SAFE DRIVING WEEK

October 21, 1950

“Safe Driving Week” (aka “Safety Drive”) is episode #102 [some sources say #101] of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on October 21, 1950.

This was the sixth episode of the third season of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND. There were 31 new episodes, with the season ending on March 31, 1951.  

Synopsis ~ 

When Liz gets a traffic ticket on the day George is Safety Week chairman, George decides to lock the car in the garage and hide the key.

“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 Cooper) 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.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) 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.

Gale Gordon and Bea Benadaret (Rudolph and Iris Atterbury) do not appear in this episode. 

GUEST CAST

Elvia Allman (Marge Van Tassle) was born on September 19, 1904 in Enochville, North Carolina. She started her performing career on radio in the 1920s, as both a storyteller and singer. Allman’s first episode of “I Love Lucy” is also one of the most memorable in TV history: “Job Switching” (ILL S2;E1) in September 1952.  She played the strident foreman of Kramer’s Candy Kitchen. Allman returned to the show as one of Minnie Finch’s neighbors in “Fan Magazine Interview” (ILL S3;E17) in 1954. Changing gears once again she played prim magazine reporter Nancy Graham in “The Homecoming” (ILL S5;E6) in 1955. She made two appearances on “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour“ – first as Ida Thompson, Westfield’s PTA director in “The Celebrity Next Door” (LDCH S1;E2) and as Milton Berle’s secretary when “Milton Berle Hides Out at the Ricardos” (LDCH S3;E1) in 1959. On “The Lucy Show” she was seen in “Lucy Bags a Bargain” (TLS S4;E17) and in “Lucy The Babysitter” (TLS S5;E16).  Allman died on March 6, 1992, aged 87.

Lucy characters have always had a peripheral character named Marge. In this case, the character largely takes on the action that might normally be taken by Iris Atterbury. It is likely that Bea Benadaret was not available that week, so the character was rewritten for Elvia Allman as Marge Van Tassle. 

Sheldon Leonard (Motorcyle Cop) was born Leonard Sheldon Bershad in New York City in 1907. In 1953 he played fast-talking salesman Harry Martin, who sells Lucy Ricardo the Handy Dandy vacuum cleaner in “Sales Resistance” (ILL S2;E17). He played himself on a 1967 episode of “The Lucy Show.”  Leonard was an integral part of the Desilu family off-screen as well, directing “Make Room for Daddy” including an episode that featured Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in 1959. He was one of the creators of “The Andy Griffith Show,” also filmed at Desilu. Leonard may be best remembered as the Nick, the bartender in the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life (1945). He died in 1997. 

THE EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: 
“As we look in on the town of Sheridan Falls, where the Coopers live, it’s an average Wednesday morning. The traffic on Elm Street is fairly heavy, the cars are moving along about as usual, except – wait a minute! Pull over to the curb! Here comes a woman driver!  It’s Liz Cooper driving!”

Liz is pulled over by a policeman (Sheldon Leonard), although she’s unclear why. He says that Liz made the wrong arm signal when turning left. 

Turn signal lights in cars didn’t become common until later in the 1950s. Before that, letting everyone know which way one planned to turn was by using the hand signals above, which were taught in driving classes.   

When Liz asks what he is writing, he facetiously calls it a story for Reader’s Digest about ‘The Most Unforgettable Person I’ve Ever Met’!  Naturally, it is a traffic ticket.

Reader’s Digest was known for their publication of abridged novels, short stories, and articles that could be read in one sitting. Ricky was seen reading the Digest in “Lucy Writes a Novel” in 1954. That same year, a biography of Ball by Eleanor Harris was included in the Digest – condensed, naturally. Ball appeared on the covers in 1990 and 2003. “My Most Unforgettable Character” was a regular feature, along with “Life in These United States.”

Arriving home Liz is greeted by Katie the maid, who encourages her to face George and tell him about the ticket.  After a kiss, George has big news, but so does Liz. She allows him to go first. He has been chosen as Chairman of Sheridan Falls Safe Driving week by the Chamber of Commerce. Liz now cannot possibly tell George about the ticket!  

Safe Driving campaigns were not unusual in post-war America. Roads were seeing increased traffic as automakers vied for consumer dollars. For example, Cynthia Gary was crowned Queen of Safe Driving and reigned over the 1950 Safe Driving Week campaign sponsored by the St. Paul Junior Chamber of Commerce.

The doorbell rings. Liz is saved by the bell!  While Liz is answering the door, Katie spills the beans about the citation to George!  George tells her that he knows about her ticket.  He tells her about the Safety Week celebrations. 

GEORGE: “They’re having a big ceremony at the site of the new automobile club. There’s going to be a parade of all the drivers in town who haven’t gotten a ticket in ten years.”
LIZ: “Well, that’ll be a short parade.”

To keep Liz from getting any more tickets during his Safety Week, he takes her up on her off-handed suggestion to lock the car in the garage for the week. George will have the key to the garage in his pocket. Liz will have to walk! 

GEORGE: “I’ll take you to a movie after dinner. There’s a movie that reminds me of your driving: ‘Panic in the Streets’!”

Panic in the Streets is a 1950 film noir directed by Elia Kazan. It was shot exclusively on location in New Orleans, Louisiana. It starred Richard Widmark (“The Tour”), Zero Mostel (DuBarry Was A Lady and "Carol +2″), and Paul Douglas (”Lucy Wants A Career”). The film was released a month before this broadcast. 

At the end of the week, Liz is visited by Marge Van Tassel (Elvia Allman). Liz has a plan and needs her help. She has had mishap and lost the front fender to an anonymous accident. Naturally, she doesn’t want George to find out. 

LIZ: “Somewhere in this town there’s a car with five fenders.”

Note: A fender is different than a bumper because it’s a metal structure that frames the wheel well of your car, instead of the front or back. The fender extends between the front door to the front bumper covering the front wheels of the vehicle. 

In the act break, there is a public service announcement to debunk the misconception that the US finances most of the cost of the mutual defense program of NATO.

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers once again we find Liz and Marge Van Tassel in the backyard, gently removing the garage door.” 

There is a great splintering of wood as Marge and Liz finally gain access to the car. Unfortunately, they don’t have the car key!   Looking for a way to start the car without the key, they look under the hood. 

LIZ: “Hmmmm… It’s a motor alright!” 

In “The Not So Popular Mechanics” (HL S5;E22) in 1972, Lucy Carter and Mary Jane take apart Harry’s prized Rolls Royce thinking it will be easy to give it a home oil change!  They end up with a puzzle they cannot put back together!

When “Lucy Learns To Drive” (ILL S4;E12) in 1955, she also has a traffic accident – with herself!  

It isn’t long before Liz comes face to face with another car, who passes them on the wrong side because she’s three feet from the left curb!  A policeman pulls them over – the same officer who issued Liz the ticket. To explain her driving on the left, Liz decides to adopt a British accent. 

LIZ: “Pip-pip, cheerio, hallo there, Bobbie!”

Lucy will use her British accent when “I Love Lucy” visits London and the British countryside in early 1956. British policeman are known as Bobbies after Sir Robert Peel (1778-1850), who helped establish their modern police force. 

In “Lucy in London” (1966), The Dave Clark Five perform a medley of “London Bridge is Falling Down” and “Pop Goes the Weasel, instead of the real anthem, “God Save the Queen”. The London Bridge seen in the special is the old London Bridge (1831-1967).  A year after filming, this bridge was dismantled and sold while a new version (that still stands today) was built to replace it. The old London Bridge was reassembled in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, opening in 1971, where it remains the number one tourist attraction.

The policeman insists on driving the car away from the curb, but runs over his own motorcycle in the process!  

Marge and Liz drive away, leaving the motorcycle cop in tears, clutching only his handlebars. 

Fred Mertz backs wrecks his motorcycle when “Ricky Sells The Car” (ILL S5;E4) in 1955. He, too, is left clutching only the handlebars!

Marge and Liz notice that the traffic has gotten slower and heavier and that spectators are crowded on the sidewalks. They are in George’s Safety Week Parade for drivers with no tickets in the last ten years!  Rather than let George Liz stops suddenly and causes a multi-car collision. 

LIZ: “I see a wreck.”
MARGE: “Just one?”
LIZ: “Yep. Just one. But it’s three blocks long. There are very few drivers left in this town who haven’t had an accident in the last ten years.”

George comes down from the reviewing stand and angrily insists that he will move the car himself – despite Liz’s attempted warnings not to…