“I Love Lucy” was based on a popular radio program Lucille was in called “My Favorite Husband.” She played the role of the wife, with Richard Denning playing the “favorite husband.” Denning is better known for his role as the mayor in a 12 year stint on Hawaii 5 O.
CBS loved the radio show and wanted to develop it into a tv program, with Lucille and Richard as the married couple.
Lucille wanted Desi to be her on-air husband, but the network tried to convince her that audiences wouldn’t believe that she and Desi would make a logical married couple.
She, naturally, responded with, “What do you mean nobody’ll believe it?! We ARE married!”
However the network and the advertising agency weren’t buying it. They really didn’t even want to consider Desi in the role.
Lucille and Desi decided to “go out and test it” – see if people would or wouldn’t accept them as husband and wife.
In April 1950, they formed Desilu Productions. All they needed was an act, so they put together a series of comedy routines involving a “movie star” who tries to join her bandleader husband’s act.
The act featured comedy dialogue by Lucy’s radio writers (and two of the future I Love Lucy writers): Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carrol, Jr. It opened on June 2, 1950 at the Chicago Paramount Theater and was a huge success.
Lucy would later say:
“After the first show, Desi and I looked at each other in wild surprise, ‘Well, I guess we can work together after all. We’re on our way!’”
Joi
Out of Bounds
Related Articles:
- Lucille and Desi Lucille and Desi met in May of 1940 in a...
- Backstage Wrangling One of the all-time most loved shows in the world...
- Fred Mertz The changing of Desi's character's name wasn't the only change...
- Lucy and Larry Lopez The pilot episode of "I Love Lucy" had Desi's character...
- Ricky Ricardo’s Way With Words Ricky: (To Lucy) I know you like a book....
