Madelyn Pugh Davis
Madelyn Pugh Davis was a script writer of five-time Emmy-winning television show “I Love Lucy,” starring Lucille Ball. Along with Bob Caroll Jr., Davis wrote 179 episodes of the top-rated CBS comedy show. She also worked for NBC and CBS, and was a pioneer for female journalists.
Davis was born in Indianapolis on March 15, 1921. She attended Short Ridge High School, where she was the editor of The Echo, one of the first high school daily newspapers in America.
In 1942, she graduated from Indiana University with a degree in journalism. She worked as a writer for WIRE in Indianapolis before working as a staff writer for CBS in Hollywood. Davis was only the second woman ever hired at CBS and her official title was “Girl Writer.”
Three years later, Davis was partnered with television writer Bob Carroll Jr. who was working at NBC at the time. The duo co-wrote “The Couple Next Door,” a short show about a newlywed couple.
Davis and Carroll also wrote “It’s a Great Life” and “My Favorite Husband” together.
Most famously, Davis and Carroll are known for their writing of “I Love Lucy.” By 1951, they began working together writing scripts for the sitcom that ran for six seasons.
In 1991, the show was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. “I Love Lucy” was also voted the ‘Best TV Show of All Time’ in a 2012 survey from ABC News and People Magazine.
Davis was also inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame a year prior. She also received three Emmy award nominations and a Golden Globe.
In 1992, Carroll and Davis were awarded the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel award for achievement in television writing, from the Writers Guild of America. In 2001, they were honored by the UCLA Film School for their lifelong work in television.
Davis passed away in California on April 20, 2011 at the age of 90. Her legacy will remain as one of the most important writers involved with the iconic “I Love Lucy” show and as a pioneer for female journalists.
February 2025
By Lily Saylor
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