Hazel (TV Series) My Son, the Sheepdog (1966) User Reviews

Another Beatles Beatnik Episode

[richard.fuller1 · 6/10 · 8 August 2014]

A compilation of these episodes from the sixties focusing on the 'beatnik' music would be wonderful. Perhaps drawing from Ricky Nelson, but definitely brought about by the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan, these things surface from time to time.

I'm watching Hazel's offering now. An intriguing offering, certainly, but viewing this episode alongside the likes of the Munsters with the Standells or Gilligan's Island with the Mosquitoes and the Honeybees would be lots of fun.

Episodes of Beverly HIllbillies had more beatnik themes and less music offerings, but one of the biggest would have to be Petticoat Junction with the Ladybugs, tho there was a later episode with 'the King of Rock-n-roll' being an old neighbor kid. I was never sure what that episode was going for. A gimmicky idea or something.

Phyllis Diller once said the belief by the older generation was this 'beatnik' craze was a fad and the sounds of Dean Martin, Perry Como and Dinah Shore would be the standard once again.

This seems to be the case with Petticoat Junction's putting MIke Minor on the show and later episodes with Meredith MacRae have her attempting to sing slow and melodious while doing a go-go dance.

When Hazel goes beatnik here, I couldn't help but think of Charlotte Rae dancing in Hello Down There. I think Charlotte had better moves.

Through it all, I've always felt there was a definite difference between 'beatnik' and much of the musical variations.

I guess this should have really been expected with all the abstract art and poetry making no sense but everyone insisting it was priceless.

Vomit Inducing

[benand69 · 17 November 2015]

This episode is so bad, it's actually worth watching just to see how out of touch the writers are. Although the lovely Lynn Borden can be seen dancing in an outfit that shows off her legs, it's not enough to overcome the cringe-worthy dialogue. Throw in the fact that it's blatantly obvious that the kids aren't playing the instruments, and it's no wonder that this was the last season.

While supposedly Shirley Booth's health issues were supposedly the reason that the show stopped production, this is an episode that's the epitome of jumping the shark. I imagine the execs at CBS who had to watch this lunged at the chance to pull the plug.

Absolute Horror!

[beautyjudge · 1/10 · 24 May 2019]

I came here to write a review after watching this cringe-worthy episode on Antenna TV, the other day. Seeing 5 reviews already here surprised me. Seeing that they were all aghast at what they witnessed, did not.

I enjoy the 60's for many reasons. This is a slap in the face to the whole era. If the kids worshipped Lawrence Welk, the parents would be welcoming, because it would embrace their tastes. The kids have absolutely no support. It's obvious the kids are not playing their instruments, but the fact no one went with them to the show reeks.

Then after winning the contest, they were disappointed. Nice parents. Thank God, Elvis, John, Paul, George, Ringo, etc did not have this lack of support...kids, after watching this episode may have been encouraged to really grow their hair, in more ways than one.

Worst episode

[ecampos012 · 1/10 · 22 February 2012]

After seeing this episode and comparing it to the shows in the previous seasons, you can see how the change in cast finally gets to the Hazel character. It looks like Hazel is no long supportive of Harold and I got the sense that she was no longer nurturing his growth and takes steps to curb his growth (and artistic expression). I also felt that it didn't have Hazel's simple common sense solutions and that she did not show the homespun wisdom that was the backbone of the character and the show itself. I got the feeling that the homespun wisdom had run it's course and was now no longer relevant and let's just say that I did not get that good feeling after watching this episode.

Narrow minded

[raddude-75864 · 1/10 · 29 July 2020]

What I find hilarious is the way the parents and Hazel dress when they are trying to be "hippies" ! What's up with her scarf? TOO FUNNY!!

This is BY FAR the worst episode of all shows, of all time.

I also have to reiterate how self contradictory Hazel is. In the s4 ep15 "Love 'em and Leave 'em" she is dancing to, and enjoying the music. Rock and roll music! In this episode, she hates it!

Then, in the end, they think it's so funny that they "won", and the kids relented.

cringe worthy

[gjw · 2/10 · 25 July 2023]

There is no question that the 5th (and last) season of a "Hazel" was by far the worst. But this particular episode Is the nadir of the entire series. It's downright embarrassing.

This episode was made in 1966, about two years after the Beatles' immensely successful arrival in America, and the same year that NBC began "The Monkees" hit TV series, yet the out-of-touch writers here are so confident that everyone hates long hair and rock music that they blatantly ridicule what they assumed was a passing fad. Little did they know that six years later, virtually every American male would be sporting long hair, and that rock would become the defining music of America for the next several decades.

The episode is made even worse by the fact that the young actors involved, who were around 14 at the time, look like elementary school students, and seem silly even talking about forming a serious rock band. But not nearly as silly as the adults here or the writers, who were definitely out of their element.

"Hazel" was a great sitcom at start, but it went on one season too long , and this inane episode is simply cringe worthy.

Awful

[cpwnyc · 1/10 · 13 November 2020]

Most ridiculous episode in a flailing final season. What was the message?

Worst episode of the worst season...

[rixrex · 12 July 2011]

There's no doubt that the last season of Hazel was a very pale imitation of seasons 1 through 5 with the original cast. The loss of Don Defore and Whitney Blake just was too much to overcome, even with Shirley Booth's great character still on board. The writing also suffered this final season.

Of all of the mediocre shows from this season, this one episode stands out as worse than mediocre. It's silly at best and ridiculous in the whole. The bashing in TV sit-coms of modern teen and pre-teen dress, music choices and behavior, seemingly funny when done, always fails to stand the test of time. Plus it's really an overworn suit. All I have to say to the ones responsible for this episode making such a big deal out of the kid Harold's 1965 Beatle hairstyle is: Just wait until 1968 if you want to see Harold really break out of conventional expectations. Then you'll wish it was only the hair that was your complaint.

Falling face-first into the abyss....

[pmike-11312 · 1/10 · 8 November 2023]

No episode of this program better demonstrates why a) the final season should never have happened and b) why it was soon to be cancelled by the "savior network" CBS. Other shows did "Beatle" stunts, too, but none that I can think of were quite so pathetically bad. Stick a fork in Hazel (the program)! It's was done long ago!

EDIT - OK, I found one - McHale's Navy " The Rage of Taratupa". Harley Hatfield...Ooo, boy!

No episode of this program better demonstrates why a) the final season should never have happened and b) why it was soon to be cancelled by the "savior network" CBS. Other shows did "Beatle" stunts, too, but none that I can think of were quite so pathetically bad.

Stick a fork in Hazel (the program)! It's was done long ago!

Alienated a generation

[Zebrafil · 19 August 2012]

This episode annoyed every kid I knew to the point of abject contempt for the Hazel program. The conceit of the writers that American children want stability in such a way as to hate having beatnik parents. I knew kids with beat parents and everyone envied them. This script insulted Alan Ginsburgs legacy to a young audience just beginning to grasp its complexities. The father tossing aside his briefcase saying "Who need silly old reports when I have a life like this?" looked good to most kids. So they play light rock. So they do the swim. So they have Beatle hair!My God the USA is in danger! A great twist would have been if the kids had bought into the joke and wanted the adults to live the fantasy and the "Brilliant" adults had to make the adjustment and (God forbid) reach a compromise. Everyones Grandmother would have liked this bit but the very young core audience found it pompous and condescending and a waste of a talented cast. The more cynical a program becomes the sooner it dies and this was cynical exploitation of a 1930s mentality imposed on a 1960s youth audience. Whitney Blake had been stuck with the misogynistic "OH George YOU'RE WONDERFUL!" submissiveness on prior seasons but this nonsense towards youth was TV with no point or future.