RIP HERMAN WOUK

1915 – 2019

Herman Wouk was the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the 1951 best-seller THE CAINE MUTINY.  In 1954 he turned the book into a Broadway play titled THE CAINE MUTINY COURT-MARTIAL.  A feature film followed a few months later. 

In “Lucy Writes A Novel” (ILL S3;E24), Lucy plans to name the sequel to her novel “Sugar Cane Mutiny,” a pun on Cuba’s main export and the title of Wouk’s book. 

On “I Love Lucy” the play was mentioned by Miss Hannah (Ellen Corby), Lucy’s high school drama teacher in “Lucy Meets Orson Welles” (ILL S6;E3). 

In the episode, Miss Hanna mentions that she is directing The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. Unfortunately, Friday night is the drama class’s opening night and she can’t make it.

MISS HANNAH: “Oh, I’m sorry my dear. One of the boys is sick and I may have to play Captain Queeg.” 

But in the end, Miss Hannah makes it to New York City to see Lucy perform. She brings along the enitre cast.

LUCY: “What happened to ‘The Caine Mutiny’?”
MISS HANNAH: “We postponed it until Captain Queeg gets over the chicken pox.” 

The film version (with the titled shortened back to The Caine Mutiny) opened in June 1954 starring “I Love Lucy” guests ‘dancing star’ Van Johnson, ‘giant native’ Claude Akins, and ‘uranium hunter’ Fred MacMurray.

The book was mentioned again in “Lucy and Eva Gabor” (HL S1;E7). When a famous novelist (Eva Gabor) is hiding out at the Carter home, Lucy’s bridge club friend Dolores (Gail Bonney) asks Eva for her autograph – on a copy of The Caine Mutiny!  It seems Dolores didn’t want to buy Eva’s book just in case she didn’t like it – so she grabbed Wouk’s novel off her shelf. 

In “Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (HL S1;E11) Van Johnson orders security guards to escort Lucy Carter out of the studio. A bitter Lucy says that now she’s glad he got court martialed The Caine Mutiny.

[Thanks to Mark Itzkowitz for reminding me of this reference!]

Wouk died on May 17, 2019 at the age of 103.