"Hazel" Debuts 50 Years Ago Today

"Hazel" first aired on Thursday evenings at 9:30 Eastern Time. Although I had just started the 6th grade, my bedtime was 9:00 as I had a morning paper route and needed to be out of bed at 6:00. Nine hours of sleep? Seems excessive, doesn't it? But then I wasn't the type of kid who fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. I'd alternately toss and turn and stare at the ceiling. It usually took me an hour before I finally drifted off, at which point an air-raid siren couldn't have roused me.

My dad watched very little TV during the week; he usually had a meeting at church or some other ministerial commitment. He was a big fan of Hazel, though, and I remember hearing his occasional laughter through my open bedroom door on the second floor of the house.

During its 5-year run, "Hazel" was among the top-shows in its first three seasons: #4 in 1961-62, #15 in 1962-63, and #22 in 1963-64. Shirley Booth won the Emmy award for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series in 1962 and 1963 to add to her collection of three Tonys (1949, 1950, and 1953) and one Oscar (1953).