THE SLEIGH RIDE

December 23, 1949

“The Sleigh Ride” (aka “Christmas Caroling In A Stolen Sleigh”) is episode #67 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on December 23, 1949.

Synopsis ~ Liz is taken for a sleigh ride (figuratively and literally) when she and her neighbors borrow a milkman’s horse and make a jingle bell trip to the countryside for a yule log. The party turns sour down when the horse insists upon making all the stops on his milk route.

This was the 12th episode of the second season of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND. There were 47 new episodes, with the season ending on June 25, 1950.

“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.

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Mr. Wood, The Cooper’s Neighbor / Mr. Gundelfinger, Antique Store Owner) 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.  

Mr. Wood has eleven children. Mr. Gundelfinger was born Mr. Gundelfoot, but is in the process of changing it to Smith. 

Frank Nelson (Policeman) 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 marked his final appearance on a Lucille Ball sitcom.

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

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers today they’re in the living room preparing to decorate their Christmas tree. George is snipping a twig here and one there to balance the tree and Liz is just bringing in the ornaments.” 

Liz is appalled that George has cut so many limbs off the tree trying to balance it.   

GEORGE: “I only cut a few twigs off the top.”
LIZ: “A few twigs? I’m up to my spine in pine.”

On “The I Love Lucy Christmas Show” (1956) Fred Mertz also tries to balance the Christmas tree by cutting off ‘a few limbs’!  

Liz wishes they could turn back the clock to earlier days when folks went out caroling in a sleigh to get their Christmas tree and a Yule log. George thinks that is just propaganda, but Liz shows them the Christmas card from the Ronys.  George wonders Liz would even get a sleigh in this day and age.  George agrees if she can get a sleigh, he will go caroling with her. 

Later, Liz calls Sam’s Livery Stable to rent a sleigh. They think she’s kidding and hang up.  Mr. Wood comes to the door. He is looking to hide out from his 11 children on Christmas vacation. Hanging up all eleven stockings make it look like the washing machine exploded in the living room. Liz asks Mr. Wood if he can carol, and he launches into a robust chorus of “Deck the Halls”.  Liz explains her predicament and Mr. Wood says that he knows the owner of the antique store, Joe Gundelfinger, has one. 

In the final scene of “Together for Christmas” (TLS S1;E13), carolers enter the Carmichael living room singing “Deck the Halls.”

At Gundelfinger’s Antique Shop, the old, rickety sleigh is in the front yard, holding pots of ivy. The store is closed because Gundelfinger is at court having his name changed again, so Liz and Mr. Wood decide to “borrow” the sleigh.  They have to pull it home but lack the ‘manpower’. 

Mr. Negly (Jay Novello), the postman shows up. He is too tired to help but joins in with a less robust chorus of “Deck the Halls.” He decides to go home and get his motorcycle to pull the sled. 

On the day of the caroling, everyone is bundled up and ready to go: Liz, Katie, Mr. Negley, Mr. Wood, and last but not least George. Mr. Negley forgets to put the harness on and cycles off without them. 

End of Part One

Bob LeMond does a commercial for Jell-O, giving out a holiday recipe. 

Part Two

ANNOUNCER: “The sleigh proved too much of a load for Mr. Negley’s motorcycle and we find our old fashioned carolers heeding that old fashioned advice: get a horse.  They’re trudging down the street, horse-ward bound.”

The milkman has said he would loan them his horse. On the way there, they pass a warm-looking home, so the frozen carolers decide to serenade the homeowners with a chorus of “Jingle Bells” to see if they’ll get invited inside for a hot drink and to warm themselves by the fire. Instead, they get sprayed with a seltzer spritzer!  

In “Lucy Goes To Sun Valley” (LDCH S1;E5), Lucy says that Ricky proposed to her at Christmastime, so their ‘song’ is “Jingle Bells,” or – as Ricky pronounces it – “Yingle Bells.”  “Jingle Bells” was heard annually on the show as part of the Christmas Tag and then “The ‘I Love Lucy’ Christmas Show” (1956).  It was also sung on “Together For Christmas” (TLS S1;E13) in 1962. 

When Katie is trying to pour out a cup of hot chocolate during the caroling, a passerby throws a coin into the cup as if they were buskers. A policeman (Frank Nelson) comes along and believes them to be panhandlers!  George introduces himself, and just as the officer is about to protest, Liz compliments his baritone voice and he allows them to go. 

At the police station, Mr. Gundlefinger (Hans Conried, again) arrives to report the theft of his sleigh.  At first, the policeman (Frank Nelson, again) believes he is talking about an automobile. 

GUNDELFINGER: “It was out in front of my shop with ivy in it.”
POLICEMAN: “Ivy who?”
GUNDELFINGER: “Just ivy. Little leaves and stems.”
POLICEMAN: “Oh. What was the make?”
GUNDELFINGER: “Flexible Flyer. Their big model.” 
POLICEMAN: “Oh, sedan, huh?”
GUNDELFINGER: “No. One horse open.” 

Flexible Flyer is best known for the sled of the same name, a steerable wooden sled with steel runners first patented in 1889. Flexible Flyer, however, did not manufacture passenger sleighs like the one discussed in here. 

Mr. Gundelfinger says he has a buyer for the sleigh and needs to get it back!  The policeman calls him Kris Kringle and suspects him to be a crackpot. 

At the same time, the Cooper carolers have gotten the horse hitched up and are singing up a storm. The policeman ‘pulls them over’ and tells them to go home. Liz insists they can take the sleigh back later. 

The policeman pursues them, but the horse stops at every milk stop, allowing the cop to catch up!  George takes the reins, but the horse refuses to turn.  The horse bolts, leaving them stranded in the middle of an intersection in a stolen sleigh. The officer will escort them back to the antiques store if they can just move the sleigh out of the street. With George and the other men pulling it and Liz at the reins, they are finally successful. 

In the live Jell-O commercial, Lucille Ball plays a little girl going to see Santa at the North Pole and Bob LeMond is Santa Claus. Santa refuses to make his rounds this year. He isn’t in the mood. The little girl tries to bribe him with sweets. He is reluctant until she promises him Jell-O! Santa agrees to make his rounds and the little girl wishes everyone a Merry Christmas! 

ANNOUNCER: “Watch for Lucille Ball in the Columbia picture ‘Miss Grant Takes Richmond’.”