The Great Competitor

The Oswald Nelsons of Hollywood are probably the most self-sustained family in the U.S. They not only live and work together but, each Friday night, sit down to watch themselves on TV film and. an hour later, hear themselves on recorded radio. Both shows are called The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet; both are broadcast by ABC; both star Ozzie Nelson, his wife Harriet, and their two children, 17-year-old David and 13-year-old Ricky. Ozzie's mother-in-law is in charge of answering the fan mail, and Ozzie's brother Don is one of the show's seven writers. Says Ozzie proudly: "We're truly a family project. The program is entirely on our shoulders."

Like the low man on a totem pole, Ozzie, 46, carries most of the load. He produces and directs the TV show, edits and cuts the film, polishes the scenarios ("I make the words sound real and natural"), keeps his sponsors (Hotpoint and Listerine) contented, and, in his free time, lectures his sons on the Eagle Scout concept of honor or takes them on for practice sessions of football or basketball. On the show itself. Ozzie's character lacks the overhead drive and adding-machine efficiency that he displays in real life. As in most other TV family dramas. Ozzie is pictured as a lovable but rather silly oaf who needs rescuing from untenable positions by his sweet, understanding wife and his tolerant children.

The Nelson children apparently accept their double life as completely natural. David says that the Saturday filming of the TV show makes little difference to him or his friends, since "most of the kids in my class have jobs over the weekend anyway." Ricky has been more difficult. At eight he wanted to quit school because he could already read a radio script and was not able to see the need for further education. Ozzie insists that both boys will go on to college and to law school. He remembers that when he was a New Jersey law student he also had an afternoon job coaching a football team and led his orchestra in the evenings. He met his wife, Harriet Hilliard, when he hired her to sing with his band.

Ex-Athlete Ozzie (he won his letter at Rutgers in football, swimming and lacrosse) reserves a special phrase for high tribute: "The man is a great competitor." He finds it immensely satisfying that his TV show has the highest rating of any on the ABC network, and that the Nelson family shares an annual income of $350,000. When he was 24, Ozzie drew a competitive satisfaction from the fact that he was already making more money than a Supreme Court Justice. Last week some rapid pencil work by Ozzie revealed that he had been outdistanced by his teen-age sons: David and Ricky now each earn more money than is paid the President of the U.S.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.