Richard Denning

And I think the reason for that and not using that title and premise is, one, because of legalities, as Lucy didn't own the show, and that perhaps also didn't appeal to her.

But most importantly, CBS did in fact want to continue the premise with her radio husband from the My Favorite Husband series, actor Richard Denning, but Lucy refused, and not because she had any issues with Denning, not at all.

She wanted to work with her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz.

Well, CBS said it would never work because they were a mixed marriage, she being white, he being Cuban, and America would never accept it.

... uh, Cat Denn- no, not Cat Dennings.

Um, uh, Richard Dennings was, uh, was her husband at that, at that time.

And even then, they actually had a Halloween-themed radio show, uh, that was part of their, um, part of their, I guess, season-

Mm-hmm

I'm your host, Mark Livonier.

Actor Richard Denning on radio would have a lot of success alongside Lucille Ball in the sitcom series My Favorite Husband, but in the years that followed, it was straight crime stories after that, usually in a couple's capacity.

In 1956, he starred in the syndicated series It's a Crime, Mr. Collins.

And in 1954, this series, Mr. and Mrs.

Mr. and Mrs.

North.

Starring Richard Denning and Barbara Britton.

Listen as Pam and Jerry solve the mystery Touch of Death.

That broadcast in particular said to have been part of the inspiration for what would become My Favorite Husband on radio, insofar as it was one of the first radio dramatizations of Isabel Scott Rorick's characters, Mr. and Mrs. Cougat, who were popular in novels.

My Favorite Husband would end up starring Lucille Ball and Richard Denning, And that show in itself was said to be the inspiration for the I Love Lucy show.

You were listening to an hour of comedy on 2 and 2 yesterday.

I'm your host, Mark Livonier.

Now, without that, please enjoy the show.

We present My Favorite Husband, a new series starring Lucille Ball with Richard Denning and based on the delightful stories of Isabel Scott Rorick's gay, sophisticated

Mr. and Mrs. Cougar,

two people who

Yes, Jane.

I'm so sorry you weren't with us last night.

Richard took me to the starlight roof of the Waldorf.

We rumbled all evening.

The character names are references to two old 50s movies.

So we have Lieutenant General Dennings, who was named after Richard Dennings, the actor from Creature from the Black Lagoon.

You have Nurse Faith Garland, who was named after actress Beverly Garland from Swamp Women and It Conquered the World.

Professor Jeff was named after actor Richard Carlson, who was from It Came from Outer Space.

The network wasn't convinced that Desi would be a cast right as her husband because of the intercultural marriage.

And they wanted Richard Denning, who had been in My Favorite Husband.

But Lucy was adamant that if she was going to do I Love Lucy on television, they had to take Jessie or else she wasn't interested, for reasons we can go into if you want.

But my earliest memory is them... recreating this skit that they had done on the stage on tour all summer long.

She was slightly overweight, but she was not bad looking, and so they down-dressed Rhoda in the first couple of seasons of Mary Tyler Moore until, just as with Vivian Vance on Lucy, they realized they had gold with Valerie Harper, and they kind of stopped worrying about it, and they let her be be more of herself and she got more glamorous and eventually got her own show.

But in the case of Vivian Vance, On My Favorite Husband, Lucy's Ethel was Iris Atterbury, who was the wife of Lucy's husband's boss.

So the four characters were Liz Cooper and her husband, Richard Denning, and Richard Denning's boss and the boss's wife.

And the boss's wife, the boss was Gail Gordon.

The version we'll hear next from October 14th, 1949.

Yes, it's the new Gay Family series starring Lucille Ball with Richard Denning as Liz and George Cooper, two people who live together and like it.

As we look in on the Coopers, dinner is over.

George Cooper is in the living room reading the paper, and out in the kitchen, Liz Cooper is talking to Katie, the maid.