Ozzie’s character role on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was starkly different than his real-life persona. On the show, he appeared to often be goofy and always stumbling over his words. He never seemed to have a job and was always seen aimlessly wandering around their two-story home. This was in contrast to Harriet’s clever charm. Harriet wore aprons most of the time and could always be found whipping something up in the kitchen.
However, this contrasted greatly from their real-life selves. In actuality, Ozzie was a very serious and controlling businessman who was addicted to his work and completely in charge of the show as the writer, producer, director, and editor. The New York Times described Ozzie as an authoritarian figure who didn’t even allow his sons to attend college when they wanted to. He obligated them to work on television despite their interest to pursue other endeavors.
The Show Featured Their Real-life House
Ozzie and Harriet used the exterior of their actual home in the opening credits of their TV series. The Nelsons, at this point, had amassed quite the fortune for themselves. They lived in the luxurious Hollywood Hills neighborhood located above Hollywood Boulevard.
They didn't film the series in their actual home due to logistical reasons. But they did have the interior of their home exactly replicated for the set. It was important for Ozzie to relay authenticity as much as possible in his show. Quite literally, he wanted to invite America into his home to meet his family. The Nelson's home is still in the same location, located at 1822 Camino Palmero Street in Los Angeles, California.
The House Was Renovated and Sold in 2013
In 2013, the Nelson's five-bedroom home was bought for $3 million. The home, which was built in 1916, was sold nearly 100 years later to a real estate investment and development company. They gave the family home a much-needed makeover and resold it for $5 million. Must of the home's exterior was kept the same.
The shutters were removed in order to give the house a more modern look. The home is in a very prime location in Hollywood. This definitely won't be the last time that this kind of renovation happens here. Keep reading to see how Mr. Nelson was different from his on-screen character... and we don't mean that in a positive way.
The Show Wasn't in the 'Top 20'
Ozzie was able to convince ABC execs to agree to a ten-year contract and to pay the Nelson family whether the series was canceled or continued running. This type of contract didn’t exist at the time and it’s likely that because of this, Ozzie was extremely loyal and serious about his show. He knew that it was up to him to produce a show that America would love.
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet premiered on ABC on October 10, 1952. At the time, ABC was a third-place network. Although the show's popularity, it never made it to the Top 20 in the Nielsen ratings for television shows. Despite that time slots were adjusted multiple times for the show, it never made it to the Top 20, until…
The Nelsons Would Have Still Won
By the time the show hit the TV screens, Ozzie and Harriet were already famous across the nation for being performers and radio stars. For this reason, Ozzie was able to negotiate a TV contract that has never been repeated since. Ozzie told ABC that they would bring the TV series to their network under one condition; that the network signs them on a 10-year contract.
The terms stated that if the show ended before the 10 years was up, ABC would still have to pay Ozzie, Harriet, and the rest of their family, for 10 full seasons of work. Although it was a risk for ABC, they had already witnessed the success that the family had on the radio and were ready to put themselves in a vulnerable position. They took the risk, which ended up being a very wise decision.