The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American sitcom, airing on ABC from October 3, 1952 through March 26, 1966, starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and television for a few years. The series stars Ozzie Nelson and his wife, singer Harriet Nelson, and their young sons, David and Eric "Ricky" Nelson. Don DeFore had a recurring role as the Nelsons' friendly neighbor "Thorny".
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Episode 1 - The Rivals
Release Date: 1952-10-03David has a rival, and his name is Will Thornberry - his next door neighbor.
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Episode 2 - The Poet
Release Date: 1952-10-10Ozzie and Harriet read the newspaper and talk about Nancy Walker.
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Episode 3 - The Pills
Release Date: 1952-10-17Ozzie decides to diet so he can fit into a pair of size 33 pants.
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Episode 4 - The Fall Guy
Release Date: 1952-10-24Ozzie quickly regrets advising David against allowing people to take advantage of his good nature.
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Episode 5 - Halloween Party
Release Date: 1952-10-31On Halloween night, Ozzie and Thorny make plans to attend a non-costume party as Satan and a Scotsman. Meanwhile Ricky and David attend a Halloween Party at school and the Nelson household is besieged by children demanding candy - or else.
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Episode 6 - Riviera Ballet
Release Date: 1952-11-07Ozzie has tickets to the Riviera Ballet, but Harriet doesn't want him to go because the actresses will be wearing skimpy bathing suits.
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Episode 7 - David the Babysitter
Release Date: 1952-11-14David gets a babysitting job and Ozzie is worried about David and the baby.
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Episode 8 - Rick Goes To A Dance
Release Date: 1952-11-21Ricky receives a perfumed letter from his neighbor, Julie Thornberry, inviting him to his first dance.
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Episode 9 - Day After Thanksgiving
Release Date: 1952-11-28Having come home the previous day from Aunt Ellen's without any Thanksgiving leftovers, Ozzie and the boys become obsessed with a craving for more turkey
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Episode 10 - Thorny's Gift
Release Date: 1952-12-05Ozzie is outraged after he doesn't receive a timely 'thank you' for the birthday gift he sent to Thorny.
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Episode 11 - Harriet's Hairdo
Release Date: 1952-12-12Harriet decides to try a new hair style but it doesn't go over well with the Nelson men. Ozzie gently tries to suggest he wants her to go back to the look he's used to.
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Episode 12 - The Boys' Christmas Money
Release Date: 1952-12-19The boys want to earn extra money for Christmas, so Ozzie gives them permission to look for work.
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Episode 13 - The Late Christmas Gift
Release Date: 1952-12-26Ozzie and David receive Christmas gifts after Christmas from Grandma Nelson.
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Episode 14 - Newspaper Write-up
Release Date: 1953-01-02Ozzie becomes upset, and increasingly obsessed, by a newspaper tribute to him that messes up his name.
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Episode 15 - Basketball Players
Release Date: 1953-01-09Ozzie and Thorny's discussion about basketball escalates until they challenge each other to a game. They include their sons in the grudge match but then begin having second thoughts.
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Episode 16 - Stop Worrying
Release Date: 1953-01-16Ozzie discovers his family worrying about different things, and admonishes them, as well as rationalizing them out of their concerns. But later he reads a magazine article and seems to have trouble fighting off worry himself.
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Episode 17 - The Tuba Affair
Release Date: 1953-01-23Ozzie wants to establish that he's head-of-the-household, and Harriet wants to be a good wife. Marital strife ensues.
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Episode 18 - The Rover Boys
Release Date: 1953-01-30While discussing The Rover Boys' books with Thorny, Ozzie takes off to check out a book at the library, hoping to prove Thorny wrong. But when he's caught with a big book, one of his boys' teachers is convinced he knows a lot about the Peloponnesian War and asks him to lead a book discussion. Ozzie is just too proud to admit the truth and decides to learn everything he can before the PTA meeting.
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Episode 19 - Separate Rooms
Release Date: 1953-02-06David and Ricky finally get their own separate rooms - with hilarious results.
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Episode 20 - The Valentine Show
Release Date: 1953-02-13Ozzie and Harriet are concerned that David will blow all the money he's saved on a new girl he's taking to a Valentine's Day dance.
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Episode 21 - The Traffic Signal
Release Date: 1953-02-20There's a new traffic signal, and no one knows who should take the credit or get the blame.
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Episode 22 - The Dental Receptionist
Release Date: 1953-02-27Ozzie soon regrets a flirtatious moment shared with his dentist's new southern belle receptionist.
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Episode 23 - The Speech
Release Date: 1953-03-06Ozzie painstakingly rehearses for a speech.
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Episode 24 - The Safecrackers
Release Date: 1953-03-13While in Herb Dunkle's empty office, Ozzie teaches Ricky how to crack a safe.
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Episode 25 - Brother Beesley's Philosophy
Release Date: 1953-03-20Andy Beesley gives Ozzie a new outlook on life: Enjoy life, while you can. Ozzie takes this philosophy to heart and sends the family on a spending spree down at The Emporium - a spending spree he soon regrets.
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Episode 26 - The Bowling Alley
Release Date: 1953-03-27Fearing that Ozzie is coming down with a cold, Harriet orders her husband to spend the evening convalescing and then goes shopping with a friend. Ozzie manages a rapid recovery when Thorny reminds him of a date they made to go bowling.
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Episode 27 - The Orchid and the Violet
Release Date: 1953-04-03It's spring, and love is in the air, so Ozzie wants to surprise Harriet by having a bunch of violets delivered to her. When orchids show up, instead, Ozzie suspects they're from an old rich boyfriend of Harriet's.
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Episode 28 - The Pancake Mix
Release Date: 1953-04-10Hasty Tasty Pancake Company is offering a double-your-money-back guarantee, so Ricky decides to apply for a refund.
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Episode 29 - Whistler's Daughter
Release Date: 1953-04-17Ozzie has some fast talking to do, after Harriet falls under the impression that he was taken in by an attractive young door-to-door saleswoman.
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Episode 30 - The Fish Story
Release Date: 1953-04-24To prove a point, Ozzie starts a rumor in the neighborhood by tricking his best friend Thorny into believing that the fish are biting like crazy in Mud Basin.
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Episode 31 - Night School
Release Date: 1953-05-01Ozzie finds out from Thorny that he is taking adult education courses at the local high school in the evenings. So Ozzie decides to take some classes and Harriet signs up too.
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Episode 32 - The Traders
Release Date: 1953-05-08Ozzie tries to teach Ricky and David how to get a good deal in the swap trades they make with friends.
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Episode 33 - Boxing Matches
Release Date: 1953-05-15Ozzie gets roped into agreeing to fight Thorny in a boxing exhibition match to be held at an evening Boy Scout rally.
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Episode 34 - Door Key for David
Release Date: 1953-05-22David is given his first house key and the responsibility that goes with it.
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Episode 35 - The Play's the Thing
Release Date: 1953-05-29Ozzie is brimming with enthusiasm about appearing in the PTA pageant's play, until he learns that his role is the front end of Robin Hood's horse.
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Episode 36 - Monetary System
Release Date: 1953-06-05David and Ricky would like an increase in their allowances so Ozzie develops a point system regarding household chores. He includes every family member but regrets it as it points out that one person is doing very little of the tasks.
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Episode 37 - Who's Walter?
Release Date: 1953-06-12Harriet encounters an older man who worked at an amusement park she and Ozzie frequented when they dated. She invites him to dinner where he thinks Ozzie is named Walter, then spends the evening telling stories about Harriet and Walter.
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Episode 38 - Curiosity
Release Date: 1953-06-19Ozzie and Harriet try to kill each other's cat with curiosity.
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Episode 39 - Oscillating Ozzie
Release Date: 1953-06-26Ozzie is stuck in his conservative routine, until he has a chat with the ever-exuberant Emmy Lou.