When In Rome...

...do as the Burtons do!

Happy Friday, darlings!

Happy Birthday to Pugh!

Shhh! Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz have some 's'plainin' to do.

Wanna know a secret? If you've ever watched (and who hasn't?) Lucy Ricardo try to keep up with a runaway candy conveyor belt, impersonate a Martian atop the Empire State Building, get into a grape-stomping cat fight, ride the subway with a loving cup stuck on her head, do the tango with a blouse-ful of eggs, or [insert your favorite Lucy moment here], you can give a lot of the credit to Madelyn Pugh Davis.

Left to right: Lucille Ball, Bob Carroll, Jr., and Madelyn Pugh Davis

With her writing partner, Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn's first experience with Lucille Ball was as a writer for Ball's successful radio program, My Favorite Husband (1948-51). When CBS expressed interest in adapting the radio show for television, Ball agreed, on the condition that her real life husband, Desi Arnaz,  play her husband. The network balked, ironically protesting that the public wouldn't believe that the wacky, all American redhead was married to a fiery Cuban bandleader, and insisted upon Ball's radio husband, Richard Denning.

The All Americans: Richard Denning (left) in Beyond the Blue Horizon (1942) and Desi Arnaz, c. 1950

Hoping to prove their compatibility as a "reel" couple to the network, Ball and Arnaz embarked on an exhausting vaudeville tour in an act written by Pugh and Carroll. In it, the seeds of the soon-to-be legendary characters of "Lucy" and "Ricky" were planted. The act was warmly received by the public, CBS reluctantly agreed to the Ball/Arnaz package, and Pugh and Carroll, along with head writer Jess Oppenheimer, set about reworking My Favorite Husband into a new concept titled I Love Lucy.

Madelyn Pugh Davis, Jess Oppenheimer (center), Bob Carroll, Jr.

The rest, of course, is history. I Love Lucy (1951-57) was a runaway success, then morphed into a season of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-58). Staggeringly, Pugh and Carroll never won an Emmy for I Love Lucy, in spite of being nominated three times. Lucille Ball, however, was always quick to praise the contribution that the writers made to her success; and when Ball accepted I Love Lucy's Emmy for Best Situation Comedy in 1954, she remarked, "I wish we could [give it to Pugh and Carroll]." 

Brain trust: Jess Oppenheimer, Lucille Ball, Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr.

If one reads the actual scripts for I Love Lucy, the writers were astonishingly explicit and specific in their descriptions of how the lines were to be projected and interpreted; and the mechanics of the physical comedy aspects were laid out in great detail. Of course, it took great talent, like that of Lucille Ball (and Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley), to execute such instructions, but, as Lucille herself said, "You don't have to be a funny, funny person to get a laugh, if it's written [well]." Here are some of our favorite examples of how Madelyn Pugh contributed to the legend and legacy of Lucy.

"The Ballet," originally aired February 18, 1952 (with guest star Mary Wickes)

"Lucy Does a TV Commercial," originally aired May 5, 1952 (with Ross Elliott and Jerry Hausner)

"Lucy's Last Birthday," originally aired May 11, 1953 (listen for the Pugh and Carroll reference!)

"Lucy Gets Into Pictures," originally aired February 21, 1955 (with Lou Krugman)

After I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour ended, Pugh and Carroll continued to work with Lucille Ball on her subsequent sitcoms: The Lucy Show (1962-67), Here's Lucy (1968-74), and, less happily, Ball's unfortunate return to series television, Life with Lucy (1986), which was cancelled after only eight of its thirteen episodes had aired. They were Emmy-nominated for the famous Here's Lucy episode, "Lucy Meets the Burtons," in which Lucy Carter accidentally gets Elizabeth Taylor's  diamond ring stuck on her finger.

"Lucy Meets the Burtons," originally aired September 14, 1970. 

Pugh and Carroll also worked with Desi Arnaz again, writing very Lucy-and-Ethel-esque situations for the marvelous Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard on the Arnaz-produced The Mothers-in-Law (1967-69). Although not wildly successful at the time, it remains a cult favorite today, fondly remembered by fans, and rediscovered on DVD by those who appreciate sharp writing and pro acting. (Incidentally, Pugh and Carroll had less success, but ensured themselves camp immortality, by also writing the infamous pilot for The Carol Channing Show [1966], which never aired, but is included in The Mothers-in-Law DVD set -- which we highly recommend! -- and Dorothy Loudon's failed 1979 sitcom, Dorothy.)

The Mothers-in-Law: Eve Arden (left) and Kaye Ballard

Madelyn Pugh Davis (who, despite never winning an Emmy, did finally take home a Golden Globe for an episode of Alice) passed away at the age of 90 in 2011. Those who knew and worked with her invariably describe Madelyn Pugh Davis as a lady -- always polite, humorous, immaculately dressed and groomed. In the cutthroat world of the business called show, she was an anomaly -- a pioneer who wore the vaguely diminutive (and unintentionally demeaning) mantle of "Girl Writer" with grace; and who, at her best, certainly wrote better television comedy than nearly anyone else, boy, girl, or otherwise. You may not have recognized her name, but we guarantee that Madelyn Pugh Davis has made you laugh. And that, darlings, may be the greatest legacy any of us can leave. 

Madelyn Pugh Davis (center) flanked by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

MADELYN PUGH DAVIS
March 15, 1921 - April 20, 2011

The Company She Keeps

Joey Heatherton and Troy Donahue in My Blood Runs Cold (1965, Warner Bros.)

Joey Heatherton and Richard Burton in Bluebeard (1972, Cinerama)

Joey Heatherton and Perry Como in The Perry Como Winter Special (1972, NBC)

Joey Heatherton (C) and Anita Bryant (L)

Oh, Joey, Joey, Joey.

Tuesday Taylor Trailer Trash

Like My Dress?

This is the back...

...and this is the front.

We should have known that you bitches would immediately realize that anyone sporting a lacquered Grecian curl bouffant; a mink-trimmed Pierre Cardin gown; and tons of Bulgari bling would have to be Dame Elizabeth Taylor, 1963 vintage.


A superstar since her childhood, La Liz really became a fascinating, over-the-top, train-wreck-slash-goddess during this period. Her hair, clothing and jewelry became ever more outrageous, and her always-voluptuous figure grew to increasingly zaftig proportions. She could look fabulous or horrendous, depending on the day (and how much bourbon and Chasen's chili she'd consumed the night before); but always interesting.


The movie from which our original Mystery Guest photo was taken is, of course, The V.I.P.s (1963), a superficial, all-star drama set in a London airport. The Taylor-Burton juggernaut, fresh from the Cleopatra hoopla (read about it here!), headed an impressive cast which also included Louis Jourdan, Margaret Rutherford, Orson Welles, Rod Taylor, Maggie Smith and Elsa Martinelli. Critical reception was largely negative, although Rutherford won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as the dotty, impoverished Duchess of Brighton -- foreshadowing Helen Hayes' win in the same category as the loveable stowaway in Airport (1970), another glossy, star-studded affair. The New York Times also singled Jourdan out as the "sleek but pathetic" gigolo, calling his performance "excellent" and full of "delicate feeling and grace." And, here at SSUWAT, we just love sleek but pathetic gigolos!


We're sure it's just a matter of time before The V.I.P.s receives full dress treatment over at Poseidon's Underworld, so we'll simply say, once again, thanks for playing, darlings! The eagle-eyed Billy D was the first to identity Mrs. Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky, based on her "danglers." Because we adore Billy so, we thought it appropriate that, as his prize, he receive a pair of her danglers for himself.

There's Nothing More Inconvenient Than an Old Queen With a Head Cold

Except, perhaps, two.

Post Modern Glamour