The Only One
Once a few episodes of I Love Lucy had been filmed, it became an unwritten rule that Lucy was the only one allowed to poke fun at Desi’s pronunciation problems. While the writers had allowed for other characters to make comments, each time the “joke” was met with absolute silence from the studio audience. Apparently it was just cruel whenever anyone but Lucy jested at her husband’s English.
The Only One
Not The First
Turns out that William Frawley was NOT the first choice to play the part of Fred Mertz, the bad-tempered landlord. Lucille Ball wanted Gale Gordon, as they’d already worked together on her My Favorite Husband radio show. However Gordon asked for a high salary, one that the execs weren’t willing to pay. William Frawley only knew Ball in passing and he phoned her personally about starring I Love Lucy. Philip Morris and CBS were not keen on hiring Frawley as he was known to be a heavy drinker. However Arnaz, who was also quite the drinker himself, believed that Frawley was perfect for the role. So he met up with Frawley over lunch and offered him the role; with the rule that if he ever missed work for any reason, other than a legitimate illness, he would get written out of the series.
Not The First
