Richard Denning (March 27, 1914 - October 11, 1998)

I was only 14 years old when Richard Denning passed away but I remember reading about it and feeling sad. Now, eleven years later, I feel even worse. He was a great actor who had a marvelous career and I wish more attention was given to the long list of accomplishments that this actor left behind. Between 1937 and 1968 he appeared in 91 films. The more notable ones being The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), The Glass Key (1942), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) and An Affair to Remember (1957). On television he could be spotted during the early days of the medium on such programs as "The Bigelow Theatre", "Cavalcade of America", "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars", "TV Reader's Digest", "Cheyenne", "Celebrity Playhouse", "Crossroads", "Lux Video Theatre", "The Ford Television Theatre", "General Electric Theater", "Studio One", "Going my Way" and "Karen." In 1948 he joined the cast of "My Favorite Husband", a domestic radio comedy which starred Lucille Ball. Denning played the role of George Cugat (later Cooper) husband to Ball's zany housewife Liz. The show also featured Ruth Perrott as Katy, the Cooper's maid, Bea Benaderet as Liz's best friend Iris Atterbury, Gale Gordon as Iris' husband and George's boss Rudolph Atterbury and Hans Conried as neighbor Benjamin Wood. Together Lucille Ball and Richard Denning brought the airwaves to life with their portrayal of Liz and George. The series aired for three seasons before CBS executives wanted to move it to television. It was then that Lucille Ball decided that she wanted to co-star with her real life husband Desi Arnaz and the wheels went into motion to create "I Love Lucy." I always wondered what Richard Denning had to say about the way that went down. I also wonder what the show would have been like if Denning played Lucy's husband instead of Desi. "I Love Lucy" is a treasure and a masterpiece and I wouldn't want it changed for anything but it's just interesting to think about what it would have been like if Denning, Benaderet and Gordon played Lucy's co-stars. In 1952, Denning found another job on radio playing Jerry North on the comedy/detective series "Mr. & Mrs. North" opposite Barbara Britton. The show also saw a two season run on television with Denning and Britton from 1952 to 1954. In 1959, Denning played Dr. Greg Graham on the television series "The Flying Doctor" but it was canceled after 39 episodes. During the 1960-1961 television season he played the title role in "Michael Shayne." At the same time he also made guest appearances on programs such as "I Spy" and "McCloud." By 1968 the actor was looking to slow down a little and he accepted the role of Hawaii Governor Paul Jameson on the drama series "Hawaii Five-O" on the condition that his role be recurring and that he didn't have to appear every week. The producers agreed and he remained with the show until it went off the air in 1980. Between the end of "Hawaii Five-O" and his death in 1998 Richard Denning made no other acting appearances. A profession he once loved so much became a very pleasant memory. For me he will always be George Cugat/Cooper...putting up with the zany antics of his kooky wife Liz. As I have stated in the past, Ball and Denning had wonderful chemistry together on radio as husband and wife. Maybe not as wonderful as she and Arnaz had but it was still wonderful. I would love to know how Lucille felt about Richard Denning as a co-star and actor. I think it is a shame that her radio career never came in any interviews she did. Lucille Ball had an incredible talent for radio and that is something that is over looked in almost all discussions about her career. "My Favorite Husband" was her vehicle to becoming a super star and I don't think that would have happened if she didn't have as good and talented a leading man as she had in the great Mr. Richard Denning.