As a student he made pocket money playing saxophone in a band and coaching football. During the Depression, he turned to music as a full-time career.
Nelson started his entertainment career as a band leader. He formed and led the Ozzie Nelson Band, and had some initial limited success. He made his own "big break" in 1930. The New York Daily Mirror ran a poll of its readers to determine their favorite band. He knew that news vendors got credit from the newspaper for unsold copies by returning the front page and discarding the rest of the issue. Gathering hundreds of discarded newspapers, the band filled out ballots in their favor. They edged out Paul Whiteman and were pronounced the winners.
From 1930 through the 1940s, Nelson's band recorded prolifically—first on Brunswick (1930–1933), then Vocalion (1933–1934), then back to Brunswick (1934–1936), Bluebird (1937–1941), Victor (1941) and finally back to Bluebird (1941-through the 1940s). Nelson's records were consistently popular and in 1934 Nelson enjoyed success with his hit song, "Over Somebody Else's Shoulder" which he introduced. Nelson was their primary vocalist and (from August 1932) featured in duets with his other star vocalist, Harriet Hilliard. Nelson's calm, easy vocal style was popular on records and radio and quite similar to son Rick's voice and Harriet's perky vocals added to the band's popularity.
In 1935, Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra had a number one hit with "And Then Some", which was number one for one week on the U.S. pop singles chart. Ozzie Nelson composed several songs, including "Wave the Stick Blues", "Subway", "Jersey Jive", "Swingin' on the Golden Gate", and "Central Avenue Shuffle".
In October 1935 he married the band's vocalist Harriet Hilliard. The couple had two children. David (1936–2011), became an actor and director. Eric ("Ricky") (1940–1985), became an actor and singer.
Ozzie Nelson appeared with his band in feature films and short subjects of the 1940s, and often played speaking parts, displaying a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor (as in the 1942 musical Strictly in the Groove). He shrewdly promoted the band by agreeing to appear in soundies, three-minute musical movies shown in "film jukeboxes" of the 1940s. In 1952, when he and his family were established as radio and TV favorites, they starred in a feature film, Here Come the Nelsons (which actually doubled as a "pilot" for the TV series).
In the 1940s, Nelson began to look for a way to spend more time with his family, especially his growing sons. Besides band appearances, he and Harriet had been regulars on Red Skelton's radio show. He developed and produced his own radio series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. The show went on the air in 1944, with their sons played by actors until 1949, and in 1952 it moved over to television (the radio version continued for another two years). The show starred the entire family, and America watched Ozzie and Harriet raise their boys. Nelson was producer and co-writer of the entire series. He was very hands-on and involved with every aspect of the radio and then TV program.
His last television show was in the fall of 1973 and entitled Ozzie's Girls, and lasted for a year. Syndicated only, the premise was Ozzie and Harriet renting their sons' former room to two college girls (one caucasian, one African American), and concerned the Nelsons' efforts at adjusting to living with two young women, after having raised two sons.
Cultural historians have noted that the on-screen character was very different from the real-life Ozzie Nelson, who has been characterized as an authoritarian figure who monitored every aspect of his children's lives. In 1998, A&E broadcast a documentary entitled Ozzie and Harriet: The Adventures of America's Favorite Family, which depicted Ozzie Nelson as a dictatorial personality who "thwarted his sons, preventing them from attending college and reminding them that they were obliged to work on television". Author David Halberstam has written, "the Nelsons arguably were a dysfunctional family. In real life, Ozzie was a workaholic who stole his sons' childhood (by having them grow up in show business)".
In 1973, Ozzie Nelson published his autobiography, Ozzie, (Prentice Hall, 1973, ISBN 0-13-647768-2). He suffered from recurring malignant tumors in his later years, and died of liver cancer. He died at his home in the San Fernando Valley at 4:30 a.m. on June 3, 1975, with his wife and sons at his bedside. Services were held at the Church of the Hills at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, California on Friday, June 6.[8] He is interred with his wife and son (and pop singer) Ricky in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. David Nelson was cremated, and chose not to be interred in the Nelson family plot, instead choosing a niche in Westwood Memorial Park's outdoor Garden of Serenity columbarium.
For his contribution to the television industry, Ozzie Nelson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6555 Hollywood Boulevard. He has an additional star with his wife at 6260 Hollywood Boulevard for their contribution to radio.
And Then Some
Ozzie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're handsome, you're perfect and then some
You've got me dazzled and Frantic,
Excited, romantic and then some
I used to think I was cold as could be
But I'll agree the joke is on me
Quick as a wink I knew I had it bad
Then I want to go mad, I want to go mad
I'll kiss you, caress you
I'll spoil you and "yes" you, and then some
I'll be your shadow, your slave
Your army and navy and then some
I cross my heart I'll be yours from tonight
You've got me right under your thumb
Cause you're gorgeous, you're charming
You're handsome, you're perfect and then some
In the song "And Then Some", Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra sings about love and how it has taken over his life. The lyrics describe how he used to think he was a cold-hearted person, but when he met his lover, he realized he was wrong. He describes his lover as gorgeous, charming, handsome and perfect, and how they have him under their thumb.
The lyrics also illustrate how he is willing to do anything for his lover, including being their shadow, their slave, and their army and navy. He promises to kiss, caress, spoil and say "yes" to anything they want, and he wants to go mad for them. The song is a declaration of his love for this person and how they have captivated his heart and soul completely.
Overall, the lyrics of "And Then Some" speak to the intense feelings one can experience when falling head over heels in love. It showcases the willingness to do anything for that special someone and how they can completely change a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I think you're gorgeous, you're charming,
I find you incredibly attractive and pleasant,
You're handsome, you're perfect and then some
You go beyond just being good-looking and flawless, you have something extra special.
You've got me dazzled and frantic,
You leave me in a state of wonder and frenzy.
Excited, romantic and then some
My emotions for you are stronger than simply feeling joyous or affectionate.
I used to think I was cold as could be
I believed that I was emotionally detached and unfeeling.
But I'll agree the joke is on me
However, I now realize that I was mistaken and that I do have strong emotions.
Quick as a wink I knew I had it bad
I realized that I was in deep love, and that it happened quickly.
If love can drive you crazy
Love is powerful enough to make a person feel overwhelmed, confused, and frenzied.
Then I want to go mad, I want to go mad
I am willing to lose my composure and reason for the sake of love.
I'll kiss you, caress you
I am committed to expressing my love and affection for you through physical touch.
I'll spoil you and "yes" you, and then some
I am willing to do more than dote and indulge you, I will give you all that I can.
I'll be your shadow, your slave
I am devoted to being with you and supporting you.
Your army and navy and then some
I am ready to go to great lengths to help you and protect you.
I cross my heart I'll be yours from tonight
I solemnly promise that I will be yours starting tonight.
You've got me right under your thumb
You have a strong influence over me, and I am willing to do as you ask.
Cause you're gorgeous, you're charming
I am completely smitten with you because you are stunning and delightful.
You're handsome, you're perfect and then some
You are not only physically attractive, but you have something extra special that makes you stand out.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAWNHURST, SEYMOUR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
vinylsingleman
Thanks for posting. This was Ozzie's biggest hit. Little did he know then that his son would be a recording star himself one day.
Donald Morrow
...and his grandsons, too. The Nelsons landed in Guiness' Book of Records as the only family where three generations each had a #1 hit...this one, Ricky's "Poor Little Fool," and Gunnar and Matthew's "(Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection."
Thomas Hendricks
The personality of Ozzie comes out in this his one and only #1 hit!!!
ELVIS4221
I'VE NEVER HAD THE TIME AND CHANCE TO HEAR ANYTHING OF HIS IN HIS BAND ERA AND HERE SUDDENLY I FOUND HIS BIG HIT. YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY LIKE THIS SONG AND THIS MUSIC. I'D NEVER THOUGHT I'D SAY THAT BECAUSE I WAS 8 IN 1955 AND ROCK AND ROLL WAS FOR ME. BUT YOU KNOW, THIS IS PRETTY GOOD STUFF. PLUS ITS OZ. I DONT THINK HE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE EITHER OF THE BOYS BUT MORE LIKE A COMPOSITE OF BOTH. I'M NOT SURE IF BOYS LOOK LIKE HARRIET. YOUNG RICKY HAD HIS MOMS PERKY HIGH PITCHED VOICE.
Judy Painter McKinny
I'm so excited to find this! Of course, I don't remember it, but I loved watching "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" & I loved David & Ricky too! I especially loved Ricky's songs. It was so sad that he died so young! How do I find out the #1 songs on my Birthday every year since 1935?
mr57utube
My mother recorded this song in 1935 on RCA Bluebird label. Her name was Billie Hibberd and she sang with the Ray Nichols Four Towers Orchestra. If your lucky enough to find this version, I think you might like it better. If you do find it let me know. She also sang Black Coffee which is on Youtube and Murder in the Moonlight.
Binkle Babe
What a beautiful, talented couple. Ozzie looks a bit like Rick here, though he really got his Mom's looks. When thn Nelsons married into the Harmon clan ... WOW! Though there have been so many tragic early deaths in those families.
Jesse G
I love Big Band music like this .... Sort of surprised Ozzie Nelson had a #1 Hit in 1935.
mikeylorene
The Nelson family is in the Guinness Book of World records as the only family in history to have three generations of number one hits- Ozzie for Then Some, his son Ricky for Poor Little Fool and Travelin' Man, and Ricky's twin sons Gunnar and Matthew for Can't Live Without Your Love and Affection.
Anna Brown
OZZIE AND HARRIET BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND HAD TWO BEAUTIFUL BOYS ❤