Ozzie with wife Harriet and sons David (left) and Ricky
When comedian Red Skelton was drafted in March of 1944, Ozzie Nelson
was prompted to create his own family situation comedy.The Adventures
of Ozzie and Harriet launched October 8, 1944 on CBS, it moved to NBC
in October 1948, then made a late-season switch back to CBS in April of
1949. The final years of the radio series were on ABC, the former NBC
Blue Network) from October 14, 1949 to June 18, 1954. In total, 402
radio episodes were produced.
The Nelsons’ sons, David and Ricky, did not join the cast until the radio
show’s fifth year, initially appearing on the February 20, 1949 episode,
ages 12 and 8, respectively.