Posted on 01/29/2007 1:05:33 PM PST by lunarbicep
"I Love Lucy" co-creator and writer Bob Carroll Jr. passed away Saturday in Los Angeles following a brief illness. He was 87.
Mr. Carroll created the pioneering, long-running CBS sitcom starring Lucille Ball and her then-husband Desi Arnaz with his longtime writing partner Madelyn Pugh Davis and the show's producer and head writer, Jess Oppenheimer, in 1951.
Mr. Carroll and Ms. Davis co-wrote every one of the half-hour series' 180 episodes from 1951-57, either with Mr. Oppenheimer or with Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, who joined the writing staff in the show's fourth season to help with the work load.
Mr. Carroll and Ms. Davis first worked with Mr. Oppenheimer and Ms. Ball on the CBS radio show "My Favorite Husband" beginning in 1948. It was that show that CBS originally intended to transfer to TV, but "I Love Lucy" was instead developed after Ms. Ball expressed her desire to star opposite her real-life husband Mr. Arnaz, a Cuban-born bandleader.
Mr. Carroll and Ms. Davis continued their association with Ms. Ball on her subsequent series "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show" (1957-60) "The Lucy Show" (1962-68) "Here's Lucy" (1968-74) and "Life With Lucy." (1986)
Mr. Carroll joined the writing staff of CBS Radio in 1943. His radio credits include "The People Next Door," "Meet the Missus," "Hollywood Showcase With Hedda Hopper," "The Bill Thompson Show," "Montey Wolley" and "The Steve Allen Show." He partnered with Ms. Davis in 1946.
About her writing partner of 60 years, Ms. Davis told TelevisionWeek Monday, "We had the same sense of humor. We really never argued about anything. People always ask where we got our ideas because we turned out so many scripts. We never liked to do off-color stuff. And we never used topical humor-thank God for that; we had no way of knowing we were going to last for 50 years."
She added about the partnership, "I think Bob was funnier than I am. I was the more of the driver-and I did the typing."
Mr. Carroll and Ms. Davis also created CBS half-hour "The Tom Ewell Show" (1960), created and co-wrote the Desi Arnaz-produced "The Mothers-in-Law" for NBC (1967-69), produced and co-wrote ABC's "Mr. T and Tina" (1976), and executive produced CBS's "Alice" (1977-85), "Private Benjamin" (1981-83) and "Dorothy" (1979).
He is survived by a daughter, Christina. Services are pending.
Hilarious people. I am the proud owner of evry single episode of I Love Lucy on DVD, and have made a real fan of my 10-year-old nephew. (I buy him a new season every Christmas or birthday.)
TV worth watching.
A fun show; they don't make 'em like that any more.
I wonder what Mr. Carroll thought of the MadTV episodes of "I Love Lucy"...
100 years from now, when crap like "Desperate Housewives" is long gone, they will still be showing "I Love Lucy" reruns.
Somebody has some 'splain'n to do
The Lucy show was more pioneering than many know. The whole "sitcom" format of 30 minutes, filmed in front of a live audience with laugh microphones was thought up by these folks.
Twas an excellent piece of Americana!
It was another time. Sigh. I feel fortunate to have grown up in those days, when ALL mass entertainment was family-friendly.
"I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld" are both comedies that I laugh out loud at even when I'm watching the episode for the upteenth time.
>>The Lucy show was more pioneering than many know. The whole "sitcom" format of 30 minutes, filmed in front of a live audience with laugh microphones was thought up by these folks.<<
Also, they were the first to use three cameras. You can see a quantum leap in editing/camera work between the first and second seasons.
And a special editing booth was invented just for the show.
So does Mrs. F., who fancies herself I Love Lucy Trivia Mistress of the Universe.
Great stuff.
"Lucy, I'm home."
:'o(
That's the difference between trash & treasure.
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