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The First Reality TV Show - in 1952

Reality television shows have been a crazetime, the music was dropped altogether with
for  the  past  few  years.  Youthe  scripts  being  penned  by  Oswald.
may not realize that the first reality tvThe subject was once again their own family
show  was  first  aired  in  the  1950s.  Itlife  including  their  two  sons,
featured a band leader and his family. Theplayed by actors.By 1949 the actors were
show  actually  started  on  the  radioreplaced by the real David and Ricky, largely
as  a
and was a husband and wife affair. The
children  were  brought  in  and later, afterresult from pressure from the boys
themselves  and  a  guest  appearance by Bing
it had transferred to tv, the kids grew up,
got  married  and  their  wives  wereCrosby who brought his own two sons along to
appear  in  the  show.  If  Bing's  kids
also in the show.It was called The
Adventures  of  Ozzie and Harriet and had itscould do it, then so could Ozzie's kids.In
1952 the show was premiered on ABC
roots in a spot on a radio show in 1935 andtelevision.  By  now  David  was  16  and
lasted  31  years  until  it  ended  its
Ricky was 12. The theme continued to be the
tv run in 1966.Oswald Nelson was born infamily.  Many  of  the  comedy  script
1906 in New Jersey. He studied law at Rutgers
ideas came from incidents that actually
University and was also a keen musician. Tooccurred  in  the  Nelson  household.  If the
help  pay  the  fees,  he  was  a
boys took up a hobby, that would be
part-time football coach. He also was in afeatured.  When David and later Ricky started
band,  playing  saxophone.  In  time,  he
dating girls this was also included and
learned to play most of the band'sbecame a regular theme.By the time he was 17,
instruments.When the depression hit in lateRicky began to take an interest in the new
1929,  Oswald  realized  that  there  was  norock  'n'
guarantee of a job at the end of hisroll music that had taken hold of so many of
studies.  He  enjoyed playing in the band andhis  generation.  He  once  dated  a
as this was a proven source of income, hegirl who swooned over Elvis Presley. Not
decided  to  form  his  own  band  and  trywishing  to  be  outdone,  Ricky  told  her
his luck.The Ozzie Nelson Band had moderatethat he was cutting his own disc, a fact
success playing lowly clubs around New Yorkthat  had  absolutely  no  foundation.
and  the
Wishing to turn this white lie into reality
East Coast. When a competition was run byhe  asked  his  father  to  pull  some
the  New  York  Daily  Mirror  for
strings. By 1957, Ricky had a recording deal
readers to vote for their favorite band, heand  released  Fat's  Domino's  song  I'm
and  the  band  obtained  hundreds  of
Walking. Ozzie duly produced a special
unsold newspapers and sent in votes forscript  of  The  Adventures  of
themselves.  When  they  won  the
Ozzie and Harriet that would feature the new
competition the publicity spurred them intosong.  A  few  years  back  this  may
a  bigger  league  and  they  could  at
not have had any great effect, but by the
least scrape a living. Oswald recruitedlate  1950's  television  was  rapidly
beautiful  23  year  old  vaudeville
being taken up across the country and I'm
showgirl  Harriet  HilliardWalkin'  became  a  big  hit.  Ricky
as lead singer in 1932. They soon fell inwas an overnight pop idol. Oswald soon
love  and  were  married  within  threerealised  that  the  tv  show  was  a perfect
years.Their big break came when they wereway to promote Ricky's records and that the
booked  at  the  Glen  Island  Casino.show  would  attract  more  viewers,
Their performance was broadcast on nationalespecially teenagers. From this point
radio.  In  those  days  radio  was  asonwards,  Ricky's  songs  would  feature  in
big as tv is today and this exposure led tomany of the episodes. When they couldn't be
their  first  big  hit  And  then  Someincorporated  into  the  script,  a  song
along with regular spots on The Baker'sperformance by Ricky would simply be tacked
Broadcaston to the end of an episode.When the boys
finally married - David to June Blair in 1961
radio show from 1935. They were thenand  Ricky  to
recruited  to  do  regular  spots  on another
Kristin Harmon in 1964 - the
popular radio show, The Red Skelton Show.Inart-imitates-life theme was taken to new
1936 Harriet gave birth to their first son,heights
David,  followed  in  1940  by
when the wives were cast in the show to play
brother Eric, later known as Ricky.Ozzie andthemselves.Had The Adventures of Ozzie and
Harriet were increasingly inserting comedyHarriet  not  been  cancelled  in  1966,
skits  between  musical
maybe the show would still be playing with
numbers, and this seemingly spontaneousOzzie  and  Harriet's  grandchildren
repartee  went  down  well  with  the
taking up the baton. What was striking was
audience. These were basically skits basedthe  way  that  the  scripts,  all  written
around  the  couple's  family  life.  When
or supervised by Oswald, paralleled their
Red Skelton was drafted in 1944, Ozzie andreal life so closely.When Ozzie and Harriet
Harriet  were  offered  the  vacatedcracked their first joke on stage together
back  in  the
timeslot and filled it with The Adventures
of  Ozzie  and  Harriet.  Oswald1930's, little did they know that this would
lead  to  one  of  the  longest  running
decided to major on the comedy scripting,
with  the  music  taking  second  place.  Inshows on tv and the grand-daddy of today's
reality tv.



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