Ozzie and Harriet: A old TV friend rediscovered

 From 1952 until 1966 "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" aired on TV. That's a long run. I remember the show from reruns but it never seemed to gain the status of cult following to me and the reruns weren't around much. Maybe it is because the rights to the show were held by Ozzie Nelson himself and syndication from a big studio was not in the cards.

Once in a while we got a glimpse of some faded print or a few selected episodes when the show ran on the Disney Channel years ago. There are also a lot of public domain type DVDs out there that are so washed out you can't tell whether you are watching Ozzie or Harriet!

Apparently for years the heirs of the Nelsons have been working on getting the series released on DVD and it is finally here...at least the first few seasons. 

Of course the Nostalgic Rambler wanted to see this show so the DVDs are part of our daily viewing for now. Season One is on the agenda. It is really a charming show but very slow moving. The opening of the show features the lengthy "here's Ozzie...here's Harriet...here's David...here's Ricky..." which is gets kind of old after the first few shows...we KNOW who they are! The camera doesn't really move around much. "I Love Lucy" was also filmed around this time and you can sure tell the difference between the way the camera angles were thought out on "Lucy" compared to O&H.   

It's fun to watch for famous guest stars...or actors who were not house hold names yet. A very tiny Jerry Mathers aka the Beaver makes an appearance for instance as a trick or treater in a Halloween episode and Ellen Grandma Walton Corby plays Harriet's aunt in a show.

I imagine the later seasons may attract more DVD interest as heart throb Ricky Nelson starts his singing career. In season one he is a little boy far from any imagination of rock star status. The shows revolve around simple themes and yes they are very corny for our times...but as times get more and more complicated it is a great escape to the 1950s past of huge houses, housewives that look like they are ready to appear on a fashion show, men dressed in suits, and kids who are so polite and sweet you may need your diabetic medication. You gotta love the Nelsons and Ozzie and Harriet is a great series to discover for the first time or re-discover again. 

Although a few sponsor tags were left in, it would have been nice to see the original commercials...and there aren't any extras on the DVD but it's worth a look. An MPI Home video release.