LUCY & DESI Show The Secret of the SHREWS

The effects in this show were critical both for the plot ( such as it was...) and for the comedy timing. The SHREWS were supposed to be rubber props delivered from the warehouse late, so they weren't aavilable for the run-through before the live broadcast later that evening.

At the end of the first Act the long awaited crate arrives, is signed for and casually plopped on the set's couch center-stage. as the stage lights dim, the crate bigins to glow and vibrate. The lid pops off and several slimy red, furry, glittery tails emerge and wiggle out of the crate just before all goes black. The audience was amazed, since they had seen the crate being carried by hand into the space and it seemed as if all this was happening for real.

The sketches at the top from my notebook reveal the magic "secret" of the Shrews:

The sofa on set was specially built for the show with a small trap door in it, hidden by the tufts of the upholstery. C. LEE GIBSON, who assisted me in the constuction of the set and the direction of the show was hidden under the sofa for the entire first act! Poor Kid...but she did want to learn theatre!

The Shrew's Crate had a hole in it's bottom that wasn't visible to the audience as it was brought on set. Inside the crate was a small red spotlight and the rod puppet Shrew Tails. When the crate was set on the sofa, C. LEE quickly opened the small trap door and plugged the spotlight into an extension cord hidden inside the sofa. She gripped the rod that controlled the Shrews and along with the light cues from the booth above made the Shrews do their stuff. HA! So simple and yet so effective.

I should mention here that I NEVER built furniture for any show unless it had a secret purpose such as this. The other pieces that dressed this set were scrounged from trash piles on the front lawns of Fort Worth, then repaired, re-purposed and re-painted. I did this countless times when no budget was available.

I particularly loved the coffee table which was in perfect condition and just the right look and period for this show...all I did was spray paint it white!

The lower photo shows one of the Shrew hand puppets ( there were four of these which could pop up anywhere on the set to wreak their havoc. Here DENA BRINKLEY is menaced ( without noticing!) in the Kitchen set. More about that later.....