*WARNING* I’m about to age myself, but who care’s right…it’s your outlook and attitude that matter, right. But I digress…when I was growing up I used to love to watch the Ozzie & Harriet show. For those of you who are now asking yourself, what television show is that again? …The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet ran on ABC for 14 years between 1952 and 1966. Early this year David Nelson passed away, the last of the family that starred in the series.
I was only 2 years old when the show premiered so I didn’t see it until much later, but then I watched all of the old episodes the network would rerun. I was in ♥ love with Ricky, the younger sibling of David, and was a huge fan of the lifestyle they acted out on their show. I’ve read that the genial life they performed was pretty accurate to their real lives, at least for the most part. If you want to read more about the show and the family members visit HERE.
When I read about David’s recent passing I thought about the show and remembered why I enjoyed it. The show created the “ideal” lifestyle using a real family. In fact one of the frequently used colloquialisms I heard as a young adult was “it’s so Ozzie and Harriet”, which I’m sure was a stab at the perfect lifestyle that was projected. For me I had conjured up an image that to this day seems doable and at the very least something to strive for. (A married couple raising 2 sons in a neighborhood where most everyone gets along).
I find I still use the “…so Ozzie & Harriet” phrase when I see a really traditional neighborhood or a very traditional home with a well manicured lawn and maybe a basketball hoop on the garage. I imagine (perhaps wrongly) that there is a perfect little family living there! There are still a few of those neighborhoods in Orange County and its fun to drive by to admire the architectural style and see what they’ve done to the landscape.
So, am I wrong to dream the dream…delusional? I hope not, I’m working hard to live that dream!
melissa @ the inspired room said:
I love to dream, I always wanted to live in “those neighborhoods” and was fortunate enough to have done so several times! I still love driving through them!
Karen said:
Hi Melissa,
That’s what I love about your site—we share the love of “dreaming”. I believe one of the pictures in this post may be from one of your “drive-by” posts. I apologize for not giving you credit, but I had lost the source.
I’m so happy you stopped by today. Have a wonderful weekend!
Karen
Lindad Coble said:
Karen,
I guess I’m “delusional” too because I want to live that dream myself. Friends always referred to our Irvine home as something out of Leave it to Beaver! Thanks for a great stroll down Memory Lane.
Karen said:
Hi Linda,
It was sure fun aspiring to some of those old sitcom families! Kind of like when we wanted to be like Mary Tyler Moore when we were single and living on our own. 🙂
Karen
Gretchen said:
Linda and I loved watching Ozzie and Harriet. I was determined to create that kind of family when I got married. It seemed like a house full of love and good humor. No one got angry and there was no tension. Sounded good to me! To top it all off they had a great house in a friendly neighborhood. What more could you ask for?
Karen said:
Hi Gretchen,
I think we (you, me and Linda) did create a pretty good Ozzie & Harriett style family. It’s been a fun adventure.
xo,
Karen