Ozzie

by Ozzie Nelson

Oswald Nelson began his spectacular career as a musician at age 14 when he and a friend were paid $5 to play for the local Women’s Club dance in his native Ridgefield Park, N.J. Before Ozzie knew it, his band was in such demand that people were willing to pay them an incredible $10 per night.

From then on, it was only up for Ozzie as he divided his free time at Rutgers University between football and music. Finally, music won out over the gridiron and within five years of his college graduation, he was the leader of one of the big bands of the 1930’s and an established radio personality. During this period he met Harriet Hilliard, who became his partner and, of course, his wife. Together, they won millions of radio fans when they joined Red Skelton on the highly popular “Raleigh Cigarette Hour.”

In 1944, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” was first broadcast, and ran on radio and television for a total of 22 years, a show business record of almost legendary proportions! And Ozzie’s career did not end there - he returned to the stage in plays such as The Impossible Years, State Fair and The Marriage-Go-Round, and this fall he will be back on television with a new series, “Ozzie’s Girls.”

OZZIE is more than Ozzie’s success story and more than a family album of Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky. It is also a nostalgic evocation of one of the most glamorous eras of show business; the Nelsons worked with virtually every big name in entertainment from Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra to Tallulah Bankhead and Charles Laughton.

Ozzie’s story, enriched by a wealth of amusing anecdotes, is a truly memorable one. It presents a genuinely nice man who writes with such warmth and unaffected charm that we end by liking the man just as much as his entertaining story.

309 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Paterfamilias of "America's Favorite Family: The Nelsons: Ozzie, Harriet, David, and Ricky." THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE AND HARRIET is, to date, the longest running situation comedy, to air on American TV. The show ran from 1952 until 1966 with a total of 435 episodes. The show also ran on radio for several years before moving to television. Ozzie started his professional career in music. It was as a band leader of his own orchestra that he met singer Harriet Hilliard on December 31, 1931. They married in 1935. Their son David was born in 1936 and Ricky in 1940.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would think this book by the great Oz would primarily interest devout fans of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. I recently re-discovered the show on Netflix; I had watched it in re-runs after school back in the early 70's, which wasn't a cool teenager thing to do at the time, but I didn't care. The show delighted me to no end, and I usually rushed home to watch it. I still find it hilarious and, in fact, appreciate it even more profoundly. The show reflects Oz' dry, subtle and, at times, philosophical sense of humor. And as popular as the show was, I now suspect its brilliance remains underrated and under-appreciated. This book, I believe, has long been out of print. I found only one copy in my local library system (25+ libraries?), so it may be hard to find. Highly recommended to fans of the Nelsons.

"Ozzie" closes with this:
"Then I said my prayers, just as I used to when I was a little boy back in Ridgefield Park. And once again I thanked the Lord for being so good to me - for bringing me Harriet and David and Ricky and all the blessings that have made my life such a happy one."

If there turns out to be no God, then there should be, if only to continue the blessings for the departed souls of this lovely, sweet man and his beloved family.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Ozzie' has that "Did I ever tell you about the time?" vibe to it. You feel as if you're in the Nelsons' House listening to Ozzie tell you about his life and the lives of his beautiful wife, Harriet, and his two talented children, David and Rick. The book starts with the tragic death of Ozzie's father on his 21st birthday and concludes with Ozzie and Harriet's semi-retirement in California. There are many funny memories and behind-the-scenes information about 'The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet' radio and TV series, but I think what I enjoyed the most was discovering that America's perfect family wasn't TOO perfect.

[Thebruce1314 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book for the second time. Ozzie writes with the same charming personality he portrays on screen: as though he's a soft-spoken, well-meaning neighbour reminiscing about his eventful life. Peppered with anecdotes, Ozzie even throws in little asides, like "I just had to look up the spelling of that word," or "Harriet just read what I wrote and reminded me of this..."
Don't look for any shocking revelations here: as Ozzie states in the first few chapters, he's trying for a "G" rating. But as a Hollywood autobiography, I would say that this one is pretty good.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been out of print for quite a while, but if you are interested in the early days of television, it's a must read. Obviously, it also covers Ozzie's big band career (during which he met and married singer/actress Harriet Hilliard), and the rise of Ricky Nelson, his youngest son.

[Rachael Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the Nelson family. The only problem I have with this book was the unfamiliar names from the old days of Hollywood. Ozzie writes his life story as would be expected of him: straightforward and silly puns at times.

[Brookie Boo · Rating 5 out of 5]

During and after I finished The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet I found out Ozzie wrote an autobiography. I really wanted to learn about their tv show. This book is truly so sweet. Ozzie starts off with him talking to the reader as if you’re talking to him in person. Despite thinking the sports sections are kind of long, it’s still his life, so the music, sports and television years are all part of the deal! The last two paragraphs were especially really really sweet. They say:
Just before we went to sleep, I turned to Harriet and said, "You know, a thought just occurred to me: 'The Ozzie and Harriet Show' hasn't been cancelled. It's still going on and the adventures are better than ever. The only difference is, they're not on television anymore."
Then I said my prayers, just as I used to when I was a little boy back in Ridgefield Park. And once again I thanked the Lord for being so good to me-for bringing me Harriet and David and Ricky and all the blessings that have made my life such a happy one.

Thank you Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky! I love all of you!