Author's note: to induce within the mood for this text, search any search engine for the "I Love Lucy" theme song (written by Eliot Daniel). ensure you get the version with the lyrics!
How many laughs has "I Love Lucy" given you over the years? over you'll be able to even bear in mind, I bet. And it is the best quite laugher; deep, belly laughs, the type that take over your body, as you howl, unable to prevent. Such laughter is nice for the spirit and therefore the soul; it literally washes away cares and troubles.
Madelyn Pugh Davis was the presiding genius who delivered these laughs week when week, to the delight of the state. Her name appeared as co-writer for each single episode of the series that ran from October fifteen, 1951 to might half-dozen, 1957. it absolutely was a staggering achievement. Not least as a result of Davis was a awfully successful lady author within the male-dominated medium of network tv.
** bear in mind the episode where Lucy battles an enormous loaf of bread that emerges from the oven and pins her to the wall? A classic...
Madelyn Pugh Davis knew the way to work the premise of the show and its four main characters for max comedic impact.
"I Love Lucy" wasn't notably innovative -- the wacky housewife, the irritated husband, the oddball friends. What created the program innovative was the commitment of the four principal characters to try to to something for fun...and the irrepressible inventiveness of the script. In different words, Madelyn Pugh Davis and therefore the different key members of the team: Her longtime writing partner, Bob Carroll Jr; their producer Jess Oppenheimer. Writers Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf later joined the team.
** What concerning this classic? bear in mind Lucy slipping and sliding in a very vat whereas mashing grapes? it absolutely was hysterical.
The four main characters.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, married in real life, were married within the program, too, as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Their friends are Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Lucy was a scatterbrained housewife mad keen on a career within the entertainment business, for all that she had no talent. Ricky was a Cuban band leader, as he was in real life; a typical fast to boil Latin, often misunderstood however continually devoted to the Lucy he loves (not the case for this roaming Latin lover in real life.)
Fred (William Frawley) was a grump, ultra tight with the penny, however a person of stage himself having played vaudeville at the side of wife Ethel (Vivian Vance.)
The job of the writing team was to stay characters (known to nearly each single American) recent by putting them within the middle of 1 side-splitting funny scenario when another. These things, notably for Lucy, concerned some terribly difficult slapstick comedy. Lucille Ball, a world star, may need been expected to form significant weather concerning a number of these scenes ("are they right for my image?"), however if truth be told what Madelyn Pugh Davis wrote, Lucille Ball did... notwithstanding how troublesome... as a matter of skilled pride. That perspective permeated all the actors and their incomparable team.
**What concerning the episode from 1955? It targeted on Lucy's mortifying encounter with handsome Hollywood actor William Holden. Holden accidentally sets her faux nose on hearth... and puts in out by dipping her nose in his teacup.
The most watched show within the us in four of its six seasons.
"I Love Lucy," resting as did on Davis and team's simply plain funny scripts, was massively common right from the beginning. what is a lot of, not like different series that started hot and fizzled thanks to weak scripts, the standard of the scripts never diminished. They were smart within the initial episode; they were smart within the last.
The problem with "I Love Lucy" was the seething personal relationships, continually seemingly to burst into flame. Desi Arnaz liked the women, the a lot of the merrier. He was Cuban and thought rampant, careless infidelity his birth right. Lucille Ball disagreed.
The relationship between William Frawley and Vivian Vance was conjointly poisonous; they might hardly stand to be within the same area along, not least as a result of Frawley was master of the all too correct put-down. He once said Vance's body was sort of a "sack of doorknobs." it absolutely was crude... it absolutely was memorable... it absolutely was funny. little doubt a number of this (funny to onlookers) tension was slipped into the script to heighten the impact. Davis would have seen the humorous facet and run with it... increasing the laughter.
** should remind you of this one... an all-time favorite: Lucy and Ethel during this 1952 show land jobs in a very chocolate factory, solely to own the conveyor belt kick into overdrive.
Madelyn Pugh wrote and wrote... ascending the ladder one (usually funny) word at a time.
Pugh (her maiden name) was born in Indianapolis and graduated in 1942 from Indiana University. thanks to World War II ladies had a crack at jobs ordinarily reserved for men, just like the radio workers author position she landed. it is important to recall the primacy of radio in those days. it absolutely was the first mode of communication; nearly each family had one. Pugh was proficient, hard-working and bold. She soon moved up to a CBS affiliate in la.
"My Favorite Husband".
At CBS she met longtime writing partner Bob Carroll, Jr. along they worked on many shows, together with "It's a good Life," starring Steve Allen... and "My Favorite Husband", starring...... Lucille Ball. The items that were soon to form America laugh were starting to emerge and acquire along. "I Love Lucy" was the result... the program America took to its heart immediately and whose distinctive use of 3 cameras modified an trade and launched a thousand sit-coms, several through Desilu Productions.
And bear in mind... there was never, ever a vulgar word, a cruel put-down, a bigoted, biased, or racist comment. it absolutely was literally and gratefully smart clean fun.
Madelyn Pugh Davis, as she became upon her wedding, was well known, honored, lauded.
In 2007, the publication tv Week named her one in all the twenty five most influential those who formed the trade, noting that she was a principal author on all a hundred and eighty "I Love Lucy" episodes and thirteen specials on CBS from 1951 to 1961.
She was a lucky lady little doubt, luck being outlined as setting the specified objective and dealing one's tail off to realize it. a lady of mirth,laughter, high hilarity she was deadly serious this. And we, in our usually bitter times that cry out for a few smart humor, are the higher for this girl.
** only one a lot of. Who will forget the Vitameatavegamin episode where Lucy gets drunk filming an ad for this alcohol-laced patent medicine? one in all the simplest... however then that is the solely issue Madelyn Pugh Davis delivered.That's why when half-dozen seasons, "I Love Lucy" finished its run at the highest of the Nielsen ratings, the primary program to try to to therefore.
++ Mrs. Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. co-authors "Laughing With Lucy: My Life With America's Leading girl of Comedy." (2005). Check it out.
