It Was On TV?
In 1953, My Favorite Husband made the move to television, a relatively new medium at the time. Television executives wanted Lucille Ball and Richard Denning to reprise their radio show characters but Lucille Ball refused unless her husband, Desi Arnaz, could play the husband’s part. Executives thought the switch from Richard Denning, an American, to Desi Arnaz, a Cuban with an accent, would be too confusing.
When Ball refused, Denning dropped out or was let go--that part is unclear--Barry Nelson and Joan Caulfield were hired to play the parts of George and Liz Cooper. The series went back to the Coopers being a well-to-do couple and storylines that dealt with their society life. For the first two seasons, the Atterbury’s were replaced with the next wealthy door neighbors, Gilmore and Myra Cobb with Myra as an obvious social climber. In the final season the Cobbs were replaced by Oliver and Myra Shepard though Myra was played by the same actress as Myra Cobb.
In a twist of irony, the final season was filmed at the Desilu Studios, owned by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.
Ball and Arnaz went on to fame in a little show called I Love Lucy.
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