THE BOB HOPE CHEVY SHOW

October 21, 1956

Bob
Hope
(Himself / Ricky Ricardo) was
born Lesley Townes Hope in England in 1903. During his extensive
career in virtually all forms of media he received five honorary
Academy Awards. In 1945 Desi Arnaz was the orchestra leader on Bob
Hope’s radio show. Ball and Hope did four films together. He
appeared as himself on the season
6 opener of
“I Love Lucy.” He did a brief cameo in a 1964 episode of “The
Lucy Show.”  When Lucille Ball moved to NBC in 1980, Hope appeared on her welcome special. He
died in 2003 at age 100. 

Lucille
Ball (Lucy
Ricardo) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began
her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of
the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With
Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite
Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,”
a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her
real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was
phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was
once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960
(in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so
did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu
financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The
Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a
similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life
children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined
the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death
in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With
Lucy,” also with Gordon, which was not a success and was canceled
after just 13 episodes. 

Desi Arnaz (Fred Mertz) was born in Cuba in 1917 and immigrated to America as a youngster.  He was a musician who married Lucille Ball in 1940 after meeting her on the set of 1939’s Too Many Girls, which he had done on stage in New York. In order to keep him ‘off the road’ Ball convinced producers to cast him as her husband in a new television project based on her radio show “My Favorite Husband.” The network was convinced. In 1951, Arnaz and Ball began playing Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, roles they would be identified with for the rest of their lives. The couple had two children together, Lucie and Desi Jr. In 1960, Ball and Arnaz divorced. Desi became a producer, responsible for such hits as “The Mothers-in-Law” (1967-69). He re-married in 1963. Desi Aranz died in 1986, just a few years before Ball.   

Vivian
Vance
(Ethel Mertz) was
born Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kansas in 1909, although her
family quickly moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where she was raised.
She had extensive theatre experience, co-starring on Broadway with
Ethel Merman in Anything Goes. She was acting in a play in
Southern California when she was spotted by Desi Arnaz and hired to
play Ethel Mertz, Lucy Ricardo’s neighbor and best friend. The
pairing is credited with much of the success of “I Love Lucy.”
 Vance was convinced to join the cast of “The Lucy Show” in
1962, but stayed with the series only through season three, making
occasional guest appearances afterwards. She made a total of six
appearance on “Here’s Lucy.” She also joined Lucy for a
TV special “Lucy Calls the President” in 1977. Vance died two
years later. 

William
Frawley
(Captain Blystone) was
already a Hollywood veteran when he was hired by Desi Arnaz to play
Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy.” After the series concluded he joined
the cast of “My Three Sons” playing Bub Casey. He did an episode
of “The Lucy Show” in October 1965 which was his final TV
appearance before his death in March 1966.

Tommy
(Trained Seal)

Others guests on the show that evening were
James
Cagney, Diana Dors,
New York Yankee Don
“No Hit” Larsen,
and Les
Brown and his Band of Renown.

The Hollywood DebStars
(up and coming young women in the entertainment business nominated by
the make-up industry) include: 

• Nicola Michaels aka Niki Dantine (from
  MGM) 
• Elaine Aikens aka Elaine Aiken (from Paramount) 
• Dani Crayne
  (from Warner Brothers) 
• Anna Navarro (from NBC) 
• Nancy Kilgas (from
  CBS) 
• Roxanne Arlen (from Pine Talent Productions) 
• Stephanie Griffin
  (from DelBar Productions) 
• Carol Nugent (from American National
  Studios) 
• Autumn Russell (from Al Wallace)
• Veneita Stevenson
  (from RKO) 

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This cross-over episode of “The Bob Hope Show” aired on NBC (Hope’s network of choice) two weeks after his guest-star appearance as himself on the season six opener of “I Love Lucy.” 

Because the show is sponsored by Chevrolet, the opening theme is their jingle “See the U.S.A. In a Chevrolet” by Leo Corday and Leon Carr. Dinah Shore sang the song after 1952, and it became something of a signature song for her. Later the song was also sung by Pat Boone on his “Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom” (1957-60) on ABC. Hope’s signature tune “Thanks for the Memory” by Ralph Rainger is saved for the closing credits, with special lyrics about the 1957 Chevies.

In Hope’s opening monologue, he promises a look at the new 1957 Chevrolet cars. He then alludes to the new TV season. Hope wonders who is running the country with Walter Winchell on TV and IKE out campaigning. Winchell’s new NBC variety series was titled “The Walter Winchell Show” and it premiered three days before this “The Bob Hope Chevy Show.” It lasted just one season.  A month after Hope mentioned IKE campaigning, Eisenhower handily won election to a second term as US President.

Hope says that Sid Caesar’s back – with a new wife. Hope is referring to the third season of NBC’s “Caesar’s Hour.” Nanette Fabray left the show after a misunderstanding when her business manager, unbeknownst to her, made unreasonable demands during contract renewal negotiations. Fabray and Caesar did not reconcile until years later. Fabray appeared with Lucille Ball in the her 1974 special “Happy Anniversary and Goodbye.” 

Hope says that Steve Allen is back and busy as ever. Allen’s new show on NBC was titled “The Steve Allen Plymouth Show” (another show sponsored by a car manufacturer) and would run five seasons. Steve Allen interviewed Lucy Whittaker (Lucille Ball) in 1977′s “Lucy Calls the President.” 

Hope also reports that Perry Como is back. Hope is referring to Como’s hosting of “The Kraft Music Hall.” Como appeared on the premiere of the aforementioned “Walter Winchell Show” to promote the “Kraft Music Hall.”  

Trying to make a joke about “The Ed Sullivan Show” (which he says “owns Sunday nights), Hope mistakenly says “Elvin Presley” instead of “Elvis Presley.”

Hope does a joke about Winston Churchill’s son being on
“The
$64,000 Question.”
On September 18, 1956, a month before this Bob Hope Show
first aired, Rudolph Churchill was a guest contestant on the American
quiz show hosted by Lucille Ball’s friend Hal March. Churchill and
the other contestants all got the answers right that evening and it
was discovered that
they were already given the answers. This
began what is know as the quiz show scandals in Hollywood.

English-born Diana Dors does a sketch where she plays Hope’s wife in a traditional English cottage. Dors
and Hope then do a companion sketch about a married couple in modern
day America where the house practically cleans itself. They even have
a baby (several) thanks to automation.

Hope
and Cagney sing and dance to “Mary’s
a Grand Old Name” by
George M. Cohan. Cagney won an Oscar for playing George M. Cohan in
the 1942 film
Yankee
Doodle Dandy,
which also featured the song. It was also in the film The
Seven Little Foys
(1955), which is mentioned by Hope. Cagney says he is doing a new
film about Lon Chaney called Man
of a Thousand Faces.
It was released in 1957. Hope also makes a joke about Burt
Lancaster’s 1956 film Trapeze.

During Hope and Cagney’s introductions of the DebStars, background singers perform “A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody,” “You Oughta Be in Pictures” and “You Are Too Lovely.”  

After ogling the DebStars, Cagney does an imitation of  Ernest Borgnine saying “What’re you doin’ tonight, Marty?” from the 1955 film Marty. About Cagney, Hope says he’s such a tough guy that he thinks Somebody Up There Likes Me is a comedy. The dramatic 1956 film is about the life of boxer Rocky Graziano. 

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Hope
rightfully states that he knew Lucy long before she met Desi and
wonders what it would be like if he’d married Lucy. This sets up the
premise of the “I Love Lucy” cross-over sketch that follows.

The
“I Love Lucy” theme is played at the start of the sketch.  

Although
the “I Love Lucy” set is used, it is slightly changed to
accommodate the action. There are now closet doors at the extreme left and right edge of the set. The set dressing in the hallway is also different.

The
sketch was probably recorded in advance, possibly on the “I Love
Lucy” stage, to accommodate the cast, including the live seal. This
is born out by the fact that during Hope’s “curtain call” during
the final credits, only William Frawley and Vivian Vance come out to
shake Hope’s hand, and they are dressed in different clothes than
they were wearing moments before. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz do not
appear as “themselves” out of context of the characters they play
in the sketch.  

The
action opens on the Ricardo’s New York City apartment with Lucy
leading a live seal from the front door into the living room closet.
Ball has some trouble getting the seal through the closet door,
despite tempting it with food. 

Lucille Ball would work with live
seals again in “Lucy at Marineland” (TLS S4;E1).  

When
Ricky (Bob Hope) comes home, Lucy smothers him with kisses, which
makes him suspicious that something is up.

Lucy:
“What
are you talking about?  I give you a kiss every day.”
Ricky:
“I know, but this is October. You just kissed me through Lincoln’s
Birthday.”  

Lincoln’s
Birthday was formerly a Federal holiday celebrated on February 12.  It is now marked only in select states, having been replaced by Presidents’ Day at the Federal level.

When
Ricky tosses his hat into the closet where the seal is hiding, it
immediately comes flying back at him, nearly landing back on his
head, but missing.   

Lucy:
“We’ve got termites!”
Ricky:
“One of them must pitch for Cleveland.”  

Hope
was part-owner of the Cleveland Indians, and never missed an
opportunity to joke about the team. 

Lucy says she was just trying to help by getting the closet fumigated. 

Ricky:
“You’re always helping, like when we went on our honeymoon. You
thought we’d be lonesome so you invited your mother along.”
Lucy:
“I was just trying to help.”
Ricky:
“Who were you helping? You’re father?”

While
Lucy Ricardo’s mother was an integral part of “I Love Lucy” in
its last few seasons, her father was never mentioned. In real-life,
Lucille Ball’s father died when she was an infant and she was raised
by her grandfather. Like most cross-overs, Hope’s writers appear not
to have been avid watchers of “I Love Lucy.”  

Seeing a
plate of whole fish (the seal’s food) on the coffee table, Ricky gets
suspicious. He calls them “Texas anchovies.” Lucy explains that
they are her first dividend from her membership in the Herring of the
Month Club.

Ricky
says he has an audition in the morning for the 100-piece Havana
Symphony Orchestra: 99 bongos and a sweet potato.  

When
Fred enters (played by Desi Arnaz), Lucy barely recognizes
him:

Lucy:
“Well Fred, I didn’t recognize you.  You look like a new man.  Took
off a little weight, put on a little hair.”

When
Ethel smothers Fred (Ricky) in kisses, Lucy (or Lucille
Ball) says
“All right, break it up. Let’s not overdo it.” On
“I Love Lucy,” Vivian Vance did not enjoy having to be
affectionate with William Frawley. If the script required them to
smooch, an air kiss was all Frawley and Vance would do – and that
reluctantly.

When
Ricky (Hope) turns his back to the audience, his bathrobe says
“Havana U” on it.  

On “I Love Lucy” Ricky Ricardo claimed to
have attended the University, and even sang their fight song in one
episode. 

When
Ricky can’t understand Fred’s thick Cuban accent, Bob Hope recycles a
punchline he also used on “Lucy Meets Bob Hope” (ILL S6;E1) the
week before: “You’re
trying to tell me something!”  

Lucy
insists on playing charades. When Ricky complains he needs to go to
bed, he asks Lucy “Who do you think I am?”  As if a charade clue,
she quickly replies “The
Beast From Hollow Mountain”!
This was the title of a low-budget horror flick about a modern-day
dinosaur on the loose. The movie was released in August 1956.

When
Lucy announces that Fred and Ethel’s apartment is being fumigated (to
hide that Captain Blystone is staying there), she says that the girls
will sleep in the bedroom and the boys will take the living room.
Hope breaks the fourth wall to address the audience:

Hope:
“How
do you like that?  I marry Lucy and wind up with Desi.”

Both
Ricky and Fred dive for the sofa at the same time. Hope is still
straddling the fourth wall.

Hope
(to Desi):
“One chorus of ‘Babalu’ and out you go.”

Then
Desi mutters under his breath “I
should have never left CBS”
which is likely an ad-lib by Arnaz.

When
Ricky opens the closet door a huge circus ball rolls out. Lucy
claims it is a beach ball for the little girl next door. When Ricky
(Hope) tries to lift it, it is heavy, and he remarks “Who’s
the little girl? Sophie Tucker?”  

Sophie
Tucker
was a vaudeville personality of sturdy build. Lucille Ball would
play Tucker on “Bob Hope’s All-Star Comedy Salute to Vaudeville”
in 1977.  

In
another closet, Ricky finds what Lucy calls a
‘gramasousaxylophonovitch’, a series of horns arranged like a
xylophone. 

Five years earlier, on
“The Audition” (ILL S1;E6), Lucy Ricardo pretended to be a
trained seal and played
“How Dry Am I” on the (what she called then) the
‘saxavibratronophonovitch’, but is virtually the same instrument. This
was also part of the act Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz toured live
across the country to convince CBS and sponsors that their pairing
would work on television.  

Lucy’s
performance wakes Captain Blystone (William Frawley) upstairs, who
comes to claim his seal, who he calls Tommy. Lucy introduces the
seal as her music teacher!

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