The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet had an amazingly long run on television, even after its last episode aired. From 1985 to 1994 the Disney Channel aired reruns of the TV series by way of an enhanced 35mm version of the show. The TV series then moved over to the Nostalgia TV Network and it currently can be found on the Retro Television Network.
Even San Bernardino, California’s PBS member station aired the series as late as May 2010 as part of its I Remember Television series.
The Nelson Twins
Following Tracy's birth, Ricky and Kristin had identical twin boys in 1967, Gunnar and Matthew. Both boys inherited the musical talents from their grandparents Ozzie and Harriet and their father Ricky. For two years, they learned how to write songs and they met Los Angeles record producer Marc Tanner.
In 1989, they were signed to Geffen Records and their band, Nelson, became a hit. In 1990, their album After the Rain went triple platinum and promoted their most popular hit “Can’t Live Without Your Love and Affection.”
The Nelson Twins Band
Nelson was most popular during the 1990s. The metal and hard rock band made it into the Guinness Book of World Records after their hit “Love and Affection” reached number one on the charts. The Nelson family is the only family to have number one records in three successive generations in the same family.
Ozzie Nelson had a number one hit in 1934 with “And Then Some,” their father Ricky reached number one in the early ‘60s with “Poor Little Fool” and “Travelin’ Man,” and Nelson reached number one with “Love and Affection.”
The Nelson House Appeared on HBO's ‘Entourage’
The popular HBO series Entourage followed the life of Ari Gold, a Hollywood agent who was willing to do whatever it took to make money and create for himself a big name in Hollywood. Ari lived the typical Hollywood lifestyle. Even more than that, he did so inside of Ozzie and Harriet’s home!
In the picture above you can see a part of Ari’s home, the very same house that Ozzie and Harriet raised their children in years before. The photo above was taken in 2005. If you remember, this was 8 years before the home was renovated and later resold to another family.
ABC’s Mistakes Allowed the Show to Remain on the Air
Ozzie's choice to approach ABC resulted in it becoming the longest-running sitcom of its time and actually brought the network out of its slump. Before the show, it was struggling to keep up with NBC and CBS. Still, many people felt that it should have ended in the 1950s since it didn’t mix well with the new decade of thicker and more interesting plotlines, as well as color TV.
Peter Jones who wrote and directed the two-hour documentary, ''Ozzie and Harriet: The Adventures of America's Favorite Family” had much to say about the reasons for the show’s success. He attributed the show’s success to America's need for a new family image. Americans could relate to this family and they came to life in each and every family’s home. For that reason, it went on to become the longest-running family sitcom in the history of television.