The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

In the summer of 1947, a fantastic new domestic comedy series was begun. It featured the lives of the Nelson family, Ozzie, Harriet and their sons David and Ricky.

Harriet met Ozzie when he was looking for a girl singer for his band, they married in October 1935 and had a son, David, in October 1936 and another son, Eric (Ricky), in May 1940. 

In 1949, the popular show became a true family affair when 12-year-old David and 8-year-old Ricky replaced the child actors who had been portraying them on radio, before the show moved to TV in 1952 and ran for a further 14 years.

The family quickly became radio's most huggable household - a squeaky clean family to warm the hearts of the nation. 

One of the charming aspects of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, was that it allegedly mirrored the Nelsons' actual lives - although there were criticisms for presenting an idealized version of American family life that few could live up to.

Personally, I think it was down to the relaxed camaraderie between the parents and children that everyone wanted to emulate - just as they do now. 

The show was lovable for reasons hard to explain really - or perhaps none which you could justify now. It wasn't terribly clever, or original, merely good natured, ever so perky, and homey.

The family were constantly entangled in the amusing situations Ozzie had caused - and Harriet, who was the brains and power behind the throne, easily and shrewdly untangled them - narrowly avoiding the inevitable disasters!

I recently found a few more of the Ozzie and Harriet series, which I'll be adding to RUSC over the coming weeks, so make sure to look out for them!. 

Happy listening my friends,