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RICHARD CRENNA
November 30, 1926
Richard Donald Crenna was born in Los Angeles, California, the only son of a pharmacist and a hotel manager. Following high school, Crenna served in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he saw combat in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. He also briefly served in the Pacific Theater of World War II. After World War II, Crenna attended the University of Southern California, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature.
In 1936, Crenna got his acting start on radio. In 1948, he originated the role of geeky Walter Denton on the radio comedy “Our Miss Brooks” alongside Eve Arden and Gale Gordon, and followed that role when the series moved to television in 1952. He remained in that role until 1957.
He first worked with Lucille Ball when he appeared as a delivery boy on “My Favorite Husband” in “Liz Cooks Dinner for 12” on October 14, 1950.
Crenna made his television debut on “I Love Lucy” in “The Young Fans” (S1;E20) first aired on February 25, 1952, but filmed on January 18, 1952.
He played Arthur Morton, a teenager who has a crush on Lucy Ricardo. The character is virtually a carbon copy of Walter Denton (and even sounds similar). Throughout the episode, Walter dreams of marrying Lucy, which would make her Mrs. Morton. Coincidentally, she actually did become Mrs. Morton when she married Gary Morton in 1961, although his birth name was actually Goldaper. In 1981, Crenna and his co-star Janet Waldo (Peggy) both were voices in an animated “Daniel Boone”.
From October 3, 1952 (the series premiere) to October 7, 1955, Crenna did 94 episodes of “Our Miss Brooks” on television. His final episode was intended to be part of season 3, but was postponed. The series was filmed at Desilu Studios and aired on CBS TV. During that time he naturally worked with many “I Love Lucy” veterans like Gale Gordon, Eve Arden, Jerry Hausner, Frank Nelson, Mary Jane Croft, Elvia Allman, Maurice Marsac, Joseph Kearns, Hy Averback, Herb Vigran, Parley Baer, Sid Melton, Gail Bonney, Sammy Ogg, and many others.
From 1957 to 1963 Crenna returned to Desilu studios as a series regular on “The Real McCoys” playing Luke McCoy for 224 episodes. Like “Miss Brooks” the series featured many “Lucy” performers. He got experience as a director on 14 episodes.
In 1963 and 1964, Crenna stayed on the Desilu back lot to direct eight episodes (but did not appear) of “The Andy Griffith Show.”
In January 11, 1966, Crenna was a special guest contestant on “Password’s” Lucy and Friends week.
Crenna was also a producer, and employed Lucille Ball for an episode of his “Make Room For Granddaddy” in 1971. Lucille Ball recreated her Lucy Carter character opposite Danny Thomas as Danny Williams.
In 1977, Crenna could be glimpsed in the audience when Lucille Ball paid tribute to Henry Fonda in “AFI Life Achievement Award: Henry Fonda”.
Ball and Crenna were both on hand for CBS’s week-long celebration of their 50 years “On the Air” in late March 1978. Both were together for the parade of CBS stars on Sunday night, with Ball representing Mondays and Crenna grouped with the Friday stars along with Eve Arden.
Their final screen credit together was another tribute, “The Friars Club Salute To Gene Kelly” in 1985.
Later in life, he became one of Hollywood’s busiest actors, starring in “Vega$” and Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo films.
In 1985 he won a Primetime Emmy Award for playing the title role in The Rape of Richard Beck (aka Deadly Justice) on ABC TV
His final screen appearance was the teleplay Out of the Ashes, which was aired posthumously in April 2003.
Crenna married Joan Grisham in September 1950 and they divorced five years later with one child. He married Hannah ‘Penni’ Smith in 1957 and had 2 children.
Richard Crenna died at age 76 of heart failure on January 17, 2003.
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TEMPO: BRINGING UP BABY
November 30, 1953
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were on the cover of the November 30, 1953, issue of Tempo (volume 1, no. 26), a digest-sized weekly news magazine.
Tempo was published by Pocket Magazines Inc. and billed itself as “The Nation’s Only Pocket News Weekly.” It merged with Quick, another pocket-sized digest from the same publishers, to be known as Pocket & Quick magazine. Lucy and Desi often appeared on the cover of the original Quick, but the combined magazine leaned much more toward male readers, featuring pin-up girls.
The inside article (pages 35 and 36) is titled “Lucy & Desi: Bringing Up Baby” and discusses raising their newborn son, Desiderio Albert Arnaz IV (aka Desi Jr.), who was born ten and a half months earlier.
Photographs include candid shots of the proud parents with their children, as well as one of Desi holding the Mayer Twins who began playing the role at the start of November 1953.
The issue also contains photos and/or articles on Marilyn Monroe, Mitzi Gaynor, Betty Grable, Roy Rogers, Mara Corday, Jan Sterling, Judy Holliday, Corrine Calvet, Lauren Bacall, and others.
The same date this magazine appeared on newsstands, “I Love Lucy” premiered “Too Many Crooks” (ILL S3;E9). In it, Lucy thinks her friend and neighbor Ethel is the notorious Madame X, while Ethel suspects the same of her!
On November 30, 1953, Desi Arnaz threw a surprise 13th wedding anniversary party for Lucille Ball at Hollywood’s glamorous Mocambo nightclub. After a towering cake was served, a TV set was wheeled in and guests watched (what else?) “I Love Lucy”!
Also on November 30, 1953, nationally syndicated columnist Bob Thomas reported on “I Love Lucy” after a brief interview with producer Jess Oppenheimer. This wasn’t the only publication to dwell on the ‘red scare’ experienced by Lucille Ball on September 11, 1953 when she was accused of being a communist.
Drew Pearson’s Washington Merry-Go-Round syndicated column offered a few theories on the controversy, bringing up Lucille Ball several times in the rather lengthy article.
Meanwhile, on that same Monday, Bob Farrell’s New York at Night Column contained this cryptic quip, possibly in response to questioning whether her children would also go into show business. At the time, Little Lucie was 2 and Desi Jr. was less than a year old! Time tells, however, that she was indeed “heir conditioned” as both her children went into show business as teenagers.
On November 30th, the Bradenton (FL) Herald bragged that the trailer used in The Long, Long Trailer would be on display at a local mobile home dealership! Although the film wouldn’t premiere for another month yet, the ‘trailer’ (pardon the pun) was already in movie theatres!
Catching up with the weekends happenings on the West Coast, a North Caroline newspaper reported on Monday the 30th that the Arnaz family had ‘thrown the switch’ to light up the Christmas trees of Santa Claus Lane in Hollywood. The event actually occurred two days earlier, on November 28, 1953. Other news outlets reported that Ball had ‘trouble’ turning on the lights, stating that only half of the trees initially lit up, with the remainder a few seconds later. Additionally, two streetcars stopped between the floodlights and the Arnaz family, putting them in virtual darkness just before the big moment. One report noted that it was like something out of a Lucille Ball script!
[Please note that all newspapers did not publish syndicated columns or event stories on the same date! The stories collected above reflect only the newspapers published on November 30, 1953, while other outlets may have published stories earlier or later.]
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HARRY BARTELL
November 28, 1913
Harry Bartell was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but grew up in Houston, where he got his start in radio as an announcer. He had one younger brother who died at age 23. With his youthful sounding voice, Bartell was one of the busiest West Coast radio actors from the early 1940s until the end of the 1960s. He also served in the United States Army.
His first film experience was as an uncredited sailor in the Cary Grant film Destination Tokyo in 1943, but didn’t do another film until 1952, spending all his time doing radio.
Although he was most popular on westerns such as “Gunsmoke” (he later did ten episodes of the television series as well), he also was heard on Lucille Ball’s radio comedy “My Favorite Husband” where he played a drunk in “George is Messy” (June 1950).
In Fall 1952, Bartell did three television series: “Dangerous Assignment,” “Life With Luigi” and “I Love Lucy,” although records are unclear about which was his first filmed or first to premiere.
Bartell did three episodes of “I Love Lucy,” starting with “The Courtroom” (ILL S2;E7) which first aired on November 10, 1952, but was filmed on August 8, 1952. Bartell plays a process server who seems to arrive at the wrong apartment, looking for Miss Lewis. He recognizes bandleader Ricky Ricardo and asks for an autograph. Ricky doesn’t realize he’s signed for a summons and is served papers to appear in small claims court in the matter of “Mertz v Ricardo”!
Bartell returned to the series to play the headwaiter who serves William Holden at the Hollywood Brown Derby in “Hollywood at Last!” (ILL S4;E16). Bartell is apologetic that Holden is being ogled by Lucy, but hasn’t got another table to re-seat the star.
His third an final appearance was as the jewel thief in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5).
The jewel thief gains Lucy’s confidence in order to get to Mr. Estes (Lou Krugman), the jeweler in the next compartment. As with all of his “Lucy” characters, he does not have a name and he appears uncredited.
He did two episodes of the Desilu helicopter series “Whirlybirds” in 1957 and 1959.
He did two episodes of the hit Desilu crime drama “The Untouchables” in 1959 and 1961. This would be his final time working for Lucy and Desi.
His last screen appearance was in the TV film Mobile Two in 1975. This was a pilot for a reboot of “Mobile One”, a series tarring Jackie Cooper.
On February 26, 2004, Harry Bartell died in Ashland, Oregon. He was 90 years old.
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IS THERE A BABY IN THE HOUSE?
November 27, 1948
“Is There A Baby In The House?” (aka “There’s A Baby In The House”) is episode #18 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on November 27, 1948.
Synopsis ~ Liz goes over to meet the new neighbors and winds up minding a four-month old baby overnight.
Note: This episode was aired before the characters names were changed from Cugat to Cooper. It was also before Jell-O came aboard to sponsor the show and before the regular cast featured Bea Benadaret and Gale Gordon as the Atterburys.
“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 Cugat) 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. “My Favorite Husband” 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 Cugat) 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.
Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz, 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
John Hiestand (Cory Cartwright) served as the announcer for the radio show “Let George Do It” from 1946 to 1950. In 1955 he did an episode of “Our Miss Brooks” opposite Gale Gordon.
Frank Nelson (Mr. Brennan) 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”. Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs. His trademark was playing clerks and other working stiffs, suddenly turning to Benny with a drawn out “Yeeeeeeeeees?” Nelson appeared in 11 episodes of “I Love Lucy”, including three as quiz master Freddy Fillmore, and two as Ralph Ramsey, plus appearance on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” – making him the only actor to play two different recurring roles on “I Love Lucy.” Nelson returned to the role of the frazzled Train Conductor for an episode of “The Lucy Show” in 1963. This marks his final appearance on a Lucille Ball sitcom.
Mary Lansing (New Neighbor, Little Stevie’s Mother) was best known for playing Martha Clark and ten other characters in Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Mayberry R.F.D.”, both filmed at Desilu. Lucy lovers might remember her as the voice of weepy Cynthia in “Over The Teacups”, the Broadway play that the Ricardos and Mertzes attend in “Ethel’s Birthday” (ILL S4;E9). She met Frank Nelson performing on radio. They married in 1933 and had two children. Lansing appeared with him frequently on the “Jack Benny Program” during the 1950s.
Hans Conried (Mr. Atterbury, George’s Boss) 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. He died in 1982 at age 64.
In a few months, the role of Mr. Atterbury will be assumed by Gale Gordon.
Jean Vander Pyl (Stevie the Baby) is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon “The Flintstones.” Coincidentally, Wilma’s best friend was voiced by Bea Benadaret, who will later play Iris Atterbury, Liz’s best friend on “My Favorite Husband.” On radio she was heard on such programs as “The Halls of Ivy” (1950–52) and on “Father Knows Best” before it moved to TV. She died in 1999 at age 79.
Doing baby voices was something that Vander Pyl would also do on “The Flintstones” where she did the voice of her own daughter, Pebbles.
EPISODE
ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Cugats this morning something new has been added. There’s a moving van in front of the house next door, but of course the new neighbors don’t interest Liz Cugat in the least!”
Liz is peering through the front window at the goings on next door using George’s binoculars. George gets interested only when she sees fishing and hunting equipment being unloaded.
In “New Neighbors” (ILL S1;E21) in 1952, Lucy and Ethel watch new tenants the O’Briens move in using Ricky’s binoculars. Like Liz, Lucy mistakes a bug on the lens for the new neighbor! Unlike George, it is blonde, shapely Mrs. O’Brien who gets Ricky and Fred interested, not sporting equipment.
Cory Cartwright (John Hiestand) drops by for a rare early morning visit. He’s come by to tell George that he is to be the trustee of his mother’s club, who helps an orphan home with 130 children. George makes Liz promise not to go next door and bother the new neighbors while he is at work.
Liz and Katie spend two hours washing windows while spying on the movers. Liz says they moved in a lot of junk.
KATIE: “With women who know junk best, it’s Mrs. Cugat two to one!”
Katie is sarcastically paraphrasing a popular ad slogan of the 1930s and ‘40s for Lucky Strike Cigarettes: “With men who know tobacco best, it’s Luckies 2 to 1″.
Liz wildly figures that if she doesn’t go over and visit the new neighbor she may lonely, take to brooding, become moody and despondent and turn on the gas. Liz rushes off to save her life!
Liz visits the new neighbor (Mary Lansing), who compliments Liz on having two such industrious maids – the ones who spent the two hours cleaning the same window! Before Liz leaves, the woman asks her to babysit with her four month old son, Stevie (Jean Vander Pyl), while she runs an errand.
George comes home early while Liz is still watching the baby, so she tells Katie to take him into the den. George hears the baby crying and goes into the den to see for himself and demands to know who it belongs to.
LIZ: “You wouldn’t believe it’s mine, would you?”
GEORGE: “No!”
LIZ: “Princess Elizabeth’s?”
When Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was still Princess Elizabeth, she gave birth to Prince Charles, who was born on November 14, 1948, two weeks before this broadcast. Princess Elizabeth became Queen upon the death of her father, George VI in February 1952. Lucy Ricardo performed for her in “Lucy Meets The Queen” (ILL S5;E15) in January 1956. Naturally, the monarch remained off camera.
Liz admits that the child belongs to their new neighbor. Just then the telephone rings and Liz leaves George with the baby to answer it. George tries to distract the child with his pocketwatch, which Stevie promptly breaks. Liz returns to report that Stevie’s mother is delayed and they have to watch the child overnight!
~END OF ACT ONE~
A patriotic public service announcement details how the US Air Force helped a Spanish town remove a precariously tottering statue from a high building.
ANNOUNCER: “And now, let’s go back to Liz and George Cugat and see how they are getting along with the baby.”
In the kitchen, Liz and George are trying to figure out how to feed the baby, not remembering the exact formula. They decide to feed him cereal, instead.
LIZ: “Now which kind do you think he’ll like best? Corn Flakes or Post Toasties? Here’s a good one: Grape-Nuts!”
Post Toasties was a breakfast cereal made by Post Foods as the Post version of Kellogg’s popular Corn Flakes. They were discontinued as of August 2016, although Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are still going strong. Post also made Grape- Nuts, initially marketed as a natural cereal that could enhance health and vitality. It is still sold today.
George thinks they should just feed him baby oil, but Liz correct him that baby oil is not for drinking, but for frying the cereal! They resort to canned baby food, but think it is spoiled because it is all mushy. They settle on milk, but can’t find the nipples, so Liz decides to cut the fingers off a rubber glove instead.
The baby cries all night long. Liz picks him up every time he cries, but as soon as she puts him down, he cries again.
GEORGE: “I know how to make him sleep: ‘Rock-a-bye Baby’. Wait here and I’ll go get a great big rock.”
LIZ: “George!!!”Liz realizes that the baby can’t sleep because she didn’t burp him. After a few pats on the back, Stevie burps.
LIZ: “Isn’t that cute?”
GEORGE: “Cute? When he does it it’s cute. When I do it it’s vulgar!”At the bank the next day, Mr. Atterbury (Hans Conried) calls a sleep-deprived George into his office. He tells George that Mr. Brennan, the man from the Orphans Home, is reluctant to make George trustee because he has no children. Mr. Atterbury comes up with a plan. George must rush home to meet Mr. Brennan and pretend that the neighbor’s baby is his own!
Mr. Brennan (Frank Nelson) arrives at the Cugat’s door just as George comes tearing up the walk to warn Liz of the scheme. George gets Liz into the kitchen to fill her in on the plan, but Liz has already given the baby back to his mother. George tells her to get that baby back!
Liz dashes out the back door, tearing her dress on a branch, and stepping in a puddle. Stevie’s mother asks her husband was was going into her house and Liz realizes that Mr. Brennan is the new neighbor and that Stevie is his son. Liz grabs the baby and rushes back home in shambles, hoping that Mr. Brennan will not notice.
But Mr. Brennan sees a resemblance between the two babies and heads home and get his son to compare the two. Liz rush through the back door to return the baby before he can get there. On the way back Liz tears her dress on a nail, falls in a puddle and gets back just in time to find Mr. Brennan at the door without his son!MR. BRENNAN: “When I got home and took a good look at him I could see: they don’t look alike at all!”
Later, Liz goes to see Mr. Brennan to tell him how wonderful her favorite husband is and Brennan gives George the job as trustee. He asks one favor, however – that they babysit Little Stevie.
GEORGE: “Not tonight!”
LIZ: “No, not tonight. For the whole weekend. Goodnight, George!”~ END OF EPISODE ~
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QUICK! LOVE IS HER FAVORITE CAREER
November 27, 1950
The November 27, 1950 issue of Quick featured Lucille Ball on its cover.
Quick was published by Cowles Magazines, Inc., from 1949 to 1953. They also published Life. Readers were encouraged to “Get Quick on your newsstand an carry it in your pocket or your purse… and read it wherever you are”. A new Quick Magazine was first published in November 2010.
This was the first of Ball’s three appearances on the Quick cover. She reappeared on October 13, 1952 and April 13, 1953, shortly before its final issue.
When this issue was published, Ball was the star of the radio program “My Favorite Husband,” then 13 episodes into its third and final season on CBS Radio. Ball knew that the show (or some version of it) was headed toward television and was petitioning for her husband Desi Arnaz to be part of the visual version.
The inside article “Love Is Her Favorite Career” discusses her ten-year marriage to bandleader Deis Arnaz.
[Note: The remainder of this article was not available in a copy suitable for viewing online, so it has been omitted.]
On the same date this issue of Quick was published, Ball was in US cinemas with her latest film, The Fuller Brush Girl, a sequel to The Fuller Brush Man starring Red Skelton. The film was released on September 15, 1950.
November 27, 1950 newspapers also revealed that Lucille Ball had been cast in Cecil B. De Mille’s circus epic The Greatest Show on Earth as an elephant trainer. When filming began on January 31, 1951, however, Lucille Ball was not among the cast. She withdrew due to her pregnancy. The role of Angel was assumed by Gloria Grahame. Ball revisited the property by producing and acting in a television version of the film in 1963. Instead of elephants, her character trained horses. The story comes full circle when the child she was expecting in 1950 (Lucie Arnaz) was one of the celebrities on “Circus of the Stars” (1977) with Lucille Ball as Ringmaster. Naturally, Lucie worked with elephants, much to the pride of her mother.
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LUCY TALKS TURKEY!
RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES ~ 1940 to 1992
~1944~
Associated Press reported that Lucy’s cousin Cleo was late for her TURKEY dinner! Hopefully, Lucy gave her a calendar for Christmas!
~1969~
Here the brief mention puns on the double meaning of TURKEY. In addition to the traditional Thanksgiving main course, TURKEY is show-biz slang for a disastrous play or movie!
~1983~
Seems an awfully strange way to get a pie delivered! In 2019, a 72 year-old Caisse was reported missing due to confusion brought on by Alzheimer’s and dementia. Palm Springs Police eventually located him.
~1944~
Columnist Sheila Graham mentioned that Lucille Ball was counting her TURKEYS from her investment in her ex’s TURKEY farm! One story says that after Lucy phoned Al to tell him their romance was over, Hall sent her a trussed TURKEY from his farm as a parting gift!
~1971~
This comedy double bill makes it look like Lucille Ball is starring in Cold TURKEY, a film about a town that collectively tries to give up smoking. The term cold TURKEY comes from the goose bumps people sometimes get in the days after they quit, which look like the skin of an uncooked, cold TURKEY in the fridge!
~1940~
During the holidays, cinemas would do TURKEY giveaways to patrons.
~1950~
This cinema is doing a holiday TURKEY giveaway, but their use of “quotation marks” make it looks like a triple bill of Wyoming Mail, Fuller Brush Girl, and that smash hit TURKEY Surprise!
~1992~
Okay, someone was bound to say it. This harsh blurb comes from Australia.
GOBBLE GOBBLE!
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Herbert F. Solow, A Founding Father Of Star Trek, Dies At 89
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KEN CHRISTY
November 23, 1894
Ken Christy was born as Robert Kenneth Christy in Greenville, Pennsylvania. Christy served in World War One.
Although busy on stage and on radio, his first screen appearance was in 1940. He was mainly uncredited and did small roles, sometimes in short films. A 1950 newspaper article said that “in 98 out of 100 film roles he has played an officer of the law.” Christy said, “I’d give anything to stop making arrests and be the guy who commits the crime for once.”
Christy first worked with Lucille Ball on an episode of her radio show “My Favorite Husband” titled “The Cuckoo Clock” that aired on January 3, 1951. It also featured the voices of Hans Conried, GeGe Pearson, and June Foray.
His first television show was a 1949 episode of the anthology series “Arch Oboler Comedy Theatre” that also featured “Lucy” regular Hans Conried.
Although primarily found in small roles, Christy was a recurring character on “Meet Corliss Archer” in 1954 playing Bill Franklin.
His first onscreen appearance opposite Lucille Ball was on the “I Love Lucy” episode “Oil Wells” (ILL S3;E18), first aired on February 15, 1954, but filmed on January 14, 1954. Christy played Ken, a Private Detective friend of Fred’s who the gang believe may be looking into whether the Johnsons (the new neighbors) may be scam artists selling fake oil wells.
In 1956, Christy returned to “I Love Lucy” to play the NYC dock agent who directs Lucy to the pilot boat and then the helicopter that lowers her onto the deck of the S.S. Constitution in “Bon Voyage” (ILL S5;E13). It was filmed December 1, 1955 and was the most expensive episode of “I Love Lucy” ever filmed.
In 1959, he returned to Desilu for an episode of their hit series “The Real McCoys” playing Mr. Sackett alongside “I Love Lucy” performers Eleanor Audley and Richard Crenna.
In 1961, he did an episode of “My Three Sons” with William Frawley and Fred MacMurray, filmed on the Desilu back lot.
His final screen appearance was in a March 1962 episode of “Shannon” starring George Nader.
Ken Christy died on July 23, 1962 at age 67.
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HARPO MARX
November 23, 1888
Harpo Marx was born Adolph Marx in New York City.
He was the second of five brothers: Julius (Groucho), Milton (Gummo), Leonard (Chico), and Herbert (Zeppo). He quit school after kindergarten to help support his family by taking a job as a delivery boy. His musical talent was developed by learning to play his grandmother’s harp. In 1922, he and his brothers left vaudeville to perform on Broadway, and soon landed in Hollywood.
In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers, Harpo’s comic style was visual. Harpo never spoke on screen and was usually seen in a fright wig, battered top hat, and wearing a trench coat. He often blew a horn or whistled to communicate.
Although he found success on stage, his film career had a shaky start. The first film he did with his brothers in 1921 was never released. In his second film four years later, he appeared without his brothers and actually spoke, although it was a silent movie so his line was written in subtitles!
His first film success came in 1929 with his brothers. The Coconuts was filmed on a New York stage while they performed in Animal Crackers (which was filmed in 1930) in the evenings. Followed by Horse Feathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933), A Night at the Opera (1935), A Day at the Races (1937), and Room Service (1938) – all now considered comedy classics.
It was in Room Service that Harpo first worked with Lucille Ball. The plot revolves around the shenanigans of getting a stage play produced and funded by mysterious backer, while evading paying a large hotel bill. Ball played Christine Marlowe, the actress who arranges for a backer to meet the brothers.
This was the Marx Brothers’ only film for RKO and their only film not especialy written for them. It co-starred Ann Miller, who will also be seen with Lucy and Desi in Too Many Girls (1940).
Harpo was said to be Ball’s ‘favorite’ Marx Brother. Naturally, when Lucy and Desi were looking for guest stars for their Hollywood episodes of “I Love Lucy”, Harpo was on their wish list.
The deal was eventually struck and Harpo was booked. The previous episode, “The Dancing Star” (S4;E27) featuring Van Johnson, was actually filmed after his episode, to be titled “Lucy and Harpo Marx” (S4;E28). It was filmed on March 24, 1955 and aired for the first time on May 9, 1955.
In the episode, Lucy brags to Caroline Appleby that she will get to meet some genuine Hollywood celebrities during her visit to LA. Now she’s got to deliver. Stealing nearsighted Caroline’s eyeglasses and dressing up as some famous stars, she manages to fool her friend – until the real Harpo Marx shows up and discovers Lucy dressed up as him.
Just before the filming, Harpo suffered a heart attack and his doctors discouraged him from doing the show. Thankfully for TV comedy history, he ignored their wishes.
Harpo makes his first entrance poolside, where Ricky and Fred talk him into visiting their hotel room for Lucy. In this scene, Harpo engages in some of his classic pantomime, even imitating Ricky singing “Babalu”!
At the poolside are Lucy and Vivian’s stand-ins Hazel Pierce and Renita Reachi, who often appeared on camera in crowd scenes.
When the real Harpo Marx enters the room instead of Lucy, one wonders if Ethel is as near-sighted as Caroline. She is face to face with the world famous comic and can’t see that it isn’t her close-friend Lucy in a mask!
The centerpiece of the episode is the now classic mirror sequence. The routine was first performed by Groucho in Duck Soup (1933).
The concept of the mirror scene did not originate in this film. Max Linder included it in Seven Years Bad Luck (1921). Charlie Chaplin used a similar joke in The Floorwalker (1916), although it didn’t involve a mirror. This routine has been recreated many times in all forms of entertainment media.
Lucille Ball insisted on lots of rehearsal while Harpo was inclined to improvise, so the routine had to be re-filmed after the studio audience left to get it right.
The final version was actually several takes edited together.
Harpo plays “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” on the harp, an arrangement done by his son Billy. Bill Marx later wrote about his experiences working with his dad in his memoir Son of Harpo Speaks, sharing memories of Harpo and Lucille Ball recreating the Marx Brothers’ famous mirror scene:
“I was 18 years old at the time. Dad said, ‘We’re going to do an ‘I Love Lucy’ episode. I want you to write something for me to play on the show.’ I had this summer job at Desilu as a page or an usher, because they shot all these shows before a live audience. They had me as an usher for this episode, and at the same time, I was continuing on as I had since I was 12 years old, as my dad’s prop man. I went back and forth, doing both those jobs at the time. I was there for the entire week of rehearsals, which were really most fascinating.”
The final fade out involves Fred and Ricky dressed as Chico and Groucho while Lucy and Harpo perform the famous pile on embrace. The real Harpo comes out on top!
After the final take of the mirror routine was done, Harpo remained behind and played the harp for the cast and crew while Vivian Vance sang. Shortly after the episode aired, Harpo had another heart attack but survived for another nine years. The episode was his final screen appearance with Lucille Ball.
His final screen appearance was playing himself on an October 1962 episode of the television version of the 1939 film “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington” starring Fess Parker. Six months later, Lucy Carmichael went to Washington in an episode of “The Lucy Show.” Like this episode of “Mr. Smith”, it also featured an actor imitating the voice of John F. Kennedy off screen.
Marx was married to Susan Fleming from 1936 until his death on September 28, 1964, dying at the age of 75 from complications following heart surgery. They had four children.
“When you lose something irreplaceable, you don’t mourn for the thing you lost. You mourn for yourself.” ~ Harpo Marx
On May 19, 2017, CBS aired this episode and “The Dancing Star” (S4;E27) colorized as “I Love Lucy: Superstar Special”. The episode was edited for television, removing much of Harpo’s harp solo, in addition to other moments.
The episode was issued on various VHS tapes and is also on DVD and available to stream.
In a 2005 episode of “The Gilmore Girls” the characters talk about this episode, and also reference “Don Juan is Shelved” and “Don Juan and the Starlets.”
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GEORGE O’HANLON
November 23, 1912
George Samuel O’Hanlon was best known for his role as Joe McDoakes in the Warner Brothers live-action Joe McDoakes short subjects (1942-1956) and as the voice of George Jetson in Hanna-Barbera’s 1962 prime-time animated television series “The Jetsons” and its 1985 revival. He started working at 16 with his own stage show, but was fired after a few weeks due to a fight over wages. His cousin, Virginia O’Hanlon, is the subject of the famous editorial, “Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”.
The 63 Joe McDoakes ten-minute shorts are also known as the Behind the Eight Ball series (for the large eight ball Joe appeared behind in the opening credits) or the So You Want… series (as most of the film titles began with this phrase). “Behind the eight ball” is an expression that signifies the inability to get ahead of something. The character’s name comes from “Joe Doakes,” which was then a popular slang term for the ‘average man’ akin to ‘John Doe’. The series was often co-written by O’Hanlon, who was generally uncredited as writer.
From 1947 to 1949, the series earned three consecutive Academy Award nominations for Short Subject. Actors from the series who also worked with Lucille Ball on television and radio include: Frank Nelson (above with O’Hanlon), Iron Eyes Cody, Arthur Q. Bryan (who voiced Elmer Fudd), Bobby Jellison, Fritz Feld, Jesslyn Fax, Phil Arnold, Joi Lansing, and Herb Vigran.
O’Hanlon was originally hired to voice Fred Flintstone for “The Flintstones” (1960) but one of the sponsors didn’t think he was right for the part and he was replaced by Alan Reed. Two years later, they created “The Jetsons” for him, even using his first name for the character. He did, however, later do various voice on “The Flintstone Kids” (1986-88).
He made his big screen debut as a background actor in 1932′s The Death Kiss starring Bela Lugosi.
His first time on television was a 1953 episode of “My Little Margie”.
His only appearance with Lucille Ball was in “Lucy and Superman” (ILL S6;E13) in 1957. The episode was filmed on November 15, 1956. O’Hanlon played Charley Appleby, Caroline’s husband and little Stevie’s father, a role originated by Hy Averback in “Baby Pictures” (ILL S3;E5). Both Charleys were very proud of their son!
In addition to O’Hanlon, “The Jetsons” also featured Lucy alumni Janet Waldo who played Peggy in “The Young Fans” (ILL S1;E20) in 1952 and Lucy’s sister Marge on a 1963 episode of “The Lucy Show.” Waldo voiced Judy Jetson, George’s teenage daughter. Jean Vander Pyl, who voiced the Jetson’s maid Rosie the Robot and was perhaps best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone, did several episodes of “My Favorite Husband”, Lucille Ball’s popular radio series. Other “Lucy” actors who could be heard on “The Jetsons” include Hal Smith, Shepard Menken, Paul Winchell, Bea Benadaret, and Frank Nelson, to name a few.
From 1954 to 1958, O’Hanlon played the recurring role of Calvin on NBC’s “The Life of Riley.” While the show was not related to “Lucy” or Desilu, it did feature many of the same performers.
In 1959, he worked for Desilu again in “Martin’s Folly,” an episode of the “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse”. It also starred Bart Braverman, Phil Ober, Tony Randall, and Jay North, all of who had (or would) work with Lucy. As with all episodes of the anthology series, the story was introduced by Desi Arnaz.
From 1958 to 1961, O’Hanlon did three episodes of Desilu’s “The Ann Sothern Show,” two as Jerry Doolittle. He co-wrote several episodes, including one that he appeared on. Lucille Ball guest-starred on the series as Lucy Ricardo in 1959.
During the same period (1955 to 1961), O’Hanlon did three episode of “The Danny Thomas Show” as various characters. It was filmed at Desilu Studios. In 1958, the series switched from ABC to CBS and did reciprocal crossover episodes with “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” This would be his final time at Desilu.
His final role was voicing his most famous character, George Jetson, in an animated feature film reboot Jetsons in 1990. During a recording session, he suffered a second stroke. He was rushed to the hospital where he died. The film was dedicated to him.
His first wife was Inez Yvonne Witt. They were married in February 1932 and divorced in May 1948. The following year he wed Martha Stewart (not relation to the current lifestyle icon) but they divorced in 1952. In 1953 he married Nancy Owens with whom he had two children. The marriage last until his death.
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