Adding "the Atterburys"
by Jess Oppenheimer
(from "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy")
"THE SHOW NEEDED another married couple, as a counterpoint to George and Liz. We decided that this should be George's boss, Rudolph Atterbury, president of the bank, and his wife, Iris, who would be Liz's best friend. Gale Gordon, best known to radio listeners at the time in his continuing role as 'Mayor LaTrivia' on 'Fibber McGee and Molly' and 'The Great Gildersleeve,' had appeared on our show a few weeks before, in the part of a trial judge. The unique comic chemistry between Gale and Lucy was apparent immediately, and I decided to cast him as Mr. Atterbury.
In the part of Mr. Atterbury's wife, Iris, I cast Bea Benaderet, the wonderful comedy actress whom I had known since my days at KFRC in San Francisco, and who would later become the voice of Betty Rubble on 'The Flintstones' and star in the television series 'Petticoat Junction.' Bea, who was well known as 'Blanche Morton' on 'Burns and Allen,' had been appearing almost weekly on 'My Favorite Husband' in a variety of nonrecurring roles. The Iris Atterbury character opened up whole new directions for us and for the character of Liz Cooper–she finally had a real confederate to include in her wild schemes, particularly whenever the battle was 'wives vs. husbands.'"
|
| |
Visit our home page!
FREE Lucy chapter!
Lucy on the Radio
