Hazel
Hooray for Hazel! Shirley Booth stars as the irrepressible housekeeper Hazel in the endearing family TV series that ran from 1961 to 1966. A brilliant character actress, Booth wisecracks her way through Hazel's life, solving the problems of her employers, the often-befuddled Baxter family, as well as of the community (busting a shoplifting ring, finding homes for stray dogs, exposing a group of financial swindlers). All this Hazel does with her cheerful working-class enthusiasm, without getting so much as a stray wrinkle in her crisply pressed maid uniform (complete with little head thingy). When she gets into her own scrapes, she shrugs them off with Brooklynese cracks like, "Looks like I'm in the soup again!" The show is a perfect snapshot of early 1960s America, complete with frozen-in-time décor (did everyone have that same print of the little-girl ballet dancer framed in their living room?) and a lovely leisurely pace. Hazel can make an entire episode out of one single premise, as when Mr. Baxter decides that an unlisted phone number might cut down on the number of crank phone calls. And who wouldn't be nostalgic for a time when middle-class households had a working dad, a mostly-stay-at-home mom, perfectly behaved kids--and live-in housekeepers? Part of the appeal of Hazel, though, is that it's clear her life is much broader than her occupation. She knows everyone in town, from the balloon guy at the local park to the most powerful judge on the bench--all of which eventually comes in handy. And did we mention she's a cham-peen league bowler? Booth won two well-deserved Emmys for her portrayal of Hazel. The boxed set includes all 35 25-minute episodes, and you won't want to miss a one. I'm talking to youse!
Hazel wants the state's botanical garden changed to a playground.
Hazel meets with a lawyer to prepare her will, but George fears that Hazel plans to sue him.
When George is feeling under the weather, Hazel won't let him get out of bed to meet with an important client.
Hazel goes to court to fight a parking ticket.
Dorothy's decorating business seems to have slowed down, so Hazel tries to find her new clients.
The Baxters gets the first color TV on the block, and the neighbors crowd the house to watch it.
Hazel tries to convince George to let Harold keep the stray dog he's brought home.
When Hazel plays matchmaker between her nephew and George's niece, George's sister doesn't like it one bit.
The Baxters have Thanksgiving-dinner company. George's sister is there, upset with her husband. George's mother talks of being lonely. Hazel steps in and helps each of them while trying to get the dinner made.
The family wants to get away for a vacation, but George must stay for work. Dorothy and Harold go on the trip, and Dorothy asks Hazel to stay with George and encourage him to stop working and join in on the family fun.
Hazel takes a course in personality improvement.
Hazel moonlights to earn Christmas spending money.
Dorothy's problem: telling George she bought a piano.
Harold finds a stray dog that he names, Smiley. Unfortunately, the rightful owners later come to the Baxter home to claim him and Hazel sets about trying to find a way for the dog to remain in the Baxter household.
Hazel helps an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, to find a new maid after their own housekeeper quits.
Hazel writes a cookbook and has trouble getting it published until Mr. Baxter helps.
Mr. Griffin asks Hazel to marry him after buying a house in the neighborhood.
Hazel is snubbed by other vacationers at a resort.
Hazel's suspicions rise as George's old girlfriend visits.
A businessman tries selling worthless stock to Hazel's friends.
Hazel discovers that the artist who painted her portrait is now famous.
Hazel tries boosting a gardener's self-confidence.
Hazel gives up her day off to prepare food for Dorothy's luncheon.
Man's innate stubbornness is the topic of this episode. Mr. Baxter is tired of getting telephone calls from salesmen, so he stubbornly insists on switching to an unlisted number. The switch is made, but he loses the new number and stubbornly insists he remembers it. Of course, he doesn't and all the family's calls are going to a small taxicab company.
Stan Blake's teen-age son develops a crush on Dorothy.
Hazel organizes a pajama party for a motherless girl.
Dorothy tries getting a snobbish boy to join the Cub Scouts.
Hazel spearheads a campaign for aid to education.
A local lake is to be drained for a new building. Hazel finds out and starts a protest. George explains it is his client that wants the lake drained. When Hazel and George argue, she moves and goes to a neighbor's for a vacationing maid.
The Baxters' neighbor, a widower with four children, finds himself in deep trouble when both George Baxter and Hazel decide to push him into marriage - to two different women.
George Baxter grumbles when Hazel spends half her time helping the neighbors but when she brings home one of their babies - and asks him to be its sitter - he puts his foot down.
Alan Hale, Jr. guest stars as a burglar who breaks into the Baxter's home.
Hazel learns that a neighbor just had air conditioning installed. The maid at that house is a friend of hers who brags how her place has air conditioning. Hazel pesters Mr B to have air conditioning installed at his house.
George decides to hire an assistant to help him at his law office. Hazel thinks it is a great idea and has a neighbor's son in mind. However, George hires a woman who just happens to be gorgeous.
Harold realizes there is a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, but no day to celebrate Hazel. So the family makes the next Sunday as Hazel's Day a grand celebration.
|
Don DeFore | George Baxter |
|
Shirley Booth | Hazel Burke |
|
Whitney Blake | Dorothy Baxter |
|
Bobby Buntrock | Harold Baxter |
|
Maudie Prickett | Rosie |
|
Robert B. Williams | Barney |
|
Norma Varden | Harriet Johnson |
|
Donald Foster | Herbert Johnson |
|
Howard Smith | Harvey Griffin |
|
Paul Bradley | Court Reporter |
|
George DeNormand | Sidewalk Onlooker |
|
Queenie Leonard | Mert |
|
Molly Dodd | Miss Scott |
|
Cathy Lewis | Deirdre Thompson |
|
Paul Engle | Don Blake |
|
Dub Taylor | Mitch Brady |
|
Barry Van Dyke | Boy at Playground |
|
Norman Leavitt | Joe |
|
Charles Tannen | Gus |
|
Dan Tobin | Floorwalker |
|
Vinton Hayworth | Mr. Sutherland |
|
Mario Siletti | Junkman |
|
Rodger Terry | Bailiff |
|
Frederic Downs | Charles Perkins |
|
Henry Hunter | Dr. Summerfield |
| Director | William D. Russell |
|
| Writer | Ted Key, Peggy Chantler Dick, William Cowley, Louella MacFarlane, Robert Riley Crutcher, James Fonda, R.S. Allen, Jim Allen, James B. Allardice, Keith Fowler, Phil Leslie, Edward Kirsch | |
| Producer | Harry Ackerman, James Fonda | |
| Musician | Fred Steiner | |
| Photography | Frederick Gately, Irving Lippman | |
| Packaging | Custom Case |
|---|---|
| Nr Discs | 4 |
| Screen Ratios | Fullscreen (4:3) |
| Audio Tracks | Mono [English] |
| Distributor | Sony Pictures |
| Layers | Single side, Dual layer |
| Edition Release Date | Aug 01, 2006 |
| Regions | Region 1 |
| Watched | |
|---|---|
| Index | 3780 |
| Added Date | Dec 12, 2012 01:15:24 |
| Modified Date | Mar 26, 2019 22:02:17 |