“Lucy Gets Chummy with the Neighbors”

“Oh,
Lucy, you’re such a clown.” ~ Betty Ramsey

(S6;E18 ~ February 18, 1957) Directed by William Asher. Written by

Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller, and Bob Weiskopf. Filmed on January 10, 1957 at Ren-Mar Studios. Rating: 38.0/49

Synopsis ~ Lucy’s new neighbor, Betty Ramsey, talks her into buying all new furniture, and Ricky demands that she return it. 

The episode introduces the Ricardo’s new Westport neighbors, the Ramseys,  and indulges in one of Lucy’s favorite pastimes, redecorating!  Series favorites Frank Nelson and Mary Jane Croft make their initial appearance as the Ramseys.

Betty Ramsey is played by Mary Jane Croft. Croft had appeared twice previously on the series, as socialite Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy is Envious” (S3;E23) and as Evelyn Bigsby, the new mother sitting next to Lucy (and her cheese) on the plane in “Return Home from Europe” (S5;E26). She will play Betty Ramsey in a total of five episodes. She married producer Elliott Lewis in 1959. Croft went on to appear on both “The Lucy Show” and "Here’s Lucy,” both times using her own name as her character name. Her last appearance with Lucy was in the TV special "Lucy Calls the President” in 1977. Croft died in 1999.

We also meet Betty’s husband, Ralph, played by Frank Nelson, who had made numerous https://papermoonloveslucy.tumblr.com/post/627326646507175936/ray-ferrell on Lucille Ball’s radio show “My Favorite Husband.” He had also been in “Return Home from Europe” (S5;E26) with Croft, in addition to appearing in eight other episodes. Of those eight, three of them were as quiz master Freddie Fillmore, making Nelson the only actor to play two recurring roles on “I Love Lucy.” Ralph Ramsey worked at the Burton Warshman and Ramsey Agency, which was either a TV or ad agency. We also learn that Ralph is a member of the Westport Country Club and proposed the Ricardos’ name for membership. Nelson would play Ralph Ramsey in only one more episode, “Country Club Dance” (S6;E25), but would be featured as the Cruise Director of the RMS Caronia when “Lucy Takes a Cruise To Havana,”  the very first episode of "The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour” in the fall of 1957.  He would return for an episode of “The Lucy Show” in 1963. Later in life, he concentrated on voice work. He died in 1986.

Betty and Ralph have a son, Bruce, played by Ray Ferrell. The eight year-old would play Little Ricky’s neighbor and friend in two more episodes, one more than Frank Nelson, who played his dad. In 1959 he was a regular on the short-lived CBS sitcom satire “Peck’s Bad Girl.” He left show business in 1961 and died in 2006 at the age of 57.

The Ramsey home is exquisitely decorated with a framed print of Claude Monet’s “Cliff Walk at Pourville” (1882) on the wall in the foyer.  The original painting currently resides at the Art Institute of Chicago.

In real-life Ramsey was the surname of writer Bob Weiskopf’s neighbors when he lived in Westport, although the first names were taken from Ralph and Betty Alswang, a Broadway designer and his wife who were integral in familiarizing writer Madelyn Pugh with Westport so that it could be realistically depicted on the small screen. 

Coincidentally, in 1975 playwright / composer Richard O’Brien chose Ralph and Betty as the names of the newly married couple who appear at the start of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The new furniture that appeared in this and subsequent Connecticut-based shows (both "I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) was given to Desilu from the manufacturer. Many companies tried to get their products on the show because it was so popular. It was Desi’s idea to use two sofas back-to-back because of the fireplace. The short back-to-back sofas would soon be replaced with longer ones.

The wall clock frequently seen next to the door to the kitchen in the New York apartment turns up in the Connecticut furniture shop. It was an electric banjo clock made by the Trend Clock Company of Zeeland, Michigan.

This is the fifth set of new furniture the Ricardos had in the six years since the show started. The piano is the only piece of furniture to survive the entire series. Practically speaking, new furniture provided a visual face lift for a basically house-bound series assuring that viewers didn’t get bored with the ‘look’ of the show. This is not the last of Lucy’s penchant for buying new furniture: she continued her love for redecorating on a budget in both “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.”

When Lucy is told that what she thought were price tags are actually stock numbers, she has spent just $1,900 (including the little stool she buys for $24.50) after her 40% discount and trade-in allowance on her old furniture. After the scene fades out she continues to shop and runs her total up to $3,272.65, which would be like spending more than $30,000 in a furniture store today!

Oops! When Lucy finally tells Ricky that the total cost of the furniture is $3,272.65, Desi Arnaz makes a rare flub and repeats the total as $3,292.95, $20.30 more than Lucy had just said.

Parley Baer (Mr. Perry, the furniture store salesman), had previously played Mr. Reilly in “Ricky Needs an Agent” (S4;E29). He was seen in five episodes of ”The Lucy Show” and two of “Here’s Lucy.” He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles as Mayor Stoner on “The Andy Griffith Show” (filmed at Desilu) and Doc Appleby in "The Dukes of Hazzard.”

When trying to make an excuse for why the furniture has to be returned, Lucy tells Betty that she thinks Chinese modern would look better. This is a callback to “Lucy Tells the Truth” (S3;E6) when Lucy tells Carolyn Appleby her new Chinese modern furniture looks like “a bad dream you’d have after eating too much Chinese food.”

Calling the Mertzes, Lucy uses a handy flip-up telephone index. In the pre-digital era this ‘rolodex-type’ of mechanical index could be found on office desks and in the home next to the telephone.

Starting with this episode, Lucy wears her hair shorter. Her bun is not nearly as poofy or long. She liked the way her hair looked in this style, but the sponsors didn’t, so she quickly went back to her traditional bun.

In 1957 Lucy still has to dial zero and speak to the operator to call the Mertzes, who (at this point) are still living in New York City. She asks to be connected to SKyler 4-8098. This is the third and final telephone number that the Mertzes will have on the series before they move to Connecticut to join the Ricardos. Their previous numbers were CIrcle 1-2099, CIrcle 7-2099, and PLaza 5-6098. The first two letters matched number on the telephone dial and were originally chosen to match the names of New York City neighborhoods. The Ricardos and the Mertzes telephone numbers were continually changed to keep from airing broadcasting privately held telephone numbers.

When the misunderstanding about the between Betty and Lucy spreads to the boys, Ralph rescinds his offer for Ricky to appear on one of his agency’s TV shows, saying “We’ll get Cugat!” For the entire run of the series, Cuban bandleader Xavier Cugat’s name has been used for comic effect, depicting him as Ricky’s arch-rival, when in fact he was a friendly colleague and former employer of Desi Arnaz.

Under the heading “Westport Has No Staying Power,” a February 1957 issue of Confidential Magazine reported that the game show “Twenty-One” had edged out “I Love Lucy” that week adding that “it was the first time that ‘Lucy’ had ever been topped by a competing half-hour show.”

FAST FORWARD!

While furniture shopping in 1966, Lucy Carmichael mistakes the price and can’t afford her purchases, just like “Lucy Gets Chummy With The Neighbors”.