LOS ANGELES – Don Nelson, a screenwriter, film producer and musician who co-wrote scripts for “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” — the classic American television series centered on his brother Ozzie’s family — as well as for more than two dozen other films and TV series, has died. He was 86.

Nelson, who had Parkinson’s disease, died of an aortic aneurysm Tuesday at his home in Studio City, said his wife, Marilyn.

As a staff writer for “Ozzie and Harriet,” one of the longest-running family comedies in TV history, Nelson came up with Ricky Nelson’s trademark catchphrase “I don’t mess around, boy,” and contributed to more than 200 episodes of the series with storylines anchored famously on the harmless.

The show, which ran from 1952 to 1966, enjoyed enormous popularity and cast the mold for shows such as “Father Knows Best” and “Leave It to Beaver.”

In a 1998 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nelson observed that “Ozzie and Harriet” epitomized the era while drawing its share of critics and parodies.

“We have been blamed for all the ills of the ’50s and ’60s and have been praised for all the good things about those decades because it presented a way of life that was a little idyllic,” Nelson said.

His talent for comedic writing landed him jobs at Universal Studios, Fox Studios and Hanna-Barbera Productions, working on shows that included “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir,” “Nanny and the Professor” and “Bridget Loves Bernie.”

Nelson also co-wrote four feature films for Disney Studios, including “Gus” and “Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.”

He outlived all four members of the Nelson TV family; Ozzie Nelson died of liver cancer in 1975, Rick Nelson died in a plane crash in 1985, Harriet Nelson died in 1994, and David Nelson died in 2011.

 

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