When I was invited to appear on the show, the producers specifically told my Mom to "dress me down"- I would have worn something else if I knew I was going to meet Rick Nelson! We sat together back stage and chatted - he was a gentleman and I felt very comfortable talking to him.
Thank you for sharing that back stage story, Candy. And for confirming that Ricky was as sweet and down-to-earth as he always seemed. What a terrific memory.
@@gabbyg7315 I am glad to hear Ricky was a gentleman and you enjoyed visiting with him. I loved him so much. He was an awesome talent who died way too soon. Miss him as do everyone who loved and admired him
@@janeiwasduncan8463 The crash was caused by a faulty heater. Your reference to meth hounds and potheads has nothing to do with what caused the fatal accident.
Such. A. Dreamboat. When I was a little girl, my first crush was Ricky Nelson.So gorgeous, and I loved his singing voice. I was crazy about him. Thanks for the memories Ricky. PS. Arlene Francis is so elegant. Celebrity women aren't like this anymore. So trashy these days...
I had a huge crush on Ricky when I was 12, watching him as a 13 yr old on Summer reruns. Now in my 60's, I love watching the old episodes again. A much more innocent and elegant time ...
Listen to the applause when Ricm Nelson came in. What a looker ! And nice guy. I was in love with Rick Nelson , like so many other red blooded teenage American girls! He was gorgeous. Loved his voice and music. Garden Party was one of my favorites .He was a great credit to his Mom & Dad , a real gentleman . They brought him up right.
I'm 75 years-old and my family NEVER missed 'The Ozzie & Harriet Show' back in the day. Little Ricky turned out to be a great singer and the best looking guy since Elvis.
@@bdff4007 Yes they were. He and Elvis played quarterback for their respective weekend pickup football teams. Rick's ex-bodyguard, Kent McCord also played on those teams, and that's how Kent met Rick and appeared on the 'Ozzie & Harriet' t.v. show, and became Rick's bodyguard. I met Ricky during a gig at 'Venus de Milo' nightclub in Swansea, Ma. in the late 1970s early '80s. A really nice guy, and he and his band put on a great show!
These ladies are so gracious & elegant, the gloves lend a special touch to their out fits. The guys are also well dressed and very polite. I've fallen in love with this show.
He was a very sweet and very gentle person. I was absolutely thrilled the day that I met him and he invited me to one of his concerts. It’s like a child’s lifelong dream come true. RIP Rick.
Rick Nelson didn't do a good job of disguising his voice, but he was such a good singer and an all-around good guy in every respect, it didn't matter. Not only good looking, but a good person. His parents raised him right!
+Vickie Harris Ricky didn't have what I would call a really distinctive speaking voice so he didn't have to do much disguising. Now had he sung a line or 2 of lyrics, his voice would have given him away.
He was not raised well...he spoke after his father died that he was never sent to school and could not read well...at 13 he lost his virginity to a prostitute...so...not so much.
He had no need to change his voice as these Broadway-eccentric, movie sycophants, especially Cerf, had ABSOLUTELY no interest in Rock 'n Roll ... maybe Mrs. Francis did as she mentioned the "backbeat".
I had the pleasure, Of Meeting & Talking to Rick Nelson, Back in the late 60's, when he was appearing in Atlantic City, Doing his show, What a great, Down to earth Person, He was to talk to, I was Sad when I heard that he Was killed, In an Air Accident, May he RIP & is Sadly missed , By all of his Fans etc.
His sons have the same personality. I met them at a meet and greet after their tribute concert to their dad. Very personable men and so privileged to have met and conversed with both. They certainly did not rush through the conversatioms with each person. And, of course, the concert was EXCEPTIONAL. They are welcome back to Oneonta NY anytime.
@@user-gq1sh4kf4w Maybe. Rick Nelson was probably on a very tight schedule and John Daly knew that. Rick Nelson was very busy with his singing and his acting on his parents' TV 📺 show. He was also dating Kris Harmon.
I agree. And I can't think of anyone in that position today with such a vast vocabulary and verbal dexterity (he'd have liked that description - he was such a fan of alliteration).
There were times when John needed to just shut up and let the guest talk. This was one of those times. Everyone already knew Rick was the son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and he was on the ABC network. It would have been fun listening to where Rick's band was currently appearing, and what his plans were for the summer.
@@jess4metoo I've seen 2 beautiful men in my life. One in Guadalajara, Mexico where even children, and young and old men and women would just stare. Rick Nelson. Even vh
What makes him exceptional is that he is drop dead gorgeous, talented, kind, and had a wonderful reputation at that time, something that none of the Hollywood Trash has today.
Its amazing how loved he was by men , as much as women. I think the whistles tell you that, Men loved him and admired him for what he stood for. Thats class, unlike that Memphis Moron...
goldenthroat86 -- Rick Nelson was certainly nice to look at. Six feet tall, which wasn't a bad thing either. I think he got many of his facial features from his mother. Anyway, Ozzie and Harriet certainly had a good-looking son. Rick was 19 years old in 1959.
As a footnote to that, Alizee Defan, I note that David Nelson played a trapeze artist in the 1959 film "The Big Circus". It was actually a prominent role in that film and if you buy the DVD of it, you'll see "David Nelson" listed on the box cover along with the other stars of the film.
+Alizee Defan Actually, Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley were good friends. Rick talked about the friendship on The Tonight Show once, and how they would play some spirited games of touch football. No reason to denigrate the memory of either man, IMO. I was a fan of both.
RICKY NELSON was the epitome of what used to be called the "All-American Boy." CLEAN-CUT and clean-shaven and NO UGLY disfiguring tattoos. Well-mannered, well-dressed, well-spoken and VERY talented. One of the very first bonafide teen idols. Such a sad and tragic ending at an untimely age. And to die on New Years Eve was NOT much of a Garden Party. RIP.
He is so amazingly young! 19, if this was taped in 1959! He was a real looker. No wonder all the young ladies hearts did flip flops! Very tragic loss of such a fine young man. Ozzie and Harriet had two very fine sons!!! They had much to be proud of!!
Rick ("Ricky") Nelson was just nineteen here and signed in as "Rick Nelson." WML identified him as "Ricky" (to the home audience) and he was referred to, by the panel, as "Ricky." He was very understandably trying to get away from his childhood moniker. It did take some time, but his fans (for the most part) would eventually know him as "Rick Nelson." By any name, he was certainly a talented musician and certainly inherited the classy grace of his sweet mother, Harriet. Bless his heart!
I was married to Rick’s cousin Willy (not the country singer). Willy managed Ricks career from 1970-1977. They were very close. The family was lovely and warm and I loved them all. They were all authentic and caring people. Our holidays were always celebrated together across all generations and the children were always welcome at these gatherings. I was an only child who thrived in this large family. The celebrations included Willys 2 brothers and their children, my family with our children, Ozzie & Harriet’s long time friends (some of whom went back as far as vaudeville), and kids who grew up acting on the show and became part of the family. I was blessed to have them all. They were as nice as they appeared to be.
"Well let us say that the affection, abiding as it is, which teenagers have for our guest, carries over from one medium to the other." Such eloquence and articulation is sorely missing on television today.
When this show aired in 1959, Elvis Presley was still in the Army, and Rick Nelson temporarily had replaced him as the #1 teen heartthrob. For a time, Nelson out earned Elvis and sold more records. In addition, the western movie "Rio Bravo" with Nelson playing opposite John Wayne and Dean Martin, had been released in April of that year. Nelson was riding high.
Ricky was a gorgeous young man with manners & respectful, too bad his life ended so tragically when he wasn’t even 50 yrs old yet ( aged 45) died from an airplane crash - RIP Travelling Man 🌷🌹🌷🍁🌷🌺🍁🌷🌺🍁❤️❤️❤️
So sad. But he was doing drugs in the plane & caused his death. I was so devastated. I think it was New Years Eve '79 or '80. He also was my 1st crush, those gorgeous blue eyes.
"Are you Ricky Nelson?" The caption reads "Ricky Nelson". But he signs in as "Rick Nelson". A very talented man, there trying to break away from the tenacious "teen idol" label. I rate him very high!
@@alpha-omega2362 Starting at the age of 21 years old, he went by Rick instead of Ricky. He had his name on his guitar 🎸 that said Rick Nelson. I agree. He really tried to get everyone to call him Rick instead of Ricky, but a lot of people wouldn't do it.
I grew up in the same as era as Ricky Nelson. I saw him in 1977 at the Exit/In in Nashville. He was with his original band and he looked exactly the same then as he did on this show. We were fortunate to sit at a table only a couple of feet from the low stage where he sang. I remember looking down at the stage and noticed he was wearing silver shoes with higher heels. Jennifer Warnes was at that time a "new" singer and came on just before Ricky. I can't tell you how great both of those performers were. I was a guest and got in free but it was only a couple of bucks to attend. Nashville!
@@rivaridge7211 - The date was an easy memory. I had just accepted a new position in Louisville and this was a moving away party (Louisville). Ricky and Jennifer Warnes were remarkable and something you would never forget. I suppose the thing I remember most was the silver lame, high heel shoes Ricky wore. He was within an arms reach away on an elevated stage and you couldn't miss them. We came back 18 years later and I eventually retired there. Nashville was and is a great place to live - fun and exciting. My wife and I moved back to our birth home in Ohio but the memories are everlasting. RivaRidge - you must know something about Louisville. I've been to the Derby many times and have been a fan since age three. That's when I first learned to ride. I lived in Prospect Point before the bridge and before it looks as it does today.
Rock and roll had been around for several years by this time, yet the panelists seem so ignorant of it. Plus, Ricky sang all his hits on The Adventure of Ozzie & Harriet on TV every week, they should have guessed him right away. And, boy was he a beauty or what?
Chris Nickens They sure had their blind spots, yes. They also knew almost nothing about television stars. The episode from 1965 with Andy Griffith as mystery guest was a good example. They had NO IDEA what the Andy Griffith Show was!
+ZoneFighter1 It is possible that on October 31, 1965, Dorothy didn't know off the top of her head that "The Andy Griffith Show" was so popular. But her column that appeared in the New York Journal American three days later indicated that "Gomer Pyle" was popular enough to have caught the attention of her eleven-year-old son. She wrote that her boy enjoyed watching that show and also Soupy Sales' TV show. Regarding the episode where you can observe the panelists' reactions to Brian Epstein, please remember that Bennett asks if he regrets having agreed to promote the Beatles, but Dorothy expresses fondness for the group.
+Chris N Dorothy guessed who he was in less than six minutes- that was pretty good to me. Yes, Rick Nelson was a beauty if a bit shy and dare I say insecure in his demeanor? This series was a real treat, it should be brought back in some form today.
+Chris N There are people in their 50s who can't name two nirvana songs. I can't name ONE from Kanye West. It's possible that in 1959 the middle aged panel knew very little of rock n roll.
Dorothy had the cutest giggle. My favorite panel line-up was Dorothy, Arlene, Bennett, and Steve Allen. If Steve wasn't there, I enjoyed Martin Gabel. John Charles was without equal.
@@ralphpernites5852 He was a smart and genuinely funny man. In addition to being quite a talented ventriloquist, he was an acupuncturist and medical hypnotist and invented an artificial heart with Dr. Heimlich of Heimlich Maneuver fame. He developed over 30 medical devices that he patented and his model was what Dr. Jarvik used for his artificial heart when he developed one. He knew how to use his wit on the panel and yet keep the game going and not hog all the airtime.
Rick was so dang shy. He didn't speak and could wait to get the heck out of there. I believe he really never seemed to embrace being in front of a public.
M M. No, Rick Nelson wasn't shy at all. He was extremely humble here. He was probably on a tight schedule. He was 19 years old when this episode was broadcasted and he was extremely busy between his singing career and his acting in his parents' TV 📺 show. Plus, he was dating Kris Harmon at this time. I have about 100 episodes of "The Ozzie and Harriet Show" on dvds. A lot of the episodes that I have show Ricky as a lad and he was definitely an extrovert.
@@Chef4Funn He was extremely humble here. He was an extrovert, not an introvert. I have about 100 episodes of his parents' show "The Ozzie and Harriet Show" on dvds. He was extremely outgoing. In this particular episode of WML, Rick Nelson was 19 years old. He was extremely busy with his singing career and his acting in his parents' show. He was also dating Kris Harmon at this time. He was definitely not shy. He was very humble.
1959--the same year Ricky co-starred with John Wayne, Walter Brennan, Angie Dickinson an' my dearly-beloved Dean Martin in my all-time favorite movie 'Rio Bravo'!
Did you ever wonder when a judge should overrule a finding of fact made by a jury? When you write “ Miss Killgallen looks very beautiful” it reminds me that no reasonable jury could find Dorothy beautiful. Beauty has a degree of subjectivity but some people are clearly beautiful (for example, Arlene) and others, like scrawny and chinless Dorothy, are not.
I love this show.I find myself wishing I lived at this time.Intelligent show,not like the mushy brain junk of today.And my God,how beautiful is this young man,Gorgeous.His brother is beautiful too from Ozzie and Harriet show.Fabian and Elvis were beautiful as well.Great show.
While Elvis was in the army, Ricky Nelson became the teenage pop idol. He showed promise as an actor in the film ‘Rio Bravo’ but for some strange reason his film career stalled. Ricky should have been given more film opportunities, but sadly it didn’t happen. He carried on making hit records until the mid 60’s, but like so many solo artists was elbowed out of the limelight with the advent of British pop groups, Motown & the new wave folk music, popularised by the likes of Bob Dylan. It was tragic that his singing career ended with his death in a plane crash. RIP Ricky.
Rick wanted to sing and did not want to act. This is well known, he was a good actor and really a beautiful human. It was his choice to concentrate on his music. I wish that he had done more movies. Love him ! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
ohhhh almost forgot to mention- would like to also have his gentle, shy, considerate manner to go along with the good looks.....certainly success DIDNT spoil him......the ultimate compliment
Sadly, Rick Nelson died at age 45 in a plane crash. So many singers died that way, including Buddy Holly, Richy Valens, The Big Bopper, Patsy Cline, Otis Redding, John Denver, Jim Croce, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. The touring lifestyle makes that much more likely than it is for the average person. I don't envy recording artists -- I just saw a list online -- a very long list -- of recording artists who died unnatural deaths. There were 2 or 3 who were electrocuted by their guitars.
I know they found cocaine and maybe other drugs when they died on them. Not unusual in the music biz but not sure if it was pilot error or not. It was sad. Rick was with his girlfriend. Always seemed very nice.
Unfortunately the training required for pilots was very different back in the day. My father in law owned a plane after world war 2 just because he could buy it. He flew goods until he had to set the plane down in a field with his wife and kids on board in a storm. The next week she insisted he get a new job.
-Yes. I read that the 2 or 3 band members that were electrocuted were killed because it started to rain and they kept on singing. By then their electrical guitars were wet and when they went to disconnect the instrument,s That is when the 3 of them were fried.
Everyone on this show was so classy. Even when I was only about 5 years old this show seemed so entertaining to me. I was so precocious at 5 years old, I always had a crush on Ms. Arlene Francis.
I clicked on this just to watch Rick Nelson. He was so beautiful. It was an extra treat to see the dress Dorothy Killgallen was wearing. It’s fabulous.
Dorothy was a genius and I use to think that she may have been given the answers? But I have changed my mind and I am convinced now that she was psychic!!
How great it was to see a video of this old program that we used to watch back in the day and how terrific it was to see Ricky Nelson he was a good looking guy and an all-around great singer actor and fabulous. Rest in peace Ricky. We all loved you we still do
@@davesogn3329 Doesn't it always seem to be the case with these celebrity plane crashes? Profoundly poor choices? Lynyrd Skynyrd jumping on that plane that Arrowsmith wouldn't touch, Buddy Holly & the rest piling into that single engine in a blizzard just so he could get his laundry done? Randy Rhodes trusting that questionable flight he was on? I know people who travel for a living need to hit their marks, but sometimes it's smarter not to gamble. They need a word of extreme caution in their ears.
If you follow this show chronologically it's almost like a history lesson. Fifties rock and roll stars, test pilots, astronauts, famous athletes, .anti' Castro rebels, Sixties British invasion stars, famous movie and TV stars and Directors etc. etc. My favorite was Eva Marie Saint saying she off to film some movie called North By Northwest.
When all the other teenage girls were coming any for Elvis, I was crazy for Ricky Nelson!! I still love his voice,music, and those eyes!!! Oh my goodness!!!
Of the rare collection of WML writers's panels, this is one of the most memorable. Shulman. Kilgallen. Cerf. The combination of Shulman, the first contestant, and the mystery guest make this a major landmark WML of all time.
I think he preferred to be called Rick, but his handlers marketed him as "Ricky", which better fits a teenage heart throb in the 1950's. When he resumed his recording career in the late 60's and 70's, it was as "Rick Nelson."
Ozzie could be very hard on the boys on the set, it is said, but what he did in building the radio and then the T.V. show was remarkable. Bringing David and Rick on to replace actors portraying them proved a stroke of decision. Likewise, Rick's enormous recording career ignited from the start because of Ozzie's great artistic and business sense.
Although 4 years ago I would like to add something. Many Rock historians consider Ricky Nelsons song "Traveling Man"... "as it was shown on the TV show Ozzie & Harriet" to be the first "Rock Video".....(although nobody realized it at the time.) In parts of the song (as shown on the TV show) there are double exposures of Ricky and various parts of the world with various exotic young females.....syncing the song to the various places a "Traveling Man" would go.
@@pogwo1968 yes. After one of Bing’s boys was on the radio show, the Nelson Brothers then asked their parents if they could replace the other actors! Rick would play tennis later on with Lindsey Crosby, I think it was.
It's weird that studio, in NYC, had no air conditioning when a lot of businesses and theaters had it during the 1950's, even in small towns.Those suits would sure be hot worn there, and the shirts buttoned at the throat.Plus the stage lights adding more heat.
Michelle Post I can’t remember many theaters or stores in the early 50’s that had AC in the city where I lived then. They had huge fans and windows, and we were just hot. Possibly the fledgling AC in the theater there couldn’t keep up with the heat and hot stage lights.
With only so many questions to ask per guest it is amazing that the occupations were ever guessed at all. So many of them were obscure jobs to say the least.
I consider this episode one of the landmark WML broadcasts, not only for Rick Nelson but for The First Senator O E Long of that island not Alcatraz. Great interview. After Long retired, the next Senator held that seat for 50 years.
Ricky was my first crush ever at the tender age of 7! I had just moved from Cuba escaping communism. I was very homesick until I saw Ricky on Television! None of the boys back home even began to resemble Ricky much less sing like him! I have always remembered him with great love and admiration! He is truly and sincerely missed. 🙏🏻🩷🐾💯🇺🇸
@@Bigbadwhitecracker Dont believe everything you read or hear. Most of it isn't true ! 99 % He was a very bright guy. And like the other person said ,with his looks who cares.
![What's My Line? - Rick Nelson; Max Shulman [panel] (Aug 30, 1959)](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
