Writing for I LOVE LUCY and Other Funny Stuff · an Interview With Bob Schiller (Past Times Comedy Writing Series)

Remember when Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz swiped John Wayne’s footprints from the forecourt of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre? More than likely. It’s one of the funniest moments in the history of television, indelibly etched into the pop culture of the 20th century. Bob Schiller had his handprints on that show. In fact, it was the first episode he and his longtime partner, Bob Weiskopf—collectively known as The Two Bobs—wrote for “I Love Lucy.” (The celebrated grape-stomping episode was another).

Five individuals wrote all six seasons of the landmark TV sitcom, a feat virtually impossible today. Creator Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr., all of whom worked on Lucille Ball’s radio program, formed the nucleus of the staff; Weiskopf and Schiller joined them for the two final seasons.

Schiller, the last survivor of the staff, recalls the tension and “a kind of jealousy” between Jess and Desi Arnaz; the team’s unusual “majority wins” agreement; Madelyn acting out the physical comedy written for Lucy; how things changed after the series, scripting “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” and “The Lucy Show” (and their snarky nickname for the latter); Lucy’s perfectionism, and her inability to deal with people: “Desi was a charmer—I’d do anything for Desi. And Lucy, she’d have to beg me.” And more.

Plus: Hal Kanter discusses Lucy and Desi’s now forgotten TV debut on “The Ed Wynn Show”… Bob Weiskopf gives his version of getting the “I Love Lucy” assignment… and Bob Schiller recalls working with other TV comedians, including Red Skelton, Ed Wynn, Red Buttons and Cara Williams.

Excerpted from the author’s acclaimed book, “The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and TV’s Golden Age,” which features a dozen writers discussing their work in the prehistoric days of broadcasting—the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s.