December 18, 1948
“Liz’s New Dress” is episode #23 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on December 18, 1948.
Synopsis ~ Liz is determined to have a new dress to wear to he Atterburys’ party, even if she has to make it herself!
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.
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) 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
Frank Nelson (Sylvester) 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.
Mr. Sylvester owns and operates a high end boutique.
Joseph Kearns (Rudolph Atterbury, George’s Boss) appeared on “I Love Lucy” as the psychiatrist in “The Kleptomaniac” (ILL S1;E27) and later played the theatre manager in “Lucy’s Night in Town” (S6;E22). His most famous role was as Mr. Wilson on TV’s “Dennis the Menace” (1959). When he passed away during the show’s final season, Lucy regular Gale Gordon took over for him, playing his brother.
This is the character’s introduction. He will also be played by Hans Conried, before the character is made a regular with the casting of Gale Gordon.
Frances Chaney (Marge Van Tassle) was a Ukrainian-born actress who was active in radio programs produced by the Armed Forces Radio Service. She was married to both Ring Lardner Jr. and his brother David. She played the recurring character of Jeanne Culpepper on TV’s “The Edge of Night” from 1958-69.
EPISODE
ANNOUNCER: “As we drop in on the Cugats this morning we find them still upstairs getting dressed…”
Liz asks George to button up the back of her dress, kissing her while he does. He tells her the Atterbury’s are having a party tomorrow night. Liz complains that she has nothing to wear, which George anticipates since she always says the same thing. George opens her closet to prove her wrong.
GEORGE: “What about this red one?”
LIZ: “The color’s all wrong for me. With my red hair and that red dress I’ll look like I’m peeking out of a carrot.”
Liz wishes it was a New Year’s Eve party so she could just wear some ribbons around her middle and go as 1949. Liz jokingly says that she’s going to have a new dress for the party if she has to make it herself. George reminds her that the pioneer women made their own dresses by shearing the sheep and weaving the cloth!
LIZ: “You’re right, George. On your way home from work, pick me up a couple of sheep!”
George thinks this is a great idea for Liz to make her own dress so Liz accepts the challenge!
“Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25) in March 1952 also challenged Lucy to a pioneer lifestyle and “Lucy Buys a Sheep” (TLS S1;E5) in October 1962, but to mow her grass, not to give her wool!
That afternoon, Liz tells Katie the Maid that she has been reading up on sewing in order to make her dress. Liz has bought 25 yards of purple material. Katie says she only needs three! Liz has also bought a pattern but is confused.
LIZ: “What part of me is my Buttericks?”
KATIE: “That’s the name of the pattern maker!”
The Buttericks Company was formed in the 1860s and is still in business today. Lucille Ball partnered with Hollywood Patterns during her RKO years and her photo was used on many patterns. In the 1950s, Advance Patterns licensed the image of Lucy and Desi to market “I Love Lucy”-themed patterns for men and women.
Liz tries to cut out her dress, but forgets to unfold the fabric, creating eight sleeves!
She decides to leave the cutting to Katie and she will do the sewing. She finally finishes, but she can’t get the dress on because she sewed up the neck and arm holes. She tries fixing it with the scissors, but instead makes it strapless and backless!
The dress is a complete failure, but Liz decides to tell George she is wearing it anyway, hoping he’ll insist she buy a new dress for the party.
In “Lucy Wants New Furniture” (ILL S2;E28) in June 1953, Lucy makes her own dress to save money so she can afford new furniture. The results are similarly dreadful!
After dinner, Liz presents her ‘new look’ to George who says it looks great! But he only said it so as not to hurt her feelings. They cuddle and coo and laugh about it.
GEORGE: “It’s a lucky thing for you the marriage contract doesn’t contain a sanity clause.”
LIZ: “Oh, George! There is no sanity clause!”
After all their canoodling, Liz still wants the a new dress and George still says no! Liz tells Katie that she will buy a dress anyway and just charge it!
At the bank, Mr. Atterbury (Joseph Kearns) commiserates with George about his wife wanting a new dress.
MR. ATTERBURY: “I’d be happy to buy clothes for Iris, but she’s so darn big. It’d be cheaper to have her reupholstered. Around the holidays, it’s dangerous for her to lie down with an apple in her mouth!”
Starting in Spring 1949, the role of Rudolph’s wife, Iris Atterbury, will be played by Bea Benadaret, a sturdy woman, but arguably not fat. But this is, after all, radio.
Mr. Atterbury has an idea: take an old dress from each woman and give it to the other as new! The aren’t troubled by sizes or fashion. He tells George to go to a high class boutique like Sylvester’s to get some empty boxes for the old dresses.
At the same time, Liz and her friend Marge Van Tassle are shopping – at Sylvester’s! Mr. Sylvester (Frank Nelson) grandly presents himself to his new customers. He makes them take a ‘loyalty oath’.
SYLVESTER: “Are you now or have you ever been, a shopper in Macy’s basement?”
In “The Fashion Show” (ILL S4;E20 in 1955, while shopping at Don Loper’s Salon in Hollywood, Ethel Mertz says that she’s more comfortable in Gimbel’s basement. Their flagship store held a long-standing rivalry with neighbor Macy’s, which was prominently featured in “Lucy Meets Orson Welles” (ILL S6;E3). In both stores bargains would generally be found in their basement levels.
“Are you now or have you ever been..” is the exact phrase that was used by US Federal investigators questioning those suspected of being communists during the ‘red scare’ of the late 1940s and ‘50s. No doubt Lucille Ball herself faced this question in September 1953, when she was accused of being a communist sympathizer.
Having passed Sylvester’s loyalty test, he shows them some high-priced gowns. Sylvester tempts them but they cannot afford anything in the shop. When he goes off to get more to show them, Liz gets an idea. Since she has her purple monstrosity with her, she decides to attach a Sylvester price tag to it and see what he’ll charge for it!
Pointing to the garment’s belt made from mens’ garters, Liz insists it must be a French import.
LIZ: “It says so, right here on the garter – it says Paris!”
From 1908, Paris was a manufacturer of belts, suspenders and men’s sock garters. Despite their name, Paris was made in the USA by A. Stein & Company. Sock garters are no longer manufactured due to the creation of synthetic fabrics that cling to the leg, keeping the sock from falling.
Liz admits she played a trick on Sylvester and that she created the gown. Just then, Marge sees George come through the door. The girls leave in a hurry. George buys a couple of dress boxes from Mr. Sylvester, which he initially wants to charge George $25 for! George offers him a dollar and he takes it!
The idea of passing off used clothing in new garment boxes was used in “Changing the Boys’ Wardrobe” (ILL S3;E10) in December 1953. To get even with Lucy for selling his old clothes, Ricky gets some empty boxes from Brooks Brothers and puts his re-purchased garments inside.
George comes home early with her present in a Sylvester’s box. Liz immediately spots it as Iris Atterbury’s old dress!
LIZ: “I’ve seen her wear it! Thursday night, May 12, 1938. She walked into the country club dance at 8:33pm. She walked in with door with Alice Sturm, who was wearing a blue taffeta formal with a pink jacket and some tiny cerise flowers tucked into the yellow sash.”
In real life, on Thursday May 12, 1938, Lucille Ball’s new film Go Chase Yourself starring Joe Penner opened wide in cinemas across America after an April 22, 1938 premiere.
George admits his joke. Liz is tearful. George is repentant and agrees to buy her a new green dress she admired at Sylvester’s! He dashes off before they close but returns with the purple dress instead. After a moment of disappointment from Liz, he admits he was just kidding and has bought her the green dress, too!
LIZ: “Oh, George! You’re my favorite husband!”
After a public service announcement about the importance of the US Constitution, Liz and George return for the conclusion.
Liz wakes George in the middle of the night to ask what he has bought her for Christmas. She hints that she wants a mink coat! He says he knows already because she squeezed out the word ‘mink’ in toothpaste on the bathroom mirror!
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