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The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet: Best of Ricky and Dave

One of the longest-running and most beloved sitcoms returns to DVD with another 'best of' collection and it's a sweet, nostalgic time capsule of times gone by.

Personally, I enjoyed Ozzie & Harriet more when the focus was not on the kids, especially TV's first manufactured pop star Ricky, but I suppose I'm in the minority in that.

This is not laugh out loud funny stuff, it's more of a heartwarming, family affair. Heartwarming and weird - it's difficult to fit Ozzie & Harriet's world into a modern context. Folks just ain't like that anymore.

That's the charm of the series, sure, but the people who inhabit this TV land act in the most bizarre ways.

This was a time when parents were proud that their kids were part of the gang. Would you think twice if a 50 year old neighbor came to play upstairs alone with your 8 year old son? As a parent would you take a 60 minute ride on the back of a motorcycle to buy a toy, candy and flowers? Do you encounter many polite high school boys preoccupied with studying, listening intently to whatever adults have to say?

The soda shop down the street, teens in high waist trousers and sport coats, kids who say "swell," "gee," and call their dad "pop" - this is the America the Nelson family preserved in their shows and that alone makes this program so wonderful and so oddball.

There are a few extras - a trivia quiz, you can access the songs by themselves on each disc, and 4 radio episodes are included as well as a booklet with episode synopses.

In some (but not all) cases it looks as if syndicated prints were used, there are cuts and some of the show openings aren't the originals since the sponsor tags are missing (the show was sponsored by Hotpoint, Aunt Jemima and Coca-Cola which is why you'll see Ricky enjoying a Coke at school).

Only the final season was shot in color and there are 2 episodes from that year (1966-67). The transition is glaring, it's no wonder the show was cancelled just as color TV took hold. The production was so anti-modernity even the elaborate sets were decorated with wallpaper, furniture and curtains right out of the early-1950s.

The prints look great for the most part, the sound is crystal clear. The color episodes look the roughest but that's a small criticism for a very nicely done DVD set.

Episode List:
1 035 - A Door Key For David
2 066 - Ricky's Lost Letter
3 067 - Father Son Tournament
4 175 - The Man Without A Family
5 176 - Road Race
6 187 - The Picture In Rick's Notebook
7 BONUS - Ricky sings "Waiting In School"
8 BONUS - Ricky sings "Stood Up"
9 BONUS - Ricky sings "Just Because"
10 BONUS - Original Radio Episode: David Sells Ozzie's Suit

1 191 - Who Is Betty?
2 256 - Rick Gets Even
3 270 - Dave And The Schoolteacher
4 282 - A Sweater For Rick
5 299 - Dave's Golf Story
6 300 - Rick's Broken Arm
7 BONUS - Ricky sings "I'm Confessin"
8 BONUS - Ricky sings "Boppin' The Blues"
9 BONUS - Ricky sings "Right By My Side"
10 BONUS - Ricky sings "Young Emotions"
11 BONUS - Ricky sings "That's All"
12 BONUS - Ricky sings "You'll Never Know What You're Missing"
13 BONUS - Original Radio Episode: David Fights

1 304 - Selling Rick's Drums
2 306 - Rick's 21st Birthday
3 320 - Rick Grades A Test
4 334 - Rick And The Maid Of Honor
5 342 - Rick, The Host
6 352 - David And The Teenager
7 BONUS - Ricky sings "Hello Mary Lou"
8 BONUS - Original Radio Episode: Apartment Building Next Door

1 361 - Dave And The Fraternity Lease
2 362 - Ozzie, Joe, And The Fashion Models
3 368 - Rick's Wedding Ring
4 367 - Blue Moose
5 411 - The Tangled Web - should be color ?
6 434 - Ozzie The Babysitter (aka Ozzie The Sitter) - should be color ?
7 BONUS - Ricky sings "Fools Rush In"
8 BONUS - Ricky sings "Fire Breathing Dragon"
9 BONUS - Ozzie & Harriet Trivia Quiz
10 BONUS - Original Radio Episode: Jury Duty

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The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet: Best of Ricky and Dave

Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, Black & White, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, HiFi Sound, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. )
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 4
Studio: Shout! Factory
DVD Release Date: July 8, 2008
Run Time: 420 minutes
 

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