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ANDY GRIFFITH
June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012
Andy Samuel Griffith was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and enjoyed a career that spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his southern drawl, his characters with a folksy-friendly personality, and his gruff but friendly voice, Griffith was a two-time Tony nominee and gained prominence in the starring role in the film A Face in the Crowd (1957) before he became better known for his television roles, playing Sheriff Andy Taylor in the sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show” (1960–68) and Ben Matlock in the legal drama “Matlock” (1986–95).
Griffith was married three times, adopting two children with his third wife Barbara.
During December 1960, Andy Griffith and Lucille Ball were both starring on Broadway in new musicals: Andy in Destry Rides Again and Lucy in Wildcat. The pair were a mere three blocks away singing and dancing eight times a week. Although Griffith earned a Tony nomination for his work, Ball had to leave the show due to exhaustion, which caused the musical to close. Both returned to Hollywood to star in their own television series’.
Griffith was well-known to Lucille Ball as his show was filmed by her company, Desilu on their backlot. Many actors appeared in Mayberry and on Lucycoms:
Don Knotts (Barney Fife) in
“Lucy Goes on Her Last Blind Date” (HL S5;E6).
Keith Thibodeaux, who played Lucy Ricardo’s son, Little Ricky, played Opie’s (Ron Howard) pal Johnny Paul Jason in 13 episodes between 1962 and 1966.
Before playing Floyd the Barber, Howard McNear played Little Ricky’s music teacher Mr. Crawford in “Little Ricky Gets Stage Fright” (ILL S6;E4). He was also seen in Lucy and Desi’s 1953 film The Long, Long Trailer.
Hal Smith (Otis the Drunk) appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1963 film Critic’s Choice and made three appearances on “The Lucy Show” and one of “Here’s Lucy.”
Before he joined showed up in Mayberry as handman Emmett Clark, Paul Hartman played Mr. Wilbur in “Lucy is a Soda Jerk” (TLS S1;E23) in 1963. Hartman appeared in 16 episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” and 62 episodes of “Mayberry RFD” even reprising the role once in “The New Andy Griffith Show.”
Coincidentally, in “Ricky Needs an Agent” (ILL S4;E29) actors Parley Baer and Helen Kleeb share an MGM office scene as Mr. Reilly and his Secretary, then later are re-teamed on a 1962 episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” as Mayor Stoner and Mrs. Morgan.
Others who did double duty include: Dick Elliott (Mayor Pike), Bert Mustin (Jud Fletcher), Olan Soule (John Masters), Mabel Albertson (Mrs. Sprague), Will Wright (Ben Weaver), J
onathan Hole (Orville Monroe), as well as Norman Leavitt, Amzie Strickland, Dub Taylor, Stanley Farrar, Barbara Perry, Will Wright, Herbie Faye, Mary Treen, Byron Foulger, Tol Avery, Reta Shaw, Lurene Tuttle, Ruth McDevitt, Ruta Lee, Jay Novello, Ross Elliot, Maxine Semon, Herb Vigran, and Sid Melton.
People weren’t the only thing shared at Desilu. This landscape print on the Ricardo’s wall later turns up in the home of Andy Taylor.
Sometimes there was a visual hint at who really owned the town of Mayberry in scenes set at the town newsstand!
Ball and Griffith first appeared on the same TV show in 1963’s “General Foods Opening Night”, which was a promotion for the CBS fall season based around a new series starring Phil Silvers as inventor Harry Grafton. The stars of the other series’ like Lucille Ball (”The Lucy Show”) and Griffith (”The Andy Griffith Show”) band together to discourage their competition. Danny Thomas and Jack Benny joined in the fun.
In March 1965, Lucille Ball interviewed Andy Griffith for two installments of her CBS radio show “Let’s Talk To Lucy” while he was still playing Sheriff Andy Taylor on TV.
In 1965, Andy, Lucy, and Danny Thomas were CBS’s top performers – the three musketeers!
The same year Ball remodeled her sitcom “The Lucy Show” into “Here’s Lucy”, “The Andy Griffith Show” was morphed into “Mayberry RFD” (1968-69) when Sheriff Taylor got married and left town.Griffith still made five appearances on the show, which now starred by Ken Berry.
Barney Fife and Goober Pyle paid a visit to Andy on “The New Andy Griffith Show”, although Andy Griffith was now named Andy Sawyer, family man and mayor of a sleepy southern town. The series ran just 10 episodes in 1971.
He played Andy Taylor in “Return To Mayberry”, a 1996 TV film as well as briefly in a 1982 episode of “Saturday Night Live” with Ron Howard and the 2008 video short “Ron Howard’s Call To Action.”
Ball and Griffith did a pantomime sketch together on “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Special” on November 22, 1968, the first new television season after the end of “The Andy Griffith Show.” Lucy had just begun the first season of her new show, “Here’s Lucy,” while Griffith was no longer regularly working. The sketch found the two trying to cope with making breakfast in the tight confines of a trailer home.
Ball and Griffith both turned up a month later in brief cameos on “The Dean Martin Christmas Special” (December 19, 1968) to announce that toys were being sent to children nationwide. Griffith says that “his friend Barney Fife” has secured an escort for Santa to deliver toys to the Ethel Harps Home for Children in Cedartown, Georgia. Ball announces a donation to City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, California.
On October 29, 1973, Griffith finally appeared on one of Lucille Ball’s sitcoms. In “Lucy and Andy Griffith” (HL S6;E8), the final season of the series, Griffith played Andy Johnson, a charismatic youth counselor who Lucy Carter suspects to be a fraud. The role allows him to act and sing.
For all Griffith’s star power, this is an unusual and awkward episode. The chemistry between Andy and Lucy is given short shrift in favor of Kim’s (Lucie Arnaz) suspicions about his veracity. When she allows Andy (an older, single man from out of town) to bring her to his run-down motel room things just get uncomfortable. There’s also an undertone of religion (gospel songs, mentions of ‘the Lord’), something that Lucy avoided throughout her television career. The only exception to this unpleasantness is the brief scene where Lucy schools Andy in how to relax on television. This must have been something that Lucille Ball did when coaching young actors as part of the Desilu Playhouse. There are so many ways Andy Griffith could have been used on “Here’s Lucy,” but this seems the least satisfactory showcase for his talents.
Five years later (March 1978), CBS marked its 50th Anniversary with a week of programs called “CBS: On the Air.” Representing Monday nights were Lucille Ball and Andy Griffith. Vivian Vance, Don Knotts, and Ken Berry also participated.
The last time Ball and Griffith shared the same TV screen was for the “33rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards” on September 13, 1981. Lucille Ball was both a presenter and an honoree for her 30 years in television. This is the only time this year Ball appeared on TV. Griffith (above with wife Barbara) was a nominee for his work in the TV film “Murder in Texas”. He lost to David Warner in “Masada.”
Six Degrees of Lucy!
Although none of Lucille Ball’s TV incarnations ever came face to face with Sheriff Andy Taylor, they traveled in the same TV world:
- In 1959, the year before Danny Williams (Danny Thomas) met Sheriff Andy Taylor on “Make Room for Daddy”, Danny Williams and family met Lucy Ricardo and family on a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”
- Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors), who lived in Mayberry, joined the Marines and was spun off in his own series “Gomer Pyle USMC” when he made a brief appearance on “The Lucy Show” in 1966.
- “The Andy Griffith Show” had a sequel series titled “Mayberry RFD” starring Ken Berry, a protege of Lucille Ball’s who had appeared on “The Lucy Show” in 1968.
Coincidentally, both Ball and Griffith returned to series TV in fall 1986 and made the cover of TV Guide. “Life With Lucy” was canceled after just eight episodes. “Matlock”, however, ran until 1995 racking up more than 180 episodes.
His final screen appearance was in Play the Game (2009) in which he played a grandfather. He appeared alongside Rance and Clint Howard, the father and brother of Ron Howard, his co-star on “The Andy Griffith Show” (1960).
Griffith died on July 3, 2012 from a heart attack at the age of 86 at his home in Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
The same day Andy Griffith was born in 1926, another Hollywood icon with connections to Lucille Ball was also born, Marilyn Monroe. To read his birthday blog, click here!
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MADGE BLAKE
May 31, 1899 – February 19, 1969
Madge Blake (née Cummings) was best remembered for her roles as Margaret Mondello on “Leave It to Beaver”, Flora MacMichael on “The Real McCoys,” and Aunt Harriet Cooper on “Batman”. Born in Kansas just before the turn of the last century, her father discouraged her from becoming an actress, so she did not enter acting until later in life. During World War II, Blake and her husband James Lincoln Blake worked on construction of the detonator for the atomic bomb and received a citation for their work from the U.S. government.
Blake’s first cousin was actor Milburn Stone (”Gunsmoke”). They both acted in the 1955 film The Private War of Major Benson starring Chaleton Heston and Sal Mineo.
Gene Kelly had a special affection for her and included her in each of his films including An American in Paris, Brigadoon, and Singing in the Rain as Dora Bailey (above).
Her first collaboration with Lucy and Desi was as Aunt Anastasia in The Long, Long Trailer, which premiered in February 1954.
A month later she was seen as Mrs. Mulford (of Jeri’s Hats), on “I Love Lucy” in “Ricky Loses His Temper” (ILL S3;E19). A sly salesperson, Mrs. Mulford entices Lucy to buy a new hat, despite her promise to Ricky that she wouldn’t.
MRS. MULFORD: “It’s half price!”
LUCY: “I’ll take it!”Technically, The Long, Long Trailer was filmed first, so the movie was her introduction to Lucille Ball and probably resulted in this series appearance.
In January 1957, she played Martha, a prospective new tenant at 623 East 68th Street who is afraid of heights, alongside her caring husband Herbert (Ralph Dumke), in “Lucy and Superman” (ILL S6;E13). Imagine her shock when she spies Lucy dressed as Superman perched on the ledge!
HERBERT: “Was it a bird?”
MARTHA: “No.”
HERBERT: “Was it a plane?”
MARTHA: “No.”
HERBERT: “Well, what was it, dear?”
MARTHA: “It was Superman!”It is somewhat coincidental that Blake should star with TV’s Superman (George Reeves), nearly ten years before being cast in TV’s “Batman.” Just as coincidentally, Blake and Dumke both appeared in The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956) and Loving You (1957).
Her final appearance with Lucille Ball was on a 1964 episode of “The Lucy Show”, “Lucy, the Camp Cook” (TLS S3;E6). Blake plays a motorist who stops to help a stranded Mr. Mooney. Lucy and Viv are hiding just out of sight. Clearly, she has no idea that she is helping out two women as well as the handsome banker.
DRIVER (flirty): “Let me go in first and dust the seat…big boy!”
THE DESILU CONNECTIONS
Desilu’s many television shows often blurred the lines; characters being spun-off, or crossing over to another show. Madge Blake’s characters existed in several TV worlds, although she may not have appeared in the actual cross-over episodes.
For example, Blake made two appearances on the Ann Sothern sitcom “Private Secretary” both times playing Mrs. Bernard Hugo – once in 1953, and again in 1956. During 1957, Sothern’s character Susie MacNamara appeared as Lucy Ricardo’s friend in the first “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” titled “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana” (LDCH S1;E1).
After her first appearance on “I Love Lucy” Blake was cast as Anita Henderson on the CBS / Desilu series “December Bridge,” a role she played in 1955 and 1956. She did one more episode in 1957 as Margaret. The show featured many actors who also appeared on “I Love Lucy.” In 1957, Executive Producer Desi Arnaz appeared as himself.
In another cross-over connection, Blake made four appearances on “The Danny Thomas Show” from 1954 to 1961, each time playing a different character. In 1958, to symbolize the show’s move to CBS, the Williams family moved into the Ricardo home in Westport. In return, Lucy and Desi guest-starred on “The Danny Thomas Show” as the Ricardos.
On February 9, 1961, Blake did a guest-spot on the short-lived CBS Desilu series “Guestward, Ho!” Ironically, the leading role was originally intended for Vivian Vance, but the network thought her too associated with Ethel Mertz.
That same evening, February 9, 1961, Blake also did a guest-spot on the ABC series “Angel” which was filmed on the Desilu lot. She acted opposite Doris Singleton, who had played Carolyn Appleby in “Lucy Meets Superman,” although the two did not share any scenes. The one-season series was created by Jess Oppenheimer, writer of “I Love Lucy.”
In 1963 and 1965, Blake joined the cast of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” which filmed on the Desilu Lot.
In 1966, she was cast as Aunt Harriet Cooper on “Batman”, a role she played for 96 episodes and in a 1966 feature film that also had the same cast. She became good friends with star Adam West (Bruce Wayne / Batman). When producers wanted to let Blake go, West intervened and she stayed with the show until illness reduced her ability to work. On the series, Blake worked with many of the same actors who appeared with Lucille Ball: Cesar Romero, Van Johnson, Shelley Winters, Liberace, Tallulah
Bankhead, Ethel Merman. Milton Berle. Rudy Vallee, Ida Lupino, Howard Duff, Stafford Repp, Victor Buono, Vincent Price, Edward Everett
Horton, Vito Scotti, Norma Varden, Tristram Coffin, Ellen Corby, Sammy Davis Jr., Allen Jenkins, Art Linkletter, Alan Hale Jr., Jessyln Fax, and Alberto Morin.
In 1967, Blake did a single episode of “Gomer Pyle USMC” (a spin-off of “The Andy Griffith Show”). A year earlier, Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) made a cameo appearances on “The Lucy Show” (TLS S5;E9) in which Lucy Carmichael is mistaken for Lou C. Carmichael and drafted!
Blake’s final appearance was a 1970 TV movie “The Shameful Secrets of Hastings Corner” produced by Harry Ackerman, who was a CBS executive who worked on (and appeared on) “I Love Lucy.” It was aired posthumously as Blake died in February 1969 at the age of 69.
adam we, Angel, Ann Sothern, Batman, Burt Ward, Danny Thomas, December Bride, Dick Van Dyke, film, Gale Gordon, Gene Kelly, Gomer Pyle USMC, Guestward Ho, Gunsmoke, I love lucy, Jess Oppenheimer, Lucille Ball, Madge Blake, Milburn Stone, Private Secretary, Ralph Dumke, Singing in the Rain, Superman, The Danny Thomas Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Long Long Trailer, The Lucy Show, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, tv, Vivian Vance -
BARBARA PEPPER
May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969
Barbara Pepper was born Marion Pepper in New York City. Against her parents wishes, she entered show business at age 16, appearing as a Ziegfeld girl and in George White’s Scandals on Broadway. Pepper and Lucille Ball were friends from their showgirl days and also appeared in six films together. Pepper is perhaps best remembered for her role as the first actor to play Doris Ziffel (‘mother’ to Arnold the pig) on “Green Acres.”
“Millionaires like to have their money’s worth, and showgirls know how to make them think they’re getting it.”
Newly arrived in Hollywood, Lucille (left) and Pepper (right) were Goldwyn Girls in Eddie Cantor’s Roman Scandals (1933).
Both were at the start of their careers, Pepper a mere teenager. They also appeared together in:
- Moulin Rouge (1934)
- Bottoms Up (1934)
- Kid Millions (1934)
- Winterset (1936)
- The Fuller Brush Girl (1950)
From 1933 to 1943 Barbara was a very prolific actress, appearing in nearly 50 movies, mostly in supporting roles or in minor films. In 1944, Pepper met actor Craig Reynolds on the set of the film The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry and the two married in 1945. They had two sons together.
After Bea Benadaret proved unavailable, Pepper was one of Lucy’s top choices to play Ethel Mertz. There was concern, however, about her drinking. After the death of her husband in a motorcycle accident in 1949, Pepper developed an alcohol problem and gained weight. With William Frawley (who also had a drinking problem) already cast, it was feared that it was too risky to also cast Pepper so Vivian Vance (a stage actress with no film experience) was offered the role. Lucy stayed true to Pepper by keeping her gainfully employed in day roles. She was seen (or heard) in ten episodes of “I Love Lucy”:
“Breaking the Lease” (S1;18) – Party Guest
PEPPER (about Fred & Ethel): “They sold us the last ticket!”
“The Freezer” (S1;E29) – Woman in Butcher Shop
PEPPER: “I’ll try a round steak!”
“The Anniversary Present” (S2;E3) – Voice of the Woman in 4B (uncredited)
VOICE: “Albert!!!”
“Ricky Loses His Voice” (S2;E9) – Chorus Girl
For this appearance, Pepper drew upon her real-life experience as a former Ziegfeld showgirl.
GIRLS: “We’d like to have you meet, a little bit of heaven.
The queen of all the flappers, of 1952!
PEPPER: 27! …er… 52!
“Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (S2;E16) – Nurse
PEPPER (to Policeman): “He was right in here a minute ago!”
“Lucy’s Last Birthday” (S2;E25) – Member of Friends of the Friendless (uncredited)
Oops! During her wordless scene, Barbara Pepper loses her hat when walking under a tree branch. She marches off and leaves it in the park and doesn’t wear it in the scene at the Tropicana.
“The Girls Go Into Business” (S3;E2) – Grace, Hanson’s Dress Shop Customer
This is one of the only times Pepper actually has a character name. Her scene partner, Kay Wiley, calls her Grace. It may not be her ‘real’ name since they aren’t real customers; they are Mrs. Hanson’s co-conspirators to lure a buyer.
GRACE: “I’ll take it!”
“Sentimental Anniversary” (S3;E16) – Party Guest (uncredited)
“The Tour” (S4;E30) – Tourist on Bus
LUCY: “Pardon me, this seat is taken.”
TOURIST (not moving): “It sure is, honey.”
“The Homecoming” (S5;E6) – Neighbor
Trivia: Pepper wears the same fox stole she wore in the butcher shop in 1952!
Although she never appeared on “The Lucy Show”, Pepper did return to Desilu for two guest appearances on “The Untouchables” (1961 & 1962) as well as playing the Fat Lady in Desilu’s circus series “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1964).
Although not a Desilu sitcom, the connection of Lucille Ball to “Green Acres” is interesting. Writer Jay Sommers adapted “Green Acres” (1965-71) from his radio show, “Granby’s Green Acres”, which aired as a summer replacement for Lucille Ball’s radio show “My Favorite Husband.” "Granby’s Green Acres" starred Gale Gordon and “Petticoat Junction” star Bea Benaderet, who also played the Atterburys on “My Favorite Husband”.
Although best known as Doris Ziffel, ‘mother’ of Arnold the Piggy, on “Green Acres” the character actually began on its sister show, “Petticoat Junction”. For her first of three appearances in Hooterville she was known as Ruthie Ziffel, wife of Fred (played by Hank Patterson on both shows). When “Green Acres” premiered in 1965, Pepper and Patterson were added as recurring characters. Both sitcoms stemmed from “The Beverly Hillbillies”, although only Frank Cady (as Mr. Drucker) regularly was seen on all three. After 30 episodes, heart ailments finally forced her to leave the series. She died in July 1969 at the age of 54.
Veteran actress Fran Ryan replaced her as Doris Ziffel for five episodes. All three shows fell victims to CBS’s “rural purge” in 1971.
During her time in Hooterville, Pepper acted opposite “Lucy” alumni Eddie Albert (The Fuller Brush Girl) and Jerry Hausner (”Lucy’s Last Birthday”). Other Hootervillians with Lucy connections include Eleanor Audley (Mrs. Douglas), Bea Benadaret (Kate Bradley), Charles Lane, Byron Foulger, Shirley Mitchell, Roy Roberts, Benny Rubin, Gail Bonney, Ray Kellogg, Eve McVeagh, Bobby Jellison, Herb Vigran, Amzie Strickland, Ross Elliot, George O’Hanlon, Joi Lansing, Doris Packer, Joan Blondell, Nancy Kulp, Sid Melton, Lou Krugman, Elvia Allman, Hayden Rorke, Janet Waldo, Maurice Marsac, and Rudy Vallee. Eva Gabor (Lisa Douglas) guest-starred in two episodes of “Here’s Lucy”.
Film and TV fans will see Pepper pop up on episodes of classic shows like “Father Knows Best” (in 1956), “Bonanza” (in 1959), “The Danny Thomas Show” (in 1962), “Perry Mason” (1957-63), “Ozzie and Harriet” (1956-63), “Mr. Ed” (1965), “My Three Sons” (1966), and “Mayberry R.F.D.” (1969).
Her experience as a showgirl helped her get cast in such musicals as The Music Man (1965) as a citizen of River City, and My Fair Lady (1964), dancing with Alfred P. Doolittle.
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BOB HOPE
May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003
Bob Hope was born Lesley Townes Hope in England in 1903. During his extensive career (in virtually all forms of media) he received five honorary Academy Awards. After a brief marriage to his vaudeville partner Grace Troxell, he wed singer and actress Dolores Read, with whom he adopted four children. Although they stayed together for the rest of his life, their marriage was not always an easy one, with Hope having a reputation as a womanizer, and constantly his constant travel for performances. He was so busy on screen and off that he was facetiously dubbed “Rapid Robert”.
Aside from his collaboration with Lucille Ball, he was known for his partnership with crooner Bing Crosby on the “Road” films, his devotion to the USO, and his love of golf.
In 1945, Desi Arnaz was the orchestra leader on Bob Hope’s NBC radio show.
HOPE (about Lucy and Desi): “Lips and hands were all over one and another. I never saw a couple loving each other more after Bogie and Bacall.”
Ball and Hope had made four feature films together: Sorrowful Jones (1949), Fancy Pants (1950), The Facts of Life (1960), and Critic’s Choice (1963).
Hope and Ball first collaborated on television on September 14, 1950 on the third installment of “The Star-Spangled Revue”, Hope’s first regular television program. Lucy played the mayor of NYC and Bob her henpecked husband.
Kicking off season six of “I Love Lucy” in October 1956, Bob Hope guest-starred as as himself. The story was built around the real-life fact that Hope was part owner of the Cleveland Indians Baseball team.
Two weeks later, in one of TV’s first network cross-overs, the entire cast of “I Love Lucy” appeared on “The Bob Hope Chevy Show”. The premise of the sketch (later colorized for home video) supposed that Bob, instead of Desi, married Lucy and became her bandleader husband on the sitcom.
In October 1959, Lucy and Hope were two of many celebrities paying tribute to “Eleanor Roosevelt on Her Diamond Jubilee” aired as part of “Sunday Showcase” on NBC.
On January 10, 1960, Hope and Ball were two of the stars profiled in “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood.” Lucille is seen in front of her Desilu Playhouse on the backlot. Standing amid a pile of suitcases, Bob Hope talks about Hollywood in general, presenting almost a monologue on the subject.
Hope:“Hedda has a fabulous fund of Hollywood knowledge. She has to wear those big hats to keep the secrets from leaking out.”
On February 15, 1961, Ball served as a presenter on “The Bob Hope Buick Sports Show.” Boxer Floyd Patterson could not attend the ceremony on the West Coast, so Hope shows footage of Lucille Ball presenting him the award on the East Coast, where she was appearing in Wildcat on Broadway.
On October 24, 1962 Bing Crosby and Juliet Prowse joined Lucy for “The Bob Hope Show”. In a sketch, Lucille plays a District Attorney and Bob a gangster named Bugsy.
During the “Bob Hope Special: TV Guide Awards” on April 14, 1963, Lucille Ball is nominated for Favorite Female Performer. Ball is not present so a still photo of her is shown instead. The winner is Carol Burnett.
On a May 5, 1963 “Toast of the Town” (aka “The Ed Sullivan Show”) from New York City, Bob Hope and Lucille Ball promote their new movie Critic’s Choice.
The pair continued their Critic’s Choice promotion tour that same day (May 5, 1963) by appearing on “What’s My Line?”
This would be their last film together and one they both considered a failure.
On April 19, 1964, Hope and Ball teamed for a CBS Comedy Special titled “Mr. and Mrs.” in which they played themselves and a husband and wife acting team.
Hope made a cameo appearance in “The Lucy Show” (TLS S3;E2) on September 28, 1964, that starred Jack Benny as a plumber with hidden talents.
In “Bob Hope Presents Chrysler Theatre: Have Girls, Will Travel” on October 16, 1964, Lucille Ball does a cameo as Hope’s wife in a cast of ‘girls’ that includes Jill St. John, Marilyn Maxwell, and Rhonda Fleming.
“A Bob Hope Comedy Special: Bob Hope’s Leading Ladies” on September 28, 1966, Lucile Ball played herself and arrived in Bob Hope’s bedroom on a chauffeur-driven adult-size tricycle! During their scene, old friends Ball and Hope continually crack each other up.
“Jack Benny’s Carnival Nights” (March 20, 1968) featured both Ball and Hope, although they did not share any scenes together.
Bob Hope was there when Lucille Ball won her fourth (and final) competitive Emmy Award on a May 19, 1968 telecast from The Hollywood Palladium. Don Adams and Bill Cosby also won.
“The Dean Martin Christmas Special” (December 19,1968) featured many celebrities including Hope and Ball in (separate) cameos. Lucy promises that the kids at the City of Hope Medical Center will have a Merry Christmas.
Bob Hope, Lucille Ball (and dozens of other stars) make guest appearances on “The Dean Martin Show” sixth season opener on September 17, 1970.
On “Jack Benny’s 20th Anniversary Show” (November 16, 1970) Lucy plays Benny’s maid, Janet. Bob does a monologue about Benny but does not share the screen with Lucille Ball.
That same date (November 16, 1970) Ball appeared on “The Bob Hope Show: Bringing Back Vaudeville.” Bob plays a hypnotist who takes Lucy out of the audience to be his stooge.
“Swing Out, Sweet Land” (November 29, 1970) was a star-studded patriotic special featuring Lucille Ball (voice of the Statue of Liberty) and Bob Hope entertaining the troops – at Valley Forge!
“Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Jack Benny* But Were Afraid To Ask” (March 10, 1971) featured Bob Hope in a quick cameo as a juggler and Lucille Ball plays a star-struck young Goldwyn Girl seduced by leading man Benny.
Ball and Hope were both recognized with plaques on “Zenith Presents: A Salute to Television’s 25th Anniversary” on September 10, 1972.
An October 12, 1973 episode of “The Merv Griffin Show” is a Salute to Lucille Ball featuring her husband and children, and her two most famous male co-stars, Bob Hope and Gale Gordon.
On “Show Business Salute to Milton Berle” (December 4, 1973), the Friars Club celebrate Berle’s 60 years in entertainment. Sammy Davis Jr. hosts with guests Lucille Ball and Bob Hope.
In “The Bob Hope Christmas Special” aired on December 9, 1973, Lucille Ball played herself, thinking that Bob is buying her expensive presents because he is in love with her.
Naturally, Hope is on the dais for the “Dean Martin Celebrity Roast of Lucille Ball” on February 7, 1975.
Bob Hope: “Lucy’s always doing nice things. Even though she’s not with Desi anymore she got him a job as a dialogue coach on ‘Chico and the Man’.”
“Bob Hope’s World of Comedy” (October 29, 1969) naturally included Lucille Ball.
“NBC: The First Fifty Years” (November 26, 1976) was a four and a half hour extravaganza that featured NBC’s biggest star Bob Hope, but somehow also included CBS star Lucille Ball, four years before she would leap over to the peacock network.
Two days, later (November 28, 1976) “CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years” includes Hope singing his signature song “Thanks for the Memory” with special lyrics about Lucy.
“Bob Hope’s All-Star Comedy Tribute to Vaudeville” (March 25, 1977) featured Lucy and Bob in a sketch titled “The Housecleaners”….
… as well as one titled “The Hospital” in which Lucille Ball is the clumsy Dr. Spinebender and Bob Hope is a heavily bandaged patient.
On April 15, 1977, “Dinah!” presented “Bob Hope: The Road to Hollywood” with Dinah Shore welcoming guests Lucille Ball, Rosemary Clooney, Jane Russell, Rhonda Fleming, and Dorothy Lamour.
“A Tribute To Mr. Television Milton Berle” (March 26, 1978) included testimonials from Lucille Ball and Bob Hope.
Lucille Ball took to the Kennedy Center stage to say “Happy Birthday Bob” on May 29, 1978.
LUCY: “I starred with Bob in four pictures and they were all fun, frantic, and foolish.”
John Wayne hosted "General Electric’s All-Star Anniversary” which recalls the music, song, and comedy of the past 100 years and marked the one-hundredth anniversary of the General Electric Company with stars such as Lucille Ball and Bob Hope.
Lucille Ball is guest-host on “The Mike Douglas Show” and they interview stars that include Bob Hope (November 3, 1978).
“Bob Hope Salutes the Ohio Jubilee” (December 3, 1978)
has Lucy in a flimsy negligee to get her husband’s (Hope) attention during a football game.
“The Annual Friars Club Tribute Presents a Salute to Johnny Carson” on May 6, 1979 was a testimonial dinner at Waldorf-Astoria with Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Kirk Douglas and, of course, Ed McMahon. Lucy was accompanied by her husband and daughter.
After three decades on rival networks, Lucy joins Hope as an employee of the National Broadcast Corporation (NBC), kicking things off with this special: “Lucy Moves To NBC” on February 8, 1980.
“Bob Hope’s 30th Anniversary Television Special” took place on January 18, 1981. It was a retrospect of Hope’s first 30 years on TV. Celebrating with Bob were guests Lucille Ball, Milton Berle, Danny Thomas, George Burns, Glen Campbell, Sammy Davis Jr., and many more.
On February 26, 1982, “The John Davidson Show” featured both Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.
Hope takes a look back at the beautiful and funny women he has worked with over the years. Lucille Ball and more than 60 of Bob’s co-stars are presented in studio segments, as well as television and film excerpts in “Bob Hope’s Women I Love – Beautiful But Funny” aired on February 28, 1982.
“On the Road to Hollywood – Part II” (March 2, 1983) was a tribute to Hope’s film career, with clips from many of his films and appearances by many of his female co-stars, including Lucille Ball, Dorothy Lamour, Martha Rae, Jane Russell and others.
Hope returns to the site of his 75th Birthday Special, the Kennedy Center, for another three hour special with Lucille Ball, George Burns, Kathryn Crosby, George C. Scott, and Jim Henson in “Happy Birthday, Bob: A Salute to Bob Hope’s 80th Birthday” on May 23, 1983.
“Who Makes The World Laugh? – Part II” on April 4, 1984, answered the question in the title by presenting Lucille Ball and Hope together!
Hall of Fame winner Lucille Ball and Governor’s Award recipient Bob Hope are presenters at the “36th Primetime Emmy Awards” on September 23, 1984.
“Bob Hope’s Unrehearsed Antics of the Stars” (September 28, 1984) found Lucille Ball recounting her disastrous audition for the role of Scarlet O’Hara in the 1939 film Gone With The Wind.
Lucille Ball makes a cameo appearance in “Bob Hopes Buys NBC?” on September 17, 1985.
An “All Star Party for Clint Eastwood” on November 30, 1986, features former honoree Lucille Ball and Bob Hope paying homage to Eastwood.
Lucille Ball and Bob Hope were part of an all-star cast for “Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood” on May 18, 1987. This was a two-hour special on ABC TV that won an Emmy for editing.
On the deck of an aircraft carrier, Bob Hope salutes the US Air Force’s 40th anniversary. Lucy and Bob sing “I Remember It Well” in “Bob Hope’s High-Flying Birthday Extravaganza” aired on May 25, 1987.
“America’s Tribute to Bob Hope” on January 2, 1988 – to celebrate the opening of the Bob Hope Cultural Center at Palm Springs, Lucille Ball and dozens of friends gather and offer comedy and musical performances to honor the building’s namesake.
On May 16, 1988, Bob Hope celebrates the 85th of his 100 birthdays in “Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years at NBC.” Lucille Ball sings “Comedy Ain’t No Joke,” her last ‘performance’ on television before her death.
Lucille Ball’s final appearance was at “The 1989 Oscars” on March 29, 1989, appropriately alongside Bob Hope. They introduce a performance by ‘the stars of tomorrow. Lucy appears to be enjoying herself immensely, giggling at all Bob Hope’s jokes.
After Ball’s passing, Hope hosted “Bob Hope’s Love Affair With Lucy”, a tribute which aired on September 23, 1989. Hope invited such stars as Betty White, George Burns, Danny Thomas, and even Kirk Cameron, to pay tribute to the Queen of Comedy.
“100 Years of Hope and Humor” on April 23, 2003 was the last television appearance by Bob Hope. This tribute aired 29 days before his 100th birthday and 95 days before he passed away.
HOPE (on turning 100): “I don’t feel old. In fact, I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap.”
Thanks for the memories, Bob. RIP
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CLAUDE AKINS
May 25, 1926
Claude Aubrey Akins was best known as Sheriff Lobo on the 1979–81 television series “B. J. and the Bear" and later “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo”, a spin-off series.
Akins was born in Nelson, Georgia, and grew up in Bedford, Indiana. Some sources say he was born in 1918, making his age at death 75; however, Akins’ son said his father was 67 at the time of his death.
Akins first appeared (uncredited) in From Here To Eternity (1953). His first big break was in The Caine Mutiny (1954, above), which featured “Lucy” guest-star Van Johnson.
“I Love Lucy” fans remember Akins as the ‘Giant Native’ in “Desert Island” (ILL S6;E8) on November 26, 1956. Although playing himself, Akins was nearly unrecognizable in his native make-up and costume. His low, growling voice gave him away as soon as he spoke.
In the episode’s plot, Akins is on the island to film a scene for a (fictional) film called The Florida Story. Akins is filming a scene about Ponce de Leon’s landing in Florida, while Ricky is scheduled to appear in the modern-day section.
In his autobiography, Keith Thibodeaux (Little Ricky) remembers that Akins had really bad breath!
The following year (1957), Akins made two appearances on the Desilu helicopter series “Whirlybirds”.
From 1960 to 1963, Akins made three appearances on the hit Desilu gangster series “The Untouchables.”
On February 13, 1967, Akins was featured on “The Lucy Show” as Lieutenant Finch in “Lucy Meets the Law” (TLS S5;E19). In the episode, Lucy Carmichael is arrested for being a jewel thief!
It turns out to be a woman who looks very much like Lucy!
Akins continued to do episodic television and films, including playing war-mongering gorilla Aldo in Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).
In 1978, he landed the role of Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo on “B.J. and the Bear” (5 episodes) which led to “The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo” (34 episodes).
Claude Akins married Therese Fairchild in 1952 and had three children. He died on January 27, 1994 of stomach cancer.
“I was very fortunate that I get paid for what I love to do. I know a lot of good actors who simply can’t find work. Every time I get a job, I say to myself, ‘You’ve beaten the odds.’”
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Lucie Arnaz was mentioned on MRS. AMERICA (May 27, 2020) in the episode “Reagan”. On Sunday, September 2, 1979, Arnaz participated in a ‘Breakfast Run for the ERA’. In the FX mini-series, Betty Friedan (Tracey Ullman) talks to Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne) about the event.
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THE COPACABANA
1940 – 2020
On May 26, 2020 it was announced that the legendary Copacabana in New York City has closed.
The club was originally named for a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, known for its crescent-shaped beach, one of the most famous in the world.
The Club was popularized in song, screen, stage, and television. “It looked like what everybody’s idea of what ‘I Love Lucy’ was.” ~ Johnny Mathis, singer
On “I Love Lucy” Ricky’s nightclub, The Tropicana, had decor that was influenced by The Copacabana, although its name was derived by the infamous Havana nightspot.
The Copacabana was mentioned in the very first aired episode “The Girls Want To Go To A Nightclub” (ILL S1;E1) in 1951; the Copacabana was that nightclub! Sadly, the girls end up celebrating Fred and Ethel’s anniversary at Madison Square Garden, instead.
ETHEL: “It was going to be the Copacabana.”
LUCY (wistfully): “Gee…the Copacabana!”
The Copacabana had Brazilian decor and Latin-themed orchestras, although the menu featured Chinese food! The club was also known for its chorus line of Copacabana Girls, who had pink hair and elaborate sequined costumes, mink panties and brassieres, and fruited turbans, not unlike the one Lucy wore in “Be A Pal” (ILL S1;E2).
In that episode, Lucy is impersonates Carmen Miranda, who starred in the 1947 film Copacabana featuring Groucho Marx and the world-famous Copa Girls.
In 1952′s “The Mustache” (ILL S1;E29), Ricky shows a talent scout his scrapbooks and brags that, in addition to appearing on Broadway, he has played the Copacabana. Desi Arnaz used his real life credits for Ricky’s.
Arnaz performed at the Copacabana in the summer of 1946 to coincide with his new film Cuban Pete.
Las Vegas’s Sands Hotel named their lounge the Copa Room in honor of the New York nightspot. In 1958′s “Lucy Hunts Uranium” (LDCH S1;E3) Ricky Ricardo headlines at the Sands’ Copa Room. The tie-in was not doubt thanks to the Sands General Manager Jack “Mr. Entertainment” Entratter (1914-71), who was previously the manager of the Copacabana.
Entratter designed the Copa Room to replicate the Brazilian decor at the NYC club and also imported the Copa Girls to Nevada. In real life, Desi Arnaz also performed there. It was demolished with the hotel in 1996. In 1981, Sands Atlantic City also opened a Copa Room. The New Jersey location closed in 2006.
The original Copacabana was mentioned again in a 1964 episode of “The Lucy Show” when Lucy Carmichael’s new torch singer tenant (Roberta Schaeffer) auditions for a job at the Copa with Lucy, Viv, and Mr. Mooney as back-up!
In real life, Lucy and Desi were often spotted at the Copacabana during its first years of business.
In 2012, a second official Copacabana was opened in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but quickly closed a few months later.
Like the iconic Brown Derby restaurant in California, which also figured into the “Lucy” legacy, The Copa operated in several locations over the years.
- It first opened on November 10, 1940, at 10 East 60th Street.
- In 1992, the club moved from its original location of over 50 years to 617 West 57th Street.
- In 2001, the club was forced to move for a third time to West 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue on the west side of Manhattan, when its landlord terminated its lease early to build office towers on the site.
- On January 20, 2007, the club announced that it would have to move by July 1 because its current location was condemned due to the construction of the extension of the IRT subway. From late 2007 until the club reopened in 2011, the club was sharing space with the Columbus 72 nightclub, which shares the same owners.
- On July 12, 2011, the club re-opened to the public in Times Square at 268 West 47th Street.
- Although its final location is now “closed for good” – owners announced their hopes to re-open yet again at a yet-to-be-determined location in 2021.
This collectors plate from the Hamilton Collection was titled Night at the Copa, although the moment depicted is from “The Diet” (ILL S1;E3) in 1951.
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VINCENT PRICE
MAY 27, 1911
Vincent Leonard Price Jr. was born just nine weeks before Lucille Ball. He made his screen debut in 1938, and after many minor roles, he began to perform in low-budget horror movies where he would make his mark on the genre. His final feature film appearance was in 1990’s Edward Scissorhands. Besides acting, his other passions were art and cooking. He died in 1993 at age 82.
“Lucy Cuts Vincent’s Price” (HL S3;E9) was the only time Price and Lucille Ball acted opposite one another. It aired on November 9, 1970. It incorporated his interest in art and his well-known image as a star of horror films.
Lucy Carter goes to Price’s mansion to get a painting appraised while he thinks she is there to audition for one of his horror flicks.
The painting turns out to have something painted underneath it – but it turns out not to be worth anything!
Although they are not seen in the episode, the script refers to Price’s wife Mary Grant (inset) and his daughter Vicki.
“Lucy’s all choked up. Price plays it ghoul.”
Vincent Price guest-starred on many episodes of “The Red Skelton Show” from 1958 to 1971. On these programs he acted alongside many Desilu character actors and extras.
On September 2, 1962, Linda Hope (left) accepts award for her father, Bob Hope, from Dorothy Lamour and Lucille Ball accepts award from Vincent Price at “Oscar to Wardrobers” dinner honoring Hollywood personalities and costumers.
Three days before his episode of “Here’s Lucy,” Price guest-starred on “Love American Style” in a segment called “Love and the Haunted House” which featured Ruth Buzzi, another performer that “Here’s Lucy” showcased.
On September 22, 1971, Price appeared on another popular anthology series, “Night Gallery” in a segment titled “Class of ‘99.″ That same episode also featured another segment starring Desi Arnaz Jr. titled “Death in the Family.”
Vincent Price was a popular guest on “The Hollywood Squares.” On some appearances, members of the Arnaz family also populated the grid:
- Desi Jr. – September 1970
- Desi Sr. – July 1972 and 1976
- Lucie – July and September 1971
Price and Desi Arnaz Sr. were aboard for this 1976 Bob Hope celebrity-filled satire of Jaws – “Joys!”’
Vincent Price was a guest on “The Tonight Show” along with Desi Arnaz Sr. on April 19, 1976.
Price appeared with Desi Jr. in “House of the Long Shadows” in 1983.
Vincent Price, Lucie Arnaz, and Lucille Ball were all part of “Night of 100 Stars 2” in 1985.
Vincent Price was part of the notorious “61st Annual Academy Awards” telecast with Lucille Ball. The ceremony is widely considered to be the worst in the show’s history, and resulted in a lawsuit by Disney. Their character of Snow White was involved in an uncharacteristically crass opening number in which Price performed with other Hollywood legends. Less offensive was the musical number by Hollywood hopefuls introduced by Lucille Ball and Bob Hope. Ball’s sudden passing a few weeks later supplanted the telecast’s infamy with sympathy.
In a 2005 “Saturday Night Live Thanksgiving Special,” Vincent Price (Bill Hader, right) is alternately amused and annoyed by celebrity guests Ricky Ricardo (Fred Armisen) and Lucille Ball (Eva Longoria).
Academy Awards, Bill Hader, Bob Hope, Desi Arnaz Jr., Eva Longoria, Fred Armisen, Gale Gordon, Here’s Lucy, Hollywood Squares, House of Long Shadows, I love lucy, Joys, Love American Style, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Mary Grant, Night Gallery, Night of 100 Stars 2, Saturday Night Live, tv, Vicki Price, Vincent Price -
SID MELTON
May 22, 1917 – November 2, 2011
Sid Melton (born Sidney Meltzer) played the roles of incompetent carpenter Alf Monroe in the CBS sitcom “Green Acres” and Uncle Charlie Halper, proprietor of the Copa Club, on “The Danny Thomas Show” and its spin-offs. He appeared in about 140 film and television projects in a career that spanned nearly 60 years. In addition to his work with Lucille Ball, he appeared in flashback on several episodes of “The Golden Girls” as Salvadore Petrillo, the long-dead husband of Sophia (played by Estelle Getty) and father of Dorothy (played by Beatrice Arthur).
His father was a Yiddish theater comedian. Sid was known for his short stature, 5′3″.
In 1950, Melton appeared in the feature film remake The Lemon Drop Kid, also featuring “Lucy” actors William Frawley, Bob Hope, Ida Moore, Hazel Boyne, and Ben Weldon.
In 1954, he made two appearances on the Desilu series “Our Miss Brooks” playing two different characters. He appeared alongside “Lucy” actors Eve Arden, Gale Gordon, Richard Crenna, and Hy Averback.
Melton’s first encounter with Lucille Ball was in “Lucy Wins a Racehorse” (LDCH S1;E4) aired on February 3, 1958. His short stature made him ideal to play one of the jockeys at Roosevelt Raceway. Although the show featured second unit footage on location, Melton’s riding sequences with Ball were filmed in Hollywood, without live horses.
In November 1958, Melton returned to the “Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” for Lucille Ball’s only non-Lucy Ricardo performance on the anthology series, “K.O. Kitty.” Melton played a crooked fight manager who later pulls a gun on Kitty (Lucille Ball)! His partner in crime is played by Jesse White (above).
Melton stayed on the Desilu lot to film two episodes of “The Ann Sothern Show” in early 1959. He played different characters in each episode and acted opposite Lucy’s pal Ann Sothern (naturally) and “Lucy” regular Charles Lane. To kick off the show’s second season in October 1959, Lucille Ball played Lucy Ricardo on a cross-over episode.
In his second appearance on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” “Lucy Goes To Alaska” (LDCH S2;E3), Melton played a bellboy at an unprepossessing hotel in Nome, Alaska. (Was Bobby Jellison not available?) Despite the location, Melton’s scenes were filmed in Hollywood. Red Skelton guest-starred on the episode, which was timed to coincide with Alaska’s statehood.
In his final acting appearance with Lucille Ball, Melton was again cast for his diminutive stature as a construction worker named Shorty (although the nickname appeared only in the credits) in “Milton Berle Hides Out at the Ricardos” (LDCH S3;E1). He asks Milton Berle to autograph a photo, giving him a list of names for the inscription, the last being ‘Ruth’, which was the first name of Milton Berle’s wife.
Two months later, Melton played a Cab Driver on Desilu’s helicopter drama, “Whirlybirds.”
1959 was a busy year for Melton. That year he also began playing Charlie Halper on “The Danny Thomas Show”. He did 93 episodes of the series over four years.
Perhaps most memorably, Sid Melton played Alf Monroe on 30 episodes of CBS’s “Green Acres.” Alf and his sister Ralph (Mary Grace Canfield) were construction workers perennially working on the Douglas’s ramshackle home, particularly their sliding bedroom door. On the series, Melton worked alongside Lucille Ball’s dear old Barbara Pepper, as well as “Lucy” actors Bea Benadaret, Shirley Mitchell, Eleanor Audley, Jerry Hausner, and Parley Baer. The show’s stars, Eddie Arnold and Eva Gabor, both guest-starred on “Here’s Lucy.”
CROSS-OVER CRAZINESS!
“Green Acres” was one of CBS’s rural sitcoms and existed in the same ‘world’ as “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Petticoat Junction”. It was not uncommon for characters to turn up on the other shows. During his stint on “Green Acres,” Melton did one 1968 episode of “Petticoat Junction,” although in this case he did not play Alf Monroe!
Just prior to his joining “The Danny Thomas Show,” The Ricardos and the Williams’ did a cross-over episode titled “Lucy Makes Room for Danny” (LDCH S2;E2) and Lucy and Desi returned the favor with “Lucy Upsets the Williams Household” (S6;E14). In 1970, Melton returned to the role of Charlie Halper for “Make Room for Granddaddy,” a series that Lucille Ball also guest-starred on in January 1971, playing Lucy Carter, her character from “Here’s Lucy.” To add to the meta-madness, from 1966 to 1969 Melton did four episodes of “Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C” as Friendly Freddy. The character of Gomer Pyle (played by Jim Nabors) turned up on “The Lucy Show” in November 1966, a month after Pyle confronted Lucy Carmichael.
“For years I auditioned for producers and directors who would fall on the floor laughing, but then I’d never hear from them again. Go ask them why I’m not working. Believe me, there’s a lot more to working steadily than being a name and delivering the laughs. There’s a certain – let’s call it kowtowing – that I’m not prepared to do.”
Sid Melton on “The Golden Girls”
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DENNIS DAY
May 21, 1916
Dennis Day was born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty in New York City. He is best known for his professional relationship with Jack Benny, who he first teamed with on radio in 1939, and continued performing with until Benny’s death in 1974. His “Gee, Mr. Benny!” became a well-known catchphrase.
He was an Irish tenor, who never performed professionally until Benny gave him his big break at the age of 21. From 1948 until his passing he was married to Peggy Almquist who bore him ten children.
He had his own radio show “A Day in the Life of Dennis Day” from 1946 to 1952 with Bea Benadaret in the cast. “I Love Lucy” viewers will remember her as Miss Lewis, Lucy Ricardo’s spinster neighbor. There was an attempt to move the sitcom to television, but the 1949 pilot episode was never picked up for series and the show remained on radio. He was simultaneously appearing on “The Jack Benny Program.”
BENNY: “Dennis, why do you have two horns on your bicycle?”
DAY: “Why shouldn’t I? I’ve got two shows!”
On the “The Jack Benny Program” (1951-65), his character’s mother was a tyrant who intimidated Jack. Her name was Lucrezia Day and she was played by Verna Felton. His mother’s real name was Mary Grady. “I Love Lucy” viewers will remember that Felton played Lucy’s domineering maid, Mrs. Porter.
Felton also played Day’s TV mother on “The Dennis Day Show” (aka “The RCA Victor Show”; 1952-54). On that show, Day portrayed a bachelor who lives in a Hollywood apartment priced above his income level with hopes of succeeding in show business. In 1953, it was programmed opposite “I Love Lucy” on NBC. Hal March was seen on both series. Other “I Love Lucy” faces on the series included Ida Moore, George O’Hanlon, Hy Averback (who both played Charlie Appleby), Byron Foulger, and Parley Baer. Day even prevailed upon his sister-in-law actress Ann Blythe, and Jack Benny himself to make an appearance but the show still struggled for viewers.
Dennis Day Is Called Brave to Buck ‘Lucy’ Show
HOLLYWOOD, Apr. 7 (AP) — Nominated for the bravest man in TV: Dennis Day. “I wouldn’t say I was the bravest,” says Dennis. “Maybe the unluckiest.” The Dennis Day Show is on at the same time on Monday night as “I Love Lucy.”
This took real nerve, since “Lucy” has drawn the biggest audience in TV for the past two years. “Believe me, it wasn’t my idea to go opposite Lucy. I wanted to do my show on film. My sponsor, RCA, didn’t want me to. The only way I could get permission was to agree to take the spot opposite Lucy. So I did it. I took a chance and I failed. I think it was a mistake putting such a similar show opposite Lucy. We both have situation comedy. We had good mail from people who said they had switched over to watch us. Once they made the change, they seemed to like our show. But watching Lucy is too great a habit for the majority of viewers. We just couldn’t fight it. In Canada, where I don’t have to face Lucy, ours is the No. 1 show.”
In 1967, Day appeared on “The Lucy Show” in “Little Old Lucy” (TLS S6;E7) in which he plays an amorous 90 year-old bank president named Cornelius Hetherington Jr. This was quite a departure for Day, who was perennially the boy singer on Benny’s shows, despite his age.
BENNY (in 1965): “That crazy kid drives me nuts!”
This is one of the rare times Day plays a character that is not connected to Jack Benny, although Lucille Ball certainly featured Benny on many of her shows. In fact, the previous episode “Lucy Gets Jack Benny’s Account” (TLS S6;E6) Benny mentions Day by name as Lucy admires photos of his radio and television show on his wall. Did Day come as a ‘package deal’ for Benny’s appearance?
Day was just 41 at the time, so was nearly unrecognizable under layers of old age make-up.
To escort him to a fancy dress bank affair, Lucy Carmichael dons little old lady garb as Mrs. Abigail Vandermere. She spends most of their date avoiding his advances.
Dennis Day’s elderly banker character bears more than a passing resemblance to the elderly banker played by Dick Van Dyke (insert) in Mary Poppins (1964).
Two years later, in 1969, Lucille Ball appeared on “Jack Benny’s Birthday Special” which also brought together many Benny’s regulars, including Dennis Day, who surprises him with a gift.
Irish tenor Day sings “Cuando calienta de sol” (“Love Me With All Your Heart”) in Spanish (!) while Benny accompanies him on the violin. Day’s voice breaks Benny’s expensive Stradivarius violin just as a soprano’s high trill would a crystal goblet.
A year later, Lucille Ball and Dennis Day turned up again for “Jack Benny’s 20th Anniversary Special”. This time, Day and Ball did not share any scenes. Ball appears briefly as the Benny’s maid and Day makes a guest appearance in an airport sketch where he is met by his real-life wife Peggy and their ten children!
Day’s last TV appearance was less than a year before his death, in September, 1987, on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. With tears in his eyes, he spoke of his recent diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and pleaded with viewers to help support medical research for that and other neuromuscular diseases via their donations. At the time of his passing he was 72 years old.
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