IARCHS NEWS Colin Kennedy 525 Iowa Antique Radio Club & Historical Society Winter ’03 – ‘04 that’s how we’ve come to have a guest Sometimes in the course of one of those contributor to lead off this issue. “one thing leads to another” situations, Dave Perkins things just keep getting better as you go ======================= along. The lead article in this issue is a result of one of those times; let me explain. Remembering Broadcast Back in early December a bunch of us By Sherry Cowden of OKVRC gathered at Jack Sweeny’s place (as reported elsewhere in this issue). During the conversations that night, Jack said he’d I think my selection of topics this month found a good, comparatively inexpensive came about as the result of watching the source for the rubber edging that goes video of “Finding Nemo” at least a dozen around the dial glass in many old sets. Since times with my 3-year-old granddaughter. I was in need of some, I made it a point to Fortunately this movie is so delightful that get the name and phone number of his it is not a hardship to watch it over and contact. That’s how I came to visit with Curt over. It is bound to become a classic. Lutz who is a member of OKVRC, the Anyway, there is a funny scene in the Oklahoma Vintage Radio Collectors. When I movie when a flock of seagulls are vying called Curt I found that he was indeed, as for a meal of fish. They repeatedly Jack had reported, a really nice guy who was very enthused to talk to a fellow squawk “Mine! Mine! Mine!” As I was collector. I ordered a supply of dial glass thumbing through my resource materials, rubber from him and in the package he I kept going back to three programs that threw in a copy of the OKVRC Broadcast are often lumped together. This News, their club newsletter. And that’s how I juxtaposition occurs because of both the came to read a really well written piece on similarity of their titles and the content of vintage radio programming written by Sherry the programs. The first program was the Cowden, a contributing editor (“contributing precursor to possibly the most successful editor” has a nice ring to it, don’t ya think? – situation comedy in television history. any volunteers out there?). So I dropped an The second spawned a movie version that email to Sherry and in a few days got a really nice reply from her and her husband is most memorable for launching the after they’d cruised around my web site a comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry bit. We exchanged comments on a number Lewis. And even though the third of things of mutual interest and she offering ran on CBS radio for three years, graciously agreed to allow me to use her most people remember it as a television material in IARCHS NEWS………and… show. The three programs are My! My! 1 My!….My Favorite Husband, My Friend bandleader sued the show, the characters Irma, and My Little Margie. became the Coopers. On television today, we see women Lucille Ball was not used to acting in portrayed as judges, doctors, attorneys, front of a radio studio audience and and other professionals. In radio’s initially was somewhat constrained. heyday, women were much more Director Jess Oppenheimer wanted her to stereotypical. In “Raised on Radio,” try for a “wildly antic quality.” A passage Gerald Nachman notes: “There was from Oppenheimer’s memoirs is quoted almost a formula, a sort of First Law of in “Raised on Radio:” “I had been trying Sitcoms, that if a comedy involved only a for weeks to get her and Dick Demming couple, almost invariably the woman was to loosen up and act out the jokes and a dodo. If, however, there were children, reactions . instead of just standing there then the woman was suddenly imbued waiting to read the next line when the with brains and wisdom and the man laugh subsided. I knew how this could be became the dummy.” There were from watching Jack Benny do his radio sometimes wise older women in soap program.” He got her in to see the Benny operas, and several battle-axes (such as show and “instantly she got the idea, Amos ‘n’ Andy’s Sapphire), but the three starting to ham it up behind the mike female leads in the “My’s” all fall into the much more broadly than before. There category of ditzy broad. were times I thought we’d have to catch her with a butterfly net to get her back to My Favorite Husband was first seen on the microphone. The audience roared CBS, July 5, 1948. It starred Lucille Ball, their approval and Lucy loved it.” This a red-headed actress who had appeared in was the creation of the character that movies, mostly in comedic roles, since the America came to know and love so well early 1930’s. The premiere of Husband as Lucy of television’s I Love Lucy show. co-starred Lee Bowman, with Richard Denning replacing him for the remainder When My Favorite Husband made the of the program’s three-and-a-half year transition to television, it was without run. Ball played housewife Liz Cooper, Lucille Ball (Joan Caulfield and Barry married to banker George Cooper. They Nelson played the Coopers on TV). By were a not-quite typical couple living in that time, Miss Ball was involved in a “a little white two-story house” in the much more spectacular enterprise. When suburbs (but with a maid, Katie, played she was asked to move the radio program by Ruth Perrott). Contributing to the to television, she told the network that she comedic dilemmas that zany Liz cooked would only do it if her real-life husband, up for her lovable husband were his short- Desi Arnaz, portrayed her TV husband. tempered boss Rudolph Atterbury (played Making him a Cuban bandleader (which by Gale Gordon, later to play a similar Arnaz was in real life) revisited the initial part on Lucille Ball’s post-Desi TV premise of the Cugat novel. In the TV series) and his wife (played by Bea show, bandleader Ricky Ricardo’s zany Benaderet). Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn wife Lucy is enamored of celebrity and Pugh, and Bob Carroll wrote the show convinced that she could be a star if only and Oppenheimer directed. Wilber Hatch her husband would cooperate. The conducted the orchestra. The show was Atterburys became the Mertzes (played initially based on a novel, “Mr. and Mrs. by Vivian Vance and William Frawley). Cugat,” a fictional version of the lives of The entire creative team of writer/director bandleader Xavier Cugat and his wife, Oppenheimer and writers Pugh and songstress Abbe Lane. When the Latin Carroll, along with orchestra leader Hatch, made the transition to the 2 television series. The pilot for “I Love comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lucy” was made during Lucille Ball’s last Lewis. year on radio’s My Favorite Husband. Six Husband scripts were reworked for Finally, the last “My” -- My Little Margie. the Lucy show. Most folks don’t know Like most people, I only remember this that I Love Lucy also ran as a radio series from television. But a radio version program, with the same cast, overlapping ran on CBS from December 1952 through the television show’s 1952 season. The 1955. Margie Albright lived with her 50-year-old television series still runs, widowed father, Verne, a business worldwide, today. It was arguably the executive who was often befuddled by his most successful TV situation comedy screwy and scheming daughter. Father ever. and daughter (played by Gale Storm and Charles Farrell) lived in a New York City Frankly, I don’t remember My Favorite Fifth Avenue apartment, and their comic Husband. I do remember our second adventures included their elderly neighbor “ditzy broad” (a blonde one at that). My Mrs. Odetts (Verna Felton) and Margie’s Friend Irma, created by Cy Howard, bumbling boy friend Freddie (Gil celebrated lead character Irma Peterson’s Stratton, Jr.). Like Husband and Irma, naïve and lovable nuttiness. The beautiful Margie also made the journey to TV-land. (and actually quite intelligent) actress Marie Wilson played Irma. Irma worked I must say, “My! My! My! . I miss as a law firm stenographer in New York. them all.” Her roommate and the show’s narrator, logical Jane Stacy, feels both affection Resources: and exasperation toward her scatter- Tune In Yesterday, J. Dunning, 1976; brained friend. In one episode Jane Raised on Radio, G. Nachman, 1998; confides her infatuation for her Radio’s Golden Years; V. Terrace, 1981; millionaire boss – “Wouldn’t it be great if The Big Broadcast, F. Buxton & I would end up being Mrs. Richard B. Owen, 1972. Rhinelander the Third?” she says to Irma, who replies, “what good will that do if he’s got two other wives.” Other characters in the show were the girls’ landlady Mrs. O’Reilly, fellow tenant Professor Kropotkin (played by the versatile actor Hans Conreid), and Irma’s streetwise boyfriend Al (“Hi-ya, chicken!”). Jane says of Al, “he has no money, no car . no prospects and no future.” Irma’s reply: “I know, but I have to stick with him in case things get tough.” The show was broadcast from 1947 to 1954. The theme song was “Friendship, Friendship, just a perfect Friendship.” My Friend Irma also made the transition to television.