GEORGE’S CHRISTMAS PRESENT

December 16, 1949

“George’s Christmas Present” (aka “The Christmas Present Switch”) is episode #67 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on December 16, 1949.

Synopsis ~ Liz vows to finish knitting George a sweater by Christmas. She finds George’s Christmas presents for her and exchanges it too early.

This was the 16th episode of the second season of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND. There were 43 new episodes, with the season ending on June 25, 1950.

This episode has been fully animated using the original soundtrack.  The animation was created in 2010 by Wayne Wilson and is available to view on Vimeo. 

“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 (Rudolph Atterbury) and Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury), do not appear in this episode, although their characters are mentioned. 

GUEST CAST

Frank Nelson (Miller’s Exchange Counter Clerk) 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.

Eleanor Audley (Mother Cooper) would later play Eleanor Spalding, owner of the Westport home the Ricardos buy in “Lucy Wants To Move to the Country” (ILL S6;E15) in 1957, as well as one of the Garden Club judges in “Lucy Raises Tulips” (ILL S6;E26).

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Cooper’s it’s morning and there are seven shopping days left until Christmas.”

Liz is pressing Katie the Maid about what George may have bought her for Christmas. She is knitting George a sweater, but wants a fur coat from George. Liz sings “Jingle Bells” as George comes down to breakfast. 

“Jingle Bells”

by James Lord Pierpont (1822–93)
was sung in the “I Love Lucy” Christmas tag, the “I Love Lucy Christmas Special” (above, colorized), as well as in “Lucy Goes to Sun Valley,” a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” Lucy says that Ricky proposed to her at Christmastime, so their ‘song’ is “Jingle Bells,” or – as Ricky pronounces it – “Yingle Bells.” The song was also sung by Lucy Carmichael and Vivian Bagley in “Together for Christmas” (TLS S1;E13) in 1962.  

Liz is acting lovey-dovey, but George is on to her games – he won’t tell her what he is getting her for Christmas. 

LIZ: “Are you getting me a mink stole?”
GEORGE: “If I got you a mink, it would have to be stole!”

Liz is adamant that George is just getting a sweater and starts knitting. Katie doesn’t even recognize it as a sweater. It has two neck holes and a sock knitted to the sleeve!  Liz laments that she can’t knit like George’s mother, who Liz calls Nosy Rosy. Katie reminds Liz that Mother Cooper is coming over for a visit. 

Mother Cooper (Eleanor Audley) waltzes in without ringing the bell. She first thinks the sweater is a dust rag, then a dog sweater. Liz tells her that it is a sweater for George and Mother laughs. 

MOTHER (laughing): “I could die!”
LIZ (grimly): “Yes, but you won’t.”

Mother has come over to tell Liz that she will be spending Christmas with Aunt Bessie, instead of with her and George. Before she goes, she bluntly tells Liz to give up on knitting; she hasn’t got the talent.  Mother turns to go. 

LIZ: “Are you driving, or shall I call the Yellow Broomstick Company?” 

Liz is essentially calling her mother-in-law a witch! The Yellow Cab was a taxicab company in Chicago founded in 1907 by John D. Hertz, who later began the Hertz Rent-A-Car Company. In early 1950, Red Skelton, a frequent co-star of Ball’s, released the MGM film The Yellow Cab Man. Although it had not yet premiered, shooting was completed by October 1949 and Lucille Ball may have been short-listed for the role played by Gloria De Haven. 

Before she departs, Mother Cooper tells Liz she has knit her son a beautiful cashmere sweater for Christmas, making Liz even more intent on making hers even better and more beautiful. 

In Part Two, Katie discovers Liz asleep with the knitting needles in her hands, exhausted. After an all-nighter, Katie still sees that the sweater still has three sleeves! 

At breakfast, Liz’s eyes are so bloodshot she mistakes milk for tomato juice!  When George discovers that she’s been knitting him a sweater, he laughs. After George goes to work, Katie discovers another wrapped box in the closet.  Liz opens it to reveal a bright red dress from Miller’s Department Store. Liz is upset because she cannot wear red with her hair coloring. 

LIZ: “If I put that dress on, I’ll look like an ad for Unguentine!” 

Unguentine is a commercially available topical skin ointment that helps alleviate minor burns and irritations. It was originally introduced in 1893. It was mentioned on “I Love Lucy” in “The Fashion Show” (ILL S4;E20) in 1955. 

Liz dashes off to Miller’s to try and exchange the red dress for one in green.  While waiting on line at the exchange counter, Liz busily knits. At the head of the line, the clerk (Frank Nelson) is confused as to why Liz is exchanging a present BEFORE Christmas!  He sarcastically tells her she should exchange the red dress for a black one and give it a henna rinse!  

Miller’s Department Store is mentioned in “Husbands Are Sloppy Dressers” (S3;E1) and “The Two Mrs. Coopers” (S3;E7). 

LIZ: “Oh, I’ll bet you’re a scream when you get out your chicken inspector badge.” 

Lucille Ball started coloring her hair with Henna Rinse (an Egyptian hair dye) in 1942 for the film Du Barry Was a Lady, to set herself apart in Technicolor movies. Irma Kusely, Ball’s hairstylist, later said that Ball had a safe of it in her garage!  In “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25) in 1952, Fred Mertz struts around and proudly declares “I am the chicken inspector!” This is 1920s slang for a man who has an eye for young woman. He even wears a novelty badge!

Liz rushes home to tell Katie she exchanged the red dress for one in Kelly green. George calls to tell Liz that he is bringing his mother home to give her a Christmas present before she goes to Aunt Bessie’s!  Liz realizes that this is the dress that she just exchanged.  

Liz rushes back to Miller’s to be greeted by the same sarcastic clerk, who can’t understand why she wants yet another exchange.  

Back at home, Liz tells Katie she successfully re-exchanged the green dress for the red one. Katie tells Liz that she finished knitting the sweater for her and has tucked it into the desk drawer. 

George and his mother come home and Liz gives her the present – only to find out from George that the gift she handed Mother is for her, not Mother Cooper!  While George is getting his mother’s REAL present, Mother Cooper asks Liz how the sweater is coming along. Liz opens the desk drawer and Mother Cooper accuses her of buying the sweater not making it. 

As she’s getting into the taxi, George notices a piece of yarn leading from the taxi, up the sidewalk and into the desk!  Mother Cooper has secretly taken the sweater so as not to be upstaged by Liz. Now the sweater has unraveled, leaving only two inches on the needles!  

END OF EPISODE

Announcer Bob LeMond reminds listeners to watch for Lucille Ball in the Columbia Picture Miss Grant Takes Richmond.