly around the
four Nelsons, with only a few friends and neighbours, most notably
Thorny Thornberry, who regularly offered Ozzie bits of ill-timed
advice. Later, as the boys began to date, a succession of
girlfriends began to appear.
In time, both David and Ricky got married and both their
real-life wives (June & Kris) then appeared on the show also.
David emerged from college as a lawyer and joined a law office, in
which Ricky became a part-time clerk.
Their boss was Mr. Kelley and their secretary was Miss Edwards.
Ozzie was a perfectionist who insisted on high production values
and his efforts paid off in the show's remarkable popularity.
The series also made a teenage singing idol of Ricky Nelson.
After Ricky sang Fats Domino's I'm Walkin' in 1957, his
version became a runaway smash on vinyl. That launched a music
career that included such hits as Fools Rush In, Hello,
Mary Lou, Garden Party and Travellin' Man.
At a time when Elvis Presley shocked the establishment with his
sexual gyrations, Ricky Nelson was safe, pleasant and as
middle-American as the street in Hillsdale (state never
identified) where the Nelson's lived.
Seven years after the show left the air, the elder Nelsons
returned with the syndicated Ozzie's Girls, in which Ozzie
and Harriet took in two female college-student boarders. It didn't
last a season.
The final 26 episodes of The Adventures
Of Ozzie & Harriet were filmed in colour.
Rick Nelson died in a plane crash in 1985.
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