a blog post written for my We Love Lucy Blogathon
Edna Ferber's theatrical play, Dinner at Eight, was adapted for radio by the Campbell Playhouse in 1940. One of Orson Welles' productions, Dinner at Eight guest-starred Lucille Ball in the role of his wife, a character much like her role in Fancy Pants with Bob Hope, slightly uncouth and uncultured.
A farcical look at upper-class arrogance and oneupmanship, Dinner at Eight never actually shows the dinner, but all of the events leading up to the meal, including the hostess' difficulty in obtaining the correct number of people from the correct social class. She's forced to invite a couple from Texas, played by Orson and Lucy, who are potentially her least favorite people in the entire world due to their coarse manners and habits.
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I'm a bit of a radio buff and a huge Orson Welles radio fan, so it only made sense that I would eventually stumble across this play, but what I wasn't expecting was Lucy. In fact, I hadn't even paid much attention to the credits at the beginning as I was listening, and then Lucy's voice woke me right out of my reverie.
Lucy is truly a delight in this radio play. A whiny, flirtatious, coarse wife to an equally coarse Texas millionaire, whether she's complaining about boredom while at the same time thinking she's an introvert or stuffing her face with chocolate or illicitly flirting with her doctor, Lucy was brilliant as Kitty Packard. Adding the talented actress/gossip columnist Hedda Hopper into the mix as the much-tried dinner hostess was equally brilliant, and their scenes together smack of mutual distaste and loathing.
Not an altogether happy story, Dinner at Eight manages to be memorable because it deals in some of the more difficult topics. Despite its comedic beginnings, the play delves deep into themes of infidelity and suicide, reminding listeners that perhaps it's better to take each day as it comes and not put too many burdens of expectations upon ourselves or others. Maintaining a "keeping up with the Jones's" mentality is brutal so Dinner at Eight pulls no punches on the topic.
You can listen to Dinner at Eight on YouTube here:
I just subscribed to this gal's channel, by the way. She has so many radio programs listed and several with Lucy that I haven't heard yet! What a gem!
Once again, I wrote this post for my We Love Lucy Blogathon for 2020. I hope you'll take the time to wander over to the Blogathon page and read through the marvelous posts that other blogs have contributed. ❤
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