Ozzie and Harriet got their start on radio before the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was born. They made their debut on The Red Skelton Show. The American variety show was hosted by entertainer Red Skelton. It was an iconic radio and television show during its time.
Ozzie and Harriet quickly became the voice of the radio program. Skelton at the time was working hard to get his show on color T.V screen during its running. The regular appearances made by the Nelsons on the show provided a perfect foundation for them to get started with their own radio show.
Ozzie and Harriet Get Married
When Ozzie and Harriet started performing together, it was obvious that their blended personalities were the perfect match for each other on stage. Harriet was energetic and clever. Ozzie, on the other hand, was cool and laid-back. Their chemistry on stage was obvious to anybody who came to watch them.
However, their on-stage relationship wasn't the only budding relationship. Off the stage, the two couldn't deny their feelings for one another. In 1935, three years after Ozzie hired Harriet to sing in his band, they decided to make their relationship as official as it gets. By the 1950s, they were undeniably America's perfect fantasy couple.
Success on the Silver Screen
Ozzie Nelson and his band proceeded to appear in several feature films and short subjects in the 40s, adding their glamour to the big screen in such musicals like Sweetheart of the Campus, Strictly in the Groove, Take It Big and Honeymoon Lodge . They also had appearances as independent characters, like in Hi, Good Lookin.' Despite their performances on the silver screen, they are most known for their broadcasting initiatives.
In the 1940s, Ozzie started to look for a way to spend more time with his family, especially with his young sons. He and Harriet became regular guests on the legendary, The Red Skelton Show, an American comedy and variety show which was hosted by entertainer Richard Bernard “Red” Skelton. This would set the foundation for the couple to later have their own show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, which Ozzie developed and produced by himself.
Red Skeleton Gets Drafted to War
In 1944, Red Skeleton was drafted into the war. This proved to be the perfect opportunity for the Nelsons to secure their own spot on the radio. After they were regulars on Skeleton's radio show for three years, they finally landed their life-changing gig. Ozzie Nelson proposed the idea to have his own show to network executives at CBS and sponsor International Silver.
He suggested a show in which him and his family would be the main characters, similar to the T.V. show that would come later on. During the early days of the show, Ozzie put his passion for music to the side and focused on situation comedy. Ozzie was the co-writer and director for every episode of the show.
Starting a Family
One year after Ozzie and Harriet tied the knot, they welcomed a baby boy into their lives. They named their first son David. Ozzie was motivated to keep his family unit tight and thus strived for his family to work together as much as possible. Four years later in 1940, they gave birth to their second child, a son named Eric Hilliard, more commonly known as Ricky.
The couple quickly became America's ideal fantasy couple of the 1950s and earned the spot as “America’s Favorite Young Couple.” They would later allow their children to appear on the show but for now, they were much too young.