The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet starring Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky Nelson, is television's longest running situation comedy. America watched as this active middle-class American family grew up. Created, directed ... more »and written by Ozzie Nelson. The house viewers see is an exact replica of the house the Nelsons owned in real life. The one mystique on the series was Ozzie's source of income - he was only seen hanging around the house!Stories revolve primarily around the four Nelsons, with a notable neighbor, Thorny Thornberry, who can be counted on to offer Ozzie ill-timed advice. As the series progressed, and the boys began to date, a succession of friends began to appear. The show that aired on April 10, 1957, featured son Ricky singing I'm Walkin (Fats Domino hit). It became a million selling record and Ricky started a career as a rock and roll star. Watch for some classic TV performers making guest and regular appearances on the show including:Jerry Mathers (Beaver - Leave It to Beaver)Barry Livingston (Ernie - My Three Sons)Joe Flynn (Capt. Binghamton - McHale's Navy)Frank Cady (Mr. Drucker - Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction)Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane - The Lucy Show)Joseph Kearns (Mr. Wilson - Dennis the Menace)Sterling Holloway (Waldo - Life of Riley)Hal Smith (Otis - Andy Griffith Show)Disc 1Halloween Party
Leave it to Beaver style but only half as good as that series!
Marleen M. from WHEELING, WV Reviewed on 7/10/2009...
What a great trip down memory lane...this is one of the best collections.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
38 Episode Collection . . . . . More to Come!
Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 05/04/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Prospective purchasers of this 4-DVD set from Mill Creek Entertainment might want to hold off until October 2007 when Mill Creek will release a massive 12-DVD, 100-episode collection titled "The Essential Ozzie & Harriet Collection." The 38 episodes contained on the set currently being offered by Amazon represent the first 38 episodes that will appear on the 100 episode set that will become widely available in October. I am sharing this information because I was shipped the larger collection by mistake from another online retailer. The 100 episode collection is currently a television shopping network exclusive.
If you decide to purchase this 38 episode set, I'd have to say that it's probably the "cream of the crop" as far as the various collections of the "public domain" episodes of the series are concerned. The episodes are certainly not restored and really run the spectrum in terms of running times. Ironically, an episode titled "Be On Time" only runs 20 minutes and there are a few other syndicated episodes running in the 22 and a half minute range. But the good news is that the vast majority of the episodes in this collection are complete, many with original commercials for Listerine, Kodak, Hotpoint (look quickly for Mary Tyler Moore as "Happy Hotpoint") and Aunt Jemima Pancakes, among others. Complete episodes with commercials run over 29 minutes.
The shows are an absolute joy to watch . . . . . this is warm hearted, gentle family humor that's sadly missing from today's television landscape. All of the episodes in this collection are from the 1950s, and most of the episodes focus on the family before the Nelson boys went off to college and got married. Although this is not an authorized release through the Nelson Family, it is very much a worthwhile "supplement" to the official "The Best of the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" issued by Shout! Factory and which is also available at Amazon. Sadly, the episodes included on the set from Shout! Factory include 22 minute plus syndicated episodes, but the inclusion of audio commentaries from David Nelson and Sam Nelson (Ricky Nelson's youngest son) and other bonus material make that set a worthwhile purchase for fans of the show.
My recommendation on this collection is to wait for the 100 episode set to be released in October; it will be the largest collection of Ozzie & Harriet episodes available in a single collection. If you can't wait, or only enjoy the show's earlier years when the boys were younger, this set is a good inexpensive way to sit back and relax with the Nelsons.
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OZZIE & HARRIET CLASSICS (4PC SET)
Heather E. Mcglothlin | RICHLANDS, VA USA | 04/30/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"THIS IS A SUPER SET!!! IT EVEN HAS ORIGINAL COMMERCIALS!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! THIS IS A MUST FOR ANY AVID AND DIE HARD FAN OF OZZIE & HARRIET!!! I AM SO GLAD THAT I PURCHASED THIS AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!! GREAT VALUE FOR THE MONEY AND THE CLARITY AND SOUND IS SUPERB!!! ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS "BUY IT TODAY!!!!!!""
Best Set To Date
David Hill | 04/18/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just finished viewing this NEW offering of some great shows from the 1950's early 60's and the best set I have seen to date for the money. Rick sings in some and the quality is good to excellent. Just a great set with some shows featuring the original integrated commercials...good buy."
Ozzie & Harriet Classics
William B. Huxtable | Austin, Texas USA | 10/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The thing I like about this compilation is the fact that most of the commercials have been left in. They are as much a walk down memory lane as the show itself. After viewing this 4-DVD set I got the 12-DVD set put out by the same people. (Mill Creek) It has 100 episodes. So I'll be watching a lot of Ozzie & Harriet...and old commercials in the near future. This is a GREAT compilation.The Essential Ozzie & Harriet CollectionOzzie & Harriet Classics (4pc)"
Fair picture but good collection
Dwight J. Pritchett | Alabama | 09/15/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a good collection with a lot of shows from the early years that aren't included on most collections. The picture is just fair but better than some collections. Over all it is well done."