Ozzie Nelson

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Oswald George Nelson (March 20, 1906 – June 3, 1975) was an American band leader, actor, producer, and producer.

He created and appeared in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, a radio and television series starring his wife Harriet and two sons David and Ricky Nelson.

Early life

Nelson was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, on March 20, 1906. He was Ethel Irene (née Orr) and George Waldemar Nelson's second son. His paternal grandparents were Swedish, and his mother was of English descent. Nelson was born in Ridgefield Park, where he was involved in Scouting, rising to the rank of Eagle Scout at age 13. He played football at Ridgefield Park High School as well as at Rutgers University in college. He was a member of the Cap and Skull fraternity. In 1930, he graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree and obtained a law degree from Rutgers School of Law, Newark, New Jersey. Nelson was named a doctor of humane letters by Rutgers University in 1957. As a student, he earned a lot of money playing saxophone in a band and coaching football. Nelson was refused to be the vocalist for the Rutgers Jazz Bandits, led by Scrappy Lambert and later Hawley Ades. When Nelson first met Ades years ago, he was not discouraged and was generous about his decision. During the Great Depression, he turned to music as a full time job.

Personal life

In 1935, Harriet Hilliard married Harriet Hilliard, a 19th-century bandleader. They had two sons, David (born in 1936) and Eric (known as Ricky, who was born in 1940). The couple were married until Ozzie's death in 1975. Tracy Nelson and musician Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson are among his grandchildren. Kristin Harmon and June Blair's father-in-law were both the former father-in-law.

According to cultural scholars, the on-screen laid-back version was very different from the real-life Ozzie Nelson, who has been portrayed as an authoritarian figure who supervised every aspect of his children's lives. A&E produced Ozzie and Harriet: The Adventures of America's Favorite Family, which depicted Ozzie Nelson as a tyrant who "thwarted his sons," excluding them from attending college and reminding them that they were obliged to watch television in 1998. The Nelsons arguably were a dysfunctional family, according to author David Halberstam. Ozzie was a workaholic who stole his sons' lives (by requiring them to grow up in show business)" in real life.

Ozzie Nelson, a 1973 author, published his autobiography, (Prentice Hall, 1973, ISBN 0-13-647768-2).

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Career

Nelson began his career as a band leader. The Ozzie Nelson Band formed and led the group, with some initial modest success. Nelson made his "big break" in 1930, when The New York Daily Mirror ran a poll of its readers to determine their favorite band. Since he knew that news organizations deserved praise for unsold copies by reprinting the front page and discarding the remainder of the story, he cannfully had his band's supporters gather hundreds of discarded newspapers and fill out polls in their own name. They edged out Paul Whiteman and were announced the winners.

Nelson's band dominated the 1930s to 1940s, first on Brunswick (1930–1933), later on Vocalion (1933–1934), Brunswick (1936–1941), and finally back to Brunswick (1941–1941). Nelson's hits were always popular, and he had a hit song, "Over Somebody Else's Shoulder," which he released in 1934. Rose Anne Stevens, Nelson's primary vocalist, appeared in the 1942 film Down Rio Grande Way and Tomorrow We Live. Harriet Hilliard replaced Stevens later in his big band career, following the former's marriage to Colonel Weller. Nelson's calm, easy vocal style was well-received on record and radio, and it was very similar to son Rick's voice, Eric Hilliard ("Ricky") and Harriet's perky vocals contributed to the band's success.

"And Then Some," a 1935 hit by "Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra," as they were referred to, was number one on the U.S. pop singles chart for one week. Nelson wrote and performed many songs, including "Wave the Stick Blues," "Subway," "Jersey Jive," "Swingin' on the Golden Gate," and "Central Avenue Shuffle."

Harriet Hilliard, the band's vocalist, married him in October 1935. The couple had two children: David (1936–2011), the older brother, became an actor and producer, and Eric Hilliard ("Ricky") (1940–1985), a child, became an actor and singer.

Ozzie Nelson appeared with his band in feature films and short stories of the 1940s, as well as in the 1942 musical Strictly Come Dancing in the Groove. He shrewdly promoted the band by promising to appear in "soundies," three-minute musical films that were on display in "film jukeboxes" of the 1940s. In 1952, as radio and television stars were established as radio and TV favorites, he and his family appeared in Here Come the Nelsons, which was the "pilot" for the television show.

Nelson, who was in his twenties, started looking for a way to spend more time with his family, especially his growing boys. He and Harriet had been regulars on the Raleigh Cigarette Program, Red Skelton's radio program, beyond band appearances. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Nelson's own radio program, was created and produced. The show first appeared on television in 1944, but until 1949, actors played by actors until 1949. It went to television in 1952, where David and Ricky appeared on film. The radio version lasted for another two years, but the last television episode aired in 1966.

The entire family was on display as America watched Ozzie and Harriet raise their children. Nelson was both the producer and director of the majority of the episodes, and he co-wrote several of them. Don Nelson, Nelson's brother, was also one of the writers. Ozzie was hands on, involved with every aspect of both radio and TV production. It's interesting that no one mentioned any of Ozzie's prior bandleading work or Harriet's singing, acting, and dancing careers during the 1950s. The younger generation may not have known that Ozzie and Harriet had previously been active in music.

On the episode of What's My Line, Franklin Nelson appeared as a guest panelist.

Ozzie's Girls, his last television program, ran for a year in first-run syndication in 1973. After raising two sons, Ozzie and Harriet's former bedroom to two college students—actress Brenda Sykes and Susan Sennett—and portrayed the Nelsons' attempts at adjusting to life with two young women.

Ozzie Nelson, a comedian, appeared on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6555 Hollywood Boulevard, thanks to his contributions to the television industry. He and his wife appear on television at 6260 Hollywood Boulevard as an extra actor for their contribution to radio.

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