THE JIMMY DURANTE SHOW

“Women in Industry” ~ April 28, 1948

“The Jimmy Durante Show” aired on NBC from October 1, 1947 to June 30, 1950. It was a continuation of the NBC / CBS radio series “The Durante-Moore Show” after Garry Moore left when he was offered his own show on CBS Television. The series originally starred with recurring guest stars Peggy Lee and Florence Halop. In its last season, actor and personality Alan Young was brought in as Durante’s straight man.  At the end of the 1947-48 season, the show was tied for the number 7 show on the air along with “Philco Radio Time” on ABC and “Dr. Christian” on CBS. The show managed to stay in the top ten throughout its entire run. The series ended in June 1950 after Durante made a move to television with a starring role on NBC’s “Four Star Revue.” 

The program was televised at Club Durant. Each episode usually ended with Durante’s catchphrase, “Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!”, an apparent reference to Durante’s deceased first wife. This program was sponsored by Rexall Drugs. It was produced and directed by Phil Cohan.

Synopsis ~ Jimmy and guest Lucille Ball tour the country to see how women fit into American industry. 

CAST

Jimmy Durante (Host) 

was a multi-talented performer who was distinguished by his bulbous nose. In “Lucy Meets Harpo Marx” (ILL S4;E28) Lucy Ricardo dons a novelty store mask and trench coat to impersonate Durante for a nearsighted Carolyn Appleby. His classic profile was featured on “I Love Lucy” when Lucy goes to the Hollywood Brown Derby, where his caricature takes up two frames above her booth. Lucille Ball has an uncredited role in his 1935 film Carnival. In “Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere” (TLS S4;E20) on February 7, 1966, Durante makes a cameo appearance accompanied by his wife, Margie Little. 

Lucille Ball (Guest Star) had previously been on Durante’s radio show on October 29, 1947. She had played an uncredited role in his film Carnival in 1935.  Ball was just a few months from staring her radio series “My Favorite Husband,” which launched in July 1948.  Her film Her Husband’s Affairs was in theatres. At the time of this broadcast she was filming Sorrowful Jones with Bob Hope. 

Peggy Lee (Regular Cast) was a singer and actress who, like Lucille Ball, was also born in Jamestown – but in North Dakota, not New York.  Lee was a Grammy-winning singer and composer. 

Roy Bargy and his Orchestra (Music)

The Crew Chiefs (Singers)

Howard Petrie (Announcer) would appear with Lucille Ball in Fancy Pants (1950). 

Victor Moore, usually part of the cast, is not in this episode. 

EPISODE

Announcer Howard Petrie opens with a few bars of his signature songs “Inka Dinka Doo” and “You Gotta Start Off Each Day with a Song.”  Petrie and Durante talk about the wedding of the year: Lana Turner to Bob Topping. Durante says that he picked out her torso. Petrie corrects him saying her ‘trousseau’ cost her $30,000. Durante says he picked out her wedding gown, especially the train.    

DURANTE: “It wasn’t an ordinary train. Lana was wearing the Super Chief!” 

Lana Turner married Henry ‘Bob’ Topping Jr. on April 26, 1948, just two days before this broadcast. He was her third husband, but she would marry four more times in her life! 

Durante jokes about President Truman throwing out the first ball at the Washington Senators first game. Durante sings the novelty song “I’ll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book.” 

After a Rexall commercial, Durante introduces Lucille Ball. Lucy talks about making Sorrowful Jones with Bob Hope. Durante is jealous of Hope’s nose!

LUCY: “When it comes to noses, he’s a retailer. You’re a wholesaler.”

Lucy wants to get down to the reason for her visit: woman in industry. They travel into the future to see how things might be different if women were captains of industry.

In the future, Lucy comes home from the office and Jimmy is doing housework. The banter is classic domestic role reversal. Lucy compliments him on his housekeeping.  

Back in the present, Lucy and Durante introduce Peggy Lee. Lucy says her gown is an original by Schiaparelli. Peggy says hers is by Hattie Carnegie. 

Before coming to Hollywood, Lucille Ball was a model for Hattie Carnegie in New York. 

LUCY: “The shoes are by Capezio, the handbag is an Evans creation, and the hat is by John Frederick.”
DURANTE: “Notice they didn’t say anything about Adrian, who’s spending every moment whipping up my new spring halter.”

Peggy Lee sings “It’s the Sentimental Thing To Do”. 

After another Rexall commercial, Peggy and Lucy are still interested in pursuing women in industry.  Jimmy, Peggy, and Lucy sing “Any State in the 48″ as they take a magic carpet around the country.  

First stop: Milwaukee, Wisconsin to visit the Shultz Pickle Works.  Mr. Schultz mistakes Durante’s nose for a cucumber.  They are curious to know if the pickle industry would be good for women. Lucy tries a pickle to see if it will make her pucker. While she is puckered, the phones rings and it is Governor Folsom of Alabama asking Durante to keep Lucy ‘puckered up’ till he gets there! 

On March 3, 1948, Governor Jim Folsom’s name was in headlines across the nation when the 30-year-old Christine Johnston, a widow who had met Folsom in late 1944 while she was working as a cashier at the Tutwiler Hotel in Birmingham, filed a paternity suit against the governor by alleging that he was the father of her 22-month-old son. Nine days after the suit was filed Folsom appeared on the sidewalk in front of the Barbizon Modeling School in New York City, where he kissed a hundred pretty models who had voted him “The Nation’s Number One Leap Year Bachelor.” Johnston dropped the suit for a cash settlement. Years later, he admitted that he was indeed the father of Johnston’s child. On May 5, 1948, Folsom married 20-year-old Jamelle Moore, a secretary at the state Highway Department, whom he had met during his 1946 campaign and had been dating and seeing “almost daily” since then.

Next stop: Paris, Illinois. They are visiting the second largest perfume factory in the country, owned by Hot Breath Houlihan. 

DURANTE: “Now I know who set B.O. Plenty’s house on fire!” 

B.O. Plenty was a character from Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould. In March 1948, his house mysteriously burned down and everyone feared the character was dead. Readers actually wrote to the newspaper begging Gould not to kill off B.O. Plenty and Gravel Gertie! 

Houlihan sells perfumes named Abandon, Yield, Retreat, and Surrender.

DURANTE: “Haven’t you got something with a bit more will power?” 

Houlihan says she became a success by developing a perfume called Go Away Henry Wallace.  

HOULIHAN: “When a girl is sitting on the sofa with her boyfriend, she don’t want a third party!” 

Henry Wallace was the 33rd vice president of the United States. He was also the presidential nominee of the left-wing Progressive Party in the 1948 election.

Last stop: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They visit a steel factory and talk to the head man (who is obviously voiced by a female).  She says that women have no place in the steel industry.  But Lucille convinces her otherwise, and they conclude their magic carpet tour of the USA.