Janet Waldo Guest Starred on Both I Love Lucy & The Lucy Show (She Compares Both) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 09-14-2011, 08:43 AM

http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/i-...t-waldo-20558/

Do you remember anything about Vivian Vance and William Frawley?
Waldo: Well, they weren’t on that show. On the one episode that I did but, on The Lucy Show, I played Lucy’s sister and Vivian Vance was on that one.

Right, now that was about 11 years later in an episode called “Lucy’s Sister Pays a Visit.” What was that experience like?
Waldo: I was a great fan of Lucy and all her shows and I played her sister. And I had to cry and the director kept saying, “Do it again. Do it again.” And I’d do it again and I’d say to Lucy, “I don’t know what he wants from me.” And she’d say, “He wants you to bawl like me!” (laughs). So I was afraid to do that because I didn’t want to imitate her but I imitated Lucy’s bawl and that’s exactly what he wanted. She was absolutely right. And he printed.

I see. You were playing her sister so they share a similar way of crying…
Waldo: Yes, of course but you know, in this profession, you don’t want to steal from anybody else. But I did and that’s what he wanted. (laughs) And, I did it with her blessing.

Did you notice a difference in Lucy since you’d worked with her more than 10 years earlier?
Waldo: Between the two shows? Yes, she was much warmer with the first one. But, it was hard for Lucy to be warm, she was a very, um, cool person. She didn’t do… chatter, you know. She was very private and the only thing was that, on the second one, that she was away from Desi and she was a totally different person. She was so obviously very unhappy and angry and it was a whole different show. But the first one was a complete joy.

And Peter Marshall (Hollywood Squares) played your husband…
Waldo: And he was so unhappy when we did that show together that, before we went on in front of the live audience, he threw up (laughs). He was so… I don’t think he’d like for me to tell this story but he went off and got sick to his stomach. But he was angry and not happy at that point either. So it was all just a very different experience for me. But, I Love Lucy was such fun. I can’t begin to describe it. And Desi was wonderful and, actually, can I tell you something about him?

By all means!
Waldo: This is a story that people ask me about who are writing books and I’ve stopped telling about it because they want to make something of it. But Desi, you know I think he was very much in love with Lucy but I think that they had their problems. So anyway, he asked me to come to his dressing room. And I thought “Oh, he’s going to give me some pointers” (laughs). And I was pretty naive in those years (laughs). Because naturally I wanted to improve as much as I possibly could so I went to his dressing room with him and he closed the door. And I thought, “Oh, now he’s going to tell me how I can improve this.”

Two seconds later, the door opened and it was Lucy. And she was very angry and upset that I was in the room so I quickly excused myself and left. But, everybody that I talk to about that wants me to make something of it. But he was a perfect gentleman. He was very sweet to me. And I only bring it up because people realize that he had the wanderlust and I didn’t, I was just naive. But, he was just a perfectly sweet man.

That’s a great story.
Waldo: And you know, in the scene where they make themselves up to look older and he’s in a wheelchair and his legs are poised up on another chair, and he asks me to jiggle his legs. And he said, “Keep jiggling, Peggy, keep jiggling!” And now, when I go to sign autographs or when I see anybody who remembers that Lucy episode, they always say, “Keep jiggling, Peggy, keep jiggling!” (laughs).

comedyfreak · 09-15-2011, 05:06 AM

Janet is very nice in person, she's so down to earth. Great read, thanks for posting.

Tom_Clark · 09-15-2011, 04:46 PM

Gosh, according to Wiki, she's 87. Can that be? Was she really 27 when she played the teenager Peggy? And almost 40 when she voiced Judy Jetson? If so, that's amazing.

comedyfreak · 09-16-2011, 03:40 AM

That appears to be correct, IMDB lists her Birthday as Feb 4, 1924. She did a great job playing a teenager.

09-14-2011, 08:43 AM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Janet Waldo Guest Starred on Both I Love Lucy & The Lucy Show (She Compares Both) http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/i-...t-waldo-20558/ Do you remember anything about Vivian Vance and William Frawley? Waldo: Well, they weren’t on that show. On the one episode that I did but, on The Lucy Show, I played Lucy’s sister and Vivian Vance was on that one. Right, now that was about 11 years later in an episode called “Lucy’s Sister Pays a Visit.” What was that experience like? Waldo: I was a great fan of Lucy and all her shows and I played her sister. And I had to cry and the director kept saying, “Do it again. Do it again.” And I’d do it again and I’d say to Lucy, “I don’t know what he wants from me.” And she’d say, “He wants you to bawl like me!” (laughs). So I was afraid to do that because I didn’t want to imitate her but I imitated Lucy’s bawl and that’s exactly what he wanted. She was absolutely right. And he printed. I see. You were playing her sister so they share a similar way of crying… Waldo: Yes, of course but you know, in this profession, you don’t want to steal from anybody else. But I did and that’s what he wanted. (laughs) And, I did it with her blessing. Did you notice a difference in Lucy since you’d worked with her more than 10 years earlier? Waldo: Between the two shows? Yes, she was much warmer with the first one. But, it was hard for Lucy to be warm, she was a very, um, cool person. She didn’t do… chatter, you know. She was very private and the only thing was that, on the second one, that she was away from Desi and she was a totally different person. She was so obviously very unhappy and angry and it was a whole different show. But the first one was a complete joy. And Peter Marshall (Hollywood Squares) played your husband… Waldo: And he was so unhappy when we did that show together that, before we went on in front of the live audience, he threw up (laughs). He was so… I don’t think he’d like for me to tell this story but he went off and got sick to his stomach. But he was angry and not happy at that point either. So it was all just a very different experience for me. But, I Love Lucy was such fun. I can’t begin to describe it. And Desi was wonderful and, actually, can I tell you something about him? By all means! Waldo: This is a story that people ask me about who are writing books and I’ve stopped telling about it because they want to make something of it. But Desi, you know I think he was very much in love with Lucy but I think that they had their problems. So anyway, he asked me to come to his dressing room. And I thought “Oh, he’s going to give me some pointers” (laughs). And I was pretty naive in those years (laughs). Because naturally I wanted to improve as much as I possibly could so I went to his dressing room with him and he closed the door. And I thought, “Oh, now he’s going to tell me how I can improve this.” Two seconds later, the door opened and it was Lucy. And she was very angry and upset that I was in the room so I quickly excused myself and left. But, everybody that I talk to about that wants me to make something of it. But he was a perfect gentleman. He was very sweet to me. And I only bring it up because people realize that he had the wanderlust and I didn’t, I was just naive. But, he was just a perfectly sweet man. That’s a great story. Waldo: And you know, in the scene where they make themselves up to look older and he’s in a wheelchair and his legs are poised up on another chair, and he asks me to jiggle his legs. And he said, “Keep jiggling, Peggy, keep jiggling!” And now, when I go to sign autographs or when I see anybody who remembers that Lucy episode, they always say, “Keep jiggling, Peggy, keep jiggling!” (laughs).
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09-15-2011, 05:06 AM	#2
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,059	Janet is very nice in person, she's so down to earth. Great read, thanks for posting.
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09-16-2011, 03:40 AM	#4
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,059	That appears to be correct, IMDB lists her Birthday as Feb 4, 1924. She did a great job playing a teenager.
	Last edited by comedyfreak; 09-16-2011 at 05:39 AM.

09-15-2011, 04:46 PM	#3
Tom_Clark Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 20, 2011 Location: Missouri Posts: 10	Gosh, according to Wiki, she's 87. Can that be? Was she really 27 when she played the teenager Peggy? And almost 40 when she voiced Judy Jetson? If so, that's amazing.