LIZ SELLS DRESSES

October 16, 1948

“Liz Sells Dresses” is episode #13 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on October 16, 1948.

Synopsis ~ Liz accidentally returns a dress to a more expensive store than where she bought it, and makes money on the deal. She then decides to go into business buying dresses at one store and returning them at another.

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 / Sales Girl) 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.

Hans Conried (Mr. Quigley, Returns Clerk at Gordons) 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.

Bea Benadaret (Store Clerk at Gordons / Little Old Lady) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricarodo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

In 1949, Bea Benadaret will play the regular role of Iris Atterbury, Liz’s best friend. The voice she uses for the Little Old Lady shopper is the same one she uses as Miss Lewis on “I Love Lucy.” 

Frank Nelson (Floorwalker at Gordons) was born on May 6, 1911 (three months before Lucille Ball) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He started working as a radio announcer at the age of 15. He later appeared on such popular radio shows as “The Great Gildersleeve,” “Burns and Allen,” and “Fibber McGee & Molly”.  Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs. His trademark was playing clerks and other working stiffs, suddenly turning to Benny with a drawn out “Yeeeeeeeeees?” Nelson appeared in 11 episodes of “I Love Lucy”, including three as quiz master Freddy Fillmore, and two as Ralph Ramsey, plus appearance on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” – making him the only actor to play two different recurring roles on “I Love Lucy.” Nelson returned to the role of the frazzled Train Conductor for an episode of “The Lucy Show” in 1963. This marks his final appearance on a Lucille Ball sitcom. 

Sandra Gould (Store Clerk at Kramers / Shopper) is probably best remembered as the second actor to play Gladys Kravitz on “Bewitched” (1966-71). On “I Love Lucy,” she played Nancy Johnson in “Oil Wells” (ILL S3;E18) and makes a brief appearance as an alarmed strap-hanger in “Lucy and the Loving Cup” (ILL S6;E12). In 1962 she appeared in the fourth episode of “The Lucy Show” as a bank secretary. 

THE EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “Let’s look in on the Cugats and see what they’re doing. The house looks normal for this time of the morning. The breakfast table is set. The morning paper is on the table. Katie is out in the kitchen and — hey, wait a minute. There’s a sign pinned to the kitchen door. ‘Katie – Please don’t make any noise.’ There goes Liz Cugat tiptoeing into the kitchen.”

Liz chastises Katie for making noise, but Katie says it is just the bacon hissing in the skillet. Today is the day George looks at Liz’s checkbook.

KATIE: “It’s sort of like Blue Monday or Gloomy Sunday, isn’t it Mrs. Cugat.”
LIZ: “Worse. If George wakes up it will be Sickening Saturday.”

Katie says her first husband Clarence wrote all the checks he wanted to and was never overdrawn – but he didn’t have an account at the bank.

KATIE: “Good old Clarence. I haven’t seen him in five years.”
LIZ: “What’s he doing?”
KATIE: “Ten years!” 

George wakes up and comes down for breakfast. Liz butters him up with sweet talk and a big kiss. 

LIZ: “How do I kiss, George?”
GEORGE: “Like you are way overdrawn.”

Liz explains a discrepancy in her checkbook by saying that she doesn’t like nines, so she makes them tens. George tries to understand Liz’s logic when it comes to arithmetic but it is hopeless. 

George encounters an expense listed as “DICR” – Dress I Couldn’t Resist. Liz tells George she actually made money by not buying it at a more expensive store where it cost $20 more!  She spent her invisible savings on a hat!  Liz describes the dress:

LIZ: “It’s navy blue with white polka-dots. It’s got a little white collar and a sash at the back.”

Except for the sash, Liz might well be describing the iconic Elois Jenssen dress that would become identified with Lucy Ricardo on “I Love Lucy.” It became so recognizable, that when Lucy Carter had a garage sale in 1971, it was hanging among the treasures! 

Liz tries turning on the water works, but George insists she return the dress, and Liz reluctantly agrees to do so. 

At Gordons Department Store that afternoon, Liz encounters Cory Cartwright (John Heistand), her bachelor friend. The sales clerk (Bea Benadaret) tells Liz he’s been trying to make time with the store dummies!  

Liz goes to the Returns Department and is greeted by a depressed and sniveling Mr. Quigley, who promises money “cheerfully” returned. He asks why Liz is returning the dress, but none of her reasons justify a refund. She confesses that a bank vice president checked her accounts told her to return it. She says she tried to kiss him to persuade him, but to no avail. Mr. Quigley (not knowing that man is her favorite husband, George) promises to refund her money if she will give up her life of crime!  Liz goes along in order to get her refund and get out of there. 

LIZ: “I promise. After all, there’s no future in it. Pretty soon every bank in the country will have a Dick Tracy television burglar alarm!” 

“Dick Tracy” was a phenomenally successful comic strip, radio program, and film serial about the adventures of a square-jawed detective named Dick Tracy. It made its debut in 1931, created by Chester Gould, and lasted until 1977. In August 1948, the comic strip introduced the Teleguard, a portable, antenna-less television burglar alarm!  The word ‘television’ does not mean broadcast TV but video cameras, much like the modern CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) cameras now commonplace across the world, including in banks. Liz actually has predicted the future! 

Liz finally gets her refund and meets Cory for lunch.

CORY: “I’ve been in the lingerie department. I’ve seen every item in this store down to the foundation.” 

Counting her refund, Liz realizes that she has received $20 more than she’s paid. She suddenly realizes that she’s mistakenly returned the dress to Gordons when she actually bought it at Kramers!  After a moment of indecision on what to do, Liz decides to return to Kramers to buy more dresses!  

This is similar to the plot of “The Business Manager” (ILLS4;E1), in which Lucy Ricardo realizes that she can balance her books by buying and selling groceries on credit for the entire building. 

At Kramers, the Clerk (Sandra Gould) gets suspicious why she would buy two moer dresses of the same color and style. Liz facetiously says she’s one of the Andrews Sisters.

CLERK: “Which one are you? Patty, Maxine, or LaVerne?”
LIZ: “Neither. I’m their brother Dana.” 

The Andrews Sisters were a very successful trio of singing sisters during World War II with 19 gold records and sales of nearly 100 million copies. The sisters began performing in the early 1930s when the Depression wiped out their father’s business. In 1937, the sisters scored their first big hit with “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.” In addition to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” their best-known songs included “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree” and “Rum and Coca Cola.” The trio officially broke up after the death of LaVerne in 1967, when a suitable replacement could not be found.  Patty Andrews guest starred on “Here’s Lucy” as herself in 1969. The plot had Lucy Carter and her daughter Kim (Lucie Arnaz) stepping in for the other two singers for a charity show. 

During a poker game in “Be a Pal” (ILL S1;E2), Lucy calls her two queens ‘sisters.’  When Fred looks at his newly-dealt hand he quips “You can tell your two Andrews Sisters not to wait up for LaVerne.” 

Dana Andrews (1909-92) was not related to the Andrews Sisters, but was a successful actor. He had been in the Oscar-winning film The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946, and had three films released in 1948 alone. In 1961, Dana Andrews and Lucille Ball both presented awards on the “Bob Hope Sports Show.” 

George feels guilty about asking Liz to return the blue dress, so he has come to Gordons to re-buy it for her. Meanwhile, Liz tries to get a refund from Mr. Quigley for the two dresses she’s bought at Kramers. Mr. Quigley has a nervous breakdown. 

MR. QUIGLEY: “I should have never taken this job. I was so happy in ladies underwear!” 

The Clerk notices that they ordered and 35 of the blue polka dot dresses and now they have 36. The jig is up!  Mr. Quigley demands that Liz give him the money he refunded her and get out of the store. 

On her way out, Liz encounters a Little Old Lady Shopper (Bea Benadaret again) who has seen Liz carrying the blue polka dot dresses and wants to buy one from her. She needs it to go to a dance.  

OLD LADY: “We all went to Arthur Murray’s and learned the Lindy Crawl.”
LIZ: “You mean the Lindy Hop.”
OLD LADY: “Not the way I do it!”

Arthur Murray (1895-1991) was a ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the chain of dance studios that bear his name. He was mentioned in Desi Arnaz’s song “Cuban Pete” and in “The Young Fans” (ILL S1;E20). One of the dances taught there was The Lindy Hop, a very popular during the swing era of the 1930s and ‘40s. Lindy was described as a jazz dance and is a member of the swing dance family. 

Liz sells the dress to the little old lady for $59, making a profit of $20!  She decides if she sold one, she can sell another, and develops a slick line of sales talk in order to sell the other dresses to customers in the store already!  

Liz’s methodology (and Lucille Ball’s voice) is the same is it will be when she tries to sell the extra meat she mistakenly ordered for “The Freezer” (ILL S1;E29) to shoppers in a local butcher shop.

LIZ: (to Customer) “Hey lady, step in a little closer. You’re blocking traffic.”
SALES CLERK: “Hey! That’s my customer.” 
LIZ (fast talking): “Get away kid, ya bother me. (To Customer) Honest Liz Cugat, the biggest used dress dealer in town. Gimme $39.50 and I’m losing money on the deal.  Come back tomorrow and I’ll give myself a hot foot and have a fire sale!” 

LIZ (in a Brooklyn accent): “I’m in mourning. It was a catastrophe. To say nothing of it being a tragedy.”

In the usual bedtime coda, Liz is awake and trying to make up poems about the moon.

LIZ: “The moon is big, the moon is yellow…”
GEORGE: “…and he lives alone, the lucky fellow.”

[Ed. Note: Had this episode taken place in 1949, “fellow” would certainly have been rhymed with “Jell-O” and yellow compared to Lemon Jell-O!]

LIZ: “The moon is bright, the moon is deep…”
GEORGE: “Please shut up and go to sleep.”

The Cugats kiss. End of episode!