May 13, 1949
“Anniversary Presents” (aka “Tenth Anniversary Presents”) is episode #43 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on May 13, 1949 on the CBS radio network.
Synopsis ~ George and Mr. Atterbury buy presents for their wives, and Iris’s present, a mink coat, is delivered to Liz’s house by mistake.
This episode was the basis for the “I Love Lucy” episode “The Fur Coat” (ILL S1;E9) filmed on November 9, 1951, and first aired on December 10, 1951.
“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 (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
Elvia Allman (Sales Clerk) was born on September 19, 1904 in Enochville, North Carolina. She started her performing career on radio in the 1920s, as both a storyteller and singer. This led to work voicing cartoon characters for Warner Brothers. Simultaneously, she was pursuing stage acting, appearing at the Pasadena Playhouse. Allman made her film debut as an actress in 1940’s The Road to Singapore as a homely woman who pursues Bob Hope. Allman played the strident forewoman of Kramer’s Kandy Kitchen in “Job Switching” (ILL S2;E1). She would return to the show as one of Minnie Finch’s neighbors in “Fan Magazine” (ILL S3;E17) and as reporter Nancy Graham in “The Homecoming” (ILL S5;E6). She made two appearances each on The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour“ and ”The Lucy Show.“
EPISODE
ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Cooper household it’s a bright shiny morning. Outside the birds are singing, and inside Liz is singing too. This isn’t just any morning. It’s the Coopers tenth wedding anniversary and just thinking of being married to George for ten whole years makes Liz feel like singing.”
Katie the Maid comes into the kitchen an want to know why Liz is in such a merry mood. When Liz asks her if she knows what date it is? She guesses Friday, the day they collect the garbage.
LIZ: “No! Today is my tenth wedding anniversary. George Cooper has been my favorite husband for ten years. Just think Katie: Ten years ago I was an eager, young bride of 21, and today I’m an old married woman of 25.”
Liz wonders if ten years means diamonds or China. Katie says it means tin. Katie says it doesn’t matter because husband’s never remember wedding anniversaries anyway.
KATIE: “They can’t remember the day they were married, but they can tell you Ty Cobb’s batting average in 1922!”
Tyrus Raymond Cobb (1886-1961), nicknamed The Georgia Peach, was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team’s player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. According to the Baseball Almanac, his batting average in 1922 was .401. George later guesses .385.
Liz goes into the breakfast room positive that George will remember their anniversary. After dropping several hints (including humming “The Wedding March”) George still hasn’t said anything. Finally he looks up from his newspaper with something to tell her.
GEORGE: “Dick Tracy found the jewels!”
On May 13, 1949, the daily Dick Tracy comic strip revealed that the missing jewels has been found. The case involved a character named Pear-Shape, who owned a weight loss business but was overweight himself. He conned an elderly widow out of the jewels and sold them to a fence.
Liz finally breaks down and tells him it is their anniversary. George seems apologetic for forgetting their 15th Anniversary. Liz cries again. He shows her his memo book that says “buy anniversary present for Liz.” She is glad he remembered but lies to him about what tenth anniversary signifies with gift-giving. She says it is diamond wrist-watches.
GEORGE: “I’ll try to find a tin one.”
They agree to only spend five dollars each on their anniversary gifts to each other. She asks Katie to loan her the five bucks!
Mr. Atterbury and George are out shopping for Iris’s anniversary present. George reveals that he has written a note in every page of his book about buying Liz a present.
GEORGE: “On one page it says ‘Get Liz’s birthday present’, on another it says ‘Get Liz’s anniversary present’, on another it says ‘Get Liz’s Valentines present’. Whenever she jumps on me I can prove I made a note to do it!”
Ricky Ricardo uses a similar tactic in “Ethel’s Birthday” (ILL S4;E9). When Lucy starts hinting that ‘someone’ has a birthday coming up, Ricky gets nervous and thinks he has forgotten Lucy’s birthday. He immediately produces a box of chocolates with a card. He confesses that he has a card for every occasion.
Mr. Atterbury says he forgot his wife’s birthday, which was last fall. So now he owes Iris a big gift – a mink coat! He approaches the saleswoman (Elvia Allman) who says she doesn’t usually work in the fur department, but just substituting for someone who is late. The chatty clerk is aghast that a mink coat costs $3,000 and tries to talk Mr. Atterbury into buying something cheaper – like Hudson seal. He asks her to model the mink coat and she gets carried away, having never worn mink. Mr. Atterbury tells her to box it up and send it out, quickly giving her his address. George adds that he has got to buy his wife a present, too, but only has $5.00 to spend. She convinces him to spend $15 on a black, shear, lacy nightgown. George quickly gives her the address to send it to and the two men head back to work.
MR. ATTERBURY: “We don’t work bankers hours, you know! Oh, that’s right we do!”
Back at the Cooper home, Liz and Katie are wondering what George might give her for her anniversary. She bought him a belt.
LIZ: “If he doesn’t spend more than five dollars on me I’ll really give him a belt. And it won’t say Hickock on it!”
The Hickok Manufacturing Company of Rochester, New York, made men’s belts and other accessories. It was later taken over by the Tandy Company. Later in 1950, Hickok established The Hickok Belt, an award for sportsman of the year. The first Hickok Belt winner was baseball’s Phil Rizzuto.
Just then a delivery truck pulls up to the Cooper home and presents Liz with a luxurious gift box. Although she knows she should wait for George to get home to open it, she can’t wait. She is amazing and delighted to unwrap her very first – mink coat!
ANNOUNCER: “Liz Cooper has just had the biggest surprise of her life. Mr. Atterbury has just let George off at his house.”
Liz smothers him with kisses, telling him she loves his present so much that she wore it to the market.
GEORGE: “Didn’t people stare at you?”
LIZ: “They couldn’t keep their eyes off me. That cute little cashier wouldn’t let me alone till I took it off and let her try it on.”
GEORGE: “I hope you didn’t catch cold!”
LIZ: “Cold? In this weather? As a matter of fact, on the way home I was so warm, I took it off and flung it over my shoulder.”
George is about to pass out until Liz finally says how much she loves her new mink coat. He realizes that she has gotten Iris Atterbury’s present instead of the $15 nightgown! Liz loves it so much that all George can say is… Happy Anniversary.
The phone rings and George answers it. Mr. Atterbury knows about the mix-up and is furious. After all, Iris is a long-flannel girl, not a the nightgown type. Iris has locked him out of the house and is calling from the drugstore. He wants the coat back in ten minutes – or else.
George has to think fast. When he sees Liz modeling it he pretends that it isn’t the coat he actually purchased. He insists that the one she’s wearing is cheap and inferior merchandise. He wants to return it, but Liz likes this one, even though it may not be the most expensive one in the store.
Mr. Atterbury says he is going to stand outside their dining room window and expects George to hand him the coat in fifteen minutes. George has an idea – he will turn up the heat so high that she has to take off the coat! Liz can’t take the coat off – she even wants to sleep in it.
Liz hears someone outside the window and thinks it may be a burglar trying to steal her uninsured coat! George investigates, knowing full well it is only Mr. Atterbury. He hurries inside and convinces Liz to let him lock the coat in the closet till morning. While George was outside, Liz called the police and while she is taking off the coat, the police are arresting Mr. Atterbury!
Next day, Liz tells Katie that she’s bought something for George equal to the mink coat. When George comes in she presents him with a very expensive watch made of platinum with moon dials and everything. George can’t stand it any longer and tells Liz the truth about the coat. He tells her he needs to give it back to Mr. Atterbury.
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