MARRYING OFF PEGGY MARTIN

December 2, 1950

“Marrying Off Peggy Martin” (aka “Trying To Marry Off Peggy Martin”) is episode #107 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on December 2, 1950.

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

Synopsis ~

Liz tries to play matchmaker for Peggy Martin with one of George’s clients, but both the client and George think that Liz is going after the guy for herself.

Note: This program was used as a basis for the “I Love Lucy” episode “Lucy Is Matchmaker” (ILL S3;E27), first aired on May 25, 1953.  On television the names have been changed. Mr. Paxton becomes Eddie Grant and Peggy Martin becomes Sylvia Collins (who we never see). Fred Mertz takes the dialogue assigned to Mr. Atterbury and Ethel Mertz takes the lines previously assigned to Iris in the radio script.  

“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) 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.

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, although she is mentioned. 

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Herb Paxton) 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.  

Herb Paxton is an unmarried client of George’s looking to build a factory in Sheridan Falls. When the script was rewritten for television the character’s name was changed to Eddie Grant and the role was played by Hal March.

Sandra Gould (Marge, Bridge Player) 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.

In the television script, the character was changed to Caroline Appleby and played by Doris Singleton.

Leone Ledoux (Bridge Player) was a provider of baby crying sound effects for radio programs that including “The Lux Radio Theater” for CBS during the late 1930’s through the ‘40’s.  Her one television credit was the sitcom “Happy” (1960-61). 

In the television script, the character was changed to Pauline Lopus and played by Peggy Rhea.

THE EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers, it’s afternoon, and we find Liz Cooper entertaining her Tuesday Bridge Club. Throughout the room there’s a quiet concentration on the cards…”

The girls are gabbing about Peggy Martin’s behavior at a recent dance and how their husband’s behaved in her presence.  

MARGE: “What’s she got that we haven’t got?”
LIZ: “No husband.” 

On television, the bridge club will consist of Lucy, Ethel, Caroline Appleby (Doris Singleton) and Pauline Lopus (Peggy Rhea).  

George comes home for dinner with an important client and a bachelor. George warns her “no matchmaking”!  Liz wonders why a  handsome, successful man like Mr. Paxton is unmarried. 

The next day, Liz calls Iris to tell him about Mr. Paxton, the perfect man for Peggy Martin. Knowing that Paxton is staying at the Sheridan Arms Hotel, she decides to go down there and see him.  

On television, the Sheridan Arms Hotel becomes The Sherry-Plaza. The name is a amalgamation of the real Sherry-Netherland and Plaza Hotels in New York City.

Mr. Paxton is happy to see Liz – a little too happy – thinking that she has come there for a romantic affair.  Liz tries to avoid his advances. Liz explains about Peggy Martin, but Mr. Paxton thinks that SHE is Peggy Martin. Liz sets a date for Peggy and Paxton to meet at 5pm at the corner of Main and Elm and quickly leaves, her dignity intact!  

At home, Liz calls Iris to tell her that Peggy can’t meet Paxton after all. Liz decides she will go to the corner of Main and Elm at 5 o’clock and tell him so herself.  

At the bank, Mr. Atterbury is finishing a meeting with Mr. Paxton. Paxton confides that he has a hot date with a married woman who came to his hotel to ‘make a date for a friend’. Mr. Atterbury gives him directions to Main and Elm.  After Paxton leaves, Mr. Atterbury phones George and tells him about Paxton’s  date and they go off to spy on them and see who this married mystery woman really is!  

On television, Lucy meets Eddie in the lobby of the hotel, which is where Ricky and Fred see them together.  

Back at home, a teary-eyed Liz finishes telling George the whole story and vows never to be a matchmaker again.  They kiss and make up.  

On the phone with Iris, Liz tells her she’s through with meddling. Liz says that she’s just seen Peggy at the beauty parlor and that she’s anxious to meet Mr. Paxton.  As Liz is the only one who knows him, she reluctantly agrees to make the introductions.  

Liz and Iris go over to his hotel and knock on the door.  Paxton quickly slams the door on her. Iris explains that all they wanted to do was set up a date between him and Peggy Martin. Since Peggy is in the lobby, he decides he will go down and meet her. In the meantime, he invites the girls to try on some of his negligee stock, which he will offer them wholesale.  

George and Mr. Atterbury come to the hotel to apologize and go right up to Paxton’s room.  Knocking on the door, they see Liz and Iris in the room wearing expensive negligees! 

GEORGE: “Liz!  You!  Here!  In a negligee!  You must be out of your mind!”
MR. ATTERBURY: “Iris!  You!  Here!  In a negligee!  He must be out of his mind.”

On television, the joke is repeated verbatim (with the obvious exception of the different character names) and gets just as big an audience reaction as it does here on radio! 

Liz tells the truth of what happened, but the men don’t believe a word of it, so Liz spins a more fanciful tale, intimating that they are absolutely having a fling!  Just then the phone rings and it is Mr. Paxton, who says he will be having a drink with Peggy Martin in the lobby. 

Liz demands an apology – and that they buy them the negligees, too! 

END OF EPISODE