Well, it's shocking to ME to see good ol' domestic engineer extraordinaire Hazel serving someone other than the Baxters. Oh, they call themselves "the Baxters," this 3-piece family Hazel and Harold move in with for the series' fifth and final season, but they are a weak substitute for the real deal, George, AKA Mr. B; and Dorothy, AKA Missy.
As Antenna TV winds up its first complete cycle of the series, I think it's fair to say that fifth season ain't getting any better. I've seen a good batch of these episodes, and while I enjoy them because it's still Hazel and because I've never seen them before, it just isn't the same. I find myself watching Mr. B's brother Steve, his wife Barbara, and their non-entity daughter Susie, and demanding the return of MY Baxters.
Susie is not the problem, as she means very little one way or the other, though in one episode I saw, she was terrorizing the family cat, wrecking Hazel's meals, and generally showing signs of a budding young sociopath. As for the women of the show, well, Lynn Borden as Barbara is gorgeous; Whitney Blake as Dorothy is...Meredith Baxter's mom. Fact is, the show never gave Dorothy much that was interesting to do, so she isn't conspicuous by her absence.
The REAL loss of season 5 is, of course, Mr. B. Nobody does "taken aback" like Don DeFore, and his quiet exasperation at Hazel's antics led to a handful of great sitcom actor "takes" in every single episode. As Steve Baxter, Ray Fulmer has a pleasant enough Dick-Sargentesque presence, but compared to DeFore he is--forgive me--a scrub.
One of the worst things about the "transition" from season 4 to season 5 is that the Baxters (the real ones, that is) leave off camera, and it's left to Hazel to tell the audience, via a convo with her busybody friend Rosie, what happened to force this jarring change. It's kind of funny, actually, because one by one, the two Sunshine Girl cohorts cover just about all the questions the audience has about what's going on. I know because my wife sat down with me to watch this one, and when I told her what was going to happen, she started peppering me with queries. I'm not saying Hazel answers them in a satisfying way, but she does answer them.
George and Dorothy, we learn, went to the Middle East for business. As far as Hazel knows (or is willing to tell Rosie), Mr. B is doing big-shot corporate lawyer stuff, blah blah blah. Personally, I believe he is conducting covert ops for a quasi-governmental "security" organization, which explains why he leaves the States so quickly and ditches his son. Ostensibly, Harold stays behind to "finish his schooling," and I realize American-style schooling may not have been as sophisticated in the 1960s as it is today, but still...COME ON! Harold's not in some kind of fast-track advanced college prep system, and he's not exactly Albert Einstein, besides, so one wonders why the Baxters are so eager to strand him in the USA. Perhaps after years of sharing living quarters with an inquisitive boy and an intrusive maid, George and Dorothy just want a little "us" time. Mr. B, you DOG, you!
For her part, Hazel stays behind because she can't bear to leave little Harold...or the Baxters threatened to auction her to a decrepit emir's harem if she tagged along, take your pick. Now, after hours of research at the Paley Center and the Library of Congress (not really, but that sounds better than "I looked at an online message board), I have discovered that behind the scenes, the Baxters were basically canned for financial reasons, and Shirley Booth soldiered on for this one last year before ending the show due to her own declining health. Even in season 5, we see an attempt to shift attention to some other characters, and we see less of Hazel's superhuman feats of skill, like kicking a football or bashing a gangster over the head with a frying pan.
This all makes more sense than the notion that someone thought it was a good idea creatively to replace DeFore and Blake, or that Booth pulled a power play and replaced them with some nonthreatening, less interesting players. Looks like it was just one of those stupid decisions. CBS did get one more season out of "Hazel," and because of Booth's health, any more would have been unlikely, anyway. That fifth season is easily the weakest, but it's worth a look just for the novelty value.
The unrecognizable Ann Jillian (only recognizable because I saw her in the cast listing) has a regular role, too, as realtor Steve's secretary. George's annoying sister shows up again as a foil for Hazel, too, which points out one of the show's problems at this point: The chemistry between Hazel and Steve just isn't there, which is of course in stark contrast to the Hazel/George relationship which drives previous seasons. There is a half-hearted attempt early on to position Steve Baxter as someone who will go toe to toe with Hazel, or at least try to, but predictably he fails, and Hazel soon becomes "one of the family." This was true with Mr. B, too, and no one ever really thought the two were truly at each other's throats, but at least they went through the motions and enjoyed playing the game. Steve isn't even in the same league.
So without DeFore, without even the way-overexposed Mr. Griffin, season 5 strains to provide that ol' Hazel magic. It's probably best that it's the last season. I would like to see a sixth season in which Mr. B dramatically returns and announces the family must go underground to avoid a congressional subpoena, but that will have to remain a figment of my imagination.
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«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 277 of 277We have discussed this 5th year before but bear in mind, that Shirley Booth apparently was not eager to continue the series so despite efforts to attract a new audience with younger stars, it probably would have been the last season. While I am not crazy about the younger Baxters, there are several pretty decent episodes in that season
Watching Season 5 now on FETV on Dish. Do not like the new Baxters or house even if it is supposed to be George's brother Steve & his family. They should have never gotten rid of George & Missy. This article helped to clear it all up where George & Missy were. I missed the episode where Hazel explains it. Thanks. Also, I was reading about all the characters & what happened to them. Sad, that "Harold" died in an accident at age 21 ��
They're currently airing the 5th season on WMYD-AT one of those extra local channels you get when using the digital converter/broadcast...
Here, in Detroit, its channel 20.2 &channel 20 is the one that always has those Judge Shows and Jerry Springer type BS so it'll prob correlate with your same local channel
EX. Here in Detroit, its channels 4.2
If you look at the kitchen of the Stephens from season 1, it’s the same kitchen from the Baxters once it was in color.
It is well known that the house to the left of the Baxter’s was the same house used in Bewitched. I happened to notice in the first season episode of Bewitched titled Eyes of the Beholder, that in one very brief scene where a boy is delivering papers, he passes by the house that is the Baxter’s!
Roku, watching it now and wondered the same why replace the original
Cast?! I hate it! Big mistake
Meredith Baxter did not appear on the show. The original Mrs. Baxter, played by Whitney Blake, was Meredith's real life mother.
The final episode of MASH rocked
I noticed and commented on Carol's post regarding that very thing.
Thanks so much! I agree with everything you said! Much appreciated!
Earline where are you???
I know lots of Esther's. 0lder names are used alot in the Mennonite comunity.
MeTv
Channel 33 on Directv
It’s a station with sisters all over
They just finished airing season five middle of October 2021
Looping again.
Re:Someone asked whether Don DeFore tried to negotiate for more money and that was why he was dropped from the show... I remember reading somewhere that DeFore did not know he had been replaced when the show moved to CBS, until he read about it in the paper. What a heck of a way to find out you've lost your job!
Would have been more believable for just Mr. B to go overseas; Dorothy to stay home with Harold; bring in a new male figure in the way of either Dorothy's father or brother to stay with them while George is gone. Don't get me wrong, I love "Hazel"; but for a mom in that era to leave her son (only child!) behind...not credible.
The show wanted a younger cast so they would not have replaced a cast member with a similarly aged one. The overseas assignment was only supposed to be for a couple of months so I don't think it is out the realm of credibility that a mother would not want to disrupt her kid's education for that amount of time.
Actually the neighbor who played Fred and the boy who played his son are both alive.
This is a reply from an earlier comment I saw. Earlier television may have been real to some people because it was such a fresh form of entertainment. But my guess is it was probably more real to younger people, under eighteen years old. I couldn't imagine adults believing anything they saw in those old tv shows as being anymore real than any of does old wonderful movies that people used to pile into theaters to see. I don't think tv should be for realism. It should be for fun and escapism. Realism is what we live everyday. We don't need to watch it on TV.
And for the record, I was very young when I first saw Hazel. I think it was in the fifth season. I don't think I came across it again until about twenty years later. I remember rotary phones. I had an Aunt who had one. And they were used as public phones for a long time too. I remember leaded gas. And I didn't have color tv until I got ont one for my birthday around nineteen-ninety. Whoever wrote that comment was entitled to their opinion. Everybody has relatives who remember b&w tv, rotary phones and lead gas.
I haven't been on this forum for awhile. I noticed that a Fan of mine has missed me.Thank You! So not to get to long winded, I've been busy with a couple of writing projects, which anybody who write can tell you that writing is a long tedious drawn out process. I won't discuss the projects or what they're about at this time. However I hope to have at least one of my projects in print within eighteen months.
I will say that one of my projects has been long in the making. It was started a few years ago. And it's been derailed several times since. But I keep adding to it and plugging away at it. I will only mention the projects again when I finish at least one of them.
I've noticed that there haven't been much activity lately on this forum. I peeked at the fifth season of "Hazel" about a month ago. Someone mentioned that some of the episodes in that season was pretty good. That's true. Someone also mentioned that changing the cast to a younger cast was a mistake. That too, is true. That seem to be the biggest thing with "Hazel Fans". No one seem to like that Don Defore and Whitney Blake were switched out for Ray Fulmer and Lynn Borden. Whatever the network was trying to accomplish, they didn't. And I believe that Shirley had her hands in that too, because after the fourth season, she acquired the rights to the show. For some reason some Fans somehow came to believe that Shirley owned "Hazel". Later! Not at First.
I started reading a book about Shirley Booth.It's rather interesting. It mentions much about her theater career before she was cast as "Hazel". I haven't read very much of it, but so far it's interesting. I wonder if anyone else on this forum has read anything about Shirley Booth?!
What I don't get is: how come if Shirley was ill she went back to work soon after "Hazel" ended?! I read somewhere that she intended to take some time off for awhile. Shirley made alot of money as "Hazel". Her return to work most likely had nothing to do with needing to earn a living. I have a different theory. Shirley was under a five year contract for "Hazel". When the five years were up she just didn't want to continue with the show. She may have had some physical issues. But it strikes me odd that she wouldn't have stayed off work long enough to rest and recover. After all she carried "Hazel". She was the star! She had to be there. The show even had high enough ratings to continue on for another season. My ending thoughts: Shirley's five Years contract was up. She didn't want to continue with the show. She wanted the show to go into syndication, which would have been very healthy for her bank account. Have anybody else got any info, details, or thoughts?
She got tired of the show as did Elizabeth Montgomery with Bewitched. Can't blame them for wanting to do something else. I saw Shirley Booth on Broadway in April 1970 where she played Mother Superior in the short-lived Look to the Lilies. Sometimes I find a clip from the Ed Sullivan show with a short bit from the musical.
I too read that Elizabeth Montgomery was tired of the role of Samantha. She was enticed back with more money to do the eighth season. I wonder if Shirley had such an enticement. But as I mentioned: since she had acquired the rights to "Hazel" she could simply let the show go into syndication. That would have allowed her to move on to other projects. I don't know how open Actors were back then about wanting to get out of their roles. It may have meant not working again for a long while. A lot of them probably just kept going and going until the show was over.
I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned that "Hazel" has been packaged up as a complete series and is now available for purchase, on "Amazon". I don't remember the price. But it seems like a good bargain, especially for those who have not purchased any of the seasons. In the description all five of the seasons covers are shown. That may mean that each season is packaged up in it's own case, which is good. I've already mentioned that season one has often been the most elusive one. It is/was often not available. And when it was the price was over the top. Can you imagine paying $300.00?
Fortunately, lately it has been available in used copies for $30.00 or less. But to me that's expensive too, since I payed less than $11.00 for my copy, brand new. That was in 2013, the year Rick Brooks created this forum. I noticed that the first season for a lot of older series were inexpensive. I've bought quite a few. Among my favorites are: "Father Knows Best", "Leave It To Beaver", "Dennis, The Menace", "Mr.Ed", "My Favorite Martian", and "Flipper".
I noticed that some Fans mentioned skipped episodes. TV often skip episodes. I'm not sure that any of them are shown in their entirety because they cost money. Also, in some areas those old shows aren't available, mine included. So DVD's are my only choice for this genre of entertainment.
I hope that I've excited some Fans into checking out this offer. I think it's well worth it to own full copies of seasons from shows that are enjoyed. Those good old days of waiting until the next week and the next season to watch your favorite episodes will be over.
Oops! Somehow I goofed! I'm the one who just wrote the comment above about "Hazel" is now available to purchase, as a complete series.
...as for the Anonymous "rebuttal" post about rotary phones, leaded gas etc...
I believe the earlier post was pointing out that newer generations do not have tangible knowledge of such things. (As every generation has or will).
Yes, we all know someone with past experiences or devices like rotary phones.
The key word used in the original post is nostalgia.
To read about or "know of" doesn't translate to people with personal experience.
Try this word also: wisdom.
Once again I'm missing good comments. Someone said it may have been a good idea to just have Mr."B" go overseas and have Dorothy stay at home, with her child. Then have a brother or other male relative to stay with them for awhile until Mr."B" came back. Yes, I agree with that. But if they had done that, hopefully they would have brought "Mr.B" back before ending the series. As we know fathers have always gone off on long business ventures, with the mothers staying home with the children. So that could have worked. I think one of the things that Fans are unhappy about is the way "Hazel" ended. To me it was like abandonment to not bring the parents back.
Swiss, you're right! It wouldn't have made a lot of sense to have pulled Harold out of school for just two months. And besides, they had to leave in a family member to help carry the show, because the show wasn't just about "Hazel". The thing is, when something is said to only be for a couple months or is to take place or happen in a couple of months, that is what is expected. George and Dorothy were suppose to come back.
Did anyone establish where the Baxter's were supposed to live? I read here that it was possibly Philly or NY?
Just curious.
Nice to see you back here, Earline!
I read that Ted Key, The Creator Of The Hazel Cartoon Strip was born and raised in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. So where "The Baxter's" lived could have loosely been in either place. New York and Pennsylvania does border each other.
If I remember correctly in the episode the Hazel Walk that park they were talking about was mentioned to be in the Poconos, so Pennsylvania makes sense. Also, in a couple of episodes they refer to Philadelphia as a destination, which sounds like it may be a distance from wherever Hazel is located.
I don't understand how anyone can tell what houses were used in what show. Swise said the house to the left of "The Baxter's House" was used on "Bewitched". Somehow I've missed that. I wonder how come no one has mentioned the house that "The Blake's" lived in? Their house was to the right of "The Baxter's". It isn't shown much. Some of it popped up in about four episodes, when any of "The Blake Characters" were on the show. I think it's such a shame that "The Blake's" weren't better developed. "George Baxter" and "Stan Blake" seem to have such good chemistry together. After the episode: "Top Secret", one of my favorite episodes, "The Blake's" disappear. It's the only episode in which we see "Stan Blake", played by "Actor John Newton", in color.
It occurs to me that an interesting way to end the series would have been a reprise of the season 3 episode "All mixed-up." Inn that episode was tapped to be advertise cake mixes and of course in the end her "part-time" job upended the Baxter household and in the end Griffin bought out the company and fired her. So the season could have ended with the offer to come up again and she would be off to a new and lucrative career in TV. What do you think?
Swise, I think anything other than leaving Hazel and Harold "stranded" at George's Brother's home may have worked. I realized that no show can probably tie up all of the loose ends without spreading them over a few episodes to the end. But it would have been kinder than the way the show did end. The thing about your idea is, Hazel seemed to always be more comfortable taking care of people. She may have gotten tired of the commercials and would have longed for her other career. Of course if the show had ended that way we would have no way of knowing if Hazel would endure her new career or not. It's an interesting idea to pursue, though.
I wonder the actual age of Harold while taping season 5. He was born in 1951, the final season aired in 1966. That would make him 14 or 15 (depending on his birth date) while acting in the final season. He looks about 10. Any thoughts?
Hi, Bobby Buntrock was Born August 04, 1952. So he would have been 13 Years Old at the start of Season 5. If the show started filming before his Birthday he would have still been 12 Years Old. The last episode aired on April 11,1966. So of course he was still 13 Years Old when the show ended. I've always wondered at how young Bobby looked while he was on "Hazel". I've read silly stories about shows ending because of a young character who had a growth spurt during the show or before the next season began. So the show gets cancelled. Can you believe that? Isn't that just ridiculous?!
Earline, Thank you for your response. Yes, he was born In 1952 (not 1951 as I had a typo in my previous message). He was 9 when he began filming in 1961. Given he was born in August, he was 13 and perhaps even 14 while filming the final episodes in the 5th season. He looked so young, it’s hard to believe, but a very talented young actor. Sadly, the change of cast in season 5 couldn’t compare to the chemistry between Hazel, George (Mr.B) and Dorothy (Missy). I’m happy to have found this blog, I thought I was the only one whose guilty pleasure was watching Hazel, she was a real gem!!
I saw a photo of Bobby Buntrock, sitting with a team of Ball Players. It looked like it was taken during his High School Years. At this time I don't know which sport it was, but that was the last public photo I saw of him. I think Bobby was trying to get out of show business. After he appeared in The Virginian he went on to non-acting activities. It's to bad that there aren't any photos of him after High School. I was so stunned when I found out he had passed away because it was nearly forty years after it had happened. So sad! Bobby would have been 70 Years Old this year.
Watching season 5 is a waste. After 4yrs with Mr B and Hazel. CBS executives were FOOLS!
I don't care to watch season 5. I think CBS executives were FOOLS too drop Mr B and Missy after 4yrs together. What's the old cliche " if it not broke don't fix it " I refuse to watch fetv season 5 shows of Hazel. Instead I'm waiting for the network to start over with season 1
I watch fifth season from time to time. Hazel is still herself so there are some decent episodes. I wonder if they would ever revive the series with a new Hazel? I think "The Nanny" was something like it, no?
I just watched it o MeTV...season 5. It’s on every day at 10 and 10:30 am.
I think George's sister Deirdre and her husband would have been a better pick for Hazel's domesticity rather than his brother. I agree there isn't much chemistry with any of the new Baxters.
Hazel work for Deidre? You must be kidding. Deidre detested Hazel and that would stretch credibility. A more logical choice would have been the Johnsons. The trouble is they were minor characters and their out-of-touchness has limited possibilities. Besides the cast change was to have younger major characters to attract a younger audience. Having mentioned the Johnsons, I think I would have enjoyed more episodes with them in them. And I would have liked to see more episodes with Louise Lorimer as George's mother. That gardening episode is one of my favorites and I liked her in that role.
I've been catching up on YouTube on all the episodes of Hazel from beginning to end,and I must say I'm glad it ended with the 5th season it was just okay to me. I'm just realizing at this ripe old age of 55 that the cartoon in the Sunday paper and sometimes midweek paper is based on this show,you learn something new all the time lol.
All I know is the family is so fake when not Missy and Mr. B. I think the new female lead is so annoying. She has none of the warmth Whitney Blake exuded. Whitney genuinely loved Hazel. And she never abused Hazels kindness. This other blonde takes terrible advantage of Hazels generosity. Oh yes! Sure you cam come to the lake! Hazel won't mind cooking and cleaning for 4 more people! Missy would never abuse Hazel like this new spoiled woman does.
Except for that phony accent of Margaret's. That pseudo brit thing old actors work to perfect. Her accent drove me nuts.
The only good episode from Season 5 was the first due to Ernest Truex being a guest star-he should have been the one Hazel should have worked for-or perhaps the old couple next door who were helpless in doing anything.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
The last season with Lynn Borden is the best season with Barbara a typical young housewife of the 1960s and it's very mellow enjoyable to watch and there's less obnoxiousness in it from Hazel ..this version of hazel should have lasted for at least 3 additional seasons
I'm responding to the fan's comment on December 29, 2022. I'm a bit mixed up! Who is Margaret? I've wrecked my brain and the only "Margaret" I can think of is "Margaret Anderson" on "Father Knows Best". If the fan is talking about "Mona", the Baxter's Neighbors on season 5 of "Hazel", I agree, she was some times a bit much. I didn't like any of the new characters in Season 5. I think the silliest character was "Millie". She was to immature to be working in Steve's Realty Office? She should have been working in an Ice Cream Shop, at a Hamburger Stand, or in a Five and Dime Store. I also think that she should have been related to Barbara. Maybe a younger sister or cousin. That way she could have been some sort of aggravation to Steve once in a while. And Barbara should have had something else to do. Like a hobby of some sort. Barbara may have been a "typical housewife" from that era, but I actually had a relative who was a housewife with several other hobbies and interest. The only thing I know she didn't do was make Jewelry.
Direct TV plays Hazel all seasons including season 5 .
I see some glaring points of interest to me at least. Was Hazel suppose to be a role model? She lied and made things up. She also came across not very intelligent with her vocabulary choices. She was a campion bowler but they never showed her throwing a complete ball. She’d approach never showed release but always ball hitting pins for a strike. Lastly Mr B was a terrible dad. He did nothing with his son. They didn’t even kiss him goodnight . Still I watch . They
I saw Hazel as a kid when it was new to television. Still watch it today in June of 2023!
The acting and scripts are terrific. Don DeFore interactions with Shirley Booth in this series is what made it such a hit.
Huge mistake was made when DeFore & Blake later departed.
Shultz from Hogans Hero’s was a baker and Skipper from Gilligan’s isle was a burglar
I don't think Hazel was supposed to be a role model, just a complex character. You may be taking this all to seriously. Hazel the character was supposed to be champion bowler but it doesn't mean Shirley Booth had to be. Who really cares anyway. Hazel was always the focus of the episode even when it was not about her. Focusing on George Baxter and his relationship with his son is really irrelevant to the series.
Fetv it on every morning at 10 am
If you have access to FETV it’s on there weekdays beginning at 10 am est
Remember, Don DeFore was from the same Hollywood era as Ronald Reagan & Whitney Blake had been cast on Perry Mason, so viewers were very comfortable with this couple, even though they differed in age. To replace them with completely unknown actors reeked of cost cutting and was the typical way networks did business at the time. After all Perry Mason was cancelled abruptly because it couldn't beat Bonanza, and Gunsmoke was saved only because Wm. Paley's wife enjoyed it. What the viewers thought was never even considered.
Bonnie Franklin, Dabney Coleman, John Astin, Harold Gould, Virginia Gregg, Victor Jory, Emil Sitka, Pat O'Brian (sp), Dick Wilson, Lee Meiwether.
Whitney Blake, not Meredith Baxter. :)
Mr. Combs, I hope you see my response to your duplicates. I did the same, but embarrassingly I was duplicating on death notice websites, like legacy. Talk about embarrassing, legacy says they screen post, but not duplicates, apparently. Cheers for all that enjoy Hazel.
Little is known of Hazel's family. In one episode she mentions having to raise her younger siblings. In another, regarding a famous artist who boarded by her mother, it seems she lived in NYC. There is an episode mentioning a sister in a different city, and then there is the nephew in California who was looking for investors for a new product. Finally, there is Eddy, who married Deidre's daughter. Now, it seems he lived in the same city as Hazel, and given his last name is Burke, apparently son of a brother. So curious that the writers of the show never focused on any episode with this or any other sibling. I understand it's fiction but it is curious.
VivacityThinks said....There was a lot of discussion at the start of this thread about why the writers didn't wrap up the series and why the original Baxters were supposed to be away only temporarily given that the writers had to have known at the time they were unlikely to bring back the original cast. Nobody suggested what I think is the most compelling reason behind both of these decisions.
The show was based on a (continuous) comic strip. It had to remain true to the comic strip-such that you could return to the comic strip at any point. So they could not fundamentally change the story such that you could not get back to the roots of the show. The characters must be returnable to their original persona/form-which marrying off Hazel, having the Baxters stay away permanently and wrapping up the show would not have allowed. Same for the Blondie and Dagwood series and, well, most shows based on comic strips. You're simply seeing the characters come to life temporarily but they must be able to return to resume their life in print. It's a continuity thing.
VivacityThinks said....Also, some other questions could be answered by reading the original comic strip since The TV show was based (with liberal artistic license) on the stip. Perhaps there's more there about Hazel's childhood.
Of course you don't know when in the strip the show should be placed. Perhaps the Baxters had a daughter when living abroad or maybe the show took place at the very start of the strip or before it and was a pre-sequel to the print version.
Remaining mystery not answered by comic strip
What I can't figure out is how they kept the actor playing Harold from getting older. The kids in Ozzie and Harriet aged. It would have been odd to see an 8 year- old Rickie playing and recording rock-and-roll. You can watch Larry Simms age over the course of the Blondie and Dagwood series. So we know that kids do (or at least can) age in California at about the rate that they do elsewhere. Yet, the (approximately) 9-year-old actor Bobby Buntrock gave the appearance of, and acted as if he were, a 5-year-old at the start of the series (regardless of the stated age in the show). And, 5 years later he looked and acted like a kid about 6.
I am not sure how they did that but it is possible that after each episode wrapped they stuffed him back into the print version of Hazel where he could not eat and where time stands still. They'd then have had to retrieve him weekly while filming. I guess they'd have to shake him out before filming each week to expand him and reduce wrinkles. But they only filmed for 35- weeks per season. If he was back in print while on hiatus his growth could easily have been stifled. Filming would have taken place for a total of 3.2 years (subtracting hiatus). Tucking him away for days he was not being filmed and doing so most of his life would explain the aging issue. I've yet to come up with another explanation.
Even had they filmed the part of Harold for the entire series in one year, how'd they get a 9-year-old to show up looking as he did in the first season? Any ideas?
Other mysteries
Having a major character called Harold did not increase the popularity of that name. Same for Hazel. Harold went from a rank (with 1 as most popular) of 28 in the 40's and 62 in the 50's to 99 in the '60's and 152 in the 70's. The Hazel name, discussed earlier in this thread, went from 155 in the '40's to falling outside the top 200 and remaining there by the 50's. Both names were reasonably popular in 1943 when the comic strip made its 1st appearance. So the names (and the show) reflected the tenor of the times/zeitgeist but probably did not impact on it appreciably.
Women
As for another topic broached earlier in this thread, the role of women in (upper and lower) middle class American society, it too appeared to mirror American society. Hazel first aired on September 28, 1961. Approximately 16 months later (02/19/1963) Betty Friedan published the Feminine Mystique, a book often credited with sparking the 2nd wave of feminism. But of course it too merely reflected and opined on the prevailing zeitgeist; something probably more influenced by the availability of birth control pills that allowed women to control the number and timing of children; allowing them to enter the workforce (something they did in the '60's more than any previous time in US history).Thus, again, Hazel seemed to mirror society rather then fuel change-tongue-in-cheek, of course.
With that, the comment ended cause that's all she wrote.
VivacityThinks said...
One more comment...About the idea viewers preferred the first 4 seasons to the final one because the chemistry between Harold's parents was more evident than that of Steve and Barbara.
Nah... Let's get real folks...everyone liked Don DeFore best because he was hot as hell...
VivacityThinks said...
Ahh so much to comment on...speculations on this thread about why Hazel was canceled don't seem to consider factors outside of the TV show that made the show obsolete. So I"d like to contribute another view. Skip if you don't like paragraphs or history (probably the same folks).
About falling Hazel popularity over the course of the series...Even as the filming was happening in NBC, events outside of TV-land were changing the viewer's landscape; something that would have put the very foundations of the show at odds with viewer experience. Addressing the societal changes might have brought in new viewers but would have alienated existing fans (and ultimately would have made the show seem much more dated and less entertaining today).
Hazel first aired 8 months after JFK's term started. The country's climate was optimistic. People were reproducing like rabbits. Fertility rates were high. In the '50s and early '60's babysitters and nannies were very valued because they were in short supply (given the lopsided proportion of children to adolescents old enough to babysit). Hazel would have been welcomed in many homes. Upward mobile middle class white viewers would have seen something somewhat familiar to them. But from the time Hazel first aired until it was canceled, society's prevailing middle class climate changed rapidly; and not in an upbeat way.
Trouble had been brewing already when Hazel first aired but it did not boil over for a while. JFK faced the Cuban Crisis approximately 5 months before Hazel aired and the country was already involved with Vietnam. But, after Hazel first aired (not her fault) Kennedy ratcheted up defense industry spending due to Khrushchev & the Berlin Crisis. By '63 JFK had been assassinated and the civil rights movement was gaining the attention of white middle class.
The Freedom Riders had already marched to Jackson in protest mass transit segregation. But despite some horrid events, those events largely fell under the radar for most middle class whites; but that didn't last. The popularity and affordability of TV happened in the 1950's but time spent watching increased dramatically in the 60's. Of course people watched shows like Hazel. But tv also educated (or exposed) the middle class to injustices that had been easier to ignore when they weren't seen in the living room. Visual images are more difficult to ignore (see Willowbrook).
At about this time ('64) the US became more directly involved in the Vietnam war. While more young people were drafted then had been the case in the past, there were many outs available to those (middle class whites) not wanting to serve. But the armed services clamped down on deferments the next year, ending marriage deferments in 8/16/65. Hazel ended soon thereafter (4/11/66).
By this point, the number of college aged and young adult Americans had swelled due to the Baby Boom. It wasn't hard for them to see where things were headed. Anger towards older adults (the establishment) who held the strings to what was happening in the country erupted in violent protests. There were plenty of other influences but this is the Spark-notes version. Regardless, by the second half of the '60's, the target population for shows like Hazel had little interest in a show depicting a happy family of upper middle class people with a maid and concerns about how to balance commitments to the golf club with a busy shopping schedule. Hazel no longer reflected the world of the viewers.
Crazy, whack, funky! Hazel likes her oatmeal lumpy......she's spunky. A red-headed chunky.
Who doesn't love the old shows? No, not the Saved by the Bell or Full House clones.
I love reading the comments.
Really?
Someone has to write geo-political comments about a 60's scripted tv show? ("Middle-class white" viewers, JFK, Freedom Riders, Viet Nam, etc.).
Then, you insult the people on this board as being too ignorant or too lazy to understand the Google history lesson you write about in your paragraphs.
Escapism is healthy. Ethnocentrism is not.
It's 2023. I watch Hazel regularly. . Oh how I wish I could have met Shirley Booth.
I also watch it almost daily. I never get tired. I avoid pretty much the fifth season though some episodes are OK. But I would say that sometimes Hazel can be irritating but I still love the show
Earline, where have you been?
You haven't posted for a year!
This group misses your input.
I have been watching "Hazel" for quite some time on Antenna TV. I DVR each and every episode. The Season 5 episodes are currently airing now as I type this. I will chime in by saying although the sitcom was still watchable at this point, it just wasn't the same after "Hazel" moved from ABC to CBS in the Fall of 1965. Shirley Booth's Hazel Burke no longer had Don DeFore's George Baxter to play off of, which was the main reason why watching this sitcom was so enjoyable. No one says "Mr. B" with so much charm and effervescence like Shirley Booth, and no one shouts out "Hazel!" with such authority like Don DeFore. These traits of Hazel and George during Seasons 1 through 4 were quite prevalent, of course. I will admit Ray Fulmer tried willfully and admirably to fill Don DeFore's shoes during "Hazel"'s fifth and final season, but there's quite a bit missing during this final season: No memorable catchphrases. continuity of storylines from either Mr. Fulmer of Whitney Blake's replacement of Lynn Borden. The original actors Shirley Booth and Bobby Buntrock desperately tried to keep the proceedings of Season 5 together, but the sitcom had already run out of steam by this point. No further appearances from Howard "Don't call me Harve" Smith by this point, either...although George's sister Deirdre (Cindy Lewis) makes one final appearance during the final season. Sadly, actress Julia Benjamin (from Season 5) is the last-living thespian from "Hazel". This is one of the last great sitcoms around, and I sincerely hope "Hazel" remains amongst Antenna TV's stable of programs for a long time to come still!!! :-) <3
If I remember correctly, Shirley Booth did not want to continue. The producers changed cast to attract a younger audience, apparently, it's just they were the wrong type. I think a more confrontational couple would have been more successful. Whitney Blake really did not have many story lines focusing on her so I guess they felt the same about Lynn Borden. Had they gotten a wife more like sister Deidre, I think that would have been pretty interesting. I still feel it would have been great to have Hazel get engaged to Enzo Martinelli, I loved the episodes he was in
Here’s how I would have ended Hazel with a special episode at the end of Season 5: George and Dorothy arrive home from the Middle East and take Harold and Hazel back to Hyattsburg. Hazel asks Mr. B if he remembered to change his socks every day. There would be many characters welcoming Hazel and Harold back home. Smiley would be there. Eddie and Nancy would have a baby and Eddie would be studying to be one of those guys that Aunt Hazel couldn’t pronounce (electro-physicist). Harry Thompson would be there revealing that Diedre stayed at home because she suddenly got a terrible headache. (I wonder why.) There is a real touching scene with Hazel and Harold before Harold runs off to reacquaint himself with his friends. Hazel gets misty-eyed commenting on how soon Harold would be grown and gone. Dorothy tells Hazel that day is a long way off, but Hazel says that was what she (Hazel) thought when she was helping to raise her. Then the camera would do that thing where years pass by. Hazel and Rosie, with white hair) are sitting in a small living room drinking tea. They both have been happily married for years—one to Barney Hatfield and one to Mitch Brady, but it’s not revealed who got whom. Then you see Dorothy looking out the front window of the Baxter home and telling George that their company has arrived out front. He walks out of the patio doors and starts across the back yard commenting to himself that he’s glad that when Mr. Griffin left all that money in his will to Hazel, that she decided to build her cottage just across the back alley from them saving him much travel time. (You see, Hazel reminded Mr. Griffin of his mother.) George tells Hazel that their weekend company has arrived. Hazel does her famous run across the back yard and through the Baxter house going out front to find a grown-up Harold and his wife with Dorothy welcoming her two little grandchildren—Georgie and Hazella. The show ends with the two tykes hugging “Great-Grandma” Hazel who, of course, is crying for joy and kissing them.
That is quite an ending. I don't know if anyone would jump head many years for such a final scene. And I doubt Mr. Griffin would give all his money to Hazel even if she did remind him of his mother. If I were to design a final episode, I would have Hazel marry Enzo Martelli, as he was the only one she really seemed to have an attraction for and the wedding would include all the minor characters, including Hazel, the Johnsons, the Sunshine Girls. Mr. B would give Hazel away, and in a tearful farewell, Hazel and Enzo drive off for their honeymoon.
I have not read all the comments but so far I haven’t found anything that mentions what made this show special. It put a spotlight on social class and how sometimes the more wealthy “high class” treat those with less. Less wealth. Less education. Mr B’s sister is a prime example. She treated those she labeled “lesser” than her with contempt, impatience and rudeness as though the person did not deserve respect or simple politeness. Some people grow, learn and take the golden rule to heart, while some can’t whether it’s because of narcissism, greed or any other failing characteristic. The show “HAZEL” often had a lesson about kindness, love, family and community.
It's hard to put a finger on why a show is special objectively but people love shows for any number of reasons. Shirley Booth's portrayal made it special for me. She's brash and outspoken but also kind and sentimental. Her interactions with other characters could be funny at times but I do not believe the creators of the show were aiming to do more than make an entertaining comedy without social issues being the theme.
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