The Nelson family’s legacy, stemming from their groundbreaking television show “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” revolutionized the portrayal of real families on screen and paved the way for future sitcoms.
Scott and Jen dive into the fascinating history of this iconic family, exploring their impact on American pop culture and the entertainment industry. Jenn shares her personal journey visiting the Nelsons’ Los Angeles gravesites, connecting with the family’s history in a meaningful way.
They discuss how the show, which ran for an impressive 14 years, blended real-life elements with scripted comedy, making it a unique staple of American television.
🎥 Video from their Los Angeles home
Transcript
137 History of Ozzie and Harriet
[00:00:00] Jenn: so as I’m crossing the border the ladies asked me What are you here for?
[00:00:03] What are you here in Canada for? And I said, I’m here to see Nelson and she goes, what’s that?
[00:00:18] Introduction to Talk with History
[00:00:18] Scott: Welcome to Talk with History. I’m your host, Scott, here with my wife and historian, Jen. Hello. On this podcast, we give you insights to our history inspired world travels, YouTube channel journey, and examine history through deeper conversations with the curious, the explorers, and the history lovers out there.
[00:00:35] Podcast Cover Art Evolution
[00:00:35] Scott: Now, Jen, I realized after the new year that I kind of buried the lead on one of the most obvious changes for talk with history. And that was our podcast cover art change. So if you’re first time listener, you wouldn’t notice, but our podcast cover art has kind of evolved over the years. And I think we’ve hit a spot now that really hits the sweet spot on what this podcast is.
[00:01:00] And that is. Traveling to historic locations, getting out there and experiencing history.
[00:01:07] Jenn: Yes.
[00:01:08] Scott: It kind of has a little bit of Indiana map, world map vibes to it.
[00:01:13] Jenn: Jones.
[00:01:13] Scott: Indiana. Yeah. Indiana Jones. so just want to kind of call that out. So for our longtime listeners, I’d be curious to let you, to hear your guys thoughts in an email or.
[00:01:21] Maybe comment on Spotify, but I did put some polls out there and it was one of the more popular ones, for our listeners on, on YouTube compared to past ones and other options.
[00:01:37] The Nelson Family’s Impact on Television
[00:01:37] Scott: The Nelson family revolutionized television by bringing the first real American family into our living rooms and. They were actually related in real life, but their legacy extends far beyond their groundbreaking show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Today we’ll take you on a journey through Hollywood history as we visit the places where these pioneering TV family lived, loved, and now rest.
[00:02:04] From 1952 to 1966, the Nelson family invited America into their home through television screens across the nation. What made their show unique wasn’t just it’s impressive 14 year run, but the fact that it started a real family playing versions of themselves. Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, along with their sons, David and Ricky, or Eric, created the blueprint for every family sitcom that would follow.
[00:02:30] In this episode, we’re going to explore their former Hollywood Hills home, how they got started, and where many of the show’s exterior shots were filmed, their Hollywood home. And visit the final resting places of Ozzie, Harriet, and Ricky. Eric and David through these locations will uncover the lasting impact this family had on American pop culture, television history, and the entertainment industry as a whole.
[00:02:56] All right, Jen.
[00:02:56] Exploring the Nelson Family’s Hollywood Legacy
[00:02:56] Scott: So the Nelsons have been an interesting topic between you and I for quite some time, even before you kind of had the idea and opportunity. to go visit their gravesites and their Hollywood home. one of the things that you said on the video and the videos is out already, if you’re listening to this podcast, is that, when we first met, you didn’t realize that I had been told multiple times throughout my life by people of a particular age that I reminded them of Ricky Nelson because I kind of have the same shaped face and I never really knew what that meant because I hadn’t seen the show.
[00:03:36] so let’s talk about Ozzy and Harriet Nelson, how they started and really who they are to pop culture.
[00:03:44] Jenn: Sure. So we laugh about it because I kind of grew up on Ozzie and Harriet, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, because my family were early adopters to the Disney Channel. And if you had cable, you could buy the Disney Channel, opt for the Disney Channel, kind of like HBO when it first came out.
[00:04:02] So when I was young, my parents opted for the Disney Channel because we were little at the time. And one of the filler shows, was The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. That’s so funny. And so I watched all of them as a kid. And so I felt like I grew up with them too. Even though I was a different generation, I felt like I grew up with them.
[00:04:23] Because David and Ricky, I started on the show as young boys and grew up on the show. You saw them all the way through grade school, all the way into college and beyond where they had jobs and wives and eventually children on the show. So it was just so neat for me to see that and kind of grow up with them.
[00:04:46] And I always wanted to go there. I always wanted to go to their house. I always wanted to go and see them and, and it was just so neat to kind of.
[00:04:56] Ricky Nelson’s Musical Journey
[00:04:56] Jenn: Find this and do this but one of the other funny stories about this and the and Nelson in general is We were living in Erie, Pennsylvania and I saw Nelson was giving a concert in Niagara Falls and this was like a day before they shut down the border for the pandemic.
[00:05:15]
[00:05:15] Scott: was like February, early March of 2020.
[00:05:18] Jenn: Yes. And I had to cross the border to go into Niagara Falls to see Nelson. Nelson is Ricky Nelson’s two sons. They’re Gunnar and Matthew, and they were kind of popular in the 80s or early 90s.
[00:05:30] Scott: had a couple songs.
[00:05:31] I actually recognize some of those songs.
[00:05:33] Jenn: And they’re long blonde hair and kind of rock and roll look to them. But this concert was a tribute concert to their father. So they played a lot of Ricky Nelson songs. And Memories of growing up with their dad and so as I’m crossing the border the ladies asked me What are you here for?
[00:05:51] What are you here in Canada for? And I said, I’m here to see Nelson and she goes, what’s that? And I told him here to see Ricky Nelson’s sons Nelson They’re a musical group and they’re performing and she was like, I have no idea what you’re talking about So when I went in there I’m about the same age of the, his, his sons, Gunnar and Matthew, they’re a little older than me, but I’m about the same age as them.
[00:06:13] And so when I went in there, I had a front row ticket, but if, I don’t know if they, I looked down, but I was like, The youngest person. And, but I knew all the songs. I knew what they were saying. And for me, it was just really special. I wanted to hear them talk about their dad and their memories. Plus I liked their music too, but that was really special for me.
[00:06:36] So then to be able to go find the house. And then find the final resting place of this original TV family was really important to me.
[00:06:44] Scott: so those are kind of our personal ties to. some of our personal stories about the Nelsons and why it was fun for you to kind of go out there and do this.
[00:06:52] The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet: A Closer Look
[00:06:52] Scott: But to step back, the Ozzie and Harriet got a start on radio. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, starting in 1944.
[00:07:01] Jenn: Yeah, so Ozzie and Harriet met, Ozzie was a big band leader. he was a big band leader in the thirties and Harriet was a singer and she sang in his band and that’s how they started. And then they got married and they started to do the radio show, like you said, a kind of about their antics as a married couple.
[00:07:19] And they had hired two young boys to play their sons, actors. And that was great until Bing Crosby had his real life son. on a radio show and when David and Ricky heard being Crosby’s real son, they asked their parents, can we be on the radio show? And so that’s kind of how they brought their real sons into the story.
[00:07:47] Scott: Yeah, I think that was right around 1949. So they had been doing the radio show for a few years and then they made the jump over to television. Now this was, What was interesting, and I would encourage folks to go and watch the video because I put together a timeline of when this show was on TV, kind of with other famous, well known television families of the fifties and later on in the sixties, because this show was on for 14 years.
[00:08:15] So I Love Lucy’s technically started in 1951. Right. Even though I don’t know if her, she had started on radio, but I don’t know if it was as I love Lucy, but that, that TV show started in 1951. They started, Less than a year later in 1952.
[00:08:33] Jenn: Yes. And Lucy, remember, she’s not using her real last name. Desi isn’t using his real name at all.
[00:08:39] And even though they document the birth of their son, they don’t document the birth of their daughter who is older and it’s not played by their real son. So the Nelsons are using their real names, their real family, and they even are filming in front of their real house. I call them America’s first TV reality family because even though you’re not seeing their real life Some of their real life is playing into the storylines.
[00:09:07] It is really them it is really the house and the sets are based on the real house and They kind of introduce themselves in the beginning. It’s very much has a vaudeville feel to it. So if you ever saw like George M. Cohan or Yankee Doodle Dandy, when the Cohans introduced their family, my father thanks you, my mother thanks you.
[00:09:26] that’s how they introduced them in the beginning of a show. Here’s Ozzy playing the part of Ozzy Harriot. Here’s Harriet playing the part of Harriet, Harriet Nelson. And, so they kind of go through each one and introduce themselves and then all stand together like a vaudeville act would do. And that’s how they start their show.
[00:09:43] Scott: And if you think about it, this is really the evolution of who’s making the transition from vaudeville, from Broadway, from those kinds of traveling shows. To television that are now bringing this kind of invent entertainment into people’s living rooms So this was 1952 they kicked it off They ran for 14 years and there’s other shows that come on During this time and again go watch the video because it’s like leave it to beaver and father knows best And
[00:10:12] Jenn: the Donna Reed show
[00:10:13] Scott: the Donna Reed show and so all these shows are coming and going while this is doing its 14 year straight run and part of What kept this show running was really Ricky Nelson and I think to your point the fact that this is a real life family And they were kind of interweaving some of what’s actually going on in their lives into the show.
[00:10:36] So the rock and roll, him, kind of, breaking out with this rock and roll career that started on TV, and he continued after the show. They’re wives, right? Yeah, so
[00:10:48] Jenn: you get to see them grow up.
[00:10:49] Scott: Yeah.
[00:10:50] The Nelson Family’s Personal Lives
[00:10:50] Jenn: So it’s starting in 1952, David’s born in 1936, and Eric, who’s called Ricky, and a lot of people didn’t know that because his gravestone marker says Eric on it, and people are like, how is that Ricky?
[00:11:02] he’s born in 1940, so you can think he’s 12. David’s 16 when they start and then if it’s running now for another 14 years, you’re seeing them grow up to be, I mean, he’s 26. David’s almost 30. You’re going to see them growing up through high school and they’re good looking boys and then they get married to good looking women and the women are part of the show.
[00:11:28] They’re real life wives and even though they don’t document the birth of Ricky’s children, they document the birth of David’s children. And so it gets to the point where it hits the late 60s. And in the 60s, you’re going to start to get this youth revolution. You’re going to get the feminist movement and people don’t want to see these cookie cutter families anymore on TV.
[00:11:52] They want more of the all in the family and these people kind of push in the envelope. So the Nelsons kind of go off the air then, but I think they had this. 14 year staying power. They filmed 435 episodes and that’s still a record. because they do evolve with Ricky Nelson’s career. Now, Ricky Nelson, the youngest of the two boys, plays guitar and sings and he does it on the show.
[00:12:20] And this is right when rock and roll is starting to hit,
[00:12:23] Scott: I was reading some stuff that some families weren’t happy about him playing, you know, playing this rock and roll on TV and so I think Ozzy and Harriet actually went out of their way to write into the show where they again on the show are defending their son playing rock and roll music so they’re kind of working their real life kind of the the feedback they’re getting from audiences and they’re they’re taking that and they’re writing it into the show kind of defending but I think to your point I mean, he basically became a breakout star just before, right around the same time that Elvis came on.
[00:13:00] Jenn: Mm hmm. So, Ricky is younger than Elvis, and he’s coming onto the scene really when Elvis is hitting his military service. So Ricky is able to kind of capitalize on that time while he’s gone. But what’s interesting is, like you said, they write it into the show that he performs at the college parties that he’s going to college at.
[00:13:22] So he’s a frat boy, he’s in his fraternity, and they have sock hops with the sorority girls and with the entertainment, Ricky Nelson will play guitar with his band. It’s all shot from the waist up. And he just sings one song, but those songs. We’re really put onto records and then really sold.
[00:13:44] So Ozzy was so smart about this is he would make sure that the song was cut on a record. So when people saw it on their televisions, they could run down to the store and buy it. And that’s how traveling man and hello, Mary Lou becomes such big songs at the time. And so he’s really is the first one to do this kind of, Cross,
[00:14:08] Scott: between TV and music.
[00:14:10] Jenn: Yeah, and they even say that Ozzy Ozzy produces all the shows even though he looks like he’s dumbfuddled in the back like a father doesn’t know what’s going on He is the brains behind the entire show. He’s producing every episode now when Ricky Nelson sings travelin, man He cuts in silhouettes of the theater The towns he’s singing about, like Waikiki and, Hong Kong, it’s kind of like overlaid on Ricky Nelson’s face.
[00:14:38] They say it’s the first music video ever made. So I thought that was pretty cool.
[00:14:42] Scott: Yeah. There were some really interesting things that I learned in this, right? And then obviously you, when you got out to Los Angeles, you got to go visit the actual home.
[00:14:52] Visiting the Nelson Family’s Home and Graves
[00:14:52] Scott: So I don’t think people, some people may not realize if you would watch the show, you would Growing up or at any time.
[00:14:58] a lot of the stuff was filmed on a Hollywood lot on a set, but the actual shots of the house from outside. Where it was there was their actual home
[00:15:08] Jenn: so yes the beginning the opening sequence of them Introducing themselves is their actual house and then the sets are built in Remnants of what their real house look like
[00:15:18] Scott: Yeah, so just like Jimmy Stewart’s house in Pennsylvania.
[00:15:21] You can go see it you can find the address you can watch our video and you can go drive by it’s it’s gated now
[00:15:28] Jenn: So it’s owned it’s privately owned and you’re not really supposed to park on the street But I kind of parked and put my blinkers on and then ran across the street and I stood on the porch But it’s a 1822 Camino Palmero, street.
[00:15:42] And, uh, you can see the 1822. If you stand to the side, you can see the red door and it looks just like it. And this was their home. I mean, they lived there their entire life. Ozzie Nelson will actually pass away in that house and Harriet will live there well into late in age where she actually will, sell the house and then move to, they had a house on Laguna beach that they would vacation at.
[00:16:05] And she’s. It goes to that house and stays there for the rest of her life. When they sold the house, not too long ago, Ricky had written his name or carved his name into the door, the closet door, and they’ve never painted over it or fixed it. And it’s kind of like you can still see Ricky Nelson’s name in there.
[00:16:26] So they preserve the history in that house who’s ever owned it as well. So to be able to stand there and to stand on their front porch, you’ll see me kind of geek out a little bit because I’m super excited to. be there in the midst of this history, this American family who really made history on television.
[00:16:43] Scott: It really kind of like the first true, I think to your point, TV family, you know, for America there was, I love Lucy. I think this would fit perfectly. More cleanly in that TV family category, so I looked up some interesting facts about, the adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the show, right? It was on for a very long time, still holds a record for certain, you know, how many episodes, but, you know, in front of a live audience and everything like that.
[00:17:07] So until, 1989, it held the record, as the longest running comedy series in American television history. It was surpassed by the Simpsons, right? The Simpsons has been on for forever now. the show frequently employed the performance technique known as breaking the fourth wall in a comedic way, right?
[00:17:25] So they’re breaking their, they stop talking to each other and start talking directly to the camera, which if you think about that back then, that was probably a little more Broadway esque. But still not a common practice back then. So I thought that was really interesting that they would break that fourth wall and then in 1962 this became the first primetime scripted series to celebrate its 10th anniversary while still on air and then it ran for another four years after that I think it still held the record as the longest running show and performed in front of a live audience, until it’s always sunny in Philadelphia passed it in 2000, 2008 or something like that.
[00:18:07] Jenn: No, 2021.
[00:18:08] Scott: 2021.
[00:18:09] Jenn: Although it still retains the record in terms of total episodes produced at 435. I also want to stress that this.
[00:18:16] Legacy and Cultural Impact of the Nelson Family
[00:18:16] Jenn: Show is about nothing . So it is kind of a Seinfeld esque show. Yeah, because what are the episodes about? It could be about nothing. It could be about where are the cookies?
[00:18:28] Where’s my book? Where’s my jacket? This girl thinks I said something, but I really didn’t say that. I need to tell her the truth and I need to find her. And to Scott’s point about breaking the fourth wall, I’ve been watching a bunch of episodes recently and they’re on Amazon prime. And at the end of Every episode, whoever is kind of like the main character of that episode will look at the fourth wall and kind of raise their eyebrows and or put their arms up and go, I don’t know, it’s like, they know you’ve been watching their lives for the past 30 minutes.
[00:18:59] And they’re kind of like, letting you know that They saw you or they knew you were there.
[00:19:04] Scott: yeah. And you’re a character right in the story with them. and one of the other things that I like talking about Seinfeld is nobody ever really knows if Ozzy has a job.
[00:19:13] Jenn: Yes.
[00:19:13] Scott: Because they never, they never talk about his job.
[00:19:15]
[00:19:15] Jenn: movie
[00:19:16] Scott: that said that he was like, worked in marketing or something like that. Advertising. Advertising. One of the things from a storytelling perspective, what that does is it lets the person who’s watching it kind of project their own selves onto that person when there’s less specifics.
[00:19:31] So any father who’s watching this show with his family could, could picture probably himself as Ozzy because they never talked about his job.
[00:19:40] Jenn: Yeah. And what I liked about the real lives, David and Ricky is they’re kind of breaking this down. Perfect boy mold now, David Nelson gets married in 1961 to June Blair, who’s a playboy.
[00:19:57] Model.
[00:19:58] Scott: Playboy Playmate.
[00:19:59] Jenn: Playboy Playmate. She’s beautiful. She’s on the show. And Ricky will get married in 1963 to Chris Harm.
[00:20:09] Scott: Kristen.
[00:20:09] Jenn: Kristen. But they call her Chris. Yeah. Harmon. Harmon. I say Hanson in the show, but it’s Harmon. Which you’ll know her brother is on NCIS. Mark Harmon. Mark Harmon. They get married because she’s pregnant in real life.
[00:20:23] Yeah. That’s why her kid, their first daughter, Tracy, is never shown on Ozzie and Harriet because it wouldn’t make sense with the timeline they use.
[00:20:33] Scott: were so famous at that point, people would put two and two together.
[00:20:36] Jenn: So it’s interesting how David and Ricky kind of buck the system here a little bit in their own way.
[00:20:42] David will go on to have two boys with June. They get divorced and then he’ll marry a woman named Yvonne and he’ll adopt her three children. Rick and Chris. Harman will have four children. they have Tracy, then the twins, Gunnar and Matthew, who become Nelson, and then a son, Sam. they also divorced in 1982.
[00:21:01] Rick Nelson will be killed, unfortunately, in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve, 1985. when I found their graves, Ozzie and Harriet are buried beside each other in Forest Lawn Cemetery. but, Ricky is buried about two rows back by himself.
[00:21:18] Scott: He’s probably 10 feet away.
[00:21:19] Jenn: 10 feet away. And they’re all buried pretty close.
[00:21:22] Now, David opted to be buried at Westwood Cemetery, which I had been to before. That’s where Marilyn Monroe is. That’s where Betty Page is. That’s where Dean Martin is. Lots of famous people. Natalie Wood. And he also chose to be buried there. Cremated. Now people wonder why did David Nelson choose to be away from the rest of the family?
[00:21:42] He is the last to pass of the three of them. Um, and some people wonder about their lives growing up and how much did they have to lose of their childhoods to do this show? I don’t know. David never really talked about that. One thing I did notice though, is that David’s. Middle name is Oswald, which is Ozzy’s real name.
[00:22:06] However, on his tombstone, it says David Ozzy Nelson. Interesting. And I find that interesting because he’s using his father’s stage name. And I don’t know if that’s an ode to his dad and who his dad was. so people would recognize if you go to the grave, it says David Ozzie Nelson. You would go Ozzie Nelson if you didn’t know it was David.
[00:22:30] although on, on Ozzy’s grave, it’s Oswald Nelson. And then if you go to Ricky Nelson’s grave, it’s Eric Hilliard Nelson. And the Hilliard is Harriet’s maiden name. So it’s interesting how it’s family names, which we’re used to. That’s kind of what we did with our children as well. But if you didn’t know Ricky Nelson’s name, You might walk right by the Eric Nelson and not even know that was him.
[00:22:57] Scott: I thought it was super interesting. I was glad you got to go do it. People have even commented like how excited you were to stand on their porch, which you’ve done that a couple of times over yeah, a couple of videos. So it was very cool.
[00:23:07] Jenn: Yeah, it really was a dream come true for me. And I know I had some people, I actually like smile at Ricky Nelson’s grave and some people are kind of asking me, how can I smile at someone’s grave?
[00:23:19] And I do that because I think about his life. I think about the joy he brought. I love Ricky Nelson. And I enjoy just watching him on the television show.
[00:23:31] And so when I smile at his grave is because I’m remembering his life. And I’m not really focused on his death.
[00:23:36]
[00:23:39] Conclusion and Reflections
[00:23:39] Scott: While the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet may have started as just another family show starting a year after I Love Lucy. It became a cultural phenomenon that transformed television forever.
[00:23:51] Not only did it set the standard for family sitcoms, but also launched the music career of Brick Nelson and showed America what a real family looked like, both on and off screen. The Nelson family’s legacy lives on through their contributions to entertainment, their pioneering approach to reality based television, and their lasting impact on society.
[00:24:10] on American pop culture. Their Hollywood home and final resting place serve as reminders of their incredible journey and the mark they left on television history. Their story teaches us that sometimes the most powerful entertainment isn’t about fantasy or fiction. It’s about showing real life, real relationships, and real families, even if they happen to be on TV.
[00:24:33] This has been a Walk With History production. Talk With History is created and hosted by me, Scott Bennie. Episode researched by Jennifer Bennie. Check out the show notes for links and references mentioned in this episode. Talk With History is supported by our fans at thehistoryroadtrip. com. Our eternal thanks to those providing funding to help keep us going.
[00:24:52] to Doug McLiverty, Larry Myers, and Patrick Bennie. Make sure you hit that follow button in your podcast player, and we’ll talk to you next time.
[00:25:01]