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LUCY & THE PRESIDENTS
Presidents’ Day
On a November 1, 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy”, When Lucy asks Harry to move up payday to Tuesday, he replies “Not a chance! They can shove Washington’s birthday anywhere they want to, but my payday remains Friday.” In June 1968, a bill was enacted that consolidated Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays into one holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February which eventually became….
PRESIDENT’S DAY!
Lucille Ball often said that there was some Ball blood in George Washington since his mother’s maiden name was Mary Ball. Genealogists say that the Father of Our Country is the 8th cousin 7 times removed to the Queen of Comedy!
LUCY: (Looking at a dollar bill): “Well, hello George. Long time-no see!”
On Lucille Ball’s radio show “My Favorite Husband,” President George Washington is mentioned in “The Absolute Truth” on January 28, 1949. and again in “Liz Exaggerates” on January 20, 1951.
On “Lucy Gets Ricky On the Radio” (ILL S1;E32) first aired on May 19, 1952, the “Mr. & Mrs. Quiz” jackpot question is “What did George Washington say when crossing the Delaware?” Ricky is truly queasy at how poorly he’s doing on the show, so he blurts out to Lucy, “Please let me sit down. This is making me sick!” which wins the prize!
When “Lucy and Viv Open a Restaurant” (TLS S2;E20) on February 17, 1964, they decide on a Colonial theme and dress as George and Martha Washington.
George Washington (Don Wilson) dropped by for a word with Mr. and Mrs. Paul Revere (Lucy and Jack Benny) on “The Jack Benny Program” in October 1964.
Mr. Mooney briefly appeared as ‘the Father of His Country’ (in painting form) when “Lucy Gets Mooney Fired” (TLS S6;E9) on November 6, 1967.
The famous unfinished portrait of President George Washington by Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828), who is widely considered one of America’s foremost portraitists, is also seen in quite a few episodes of “I Love Lucy”….
…and “The Lucy Show”. This is his best known work and is sometimes referred to as ‘The Athenaeum’.
The George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, is part of one of the most famous scenes of the entire series, from ““California, Here We Come!” (ILL S4;E13) on January 10, 1955.
In 1940, on a publicity tour for Dance, Girl, Dance, Lucille Ball and Maureen O’Hara pose in front of the Washington Monument (opened in 1888) in Washington DC, the nation’s capitol. Naturally, the capitol city and the monument were named for President George Washington.
On a 1973 episode of “Here’s Lucy” an antique chair (a rare Twimby) is rumored to have belonged to George Washington at his Mount Vernon home. Naturally, Lucy Carter can’t live without it!
FRED: (To Ethel): “Show them your birth certificate.”
ETHEL: “No!”
FRED: “You can cover up the date. I just thought they’d like to see what Lincoln’s signature looked like!”
The portrait of President Abraham Lincoln in “Lucy and the Raffle” (HL S3;E19) is by David Bustill Bowser (1820-1900) finished in 1865.
Another portrait of President Lincoln hung in “The Courtroom” (ILL S2;E7) in 1952.
n 1963 “Lucy Visits the White House” (TLS S1;E25) Lucy accidentally gets stuck in a rocking chair that belonged Tad Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln! Tad Lincoln’s rocking chair is not in the White House, but held is from the collection at the Lincoln Home in Springfield, Illinois. It is now in the Lincoln Heritage Museum in Lincoln, Illinois.
President Lincoln turned up on the t-shirt of Flip Wilson during the “Gone With The Wind” sketch on “Here’s Lucy” in September 1971.
In “Lucy Goes Into Politics” (TLS S2;E25) candidate for local office Theodore J. Mooney adopts the 1840 slogan of William Henry Harrison “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!” as “Tippecanoe and Theodore Too!” The slogan celebrates William Henry Harrison (the “hero of Tippecanoe”) and his VP John Tyler (the next President) while denigrating incumbent Martin Van Buren. Three mentions in one!
When “Lucy Misplaces $2,000″ (TLS S1;E4) on October 22, 1962 Lucy gazes lovingly at the four $500 bills and remarks that President McKinley has a lovely smile. The $500 bill was last printed in 1934 and officially discontinued in 1969, so the bills must be from the final series minted from 1928 to 1934.
In the “My Favorite Husband” episode “Liz and the General” (1948) an eccentric neighbor (Hans Conried) suggests that Liz (Lucy) stage the Battle of San Juan Hill in her living room – and that she play Teddy Roosevelt! Desi Arnaz’s grandfather was a physician who is said to have been at the Battle of San Juan Hill with Roosevelt in 1898.
The action of “Lucy Wins A Racehorse” (1958) is set at the now defunct Roosevelt Raceway on Long Island. The raceway is named after the village of Roosevelt, which was named for ‘Rough Rider’ President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt.
On “My Favorite Husband” Liz Cooper (Lucy) confuses President Herbert Hoover with a vacuum cleaner in “Over Budget – Beans!” in January 1949.
Hoover’s 1928 campaign slogan “A Chicken in Every Pot and a Car in Every Garage” was satirized in “Lucy Goes Into Politics” (TLS S2;E25) in March 1964 when Mr. Mooney runs for Danfield Comptroller as “A Chicken in Every Pot and a Mooney in Every Garage!”
In “Ricky’s European Booking” (ILL S5;E10) in 1955, Lucy and Ethel are looking through their husband’s pants for spare change (aka GTHP), all Ethel finds in Fred’s pockets are an old Woodrow Wilson button and some lint. Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, serving two terms from 1913 to 1921.
In “Lucy and the Gold Rush” (HL S1;E13 ~ December 30, 1968) the old prospector (played by Phil Bruns, above left) is named after President Calvin Coolidge, who famously spent the summer of 1927 panning for gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Lucille Ball was one of the famous faces at one of the January 1944 galas celebrating President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 62nd birthday at the White House. Ball was also part of both televised birthday celebrations of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1959 and 1960.
President Harry S. Truman was mentioned on the “My Favorite Husband” radio episode “Speech for a Civic Organization” aired on February 4, 1949.
LUCY: “Harry and Bess Truman got the last table.”
Political references were rare on “I Love Lucy,” but Harry and Bess Truman are mentioned by Lucy Ricardo in “Ricky Asks For a Raise” (ILL S1;E35) when Lucy plots to fill the Tropicana with guests who will not show up to see Ricky’s replacement, Xavier Valdez.
On November 23, 1953, Vivian Vance, William Frawley, Lucille Ball, and Desi Arnaz were part of CBS’s live coverage of the White House dinner marking the 40th anniversary of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation League. President Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks about his pride in America.
“The Sublease” (ILL S3;E31) on May 24, 1954 references Ike and Mamie, aka President Eisenhower and the first Lady. Mamie is also mentioned in “The Golf Game” (ILL S3;E30). The First Lady is said to have watched “I Love Lucy” and invited Ball to the White House shortly after Ball was accused of being a Communist sympathizer in 1953. More people tuned in to see the birth of Little Ricky than Eisenhower’s inauguration a day later!
In 1963, Lucy Carmichael didn’t wait for the president to come to her, she went to him in “Lucy Visits the White House” (TLS S1;E25) to deliver a sugar cube White House created by her cub scouts. At the time, John F. Kennedy was occupying the Oval Office. Although he did not appear, a voice double supplied a final offstage line.
LUCY: “I’m sure Jackie can make room on the mantle for a sugar cube White House.”
The voice double was Elliott Reid, who had appeared on “I Love Lucy” doing his expert imitation of Edward R. Murrow in “The Ricardos are Interviewed” (ILL S5;E7) in 1955. Reid also had a small role in “Lucy Visits the White House” so the TV Guide Close-Up also lists Reid’s Kennedy as “The Voice”. His spot-on imitation of JFK’s New England accent got him invited to the White House to perform!
When “Lucy Becomes an Astronaut” (TLS S1;E6 ~ November 5, 1962) she quotes John F. Kennedy’s famous inauguration speech “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.
LUCY: “I collect for the Red Cross. I buy savings bonds. I was with the WAVES. How much does that man in the White House want from me?”
When “Lucy Decides To Redecorate” (TLS S2;E8 on November 18, 1963) Lucy mentions President John F. Kennedy’s much-publicized fitness program. President Kennedy was assassinated four days after this show first aired. The following week’s episode was pre-empted for news coverage of his funeral.
In a sketch from “The Bob Hope Show” (October 24, 1962) Lucy played a District Attorney and Bob a gangster named Bugsy Hope. A spray of gunfire comes through the window, narrowly missing Lucy’s head. Lucy remarks “Just what I wanted, a Jackie Kennedy hairdo.” Considering the tragic assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, the lines could never be re-aired. When the clip was seen again in 1976 on “Bob Hope’s World of Comedy” and in 1989′s “Bob Hope’s Love Affair With Lucy” the lines were edited out.
In “Lucy the Stockholder” (TLS S3;E25), Lucy Carmichael is so grateful for her tax refund that she says she wants to write “Lyndon” a thank you letter. In the same episode, Mr. Mooney has a framed photo of President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) above his desk.
When “Lucy Sues Mooney” (TLS S6;E12 ~ November 27, 1967) Lucy’s lawyer (Jack Carter) pretends to be on the phone to someone he calls “Sir” and says “Give my regards to Lady Bird.” Lady Bird Johnson was the First Lady at the time. He is trying to make Lucy think he has President Lyndon B. Johnson as a client!
In 1964, Lucille Ball served as the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival and Parade’ Grand Marshal in Winchester, Virginia. The Queen of Comedy was joined by another famous Lucy – Luci Baines Johnson, the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, who was named Queen Shenandoah. Luci Johnson changed the spelling of her birth name, which was also Lucy!
“President Johnson calls Savings Bonds the most important investment can make.”
Lucille Ball stepped out of character on the set of “The Lucy Show” to make a public service announcement for US Savings Bonds, re-iterating President Lyndon Johnson’s call for support during the Vietnam War.
In an episode of “Here’s Lucy” starring Van Johnson, Harry facetiously suggests another Johnson could use the work! Lyndon Baines Johnson aka LBJ was the 37th President of the United States. He essentially unemployed himself when he withdrew his bid for a second full term and was succeeded by Richard Nixon, who became President Elect a month before this episode was first aired.
In 1971, Lucy Carter spoke to the President of the United States on the telephone in “Lucy and the Astronauts” (HL S4;E5). Although his name was not spoken, Lucy does, however, ask about his daughters. President Richard M. Nixon had two daughters, Tricia and Julie.
Lucy’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz visited the White House several times. The first time was in 1972 meeting Richard M. Nixon.
In “Dirty Gertie” (HL S5;E10) on November 13, 1972, hobo Max (Hal Smith) puts the bite on mobster Benny (Johnny Silver) for five bucks for his wife. He says he was going to ask for ten, but the President froze her salary! President Richard M. Nixon signed the Economic Stabilization Act of 1970 to stabilize rents, prices, rents, wages, salaries, interest rates, dividends and similar transfers. The law was dissolved in 1974.
In “Lucy The Sheriff” (HL S6;E18) on January 28, 1974, Harry says if Lucy were Sheriff at her grandmother’s time, Billy the kid would have wound up being President! When this episode was filmed, President Richard M. Nixon was mired in the Watergate scandal. He resigned in August 1974 in ignominy. Is Harry comparing Nixon with Billy the Kid?
The November 21, 1977 special “Lucy Calls the President” had Indiana resident Lucy Whittaker call the White House to talk to President Carter and finds he has invited himself to dinner! While President James Earl ‘Jimmy’ Carter never actually appeared, his mother did!
LUCY: “We’re practicing ‘Hail to the Chief’ so we can play it when President Carter gets here. How did it sound?”
OMAR: “Like you voted for Ford.”As Veep, Gerald R. Ford assumed the Presidency when Richard Nixon resigned. He then ran as the incumbent, but lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter.
In 1980, Lucille Ball and the cast of a Bob Hope USO Special, met President Gerald Ford. But back to Jimmy Carter…
VIV: “Come see my cake. I’m so proud of it, Lucy.”
LUCY: “Oh, it’s a work of art. It was so clever of you to make President Carter’s teeth out of peanuts.”
Before entering politics, Jimmy Carter was a Georgia peanut farmer.
The special concludes with a Miss Lillian Carter, Jimmy Carter’s mother, making a phone call to Lucy to send her regrets that her son couldn’t make it to her home for dinner. The real Miss Lillian filmed her segment at her home in Georgia.
LUCY: “Oh, gee, aren’t there any other movie actors you could call?”
MR. MOONEY: “Yes, yes, but they’re all too busy running for public office.”In this 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show”, Mr. Mooney is referring to Ronald Reagan, who ran for Governor of California in 1966 and won. His screen acting career began in 1937 and lasted right up until he became Governor. Actor Reagan appeared with Lucille Ball on two episodes of “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the mid-1950s.
President Ronald Reagan was mentioned in several episodes of “Here’s Lucy” during his stint as Governor of California. Reagan had been elected Governor of California in 1967, a position he held until 1975. He was later elected 40th President of the United States and served until 1989.
In 1968′s “Lucy Visits Jack Benny” (HL S1;E2), Lucy balks at paying a penny tax, and penny-pincher Benny replies “Go fight with Ronald Reagan!”
In “The Hollywood Unemployment Follies” (HL S3;E22) in 1971, unemployment office clerk Harvey Hoople (Richard Deacon) decides to join up with the unemployed performers to write and direct their show. He says “Governor Reagan, I quit! You can keep your old job! I’m back in show biz, Ronnie! Don’t you wish you were?”
In “Lucy and the Raffle” (HL S3;E19), Lucy complains that the car her daughter won goes too fast (160mph!), teenage Kim promises to put a governor in the car. Lucy says “Ronald Reagan has enough to worry about without riding around with you!”
When “The Merv Griffin Show” did a tribute to Lucy on October 12, 1973, Ronald Reagan called in to add his praise of the redhead.
During his presidency, he was mentioned on “Life With Lucy” (1986) in “Mother of the Bride.” When Ted and Margo renew their wedding vows, the guest list jokingly includes Ron and Nancy Reagan (just to see what gift they’ll send).
A year later, Lucille Ball formally met Ron and Nancy Reagan when she accepted her Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Abraham Lincoln, Calvin Coolidge, Carter, Desi Arnaz, Eisenhower, Ford, George Washington, Harry S. Truman, Herbert Hoover, Here’s Lucy, I love lucy, IKE, JFK, John F. Kennedy, LBJ, Life With Lucy, Lucille Ball, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Van Buren, McKinley, My Favorite Husband, Nixon, President’s Day, Presidents, Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, The Lucy Show, Tyler, William Henry Harrison, Woodrow Wilson -
HEART-TO-HEART
February 14, 1949
HOLLYWOOD – Lucille Ball, in a heart-to-heart talk with me, told me how she has worked out her eight years of marriage to Desi Arnaz, her orchestra leader husband.
Lucille, smartly dressed in a dark brown suit with one of those little hats set back on her red hair, might have posed for a fashion picture, she looked so chic. As she walked into the room, I thought I had never seen her look so well.
One thing I like about Lucille is that she never gives you any double talk. She is always stralght-from-the-shoulder which is a help.
“How have you and Desi worked out your marriage?” I asked her.
I had seen them a few nights before at a party, and they seemed to be having so much fun together. Lucille was a dream in pale blue chiffon, and Desi kept telling her how pretty she looks, which is a thing every woman likes to hear.
"I’ll tell you how we have made our marriage,” she said. “You know we were separated once, and when we realized we were really in love with each other, we went back and have never separated again. I have never regretted that separation because it taught me an important thing.”
I sat and listened eagerly to hear how Lucille, or anyone else, could consider a marital separation a benefit.
"People in Hollywood,” Lucille said, “who divorce and take on new mates make better wives and husbands the second time because they have had experience and know how to handle their marriage. I figure with Desi and I it was as if we had new mates. We learned our lesson and we gained experience. I treated him as I would a new husband, and he gave me the attention he would give a new wife."
I took a long breath after listening to this strange philosophy, "But what if you had separated for good, and hadn’t gone back together?"
"Oh, that wasn’t possible,” Lucille replied. “Desi is really sweet. I flare up some times, but he knows it is not serious. We promised each other we wouldn’t let every little thing upset us.”
“What about his Latin temperament?” I asked her.
“You would be surprised how he has calmed down. The arguments we have now are generally my fault."
I don’t know that I would recommend this separation thing for everyone, but it seems to have worked out for Lucille and Desi.
"I filed suit for divorce,” she said. “It went that far. The only trouble now is our careers. I was gone three months last year with ‘Dream Girl’ on the stage, and Desi was gone longer than that with his orchestra. Of course, we had dates. He would fly to me when he could, and I would fly to him, but our dream is to both be able to have our jobs in the same town at the same time. But until we do, we are going to work It out the best way we can. Then later, I want to have a baby.”
“I heard you were going to adopt a baby,” I told her.
“Wouldn’t that be silly, when I can have one of my own?"
I learned from Lucille that she Is really a home girl at heart. They still live on their ranch in Northridge; have a few chickens, and did have a cow “until she got lonesome one night and broke into the house to see us.”
“I like to cook. Desi Is a wonderful cook and you don’t see us night clubbing very much,” she said.
Lucille started as a chorus girl as a Ziegfeld beauty, and she likes to tell the story of how she came out here as a Goldwyn girl, got fired and was later rehired.
She is under contract to Columbia to make one picture a year.
“I will tell you a secret” she said. “I would like to be under contract to Columbia all the time, but I’m afraid Harry Cohn and I might battle. I value his friendship too much to risk It.”
That is certainly a new angle! But as I said, this girl is full of many surprises. She fights for what she believes is right. She was completely happy at M-G-M, and adores that studio, but she left because she felt there were too many actresses there and she didn’t have a chance. She gave up a big fat salary to go on her own.
She is a girl who is a little hard to know, but once you know her, she can talk you into her side in nothing flat. She has a convincing way.
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JACK BENNY
February 14, 1894
Jack Benny was born Benjamin Kublesky in Chicago, Illinois, on Valentine’s Day 1894. He had a successful vaudeville career, and an even greater career on radio with “The Jack Benny Program” which also became a successful television show. Benny was a Beverly Hills neighbor of Lucille Ball’s and the two were off-screen friends.
His screen persona was known for being a penny-pincher and for (badly) playing the violin. His theme song was “Love in Bloom”
by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin.
He often used the phrase, “Now cut that out!”
Benny and Ball were first on the same bill in “Stars in the Eye”, a special marking the opening of Television City and including all the CBS stars. Lucy and Benny did not share any screen time.
On “Sunday Showcase: A Tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt on Her Diamond Jubilee” on October 11, 1959, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and dozens of other stars turn out to pay homage to former first lady and humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt. Arthur Godfrey hosted on NBC.
On June 24, 1962, Benny and Ball were on hand to quickly wish Ed Sullivan a happy 14th anniversary on “The Ed Sullivan Show” (S14;E41). Lucille Ball enters riding atop an elephant!
Another collaboration of the network headlines came in 1962 and 1963, when both “The Lucy Show” and “The Jack Benny Program” were on the CBS schedules. They launched the season with “Opening Night” TV specials.
Benny appeared on “The Lucy Show” as Harry Tuttle (a Jack Benny doppelganger) in “Lucy and the Plumber” (TLS S3;E2), on September 28, 1964.
On October 16, 1964, Benny and Ball played themselves in “Chrysler Presents a Bob Hope Comedy Special: Have Girls – Will Travel.”
The show was used by RCA to sell color televisions.
In return, Lucille appeared on “The Jack Benny Program” playing Mrs. Paul Revere, the woman behind the man. It aired on October 2, 1964.
He did a voice over cameo as himself in “Lucy With George Burns” (TLS S5;E1), first aired on September 12, 1966.
The feature film A Guide For The Married Man (1967) had plenty of comic performers on the marquee, including Benny and Ball.
That same year, Benny and Ball provided voice over for a documentary by the United Jewish Welfare Fund titled All About People.
He played himself in “Lucy Gets Jack Benny’s Account” (TLS S6;E6), a stunt-filled episode that first aired on October 16, 1967.
On March 20, 1968, Lucille Ball appeared on “Jack Benny’s Carnival Nights” along with Johnny Carson and Ben Blue. Lucille played an exotic side-show attraction Luscious Lucille, a Woman on a Pier in a silent movie, and Agnes Kubelsky, Benny’s mother!
He played himself on “Here’s Lucy” three times, starting with the second episode, “Lucy Visits Jack Benny” (HL S1;E2) on September 30, 1968. The action was set at Benny’s Palm Springs home, which he was renting out as a resort!
Ball and Andy Griffith were the main guest stars on “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Special” on November 16, 1968. Benny made a quick pitch for his special “Jack Benny’s Bag” which followed, but did not feature Lucille Ball.
On December 19, 1968, Ball and Benny joined other stars on “The Dean Martin Christmas Special” in cameo announcements about toys being sent to children’s hospitals. Each cameo was self-contained.
On “Jack Benny’s Birthday Special” on February 17, 1969 (3 days after his 75th birthday) Lucille Ball appeared and did patter with Benny as well as played Lucille LaTour in an old West sketch.
As
“Jack Benny’s New Look”
is nearly over, Lucille Ball walks by and says “How dare you do a show without me?” slaps Benny and exits! This walk-on cameo happened on December 3, 1969.
“Lucy and Jack Benny’s Biography” (HL S3;E11) on November 23, 1970, Benny dictates his memoirs to secretary Lucy, and the episodes come to life for viewers, with Lucy playing all the women in his life, including his wife Mary Livingstone, although Lucille Ball lip synchs to Livingstone’s actual voice!
“Jack Benny’s 20th Anniversary Special” on November 16, 1970, featured Lucille Ball playing the Benny’s maid Janet in a scene with Benny’s real-life wife Mary Livingstone. Ball receives no screen credit but gets a verbal thank you from Benny at show’s conclusion. Lucy has three lines and 30 seconds of screen time!
Lucy, Benny, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, George Burns, and Red Skelton, all appeared in the patriotic TV special “John Wayne’s: Swing Out, Sweet Land” which aired on November 29, 1970.
Benny has a walk-on cameo at the end of “The Unemployment Follies” (HL S3;E22) on February 8, 1971 starring Carol Burnett, his second appearance on “Here’s Lucy”.
In “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Jack Benny But Were Afraid to Ask” (March 10, 1971), Lucy plays a chorus girl seduced by movie star Benny.
“The 23rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards” on May 9, 1971 featured Benny and Ball (who presented an award).
His final appearance on “The Lucy Show” was in “Lucy and The Celebrities” (HL S4;E10), on November 15, 1971, had Benny playing himself and imitated by guest star Rich Little!
The Friars Club celebrates Milton Berle’s 60 years in show business on December 4, 1973. Sammy Davis Jr. hosts with guests Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope, and others.
The last public appearance of Jack Benny was roasting Lucille Ball on “The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast for Lucille Ball” aired on February 7, 1975. Benny died weeks after the taping of this special. Dean Martin appeared in a special introduction dedicating the show to Benny’s memory.
“Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” ~ Jack Benny
Jack Benny succumbed to pancreatic cancer on December 26, 1974 at age 80
although he never admitted to being older than 39. He was survived by his wife Mary Livingstone, with whom he adopted a child, Joan.
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TYLER McVEY
February 14, 1912
William Tyler McVey was born Bay City, Michigan. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was one year old and his father allowed his maternal grandparents to raise him. He gained early acting experience in amateur productions in his hometown.
McVey also acted on radio programs, including Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch, Glamour Manor, and One Man’s Family.
McVey played hundreds of roles on TV and film, dozens of them sheriffs.
His first screen role, uncredited, came in 1951, where he portrayed Brady in The Day the Earth Stood Still.
That same year (1951) he also made his TV debut as Simon Peter in “The Living Christ Series”.
McVey did four episodes of “I Love Lucy.” His first was playing Bill Hall in “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15) filmed on December 10, 1953 and first aired on January 25, 1954. Vivi Jannis played his wife, Luanne.
Bill Hall (McVey, right) leans in to eagerly light Eve Whitney’s cigarette with Ricky, Fred and Tom Williams (Maurice Hill, left).
McVey returned to play a ship’s officer (right) in “Bon Voyage” (ILL S5;E13) filmed on December 1, 1955 and first aired on January 16, 1956. A the time, it was the most expensive television episode ever filmed.
He would also appear (seated) in the very next episode on board the S.S. Constitution, “Second Honeymoon” (ILL S5;E14) arranging young Kenneth Hamilton as Lucy’s shuffleboard partner. McVey is verbally credited by the announcer over the final credits.
He would return to the series as a reporter (center) from House and Garden in “Lucy Raises Chickens” (ILL S6;E19).
He takes one look at Lucy herding the baby chicks through the living room and says “I don’t think so!”
In 1955 and 1957, McVey appeared in two episodes of Desilu’s “December Bride”. His second episode featured Lucy glamour girls Barbara Eden and Hillary Brooke.
From 1957 to 1959 he did three episodes of Desilu’s helicopter series ”Whirlybirds”.
In 1959 he played a police chief on Desilu’s “The Untouchables.”
For the next twenty years, McVey continued acting on television and in films retiring in 1986 after a final appearance on “Highway To Heaven” playing a minister.
McVey was married three times with three children;
- Lorraine Budge ~ 1937-1949
- Rita Ann Stickelmaier ~ 1950-1970
- Esther Geddes ~ 1971-2003
He died of leukemia in Rancho Mirage, California on July 4, 2003, age 92.
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RIP LYNN STALMASTER
1927-2021
Lynn Stalmaster was the first casting director to be conferred an Academy Award, having received an Honorary Oscar in 2016.
He worked with Desilu on several projects, the first being the “I Love Lucy” summer replacement series “Those Whiting Girls” (1957).
He moved on to the Desilu Western “The Sheriff of Cochise” (1957-58)…
Desilu’s crime series “Official Detective” (1957-58)…
and Desilu’s helicopter series “Whirlybirds” (1957-59).
He cast the second episode of Desilu’s “Guestward Ho!” in 1960.
Starting with Desilu’s gangster series “The Untouchables” (1960-63), Stalmaster teamed with James Lister to create Stalmaster-Lister Co.
Stalmaster-Lister cast Desilu’s circus series “The Greatest Show On Earth” (1963-64) one episode of which featured Lucille Ball.
Lynn Stalmaster’s last collaboration with Lucille Ball and Desilu was casting her feature film Yours, Mine, and Ours in 1968.
He provided the cast of eight films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966), In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Deliverance (1972), Bound for Glory (1976), Coming Home (1978), Tootsie (1982) and The Right Stuff (1983). Of those, only In the Heat of the Night (1967) was a winner in the category.
Lynn Stalmaster died on February 12, 2021 at age 93.
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TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD
February 13, 1919
Ernest Jennings Ford (known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford) was born in Bristol, Tennessee. He was a singer and television host who enjoyed success performing country and Western, pop, and gospel music. He was known for his rich bass-baritone voice and down-home humor. He is remembered for his hit recordings of “The Shotgun Boogie” and “Sixteen Tons”, winning a Grammy Award in 1965.
Before he even made an appearance on “I Love Lucy”, Ford was first mentioned during “Lucy Writes a Play” (ILL S1;E17), when playwright Lucy mistakenly dubs herself the next Tennessee Ernie, instead of Tennessee Williams.
He was the first and only celebrity to make three guest star appearances (playing a variation on himself) on “I Love Lucy.” A popular country singer of the 1950s, it was his first credited ‘acting’ job, before his big hit with the song “Sixteen Tons” in 1955.
His first time appearing with Lucille Ball was in “Tennessee Ernie Visits” (ILL S3;E28
Filmed April 1, 1954 and first aired on May 3, 1954.
In a letter from Lucy’s mother (a character not yet introduced) it is explained that Ernie is the middle boy of Ella Scott Porter’s husband and that Ella was an old college roommate of Flo Pauline Lopus who lives in Jamestown.
The surprise visit turns out to be a case of culture shock for the ‘Cousin’ Ernie (who is no relation to Lucy or Ricky at all). His voracious appetite and country ways make Lucy go to extreme lengths (cue the ‘Wicked City Woman’) to hasten his departure.
But he’s still there in the next episode, “Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (ILL S3;E29), filmed on April 8, 1954 and first aired on May 10, 1954.
Three times the charm in “Tennessee Bound” (ILL S4;E14) filmed on November 18, 1954 and first aired on January 24, 1955. While the gang is motoring to Hollywood, they take a wrong turn and end up in Ernie’s hometown of Bent Fork.
The gang is jailed for speeding and it is up to Ernie (who knows the politics of the small town) to spring them – by a square dance, of course!
In 1958, Ford sold Fords during the “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”
His popular TV program “The Ford Show” was not named after him, although many assumed so, but after his sponsor, the Ford Motor Company.
Tennessee Ernie Ford played Homer Higgins on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford” (TLS S5;E21) first aired on February 27, 1967. Higgins plays a successful country music singer who Lucy and Mr. Mooney are aiming to land as a depositor – even setting him up in a swanky penthouse. The episode was a nod to the successful “Beverly Hillbillies.”
The episode ends with a hoe-down at the bank, of course!
Lucille Ball appeared on “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Special” on November 16, 1968. Ball’s appearance was her was her way of repaying him for appearing on “The Lucy Show”. A month later Ball and Ford both did cameos on “The Dean Martin Christmas Show.”
Ford went on to make another alliterative appearance on “Here’s Lucy” (HL S1;E23) as Ernie Epperson, proprietor of “Uncle Ernie’s Fun Farm”. The episode was first aired on March 10, 1969.
The Carters join Ernie in an all-singing all-dancing commercial for the Fun Farm.
Ford also made alliteratively-named characters on "The Red Skelton Show” (as Loser Lumpkin), and the Desilu-filmed "Make Room For Daddy” (as Kentucky Cal). Two weeks before Kentucky Cal showed up at the Williams apartment, the Lucy and Ricky Ricardo visited in a reciprocal cross-over episode titled “Lucy Upsets The Williams Household” aired on January 5, 1959. So while the Ricardos know Tennessee Ernie, they narrowly missed meeting Kentucky Cal!
Ford married Betty Heminger in 1942 and they had two children. She died in 1989 and Ford re-married Beverly Wood.
Ernie Ford died on October 17, 1991. He collapsed after leaving a White House dinner and died a few days later, exactly one year to the day after being elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Ford battled all his life with a drinking problem, something which ultimately undermined his health.
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HI HO! HATS!
February 13, 1938
On December 21, 1937, Walt Disney Studios released Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, an animated motion picture based on the fairy tale of the same name. The immense popularity of the film – even just by mid-February 1938, had already begun to have an effect on popular culture, including fashion. Here, actress and model Lucille Ball shows off two hats inspired by the film.
The actor who voiced Sneezy was named Billy Gilbert, who had done four films with Lucille Ball and would do one more in 1942. He got the part because he was famous for his sneezing gag! Voice artist Pinto Colvig (Sleepy, Dopey, and Grumpy) and June Foray (Squirrels) would later do animal voices on Lucille Ball’s sitcoms. Moroni Olsen (The Magic Mirror) would later play the Judge in “The Courtroom” (ILL S2;E7).
This quick fashion note found its way into the February 8, 1938 Springfield Leader and Press (MO). No photo, however.
The same date that these hats appeared in newspapers, Lucille Ball was heard on “The Phil Baker Radio Show” on CBS.
The evening’s program was titled “Ten Nights in an Apothecary Shop”.
Also on this date in ‘38, the Chicago Tribune ran this brief item about Lucille Ball’s generosity and how it came back to her tenfold.
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JOSEPH KEARNS
February 12, 1907
Joseph Sherrard Kearns
was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, but his family moved to California when he was very young. His mother was a concert pianist, from whom Kearns derived his love of music. He and his family were devout Mormons, whose ancestors were Mormon pioneers. In 1916 he joined The Rising Generation, a vaudeville troupe. He studied at the University of Utah, teaching a course in theatrical make-up to fund his tuition. After graduating from college, he briefly tried his hand at wool buying but soon gave up the wool business and pursued a show business career.
Kearns began his acting career in radio in the 1930s with appearances on “The Adventures of Sam Spade”, “Burns and Allen”, and dozens of other shows. Kearns played the security guard for Jack Benny’s underground money vault, on “The Jack Benny Program”. Coincidentally, he briefly played banker Rudolph Atterbury on Lucille Ball’s radio show “My Favorite Husband,” until the role was assumed by Gale Gordon, an actor who would figure prominently in Kearns’ career.
He made his television debut as himself on a March 14, 1950, episode of “The Alan Young Show” guest starring Milton Berle. That same year he acted on television for the first time in the TV film “Let’s Join Joanie” starring Joan Davis.
He reteamed with Davis for her TV series “I Married Joan” doing five episodes from 1953 to 1955. He had previously done a dozen episodes of “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” from 1951 to 1954.
Kearns made his film debut in Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951) and that same year was the voice of the Doorknob in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951).
He did his first episode of “I Love Lucy” playing psychiatrist Tom Robinson in “The Kleptomaniac” (ILL S1;E27) filmed on March 7, 1952 and first aired on April 14, 1952.
From 1953 to 1959, he did nine episodes of “Our Miss Brooks” shot at Desilu playing School Superintendent Edgar T. Stone with Gale Gordon as Principal Osgood Conklin.
In his second “I Love Lucy” appearance, Kearns played the theatre manager in “Lucy’s Night in Town” (ILL S6;E22) filmed on February 21,1957 and first aired on March 25, 1957.
That same year (1957) he did an episode of “The Danny Thomas Show” filmed at Desilu Studios and did his third and final episode of Desilu’s “December Bride”. His first time on the series in 1956, he played Desi Arnaz’s manager (above) in an episode that featured Arnaz (the show’s producer) as himself.
Later in 1957, he returned to Desilu for an episode of “The Real McCoys” starring Richard Crenna and Walter Brennan. He also was at the studio for an episode of the short-lived “Angel” in 1960.
From 1953 to 1961, Kearns reprised many of his radio bits with Jack Benny on television in “The Jack Benny Program.”
In the fall of 1959, he created the role he would be best known for – and would ultimately be his last. Mr. George Wilson on TV’s “Dennis the Menace” appearing in 96 episodes starting with the very first. When he passed away during the show’s final season, his “Our Miss Brooks” co-star Gale Gordon took over for him, playing his brother John. Luckily for Lucille Ball, the series was canceled soon after, allowing Gordon to re-join Ball on “The Lucy Show.”
Kearns never married nor had any children.
He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died on February 17, 1962, just five days after his 55th birthday.
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HE STILL LOVES LUCY
February 12, 1956
This year Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are celebrating their 16th Valentine’s Day as husband and wife. Although their marriage has had its ups and downs, they are considered one of Hollywood’s happiest couples, on screen and off. When I asked Lucille to explain this happy state of affairs, she said. “That’s easy. Desi is the boss, at work and at home."
She offered proof, too. When she had wanted them to live at their Chatsworth ranch, Desi preferred to buy a house in Beverly Hills so they’re now living in Beverly Hills! He also keeps her on a strict allowance, in spite of their substantial income. And meals are prepared with Desi’s taste in mind, and vacations taken when he can get away.
To keep the record straight, I also asked Desi what he thought was responsible for all those happy Valentine’s Days. He considered a sense of humor highly important. To illustrate, he told me that Lucille can’t go to sleep at night unless the windows are wide open, even though he complains he "freezes to death.”
“Lucy lets me close the windows and I go to sleep,” he said, “but no sooner do I doze off than she opens them again. And then I freeze the rest of the night. To take this for 15 years, you have to have a sense of humor!"
Considering how their backgrounds differ, it’s amazing how well they have adjusted to one another. Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III is the son of a former mayor of Santiago, Cuba, the grandson of one of his country’s heroes who rode with Teddy Roosevelt, and a descendant of one of Cuba’s oldest families. Lucille’s father was a mining engineer and her mother a hat buyer for a New York department store. (**)
While Desi divided his time between three ranches totaling 100,000 acres, a palatial home in the city, a cruiser, and a racing stable, Lucille worked as a soda jerk, a model for a wholesale dress company, and a chorus girl in Ziegfeld’s "Rio Rita."
They met in Hollywood in 1940 where they co-starred in RKO’s "Too Many Girls.” Lucille had established herself as a first-rate comedienne while Desi, after fleeing Cuba during the 1933 revolution, had made a name for himself as a band leader. They soon realized they had more in common than either had expected.
Lucille’s Irish temper was a perfect match for Desi’s fiery Latin disposition. Each was stubborn enough to like to see things through, and both shared a common interest in show business and show people. They were married Nov. 30, 1940, in Greenwich, Conn.
Skeptics said their marriage wouldn’t last, that “I Love Lucy” would never be a success, and that their own film productions would never make money. But the marriage has been one of Hollywood’s brightest, “I Love Lucy” is among television’s Top Ten, and MGM has just released their new independent film, “Forever, Darling,” in which they co-star with James Mason.
All in all, there seem to be many more happy Valentine’s Days ahead for Mr. and Mrs. Desi Arnaz.
(**) = It appears that Lucille was still embroidering her family history for the press. Early in her career she said that her father was a mining company executive and that she was born in Butte, Montana. In reality, her father Henry Ball worked for Bell Telephone as an itinerant lineman and she was born in Jamestown, New York. Her mother, Dede, was a housewife and sometimes was described as a concert pianist, but there is no evidence that she was a hat buyer for a New York department store.
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LUCY’S ‘PARACHUTE’ FAILS TO OPEN!
February 12, 1941
The RKO film Parachute Battalion was released on September 12, 1941, directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Robert Preston, Edmond O’Brien, Harry Carey, and Buddy Ebsen. Lucille Ball was NOT cast. The role went to Nancy Kelly, who married Edmond O’Brien just a week after this item was published. The movie was filmed on location at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Lucille Ball got to parachute on television on “The Lucy Show” in 1966, and on “Here’s Lucy” in 1970.
Two months after Parachute Battalion premiered, Lucille Ball opened in RKO’s Look Who’s Laughing.
Also on February 12, 1941, in Jack Pickering’s Town Crier column, Lucy and Desi tried to solve some important problems facing celebrities.
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