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Grandson of TV icons Ozzie and Harriet Nelson announced he is taking a modern approach to reviving their classic American TV series “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” reaching out to the millions of fans of “America’s Favorite Family” through the popular Internet fundraising platform Kickstarter to raise funding for the beloved classic television restoration project.

(Los Angeles, CA) Sam Nelson, youngest grandson and estate manager of TV icons Ozzie and Harriet Nelson announced today he is taking a modern approach to reviving their classic American TV series “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” through Kickstarter.com. Nelson is reaching out to the millions of fans of “America’s Favorite Family” through the popular Internet fundraising platform to raise funding for the beloved classic television restoration project to revive and restore the longest running live action TV sitcom in history.

“My grandfather Ozzie Nelson always believed that our family was in the business of connecting with people through all popular media -- which included radio, TV and film in his day,” said Sam Nelson. “And I hope to continue his vision for the Nelsons through the Internet to revitalize this national treasure. I was immediately drawn to Kickstarter.com not only for its success rate in getting projects funded, but it also allows people to connect with our family and intimately participate in the rebuilding process with us.”

After gaining access to the family vaults for the first time in 45 years, Nelson began documenting the experience of organizing and archiving generations of Nelson family history spanning film, television, and radio. Among the materials found, were the original elements for the entire television series including rare never-before-seen footage. Unfortunately, due to time and neglect, much of these film materials had begun deteriorating. It was at that point that Nelson became interested in the idea of creating a project to save the Nelson history by rebuilding and reviving the series while simultaneously documenting the journey along the way.

Nelson's revitalization project, "Ozzie and Harriet: Reviving An American Treasure" will have only 45 days to achieve its fundraising goal ($10,000 US), or all pledges will be cancelled and the project will not be funded at all. The project officially kicked off Wednesday, September 21, 2011 on Kickstarter.com.

Unlike most projects on Kickstarter that focus on bringing new untested concepts to fruition, this project takes it a step further by breathing new life into a classic piece of Americana, and gives contributors the unique opportunity to actually be a part of the history making process.

An added advantage to Kickstarter is their merchant partner Amazon.com, which enables each project the convenience of receiving funds from anywhere in the world.

With a total of 435 episodes produced and an unprecedented run of 14 years on national television (ABC network October 3, 1952 through September 3, 1966), “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”, considered the flagship for all prime time family TV shows, certifies still as the longest running live action sitcom in the history of television. Rock’n’Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Nelson (father to Sam and well-known siblings TV/Film actress Tracy Nelson and multi-platinum singer-songwriters Matthew and Gunnar Nelson) launched his music career as a teenager on the popular TV sitcom performing his hit songs at the end of every episode each week. The Smithsonian plans to honor the Nelson family this year.

Click here to visit the project's pitch page.

Resources:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2100802854/ozzie-and-harriet-reviving-an-american-treasure