Plot and Characters
Hazel is a competent, take-charge, live-in maid in the home of George Baxter (Don DeFore), a partner in the law firm of Butterworth, Hatch, Noll & Baxter, and known as "Mr. B" to Hazel, his interior decorator wife Dorothy (Whitney Blake), whom Hazel calls "Missy", their schoolboy son Harold (Bobby Buntrock), known by Hazel as "Sport", and the family dog Smiley. Hazel had worked with Dorothy's family before, so she knew her best. The series humorously dramatizes Hazel's life with the Baxters and her friendships with others in the neighborhood such as postman Barney Hatfield (Robert Williams), taxi-driving Mitch Brady (Dub Taylor), and Rosie Hammaker (Maudie Prickett), another maid in the area. Johnny Washbrook, formerly of My Friend Flicka, guest starred as Hazel's nephew, Eddie Burke.
Many episodes focus on the perennial contest of wills between Hazel and her boss over issues around the house; "Mr. B" usually concedes defeat and grants Hazel's wishes when she tortures him by serving meager portions of her mouth-watering desserts. Some episodes take Hazel outside the Baxter house and follow her life in the community. In the first episode, for example, she spearheads a drive for the construction of a neighborhood playground.
Hazel's life is sometimes complicated by George's snobby Boston sister Deirdre Thompson (Cathy Lewis) and his gruff client Harvey Griffin (Howard Smith). Dotty neighbors Herbert and Harriet Johnson (Donald Foster and Norma Varden) often call upon Hazel's expertise in household matters.
In the show's final season, on CBS, George and Dorothy depart for the Middle East in conjunction with George's work (DeFore and Blake were dropped from the cast) while Harold and Hazel move in with George's younger brother, Steve (Ray Fulmer), a real estate agent, Steve's wife Barbara (Lynn Borden), and their daughter Susie (Julia Benjamin). Hazel provides housekeeping services for her revamped family. The new Baxters reflected a desire for younger demographics. (CBS said that Ms. Blake was not available after NBC's cancellation, although Don DeFore noted that he found out about the change while reading the newspaper.) The most notable new arrival was the teenage actress who played Millie Ballard, Steve Baxter's receptionist. Ann Jillian went on to star in her own series, It's a Living, and numerous television movies.
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