You may think of Fred and Ethel Mertz as the neighbors on "I Love Lucy" but From 1954 until 1958 "December Bride" was a situation comedy seen on CBS right after Lucy aired. So December Bride was a Lucy neighbor, too!
Although this series has been long forgotten, LenW's Youtube channel has posted much of the series from washed out reruns on a local station. It is really a hoot for any fan of "I Love Lucy" as the whole series has a "Lucy" aura to it. The laugh track, the music, the set and even the bit players are very familiar.
If you have never seen this series you are in for a treat. Here a a few discoveries I have made as an "I Love Lucy" fan.
The laugh track is the same as from "Lucy." You will often hear the famous "oh-oh" on December Bride (the "oh-oh" lady was supposedly Lucy's mother!).
The series starred Spring Byington, Dean Miller, Frances Rafferty and Harry Morgan.
Remember Mrs. Porter, the maid hired by Lucy? Mrs. Porter was none other than Verna Felton who played the much more adorable character Hilda in "December Bride"!
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Here's Joseph Kerns (who appeared as the theater manager and doctor on "I Love Lucy")
Here's Desi Arnaz himself guest starring in an episode
I even spotted Lucy's stand in Hazel Pierce in the background on at least one episode.
The background music sounds very familiar. Wilbur Hatch uses incidental music which sounds much like a Lucy episode.
The set looks very "I Love Lucy" like to me. The kitchen door and sink are in the same position as are the open windows leading into the living room area.
Any Lucy fan will recognize these names from the credits
And of course get ready for the Desilu logo!
From what I have read "December Bride" didn't do well when CBS moved it out of its post Lucy time slot. The show later aired daytimes on CBS and was in syndication but never fared too well. One reason is they said children couldn't relate to the story lines as the cast was older. I don't know about that, however it would be great if someone could rescue this show from the archives of oblivion and let us see it again from clear prints! Until then thank you LenW for giving us the rare chance to visit with Lucy's neighbor "December Bride". A real treat.
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