Home Cookin'

[Neil]

Watch Lucy in the background.  After she hands Bob his bowl and he sings Chinese style, Lucy is wobbling her head back and forth in kind as she goes out of frame, then does a little dance with her dad before her solo....all seamlessly executed.  This Livingstone/Evans song didn't have the popularity of their "Buttons and Bows" but I think it's very catchy.

Fancy Pants was directed by George Marshall who later (at almost 80!) directed HL's location shows and a few back in the studio.

[Neil]

I'm pretty impressed that this is all done in one take.  All the principles are roaming around the kitchen with a purpose and no one seems like they're just waiting to get into position.  BTW, I added a little processing to the soundtrack.

Watch Lucy in the background.  After she hands Bob his bowl and he sings Chinese style, Lucy is wobbling her head back and forth in kind as she goes out of frame, then does a little dance with her dad before her solo....all seamlessly executed.  This Livingstone/Evans song didn't have the popularity of their "Buttons and Bows" but I think it's very catchy.

Fancy Pants was directed by George Marshall who later (at almost 80!) directed HL's location shows and a few back in the studio.

[Mmadluv7]

I LOVE it!! I love that good old shuffle that they do before they walk out of the door.I think Lucy does too lol

I also like Lucy's voice dubber here because it matches her speaking voice to a tee. I love the choreography in this too Neil, everything is constantly moving.

All the exaggeration of cultures is really corny though. I never saw the humor in silly "Me go back  in Wigwam" or "chi chi chong chong chuey chong" and "yowzer mastah" kind of stuff. The music is nice until it goes into the mock oriental stuff lol but hey, it was the racist early days so whatever lol 

I love seeing Lucy in this movie because its so close to I Love Lucy, it kind of gives me and idea of what she would look like in color on the show. 

in this clip, I'm reminded of her  technicolor Tessie reputation on the screen, because the colors that she lets her make up people use makes her face a bit more pale and more pink/magenta, as appose to her natural warmer skin tone. It serves as a perfect contrast to her bronzish-orange hair and blue eyes and ruby red lips. Its like seeing rich colors against Dove white. 

[Luvsbway]

I watched this movie this weekend and now I want to go watch this number again.

 

I get bored with this movie in general but she is so stunning in color I watch it mostly for her beauty. I've been studying her hair in this to see how the fall was put in and where her actual hair starts and stops.

 

Wonderful assessment on her make up here.

[C L A U D E]

I was never big on this one, I preferred her other three with Bob but I must say that clip makes me want to see it again, haven't watched it in years, just a great number and extremely well executed as you all said.  Hate watching her dubbed, she could have done better herself.  And will someone please tell me why all the clips I watch on the net, the sound NEVER matches their lips, so annoying.

[HarryCarter]

Lucy sang the Fancy Pants songs herself in the Lux Radio Theatre adaptation. Lucy seems to miss her cue at the beginning of "Fancy Pants" and there's lots of commotion before she finally starts the song. In the "Home Cookin'" number Lucy sings her solo, but sounds different when Bob joins in. When the number ends, Bob says, "Thank you, Margaret," which gets a huge audience response. There's so much laughter and applause that Lea Penman as Mrs. Flood, who has the first line after the song, has to stop speaking and get the audience's attention. I wonder if the "Thank you, Margaret" line was a topical joke about then-first daughter Margaret Truman's poorly received singing career or if a singer named Margaret slipped in as a ghost singer for Lucy during the duet with Bob.

 

I haven't been able to figure out if the Lux Radio Theatre was still being broadcast live in 1951. I would think so since they would have probably ended out the "Fancy Pants" false start if it was prerecorded. If it was live, the show was done two days after Lucy filmed the first I Love Lucy episode.

[Luvsbway]

Such fascinating info. I'm gonna have to dig out my copy of that and listen for those things. I haven't heard it in years.

[Neil]

Lucy sang the Fancy Pants songs herself in the Lux Radio Theatre adaptation. Lucy seems to miss her cue at the beginning of "Fancy Pants" and there's lots of commotion before she finally starts the song. In the "Home Cookin'" number Lucy sings her solo, but sounds different when Bob joins in. When the number ends, Bob says, "Thank you, Margaret," which gets a huge audience response. There's so much laughter and applause that Lea Penman as Mrs. Flood, who has the first line after the song, has to stop speaking and get the audience's attention. I wonder if the "Thank you, Margaret" line was a topical joke about then-first daughter Margaret Truman's poorly received singing career or if a singer named Margaret slipped in as a ghost singer for Lucy during the duet with Bob.

 

I haven't been able to figure out if the Lux Radio Theatre was still being broadcast live in 1951. I would think so since they would have probably ended out the "Fancy Pants" false start if it was prerecorded. If it was live, the show was done two days after Lucy filmed the first I Love Lucy episode.

I always thought he was referring to Margaret Whiting who recorded "Home Cookin'" with Bob but could be Truman or somebody else.  I think Verna Felton played the Lea Penman role on the radio version.  "HC" is abbreviated and REALLY sped up on radio, leaving out all the "Me Heap Big Brave" and "Reckon Chine-y fellow like home-chow".....the latter stereotype pretty much fair game into the 70s as evidenced on HL.

[HarryCarter]

I always thought he was referring to Margaret Whiting who recorded "Home Cookin'" with Bob but could be Truman or somebody else. I think Verna Felton played the Lea Penman role on the radio version. "HC" is abbreviated and REALLY sped up on radio, leaving out all the "Me Heap Big Brave" and "Reckon Chine-y fellow like home-chow".....the latter stereotype pretty much fair game into the 70s as evidenced on HL.

I thought Margaret could be referring to Whiting, but I had no idea that she and Bob had done a recording of the song. That must be what Bob was referring to. It's been a while since I've heard the radio version and I thought Lea Penman might have recreated her role. Thinking about it now, you are right, it's Verna Felton. Thanks for the information!

[Neil]

I thought Margaret could be referring to Whiting, but I had no idea that she and Bob had done a recording of the song. That must be what Bob was referring to. It's been a while since I've heard the radio version and I thought Lea Penman might have recreated her role. Thinking about it now, you are right, it's Verna Felton. Thanks for the information!

I hadn't thought that the radio version would have been anything but LIVE.  If they recorded it, you'd think they would have done a retake on the beginning of  Lucy's "Fancy Pants" song.  The flub was actually caused by the actor playing her father being late on his line "Give it to 'em, daughter" which stepped on her musical cue.   I love this mistake though because of all the unintelligible muttering about what to do and then you hear Hope (?) say "start again" as the piano vamps the intro.

Also love how they almost crack each other up during "Home Cookin"

I didn't know this was so soon after filming the first Lucy episode.  But this was radio.....

Ah, radio: what a dream job.  Script in hand, they could be done with very little rehearsal.  The increased work load  must have been quite a shock for those who transitioned from radio to TV.  Especially people like Burns and Allen and Jack Benny, all pushing 60 and had had a leisurely radio career for 20 years.  (Gracie's YOB has been established to my satisfaction as 1895 making her a year OLDER than George!---not 1906)