#Pat Harrington

[loveboatinsanity]

[papermoonloveslucy]

RADIO on TV!

Radio Shows on Lucille Ball’s TV Sitcoms

Television was an outgrowth of radio. Many of our best loved shows originally came from radio - including “I Love Lucy,” which was inspired by the success of “My Favorite Husband”.  Here are a few stragglers - radio shows that were mentioned on Lucy TV! 

There was some thought about creating an “I Love Lucy” radio show to run in simultaneously with the television series as was being done with “Our Miss Brooks.” A pilot show was produced, but it never aired. It was created by editing the soundtrack of the television episode “Breaking the Lease”, with added narration. It included commercials for Philip Morris, which sponsored the TV series. Philip Morris eventually sponsored a radio edition of “My Little Margie” instead.  Here’s Ricky’s opening narration:

“Hello. I’m Ricky Ricardo and I’m the guy who loves Lucy. The whole thing started ten years ago.  I had just come to this country from Cuba and I didn’t know much about your customs.  The first girl I had a date with was Lucy. It was a romantic night and after all I had a reputation to live up to as a Latin lover so I kissed her goodnight. It was right then that she told me that under the Constitution of the United States if a man kisses a girl he has to marry her. Then I found out that she tricked me. I didn’t care. Because after all, if I hadn’t married her, I’d would have married someone else. And Lucy’s just like any other American girl, who is pretty, charming, witty, and partly insane.”

FREDDY FILLMORE QUIZ SHOWS

“The Quiz Show” (1951)

With Lucy’s household accounts in arrears, she goes on a radio quiz show to win a thousand dollars. All she has to do is pretend a complete stranger is her first husband in front of Ricky.  A tramp at the door throws a monkey wrench into the scheme!

This is the first of three episodes to feature Frank Nelson in the role of Freddy Fillmore, game show host extraordinaire. He is the host of “Females Are Fabulous”.  The announcer who encourages the audience to applaud is played by Lee Millar. The premise of the show has Lucy being pelted with various items (mostly liquids) when Ricky sings a trigger word from a safe distance. 

“Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio” (1952)

When their TV breaks down, the gang tunes in to a radio quiz show. Surprisingly, Ricky correctly guesses the answers to all of the questions, so the next day Lucy signs them up to be on the show. Little did she know that the quiz was a delayed broadcast and that Ricky overheard the answers while at the studio!  This episode is based on Lucy’s radio show, “My Favorite Husband” “Quiz Show,” which aired October 23, 1948. In the radio version, the show was called “His and Hers” and is hosted by Smiley Stembottom (Frank Nelson). 

On television, the quiz show is called “Mr. and Mrs. Quiz” and is hosted by Freddy Fillmore (Frank Nelson again). 

Everyone on the series loved Roy Rowan’s on-screen announcing for "Mr. and Mrs. Quiz” so much that he then became the announcer for “I Love Lucy.”  To be sure Ricky wins, Lucy steals the questions. Unbeknownst to her, Fillmore changes the questions at the last minute so Lucy’s answers make no sense. 

The next time we see Freddy Fillmore he has made the transition to television with his latest quiz show “Be A Good Neighbor”.  

“Off To Florida” (1956)

Radio plays an integral role in the plot of the episode. Lucy and Ethel hitch a ride to Florida with a Mrs. Grundy (Elsa Lanchester), an eccentric woman. To fall sleep in the parked car, Lucy turns on the radio for some soothing music, until... 

NEWSCASTER: “Now here's the latest bulletin on the Evelyn Holmby case. Police have definitely established that Evelyn Holmby, famous gray-haired hatchet murderess who escaped from New York State Prison Thursday, is heading south in a cream-colored convertible coupe. Stand by for further bulletins. And now back to our recorded music.”

Having found a hatchet in the car’s trunk, Lucy puts two and two together and is wonders if their driver is the wanted criminal on the lam!  Lucy and Ethel chalk it up to coincidence. In the morning, they try to cat nap while Mrs. Grundy is driving. When they are sleeping, she turns on the radio. 

NEWSCASTER: “That winds up the news from Washington today. And here's the latest bulletin on Evelyn Holmby, escaped hatchet murderess. Police have learned that, before leaving New York, she dyed her gray hair red, and is heading south with a blonde companion.”

Now Mrs. Grundy suspects Lucy and Ethel!  

The radio announcer is voiced by Roy Roberts. The big band music in the background was also heard in “Country Club Dance” (1957).  

“Lucy is a Chaperone” (1963)

Lucy and Viv chaperone a group of Chris’s friends on a beach vacation. When the girls are dancing to music on the radio, Viv mistakes the Mashed Potato for the Jitterbug. When Lucy attempts the steps, Viv remarks that she's got “lumps in her gravy.” The Mashed Potato was a popular dance craze of 1962 made famous by James Brown.  A companion dance song was titled (appropriately) “Gravy”. This marks the first of many appearances by the red transistor radio - albeit in black and white!

“Ethel Merman and the Boy Scout Show” (1964)

During a tribute to show business, radio is represented by Mr. Mooney as a radio host presenting a lady saxophone player (Lucy) from Altoona, Pennsylvania, playing “Glow Worm” (poorly). 

“Lucy and the Beauty Doctor” (1965)

At the start of the episode, Lucy and Viv listen to the radio show “Morning Magazine of the Air” which presents Lady Cynthia's Beauty Tips. It is from this broadcast that Lucy hears about a $25 beauty treatment by Dr. Fleischer.

LADY CYNTHIA (voice on radio): “Good morning, ladies. How would you like to have your biggest beauty problem behind you?”  VIV (listening to radio): “That’s where mine is now.”

Lady Cynthia is voiced by Carole Cook and Sid Gould is the announcer. 

Now easily identified in color, Lucy’s red transistor radio will turn up many times on “The Lucy Show”, even after she moves to Los Angeles.

“Lucy the Disc Jockey” (1965) 

Lucy wins a mystery sound contest on the radio, winning $25 and the chance to be disc jockey for a day. Naturally, things don’t go smoothly when she takes over the studio. 

The host of the radio show Gordon ‘Fair’ Felson (Pat Harrington). The call letters of the radio station are WLDJ representing the first letter of each word in the episode’s title: “Lucy the Disc Jockey.”

After playing the mystery sound, Felson announces the return to “the swing sounds of Jan Garber.” Garber was a bandleader known for ‘sweet’ and ‘swing’ jazz. His nickname was “The Idol of the Air Lanes.”  

Mr. Mooney says that the ‘Name the Sound’ contest is the silliest thing since ‘Mrs. Hush’. The Mrs. Hush contest was a feature of “Truth or Consequences” radio show in 1947.

“Lucy the Rain Goddess” (1966) 

Herbie (Marc Cavell), the bank office boy, is blaring “Do The Watusi!” on his transistor radio. The song (without lyrics) was also heard in “Chris’s New Year’s Eve Party” (1962).  

“Lucy’s Burglar Alarm” (1969) 

At the start of the episode, Craig is practicing guitar and Kim is listening to a transistor radio playing an instrumental version of “I Know a Place” by Tony Hatch. The song was made popular in 1965 by Petula Clark. This is the third time the song has been heard on “Here’s Lucy.” 

“Lucy and Jack Benny’s Biography” (1970)

Helping Benny write his memoirs, Lucy plays all the women in Jack’s life. In the fourth flashback, Jack Benny is a radio star broadcasting with Mary Livingstone. In this sequence, Lucille Ball lip synchs to the voice of the real Mary Livingstone, who became Mrs. Jack Benny in 1927. 

“Lucy, the Other Woman” (1972)

While having breakfast, Lucy listens to a radio news report about a marital triangle that caused a Mrs. Mercedes Smith of Sherman Oaks to shoot a Mrs. Vivian Boone for breaking up her happy home. The newscaster is voiced by Roy Rowan. 

[mrbopst]

[morganbritton132]

Eddie, giving his followers way too much information: I love my husband but one time after we had sex, he gave me a thumbs up and then left for work. And that haunts me.

[biillyhargroves]

i’m all for confused bi steve but i also adore the concept of robin bringing up bisexuality to him as if she’s cracked the great steve harrington code and steve being like, “no, i’m fully aware of that. that is absolutely what i am. i just have no clue how to flirt with guys.”

and robin just stares him blankly for a second, sighs, and says, “well, i’m absolutely no help in that department. you’re screwed.”

[fuctacles]

When the stoner duo met Eddie they became the stoner trio (duh) and Steve keeps running into them doing Weird Stoner Shit™ which includes but is not limited to:

A stoned pile of limbs on the floor

Music discussions so elaborate theres not a single word he understands

Baking everything imaginable with weed and studying Joyce's recipe books like it's a chemistry project

"if we figure out how to put weed in pizza we're gonna be rich" and the kitchen disaster that followed

Teasing each others hair to oblivion for a metal makeover

Braiding each others hair

Giving Argyle tattoo sleeves with sharpies each working on their own arm

And Steve gets unreasonably jealous. He complains to Robin about it all the time: "What if he thinks Argyle has better hair than me?"

Meanwhile Eddie, weeping between his two bros, fingers wrapping strands of hair together: "I wish I could braid Steve's hair :'("

[imthursdaysyme]

Steve and Jon tired af bc Steve thought it would be a good idea to climb through Jons window drunk at 3am instead of using the house key

[oldshowbiz]

1966.

Filmation's ill-fated Marx Brothers cartoon

[your-stranger-halfblood-things]

Eddie: What's a hot language that you'd want me to learn?

Steve: Uhhhh Spanish?

Eddie, flashing him a smile: Bonjour

[theatomicpoweredsinger]

Elvis with Dodie Marshall and Pat Harrington Jr. during the filming of Paramount’s “Easy Come, Easy Go,” September 1966.

[fanatics4l]

we need more feral boyfriend billy and his mediating, tired boyfriend, steve. there's just billy being some short, angry little guy in public- cursing everyone out and pouting super hard. he thinks he's the shit. he thinks everyone is a piece of shit. he stomps around everywhere and steve just silently walks behind him with a tired but fond expression on his face. people can practically see the invisible leash that steve holds. billy is like one of those dogs that drag their owner around. they're the ones walking the owner.

steve is always apologizing on billy's behalf like "sorry my boyfriend didn't go on his evening walk yet" and "sorry he growled at you, that's just how he is"

billy's the kind of guy to climb up steve and just koala wrap his limbs around him. the kids come over and they just see billy wrapped around steve's shoulders on the living room couch.

[steddiecameraroll]

Look, I made this shit and I’m pretty proud since I’ve been using procreate for less than a month and never drew digitally before or with color ever. I’m a pencil/black ink on paper gal so I’m proud of my progress and I’m having a blast drawing every possible version of Steve/Joe I want.

[demobatman]

i am about to make a steddie so canon divergent

[sesiondemadrugada]

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? (Ray Dennis Steckler, 1964).

[stevieharringtonwifeguy]

head over heels by abba is the transfem stevie anthem like look

this is a song for a prettygirl with a baseball bat full of nails

[oldshowbiz]

1974.