MADELYN PUGH

March 15, 1921

Madelyn Laverne Pugh was born in Indianapolis in 1921. She became interested in writing at  Shortridge High School with classmate Kurt Vonnegut. She graduated from Indiana University School of Journalism in 1942. Her first professional writing job was writing short radio spots for an Indianapolis radio station.

When her family moved to California, she got work as a radio writer, first for NBC and then CBS where she forged a partnership with Bob Carroll Jr. which lasted more than 50 years. Together they wrote some 400 television programs and roughly 500 radio shows. While writing for “The Steve Allen Show”, they became interested in writing for Lucille Ball’s new radio show, “My Favorite Husband”. Under the supervision of head writer Jess Oppenheimer, the pair wrote Ball’s radio program for its 2½ years. 

Pugh and Carroll helped create a vaudeville act for Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, which became the basis for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy.”  Pugh was credited with co-writing all 180 episodes of the series from 1951 to 1957. Starting with season six her on-screen credit read Madelyn Martin after her marriage to TV producer Quinn Martin. 

As the final scene of “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (ILL S2;E25) opens at the Tropicana, Ricky thanks

“Pugh and Carroll – the two greatest contortionists in America today.”  

This inside joke refers to the fact that the writers tried out all of Lucy’s stunts before they wrote them into the script.

In “Pregnant Women are Unpredictable” (ILL S2;E11), Lucy can’t decide on what to name her unborn baby.  After an episode full of male / female name possibilities (including Unique and Euphonious) the episode ends with Lucy saying,

“You don’t love little Robert or Madelyn!”

Although never a performer, Pugh (along with Carroll) appeared as extras in the café scene in “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18) on February 27, 1956.

With Carroll, she also wrote episodes of: 

“The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” ~ 5 of 13 episodes from 1957 to 1958. She served as script consultant for the remaining 7 episodes. 

“The Lucy Show” ~  58 of 156 episodes from 1962 to 1964. She was also the show’s co-creator.

“Here’s Lucy” ~ 24 of 144 episodes from 1970 to 1974. Her onscreen credit now read Madelyn Davis after her marriage to Richard Davis. 

“Life with Lucy” ~ 4 of 13 episodes in 1986. She was also the show’s co-creator and producer.  

Madelyn also co-created Desilu’s “Those Whiting Girls” (1955), an “I Love Lucy” summer replacement series. 

She co-wrote “K.O. Kitty”, an episode of “The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse” starring Lucille Ball in her first non-Lucy Ricardo role in 1958. 

Davis and Carroll created and wrote the successful Desi Arnaz-produced series “The Mothers-in-Law” (1967-69) which starred Lucille Ball’s longtime MGM pals Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard.  Producer Desi did two cameos on the show.

Just prior to that, working with Desi and not Lucy, they created “The Carol Channing Show” (1966), but the pilot was not picked up for production.

They also wrote the story for the film (a rare non-TV endeavor) Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) based on the book “Who Gets the Drumstick” by Helen Beardsley.

Carroll and Pugh served as executive producers and did some writing for the hit television series “Alice”, starring Linda Lavin, for which the duo won a Golden Globe Award. Desi Arnaz appeared on the sitcom in 1978.

In 1979 Lucille Ball recruited Carroll and Davis to pen one last adventure: “Lucy Calls The President” – an hour-long special featuring many of Ball’s former co-stars.

Madelyn Pugh Davis’ memoir, Laughing with Lucy, was released September 2005.

Pugh and Carroll were nominated for three Emmy Awards for their work on “I Love Lucy.”

She died on April 20, 2011 at age 90.