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morsesnotes · 9 months

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A little ramble about Joan and Morse...

[There will be spoilers if you haven't finished Endeavor]

A common take I've seen in this fandom is that Joan was waiting around for him. That Morse had all these chances he didn't take to express his feelings. So her shutting him down in S5/S6 was totally his own fault. I disagree with this and don't really understand it.

Here's why:

They only start getting to know each other properly in S2, and Morse has a girlfriend at that point.

Morse becomes aware of his feelings for Joan at the end of Coda, and he went to the Thursdays' house immediately after. It seemed like he intended to talk about it with Joan, but she was clearly traumatized, and not in a place to deal with romantic declarations. She'd already decided she was leaving. What if he said how much he cared and then she was gone? When you think about the abandonment issues this guy has, and the fact she is literally leaving him in that moment, can you blame him for being afraid?

Nevertheless, he's openly welling up in front of her (a very odd thing for a man in the mid-60s to do) and telling her if she needs anything to let him know. There's no way a woman wouldn't pick up on this. Not to mention constantly putting her life before his at the bank.

When Joan contacts him in the vaguest form possible, it's enough for him to do exactly what he said he would. He goes out of his way to find her and indicates there's something between them that can happen. He tells her he cares what happens to her and whether or not she's in his life. Joan makes him leave.

Morse proposes to her. She says no and specifically cites her dad as a reason it would be a bad idea. When the phone rings, Morse is willing to let it go. She's the one who picks it up, brings it to him, and leaves before he can do anything about it.

Even though he doesn't stay at the hospital, the Doctor presumably would've told her he stopped by.

When she moves back to Oxford, he gives her some space, which is entirely correct given what she's been through. He takes up her invitation to her party and makes sure he is there. He's clearly eager at the chance to spend time with her. But then she tells him she wants to set him up with someone else.

Eventually Morse can't take any more rejection, especially with Claudine having left him. He's gotten the message Joan was sending him and lets it go. This is when Joan decides to ask for a coffee. It's the first time she actually initiates something and given the context I think it's perfectly understandable for Morse to turn the offer down? It's fair enough if he doesn't want to get hurt again, isn't it? Idk, Joan's timing here rubbed me the wrong way. It was the mature thing for him to do and showed he saw her as more than a rebound.

Finally, a few weeks later Morse realizes in Icarus that life is too short and takes her up on it, but now she says she's sick of waiting around.

The fan reaction I saw with that moment was, "Yeah you tell him Joan! Fuck him!" And it made me go "???". It's true it wasn't the best timing on his part, but it's not as if he had a habit of turning up when it suited him. She was the one stringing him along, wanting his attention one minute and then rejecting it the next. She could've said she was busy and they could do it some other time in the week. Her reaction was way too harsh.

Don't get me wrong, I love Joan and am by no means the type to view Morse as a poor little Meow Meow who can do no wrong. However, I feel like it's super unfair to put it all on him when Joan was going through her own problems and has her own difficulties expressing herself. He gave her countless opportunities to open up, and she pushed him away. At a certain point, it'd be weird if he ignored her wishes and kept attempting to pursue her. It wouldn't be a good look if he tried stopping her from marrying his friend either. As far as he knows, she's moved on.

Morse may have had trouble saying it out loud, but his actions spoke volumes. Surely that counts for something? He also wrote her that incredibly romantic letter in Zenana and straight up said "Please believe me to have been yours, always". Keep in mind again this is a British man in the 60s-70s and the men around Joan so far have been deeply repressed. Seems pretty forward to me! I simply don't believe this wouldn't spark curiosity in Joan to figure out what he meant. That she'd just wait around until Morse came to visit her to ask about it, and that seeing him in the state he's in, she'd leave it there. This woman who wants passion, who's independent, who cares about the people in her life, who knows how it feels to be saving face while suffering inside, and her literal job involves helping children come to terms with their trauma. Her total passive behavior towards Morse doesn't make sense! Like it doesn't even have to be romantic! They can interact as friends!

He carries a ton of trauma and emotional baggage which makes him terrified of losing what he has with her. Not to mention his respect for Thursday. I don't see why we can't have empathy for both of them.

And yeah, he was being a dick in S6 but again, he's allowed to be angry and in fact it's healthy for him to actually let it out rather than having this idealized view of Joan forever or holding it in like he usually does.

Btw, with his previous behavior taken into account, him not showing up in Uniform was highly unusual and should've been a "What's happened to him?" moment for Joan. Not, "Classic Morse. Works comes first."

Anyway, sorry for the essay and thank you if you read all of it. I just wanted to get all my thoughts together in one place.

#endeavour #endeavour morse #joan thursday #morse x joan #itv endeavour #thinking thoughts

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myheartissetinmotion · 3 years

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hello, internet

I’m really about to expose myself here huh

anyway, this post is the brainchild of my quarantine. Beginning somewhere around April (what even is time) and ongoing to this day, I’ve written screenplays and fics, made pinterest boards and spotify playlists, dreamed up choreography, and plotted storylines, all as a product of both escapism from this insane world and yearning to be part of my favorite tv show in any capacity.

guys, gals, and nonbinary pals, buckle your seatbelts and allow me to introduce you to “Zoey’s Extraordinary Cousin”, Victoria Evelyn Clarke.

(most of this was written before s2 premiered, and I won’t always be changing her whole story as it would be required on this post, but I’ll continue to add fics which modify stuff to fit s2 canon)

general stuff

name: Victoria Evelyn Clarke (named after a song-first-and a friend-middle)

nickname: Tori

age: 23

height: 5′9″ (plenty of opportunity for the brogrammers to joke about how short Zoey is when compared to her younger cousin)

hair: auburn, medium length, wavy

eyes: hazel, she wears glasses

family: her father is Mitch’s brother, so Maggie and Mitch are her aunt and uncle, making Zoey and David her cousins

occupation: just graduated from a BFA musical theatre program; hired to play piano in the SPRQpoint lobby, stays there for most of the time that her story is shown and eventually books a role in the LA area, which causes her departure from the show (if she’s just a recurring character)

a few of her functions as a character

disclaimer: I’m fully aware that a lot of concepts I’ve come up with for her couldn’t actually happen on the show (especially if I played her, which of course is the ultimate dream), but I just wanted to put all of my ideas into one place

because she ends up working at SPRQpoint, Victoria serves as a bridge between Zoey’s work life and family life, making the story more cohesive

due to the blood relation and her empathetic nature, she can tell when people are singing to her. Zoey tells her about the power right away, and she provides insight, taking on a similar role to Mo but with the added bonus of already knowing her family and getting to know her coworkers better. A complication in the powers is always interesting, and it opens the door for many more possibilities

she’ll bring more musical theatre songs to the table and diversify the music genres discussed on the show; it would also be really interesting to have a character that plays an instrument and see how that might factor into heartsongs

she’d strengthen the theme of music bringing empathy through storytelling; through her insight and empathetic nature, she sees qualities in some characters that Zoey and the audience haven’t seen yet

she’s been the “therapist friend” all her life, and a big part of her arc is learning how to take care of herself and realizing that her own emotions are just as valid as those of the people she helps; this gives a contrast to Zoey’s initial awkwardness when it comes to emotions and helping people, and they help each other through everything

the fact that she quickly falls for Leif sends Zoey into a bit of a tailspin; she feels that she has to tell her what else he’s sung, which results in a question about the ethics of the power and privacy. This’ll give more depth to Leif (who we’ve barely heard from emotionally since mid-ep-11; there’s a lot behind “things change, people change” that I’m curious about) along with bringing out a protective side to Zoey and deepening the Clarke family dynamic

personality and characterization tidbits

hufflepuff through and through

sees the best in people

loves music and is really knowledgeable about it (see Zoey and Mo in the relationship section down below for the impact of this) and has escaped into it her whole life; this makes her almost a foil to Zoey as they balance each other out

just as awkward as Zoey; one can absolutely tell that they’re related if only by their speech patterns and appearance

has a playlist for every imaginable human emotion

bi and hopeless romantic, but has never really felt wanted

unashamed theatre kid

quick-thinking and witty, intelligent but idealistic, and sometimes comes across as naïve

passionate about activism and working for change

feels and cares very deeply

see pinterest board and spotify playlist below in the references section for more

relationships with other characters

Zoey Clarke: her cousin. After graduation, Victoria visits her family to be there for them after the funeral, and this begins her storyline. The extended Clarke family is tight-knit, and she and Zoey have been really close friends throughout their entire lives. They can read each other well, and the established relationship is really clear in their dialogue and the way that each is one of the few people that the other feels genuinely comfortable around. Partly because Zoey never had a younger sibling, she was always very protective of her younger cousin. This comes into play in a huge way during Victoria’s storyline, beginning with her second heartsong. One of Zoey’s internal conflicts throughout this situation is the decision of how much to share with Tori of what she knows due to earlier heartsongs; she feels it would be an invasion of privacy to tell too much, but she also feels at the start that Tori is being naïve and a bit too trusting and doesn’t want her to get hurt. This struggle deals with both Zoey’s personal relationships and the ethics of the power.

Leif Donnelly: the reason for the aforementioned internal conflict. Victoria falls hard and fast for him during her first tour of the fourth floor, leading to her second heartsong. When confronted by a dumbfounded Zoey about it, she denies it as nothing more than infatuation at first sight, but this gets harder to believe as time goes on and Zoey has to watch her cousin and sworn rival genuinely becoming friends. After a few weeks, she learns and has to accept that Victoria’s feelings are genuine. Reciprocation, though, is a whole different matter; they find this out by way of another heartsong, which is also how Victoria learns of her own addition to the power. Witnessing that song pushes Zoey over the edge, and similarly to s1e5, she eventually blurts out the truth about Leif’s previous heartsongs and relationship with Joan, which leads to Victoria’s very conflicted heartsong rendition of “Toxic” (because if no one sings it to him at some point in the series, that’s a seriously missed opportunity). We see their later conversation: Victoria isn’t sure how to bring it up, but she doesn’t have to, because the events of the end of s1 obviously did take a big toll on Leif and he wants to be honest with her about it (see chapter 7 of singin’ from a streetlight). It would be interesting if she had something to do with the way he eventually found out about the power; Victoria lives very much by her moral compass, and she would feel awful about knowing things that he doesn’t know that she knows. If I had to sum up the relationship in terms of how it serves the show, Victoria sees the parts of Leif that Zoey and the audience (for most of the season) don’t, and he’s one of the first people who’s ever made her feel wanted.

Mo Montgomery: these two get along splendidly. So splendidly, in fact, that Zoey sometimes even regrets introducing them, especially when she can’t sleep due to their late-night, belt-to-the-rafters karaoke sessions that can be heard through the apartment walls. Mo finally has someone in the building (Victoria is staying with Zoey through the duration of her arc on the show) who properly appreciates music, and the three of them (plus Max and whoever else learns about the power-Simon absolutely has to in season 2, come on) become a sort of ragtag let’s-figure-out-this-crazy-power group of friends.

David Clarke: I’ve always thought that the backstory revealed in ep 5 of David being a former theatre kid was really interesting. He and Victoria have bonded over this for a long time, and she feels betrayed when he leaves it behind due to the toxic masculinity explored in ep 5. I’d love an ep called “Zoey’s Extraordinary Brother” or something that goes deeper into that; Victoria definitely has a hand in helping David embrace that part of himself, and she’s almost as close with him as she is with Zoey.

Max Richman: she’s actually known him for quite a while, having done a bit of community theatre with him before he even met Zoey (because you cannot tell me that this man, who can canonically sing and dance and genuinely enjoys it, wasn’t one of the only boys in his high school theatre program and didn’t ever play Georg Novak at some point). He seemed to have gone through some Good Old Fashioned Character Development in ep 12, what with the “focus on yourself right now” and everything, but there’s still quite a lot to unpack that was revealed between 7 and 11. Honestly, I just want to see someone Talk Some Freakin Sense Into Him, and an old friend who’s been removed from the situation but knows both him and Zoey very well is a pretty good bet.

Simon Haynes: Victoria, along with Mo, acts as Zoey’s confidant for the central love triangle. She’s a bit put off by the idea of Simon’s cheating, but sympathizes with both him and Jessica after learning the whole story; upon meeting him, she thinks he’s wonderful. (he honestly gets some of my favorite dialogue on the show...who else can pull off all of those deep conversations along with “this is a classy affair, of course there’ll be pigs in a blanket”? in this house we appreciate JCS)

Tobin Batra: the first person she meets on her first tour of SPRQpoint, much to Zoey’s dismay. As the audience learns more about him (which I’m so freakin excited for, by the way), he and Victoria share quite a bit of banter while the season goes on. Tobin also thoroughly enjoys trying to push Leif and Victoria together, and there are a lot of fun scenes in which he has a blast acting as a wingman for his oldest and newest friends.

Mitch and Maggie Clarke: they mean absolutely everything to her. Victoria’s parents are usually supportive, but they often consider her career as an entity separate from her as a person and discuss it as if the decisions are up to them; she was always able to come to her aunt and uncle when she needed to, and she’ll always be grateful to them for it. As previously mentioned, the extended Clarkes are really close, and Victoria deeply regrets not being able to make it to Mitch’s funeral. At the start of her arc, she believes that she doesn’t have as much right to grieve and that she has to “stay strong” for her family. Over the course of her storyline, she realizes that there are people that are there for her just as much as she’s there for them. This includes Leif, Zoey, and Mo; Maggie is one of the most important of these for her. Family is at the core of this show, and at the core of Victoria’s being.

Emily Kang: first of all, I’m still hoping she gets “Everything Changes” from Waitress in season 2. Victoria admires her wit and they enjoy each other’s company; when needed, she loves babysitting her second cousin.

Abigail: give her a last name gosh darnit. I hope she comes back as an intern in season 2; she and Tori would be SUCH good friends, and it might be neat if they had a duet of sorts, so that she’d be signing with the strings carrying on her part as Tori sang.

Aiden: okay, I knew from the beginning they’d be best friends oh my god. She’s closer in age to him than she is to Zoey; she was often babysat by her cousins when she was little, and that’s how she got to know the kid next door, the kid who air-guitared along to the radio and made plans with her to travel the world when they got older. Naturally, she had the biggest crush on him, which Zoey thought was hilarious. They still support each other’s music and keep in touch to this day.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen in season 2 with new characters, etc, and whether characters such as Joan, Autumn, Howie, Eddie, Deb, Ava, Jessica, etc are coming back. My ideas for this character and her relationships will obviously change as the show progresses (I say as if anything will happen-it’s one of the only things I have left to hope for, okay, voice in my head, shut up) and I’m looking forward to seeing how the story continues to unfold.

some potential heartsongs

“Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from The Phantom of the Opera: the first that the audience sees of her. After an episode of Zoey Going Through Some Stuff, she needs to talk to her dad, and realizes once she reaches the cemetery that she’s not the only one. It’s raining, much as it was when they tried to choose his plot. It’s just the beginning of the song; on “all that you dreamed I could”, Victoria’s voice cracks-she’s crying as she’s singing-and she trails off, then the instrumental continues while they talk. I mean, we’ve already had a song from an ALW musical...IT COULD WORK.

“Absolutely Smitten” by Dodie: after her first tour of the fourth floor, to an oblivious Leif. I’ve always wondered why they haven’t used the swings in the choreography yet, so I just decided to do it because Why Not. The vibes of this song would be perfect for the vibes of SPRQpoint, and it works for the scene as well; it’s vulnerable enough to be the beginning of real feelings, but cutesy enough for her to deny it to Zoey as nothing more than infatuation. If we can put the railing on the staircase back in from the pilot, it fits pretty well as a sliding-down-the-railing song, if that makes sense.

“Human” by Christina Perri: a visit to her parents. enough said. It serves as a major release for Victoria as well as the reveal that she’s far from the put-together person that she tries to be; I also feel like this kind of song would fit well into the show, and it’s more recognizable to the mainstream than most of the other songs on this list. This is also a wake-up call to Zoey that her cousin really is hurting, and the “help” that prevents the song from haunting her comes from the fact that she’s the first person to really understand Victoria’s relationship with her parents and be there for her.

“Strawberry Blond” by Mitski: the epitome of Yearning™. A few weeks have passed since “Absolutely Smitten”, and as much as Zoey would like to stay in denial about her cousin’s feelings, the universe isn’t going to let her; “I love everybody because I love you” is pretty difficult to twist out of context. This one is short and sweet, starting at the second verse and skipping to the repeated chorus. The choreo epitomizes the paradox of combined awkwardness and grace that lies at the heart of Tori’s character. She floats and spins, propelling herself around the office as if lifted from within by the music, never taking her eyes away from Leif. This is when Zoey realizes that she actually has to deal with it, prompting the swear guitar title card; this song and the next two are all part of the same episode.

“Victoria” by Jukebox the Ghost: this song is Leif’s; she accompanies it. Zoey comes downstairs to the lobby a few hours after the workday ends and hears the piano, but there’s no one playing it. It would be really interesting to see the way that instrumentals happen in heartsongs if there are actually instruments in the room; just something fun to play with in regards to the power. (yes, I named her after this song specifically for the purpose of this song, and I’m aware that if the full song is taken into its own context it doesn’t portray a particularly healthy relationship but the piano part is cool and the song just has this electric energy okay?!?!?!) The choreography is very La-La-Land-esque; it’s sweeping and explosive as they make their way across the lobby. At the second verse, she starts actually playing the piano; this cut of the song goes to the last chorus after the second verse. This is also another example of Tori’s being able to tell when she’s being sung to (the way that she finds this out is explained in jumpstarted (see below), but that wouldn’t work in this universe, so this song is how she finds out if she were actually a character). She’s in utterly joyful disbelief, going in between trading incredulous glances with Zoey and allowing herself to fall into the choreography. This song is the turning point for Zoey when it comes to the relationship she’s witnessing; while they’re on the piano bench, Leif smiles at Victoria in a similar way to the end of episode 7, and this sends Zoey’s protective-older-cousin-mode into overdrive. Feelings are one thing, but reciprocation is quite another, and this is when Zoey realizes that she has no choice but to tell Victoria the truth.

“In Case You Don’t Live Forever” by Ben Platt: let’s say that at the beginning of this episode, there was a dream that Zoey had about an old memory with Mitch in which she watches her younger self heartsing this to him, and she’s attempted for all of that time in between to remember the melody. A few days after “Victoria” takes place, Zoey is struggling to figure out how to bring up the needed conversation, and she tries to preface it by explaining how much Victoria means to her. She doesn’t get very far in her speech before she hears the music she heard in her dream; this song is Tori revealing how much she’s always looked up to Zoey, which brings her to tears and causes her to blurt out the last line of the episode: “I need to tell you something.”

“Toxic” by Britney Spears: tbh, this song once came on the radio and I thought “...wait a minute”. It’ll also be more recognizable compared to this list of showtunes and indie pop. This song takes place on the fourth floor during the next episode; Mo has come to pick up the cousins for their weekly lunch, and he and Tori are once again trying to give Zoey a crash course on musical pop culture. Today’s lesson is pop of the early 2000s, and Tori tries to give a demonstration by singing the first verse, almost unable to due to how hard the three of them are laughing. They walk past the conference room where a meeting is taking place, Leif sitting at the head of the table, and Zoey barely notices the instrumentals that have been building in the background until Tori stops short and the all-too-familiar riff (yknow, the daaaaada dadada) comes operatically from her throat rather than the invisible synth. Mo can tell by Zoey’s expression that the demonstration, which has stopped in the real world, has turned into a heartsong. As she sings, she makes her way into and around the conference room, spinning chairs and overdramatically throwing herself against walls, as if magnetically drawn to the subject of the song but trying to pull herself away. It’ll show how conflicted she is, but it’ll also be freakin’ hilarious.

“Unusual Way” from Nine: After the aforementioned much-needed conversation in the episode which “Toxic” appears in, Leiftoria (is that an unintentionally awesome ship name or what) is official. I’m not sure how long her story on the show would last, but this song marks the end of it; she books a role at a fantastic dinner theater in the Los Angeles area. In the scene of her last heartsong, Tori, Zoey, and Leif are sitting in an airport lobby. The ticket machines are down, and dozens of impatient passengers are waiting with them, listening to the drone of announcements and tinny pop music played over the loudspeakers that slowly morph into a melancholy arpeggio. If anyone reading this hasn’t listened to this piece, I highly recommend it, by the way-it’s utterly haunting and you’re definitely gonna cry. The cut starts at the second verse and skips the solo third verse to go right into the duet. There’s nothing extravagant about it; as in the musical itself, this song is carried by the sweeping, raw emotion behind it.

references or something-what do I call this one

spotify playlist: a living document (chronologically) of potential heartsongs, songs that fit her situations, and songs that just have her Vibes.

pinterest board: an ever-growing, ever-changing representation of her character. I’ve pinned everything twice so that there can be sections without disturbing the full aesthetic; each section is named after a lyric from a musical that represents that aspect of her character.

tiktoks: there are a few I’ve made about her, some actually in one or both of the universes I’ve written about (see below) and some just for The Vibes or other potential story ideas. @can.you.hear.it.echoing

jumpstarted: the first fic for anything that I’d written in years; it started out in my mind as three scenes and came out to 29 pages. This is an au in which she works at the karaoke bar; she couldn’t actually be on the show this way, but I just think it would be neat-it would only be canon compliant through the middle of s1e11 (there are a few time shifts), so here we are. (seriously though please read this one I’m very proud of it.) This story does share aspects with what she’d actually be able to become as a character, and these are further explored in my second fic.

singin’ from a streetlight: a collection of oneshots that goes through most of the potential heartsongs listed above, from Zoey’s pov. chapter 7 is an interlude, back in Tori’s pov, because Zoey doesn’t see her and Leif’s much-needed conversation on the evening of “Toxic”.

but i’ve never been quite alright: I thought of “Human” as a potential song for her after the entirety of “singin’ from a streetlight” had been published, so this is a seperate fic to explain that scene; it fits in both of the above universes.

scaffolding and christmas lights: cheesy fluffy office party holiday fic because why not. It’s fun to consider how other glitches in the power might manifest; in this one, anyone that Zoey makes eye contact with sings their heartsong to the world. this doesn’t really go with the timeline of either universe, but it’s an interesting idea that might be worked into either

with a little motivation, i’ll go far: she experiences her first heartsong, “California” by Ricky Montgomery, at the airport as she comes into San Francisco. I just this song fits her well at the beginning of her story-this was a really fun one.

it’s the terror of knowing what this world is about: taking the little bit of David’s canon backstory and RUNNING with it. he and Tori would have bonded so much over musical theatre when they were younger, and she must have felt so betrayed when he tried to abandon that part of himself; this fic explores that

‘cause i see every part of you, and i can tell you see me too: Leif shows Tori his sketchbook and Feelings Ensue. (I want to see more of him as an artist, it’s such a fascinating aspect of his character, please Austin please)

don't look too deep: I watched mamma mia 2 and this is the result. #laurengrahamfortanya2k21

have you been too much on your own: this came out of thinking about les mis too much for the thousandth time; it’s an au of chapter 2 of “singin’ from a streetlight” just because I thought it would be kind of hilarious

suddenly we all got young: the brolympics strike again. this came out a bit angstier than expected but it was so much fun to write; I’m really loving what I get to do with her in s2

just keep losing my beat: written during the midseason hiatus; finally found a way to fit her properly into s2 canon. quite proud of this one

perfection is so quick to bore: I fell so in love with the song “I Hear a Symphony” that I had to write something around it, so here this is. it’s very projection-y and rather cheesy but I tried to capture the emotion

screenplays: there are a few that I’m working on and this post will be updated as I finish and revise them

if you’ve read this far, thank you. I just wanted to get her out in the world before season 2 started so I could be as canon compliant as possible (and it happens to be Dec 21, both my birthday and the day that Planets Are Being Cool on the solstice so it’s a great day for manifesting). I would give anything to be part of this show in literally any capacity; from the beginning I loved the concept and by now, as cheesy as it sounds, it feels as if it’s almost knit to my soul. the entire cast, crew, and creative team are such wonderful people (at least from my limited view, but they seem to be very genuine) that I’d love to work with, and this idea has been a sort of a coping mechanism through everything going on in the world and in my life. This post will probably be updated as I come up with more content and the show develops during s2 and beyond. even if nothing comes of this, I love my Tori dearly, and I hope anyone reading this enjoyed learning about her as much as I’m enjoying creating her story.

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papermoonloveslucy · 4 years

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LIZ CHANGES HER MIND

June 24, 1949

"Liz Changes Her Mind” is episode #50 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on June 24, 1949 on the CBS Radio Network. This was the only “My Favorite Husband” episode to be repeated. It aired again on September 30, 1950.

Synopsis ~ When Liz has trouble making up her mind, George decides she must finish everything she starts.

This program was used as a basis for “I Love Lucy” "Lucy Changes Her Mind" (ILL S2;E21) first broadcast on CBS TV on March 30, 1953.

~ from Laughs, Luck... and Lucy by Jess Oppenheimer

REGULAR CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) 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. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which 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 Cooper) was born as 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.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) had worked with Lucille Ball on “The Wonder Show” on radio in 1938. One of the front-runners to play Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” he eventually played Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, during two episodes in 1952. After playing a Judge in an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, he would re-team with Lucy for all of her subsequent series’: as Theodore J. Mooney in ”The Lucy Show”; as Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”; and as Curtis McGibbon on "Life with Lucy.” Gordon died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury / New Secretary) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricardo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz (above right), 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

Frank Nelson (Waiter) 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”. This is one of his 11 performances on “My Favorite Husband.” On “I Love Lucy” he holds the distinction of being the only actor to play two recurring roles: Freddie Fillmore and Ralph Ramsey, as well as six one-off characters, including the frazzled train conductor in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5), a character he repeated on “The Lucy Show.” Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs.

Nelson repeated the role of the waiter in the “I Love Lucy” episode based on this radio episode.

“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 Benadaret 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.

THE EPISODE

The story opens with Liz driving to pick up George at the bank. Liz is not a very good driver - she can’t make up her mind which direction to go or what dress to wear.

They are meeting the Atterbury’s at the Green Room for dinner, despite the fact that she is wearing her blue dress and will clash with the décor.

On “I Love Lucy” the Ricardos and the Mertzes can’t decide where to dine but end up at the Roof Garden, despite the menus saying Jubilee Club.

Liz finally gets the attention of a waiter (Frank Nelson) but then decides to move tables.

On TV, Nelson wears thick eyeglasses to reinforce the visual comedy.

LIZ / LUCY: “Does everyone have everything they need?” GEORGE / ETHEL: “I have three knives.” IRIS / FRED: “I beat ya. I’ve got a full house: three forks and a pair of spoons.”

The scene that follows is virtually the same as it is on television.

Liz sneezes, feeling a draft at their new table by the window, and spots another empty table nearby.

RUDOLPH / FRED: “Stand by for another troop movement!”

Liz crashes into the waiter mid-move. He spills a tray of shrimp cocktails all over Mr. Atterbury.

On TV, the waiter returns with the tray, looks around for the Ricardos and Mertzes, who have moved a third time. When Lucy gets his attention, he immediately hands her the tray, grabs his hat and coat, and leaves without a word!

At home that night, an embarrassed George chastises Liz for her inability to make a decision.

GEORGE: “Why are you so wishy-washy?” LIZ: “I can’t help it. My father was a wishy and my mother was a washy.”

George revolts against the adage that women are allowed to change their minds. He even threatens to spank her! He gives his wife an ultimatum: Finish what you start! Liz agrees and they kiss and cuddle as the scene fades out.

Next morning, Liz asks Katie to help her clean out the desk, a project she started but never finished.

KATIE: “It’s the only desk where the pigeon holes have pigeons in ‘em.”

In the desk, Liz finds a newspaper with the headline “McKinley Assassinated”! She remembers Iris gave it to her because there was a good recipe on the back.

William McKinley was the 25th president of the United States from 1897 until his assassination on September 14, 1901. The comedy here stretches reality, as the newspaper would be 48 years old at the time of broadcast! Perhaps Iris had saved it after its publication date and passed it on to Liz.

Digging a little deeper into the cluttered desk, Liz finds love letters from George. In one unfinished letter Liz threatens to leave George, but never mailed the letter. Remembering her promise, she mischievously decides to finish it and send it to George at work special delivery.

At the office, George and Rudolph are playing darts when George’s giggly new secretary (Bea Benadaret, doing a second voice that sounds very much like Betty Rubble on “The Flintstones”) brings in a special delivery letter. It is a letter from Liz’s old sorority inviting her to a reunion, sent in care of George. The boys decide to leave early and that night convince the girls to go to the reunion. After they leave, the secretary comes in with one more special delivery letter (the one from Liz) - but George has already gone! The scene is set for a profusion of confusion!

On television, Lucy finds a love letter to an old boyfriend, not Ricky, and decides to finish it and allow Ricky to discover it in order to make him jealous. When Ricky decides the letter is not real, but written recently to make him jealous, he decides to call her bluff and mail it for her!

At home that night, Liz and Iris await their husbands return. Iris expects George to be furious, but he isn’t! She brings up the special delivery letter, non-plussed.

IRIS: “What do you think about it?” GEORGE: “I think you ought to go!” LIZ: “Rudolph Atterbury! I think you even agree with that heel!” RUDOLPH: “I do! As a matter of fact, as long as Liz is going I think you should go too!”

The girls leave in tears; the boys are mystified. Over a drawn-out tearful dinner at the Green Room, Liz and Iris commiserate. Katie informs the boys of the real letter, and they realize their mistake. They find the girls at the restaurant and make up. The waiter brings their lamb chops and all ends happily!

On television, Ricky follows Lucy and Ethel to the old boyfriend’s place of business, a fur salon, where they spy on Lucy. She has just discovered that her handsome beau has aged into a shorter, fatter, balder man (”Looks like my hunk has shrunk!”). Just as Ricky is getting jealous, Lucy reveals the truth. Just before they leave however, it is revealed that the short bald man is not Tom Henderson at all - and that the real Tom is a dreamboat! Ewwwwwwww!

FAST FORWARD

This is one of the episodes performed in 2014 by L.A. Theatre Works starring Marilu Henner (Liz), Jeff Conaway (George), Alley Mills (Iris), and Harold Gould (Rudolph).

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papermoonloveslucy · 3 years

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LIZ TEACHES IRIS TO DRIVE

January 13, 1950

“Liz Teaches Iris To Drive” is episode #71 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on January 13, 1950.

Synopsis ~ The Atterburys have bought a new car but Rudolph refuses to teach Iris how to drive. Liz readily volunteers to be Iris's driving instructor.

This was the 20th episode of the second season of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND, the second of the new year and of the new decade (1950). There were 43 new episodes, with the season ending on June 25, 1950.

This episode served as the basis for “Lucy Learns To Drive” (ILL S4;E12), filmed October 28, 1954, and first aired on January 3, 1955.

“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

Richard Denning (George Cooper) 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.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) had worked with Lucille Ball on “The Wonder Show” on radio in 1938. One of the front-runners to play Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” he eventually played Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, during two episodes in 1952. After playing a Judge in an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, he would re-team with Lucy for all of her subsequent series’: as Theodore J. Mooney in ”The Lucy Show”; as Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”; and as Curtis McGibbon on “Life with Lucy.” Gordon died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricardo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

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.

GUEST CAST

Frank Nelson (Mr. Rogers, Insurance Adjuster) 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”. This is one of his 11 performances on “My Favorite Husband.” On “I Love Lucy” he holds the distinction of being the only actor to play two recurring roles: Freddie Fillmore and Ralph Ramsey, as well as six one-off characters, including the frazzled train conductor in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5), a character he repeated on “The Lucy Show.” Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs.

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers, it’s early evening and they’ve just finished dinner.”

George tells Liz that Mr. Atterbury has bought a new car and is coming over to take them for a drive. Liz laments that they can’t afford a new car, too. George insists the they have a perfectly good car already.

LIZ: “It needs fixing. The isinglass curtains are all shot and we need new wicks in the headlamps.”

Liz is facetiously describing early automobiles (and previous to that, horse-drawn carriages) that were fitted with clear celluloid side curtains that acted as windows, although they were not actually made of isinglass, as purported. Headlamps were battery operated, not candle powered, as Liz suggests.

Liz says that because the battery is always going dead, she has to hang out of the car and push it like a scooter!

LIZ: “I’ve got a right leg like Betty Grable and a left leg like Gorgeous George.” GEORGE: “You’re being ridiculous. Your leg is nothing like Betty Grable’s.”

Betty Grable (1916-73) made two films with Lucille Ball when they were both at RKO in the mid-1930s. A pin-up girl, she was famous for her platinum blonde hair and shapely legs. In the late 1940s, 20th Century Fox insured her legs with Lloyd’s of London for a quarter of a million dollars. George Raymond Wagner (1915-63) was a professional wrestler known by his ring name Gorgeous George. He was famous for his platinum blonde hair and muscular legs. In the 1950′s his name was mentioned on several episodes of “I Love Lucy.”

A car horn sounds and Rudolph and Iris Atterbury pull up in their brand new car. Iris wanted a canary yellow car with leopard skin upholstery, but because Rudolph is a bank president, they always get black.

IRIS: “I feel like I’m riding in a hearse. One day we accidentally cut through a funeral and half the cars followed us home.” RUDOLPH: “Lotus Bud, keep that up and the cars won’t be following you accidentally.”

While the boys are looking at the car, Liz and Iris conspire to ask Rudolph if he will teach Iris to drive. Rudolph flatly says no.

RUDOLPH: “I couldn’t have it on my conscious that I put another woman driver on the streets.”

Liz steps up to volunteer to teach Iris to drive. George forbids her to do it and Rudolph makes Iris promise not to let her!

Followers of the series will remember that George taught Liz to drive on November 13, 1948 when they were still named the Cugats.

In “Lucy Learns To Drive” (ILL S4;E12), Lucy Ricardo has just one lesson from Ricky before she’s volunteering to teach Ethel to drive.

Next day, Liz picks up Iris for her first driving lesson. They notice the Atterbury’s new car in the driveway and Liz reasons they should do the lesson in her new car, rather than hers.

After adjusting the seat to fit Iris’s girth, Liz attempts to guide her student through the pedals. She finally finds the starter, which is on the dashboard, not the floor like it is in Liz’s car. After a few lurches, they are motoring down the street - weaving all over the road. Liz calls Iris’s attention to the rear-view mirror.

LIZ: “That’s so you can put on lipstick while you’re driving and still keep one hand on the wheel.”

Liz teaches Iris how to turn a corner using hand signals.

LIZ: “They’re all the same, you just stick your hand out the window and wave it.” IRIS: “How can they tell what you’re going to do?” LIZ: “They can’t, but when they see it’s a woman’s hand, they just stop and let you do it!”

Although now a relic of the past, hand signals were a common part of driver education in the early part of the 20th century. In the late '30s, Joseph Bell patented the first electrical device that flashed - and in 1939, Buick introduced turn signals as a standard feature. Still, electrical turn signals didn't become widespread until the early to mid-1950s.

Liz tells Iris it is time for her to ‘solo’ by driving around the block alone. Iris is terrified but does it. While she is gone, Liz tells Katie the Maid about her driving lesson with Iris when suddenly...

...Iris smashes headlong into the back of Liz’s car! They realize they will have to explain this to George and Rudolph!

End of Part One

Bob LeMond does a live commercial and gives a recipe for a Jell-O salad with pineapple and dates.

ANNOUNCER: “On a quiet side street in Sheridan Falls stands a monument to womanhood: two cars smashed together. And on the curb surveying the wreckage are Iris Atterbury, the smasher, and Liz Cooper, the smashee.”

Liz, Katie, and Iris try to get the cars apart by jumping up and down on the bumpers.

IRIS: “What’s supposed to happen, Liz?” LIZ: “I dunno, but this is what men always do!” IRIS: “Are you sure you’re not leaving out anything?” LIZ: “Oh, I forgot! Iris, you stand down there and swear.”

In “Lucy Learns To Drive” (ILL S4;E12), the Cadillac and the Pontiac also get hooked together, and Lucy and Ethel try jumping up and down on the bumpers to separate them. When Lucy remembers the part about swearing, she does it in Spanish, to imitate Ricky, her Cuban hothead husband.

They don’t come unhooked, so Liz suggests they drive the cars down to Bill Fisher’s Beauty Shop, a ‘front’ for a secret garage in the back that specializes in ladies fenders.

LIZ: “I get all my work done there!”

On the road to the shop, people are staring and honking. Iris notices someone trying to pass. It is a car just like Iris’s new one. Iris notices that there’s nobody driving! It is her new car, come unhooked, and passing them on the highway! As they start to go up a hill, the new car loses power and rolls back down the hill backing into the front of the Cooper’s car! They try to think of what to say to their husbands, and agree to tell them the cars where stolen and they don’t anything about it. Playing along gamely, Iris innocently replies “What cars?”

This same scene is featured on “I Love Lucy” with the same line, this time spoken by Ethel.

Next day at the bank, Rudolph and George are talking to Mr. Rogers (Frank Nelson), the insurance adjustor, about the cars. The plan is to tell Liz that Iris ratted on her and hope Liz will squeal and reveal the truth.

RUDOLPH: “What’s good enough for Humphrey Bogart is good enough for me.”

Rudolph is referencing the film Tokyo Joe starring Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), which was released in November 1949.

When Liz enters the office, she overhears Mr. Atterbury on a deliberately staged phone conversation with Iris in which she confesses and is forgiven. Angry at the betrayal, Liz cracks like an egg, but as she spills the real story, Iris rushes in! She reveals that Rudolph tried to trick her and Liz admits she fell for it! Thankfully nobody believed the real story! So Liz launches into a tall tale about an 80 foot tall giant with a purple beard and three eyes who picked up the cars....

End of Episode

In the live Jell-O commercial, Lucille Ball and Bob LeMond visit deepest darkest Africa. Bob is an explorer, Lucille is his number one girl-boy. Native drums are beating. Lucille compares them to a primitive pay telephone talking about Jell-O. They suddenly stop.

BOB / EXPLORER: “Why did they stop?” LUCILLE / #1 GIRL-BOY: “They went to get change. They have to deposit five cocoanuts for the next three minutes.”

<plunk plunk plunk> Drums continue and so does the message about Jell-O. The Jell-O singers adapt their jingle for the African setting as cannibals:

“Oh, tonight well have for dinner a great big family. Oh, tonight well have for dinner a great big family. Explorers! Yum! Yum! Yum! Missionaries! Yum! Yum! Yum! And a red-haired number one for yes-siree!”

#My Favorite Husband #Lucille Ball #Richard Denning #Frank Nelson #Bob LeMond #Ruth Perrott #Bea Benadaret #Gale Gordon #Liz Teaches Iris To Drive #Isinglass Curtains #Betty Grable #Gorgeous George #Humphrey Bogart #I Love Lucy #Radio #CBS #Lucy Learns To Drive #Vivian Vance

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papermoonloveslucy · 7 years

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Lucy and the Ring-a-Ding Ring

S5;E5 ~ October 10, 1966

Synopsis

Mr. Mooney buys his wife an expensive ring. When he allows Lucy to try it on, she can't get it off her finger!

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis)

Guest Cast

Don Beddoe (Mr. Barmarche) made his Broadway in 1929 and enjoyed a decade-long career on the stage with more than a dozen plays to his credit. Although he may have made some minor appearances in silent films, Beddoe made his real transfer to film work in 1937. He appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1949 film Easy Living. This is his only series appearance.

Ray Kellogg (Cop) played the barking Assistant Director (“Roll ‘em!”) in “Ricky’s Screen Test” (ILL S4;E6) and later appeared in “Bullfight Dance” (ILL S4;E22). This is the fifth of his seven episodes of “The Lucy Show.” He also did two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Just as he does here, most most time he played a policeman.

Lucie Arnaz (Teenager) was the real life 16 year-old daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. She previously appeared on “The Lucy Show” as Cynthia, a friend of Lucy's daughter Chris. She also did background appearances, most recently with her brother Desi Jr. in “Lucy at Marineland” (S5;E1). She will do two more appearances of “The Lucy Show” before becoming a regular on “Here's Lucy.”

Lucie's 'hippie' boyfriend goes uncredited.

Joan Carey (Passerby, uncredited) was a frequent background player on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show,” where she was also Lucille Ball’s camera and lighting stand-in.

This episode was filmed on Thursday, July 7, 1966.

During this extremely physical comedy-heavy episode, Gary Morton's loud guffaw can be heard clearly in the studio audience.

Having lunch at her desk at the bank, Lucy uses the same pink Melmac cups and saucers she has at home.

Steaming open Mr. Mooney's sealed envelope, Lucy says she feels just like James Bond. In mid-1966, Ian Fleming's dashing British spy was being played on screen by Sean Connery. Thunderball was released in 1965.

The custom designed ring Mr. Mooney buys for his wife costs $6,000. Adjusting for inflation, that would be like more than $45,000 today. Mr. Barmarche reiterates to Mr. Mooney that they do not give trading stamps. Trading Stamps were small paper coupons given to customers by merchants in loyalty marketing programs. When a customer accumulated a number of them, they could be exchanged for premiums, such as personal items, housewares, furniture, and appliances. In “Lucy, the Camp Cook” (S3;E6) Mr. Mooney's car runs out of gas because he wouldn't stop at a service station that didn't give trading stamps! “Lucy Gets the Bird” (S3;E12) begins with Lucy and Viv collecting trading stamps hoping to earn a trip to Hawaii.

Conveniently, Lucy has a condition where her fingers swell when someone yells at her.

Mr. Mooney gets a telephone call from someone named Miss Jones, if for no other reason than for the telephone ring to startle an already frazzled Lucy.

This is the first time we see the exterior street entrance of Lucy's Glenhall Apartment complex.

Mr. Mooney drives a red Volkswagen convertible, a somewhat unusual choice for a middle-aged banker during in the mid-1960s.

As usual, Lucy has no control over the kitchen sink sprayer and gets Mr. Mooney soaking wet.

The plot of this episode was recycled for “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (1970) where Lucy Carter tries on Elizabeth Taylor's expensive ring and can't get it off her hand in time for a press event with Richard Burton. The ending, however, of the “Here's Lucy” episode was more like “The Handcuffs” (ILL S2;E4), in which Lucy's hand is thrust through a curtain to hide the fact that she is shackled.

Callbacks!

Lucy and Mary Jane steam open an envelope, something that Lucy Ricardo did when she thought Ricky was “Drafted” (ILL S1;E11) in 1951. By 1960, in “Lucy Meets the Mustache” (the very last time we ever see the Ricardos and the Mertzes), Lucy has replaced kettle steam with a carefully manipulated knitting needle.

With the fancy ring on her finger, Lucy pretends to be talking to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, even doing a curtsy. Lucy Ricardo practiced curtsying for Elizabeth and Philip when “Lucy Meets the Queen” (ILL S5;E15) after Ricky's show at the Palladium.

Lucy takes far too many of her 'relaxation pills' and becomes groggy, something that happened to Lucy Ricardo on the “Staten Island Ferry” (ILL S5;E12) and then again as the co-host of a morning news show with Paul Douglas in “Lucy Wants a Career” (1959).

Lucy also had garbage disposal woes back in Danfield in “Lucy the Coin Collector” (S3;E13) and “Lucy the Disc Jockey” (S3;E26).

Blooper Alerts

Sitcom Logic Alert! Mr. Mooney's ring falls down the drain and somehow lands up in Mary Jane's washing in the laundry room! Unlikely, to say the least!

Continuity Issues! In “Lucy the Bean Queen” (S4;E3), two episodes earlier, Lucy was redecorating her apartment with new furniture but here she has exactly the same furniture she has always had! There were no scenes set in Lucy's apartment in the intervening episode, “Lucy and Paul Winchell” (S5;E4).

“Lucy and the Ring-a-Ding Ring” Rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

#The Lucy Show #Lucy and the Ring-a-Ding Ding #Lucille Ball #Gale Gordon #Mary Jane Croft #Lucie Arnaz #James Bond #Ring #Don Beddoe #Ray Kellogg #Trading Stamps #1966 #TV #CBS #Joan Carey

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papermoonloveslucy · 7 years

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Lucy the Stunt Man

S4;E5 ~ October 18, 1965

Synopsis

When Lucy needs money to buy a fur coat, she takes a job as a Hollywood stunt man.

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney)

Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis) does not appear in this episode.

Guest Cast

Joan Blondell (Joan Brenner) was born into a family of vaudevillians in 1906. She made her New York theatre debut with the Ziegfeld Follies and appeared in several Broadway productions. She made her film debut in 1930. She was nominated for an Oscar for 1951's The Blue Veil. In 1978 she had a small role in the film Grease. Although she was active in Hollywood concurrently with Lucille Ball, this (and the previous episode) is the first time she has appeared with her on screen. This is her final appearance on the series. She died of leukemia in 1979.

Don Magowan (Chuck Casey) worked on many westerns during his career, but was a regular on “The Beachcomber” (1962) playing Captain Huckabee. He will do one episode of “Here's Lucy” in 1970.

Lou Krugman (Mr. Wilson, Director) was born in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1914. He made a memorable debut at Desilu as the ever-patient film director in “Lucy Gets Into Pictures” (ILL S4;18). After that episode was filmed, Lucy sent him a telegram telling him how impressed she was with his acting. She rewarded him with appearances in “The Great Train Robbery,” (ILL S5;E5) and the role of the Club Babalu’s Manager in “Lucy and Bob Hope” (ILL S6;E1) and “Lucy Meets Orson Welles” (ILL S6;E3). He previously appeared in “Lucy in the Music World“ (S4;E4) and “Lucy Takes Up Chemistry” (S1;E26). This is his last appearance on the show.

Eddie Quillan (Mr. Briggs) was born in Philadelphia in 1907. At the age of seven he was already performing in vaudeville with his sister and three brothers in an act called "The Rising Generation.” He made his screen debut in 1926 in a Mack Sennett short and went on to appear in such classic films as Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and Brigadoon (1954). He previously appeared in “Lucy Buys a Sheep” (S1;E5). In 1964 he was seen in Advance to the Rear starring Joan Blondell. He also made two appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Burt Douglas (Slim Jones, below left) appeared in more than sixty films and TV shows from 1956 to 1992. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.

Chuck Hicks (Buzz Perkaby, above right) was a stunt man and actor who's career began in 1953. Hicks was a long-time stunt double for Brian Dennehy. He will appear on “Here's Lucy” in “Lucy and Wally Cox” (S2;E21).

Jack Perkins (Saloon Brawler) was often cast for his ability to play drunk. He also has quite a few credits as a brawler and a bartender. He will appear in two more episodes of “The Lucy Show.”

Dale Van Sickel (Saloon Brawler) was a Hollywood stunt man and actor whose career began in 1933. He appeared with Lucille Ball in the films Roberta (1935) and There Goes My Man (1937). He will also appear in both of the upcoming 'Iron Man Carmichael' episodes of “The Lucy Show.”

A few additional background performers take part in the saloon scene.

This is the first episode written by Edmond Beloin and Harry Garson. The two will pen five more episodes together. This is the first of three ‘Iron Man Carmichael’ episodes, all written by Beloin and Garson. The other two are "Lucy and the Return of Iron Man" (S4;E11) and "Lucy and Bob Crane" (S4;E22).

The date this episode first aired (October 18, 1965) actor Henry Travers died. Best known as Clarence the Angel in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), he co-starred with Lucille Ball in A Girl, A Guy, and a Gob (1941).

A clip from this episode was part of the season four 'kaleidoscope' opening credit sequence.

“The Lucy Show” stunt coordinator was Jesse Wayne who amassed over 500 credits as a stunt performer and actor. Due to his small stature he started out as stunt double for Hollywood's young actors. He wrote an e-book titled Confessions of a Hollywood Stunt Man.

The casting of Joan Blondell was another attempt to replace Vivian Vance as Lucy's 'partner in crime.' Ball and Blondell did not get along off stage, resulting in heated arguments. After the final shot of this episode, with the studio audience still present, Lucy made a 'flushing' motion in Blondell's direction. Blondell shouted,

“Fuck you, Lucille Ball.”

The two never reconciled. The very next episode Lucy brought back Ann Southern as the Countess Framboise.

Lucy brings up Danfield where she and Mr. Mooney used to live.

Lucille Ball resurrects her famous toaster gag that was so often seen on “I Love Lucy”: grabbing a piece of toast mid-air as it popped out of the toaster. She also did it on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy Takes a Job at the Bank” (S2;E21), but with passbooks instead of bread!

Lucy gets a laugh by saying the line “Jiggle it a little, it'll open” very quickly. When Mr. Mooney said it there was no reaction from the studio audience.

Lucy Carmichael previously had trouble with her refrigerator back in Danfield in the episode “Lucy the Disc Jockey” (S3;E26). It is possible that this is the same set piece she ruined back east but repainted apple green. Despite deliberately wrecking the fridge to con Mr. Mooney into giving her money, the refrigerator is till in the kitchen in the next episode.

Lucy wants to spend $99.50 on a new leopard coat from Felix Franco the Friendly Furrier. Adjusting for inflation, this is more than $800 today. Back in Danfield, Lucy's friendly Franco furrier was Madame Fifi (Fifi D'Orsay).

'Iron Man Carmichael' says he's been out of the country working in Lawrence of Arabia. His gruff voice is attributed to being kicked in the throat by a camel. Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 historical film based on the life of T.E. Lawrence and taking place mostly in the desert. It won seven Oscars including Best Picture. The film was previously mentioned in “Lucy the Disc Jockey” (S3;E26).

Lou Krugman (Mr. Wilson) also played a film director in “Lucy Gets Into Pictures” (ILL S4;18), his first job with Lucille Ball. It is fitting that he bookends his Desilu experience by playing another one.

When Gale Gordon addresses Lou Krugman as “Mr. Wilson” it is a bit of deja vu since Gordon played Mr. Wilson on “Dennis the Menace” just before he joined the cast of “The Lucy Show.”

As a dance hall girl in the saloon scene, Joan Blondell wears the same can-can style dress that Lucy wore in “Lucy and the Beauty Doctor” (S3;E24).

Mr. Mooney jokingly tells Joan that he's testing for the male lead in Liz Taylor's next picture. Elizabeth Taylor will appear with her husband Richard Burton (playing themselves) in a 1970 episode of “Here's Lucy.” Gale Gordon (Mr. Mooney) is also in the episode.

Callbacks!

The plot of this episode starts off very similar to “The Fur Coat” (ILL S1;E9), including the scene where Lucy Ricardo does dishes while wearing her cherished fur.

Lucy's drag cowboy stuntman looks nearly identical to the one she created in “Home Movies” (ILL S3;E20) in 1954.

“Lucy the Stunt Man” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

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HAIR DYED

June 10, 1949

“Hair Dyed” aka “Liz Gets Her Hair Dyed” is episode #48 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on June 10, 1949 on the CBS Radio Network.

Synopsis ~ After George warning Liz about the dangers of idle gossip, Liz's chatty and absent-minded hair stylist forgets what she's doing and mistakenly dyes Liz's hair black. Nobody recognizes Liz, so she decides to flirt with George to test his fidelity. Gossip about Liz and George spreads all over town.

Note: The first part of the script was later the basis for the “I Love Lucy” episode “The Gossip” (S1;E24) in March 1952. The second half inspired “The Black Wig” (S3;E26) from April 1954. This has caused some confusion between “Hair Dyed” and a later episode of “My Favorite Husband” titled “Gossip” that more fully follows the storyline of “The Gossip” but does not included Liz / Lucy having black hair.

REGULAR CAST

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) had worked with Lucille Ball on “The Wonder Show” on radio in 1938. One of the front-runners to play Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” he eventually played Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, during two episodes in 1952. After playing a Judge in an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, he would re-team with Lucy for all of her subsequent series’: as Theodore J. Mooney in ”The Lucy Show”; as Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”; and as Curtis McGibbon on “Life with Lucy.” Gordon died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricarodo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

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 a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

GUEST CAST

GeGe Pearson (Bessie, Liz’s Beautician / Millie) was a veteran radio actress who made her debut on "The Red Skelton Show" in 1945. She guest starred with her real-life husband Hal Gerard as tourists in “Lucy Visits Grauman's” (ILL S5;E1). She is perhaps best remembered as the voice of Crusader Rabbit.

Coincidentally, Liz compares Bessie to columnist Drew Pearson (no relation).

Verna Felton (Grace) made her professional stage debut at the age of 10 as ‘Little Verna Felton,’ working extensively on stage. Felton was one of the most successful performers in radio, and soon went on to television. She played the persistent Mrs. Day (mother of Dennis) on “The Jack Benny Show” (1955-62). She received two Emmy nominations for her role in the Desilu series “December Bride,” playing Hilda Crocker from 1955 to 1959 opposite Spring Byington as Lily. On “I Love Lucy” Felton portrayed Mrs. Porter, the no-nonsense housekeeper in “Lucy Hires a Maid” (ILL S2;E23). She was also featured in “Sales Resistance” (ILL S2;E17), playing Mrs. Simpson, a housewife to whom Lucy tries to sell a Handy Dandy vacuum cleaner - only to find out that she has no electricity! Felton worked extensively for Disney voicing various animated characters in classic films.

“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 Coope. 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.

EPISODE ANNOUNCER: "As we look in on the Coopers tonight...”

The episode opens in the Cooper’s living room where Liz and Iris are gossiping about someone named Grace while George and Rudolph smoke cigars.

IRIS: “She didn’t!” LIZ: “She did!” RUDOLPH: “What do you think, George. Did she or didn’t she?”

On “I Love Lucy” Lucy is on the telephone gossiping to Marge about Betty while Ricky reads the paper.

LUCY (to Marge): “She didn’t? She did? She didn’t? She couldn’t!” RICKY: “Maybe that’s why she didn’t.”

To give the girls an idea of how trivial they sound, the boys indulge in some mock gossiping from a feminine point of view. The retort is the same on both radio and television:

LIZ / LUCY: “Thank you, Hedda and Lolly.”

“Hedda and Lolly” are gossip columnists Hedda Hopper (left) and her rival Louella Parsons. Hopper famously played herself in an episode in season five of “I Love Lucy” as well as on the first episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”

George / Ricky admonish their wives about the pettiness of gossip. Liz promises to cut back but will have to cancel her hair appointment, claiming that the beauty salon is where women go to gossip. George is doubtful.

LIZ: “Well, you don’t know Bessie, my beauty operator. She’s the Drew Pearson of the mud packs.”

Andrew Russell Pearson (1897-1969) was one of the best-known American political columnists of his day, noted for his syndicated newspaper column "Washington Merry-Go-Round," in which he criticized various public persons. He also had a program on NBC Radio titled “Drew Pearson Comments.”

Next day at the salon, Liz stops Bessie mid-gossip about Mrs. Andrews’ marital problems. Taken aback, Bessie refers to Liz as “old funnel ears”. Liz covers her ears and pretends she can’t hear all the juicy gossip. Getting carried away with her mindless chatter, Bessie accidentally dyes Liz’s hair black! She claims she can’t dye it back for two weeks without the risk Liz’s hair falling out!

LIZ: “Great! I’ve got a choice between Black Beauty or Old Baldy.”

Black Beauty is the eponymous horse featured in the 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. Coincidentally, Richard Denning (above with Mona Freeman) starred in a 1946 film adaptation of the book. Old Baldy probably refers to Mount San Antonio, in the San Gabriel mountains outside Los Angeles.

Iris comes into the salon and doesn’t recognize Liz. Things take a turn for the meta when Bessie compares her to actress Lucille Ball!

LIZ: “Oh! She’s pretty! Do I look like her, Iris?” IRIS: “Nah. Lucille Ball never saw the day she looked as good as you did.” LIZ: “Thank you, I think.”

Although radio and film star Lucille Ball’s name was never mentioned on “I Love Lucy,” meta comparisons to Lucy Carter and Lucille Ball happened several times on “Here’s Lucy”. In the most memorable example, Ball actually played herself with dark hair.

Liz decides to put George to the test to see if he will recognize her. It is here that the script starts to resemble the “I Love Lucy” episode “The Black Wig” (ILL S3;E26). Like Ricky, George pretends not to recognize her at first. George compares Liz’s new look to Prince Valiant.

Prince Valiant was a comic book character from King Arthur’s court that first appeared in 1937. His hair was a black pageboy cut, which became known as a Prince Valiant haircut. Fred Mertz (William Frawley) dons a Prince Valiant wig for the PTA show in “The Celebrity Next Door” (1957) starring Tallulah Bankhead.

George admits he knew it was Liz all along and was just teasing. Back at home Liz gets a telephone from Grace, who gossips that a friend of a friend that George was seen in town with a gorgeous woman with black hair. When Liz admits that the woman was her, Grace thinks she is covering up and refuses to believe her! It seems the rumor of George’s infidelity has swept the town.

LIZ: “This is the biggest news since Ralph Miller’s wife found him downstairs with the upstairs maid.”

Millie calls to tell Liz what Grace has called to to tell her the news of George’s affair. A third caller doesn’t even get to say hello before Liz spills out:

LIZ: “Yes I heard it no it isn’t true and why don’t you mind your own business.”

It turns out to be Iris, who also believes the gossip!

LIZ: “Oh, no! You too, Brutus Atterbury?”

This line is a paraphrase of a line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. When Brutus betrays Caesar, Caesar remarks “Et tu, Brute?” which is Latin for “You too, Brutus?” Caesar is then stabbed to death by the senators, including Brutus, the ultimate betrayal of a friend. The play was recorded on records by Orson Welles in 1939, and reissued in 1953. The album was used as a plot device when Welles played himself on a 1956 episode of “I Love Lucy.”

Iris has heard the woman was a willowy blonde, and Liz realizes how twisted and insidious gossip can be. Iris doesn’t believe it when Liz refutes the gossip. Liz concocts a plan to get even with Iris. She calls Madge to make up a lie about Rudolph, knowing Madge will quickly spread it around.

LIZ (to Madge): “I just heard that last Wednesday afternoon Mr. Atterbury had a Coke with his secretary in the drug store. And that’s not all, one Coke; two straws.”

In the early part of the 20th century, drug stores generally had snack counters that served soft drinks, ice cream and other light refreshments. They were a popular hang out for young people, away from the prying eyes of their parents. Sharing one drink with two straws was the height of intimacy. The corner drugstore was depicted several times on “I Love Lucy,” especially when Ricky and Fred needed to commiserate away from their wives.

Katie doesn’t think very much of the rumor Liz has made up.

LIZ: “Katie, I only planted the seed. By the time the girls get through cultivating it, it’ll be full grown poison ivy.”

George arrives home and Liz tells him what has been happening since their lunch.

LIZ: “George, today our names have been on more lips than Camphor Ice.”

Camphor Ice was an ointment made of white wax, camphor, and castor oil, used for dry, chapped skin, especially lips. It was an early form of Chapstick.

Liz tells George about the rumor he spread about his boss, Mr. Atterbury, telling him that the last time she heard, the rumor had Mr. Atterbury spending Saturday night at the Continental Night Club with a beautiful blonde.

The doorbell rings. It is a despondent Mr. Atterbury, toothbrush and pajamas in hand. Iris has locked him out of the house due to the rumor. Liz confesses that she spread the rumor. Liz volunteers to confess her deception, but Mr. Atterbury confesses that he really WAS at the Continental Nightclub with a beautiful blonde!

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