Lucille Ball's 1964 radio show is now a podcast

The recordings were never heard again after the show stopped until now.

To the world, Lucille Ball will always be one of the greatest ever to grace our television screens. The actress was known for her hilarious comedy, one-of-a-kind creative thinking process and more. She was also a singer, producer and owned a production company.

She's missed so much that reruns of her legendary shows are shown faithfully on networks worldwide, and now her 1964 radio show, Let's Talk To Lucy, can be heard as a podcast.

Many people might not know it, but Ball also had a very successful radio career. Her radio broadcast debut was when she appeared on Jack Haley's show The Wonder Show in 1938. A decade later, according to Everything Lucy, CBS offered the star a role on the radio show based on a popular book titled Mr. and Mrs.Cugat. Although Ball wanted her husband, Desi Arnaz, to be her co-star, CBS decided to choose someone else.

During this time, she was a highly in-demand actress, so to prepare for the show, she would rehearse her lines and record later in the day after being on set. These types of 'storytelling' radio shows were common during the late '30s and early '40s before today's format became popular.

After years of dabbling in many different areas of media, Ball got the opportunity to record a modern type of radio show, which today is often called a podcast. Let's Talk To Lucy was a show that focused on Lucille's ability to ideally interview celebrities and get them to give more insight into their careers and other aspects of their lives.

Ball interviewed her guests in a welcoming and light-hearted way, which ultimately made them feel comfortable enough to share certain information with her. She also chimed in with personal facts about her career and life, making it feel like a regular conversation between old friends who needed to catch up.

A few celebrities she interviewed include actress Joy Hodges, Shirley Booth, Carolyn Jones and more. There were conversations about being in the industry, life philosophy, and motivational talks about never being too old to fulfill your dreams. Ball even gave advice to those trying to make it in the industry.

After they aired, recordings from the show were never heard again until now. The podcast can be heard on streaming services like iHeart Radio and Apple Podcast, giving listeners a piece of nostalgic heaven.

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33 Comments

Moverfan 23 months ago
Apparently I never gave any thought to the idea of Richard Denning's career before 1969 and Hawaii Five-O. Now I have this picture in my mind of the governor looking at his desk clock in the middle of a conversation and telling Steve McGarrett "We'll have to finish this tomorrow, Steve--I've got to get home before my wife sets the kitchen on fire. Twice already this week..."
TheKodakKid 23 months ago
The announcer on “The Wonder Show,” (named for sponsor Wonder Bread), was someone that Lucille Ball would work with many times on both radio and TV over the next 50 years. His name was Gale Gordon.
Lantern 23 months ago
This isn't news. These shows were aired during the summer of 2021 on one of Sirius XMs comedy channels, to introduce (or reintroduce) them to listeners, before they were offered up as podcasts available on the streaming services.
CaptainDunsel 23 months ago
The radio show "My Favorite Husband" from 1948 to 1951, starred Lucille Ball and Richard Denning (best remembered as the Governor on the classic "Hawaii Five-O" TV series). This forerunner to "I Love Lucy" was one of the many radio series my father wrote for before he moved to films in 1952.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Favorite_Husband
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MrsPhilHarris justjeff 23 months ago
Lol yes! I found the exploding closet funnier on the radio than in the movie with Charlie McCarthy.
justjeff MrsPhilHarris 23 months ago
True... and the sound effects men were masters at their craft...
TheKodakKid CaptainDunsel 23 months ago
Many of the scripts from “My Favorite Husband” were retooled and used on “I Love Lucy.”
lynngdance CaptainDunsel 23 months ago
OH MY FRIGGIN GOSH!! YOUR DAD WROTE SCRIPTS FOR SUSPENSE?!?!? So cool!!!!! 😃 I’ve liked that radio show ever since I stumbled upon the episode that Donald O’Connor narrated called “Smiley” (very creepy episode…) Never did I think I’d come across someone on Metv whose dad wrote for it! Wow. 😃😄
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