#Wiliam Frawley

[papermoonloveslucy]

LAUGHIN’ IN THE RAIN

Lucille Ball & Precipitation

Lucille Ball was not just a fair-weather comedienne, she braved the elements to make us laugh. 

Here are a few soggy examples of Lucy in the Rain. Open your umbrellas!

On “Bob Hope's Unrehearsed Antics of The Stars” (September 28, 1984) Lucille Ball recounted her soggy 1938 audition for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind, reading for producer David O’Selznik. 

“I climbed into my old rattletrap car and as I reached Culver City I got caught in the biggest cloudburst I ever saw. The streets were flooded. My car stalled. I had to get out and wade six blocks to the studio. I got to the Selznick office looking like a drowned rat. My hair was down over my face and the henna was running and so was my mascara. I was soaked clear through.”

Lucille was not asked to screen test and - as everyone knows - the role went to English actress Vivien Leigh. 

On June 14, 1944, columnist Howard Carroll reported that Lucille Ball was in the running to play Sadie Thompson in the Broadway musical adaptation of the play Rain by Vernon Duke and Howard Dietz. Instead, the role went to Ethel Merman, who (probably smelling a flop) left the production after a week and a half of rehearsals and was replaced by June Havoc. The show opened at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon) on November 16, 1944 and ran just 60 performances. Lucy (and Merman) were right!  Lucille Ball would eventually get to Broadway in the 1960 musical Wildcat at (coincidentally) the Alvin Theatre. 

Rain was based on a short story by W. Somerset Maugham about a prostitute on a tropical island. A persistant rainstorm is both symbolic and literal. The story was dramatized in 1922 and was a big hit on Broadway and London’s West End. Ethel Mertz says she saw Bankhead in the play in “The Celebrity Next Door” (1957) with guest star Tallulah Bankhead, the second episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”.  Bankhead starred in a 1935 revival of the play, which closed after just 47 performances. 

Costume designer Elois Jenssen sketched this design for Lucille Ball’s character, a dancer based in London, in the film Lured (1947). London is famous for its rainy weather, so this raincoat (with tartan plaid scarf and lining) would be key. 

“Valentine’s Day” is episode #30 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on February 11, 1949. Liz (Lucille Ball) finds herself in court over a love triangle between her, Katie the Maid (Ruth Perrott), and Mr. Dabney the butcher (Hans Conried). Judge Skinner (Gale Gordon) metaphorically pointificates before hearing the case.

JUDGE: “There is no problem too big to solve. Into every life a little rain must fall. Every cloud must have a silver lining, and it is always darkest before the dawn.”  LIZ: “Well, now that we’ve had the weather report, let’s get on with the case.”

In 1952′s “Vacation from Marriage” Lucy and Ethel get stranded on the roof in their nightgowns. Huddling together against the elements, it starts raining!  

LUCY: “Oh! Ethel, it's raining.” ETHEL: “Oh, fine. Of all the things, it has to rain too.” LUCY: “Look! (points) It isn't raining out there.”

They look up and see Ricky and Fred spraying them with a hose!

The “I Love Lucy” Raincoat by Monsanto, made of Ultron vinyl. 

“Ricky’s Hawaiian Vacation” (1954) finds the Ricardos on a radio quiz show. Ricky is tasked with singing songs that will trigger things to be dumped on Lucy. First up is 1928′s “I Get the Blues When It Rains” by Marcy Klaubner and Harry Stoddard.  

FREDDY FILLMORE: “Mrs. Ricardo, every time he says the word ‘rain’ you pull that cord. You got the idea? LUCY: “Yeah, I got it.” RICKY: (sings) “I get the blues when it rains...” LUCY: “Yeah, boy! (Lucy pulls the cord and a spritz of water hits her in the face) Wait a minute, wait a minute. What's he got the slicker on for?” FREDDY FILLMORE: “Well, I was afraid some of that rain might splash and get on him.”

“In Palm Springs” (1955), the girls decide to go to Palm Springs while the boys stay in Los Angeles to go to a ballgame. 

ETHEL: (reading the newspaper) “It says here this is the first time it's rained in Palm Springs during this month in 20 years.” LUCY: “No kidding. Well, leave it to us to pick this time.” ETHEL: “Any break in the clouds?”  LUCY: (staring out the window) “Oh, I wasn't looking at that. I thought maybe a movie star would float by.”

RICKY: (staring out the window) “Is it ever gonna stop raining?” FRED: “Aw, what's the difference? The ball game's called off.”  RICKY: “Well, we can't play golf and we can't go swimming. What are we gonna do?” FRED: “Well, if this rain keeps coming down, we might as well start building an ark.”

In “Paris at Last” (1956) Lucy meets a counterfeiter (Lawrence Dobkin) outside the American Express Office. A travel poster in the window reads No Rain In Portugal, But Tourists Pour In. 

In “Lucy and Superman” (1957) Lucy crawls out onto the ledge to pretend to be Superman for Little Ricky’s birthday party. Little does she know the real Superman is inside. When it starts raining, Superman comes to her rescue. The downpour is set up by the writers when a prospective tenant (Ralph Dumke) closes and locks the window Lucy crawled out of. 

HERBERT: “Oh, it's raining in. I'll close the window for Mrs. Mertz.”

The final clinch between Nicky (Desi) and Tacy (Lucy) in The Long, Long Trailer (1954) happens in the pouring rain. 

Lucy and Desi drenched but happy as they wrapped filming. 

Lucille Ball guest-starred on “The Danny Kaye Show” in 1962. A trilogy of sketches skewering fine dining finds Lucy and Danny soaked to the skin while eating in a jungle rainforest.

“The Lucille Ball Show aka Mr. and Mrs.” (1964) ends with Lucy and Gale Gordon tracking down Bob Hope entertaining the troops in a jungle where it starts to pour. 

“My Fair Lucy” (1965) was a satire on the stage and screen hit My Fair Lady. The famous elocution rhyme from the original is “The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.”  Here it is “The rain in Maine stays mainly on the grain.” 

“Lucy the Rain Goddess” (1966) ~ While at a dude ranch, Lucy discovers her head at the top of a totem pole. The Native Americans who live on the property think she’s the incanation of their rain goddess!  In the end, it does rain - but it is a shower of oil!

“Lucy’s Safari” (1969) ~ To track down a rare escaped Gorboona, the Carters dress in native outfits and perform a dance routine. Harry's dance steps conjure up a rain storm that only falls on him – not once but twice. The rule on “Here’s Lucy” is that where there's water - Harry will get wet!

“Lucy and Carol Burnett aka The Unemployment Follies” (1971) ~ As the finale, the entire ensemble is dressed in rain slickers and performs “Singin’ in the Rain” written by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown in 1931.It was most famously featured in the film Singin’ in the Rain in 1952. Jack Benny strolls in at the end selling umbrellas! 

“Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (1971) ~ Lucy, Kim and Craig discover what they believe to be a magic lamp at their garage sale. A series of coincidences convince them it might be real. Kim mentions her favorte flavor of ice cream. After a clap of thunder, Harry (Gale Gordon) enters from a driving rainstorm carrying the exact same flavor of ice cream! 

“Lucy and Curtis Are Up a Tree” (1986) ~ In this unaired episode of “Life With Lucy”, Lucy and Curtis (Gale Gordon) get stuck in a treehouse. When the family finally rescues them, it starts to pour!  

Being The Ricardos (2021) features a scene where Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) walks blankly through a torrential rain in her pajamas. She has just realized that Desi has been unfaithful. Lucy’s stroll through the storm is symbolic of her choice to carry on despite the flaws of her marriage and her ability to weather the storm of Desi’s affairs.

#Lucille Ball #Rain #Weather #I Love Lucy #Gale Gordon #Vivian Vance #Wiliam Frawley #Desi Arnaz #Nicole Kidman #Danny Kaye #Bob Hope #Tallulah Bankhead #Superman #The Lucy Show #Here's Lucy #Life With Lucy #Being the Ricardos #The Long Long Trailer #TV #storm #Singing in the Rain #Lured #My Fair Lady

[papermoonloveslucy]

EVE ARDEN

April 30, 1908

Eunice Mary Quedens (aka Eve Arden) was born in Mill Valley, California, near San Francisco. She was interested in show business from an early age. At 16, she made her stage debut after quitting school to joined a stock company.

She made her screen debut (using her given name) in Columbia’s Song of Love in 1929. 

In 1938 she appeared with Lucille Ball in Stage Door along with Ginger Rogers. It was this film that earned Ball and Arden the nickname “the drop gag girls” for their skill at bringing comedy into a scene with just a short appearance. 

Eve, Lucy and Ginger also appeared together in Having Wonderful Time (1938).

In 1946, she earned a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her appearance in Mildred Pierce starring Joan Crawford. 

In 1948, she landed the role that would make her famous - Connie Brooks in “Our Miss Brooks” - first on radio, then on television. Arden was actually  third choice for the role. CBS’s Harry Ackerman wanted Shirley Booth for the part. Lucille Ball was believed to have been the next choice, but she was committed to “My Favorite Husband” and did not audition. Brooks’ co-stars included Gale Gordon, Mary Jane Croft, and Richard Crenna, all of who also teamed with Lucille Ball on radio and television. When the show moved to television in 1952, most of the original radio cast went along with Brooks.  It started a years after “I Love Lucy” and ended the same year, 1956. It was also filmed at Desilu Studios, making it convenient to share cast and crew members  including, for one episode in 1955, Desi Arnaz as himself. In 1956 there was also a screen version of Our Miss Brooks starring Arden and Gale Gordon, released by Warner Brothers. 

In November 1952, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, and the casts of both their shows (as well as many other CBS programs) all appeared on “Stars in the Eye” to celebrate the opening of CBS Television City in Hollywood.  

When Lucy Ricardo arrived in Hollywood in “Hollywood at Last!” aka  “L.A. at Last!” (ILL S4;E16), Eve Arden became the very first celebrity to make a cameo - speaking just a few words - the epitome of her ‘drop gag girl’ reputation.  

The appearance was filmed December 2, 1954 and aired on February 7, 1955.

In March 1962, Arden played Marissa Montaine on an episode of “My Three Sons”, filmed at Desilu Studios. The episode also featured Wiliam Frawley, Reta Shaw, and a dog named Tramp! 

Those unfamiliar with Miss Brooks, may also remember Arden as Eve Hubbard on the Desi Arnaz sitcom “The Mothers-in-Law” alongside Kaye Ballard. The series lasted two seasons, and included appearances by its producer, Desi Arnaz. 

As CBS icons, both Ball and Arden were included in “CBS On The Air" on Sunday March 26, 1978. 

That same year she made another memorable appearance, as the Principal of the High School in the film version of Grease. 

Her final screen appearance was on a November 1987 episode of “Falcon Crest” (above left with Jane Wyman and Eddie Albert). 

She died on November 12, 1990 at age 82. She was married twice and had three children. 

#Eve Arden #Lucille Ball #I Love Lucy #Our Miss Brooks #Stage Door #The Mothers-in-Law #Falcon Crest #TV #Grease #Song of Love #Having Wonderful Time #My Three Sons #CBS #Radio #Gale Gordon