LUCY IS RUTH-LESS!

May 18, 1946

On May 18, 1946, radio’s “Academy Award Theatre” presented a 30-minute version of My Sister Eileen, a 1942 film based on the 1940 play of the same title, which in turn was based on

a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney originally published in The New Yorker.  

The film was directed by Alexander Hall, one time fiancée of Lucille Ball and starred Rosalind Russell as Ruth Sherwood and Janet Blair as her sister Eileen.  Russell and Blair both reprised their roles for this radio production.  

As the program neared its conclusion, the announcer said that listeners could look forward to an all-new radio serialization of My Sister Eileen starring Lucille Ball as Ruth, with the script adapted by Arthur Kurlan. The newspapers (above) also picked up the item. Unfortunately, the show never materialized.

Instead, CBS created a similar series called My Friend Irma with Lucille Ball in mind for the lead. Writer Kurlan sued CBS for stealing his idea, citing the offer to Lucille Ball to play Irma as evidence. Ball was not cast and the role went to Marie Wilson.  “Irma” premiered on radio in April 1947 and ran until August 1953, inspiring film and television adaptations. Instead, Lucille Ball created the role of Liz Cugat (later Liz Cooper) on the series “My Favorite Husband.”  

1953 year was a busy year for Eileen, Lucy, and Irma. Kurlan finally settled his suit with CBS and My Sister Eileen was made into a Broadway musical, once again starring Roz Russell as Ruth, now re-titled Wonderful Town with music by Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green.  The role won Russell a Tony Award and the cover of Time Magazine!

A year earlier CBS had moved “Irma” to TV, again starring Wilson, along with her radio co-star Gloria Gordon, who just happened to be the mother of Gale Gordon. If you’ve ever wondered why Mr. Mooney’s un-seen wife was named Irma, this is it!  Wilson and Gloria Gordon had also starred in a 1949 film version of the show. “Irma” and “I Love Lucy” were both part of “Stars in the Eye” a November 1952 special celebrating the opening of CBS’s Television City facility.  

In 1955, Hollywood re-made My Sister Eileen – without Russell, who was replaced by Betty Garrett. This was to become a bone of contention with Russell, who like Lucy’s friend Ethel Merman, was overlooked when her stage hits were turned into films.  When her stage and screen triumph Auntie Mame was musicalized in 1964, Angela Lansbury played the title role. But both Angela and Roz were suitably suited when Lucy played the role on film in 1974. 

Roz was not through with the material just yet. In 1958, she starred in a live television production of Wonderful Town for CBS.

But CBS wasn’t finished with My Sister Eileen just yet either. In May 1960 – the very same month that Lucy Ricardo made her final appearance – Eileen was made into a series starring stage dynamo Elaine Stritch.  Like Merman and Russell before her – Stritch found that she was hot on stage, but not on film. 

Wonderful Town was revived in London in 1986 (starring Maureen Lipman) and on Broadway in 2003 (starring Donna Murphy, succeeded by Brook Shields).  Although Lucille Ball never got to play Ruth Sherwood, her daughter Lucie did – in several Los Angeles productions of the musical in the 1990s.