“The Adventures Of Ozzie And Harriet:” The Drama Behind America’s Favorite Family

Harriet’s Early Life

Before becoming the epitome of the classic television housewife, Harriet got her start on the Vaudeville stage at the early age of three, since she came from a theatrical family and toured the vaudeville circuit. By her teenage years, she made her way to Broadway and began hanging with an older crowd.

Frequenting the Cotton Club, a New York City nightclub, Harriet even began smoking at the age of 13. She eventually dropped out of high school and joined the Corps de Ballet at the Capitol Theater and later danced at in the Harry Carroll Revue. But those aren’t the only aspects of Harriet’s life as Peggy Lou…

Harriet’s Past Life

It turns out that Ozzie Nelson wasn’t Harriet’s first husband. During her days as a dancer frequenting the Cotton Club, Harriet (who then was still known as Peggy Lou) was actually married to a comedian named Roy Sedley in 1930.

Harriet, who was only 21 at the time, soon would find that hanging with the wrong crowd can get you into some trouble. Roy was allegedly abusive towards her throughout the whole marriage and they separated a year later. The marriage was finally annulled in 1933. Luckily, her dancing days are also when she met Ozzie and the rest, as they say, is history.