rcj5365 Cannot believe that this series has stood the test of time. "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" was for it's time groundbreaking, cutting edge for a family oriented show that was unheard of when it premiered on radio in 1944 and then made the transition to television in 1952. This was the show that brought Rick Nelson into America's living rooms and made it acceptable not only for it's standards but kept it's morals in check too. This was the sitcom where the husband never works while the wife stays home with the well-behaved kids...sometimes with hilarious and unpredictable results making it one of the funniest shows ever conceived for television. "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" premiered on ABC-TV on October 3, 1952 and ran for an astounding fourteen seasons on the air until April 23,1966 starring the entire Nelson family which included Ozzie Nelson his wife Harriet Nelson and sons David and Ricky Nelson. The series produced an astounding 435 episodes with seasons 1 thru 13 telecast and filmed in black and white with the 14th and final season of the series produced in color. Out of the 435 episodes that it produced a total of 409 episodes were in black and white from October 3, 1952 until March 17, 1965. The 14th and final season produced 26 episodes in color from September 18, 1965 until April 23, 1966. "Ozzie and Harriet" became the second longest running family sitcom in television history behind "My Three Sons". The sponsors were The American Gas Company, Proctor and Gamble, The Eastman Kodak Company, Quaker Oats Company, The Chrysler Corporation, Heinz Ketchup, and The Colgate-Palmotive Company throughout the series entire 14 season run.Ozzie Nelson was the creator-writer and executive producer of the series but also the director of several episodes as well. Ozzie Nelson directed a total of 358 episodes between 1952-1966. David Nelson directed 8 episodes of the series between 1963-1965. Writers include Dick Bensfield, Bill Davenport, Ben Gershman, Perry Grant, Don Nelson, and Jay Sommers. Ozzie Nelson along with Harriet Nelson, David Nelson, and Rick Nelson appeared in all 435 episodes of the series with the supporting cast members Don De Fore, Parley Baer, Lyle Talbot, Mary Jane Croft, Connie Harper, James Stacy, Joe Flynn, Kent McCord, and Frank Cady. The show had a low key style to it but when the boys got married that show had outlived it appeal and when the show went into it's fourteen and final season in color in the fall of 1965 ABC moved it to an earlier time slot(on Saturday nights) which led to it's cancellation in the spring of 1966 when the series was moved in favor of Batman. By 1966, the youth counter culture was changing and so was the television landscape as well,but for a series that was family friendly and had great appeal the times were changing that saw "Ozzie and Harriet" end it's astounding run on television and made it's place in cultural history.

earlytalkie The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet stands as the longest-running live action sitcom in history. Many people over the years have put down this program as being corny and too "white-bread" for modern consumption. Just like The Donna Reed Show and other "family" shows of that era. O & H is really a charming time-capsule of what we wanted to be back in those days, just like Donna Reed. What sets O & H a tad above the other shows is the fact that the family portrayed here was, in fact, a real family. Ozzie Nelson himself oversaw practically every aspect of production, and let's not forget that, starting in 1957, Ricky was singing genuine "rock and roll" on the show. The plots may be as simple as a late-night search for Tutti-Frutti ice cream, but there is an easy-going flow to the lightweight stories that make them charming. Don De Fore is featured in the early shows as "Thorny" the next-door neighbor, and Lyle Talbot and Mary Jane Croft are in the later ones as the Randolphs. Ozzie and Harriet featured background music taken from the Capitol HiQ music library. This music was used in many shows, cartoons and industrial films of the period. Just hearing this music takes me back to the "old days" and gives me a warm feeling. The performances by the family are all polished and good, especially Harriet with her wise-cracks which always crack me up. The show is in the process of being fully restored, all 435 episodes (!), by Sam Nelson, son of Rick. There has been much said about the quality of the Shout! Factory "best of" set. I own this and I enjoy having 24 episodes which cover the series from the earliest shows to the last. Yes, these are the edited-for-syndication prints, but as I don't remember what was cut from the shows, I don't miss these scenes. In addition, the prints used here are in pretty good shape, better than the ones featured on the public domain DVDs which have been around for many years now. For someone like me, who grew up in the O & H era, it is fine to see this program and relive "the good old days" when situation comedy didn't rely soley on sex jokes and off-color humor. Call me old-fashioned, but I like these classics of early television.

Westside-guy "Ozzie and Harriet" is often used as a buzzword for white-bread America: Husband runs the family spouting words of manly wisdom, while the wife stays home with the well-behaved kids. Funny thing is, the show really isn't like that. Ozzie is a guy who apparently never goes to work - it's a running gag throughout the show. His "great ideas" usually lead to disaster, and usually it's Harriet who quietly gets everything to turn out all right in the end. The kids, especially Ricky, often shoot off at the mouth. It was even Seinfeld-esque (and I say that as a rabid Seinfeld fan) - most episodes could fairly be described as being "about nothing".In truth it's one of the funniest shows ever on television. It was even cutting edge, for its time: Ozzie and Harriet slept in the same bed, which was unheard of. Ever see anyone on a TV show "break the fourth wall" (start talking to the camera)? This started on O&H - first with Ricky's end-of-show shrugs, and later with full-blown conversations directed to the camera. My personal favorite example of this is when Ozzie pretended to be a mind-reader (who of course no one recognized because of a cheesy goatee). When he gets exposed at the end, just about every character quips something or other straight into the camera.Do yourself a favor though. Don't start off with the late episodes where the boys are grown up and married. Those can be quite funny, but the show at times was just coasting on its reputation by then. Watch the earlier stuff from when the boys were little, when Thorny still lived next door. Give yourself time to get to know the characters, and you certainly won't regret it!

srd2974 This is for the person that says Ozzie and Harriet was dull! It is easy for you too reach back in another time, take something, and criticize it with the futures eyes. Obviously by calling anyone who watches the show "dull, or senior" you are just showing your ignorance!! This show, brought Rock N Roll into peoples living rooms, AND made it acceptable to their parents!! Did you know the Nelson family is the only family in history to have 3 generations become recording stars and win certain awards. (check it out) Ozzie, Ricky, and the Nelsons.Anyone can do crude humor like Seinfield......but it really takes talent to make people laugh and to be wholesome and safe for the WHOLE family to watch!! The Adventures and Leave it to Beaver were two of the best shows ever! And still rank better then the garbage they are turning out now, where whoever can shock the most, and show the most non-family friendly things rate highest.