February
1965
Art
Linkletter
(Host) was born in 1912 in Moose Jaw, Canada. He was the host of
“House Party” (aka “The Linkletter Show”) which ran on CBS
radio and television for 25 years, and “People Are Funny,” on NBC
radio and TV for 19 years. Linkletter had one of the longest
marriages of any celebrity in America, at nearly 75 years. He was the
father of five children. Linkletter played himself in a 1966 episode
of “The Lucy Show” as well as a 1970 episode of “Here’s
Lucy.” He died in 2010 at age 97.
Lucille
Ball (Guest)
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.
Jack
Slattery (Announcer)
“House
Party”
was
a daytime variety/talk
show
that aired on CBS
Radio
and on ABC
Radio
from 1945 to 1967.
The
show had an equally long run on CBS
Television
as “Art
Linkletter’s House Party”
and, in its final season, “The
Linkletter Show,”
airing
from 1952 to 1969.
The show featured everything from household hints
to hunts for missing heirs. A humorous monologue by Linkletter could
be followed by an audience participation quiz to win prizes, musical
groups, informal celebrity interviews and guest speakers from
assorted walks of life. The show’s best-remembered segment was “Kids
Say the Darndest Things,” in which Linkletter interviewed
schoolchildren between the ages of five and ten. During the segment’s
27-year run, Linkletter interviewed an estimated 23,000 children.
The show’s length varied from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. It started
airing in color in 1966.
In early 1965, Lucille Ball appeared on “House Party” to promote her CBS radio show “Let’s
Talk to Lucy.” Later in the show, Art Linkletter and Lucy
recreated an old time radio broadcast with Lucy as the sound effects
person.
In
January 1966 (two years after this episode) CBS TV aired new episodes of “House Party” daily at
2:30pm while “I Love Lucy” was in reruns at 10:30am.
In
1957, Desi Arnaz Jr., then only 5 years old, appeared on “House
Party” without any of his family members.
In
1962’s “Lucy
Puts Up a TV Antenna” (TLS S1;E9), Lucy Carmichael is on the
roof adjusting the aerial having sent Viv into the house to check the
TV reception. When Lucy asks what is keeping her, Viv yells up the
chimney
“I
got carried away watching Art Linkletter. Come on down Lucy. He’s
about to go through a lady’s purse.”
In January 1966. Art Linkletter appeared as himself on “The Lucy Show.”
In December 1970, he did it again on “Here’s Lucy” in “Lucy Looses Her Cool” (S3;E13).
This
“House Party” episode can be viewed as one of the bonus features on the DVD “Lucy
Gets Lucky/Three for Two” from MPI.
In
his introduction, Linkletter notes that his radio show “House
Party” and Lucy’s new radio show “Let’s Talk to Lucy,” aired in
the same hour on CBS Radio (both show’s were 10 or 15 minutes long).
In September 1964, Lucy returned to radio as herself in “Let’s Talk to Lucy.” She was concurrently starring in “The Lucy Show” on CBS TV and wanted to talk to her audience as Lucille Ball rather than as a character. Among the celebrities Lucy interviewed were Danny Kaye, Dean Martin, Carol Burnett, Andy Griffith, Gale Gordon, Barbra Streisand, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Steve Allen, Mary Tyler Moore, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Andy Williams, and Eve Arden, among many others. Gary Morton was Lucy’s announcer. “Let’s Talk to Lucy” lasted one year.
Prior
to the start of “I Love Lucy,” both Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
were radio stars: Lucy on “My Favorite Husband” (1948 to 1951)
and Desi on “Your Tropical Trip” (1951).
“House
Party” is sponsored by new Final Touch Fabric Softener.
Art
Linkletter says that the audience’s loud ovation for Lucy was
spontaneous and unsolicited. He notes that the last time he heard
that much applause was for Dick Van Dyke. Lucy says that his is her
favorite program on television [meaning “The Dick Van Dyke Show’].
After the audience laughs at her slight to Linkletter, she
apologetically says she doesn’t have time to watch his show because
she’s working. “House Party” was indeed a daytime show, while
“The Dick Van Dyke Show” aired evenings.
Lucy:
“I
don’t dig the fan mag type of interview.”
Art:
“It
is kind of fakey.”
Lucy
brags about her family. Desi Jr. had just celebrated his twelfth
birthday and Lucie is 13 and a half. Lucy says that in school their
grades are “B plus” but that even though they ask, she can’t help
them with their homework – especially math.
Lucy
says she met Gary Morton while doing Wildcat
on Broadway. She was fixed up by a couple of friends, although put off their first date due to her rigorous performance schedule. Eventually, he showed up with a pizza just when Lucy was craving one. They married on November 19, 1961.
Linkletter
congratulates Lucy on being the National Chairman of Easter
Seals, and her upcoming visit to the White House in that capacity.
Linkletter says the year he was Chairman he met John F. Kennedy.
In
the show’s second half, Linkletter tells the audience they are going
to get a look at what it looked like ‘behind the microphones’ at a
radio show. He will play the star (Sam Sly), Jack Slattery (”House Party’s” announcer) will be the
announcer, and Lucy the sound effects ‘man’, in a melodrama called “Sam
Sly, Private Eye.” Lucy is not in character and wears the same
clothing as in her introduction. The comedy relies on her doing the
sound effects in time with the story.
Lucy’s
sound effects are made with simple, non-electronic items as well as
sounds from her own mouth.
- When
making the sound of a ‘high powered car’ Lucy sputters into the
microphone, wiping the spit away from her lips afterwards. - Whenever
the announcer mentions ‘prison’ Lucy moves a wooden box back and
forth to create a sort of marching sound, possibly inmates marching
in formation. - Lucy
makes the sound of the wind with her lips. - When
Linkletter talks of mice running around, Lucy uses half coconuts,
making the sound of horses galloping.
Linkletter:
“I
said mice. Mice!”
Lucy:
“I’m
afraid of mice.”
Lucy
provides assorted screams of Sadie, the damsel being rescued by Sam
Sly. At the last moment, an exhausted Lucy assumes the role of Sadie.
Papermoon Loves Lucy 
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