The first name of Lucille Ball’s main character on My Favorite Husband was Liz.
Ball played Liz Cugat in the program’s early radio version, which was based on Isabel Scott Rorick’s Mr. and Mrs. Cugat novels. Her husband was George Cugat, played first by Lee Bowman in the audition broadcast and then by Richard Denning in the regular series.
The surname changed to Cooper during the radio run, but Liz remained the character’s first name. That makes Lucy a tempting but incorrect choice: Lucy was Ball’s own familiar nickname and later became the first name of her character on I Love Lucy. Katy and Iris were also associated with My Favorite Husband, but they were supporting characters rather than Ball’s lead role.
My Favorite Husband aired on CBS Radio from 1948 to 1951 and helped provide the creative foundation for I Love Lucy. Several writers and performers, including Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh, moved from the earlier series into the later television classic.