David Nelson, of the TV series Ozzie and Harriett, passed away yesterday at the age of 74. The Ozzie and Harriett show ran on ABC from 1952 to 1966, and it had started as a radio show in 1944, although the radio children were played by other actors for the first four years.
For those of us who only have seen the show in syndication, it may seem old-fashioned. We see it like the TV series in the movie Pleasantville, a world waiting to be changed by our modern views, liberations, and freedoms. Yes, the show was the product of its time, but it was not such a bad thing to show family love in the relatively new medium of TV. And the show was a landmark TV series, setting the stage for family comedies ranging from The Cosby Show to Modern Family.
Although he is less famous than his late brother Rick Nelson — who had a successful rock and roll career and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — David Nelson was well-regarded on the show and went on to be in other TV roles and to own his own production company. Most importantly, David and Ricky were the ones who convinced their parents to do the TV show. So without their childhood nagging, TV viewers would have been much poorer. It is a good lesson that sometimes we should listen to the kids. Rest in peace, David.
