The First Reality TV Show - in 1952

Reality television shows have been a craze forthe music taking second place. In
the past few years. Youtime, the music was dropped altogether with the
may not realize that the first reality tv showscripts being penned by Oswald.
was first aired in the 1950s. ItThe subject was once again their own family life
featured a band leader and his family. The showincluding their two sons,
actually started on the radioplayed by actors.By 1949 the actors were
and was a husband and wife affair. The childrenreplaced by the real David and Ricky, largely as a
were brought in and later, afterresult from pressure from the boys themselves
it had transferred to tv, the kids grew up, gotand a guest appearance by Bing
married and their wives wereCrosby who brought his own two sons along to
also in the show.It was called The Adventures ofappear in the show. If Bing's kids
Ozzie and Harriet and had itscould do it, then so could Ozzie's kids.In 1952 the
roots in a spot on a radio show in 1935 andshow was premiered on ABC television. By now
lasted 31 years until it ended itsDavid was 16 and
tv run in 1966.Oswald Nelson was born in 1906 inRicky was 12. The theme continued to be the
New Jersey. He studied law at Rutgersfamily. Many of the comedy script
University and was also a keen musician. To helpideas came from incidents that actually occurred
pay the fees, he was ain 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, heWhen David and later Ricky started
learned to play most of the band'sdating 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 nobegan to take an interest in the new rock 'n'
guarantee of a job at the end of his studies. Heroll music that had taken hold of so many of his
enjoyed playing in the band andgeneration. He once dated a
as this was a proven source of income, hegirl who swooned over Elvis Presley. Not wishing
decided to form his own band and tryto be outdone, Ricky told her
his luck.The Ozzie Nelson Band had moderatethat he was cutting his own disc, a fact that had
success playing lowly clubs around New York andabsolutely no foundation.
theWishing to turn this white lie into reality he asked
East Coast. When a competition was run by thehis father to pull some
New York Daily Mirror forstrings. By 1957, Ricky had a recording deal and
readers to vote for their favorite band, he andreleased Fat's Domino's song I'm
the band obtained hundreds ofWalking. Ozzie duly produced a special script of
unsold newspapers and sent in votes forThe Adventures of
themselves. When they won theOzzie and Harriet that would feature the new
competition the publicity spurred them into asong. A few years back this may
bigger league and they could atnot have had any great effect, but by the late
least scrape a living. Oswald recruited beautiful 231950's television was rapidly
year old vaudevillebeing taken up across the country and I'm
showgirl Harriet HilliardWalkin' became a big hit. Ricky
as lead singer in 1932. They soon fell in love andwas an overnight pop idol. Oswald soon realised
were married within threethat 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 onwards,
radio. In those days radio was asRicky's songs would feature in
big as tv is today and this exposure led to theirmany of the episodes. When they couldn't be
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
radio show from 1935. They were then recruitedmarried - David to June Blair in 1961 and Ricky to
to do regular spots on anotherKristin Harmon in 1964 - the art-imitates-life
popular radio show, The Red Skelton Show.Intheme 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 bythemselves.Had The Adventures of Ozzie and
brother Eric, later known as Ricky.Ozzie andHarriet not been cancelled in 1966,
Harriet were increasingly inserting comedy skitsmaybe the show would still be playing with Ozzie
between musicaland Harriet's grandchildren
numbers, and this seemingly spontaneoustaking up the baton. What was striking was the
repartee went down well with theway that the scripts, all written
audience. These were basically skits basedor supervised by Oswald, paralleled their real life
around the couple's family life. Whenso closely.When Ozzie and Harriet cracked their
Red Skelton was drafted in 1944, Ozzie andfirst joke on stage together back in the
Harriet were offered the vacated1930's, little did they know that this would lead to
timeslot and filled it with The Adventures ofone of the longest running
Ozzie and Harriet. Oswaldshows on tv and the grand-daddy of today's
decided to major on the comedy scripting, withreality tv.