HALLOWEEN SURPRISE PARTY

October 28, 1949

“Halloween Surprise Party” (aka “The Halloween Party” aka “The Surprise Halloween Party”) is episode #60 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on October 21, 1949, sponsored by Jell-O. 

This was the eighth episode of the second season of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND. There were 43 new episodes, with the season ending on June 25, 1950.

Synopsis ~

The Atterburys decide to throw a Halloween surprise party for Liz and George, but when Liz hears about their party at the beauty salon, she thinks that she and George just weren’t invited. 

“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.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury / Police Announcer) had worked with Lucille Ball on “The Wonder Show” on radio in 1938. One of the front-runners to play Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” he eventually played Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, during two episodes in 1952. After playing a Judge in an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, he would re-team with Lucy for all of her subsequent series’: as Theodore J. Mooney in ”The Lucy Show”; as Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”; and as Curtis McGibbon on "Life with Lucy.” Gordon died in 1995 at the age of 89.

In need of a male voice to do the Police Announcer, Gordon pitches in. The muffled sound of the car radio helps disguise his distinctive voice. 

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury) 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 Ricardo’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.

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.

Ruth Perrott (Katie the Maid) does not appear in this episode. Katie is said to be on vacation. 

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Traffic Cop) 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.  

Jay Novello (Harrison Q. Negley, the Postman) would appear on “I Love Lucy” as superstitious Mr. Merriweather in “The Seance” (ILL S1;E7), nervous Mr. Beecher in “The Sublease” (ILL S3;E31), and Mario the gondolier in “The Visitor from Italy” (ILL S6;E5). He also appeared on two episodes of “The Lucy Show,” but dapper Novello is probably best remembered for playing Mayor Lugatto on “McHale’s Navy” in 1965.

THE EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers, it’s late afternoon and George Cooper is on his way home from the bank. He just got his car out of Miller’s Garage where he left it to be overhauled and is on his way to Sally’s Beauty Parlor where he left his wife Liz – to be overhauled. He pulls to a stop by an attractive girl standing on the corner.”

The attractive girl is Liz. She can’t open the car door because her nail polish isn’t dry. Liz laments that George isn’t more of a gentleman. She is upset about some gossip she heard from her beauty operator, Sally.  

LIZ: “Who do you think is giving a party and not invited us?”
GEORGE: “Elsa Maxwell?”

Elsa Maxwell (1883-1963) was a famous gossip columnist and professional hostess renowned for throwing parties for royalty and high society figures. In an episode of “I Love Lucy” titled “Housewarming” (ILL S6;E23) in 1957, Ethel Mertz refers to Betty Ramsey as “the Elsa Maxwell of Westport”. Maxwell’s mention is the first, but not the last, foreshadowing of “Housewarming” in this radio show. 

Liz finally tells George that it is the Atterburys! They are giving a masquerade party on Halloween night. George says that their invitation will probably be in the morning mail.

LIZ: “Well if it isn’t, I know what I’m going to do: I’m going to R.S.V.P. without being A.S.K.E.D.!”

Next morning at breakfast, Liz is anxiously waiting at the window for the mailman. Liz theorizes that Mr. Negley the postman is late because Katie is off and not there to give him a morning cup of coffee.Katie is sweet on Mr. Negly. 

Mr. Negley (Jay Novello) is at the door. He tells Liz he likes Katie. Liz listens patiently, but just wants her mail. 

MR. NEGLEY: “Someday, if things go well, maybe she’ll let me put my stamp on her envelope. I’d love to change her zone number to mine. But she’s really too good for me. She’s first class matter. She’s better than that. She’s air mail special delivery! Registered!”
LIZ: “Look, Mr. Negley, someday I hope you and Katie settle down and raise a lot of little postcards, but right now… will you please give me our mail?”

Zone Numbers were the pre-cursor to the modern American Zip (Zone Improvement Plan) Codes. Zone Numbers were first adopted in 1943 because after World War II people sending more mail. Also, the post office was hiring a lot of new and inexperienced workers to replace those who had gone to fight the war, and the numerical city codes made it easier for those new people to sort the mail quickly. The Zone Numbers were replaced by more specific ZIP Codes (which often incorporated the existing Zone Number) in 1963. 

Mr. Negley finds a letter for her, but Liz grabs it so fast it tears in half! 

LIZ (reading her half): “You are cordially invited…” 
MR. NEGLEY (reading his half): “To bring your car home for service.”

Liz tussles with Mr. Negley to search his mailbag, unsorting all his mail. 

MR. NEGLEY (angry): “Just leave me alone. And if you’re talking about Mrs. Atterbury’s party, I delivered those invitations last week and you didn’t get one and I’m glad, do you hear me? Glad, glad, glad!“

Later at the Atterbury’s, Iris excitedly informs Rudolph that Liz has just phoned and is coming right over. Mr. Atterbury is upset that he can’t watch television. 

RUDOLPH: “I have to miss “Hopalong Cassidy”?  This may be the night he gets killed!”
LIZ: “I guarantee he won’t!” 

“Hopalong Cassidy” made the leap from books and movies to the small screen on June 24, 1949, kicking off the legacy of the Western on television. These were not new, but simply cut-down versions of the feature films that were in cinemas from 1935 to 1948. The film / TV series had William Boyd in the title role. Iris mentioned the TV program two weeks earlier in “Too Many Television Sets”.  

Iris confirms the plan that they are giving a surprise Halloween Party for the Coopers at their home!  She reminds Rudolph not to mention Halloween during the Coopers’ visit.  

When the Coopers arrive, no one has much to talk about so Liz asks what they are doing for Halloween. She drops hints about being invited to a party. Liz thinks Iris is about to extend the long-awaited invitation, but instead she invites Liz to help collect newspapers for the Salvation Army. 

In a March 1963 episode of “The Lucy Show” Lucy Carmichael, Vivian Bagley, and Audrey Simmons (Mary Jane Croft) collect newspapers for salvage in order to pay for new uniforms for the Danfield Volunteer Fire Department.  

When the subject turns to everyone’s plans for Halloween, the Atterburys lie and tell the Coopers that Iris’s mother is ill so they are having dinner with her.

RUDOLPH: “Yes, we always spend Halloween with the old witch!” 

In “Housewarming,” Lucy Ricardo also starts to cry when she believes none of her friends care about her enough to attend her housewarming party. 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. Dance lessons were purported to increase a person’s social skills and create a better social life. Arthur Murray is mentioned in “The Young Fans” (ILL S1;E20), and in Desi Arnaz’s popular song, “Cuban Pete”.  On “My Favorite Husband,” he was mentioned in “Dance Lessons” (naturally). 

Liz has a new idea. They will go to the Atterbury party in disguise. They will ask about the Coopers and see how their friends respond. Driving over, George and Liz are dressed as policemen carrying loaded (water) pistols. For fun, Liz decides to tune their radio to the police band and they hear a report about thieves in Halloween costumes crashing parties and burgling houses. 

George is pulled over for going too slow. At first, the traffic cop (Hans Conried) thinks they are real policemen. He soon starts to get suspicious and asks to see Liz’s  badge.

COP (reading): “Post Toasties Junior G-Men.” 

The Junior G-Men was an American boys club during the late 1930s and early 1940s. It was started by Melvin Purvis, a former FBI agent who helped lead the manhunt on John Dillinger. He hosted a children’s radio program in 1936 called "Junior G-Men” and listeners could join the club to receive badges, manuals and secret agent props. Purvis became the face of General Foods’ Post Toasties breakfast cereal in the late 1930s. 

George confesses he’s not a cop but a bank Vice President. He asks the Cop to drive home with him so he can provide proper identification. When they get there, they see people creeping in their back door!  Liz says they’d better call the police!

COP: “Whaddya think I am? Western Union?”

The Western Union Company is a worldwide financial services and communications company founded in 1851. Until it discontinued the service in 2006, Western Union was the leading American company in the business of transmitting and delivering telegrams. In the 1930s and 40s, their telegram delivery boys wore navy blue uniforms, not unlike police officers. On “I Love Lucy” telegrams and Western Union messengers were often involved in episodes to deliver news or other plot information.

Stealthily entering the Cooper house, they are greeted with shouts of surprise and Liz realizes that the Halloween Party was for them all along. The Cop is still suspicious that they are all in it together and everyone thinks the real Cop is in a masquerade costume!  Liz is happy to see so many people. 

LIZ: “Oh, George!  And we thought nobody liked us!” 

In the live Jell-O commercial, Lucille Ball pretends to be a fortune teller named Crystal Ball.  

LEMOND: “Good afternoon. Are you Madame Ball?
BALL: “Cross my palm with silver.” 
LEMOND: “But your hand is bandaged! What – what happened?”
BALL: “My last customer crossed my palm with silver.”
LEMOND: “Well, who was he?”
BALL: “The Lone Ranger!”

“The Lone Ranger” is an western drama television series that aired on began airing just a month before this broadcast in 1949. Silver was the name of the Lone Ranger’s horse!

LeMond asks Crystal to gaze into her ball and see if there is anything about Jell-O pudding. 

LUCY: “Let’s see, there’s the results for tomorrow’s races; we don’t want those.  Uh, the inauguration of our next president; no, no, no. Uh, who’s going to play in the Rose Bowl game? No, no, no. Nope, nothing here about Jell-O Chocolate Pudding.”

1949 was not a presidential election year. Harry S. Truman had won a second term in November 1948 and was inaugurated was seeking a second term in January 1949. The next US President would be elected in November 1952: Dwight D. Eisenhower. The 1950 Rose Bowl was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Monday, January 2nd. Ohio State Buckeyes, upset the California Golden Bears 17–14.

LUCY: “Well! Look at all the Jell-O Puddings! Everyone’s crazy about them! Old people are saying: ‘Jell-O Puddings are fine.’ Young people are saying: ‘Jell-O Puddings are great!’ Gay people are saying: (Lucy Laughs) ‘Jell-O Puddings are swell’!“

“My Favorite Husband” was described as “The Gay Family Series”. In 1949, the term gay referred to happy go-lucky / carefree – not to being homosexual. Although the term existed within the LGBTQ community, it was not commonplace until the 1960s. 

FAST FORWARD!

In the early 1960s, Halco manufactured a Lucille Ball Halloween costume. Kids could trick or treat as Lucy!