27 Aug Review – The Adventures Of Ozzie and Harriet
FlixFling contributor, Alexandra Gibson reviews The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was a long-running TV show starring “America’s Favorite Family,” The Nelsons. From 1952 to 1966, The Nelsons, the archetypal American nuclear unit graced TV screens across the country. The adventures that Ozzie and Harriet have take place in the home or very close to it. They consist mainly of teenage shenanigans between brothers/best friends David and Ricky, Ozzie pal-ing around with his Fred Mertz-esque friend Joe, and Harriet cooking dinner. It is a wholesome family show. Unto every generation, one is born. My peers and I had 7th Heaven, and I suppose my parents had Ozzie and Harriet. I imagine young girls in 1952 swooned over David and Ricky as much as I did over Matt and Simon.
One thing I thought was quirky about Ozzie and Harriet (other than the general Stepfordyness) was that all of the main actors played themselves. The TV Nelsons – Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky – were played by the real life Nelsons – Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky (yep, Ricky Nelson, the musician). When real life David and Ricky got married, their wives joined the show as none other than TV David and Ricky’s wives. They don’t even try to pull the wool over our eyes like on I Love Lucy.
If you are of the 7th Heaven generation, Ozzie and Harriet is not for you. To reminisce about our younger years and watch a freakishly functional family, we have the Camdens. If you watched Ozzie and Harriet as a kid or teenager, then park it and tune in. If the actual show doesn’t take you back, the vintage commercials still embedded in the episodes will. Together, they’ll make you feel like you’re sitting in front of your childhood combination TV/turntable/radio console during dinner.
*Clip from an episode