Overview: One of the most popular series in television history will return fully restored to entertain old fans and new viewers when THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE AND HARRIET: SEASONS 1 AND 2 arrive on four-DVD sets from MPI Media Group on June 21st, 2022.

The two sets contain 39 episodes each, representing the complete first two seasons (78 episodes) of the long-running sitcom ranked number 6 on Vulture’s list of “The 50 Most Definitive Family TV Shows.”

The entire library of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet has been restored by MPI Media Group from the original 35mm picture and sound elements in association with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, which preserves the elements on behalf of the Nelson family.

DVD Verdict: For a record-breaking 14 seasons and 435 episodes, THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE AND HARRIET aired on ABC-TV from 1952 through 1966, becoming one of the most cherished cultural touchstones of the 20th century.

The positive, wholesome series epitomized an idyllic American 1950s lifestyle, its gentle humor brought to the screen by the real-life Nelson family: Ozzie and wife Harriet with their sons, David and Rick, all portraying themselves in a trend-setting blend of fact-meets-fiction comedy decades before Seinfeld and other semi-reality-based shows.

The series humorously chronicled the daily lives of the Nelsons as David and Ricky grew up before millions of weekly viewers. While Ozzie Nelson had been a real-life bandleader and Harriet Nelson a singer, the series would help launch the musical career of their younger son, Ricky, who would become a teen idol with such enduring hits as “Travelin’ Man” and “Hello Mary Lou.”

For me, and I would imagine millions of others that grew up watching this wondrous show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was for it’s time simply groundbreaking and cutting edge; which for a family oriented show that first premiered on radio in 1944 and then made the transition to television in 1952, was virtually unheard of before.

As aforementioned, this was also the show that brought Ricky Nelson into America’s living rooms and made it acceptable not only for it’s standards but kept it’s morals in check too. This was the sitcom where the husband never worked while the wife stayed home with the well-behaved kids (albeit sometimes with hilarious and unpredictable results, thus making it one of the funniest shows ever conceived for television).

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet premiered on ABC-TV on October 3rd, 1952 and ran for an astounding fourteen seasons on the air until April 23rd, 1966 and starred the entire real life Nelson family which included Ozzie Nelson his wife Harriet Nelson and sons David and Ricky Nelson.

The series produced an astounding 435 episodes with seasons 1 through 13 telecast and filmed in black and white with the 14th and final season of the series produced in color. Out of the 435 episodes that it produced a total of 409 episodes were in black and white from October 3rd, 1952 until March 17th, 1965.

The 14th and final season produced 26 episodes in color from September 18th, 1965 until April 23rd, 1966 and once culminated Ozzie and Harriet became the second longest running family sitcom in television history behind My Three Sons.

For those inquiring minds, the sponsors were The American Gas Company, Proctor and Gamble, The Eastman Kodak Company, Quaker Oats Company, The Chrysler Corporation, Heinz Ketchup, and The Colgate-Palmotive Company throughout the series entire 14 season run.

Ozzie Nelson was actually not just the creator-writer and executive producer of the series, but also the director of several episodes as well. Ozzie directed a total of 358 episodes between 1952-1966 whilst David Nelson directed 8 episodes of the series between 1963-1965.

The writers included Dick Bensfield, Bill Davenport, Ben Gershman, Perry Grant, Don Nelson, and Jay Sommers. Ozzie Nelson along with Harriet Nelson, David Nelson, and Rick Nelson appeared in all 435 episodes of the series with the supporting cast members Don De Fore, Parley Baer, Lyle Talbot, Mary Jane Croft, Connie Harper, James Stacy, Joe Flynn, Kent McCord, and Frank Cady.

The show had a low key style to it, but when the boys got married the show had seemingly outlived its appeal and so when the show went into it’s fourteenth and final season in color in the fall of 1965, ABC actually moved it to an earlier time slot (on Saturday nights) which led to it’s cancellation in the spring of 1966 (when the series was moved in favor of Batman).

One reason for this is that by 1966, the youth counter culture was changing and so was the television landscape as well, but for a series that was family friendly and which also had great appeal, the times were changing and so Ozzie and Harriet ended it’s long run on television and took it’s place in cultural history.

The OFFICIAL COMPLETE SEASON ONE contains all 39 full, fun-filled episodes on four DVDs, starting with the premiere show and other rare adventures not seen on television in decades. Don DeFore (Hazel) appears as Ozzie’s neighbor pal Thorny along with guest stars from classic television and films, including Hal Smith (The Andy Griffith Show), Ellen Corby (The Waltons), Janet Waldo (The Jetsons), Joseph Kearns (Dennis the Menace), Frank Nelson (I Love Lucy) and other familiar faces.

The OFFICIAL COMPLETE SEASON TWO also contains 39 episodes – with more lost moments appearing for the first time since originally broadcast – on four discs and features such guest stars as Frank Cady (Petticoat Junction), John Carradine (The Munsters) and Lurene Tuttle (Psycho).

In closing, most all of us of a certain age remember this series from our childhood, with those memories still able to flood our heart and souls with genuine warmth, love and heartfelt thanks for a show filled with genuine family endeavors and sprinkled throughout with dulcet humor. This series was all about a real family, not actors, but real people with real family values (something that is sadly missing in today’s society).

And now, for the very first time, in association with the Nelson family, the entire series has been digitally restored for its 70th Anniversary with complete episodes from the original film negatives for superior picture quality. These are all Full Screen Presentations (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

Official Purchase Link