Union Suit Fans in the Limelight: Henry Poses in His Union Suit!

Seth of Bangor, Maine emailed last week to say that he had enjoyed a new show on Netflix called "Living With Yourself" starring Paul Rudd as Miles Elliot. He said there was a scene in Season 1, Episode 4 wherein the boyfriend of Miles' sister posed in his Union Suit so that she might create a sculpture. Coincidentally, I had viewed a couple of episodes of this new show myself and thought it really good. You see, Miles was unhappy with this life. He had heard from a co-worker that a strip mall spa could help make him a new man. Desperate and hopeless, he visited the spa and accepted the owners' guarantee that they could give him a makeover that he would be thrilled with. He paid big bucks for their promise of a new life. In actuality they cloned him and, well, you've got to see the show because from here it's a bit hard to explain.

Anyway, I continued to watch additional episodes and sure enough, the boyfriend poses in his union suit as he dispenses advice to Miles. Pretty entertaining new series. Here are some shots from Episode 4.

Jon Glaser stars as Henry, the boy friend posing in his Union Suit.

From Netflix, October, 2019, "Soul Mate"

"Henry"

Henry and Fred, Models and Union Suit Fans in the Limelight

Long before Henry was posing in his union suit for his girl friend, some 66 years before, Fred Mertz was talked into posing in his union suit for Lucille Ball in an episode of "I Love Lucy,' entitled, "Lucy Becomes a Sculptrus."  In Season Two, Episode 15, dated January 12, 1953, produced by Desilu Productions, Lucy decided she wanted to sculpt the human body. After her husband, Ricky, and best friend, Ethel, turned her down, she convinced Ethel's husband, Fred (William Frawley), to pose for her. He padded down from his New York apartment in his long underwear and socks. He climbed up on a table and posed as a discus thrower. Lucy was thrilled at the prospect of becoming a famous artist. I remember as a boy watching this show in syndication with my parents who loved Lucy.  Here's Lucy and Fred:

Ricky returns home from a day rehearsing at his club, sees Lucy scuplting Fred in his union suit, and bursts out laughing!

Fred steps down to leave but has been standing so long posing, he can not straigten up. Ricky helps him out the door so he can return to his apartment still in his union suit!

Lucy's sculpture of an Olympian discus thrower....

This sculpture of Fred looks similar to Henry's. In television just as in real life, "What goes around comes around!"