KNITTING BABY BOOTIES

September 24, 1948

“Knitting Baby Booties” is episode #10 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on September 24, 1948.

Synopsis ~ Liz is knitting baby booties for an expectant friend, and George and Mr. Atterbury think Liz is pregnant.

Note: This episode was aired before the characters names were changed from Cugat to Cooper. It was also before Jell-O came aboard to sponsor the show and before the regular cast featured Bea Benadaret and Gale Gordon as the Atterburys.

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cugat) 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. “My Favorite Husband” 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.

Richard Denning (George Cugat) was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his  roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz, a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

GUEST CAST

John Hiestand (Cory Cartwright) served as the announcer for the radio show “Let George Do It” from 1946 to 1950. In 1955 he did an episode of “Our Miss Brooks” opposite Gale Gordon.

Jean Vander Pyl (Miss Johnson, Mr. Atterbury’s Secretary / Admitting Nurse) is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “The Flintstones.” Coincidentally, Wilma’s best friend was voiced by Bea Benadaret, who also played Iris Atterbury, Liz’s best friend on “My Favorite Husband.” On radio she was heard on such programs as “The Halls of Ivy” (1950–52) and on “Father Knows Best” before it moved to TV.  She died in 1999 at age 79. 

Laurette Fillbrandt (Jane Kendall) was born in Zanesville, Ohio in 1915. She was married to radio announcer Russell Young and made her debut on local radio in 1934. In 1935 she began acting in Chicago on network radio programs. She is best remembered for playing Fay and Evie, two of the daughters on the popular “Ma Perkins” in addition to her many other radio credits. She died in 2000. 

Jane’s husband is named Norman. 

Hans Conried (Mr. Atterbury, George’s Boss at the Bank) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (TLS S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He joined Thomas on a season 6 episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1973. He died in 1982 at age 64.

Later, Mr. Atterbury and his wife Iris would become recurring characters and the role will be assumed by Gale Gordon. 

THE EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “It is morning at the Cugat house and Katie the maid has gone out to the mailbox to see if the postman has left any ads or blotters and Liz is cooking breakfast and George is still upstairs dressing…”

Essentially, Katie is looking for junk mail. Before the advent of ballpoint pens, fountain pens needed their ink ‘blotted’ on a paper surface as to avoid large pools of ink when first writing a card, letter, or note. Eventually advertisers took advantage of this and the ‘blotters’ were also imprinted with advertising and mailed out to potential customers for various businesses and services. The above blotter is for the film Ziegfeld Follies, which featured Lucille Ball. 

Liz calls George down to his favorite breakfast: burnt toast. Liz coaxes a ‘zipless’ kiss out of George: 

Katie the Maid chimes in about her first husband Clarence.  

KATIE: “Now there was a kisser!”
GEORGE: “Good?”
KATIE: “No. Ugly.”

As usual, George buries his head in the morning newspaper. He peruses the financial page for the stock market.

GEORGE: “I have to keep an eye on the bulls and the bears so that some wolf in sheep’s clothing doesn’t make me the goat. I work in a bank.”

LIZ: “Sounds like the Chicago Stockyard!”

Liz is punning on the other meaning of the word stock, meaning livestock. The Union Stock Yard, was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a centralized processing area, helping Chicago become known as the "hog butcher for the world” and the center of the American meatpacking industry for decades.

The Yards closed on the last day of July 1971, after several decades of decline.   

Liz reads that Jane Kendall is expecting a baby. Also in the morning mail is a bill from Barkley Brothers Department Store. Liz tries to change the subject, but she has gone over her allowance – again. George says he can’t raise Liz’s allowance because old man Atterbury at the bank passed him by for a raise. 

Lucy Ricardo frequently went over her allowance, at one point using it up until June 12th – 1978!  In another episode, Ricky hired a “Business Manager” to help Lucy manage her household finances. Coincidentally, like this radio episode, it also talked about the stock market. Lucy’s ‘stravagances forced Ricky to ask for a raise from his boss, too!  Coincidentally, Mr. Littlefield was played by Gale Gordon, who would eventually play George’s boss, Mr. Atterbury, on “My Favorite Husband”! 

Liz says that her mother gave her a book to read: How To Win Friends And Influence People.  Liz promises to be more thrifty in future and only pay cash – for things they don’t need! 

How to Win Friends and Influence People is a self-help book written by Dale Carnegie, published in 1936. It is one of the best-selling books of all time. Carnegie had been conducting business education courses in New York since 1912. 

Later in the day, Katie discovers Liz knitting baby booties for Mrs. Kendall. Liz is trying to be thrifty by knitting, instead of buying, the booties, although she’s broken her word and had to pay on credit for the many skeins of yarn.

Bachelor Cory Cartwright (John Hiestand) drops by to brag to Liz about his latest date.

CORY: “I met the most beautiful girl at a beautiful party in a beautiful penthouse last night.  The beautiful girl and I spent a beautiful evening looking at the beautiful moon.”
LIZ: “Sounds beautiful.”
CORY: “Not quite. She had an ugly husband!”

Cory notices her knitting and immediately thinks she’s expecting. Liz thinks he’s talking about her newfound skill at knitting. They hilariously talk at cross purposes and Cory goes off to telephone Mr. Atterbury about the Cugat’s good news.

Here the plot starts to hint at what would become “Drafted” (ILL S1;E11), a 1951 episode of “I Love Lucy” where Ricky and Fred see Lucy and Ethel knitting and also think they are expecting babies. The main plot of the TV episode, however, was inspired by a 1951 episode of “My Favorite Husband” titled “George Is Drafted – Liz’s Baby” (#115).  

After Cory’s phone call, Mr. Atterbury (Hans Conried) has his secretary Miss Johnson (Jean Vander Pyl) summon George to his office. George thinks he is being called on the carpet for not getting a wealthy Florida woman’s big account. Mr. Atterbury thinks George is talking about Liz, and George thinks Mr. Atterbury is talking about the Florida woman!  More farcical mis-understandings. George gets a raise from Mr. Atterbury, who thinks he is helping his growing new family. 

Back at home, George begs Liz for a kiss. They play a word game and George wins a kiss from Liz. George is about to tell Liz the good news about his raise and suddenly sees Liz’s hidden knitting. George thinks Liz is having a baby!  Liz thinks he is surprised at her knitting skill!

LIZ: “Didn’t think I could do it, did ya?” 

When Liz points out that the surplus yarn could knit enough booties for triplets, George passes out, thinking he is to become a father three times over!

Liz and Katie carry George upstairs and put him to bed. When Katie wants to give George a snort of brandy, Liz worries it may be Vitalis, like it was when Katie gave it to Liz to revive her!  

Vitalis is a men’s hair grooming product introduced in the 1940s by Bristol Myers. It is comprised mostly of an alcohol-based ingredient simply known as “V7″. The product was meant to avoid grease-based products then used by many men. It is still sold today. 

At the bank, George and Cory talk about Liz’s delicate condition, neither one knowing they have misunderstood. George says he asked Liz if she had strange cravings for unusual foods, like “ice cream with melted cheese poured over and a dill pickle on top.”

The craving for unusual food combinations (mostly featuring pickles and ice cream) was a frequent comedy trope, partly based in fact. At the end of “Ricky Has Labor Pains” (ILL S2;E14), a genuinely enceinte Lucy Ricardo sends Ricky on a midnight mission to find pistachio ice cream with hot fudge and sardines on top!  Ricky delivers, much to Lucy’s delight!

When Lucy Carter is pretending to be pregnant on “Lucy, The Part-Time Wife” (HL S3;E14), she tells Nurse Gertrude that she has a craving for a big dill pickle and a bowl of vanilla ice cream!  Nurse Gertrude delivers, much to Lucy’s dismay! 

Calling home to check on Liz, Katie tells George that Liz has gone to the hospital! George panics but rushes off to the hospital with Cory. 

Meanwhile, Liz is in a taxi with Jane Kendall, who has gone into labor and wants Liz to stay at her side until her husband Norman gets there. While waiting for Liz (whom he thinks is the one in labor), George buys his unborn son electric trains, a baseball bat, a drum and bugle, and football helmet. Cory suggests a rattle instead.

GEORGE: “Rattle’s are for kids. My son is going to play right tackle for Princeton.”
CORY: “I hope he’s in shape. They play their first game next week.”  

Princeton University is a private Ivy League university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 it is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Cory is spot-on about Princeton Football playing their first game of the season next week. They began the 1948 season on October 2nd. Playing a home game, they lost to Brown University 20 to 23. In June 1947, Lucille Ball starred in the play Dream Girl at McCarter Theatre, in residence at Princeton University. Ball, who as an infant briefly lived nearby in Trenton, had also performed in Princeton in 1937. 

Cory suggests that Liz and George’s baby might be a girl.

GEORGE: “Oh, no!  I can’t be a girl!  Liz wouldn’t do that to me!”

In “Lucy is Enceinte” (ILL S2;E10), Fred is so sure Lucy’s baby is going to be a boy, he gives his future godson a New York Yankees cap, a glove, and a signed ball. While the Arnaz’s knew the sex of their unborn child, the Ricardos did not. Even the “I Love Lucy” baby doll merchandised during this period was sexless to prevent spoilers!  

George and Cory go home and set up the trains while they are waiting for the big news. Liz casually arrives home and nonchalantly announces the baby was born an hour ago!  George is aghast!

GEORGE: “What does he look like?”
LIZ: “He looks like Norman Kendall!” 

Confusion between a cockier spaniel and a wife will also be the final plot twist of “The Seance” (ILL S1;E7), in which everyone believes superstitious Mr. Merriweather’s late wife was named Tilly, when in fact Tilly was actually his deceased cockier spaniel! 

The wording above the above dialogue clearly suggests that George and Liz sleep in separate beds!  No wonder they have been married ten years and not had a baby! This was not unusual on television and in post-Hays Code films. On “I Love Lucy” Lucy and Ricky were generally in single beds, although sometimes pushed together. The one time we glimpse the bedroom of Fred and Ethel (above) – a childless couple – they very clearly have single beds!  

LIZ: “Goodnight, George!”