| Reality television shows have been a craze for | | | | the music taking second place. In |
| the past few years. You | | | | time, the music was dropped altogether with the |
| may not realize that the first reality tv show | | | | scripts being penned by Oswald. |
| was first aired in the 1950s. It | | | | The subject was once again their own family life |
| featured a band leader and his family. The show | | | | including their two sons, |
| actually started on the radio | | | | played by actors.By 1949 the actors were |
| and was a husband and wife affair. The children | | | | replaced by the real David and Ricky, largely as a |
| were brought in and later, after | | | | result from pressure from the boys themselves |
| it had transferred to tv, the kids grew up, got | | | | and a guest appearance by Bing |
| married and their wives were | | | | Crosby who brought his own two sons along to |
| also in the show.It was called The Adventures of | | | | appear in the show. If Bing's kids |
| Ozzie and Harriet and had its | | | | could do it, then so could Ozzie's kids.In 1952 the |
| roots in a spot on a radio show in 1935 and | | | | show was premiered on ABC television. By now |
| lasted 31 years until it ended its | | | | David was 16 and |
| tv run in 1966.Oswald Nelson was born in 1906 in | | | | Ricky was 12. The theme continued to be the |
| New Jersey. He studied law at Rutgers | | | | family. Many of the comedy script |
| University and was also a keen musician. To help | | | | ideas came from incidents that actually occurred |
| pay the fees, he was a | | | | in the Nelson household. If the |
| part-time football coach. He also was in a band, | | | | boys took up a hobby, that would be featured. |
| playing saxophone. In time, he | | | | When David and later Ricky started |
| learned to play most of the band's | | | | dating girls this was also included and became a |
| instruments.When the depression hit in late 1929, | | | | regular theme.By the time he was 17, Ricky |
| Oswald realized that there was no | | | | began to take an interest in the new rock 'n' |
| guarantee of a job at the end of his studies. He | | | | roll music that had taken hold of so many of his |
| enjoyed playing in the band and | | | | generation. He once dated a |
| as this was a proven source of income, he | | | | girl who swooned over Elvis Presley. Not wishing |
| decided to form his own band and try | | | | to be outdone, Ricky told her |
| his luck.The Ozzie Nelson Band had moderate | | | | that he was cutting his own disc, a fact that had |
| success playing lowly clubs around New York and | | | | absolutely no foundation. |
| the | | | | Wishing to turn this white lie into reality he asked |
| East Coast. When a competition was run by the | | | | his father to pull some |
| New York Daily Mirror for | | | | strings. By 1957, Ricky had a recording deal and |
| readers to vote for their favorite band, he and | | | | released Fat's Domino's song I'm |
| the band obtained hundreds of | | | | Walking. Ozzie duly produced a special script of |
| unsold newspapers and sent in votes for | | | | The Adventures of |
| themselves. When they won the | | | | Ozzie and Harriet that would feature the new |
| competition the publicity spurred them into a | | | | song. A few years back this may |
| bigger league and they could at | | | | not have had any great effect, but by the late |
| least scrape a living. Oswald recruited beautiful 23 | | | | 1950's television was rapidly |
| year old vaudeville | | | | being taken up across the country and I'm |
| showgirl Harriet Hilliard | | | | Walkin' became a big hit. Ricky |
| as lead singer in 1932. They soon fell in love and | | | | was an overnight pop idol. Oswald soon realised |
| were married within three | | | | that the tv show was a perfect |
| years.Their big break came when they were | | | | way to promote Ricky's records and that the |
| booked at the Glen Island Casino. | | | | show would attract more viewers, |
| Their performance was broadcast on national | | | | especially teenagers. From this point onwards, |
| radio. In those days radio was as | | | | Ricky's songs would feature in |
| big as tv is today and this exposure led to their | | | | many of the episodes. When they couldn't be |
| first big hit And then Some | | | | incorporated into the script, a song |
| along with regular spots on The Baker's | | | | performance by Ricky would simply be tacked |
| Broadcast | | | | on to the end of an episode.When the boys finally |
| radio show from 1935. They were then recruited | | | | married - David to June Blair in 1961 and Ricky to |
| to do regular spots on another | | | | Kristin Harmon in 1964 - the art-imitates-life |
| popular radio show, The Red Skelton Show.In | | | | theme was taken to new heights |
| 1936 Harriet gave birth to their first son, David, | | | | when the wives were cast in the show to play |
| followed in 1940 by | | | | themselves.Had The Adventures of Ozzie and |
| brother Eric, later known as Ricky.Ozzie and | | | | Harriet not been cancelled in 1966, |
| Harriet were increasingly inserting comedy skits | | | | maybe the show would still be playing with Ozzie |
| between musical | | | | and Harriet's grandchildren |
| numbers, and this seemingly spontaneous | | | | taking up the baton. What was striking was the |
| repartee went down well with the | | | | way that the scripts, all written |
| audience. These were basically skits based | | | | or supervised by Oswald, paralleled their real life |
| around the couple's family life. When | | | | so closely.When Ozzie and Harriet cracked their |
| Red Skelton was drafted in 1944, Ozzie and | | | | first joke on stage together back in the |
| Harriet were offered the vacated | | | | 1930's, little did they know that this would lead to |
| timeslot and filled it with The Adventures of | | | | one of the longest running |
| Ozzie and Harriet. Oswald | | | | shows on tv and the grand-daddy of today's |
| decided to major on the comedy scripting, with | | | | reality tv. |