February 24, 1950
“Liz Redecorates the House” is episode #77 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on February 24, 1950.
Synopsis ~ Liz wants to hire the town’s new interior decorator, Andrew, to redecorate her house, but George tells her she’ll have to do the job all by herself.
Although this script never directly inspired any specific episode of “I Love Lucy” the subject of DIY redecorating was explored several times on the show, as well as on “The Lucy Show.” It is most like 1952′s “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8), which also featured Hans Conried, although in a different capacity.
“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 Benadaret 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.
Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz (above right), 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
Hans Conried (Andrew / Mr. Thompson) 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.
GeGe Pearson (Mrs. Thompson) will play a New York City tourist in “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” (ILL S5;E1) in 1955. She did the episode with her real-life husband, Hal Gerard (above). In 1956 the couple returned to CBS to appear in the same episode of “Damon Runyon Theatre.” She is perhaps best remembered as the voice of Crusader Rabbit. The couple died just a year apart in 1975 and 1976.
EPISODE
ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers’ it’s just after dinner. Liz has something she wants to say to George.”
LIZ: “Go ahead! Pretend I’m zucchini and squash me.”
MR. ATTERBURY: “Think of me as Paul Revere. ‘To arms! To arms! The red drapes are coming’!”
Paul Revere (1734-1818) was a silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, and Patriot in the American Revolution. He is best known for his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia in April 1775 to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord. He supposedly cried out “To arms! The redcoats are coming!” On a 1964 “The Jack Benny Program,” Lucille Ball played and Jack Benny played Mr. and Mrs. Paul Revere.
George hangs up with Mr. Atterbury and quickly tells Liz that he will not allow her to redecorate the house. He is happy with the furniture as it is. Even the well-worn, lumpy sofa.
LIZ: “It bulges where you’re baggy and it bags where you’re bulgy.”
Even though George has said no, she tells him Andrew is coming by to look at the place anyway. The doorbell rings and Andrew (Hans Conried) arrives. He can barely stand to look at her rugs, her furniture and walls! He announces that he hates her house! Liz explains that her husband has forbidden her to redecorate, but Liz wants to negotiate his $3,000 fee and ask George again.
Liz introduces Andrew to George, who tells him he likes the house the way it is. Insulted, Andrew leaves, but not before calling the house a pigpen! George calls Andrew a phony and says Liz could do a better job herself. When Liz likes the idea, George gives her a measly $25 budget, but Liz accepts the challenge!
A few days later, Liz calls Katie to show off how she turned an end table into a coffee table by sawing off the legs. Unfortunately, the ashtray keeps sliding to the floor. She attributes it to their floor sloping!
In “Lucy Hates To Leave” (ILL S6;E16),
Lucy is horrified to learn that the new tenant Mrs. Taylor wants to paint the coffee table black and saw the legs off the sofa. DIY has its limits!
Liz recruits Katie to help her paint the walls. To stay within budget, she’s bought just a pint of paint and borrowed a brush from her watercolor set. Liz leaves Katie to paint while she wallpapers the dining room.
When she’s finished she wants to show off her handiwork to Katie, but can’t find the door. Liz has papered right over the door!
KATIE: “Aren’t the stripes on wallpapers supposed to go up and and down?”
LIZ: “Now that I look at it, it makes the room look short and fat, doesn’t it?”
The horizontal striped wallpaper and papering over the door gag later turned up on “I Love Lucy” in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8). It must have been very satisfying for the writers to finally see their very funny idea on radio made into a visual gag for television!
Katie hasn’t been any more successful in the dining room. She borrowed a paint sprayer from next door and it had some red paint left in it. The result is a red and green speckled dining room! The doorbell rings and it is Andrew dropping by. Appalled at her DIY disaster, he tells Liz he will do over her house for free if he can use her it as a sample of his work. She’s reluctant.
George telephones to say he’s invited the Atterbury’s over for dinner to see the results of her hard work. Liz realizes she has no choice: she will allow Andrew to make over her home if he can do it by dinner time!
At the stroke of 6pm, he finishes his work, although Liz isn’t sure his style is to her liking: a coffee grinder made out of an old lamp and a sectional couch. George arrives with Mr. and Mrs. Atterbury and Andrew slips out the back. While the men admire what Liz has done on a budget, Iris doubts Liz did all of this on her own. Liz chalks it up to “American Know-How”!
“American Know-How” was a post-war slogan to engender pride in American manufacturing and foreign relations. Although it was frequently in the headlines, it was not a immune from being commercialized by advertisers. The mention gets a big laugh from the “My Favorite Husband” studio audience.
Mr. Atterbury wants Iris to learn from Liz’s success. The doorbell rings. It is an elderly couple named Mr. and Mrs. Thompson (Hans Conried and Gege Pearson) sent by Andrew to see the house. So not to have to reveal the true nature of their visit in front of George and the Atterburys, Liz decides to introduce them as old friends.
Liz tries to make small talk with the Thompsons but they insist on examining the furniture instead.
MR. THOMPSON: “Did you ever see such funny looking legs on anything in your life?”
MR. ATTERBURY: “One moment there! You’re speaking of my wife!”
MR. THOMPSON: “Oh, don’t get so touchy. I meant the table!”
The Thompsons are unimpressed and they decide to leave, but not before letting it slip that they were sent by Andrew. The jig is up! The doorbell rings again and it is Andrew with throngs of people in tow to see the house! The house is over-run with prospective customers for Andrew’s decorating skills!
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