Directed by Jack Donohue ~Written by Richard Powell, based on the play by Sherwood Schwartz, with special material by Arthur Julian Lucille Ball plays the head of a studio trying to track down Bob Hope to star in a TV special about husband and wife television stars. The first half concerns Lucy's tracking the elusive Hope all around the world. The second half presents the special that they eventually do together. Lucille Ball (’Herself’ / Bonnie Blakely) 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. Bob Hope(’Himself’ / Bill Blakely) was born Lesley Townes Hope in England in 1903. During his extensive career in virtually all forms of media he received five honorary Academy Awards. In 1945, Desi Arnaz was the orchestra leader on Bob Hope’s radio show. Ball and Hope did four films together. He appeared as himself on theseason 6 openerof “I Love Lucy.” He did a brief cameo in a 1964 episode of“The Lucy Show.”He died in 2003 at age 100. Gale Gordon (Elliott Harvey) was said to be the highest paid radio artist of the 1930’s and was in such demand that he often did two or more radio shows a day. His professional collaboration with Lucille Ball started in 1938 as the announcer of Jack Haley’s “The Wonder Show” (Wonder Bread was their sponsor). He played Mr. Atterbury on Lucy’s “My Favorite Husband” and was a front-runner for the part of Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy.” When scheduling prevented his participation, he appeared as Mr. Littlefield, the Tropicana’s owner intwo episodesof the show. In addition to Mr. Littlefield, he played a Judge in“Lucy Makes Room for Danny,”a 1958 episode of “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.” “The Lucy Show” solidified his partnership with Lucille Ball for the rest of their careers. He went on to play Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy” and Curtis McGibbon in “Life with Lucy.” He died in 1995 at the age of 89. John Dehner (Mr. Henderson, below right) was seen alongside Ball and Hope in Critic's Choice, released the year before this special. Dehner's career started in 1941 and lasted until 1989, amassing nearly three hundred screen credits. He died in 1992 at age 76. William Lanteau (Mr. Potter, above left) first appeared with Lucille Ball inThe Facts of Life(1960). In addition to an episode of“The Lucy Show,”Lanteau did four episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” He is best remembered for playing Charlie the Mailman in the play and the filmOn Golden Pond(1981). Jack Weston (Cash) started acting on television one month after the premiere of “I Love Lucy” in 1951. He made three appearances on “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” from 1958 to 1960. Weston's final screen credit was Short Circuit 2 in 1988. He died in 1996 at age 71. Max Showalter (Walter Creighton) was born in Kansas in 1917. He got the acting bug as a toddler when mother took him to the local theater where she played piano for silent movies. He acted in 92 shows at the Pasadena Playhouse between 1935 and 1938 and made his Broadway debut inKnights of Song.On Broadway he played the role of Horace Vandergelder inHello, Dolly!more than 3,000 times opposite such luminaries as Carol Channing, Betty Grable, and Ginger Rogers. Showalter made more than a thousand TV and film appearances. He was seen on two episodes of “The Lucy Show.” Toward the end of his life he lived in Connecticut and died there in 2000. Joseph Mell (Sam) played Bailiffs in“Lucy the Meter Maid” (TLS S3;E7)and“Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (TLS S2;E23). His first role on “The Lucy Show” was as a Butcher in“Together for Christmas” (S1;E13). Mell also appeared in a 1969 episode of “Here’s Lucy.” In 1971, he was a Taxi Driver on “Lucy and the Lecher,” a cross-over episode of Danny Thomas’s “Make Room for Granddaddy” in which Lucille Ball played Lucy Carter, her character from “Here’s Lucy.” Sid Gould (Sid) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” all as background characters. He also did nearly 50 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton. He was married to Vanda Barra, who also appeared on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” Eddie Ryder (Mike) appeared as Bones Snodgrass on the “Our Miss Brooks” (also starring Gale Gordon) from 1953-54 under the name Eddie Riley. He was also seen in “Lucy and the Submarine” (TLS S5;E22) in 1966. From 1961 to 1966 Ryder played Dr. Simon Agurski in 22 episodes of “Dr. Kildare.” He died in 1997 at age 74. Danny Klega (Russian Translator) was a Czech-born actor who was often cast as German. His first screen credit was 1962's The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and his last was 1970's Which Way to the Front? He died in 2015 at age 91. John Banner (Lieutenant Gitterman, German Border Guard, below left) was born in Vienna in 1910. He achieved television immortality for his portrayal of the POW camp guard Sergeant Schultz in the TV series “Hogan’s Heroes.” Ironically, Banner was a Jew and had been in a German concentration camp himself. He was in all 168 episodes of the series, the only actor aside from leading man Bob Crane to have that distinction.His catchphrase as Schultz was“I know nothing!”which he repeated in a cameo as Schultz on “Lucy and Bob Crane” (TLS S4;E22) in 1966. He died in his home city of Vienna in 1973. Rudy Dolan (German Border Guard #2, above right) was active from 1957 to 1964, often cast as policemen and other officials. Sally Mills (TWA Flight Attendant) played small roles on television from 1961 to 1971, appearing on Desilu's “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Gomer Pyle: USMC.” For eight years, Mills was a spokesperson for Safeway Supermarkets. Stanley Farrar (Consolidated Board Member) was seen on “I Love Lucy” in“Home Movies” (ILL S3;E20)where he played a character named Bennett Green, who actually appears with him on this special and“Staten Island Ferry” (ILL S5;E12). He was seen in two celebrity-themed episodes of “The Lucy Show” in 1964 and 1965, one of which also starred Max Showalter, who appears in this special. Bennett Green (Consolidated Board Member, uncredited) was Desi Arnaz’s camera and lighting stand-in during “I Love Lucy.” He did frequent background work on “The Lucy Show.” Joan Swift (Consolidated Board Secretary, uncredited) made six appearances on the “The Lucy Show” as well as two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Her final screen credit was in “Lucy's Gets Lucky” in 1975. Charles Field Roy Rowan (Announcer, uncredited) was the announcer for all of Lucille Ball's sitcoms. He even made a a couple of on camera appearances on “The Lucy Show.” During contractual negotiations with CBS for a second season of“The Lucy Show,” Lucille Ball signed for $30,000 to co-star in “The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour”to be aired in the spring of 1964. This special was broadcast in color, one of Lucy's first major appearances in color on television. Although “The Lucy Show” had started filming in color in the fall of 1963, CBS declined to air the series in color until September 1965. On ABC, the second half hour of “Mr. and Mrs.” was up against an episode of “Arrest and Trial” that also starred Jack Weston. Meanwhile, NBC ran a show starring another funny redhead, Imogene Coca, in “Grindl.” The special's lead-in was another Sherwood Schwartz show, “My Favorite Martian.” DirectorJack Donohuealso served in the same capacity for 107 episodes of “The Lucy Show,” and 35 of “Here’s Lucy.” His final screen credit was “Lucy Gets Lucky” in 1980. The day after this special premiered, CBS aired “Lucy Is a Process Server” (TLS S2;E27), also directed by Jack Donohue and co-starring Gale Gordon. “Mr. and Mrs.” is based on an un-produced full-length stage play of the same name by Sherwood Schwartz. It was boiled down to 30 minutes by Richard Powell (teleplay) with special material by Arthur Julian, who were both writers for Red Skelton during the 1950s. Sherwood Schwartz won his only Primetime Emmy Award in 1961 as the head writer for“The Red Skelton Hour.”Schwartz was the creative genius behind “The Brady Bunch” (1969-74) and “Gilligan's Island,” which would start airing in the fall of 1964. “The Brady Bunch” was based in part on Lucille Ball's film Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). Ball declined to make the TV version, opting instead to do “Here's Lucy.” At age 90, after his TV successes, Schwartz returned to writing for the theatre with Rockers, a play about a retirement home. Lucille Ball's gowns for the special were by the Oscar-winning Edith Head. Head had dressed Lucille Ball in both of her film collaborations with Bob Hope, Critic's Choice (1963) and The Facts of Life (1960). Della Fox was the costumer and Kenneth Westcott was the props master, both of whom also worked on “The Lucy Show.” Lucille Ball's usual hairstylist Irma Kusely and make-up artist Hal King were also involved in this special. Jess Oppenheimer, creator and longtime producer/head-writer of“I Love Lucy,” served as Executive Producer. Once, during rehearsal, Bob Hope got too close to the camera, a fact promptly noted by director Jack Donohue. Ball roughly shoved Hope to his proper mark. “Lucy,” said Donohue soothingly, “Please don't touch the actors. You never know where they've been.” A little later, when Ball had her way with the handling of a scene, Hope said, “That's what I like to work with—pliable producers and flexible directors.” This story appeared in the 1993 bookDesilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz by Steven Sanders and Tom Gilbert. Bob Hope and Lucille Ball rehearsed three full days, just as she would have her regular half-hour television series. The show was then filmed before a live studio audience with three cameras recording the action and a laugh track added later to 'sweeten' the comedy. The next day, Hope returned to film the single jungle scene in which Ball finally locates him. The wrap-around story was true-to-life, not only because it depicted Lucy as the president of a major studio (albeit not named Desilu), but because it featured Bob as a world-traveler. Known in show-business circles as "Rapid Robert," Hope was famous for dashing from a movie set to a benefit to a television special – all in different cities. The day before Hope reported to Desilu for rehearsals, he was in Washington on behalf of the 1964 Easter Seals campaign. He had flown there after finishing a one-hour segment of his own Chrysler TV series. As soon as he finished his stint with Lucy, he was off to promote his latest movie. "While I'm flying across the country," Hope quipped at the time, "Lucy will be talking about me. That's why it's a coveted role." Lucy had her say in the matter: "All those scenes showing me trying to catch up with Bob is from real life. If the world only knew what I went through to get him on this stage to work with me in this project!" In the special Lucille Ball is the President of Consolidated Studios. Mr. Harvey (Gale Gordon) is the chairman of the board and represents a bank that has extended a significant loan to the studio. Gale Gordon was also playing a banker named Mr. Mooney on “The Lucy Show” when the special was filmed. The wardrobe designer in Lucy's busy office is holding the actual Edith Head costume renderings for Lucille Ball's outfits in the special. After doing some checking behind Lucy's back, Mr. Harvey discovers that Bob Hope is not available until the week of July 4, 1976, after he emcees the 200thAnniversary of America's Independence. Twelve years later, the writers were proved absolutely right when Bob Hope hosted the NBC TV special “Bob Hope's Bicentennial Star Spangled Spectacular” on July 4, 1976. Mr. Harvey and Lucy fly to San Francisco to track down Bob Hope. Footage of a jet landing was supplied courtesy of TWA, a carrier that went out of business in 2001. In San Francisco, the TWA flight attendant mistakes Mr. Harvey for Gary Morton, Lucy's real-life husband. She says she saw him on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Morton made two appearances on “Ed Sullivan,” in 1961 and 1962, but it is hard to fathom how anyone could visually mistake Gale Gordon for Gary Morton. The Flight Attendant informs them that Bob Hope was in first class, while they were in coach, but he was rushed aboard an Army bomber across the tarmac headed for... Lucy and Mr. Harvey travel to Alaska to track him down using a dog sled. This is not the first time Lucille Ball has done scenes set in the 50thstate. In “Lucy Goes To Alaska,” a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” when the Ricardos and Mertzes flew there to perform with Red Skelton (coincidentally) in honor of their recent statehood.In Alaska, Lucy and Mr. Harvey find out Bob Hope has already gone to... In a Kremlin office, a translator tells a man with his back to us that Lucy and Mr. Harvey are looking for Bob Hope. The unseen man laughs and pounds a shoe on his desk. During a 1960 meeting at the United Nations, Soviet Leader Khrushchev pounded his shoe on his desk in protest of a speech by Philippine delegate Lorenzo Sumulong. The translator shows off an autographed copy of Bob Hope's new book. This is a plug for Hope's 1963 book I Owe Russia $1,200, which Hope wrote with ghostwriter Mort Lachman after his trip to Russia. Lucy and Mr. Harvey learn that Bob Hope just left Moscow headed to... Lucy and Mr. Harvey cross the border into Germany driving a single scooter. The two other vehicles in the studio-filmed scene are Volkswagens, naturally. The guards (one of them “Hogan's Heroes” star John Banner, who did a cameo as Sergeant Schultz on a 1966 “The Lucy Show”) tell them that Bob Hope has already been through and gone on to the airport to... In a jungle clearing, holding a golf club, Bob Hope is finally found singing “Thanks for the Memory” to a group of American GIs in camouflage gear. The song was written in 1938 by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin for the filmThe Big Broadcast of 1938starring Hope and Dorothy Lamour. It became associated with Bob Hope, who used it as his theme song. He sang it at the end of his guest-appearance on “I Love Lucy” in 1956 and during his cameo in “Lucy Moves to NBC” in 1980. As Lucy explains the script of the special to Hope amid a downpour, the show cross-fades to the first scene of... starring Lucille Ball and Bob Hope as Bonnie and Bill Blakely, the stars of America's number one television show. Fighting off autograph seekers to get through their front door of their swanky Manhattan apartment, Bill says “I signed mine 'Ringo'.” He is referring to Ringo Starr, one of the Beatles. In 1964 they became an international success when they made their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The same date this special aired in the USA, “Around the Beatles” was taped at Wembley Stadium for ITV in England. It was aired in America on November 15, 1964. Bill brags that a Cleveland newspaper compared him with Cary Grant. Grant’s name was often mentioned on“I Love Lucy” during their stay in Hollywood. Walter tells Cash he works at Peerless Department Store in Newark. His father owns the store. (This implies that “Mr. and Mrs.” takes place in New York City, not Hollywood, where most TV shows are shot today.) They are opening a branch of their store in Japan, which will keep Walter out of the country for several months. To boost ratings the ad agency wants Bonnie and Bill to have a baby as their characters and in real life. Bonnie and Walter head for the door to go to the opera. When Lucy Ricardo was to give birth on “I Love Lucy” in 1953, the story line had to be approved by the sponsor and the network. Lucy Ricardo and Lucille Ball gave birth at the same time – with the episode timed to coincide with Ball's Cesarean. Lucy and Ethel also threw a 'daddy shower' for Ricky, to make him feel more a part of her pregnancy. Eight months later, Bonnie comes waddling into the living room extremely pregnant. The underscoring plays "Funeral March of a Marionette” written by Charles Gounod around 1879. It is probably more familiar as the theme tune of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (1955). Ball makes sure she stands in profile so the joke visually pays off. The tune was also used during “Little Ricky's Pageant” (ILL S6;E10) in 1956 during the entrance of the gnomes. Lucille Ball does the same physical comedy business to lower herself into a chair that she did as pregnant Lucy Ricardo. The Blakely apartment is a mess with baby items and various gifts from fans. Bonnie claims they've received 300 pair of baby socks. Walter thinks Bill is the father and Bill thinks Walter is the father. They realize that Bonnie is not really pregnant after all. Lucy Carter will also fake her pregnancy (using a well-placed pillow) in “Lucy, the Part-Time Wife” (HL S3;E14, above) in 1970. While filming “Mr. and Mrs.” Lucille Ball was 52 years old. Thinking Bonnie is actually with child, Henderson's agency runs a contest to name the baby. The winning names are Gunther and Pandora. Oops! John Dehner (Mr. Henderson) says that name of his firm is “Henderson Beane Grisby and Smith” instead of what Lucy previously said, “Henderson Grisby Beane and Smith.” When Bob Hope mentions the firm, he gets the names in the same order as Dehner, so likely Lucy is the one who jumbled the list. A couple of times, it is apparent that Bob Hope is looking at cue cards, not unusual for“rapid Robert” who had little time for memorizing lines. As Bonnie and Bill kiss, the scene becomes the Consolidated Board of Directors watching the special in a screening room. Lucy enters dressed like a tramp, something she also did with Red Skelton in “Lucy Goes To Alaska” in 1959. The flower in her lapel squirts water in Mr. Harvey's face and the credits roll. "The Black Wig" (ILL S3;E26) – April 19, 1954 The first half of this rarely seen special is oddly different from the second. Lucy and Gale Gordon’s comic travelogue on‘the search for Hope’ is clever and often laugh out loud funny. But the second half, boiled down from Sherwood Schwartz’s play, is a bit less engaging. The half hour starts well enough, but fizzles and feels very stage-bound. Still, lots of fun and an interesting footnote to“The Lucy Show” years.April 19, 1964
Synopsis
Cast
‘Lucille Ball’ is the president of Consolidated Pictures. Bonnie Blakely is a television star.
Bill Blakely is a television star.
Mr. Harvey is the Chairman of the Board of Consolidated Pictures.
Mr. Henderson is a full partner in the ad agency Henderson Grisby Beane and Smith.
Mr. Potter works for Henderson Grisby Beane and Smith.
Cash is Bonnie and Bill's agent and manager.
Walter is Bonnie's fiancee, masquerading as her brother.
Sam is a tailor working for Lucille Ball.
Sid is a composer working for Lucille Ball.
Mike is an executive at Consolidated Pictures. Ryder is the only actor who gets a final credit using his character name (“Eddie Ryder as Mike”), but the name is never spoken aloud in the show.
Gitterman was also the name used for Hans Conreid's acting and music professor character on “The Lucy Show.”
Lucy: “Just because I'm an actress does not mean I'm not a good president!”
SAN FRANCISCO
Lucy: “This is not business, it's show business.”Mr. Harvey: “Business is business.”
ALASKA
MOSCOW
GERMANY
THE PHILIPPINES
“MR. & MRS.”
Bonnie (indignant): “Having a child happens to be an act of God.”Mr. Henderson: “We cleared this with the sponsor.”
Mr. Henderson: “Bonnie, please. The sponsor is expecting a baby.”Bonnie: “I'll throw him a shower.”
This Date in Lucy History – April 19th
