My Favorite Husband radio shows - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Jude The Obscure · 12-23-2008, 09:01 PM

My g/f awhile back sent a CD of mp3 files of MFH radio shows. Now that I have a vehicle with a stereo that plays mp3s, I am now listening to these shows and enjoying it a lot! I love recognizing Bea Benderet in the role that would later be revamped for TV as Ethel Mertz.

Mikado · 12-24-2008, 12:35 AM

As I recall it, Gale Gordon (Who would later play the irrepressible Mr Mooney) Played Bea Benderet's husband on that show...Lucy liked to keep her friends close

Jude The Obscure · 12-26-2008, 08:37 PM

Yep you can hear Gale's bombastic very identifiable voice in the shows!

I'm really enjoying these. I have some of the early episodes where the characters were called George and Liz Cugat (later changed to Cooper).
Also funny to hear Liz having a maid! Something Lucy never did, except for that one post-pregnancy episode. Love the similarities but at the same time, you can tell the differences between MFH and ILL.

And I'm also surprised by the lack of discussion on this....maybe some older threads do discuss this, but I'm interested in seeing some of the current posters have to say and if they ever heard MFH radio shows.

Mikado · 12-27-2008, 12:43 AM

ive heard the show a few times, many ILL eps were litteral remakes of MFH radio shows

Jude The Obscure · 12-31-2008, 01:36 PM

From the episodes I've listened to so far, I can hear entire lines/scenes lifted to ILL episodes, but yet to have come across a literal adaptation from radio to TV. The closest so far is the radio episode about the "His and Hers" radio quiz show, which would be redone as "Mr and Mrs Quiz" for the ILL episode.

Liz Cugat/Cooper was different from Lucy Ricardo in that she couldn't cook, couldn't clean and had a maid. LR was a good cook, a good housekeeper and having a maid was just a fantasy that she quickly tired of after trying it for one episode!

I'm also somewhat surprised at the innuedoes used in the radio show--rather provactive!

Liz: "Pretend I'm a bag of walnuts and crack me open"

dawsongirl · 01-01-2009, 04:23 AM

If anyone has XM, I believe they still run these on their Old Time/Radio Classics Channel. I've never been able to hear them there because I only get XM in my car, but I've seen it scheduled.

It's been a long time since I heard one...I have some on cassette, I should give them a listen some night.

Looooocy · 01-02-2009, 08:41 PM

I have listened to several of the MFH shows, and like others above, I recognize lines, whole scenes, and even storyline premises lifted and later adapted for ILL.

One thing I noticed too, was the way Lucy's reaction to Ricky's accent/mispronunciations added so much more humor to ILL. When I hear nearly the same scenes done on MFH with the absense of an accent on George, the responses from Liz fall flat. Yet when Lucy reacts to Ricky in the same adapted scenes, the moment turns hilariously funny. Desi's accent, once thought to be a liability, actually turned out to be a godsend in terms of making the setups even funnier.

Jude The Obscure · 01-06-2009, 12:03 PM

^Not only that, while MFH is a funny, entertaining radio show, Lucy's humor later proved to be very visual and TV was just the outlet she needed to breakthrough. Some of the lines on MFH needed that visual outlet to be hilarious, rather than just mildly amusing.

One episode I listened to the other day took one scene used later in "Be a Pal" and the rest was used for "The Camping Trip".

Jude The Obscure · 02-04-2009, 01:26 PM

Another episode I just listened to was later reworked as an episode of "The Lucy Show"! (The episode with Art Linkletter).

12-23-2008, 09:01 PM	#1
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,519	My Favorite Husband radio shows My g/f awhile back sent a CD of mp3 files of MFH radio shows. Now that I have a vehicle with a stereo that plays mp3s, I am now listening to these shows and enjoying it a lot! I love recognizing Bea Benderet in the role that would later be revamped for TV as Ethel Mertz.

12-24-2008, 12:35 AM	#2
Mikado Main st bridge Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 06, 2005 Posts: 25,880	As I recall it, Gale Gordon (Who would later play the irrepressible Mr Mooney) Played Bea Benderet's husband on that show...Lucy liked to keep her friends close

12-26-2008, 08:37 PM	#3
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,519	Yep you can hear Gale's bombastic very identifiable voice in the shows! I'm really enjoying these. I have some of the early episodes where the characters were called George and Liz Cugat (later changed to Cooper). Also funny to hear Liz having a maid! Something Lucy never did, except for that one post-pregnancy episode. Love the similarities but at the same time, you can tell the differences between MFH and ILL. And I'm also surprised by the lack of discussion on this....maybe some older threads do discuss this, but I'm interested in seeing some of the current posters have to say and if they ever heard MFH radio shows.

12-27-2008, 12:43 AM	#4
Mikado Main st bridge Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 06, 2005 Posts: 25,880	ive heard the show a few times, many ILL eps were litteral remakes of MFH radio shows

12-31-2008, 01:36 PM	#5
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,519	From the episodes I've listened to so far, I can hear entire lines/scenes lifted to ILL episodes, but yet to have come across a literal adaptation from radio to TV. The closest so far is the radio episode about the "His and Hers" radio quiz show, which would be redone as "Mr and Mrs Quiz" for the ILL episode. Liz Cugat/Cooper was different from Lucy Ricardo in that she couldn't cook, couldn't clean and had a maid. LR was a good cook, a good housekeeper and having a maid was just a fantasy that she quickly tired of after trying it for one episode! I'm also somewhat surprised at the innuedoes used in the radio show--rather provactive! Liz: "Pretend I'm a bag of walnuts and crack me open"

01-01-2009, 04:23 AM	#6
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,128	If anyone has XM, I believe they still run these on their Old Time/Radio Classics Channel. I've never been able to hear them there because I only get XM in my car, but I've seen it scheduled. It's been a long time since I heard one...I have some on cassette, I should give them a listen some night.

01-02-2009, 08:41 PM	#7
Looooocy Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 06, 2008 Posts: 20	I have listened to several of the MFH shows, and like others above, I recognize lines, whole scenes, and even storyline premises lifted and later adapted for ILL. One thing I noticed too, was the way Lucy's reaction to Ricky's accent/mispronunciations added so much more humor to ILL. When I hear nearly the same scenes done on MFH with the absense of an accent on George, the responses from Liz fall flat. Yet when Lucy reacts to Ricky in the same adapted scenes, the moment turns hilariously funny. Desi's accent, once thought to be a liability, actually turned out to be a godsend in terms of making the setups even funnier.

01-06-2009, 12:03 PM	#8
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,519	^Not only that, while MFH is a funny, entertaining radio show, Lucy's humor later proved to be very visual and TV was just the outlet she needed to breakthrough. Some of the lines on MFH needed that visual outlet to be hilarious, rather than just mildly amusing. One episode I listened to the other day took one scene used later in "Be a Pal" and the rest was used for "The Camping Trip".

02-04-2009, 01:26 PM	#9
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,519	Another episode I just listened to was later reworked as an episode of "The Lucy Show"! (The episode with Art Linkletter).