GUM MACHINE

April 8, 1949

“Gum Machine” (aka “The Principal of the Thing” aka “Demand Your Rights”) is episode #38 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on April 9, 1949 on the CBS radio network.

Synopsis ~ George tells Liz that she needs to stand up for her rights and stop letting people push her around. So when Liz loses a penny in a broken gum machine, she vows to get her penny back no matter what the cost.

“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.

Gale Gordon and Bea Benadaret do not appear in this episode.

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 (Milkman / Eddie) 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.

Frank Nelson (Cop on the Beat) 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”. This is one of his 11 performances on “My Favorite Husband.”  On “I Love Lucy” he holds the distinction of being the only actor to play two recurring roles: Freddie Fillmore and Ralph Ramsey, as well as six one-off characters, including the frazzled train conductor in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5), a character he repeated on “The Lucy Show.”  Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs.  

Florence Halop (”The Brooklyn Blabbermouth” aka “Nasal Hazel”) was first seen on television with Lucille Ball in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) in which she reprised her role as the party line phone hog. She wouldn’t work for Lucy again until 1974, when she played a Little Old Lady on a Western-themed episode of “Here’s Lucy.” In 1985, she replaced Selma Diamond (who had died of lung cancer) as the bailiff on “Night Court.”

Johnny McGovern (Boy) was just 13 years old when he did this episode.  During this time he also played Little Beaver on the radio series “Red Ryder”.  He was eventually replaced by Sammy Ogg, who played one of the Hudson Twins on “I Love Lucy.” On television, he played Will Thornberry in four episodes of “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” from 1953 to 1955.

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers today, it is breakfast time and at the table a little domestic drama is taking place. George is engrossed in the morning paper and Liz finds herself sitting there with no one to talk to. This of course is a scene, which never happens in any other home. One thing about George though, no matter how interested he is in the paper when Liz speaks he comes right to attention.”

George doesn’t respond when Liz asks for a morning kiss. She lights his newspaper on fire!  

Lucy Ricardo also did this to get Ricky’s attention in “Be a Pal” (ILL S1;E2). 

LIZ: “Ever since spring training started there are eleven of us at breakfast: you, me, and the Dodgers.” 

George promises to put the paper down… as soon as he finishes the article about golf and Demeret. 

Golf pro Jimmy Demaret (1910-83) appeared as himself on “I Love Lucy” in 1954, then again on “The Lucy Show” in 1964. In real life, Lucille Ball and her husbands Desi and Gary were golfers. 

Liz begs him for a kiss, and without paying much attention, he complies. Instead of her lips, he has kissed Liz’s morning grapefruit without even noticing! 

Lucy Ricardo also did this to Ricky in 

in “Be a Pal” (ILL S1;E2).

Liz begs him for a favor: tell Katie the maid she cannot have Saturday night off.  They have guests coming, and Liz was afraid to ask for herself.  George asks her himself, and Katie isn’t bothered at all.  Liz agrees that from now on she’ll stand up for her rights. 

When George finds the cream for the coffee has soured, he insists Liz tell the milkman about it – stand up for her rights. The milkman arrives, delivers the milk, and then leaves. Liz chickened out. George calls him back to tell him Hogan’s Frolicking Milkmaid Cream was sour. The milkman (Hans Conried) says that Mr. Hogan will take it out on the cow!  He gives them free items instead of losing their business.

MILKMAN: “You see, we can’t afford a radio program!” 

It was common that large companies would sponsor radio programs, their names becoming part of the title, and the stars doing live commercials for them. Pet and Carnation were two of the most ubiquitous dairy sponsors on radio. 

While downtown shopping with Katie, Liz is bragging about how she told off the butcher. She stops for a piece of gum from a gumball machine.  It takes her penny, but doesn’t give her any good. Liz is angry. A crowd gathers, including a cop (Frank Nelson). He says that someone has been robbing the machines of their pennies, and wants to know if Liz knows anything about it. 

LIZ: “Yeah, I’m the ring leader: Two-Gun Jean the Chicle Queen!” 

Chicle is a natural gum traditionally used in making chewing gum and other products.  The American Chicle Company was an American chewing gum company, incorporated in 1899. Its products eventually grew to include breath mints, antacids, cough drops and other items. American Chicle was acquired by Warner-Lambert in 1962, which in turn was acquired by Pfizer in 2000. 

Liz demands to know the name of the company who owns the ‘one-finger bandit’.  

When she gets home she finds their phone number for the Ballyhoo Vending Machine Company. When she tries to call, the ‘Brooklyn Blabbermouth’ aka ‘Nasal Hazel’ (Florence Halop) is on the party line, talking to her boyfriend, Eddie.  

ANNOUNCER: “Liz is embarking on a battle for her rights with the Ballyhoo Vending Machine Company. As we find her now, she is on her way to do battle, and George is dropping her off in front of the vending machine company.”

George needs to visit the bank, so he says he will meet Liz in an hour for lunch at Nickodells. 

Nickodell Restaurant was located at 5511 Melrose Avenue, built into the side of RKO (later Desilu) Studio. Nickodell was the place folks working on the lot escaped to for a mid-day cocktail, and many important deals were made at its tables. When “I Love Lucy” was casting Desi Arnaz got a call from an actor named William Frawley and they arranged to get together and discuss the role over drinks at Nickodell. It closed for good in 1993. 

GEORGE: “So long, Carrie Nation!” 

Caroline Amelia Nation (1846-1911) was an activist who was a radical member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol before the advent of Prohibition. Nation is noted for attacking alcohol-serving establishments (most often taverns) with a hatchet. Lucille Ball played Nation in a sketch in 1962′s “The Good Years” on CBS TV. 

Liz enters the ‘crooked’ gum machine company, and demands to see the complain manager. It is ‘the Brooklyn Blabbermouth’!  Despite their differences, Liz tells her that she wants her penny back. 

BLABBERMOUTH: “Why you so in love with that penny? Did Lincoln give it to you personally?”

Rather than fill out a refund form (which asks for her birth year) she vows to hire a lawyer to get her refund. 

LIZ: “I’ll get that penny back if it takes every cent I’ve got!”

On her way to lunch, she sees a little boy (Johnny McGovern) crying that he isn’t tall enough to reach the gum machine!  She tries to convince him he’s better off short!  She agrees to put his penny into the machine to get him a piece of gum. Naturally, no gum comes out. She doesn’t have another penny of her own. The little boy tells her to hit it on the side. She does and a flood of pennies spill out on the sidewalk. They both take a penny for their refunds. The cop finds them standing in a pile of pennies. He accuses her of being the ring leader, just as sarcastically said earlier. 

COP: “You’re going to jail, Mrs. Fagin!” 

The name ‘Fagin’ was borrowed from the Charles Dickens’ 1838 novel Oliver Twist.  In the preface to the novel, he is described as a “receiver of stolen goods”. He is the leader of a group of child pickpockets and prostitutes. Alec Guinness portrayed Fagin in David Lean’s 1948 film adaptation of Oliver Twist, The release of the film in the USA was delayed for three years on charges of being anti-Semitic. It was finally released in the United States in 1951. Fagin will also be mentioned in “Liz and Iris’s Easter” (March 24, 1951), in a scene also featuring Frank Nelson! 

Later, George has paid $50 bail to get Liz out of jail, and is not happy about it. Liz jollies him into kissing him – in the middle of the street. Before going home, George wants to get some cigarettes – from a machine!  Naturally, no cigarettes come out. Just when George is jiggling the handle, you-know-who comes by!  

COP: “Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Fagin. I see you’re working with older boys now.”

He arrests them both!  

End of Episode