Family Situation Comedy (1944 - 54)

Ozzie, Harriet, and Joe Penner The full title is The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Well, maybe adventures might be a stretch, compared to a superhero's exploits. The "adventures" of Ozzie and Harriet are based on the daily stuff that happens to all good suburban couples, as seen through the rose colored glasses of Ozzie Nelson. Behind his easygoing exterior, Ozzie was a very hard-working media producer. In fact, Ozzie Nelson and Bing Crosby are perfect examples of that American style called "laid back," though both diligently worked their way up via years of music on the road.

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Ozzie rode the dance band craze out of college and kept going. He saw a wonderful girl singer in a movie short feature and hired her. Harriet Hilliard was her name. Together, Ozzie and Harriet sang duets, and they really clicked. Via radio remotes, the nation grew to know their names.

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"America's favorite young couple," with two bouncing baby boys, David and Ricky, moved to Hollywood, Ozzie felt he and Harriet knew as much about vocal delivery as anyone else in the radio business, and decided to give it a try. Why not be themselves? He began working on scripts instead of music. Ozzie played himself as the well-meaning but sometimes slightly goofy Dad who is aided and abetted by his next-door neighbor Thorny (John Brown). Harriet is the wise, loving and quietly hip Mom who makes everything just right. Boys will be boys (and grow up). Several youngsters played David and Ricky, with Tommy Bernard best known as David, and Henry Blair as Ricky. Finally, Ozzie gave in to public pressure, and let the boys join the radio show as themselves.

Like The Life of Riley, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet served as a perfect example for family sit-coms to come on TV, and both went from radio to TV without missing a beat.