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papermoonloveslucy · 6 months

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THE NAME IS FAMILIAR... BUT I CAN'T PLACE THE FACE!

Same Character / Different Actor

Sometimes circumstances require the recasting of a role on a long-running television show. Unlike soap operas - which often use a voice over to announce that a role has been recast - the change is hardly ever acknowledged on sitcoms. Did recasting happen in the Lucyverse? Yes - but not quite as prominently as on, say, "Bewitched". But more on that later.

Let's start with radio, where it was far easier to replace actors, often without the listener even noticing. On the pilot episode of Lucille Ball's radio sitcom "My Favorite Husband" (1948-1951) her spouse George was played by Lee Bowman. When the show was picked up as a weekly series, Bowman was not available, so the role went to Richard Denning.

George's boss Mr. Atterbury was famously played by Gale Gordon, but before the boss became a regular character, the recurring role was played by Hans Conried and Joseph Kearns. All three actors would later be seen on "I Love Lucy."

Liz's mother-in-law Mrs. Cooper was first played by Bea Benadaret, but when she assumed the regular role of Iris Atterbury, Mrs. Cooper was voiced by Eleanor Audley. Both women were featured on "I Love Lucy."

Minor characters Corey Cartwright and Marge Van Tassel were first played by Hal March and Frances Chaney. March was replaced by John Heistand, but the role was quickly written out. Elvia Allman turned up as Marge when the character re-surfaced in a second appearance. March and Allman were both seen on "I Love Lucy."

Viewers probably didn't realize it, but many different actors actually played the role of Ricky Ricardo Jr. aka Little Ricky. Even more surprising, considering that his birth date coincided with that of the Arnaz's real-life son, none of them were Desi Arnaz Jr. The practical and legal matters of having a child on a film set necessitated that the role be played by twins. There were also two 'dream' Little Rickys, bumping the total number of actors to eight!

JAMES JOHN GANZER (newborn) ~ insert shots of the baby were used in "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" (1953) and the flashback opening of “The Club Election” likely taken from this same shoot. He was five days old at the time. The above closeup was shot before the episode was filmed and pictures were projected for the studio audience to see.

THE SIMMONS TWINS (infants) ~ Richard and Ronald Lee Simmons played the role in just two episodes: "No Children Allowed" and "The Indian Show", both in 1953.

THE MAYER TWINS (toddlers) ~ Michael and Joseph Mayer alternated in 11 episodes from November 1953 to April 1956. Although they looked nearly identical, the pair reportedly had very different personalities.

DREAM LITTLE RICKYS ~ Two uncredited actors (one young and small, the other older and large) were featured during Lucy's dream about "Ricky's Old Girlfriend" (1953). Although the younger performer looks a great deal like Jerry Mathers ("Leave it to Beaver"), Mathers denies ever appearing on "I Love Lucy." Since the dream has no dialogue, a bunny-themed outfit is used to indicate to viewers that the three actors are the same character.

KEITH THIBODEAUX aka RICHARD KEITH (adolescent) ~ The character was quickly aged during season six, necessitating an actor capable of handling dialogue and with some musical ability. Louisiana-born Keith Thibodeaux was favored by Desi for his drum skills, but Lucy needed some convincing. Desi simplified Keith's professional name, although it was never seen on screen. He played the role for 15 episodes as well as in 12 out of 13 "Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours" (1957-1960).

For what it's worth - two more actors provided the off-screen crying of Little Ricky: Pepito Perez and Jerry Hausner, both of whom also appeared on screen as other characters. Which brings us to our first adult cast switch...

The role of Jerry, Ricky's agent, was the only character outside of Lucy and Ricky to be carried over from the unaired pilot. Jerry was played by Jerry Hausner (hence the name), who had been heard on "My Favorite Husband." He was intended to be a series regular on "I Love Lucy", but when landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz were added to the series, his role was scaled back. Jerry the Agent would appear in 8 episodes, all during the first 3 seasons of the series.

Inexplicably (perhaps due to illness) in “The Handcuffs” (1952), Jerry the Agent is not played by Hausner but by Paul Dubov. Two months later, Hausner returned to the role that he originated. During the filming of “Fan Magazine Interview” (1954), Hausner and Desi Arnaz got into a heated argument on the set. Hausner claimed that he was not able to hear his cues during a telephone scene where he was located across the soundstage from Desi. He quit the show and never appeared on the series again. But things were eventually patched up and he did appear on "The Lucy Show."

Charlie Appleby was originally played by Hy Averback (inset) in "Baby Pictures" (1953). The next time viewers saw him - in "Lucy and Superman" (1956) - he was played by George O'Hanlon. Averback returned to the show to play another Charlie, Charlie Pomerantz, in “The Hedda Hopper Story” (1955). Confused? Not half as much as poor Caroline (Doris Singleton)! Whichever actor played him, they were both proud of their son, Little Stevie. But which Stevie?

The first time we see Little Stevie (a name suspiciously sounding like Little Ricky) he is played by an uncredited infant in "Baby Pictures" (1953), the same episode where his dad is played by Hy Averback. The infant had just gotten over the measles. Ricky and Stevie are both said to be 13 months old.

The next time we see Stevie he is played by Steven Kay in "Lucy and Superman" (1956), the same episode that switched his dad to George O'Hanlon. Although Kaye’s first name was also Stevie (in a show where Lucy played Lucy), the character was created three years earlier. The question is - if Little Ricky has a father named Ricky - why does Little Stevie have a father named Charlie? The previous year Kaye had played Jordan Benedict III (age 4) in the film Giant. In the above screen shot with his screen mom Doris Singleton he is caught breaking the cardinal rule - looking into the camera! Didn’t he learn anything working with James Dean?

Marion Strong was one of Lucy and Ethel's friends and a member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League. The character's name is the same as one of Lucille Ball's Jamestown friends. We meet Marion during "The Club Election" (1953) in the person of Margie Liszt. Liszt may also have been playing Marion in "No Children Allowed" (1952), although none of the bridge players are called by name. In her first appearance on the series ("Redecorating" in 1952), she played Agnes, a gossipy woman on a telephone party line.

The next time we see Marion she is played by Shirley Mitchell in 3 episodes from season three. Mitchell became friends with Lucille Ball in the late 1940s when she was featured in 4 episodes of “My Favorite Husband.”

In the same episode that we got Strong, we also got Grace! Grace Munson was yet another character that was named after one of Lucille Ball's hometown friends. In "The Club Election" Grace is embodied by Hazel Pierce, who was also Lucille Ball's camera and lighting stand-in. She was first pick when small roles and background assignments were doled out.

The next time we see Grace, she has moved to Westport with her husband Harry (Tristam Coffin), inspiring Lucy and Ricky to do the same. This time, nearly five years later, Grace is played by Ruth Brady. The Munsons have a son named Billy (who stays off-screen) and a cousin named Diana Jordan played by a pre-Jeannie Barbara Eden. Brady was featured as Laura in Lucy and Desi's 1956 film Forever, Darling and likely made such a positive impression that she was rewarded with Grace. Literally. At the Westport Country Club things get surreal when Hazel Pierce, who originated the role of Grace, also shows up!

On "The Lucy Show" there were far fewer examples of recasting. The role of Arnold Mooney, Mr. Mooney's youngest son, was first played by Barry Livingston in “Lucy Gets Locked in the Vault” (1963), the same episode that also introduced Gale Gordon as banker Theodore J. Mooney. Livingston returned to the role in “Lucy and the Scout Trip” (1964). Not even a year later, Arnold is being played by Ted Eccles in "Lucy's Contact Lenses." Apparently, Livingston's schedule playing Chip on "My Three Sons" (also filmed on the Desilu lot) became too much for him to do double duty. When the series location moved from Danfield to Los Angeles, Eccles appeared as two other characters, one of them in a scene with Gale Gordon, who formerly played his father! More surreal still, the new character's name was Barry.

Another early recast was the role of Dorothy Boyer, Danfield volunteer firefighter. The part was originally given to Ruth Crews. The character is never called by name, but she is one of the few firefighters to speak distinct dialogue.

The next time we hear about Dorothy she is played by Dorothy Konrad, probably because the character now needed to be able to sing four part harmony in "Lucy's Barbershop Quartet". Both performers were sturdily built women. Crews, meanwhile, turned up as an unnamed patron at Wilbur's Ice Cream Parlor when "Lucy is a Soda Jerk" (1963). Like Little Stevie, it is odd that Konrad's first name matches her character's, despite them being originated by other performers!

I SAW THAT FACE ON...

Probably the most famous example of recasting on a sitcom is the role of Darrin Stevens on ABC's long-running "Bewitched" (1964-1972). The part was originated by Dick York, but he became ill and was replaced by similar-looking Dick Sargent for the rest of the series.

On New Year’s Eve 1973, Dick Sargent was seen as a policeman on “Here’s Lucy”, his only time acting opposite Lucille Ball.

On the same series, Darrin's nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz was originated by Alice Pearce. When she died in 1966, Sandra Gould took over the role. On "I Love Lucy" Gould played Texan Nancy Johnson in “Oil Wells (1957) and made a brief appearance as a subway strap-hanger in “Lucy and the Loving Cup” (1953). In 1962 she appeared on “The Lucy Show” as a bank secretary.

As if that wasn't confusing enough, Darrin's boss's wife Louise Tate was played by Irene Vernon, then Kasey Rogers. In 1967 Rogers was seen in a two-part airline-themed "Lucy Show" starring Carol Burnett. She also played a music publisher's secretary (above) in "Lucy and Phil Harris" (1968).

The character of Aunt Hagatha was only seen in eight episodes of "Bewitched," yet it was played by five different actors:

Nancy Andrews (1967)

Diana Chesney (1965)

Doreen McLean (1969)

Kay Elliot (1970)

Ysabel MacCloskey (1971)

and Reta Shaw (1966 & 1971)

Shaw is probably the most recognizable Hagatha as she originated the role and was the last to play it. She was a popular character actress from film (Mary Poppins), stage (The Pajama Game), and television ("The Ghost and Mrs. Muir"). Shaw was seen as 3 different characters on "The Lucy Show" and 3 more on "Here's Lucy."

When "The Munsters" premiered in 1964, the role of Marilyn Munster was played by Beverly Owen. After one season, Owen decided not to return to the series, and was replaced by Pat Priest. Few viewers could tell the difference as they both were intentionally made to look like Marilyn Monroe. In October 1966, Priest played a flight attendant on "The Lucy Show."

On Desi Arnaz's sitcom "The Mothers-in-Law" (1967-1969), Roger C. Carmel played Roger Buell during season one. But during a contract dispute Desi was dared to recast - and he did! Carmel was replaced with Richard Deacon for the show's second (and last) season. Deacon was no stranger to Desi, having played Tallulah Bankhead's chauffeur in "The Celebrity Next Door" (1957), an episode of "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour", as well as many other Desilu shows. Deacon later went on to do two episodes of "Here's Lucy."

On CBS's "Petticoat Junction" (1963-1970) the recurring character of Selma Plout was originated by Susan Walther (aka Susan Johann). She played the role for 5 episodes until she was mysteriously replaced by Elvia Allman, who played Selma for the rest of the series. Allman started acting with Lucille Ball on radio, and was famously seen as the barking candy factory foreperson on "I Love Lucy." She returned to play Minnie Finch’s neighbor in “Fan Magazine Interview” and magazine reporter Nancy Graham in “The Homecoming.” She made 2 appearances on “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour“ and 2 more on “The Lucy Show."

Doris Ziffel (mother of Arnold the Piggy) was a character that was seen on both "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres." The part was originated by Lucille Ball's friend Barbara Pepper. After doing films together at RKO, Pepper was on the short list to play Ethel Mertz on "I Love Lucy." When she didn't get the part, Lucy cast her in a variety of small roles on the series. When Pepper died in 1969, Fran Ryan assumed the role. Ryan had already been seen on the series as Minnie Holcombe in March 1969, just a few months earlier, so viewers could be excused for doing a double-take.

On Eve Arden's "Our Miss Brooks" (1952-1956), filmed at Desilu, the role of Mrs. Martha Conklin was first played by Virginia Gordon, Gale Gordon's real-life wife. She had originated the role on radio. Starting in season two, Paula Winslowe took over playing the part. In 1964, Winslowe appeared briefly on "The Lucy Show" as a hospital patient.

In Mayberry, "The Andy Griffith Show" (filmed on the Desilu backlot) had several casting swaps. Miser Ben Weaver was first played by Will Wright (top), but then by Tol Avery (bottom) and later Jason Johnson. Wright played two roles on "I Love Lucy" and Avery played characters on "The Lucy Show and "Here's Lucy".

Mayberry gas pumper Wally was first played by Norman Leavitt (left), then by Trevor Bardette and Cliff Norton (right). Coincidentally, Leavitt also played a filling station attendant in "Lucy Hunts Uranium" (1959), as well as being seen in several other Desilu projects. On "Here's Lucy" Cliff Norton played Sam the plumber when "Lucy Meets the Burtons" and also played "Mary Jane's Boyfriend" Walter. Speaking of which...

The TV pilot of "Gilligan's Island" featured John Gabriel as The Professor. When the sitcom went to series, he was replaced by Russell Johnson. Gabriel (above) later played Jack Thomas in "Mary Jane's Boyfriend" (1974).

On "Happy Days" (1974-1984), Ralph's father Dr. Mickey Malph was first played by Allen Oppenheimer, but after an extended absence, returned as Jack Dodson. Oppenheimer had a couple of roles on "Here's Lucy," most notably as Kim's Uncle Herb in an episode that was a back-door pilot for a spin-off that would have starred Lucie Arnaz.

Other noteworthy re-castings that did not touch the Lucyverse include the roles of Catwoman, the Riddler, and Mr. Freeze on "Batman", Billie Jo and Bobbie Jo Bradley on "Petticoat Junction", Lionel on "The Jeffersons", Becky Conner on "Roseann", Carol on "Friends", Chris on "The Partridge Family", Morty on "Seinfeld", and Chuck Cunningham on "Happy Days."

Recasting can also happen when a show changes form. For example the various iterations of "The Honeymooners" and "The Brady Bunch" both caused recasting.

By now you are probably wondering about the photo that began this blog entry. No, that is not Desi Arnaz, and the scene is not from "I Love Lucy," although Lucille Ball is playing Lucy Ricardo. It is from "The Bob Hope Chevy Show" of October 21, 1956.

The sketch featured the entire cast of "I Love Lucy" and was performed in what appeared to be the Ricardo living room. The premise: Hope wondered what "I Love Lucy" would have been like had he married Lucille instead of Desi. With Bob as Ricky, Desi is recast as Fred Mertz. Naturally, this case of multiple recasting is as hilarious as it is fascinating.

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