Jessurun (Jess) Oppenheimer was called “the brains” behind I Love Lucy. He was the series creator, producer and head writer. It was in radio where Lucy and Jess would first work together on My Favorite Husband that eventually spawned, arguably, the most popular TV show of all time.
This oversized photo of Lucille taken in the mid to late 1960’s has been framed and matted with Lucy’s inscription to the “force” behind the ‘Lucy’ show, simply put:
“Dear Jess with my Love Lucy”
Lucille Ball ventured into a regular radio show in 1948 with CBS’s My Favorite Husband. Ball starred in the program as “Liz Cooper”, a slightly zany housewife, alongside her husband “George”, a business man, played by Richard Denning. The show was based on the book by Isabel Scott Rorick called Mr. & Mrs. Cugat.
It was very popular with high ratings and CBS decided to turn the radio show into a television series by 1950, keeping Lucy as the main character with Denning recurring his role as well. She refused wanting her real husband, Desi Arnaz to be her TV husband. Writers for the show were Bob Carroll, Jr. Madelyn Pugh Davis and Jess Oppenheimer who also all moved to the TV version. They were the brillant minds that turned Lucille into the LUCY we all know and love.
This is an original audience ticket for the May 10, 1950 recording, admitting entrance into the Columbia Square Playhouse on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.
From July 1948 to March 1951 Lucille Ball did a weekly radio show called My Favorite Husband along side Richard Denning as George and Liz Cooper. In January 1949 JELL-O became the sponsor of the popular series and created this promotional paperweight. Made of leather and filled with sand, it features an image of Lucille Ball with gold lettering that reads Sincerely, Lucille Ball (in Lucy’s signature) Star of “My Favorite Husband” Fridays – CBS – JELL-O. The reverse has the name Norman Rowe to whom this particular piece was given to. My Favorite Husband was the basis for I Love Lucy when it was adapted to television.
