Harriet Nelson

Harriet Nelson will always have a secure place alongside Barbara Billingsley and Jane Wyatt in the TVs Golden Age Mom Hall of Fame For fourteen years she husband Ozzie Nelson and their two boys David Nelson and Ricky Nelson were the quintessential role models of the 50s ideal nuclear family Harriet the daughter of actors was practically born in a trunk She made her debut amid the footlights at age 6 weeks with her parents The Iowa beauty attended St Agnes Academy in her early years Quite a dazzler in her youth she was playing vaudeville when she attracted the attention of saxophoneplaying Ozzie Nelson and was hired by him as vocalist for his orchestra in 1932 They married three years later Harriet had a bold sassy edge to her that proved a perfect counterpoint to Ozzies genial stumbling personality in their offthecuff routines During the 40s they were regulars on Red Skeltons radio show and even took over the comics time slot when Red was drafted into the army As Harriet Hilliard she moved to leading lady status in a number of cool snazzy warera musicals the most notable as second lead to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in Follow the Fleet 1936 Other minor efforts included Cocoanut Grove 1938 Sweetheart of the Campus 1941 with Ozzie Juke Box Jenny 1942 and Honeymoon Lodge 1943 also with Ozzie Breezy tuneful films but nothing to write home about Once Harriet partnered with Ozzie in their own radio series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in 1944 the familyoriented womans career became unequivocally bound to his They extended their devoted radio audience to TV 19521966 The Adventures of Ozzie Harriet 1952 which now included both their sons made household names of the entire clan David followed in his fathers footsteps as directorproducer while Ricky turned pop teen idol with such hits as Hello Mary Lou and Travelin Man songs that were introduced on the show Following the shows long run Ozzie and Harriet lay back a bit and settled in Laguna Beach California touring occasionally on stage A second series entitled Ozzies Girls 1973 lasted only one season Following Ozzies death in 1975 Harriet turned somewhat reclusive save for a few minimovies or guest spots She never fully recovered from son Rickys death in a plane crash in 1985 She was the doting grandmother of actress Tracy Nelson and of twin rockers Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson who were simply called Nelson A heavy smoker most of her life she never smoked in public feeling it did not befit her perfect mom image She died of emphysema and congestive heart failure in 1994