“Lucy’s Night in Town”

(S6;E22 ~ March 25, 1957) Directed by William Asher. Written by Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller, and Bob Weiskopf. Filmed on February 21, 1957 at Ren-Mar Studios. Rating: 38.4/51

Synopsis ~ Lucy has tickets to a big Broadway musical, but she mistakenly got seats for the matinee instead of the evening show.

This episode takes the foursome to the Broadway musical The Most Happy Fella. Because the Arnazes were investors in the show the original cast album and show poster were used in the filming. The show was simultaneously playing at New York’s Imperial Theatre, although except for an establishing shot of the theatre’s exterior, the episode was filmed entirely in California.

Coincidentally, the Imperial Theatre was where Desi Arnaz made his Broadway debut in Too Many Girls (1939). In 1979, his daughter Lucie Arnaz also made her Broadway debut at the Imperial in They’re Playing Our Song. Vivian Vance appeared there in 1941’s Let’s Face It! starring Eve Arden. The 1,443 seat theater opened in 1923 and is still in operation today.

The episode utilized the Frank Loesser songs “Standin’ on the Corner,” “Big D,” and “Don’t Cry” – all sung by the original cast: Susan Johnson, John Henson, Alan J. Gilbert, Shorty Long, Roy Lazarus, and Art Lund. Although Robert Weede is billed on the marquee, he is not heard in any of the songs, nor is leading lady Jo Sullivan, the composer’s wife, although both were nominated for 1956 Tony Awards. This is not the first Frank Loesser musical to be featured on “I Love Lucy.” A scene from the 1955 film Guys and Dolls was inserted into the MGM executives show in “Lucy and the Dummy” (S5;E3), but was cut for syndication and the DVD.

Some Theatre Geek Nit-Picking: 

• As they only have two tickets, the foursome decide that the girls will see the first half of the show, and the boys the second. In reality, however, The Most Happy Fella is a three act musical.
• In the episode, the intermission comes immediately after the song “Standin’ on the Corner,” but in reality this song is actually performed in the middle of Act One.
• “Don’t Cry” ends the show’s first act, but in the episode it opens the second half.

Little Ricky (Keith Thibodeaux) is sent to Bruce Ramsey’s for a sleep-over while his parents and godparents are having a night in town. Since relocating to Westport, the Ramseys seem to have replaced Mrs. Trumbull as Little Ricky’s go-to babysitter.

Lucy is seen ironing her Calaprint tablecloth, an item featured in several previous episodes before the move to Connecticut.

At Meegham’s Chop House, Lucy and Ethel order roast beef (medium) with mashed potatoes and Lima beans. The gang previously dined out in “Lucy Changes Her Mind” (S2;E21), where Lucy also initially orders roast beef before considering steak, just as she does here.

One of the diners in the background has been identified as Kay Garrett (nee John), who was a background player from 1948 until his death in 1960.

Lucy’s nutrition advice (designed to stall for time):

Everyone should chew their food 25 times before swallowing, just like the animals do, because hot food is bad for the stomach. You also should peel Lima beans to get the most out of them because the nutrients lie underneath the upper epidermis.

Lucy leaves her seat to get Ricky some orangeade and search for Ethel’s lost purse. Although the beverage is no longer commonly served, it was was once an extremely popular drink at theatres and cinemas. In “Little Ricky’s School Pageant” (S6;E10) the show’s directing chores are given to Clifford Terry, who owns an orangeade stand and promises to serve the drink free at intermission.

The gang had previously attended the theatre to for “Ethel’s Birthday” (S4;E8, above) to see the fictional “Over the Teacups.” Just as it is here, the home viewer’s point-of-view is of the audience, with only audio of the unseen stage action.

A scene from The Most Happy Fella. Something the TV viewers DIDN’T see!

Fred spends his day in the city collecting the rent money which (he says) he put in Ethel’s purse. The amount is just $500, which wouldn’t even be a third of a monthly rent payment today, let alone for an entire New York City brownstone. Ricky notes that Fred took from 10:30am till 7:30pm to collect the rents, and that the curtain time is 8:30pm, leaving them just under an hour to eat dinner. During the 1950s shows typically started at 8:30pm or even 8:45pm.

Joseph Kearns (Theatre Manager) returns to the series after playing psychiatrist Dr. Tom Robinson in “The Kleptomaniac” (S1;E27). Kearns was perhaps best remembered for playing George Wilson on “Dennis the Menace.”  When he passed away in 1962, “Lucy” alumnus Gale Gordon stepped in to play the character’s brother, Henry.

LUCY: “After intermission, we’ll just stroll back in with the crowd. We still have our programs in our hands; nobody will stop us.”

“There was a time when ‘second-acting’ – sneaking into a Broadway theater at intermission before the second act – was as common as the cigarette break in the middle of a musical. It was a time-honored rite of passage, practiced by generations of starving actors and students of the theater. It required a confident air, a visible copy of Playbill and the belief that somewhere there would be a free seat. But today, when security is ultra-vigilant and shows are under pressure to sell out night after night, the practice has all but gone dark.” ~ The New York Times

The latecomers sharing the theater box with the gang are John Eldredge, who had appeared in The Marines Fly High (1940) with Lucille Ball, and Doris Packer, who later returned to play Paul Douglas’ prim secretary in “Lucy Wants a Career,” a 1959 episode of The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.” She was also in a 1963 episode of “The Lucy Show,” although she is probably best remembered for her recurring roles on “Leave it to Beaver” (1957-63) and “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” (1960-63).

There is also a couple sitting in the rear box. Paul Power returns to the series after presenting Ricky a ‘Best Dressed’ award at the end of “Changing the Boys’ Wardrobe” (S3;E10). He also appeared in three episodes of “The Lucy Show.” Leoda Richards will return to attend “Country Club Dance” (S6;E25) that introduces Barbara Eden as Diana Jordan. Richards appeared with Vivian Vance on Broadway in Anything Goes (1934) and would be glimpsed over Christopher Plummer’s shoulder during the party scene in the film The Sound Of Music (1965). Richards re-teamed with Lucy on four episodes of “The Lucy Show,” as well as the film Yours, Mine & Ours (1968).

Jody Warner (Usherette) was simultaneously playing the recurring role of Jean Jantzen on “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” (her screen debut) when she appeared in this episode. Paul Cristo was also seen in two episodes of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” and two of “The Lucy Show,” as well as the film Critic’s Choice (1963).

The woman who owns the purse Ethel mistakes for hers is played by Gladys Hurlbut, who had appeared with Lucy and Desi in their 1953 film The Long, Long Trailer.

Louis Nicoletti, a frequent “I Love Lucy” day player, plays the role of the Chop House Waiter.