While it was rare to find a woman in the writer's room of early network, television programs, today,it is even more difficult to find a sitcom scribe of any gender who has skills commensurate with the manifold talents of the late, Madelyn Pugh Davis.
Sadly, Ms. Davis, who was one of the four, original writers on the landmark I LOVE LUCY series passed away at the age of 90 in her Bel-Air home.
Teamed with longtime comedy-collaborator, Bob Carroll, Ms. Davis first wrote for Lucille Ball on the CBS Radio comedy, MY FAVORITE HUSBAND, along with producer Jess Oppenheimer.
CBS choose to transition the radio series to television in 1951, and after long negotiations, the Tiffany network allowed Ball's real-life husband, Desi Arnaz,to play her sitcom spouse. A multi-talented showman, Arnaz also served ,off-camera, as the executive producer.When Lucy and Desi formed DESILU PRODUCTIONS they brought Oppenheimer along as producer and then hired Carroll and Davis as staff writers.
Oppenheimer, Carrol and Ms. Davis wrote the pilot for the ground breaking series, which is still on the air , somewhere on this planet, almost every minute of the day.
It has been claimed that Ms. Davis tried many of the physical gags and stunts before putting them into the script for Lucy to perform. Ms. Davis and Bob Carroll wrote the first four of I LOVE LUCY'S six seasons on CBS-TV.
Ms Davis and her fellow writers won Emmy awards and other accolades,but perhaps the highest honor was the respect of their appreciative star. Whenever asked what made I LOVE LUCY so enduring and endearing, Ball would reply, "My writers."
Here, from the TVLEGENDS YOU TUBE Site is a brief interview with MS. Davis, explaining how she got her start as a television comedy writer. Enjoy!!!!
As a bonus, here is one the funniest moments from the early years of I LOVE LUCY,when Carroll and Davis were writing the show,the candy factory. Enjoy!!!
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