Madelyn Pugh

Madelyn Pugh (March 15, 1921 – April 20, 2011), sometimes credited as Madelyn Pugh Davis, Madelyn Davis, or Madelyn Martin, was an American television writer who became known in the 1950s for her work on the I Love Lucy television series.

Early life and education Pugh was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to I. Watt Pugh, a bank treasurer, and Louise Huff. She had two older sisters, Audrey and Rosalind. She graduated in 1938, two years before Vonnegut.

Career Pugh became interested in writing while serving as Friday editor of the Shortridge High School daily newspaper in Indianapolis, Indiana with classmate Kurt Vonnegut.

Pugh and Carroll helped create a vaudeville act for Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, which became the basis for the pilot episode of I Love Lucy. Together with Oppenheimer and/or Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, who joined the show at the beginning of the fifth year, the team tackled 39 episodes per season for the run of the series. Although they never won, Pugh and Carroll were nominated for three Emmy Awards for their work on the series.

Pugh and Carroll are credited with helping create the 'Lucy' character, which Ball played in one form or another for over 40 years. The pair also wrote episodes for The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (aka The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour) and Ball's final series, Life with Lucy (1986).

The pair's other writing credits include work on the television series The Jane Wyman Show, The Paul Lynde Show, Dorothy, Those Whiting Girls, Kocham Klane (an I Love Lucy series remake in Poland) and The Tom Ewell Show. They also worked on the films Forever, Darling and Yours, Mine and Ours, starring Ball. They created and wrote the Desi Arnaz Productions series The Mothers-in-Law (filmed at Desilu), which starred actresses Kaye Ballard and Eve Arden. The two served for seven years as executive producers of the long-running television series Alice and occasionally contributed scripts, one of which was awarded a Golden Globe Award. Cover of Laughing with Lucy Pugh Davis died on April 20, 2011, aged 90, in Bel Air, California.

Works and publications

Portrayal in popular media Pugh was played by Alia Shawkat (younger) and Linda Lavin (older) in Being the Ricardos, a 2021 film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin.

Awards Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. 1955, Emmy nomination for comedy writing, I Love Lucy 1970, Emmy nomination for "Lucy Meets the Burtons" episode, Here's Lucy 1979, Golden Globe as Producers for Alice 1990, Television Academy Hall of Fame award, I Love Lucy 1992, Writers' Guild of America Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Achievement 1999, "Loving Lucy" award, Lucy Convention 2001, UCLA Lifetime Achievement award

Madelyn Pugh Davis 1957, Los Angeles Times Times Woman of the Year Award 1957, Women in Communications award 1960, Kappa Kappa Gamma Outstanding Alumni award 1972, Indiana University Distinguished Alumni award 1996, Women in Film Lucy Award 1998, Indiana Broadcasters Award 2006, Paley Center for Media "She Made It!" honoree