I Love Lucy Westinghouse Refrigerator

[classiccaprice]

Hey everybody! I'm getting rid of my 1951 Westinghouse Refrigerator as seen in the first few seasons of I Love Lucy. Here's my craigslist add for it. It's not working currently, though could be a cool project. If a member wants it they can have it for free. They just need to pick it up! Let me know!

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/atq/2552576591.html

 

[arbilab]

We had one of both the fridges featured on I Love Lucy, as well as the range (but bread never came lunging out of ours).

Note that they switched to the 'power door' model and then back to the original. If the script called for opening the door and the stagehands forgot to plug it in, it wouldn't budge unless you knew the trick--hold the pad in and pry the door open. In the days of live commercials, that exact thing happened to Betty Furness. She went to demonstrate the power door but it wasn't plugged in and she didn't know the trick. Tres embarrassmoint.

 

[appliguy]

Arbilab..that did not happen to Betty Furness.....

It was an actress named June Graham who was standing in for Betty. If you watch the clip on youtube a person left this comment bellow:

The actress is June Graham, who went on to star as "Maggie Scott" in "The Guiding Light" (1965-1968). I had the pleasure of getting to know June much later in her life (and in a very different context) - but she loved telling the story of this commercial filmed in 1954. The problem, it turns out, was that someone had kicked the plug out of the wall. PAT COFFEY

 

[arbilab]

I dunno. I had Betty Furness in my mind long before the internet made it impossible to tell what was true and what wasn't. I've even seen the original clip, also before the internet and CGI. Think I saw it live, can't swear to it. And I thought I knew what Betty Furness looked like, her being the Westinghouse commercial spokeswoman for at least an entire season.

OTOH, since the closing voiceover said "Dore Schary played himself" and we found out later it was Vivian Vance's husband as Schary cancelled at the last minute after the voiceover had been recorded, even BEFORE the internet it was impossible to tell what was true and what wasn't.

 

[supersuds]

Long before the Internet, I saw Betty being interviewed about it on the Today show (she had retired as their consumer reporter) and she said it wasn't her.

Of course, this is the Internet I'm relating this story on, so you don't know if it's true or if I just made it up.

 

[classiccaprice]

Parts are also available, if I can't find a home for the whole fridge. It even has the origional "W" tempered glass for above the drawer.

 

[arbilab]

I'm not very good identifying faces. Visually it could have been someone else. But I'm good at identifying voices, and Furness had a rather distinct delivery. Cross between June Lockhart and Anita Bryant. Furness was also the spokeswoman of record for Westinghouse at the time, not to say she couldn't have been substituted.

On the one hand, I watched ILL in original release. OTOH, it was 60 years ago, and I can't always remember what I had for dinner the night before unless the remnants are in today's trash.

 

[appliguy]

<span style="font-size: medium;">And I thought I knew what Betty Furness looked like, her being the Westinghouse commercial spokeswoman for at least an entire season. </span>

...actually Arbilab she was the Westinghouse Spokeswoman for 11 years...from 1949 until 1960....PAT COFFEY

 

[arbilab]

I wasn't taking notes back then. Just that I Love Lucy was the only 'adult' show that did anything for me and dad worked for Westinghouse so we had most of their appliances. He also met Desi Arnaz on a plane, told him I was a fan, and Desi had the kind consideration to call me from the airport and chat for a few minutes. I was 10-11. (Yes, he really talks that way.)

I could see Furness denying it after the fact, likely her most embarrassing on-camera moment of all time. So even her saying it doesn't necessarily make it so. Wasn't she Miss America or something?

 

[arbilab]

No, she wasn't Miss America but an actress of little notoriety until she became the 'Westinghouse Lady'. I see where Wiki says she was substituted for that particular show. The substitute would likely be as similar as possible. So when everyone saw a 'Westinghouse Lady' looking similar and fighting with the power door, they made the attachment that it happened to Betty. The star of the blooper was the fridge anyway.