“Nursery School”

(S5;E9 ~ December 5, 1955) Directed by James V. Kern. Written by

Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Filmed November 3, 1955 at Ren-Mar Studios. Rating: 42.8/59

Synopsis ~ Lucy is reluctant to enroll her son in nursery school, but even more reluctant to leave him alone overnight in the hospital after having his tonsils removed.

The date this episode premiered, actor Paul Harvey died at age 73. In addition to doing seven films with Lucille Ball, he played the art critic from the New York Times in “Lucy Becomes a Sculptress” (S2;E15). 

This is the last episode before the trip to Europe storyline begins. 

Lucy says that she’s been reading Dr. Spock since Little Ricky was born. Benjamin McLane Spock (1903-98) was a pediatrician whose 1946 book Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care is one of the best-sellers of all time. The year this episode was filmed he published his third book, Feeding Your Baby and Child. 

• In “Little Ricky’s School Pageant” (S6;E10), Lucy calls Ricky “a regular Cuban Dr. Spock” when he tries to diagnose his son’s stage fright.
• Convincing their sons to deliver a cake for them, Viv calls Lucy Carmichael “The Dr. Spock of Danfield” in a 1964 episode of “The Lucy Show.” 

Oops! Little Ricky is called a 3-year-old several times in this episode, but in “Lucy Gets Homesick in Italy” (S5;E22) five months later, he is celebrating his third birthday!

A Mattel Jolly Jack-in-the-Box Music Box 1952 No. 461 is used by Lucy. 

Had the toy been turned toward the camera, the name would have shown and American would have seen the hideous face of one of the most nightmarish clowns in toy history! 

Lucy dubs her landlady “Ethel Bean-Spiller” when she feels uncomfortable about lying to Ricky about the baby going to Nursery School.  Lucy is mad that she let the cat out of the bag about her plan to enroll Little Ricky, but not actually send him to Nursery School. 

RICKY (to Ethel): “I wouldn’t know anything around here if you didn’t come up once in a while and spin the beans out of the cat bag.”

The first painting Little Ricky makes at nursery school is interpreted as an elephant sailing a houseboat. Lucy says he will be another “Grandpa Moses,” a reference to renowned folk artist Anna Mary Robertson Moses (aka Grandma Moses, 1860-1961) who didn’t begin painting until the age of 78. 

Olan Soule plays Little Ricky’s physician, Dr. Gettelman. Soule was a busy character actor who can be seen on reruns of “Dragnet” (1951) and "The Andy Griffith Show” (1960). Born in 1909, he is a descendant of three Mayflower passengers. At the age of 17, he launched his stage career and became involved in radio work in 1933. He was on the radio show "Bachelor’s Children” for 10 years becoming involved in film and television work when the show moved to Hollywood. In real-life, Dr. Eugene Gettelman was the name of the Arnazes pediatrician, caring for both Lucie and Desi Jr. The real Dr. Gettelman died in 2009 at the age of 100.

The teddy bear that Lucy smuggles into the hospital was later manufactured for retail sale, as were the pajamas Lucy wears before sneaking out of the apartment to deliver it to him. 

The teddy bear makes multiple appearances in the series, although it is not always the same bear. Mrs. McGillicuddy even packs it in the Pontiac before it is decided that she and Little Ricky will fly out to California instead of drive.

Little Ricky is hospitalized for a tonsillectomy but Lucy is distraught that parents are not allowed to stay overnight with their children. 

If the Ricardo’s address were real, they would only have one block to travel to the nearest hospital, the Weill-Cornell Medical Center (above), located at 525 East 68th Street on the East River.

The two speaking nurses in the episode had also played maids on the series. Iva Shepard (Day Nurse) played a maid at the Beverly Palms hotel in “Don Juan and the Starlets” (S4;E17). This was her last screen credit before leaving the business.

Stuffing the teddy bear under her coat, Lucy is at first mistaken for a maternity case!  The last time Lucy was at the hospital she really was – when “Lucy Goes To The Hospital” (S2;E16) to bring Little Ricky into the world.  

Maxine Semon (Night Nurse) played a maid at the Sands Hotel in a 1958 episode of "The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour,” and can be glimpsed in the Yankee Stadium scene of “Lucy and Bob Hope” (S6;E1).

Lucy and Vivian’s camera and lighting stand-ins Hazel Pierce and Renita Reachi play nurses in scrubs. Both are uncredited and have no lines. Pierce also played a nurse in “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (S2;E16). Seeing these nurses gives Lucy an idea how to get to Little Ricky’s room without being noticed.  

When Lucy has to convince the doctor not to operate on her patient (the teddy bear), she says he lives “all the way out in New Rochelle”!   New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, in the southeastern portion of New York state. It is a popular bedroom community of Manhattan because of it has easy access to Routes 95 and the New Haven railroad line. On “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” which aired on CBS concurrently with “The Lucy Show,” Rob and Laura Petrie lived in New Rochelle.  

• In a 1962 episode of “The Lucy Show”, Lucy mistakenly buys Viv an electric bed that runs amok. “If Aunt Viv ever fell asleep and left the motor running she’d wake up halfway to New Rochelle.”  Lucy and Viv lived in (fictional) Danfield, New York. 
• A year later, the Food Editor of the New Rochelle Bulletin calls Lucy for an interview about Crazy Crunch, her new caramel corn product.  

Robert Brubaker (Orderly) holds the distinction of being the only actor to play two re-occurring roles on TV’s "Gunsmoke.” On "I Love Lucy,” that honor belongs to Frank Nelson. Allan Ray (Orderly) had appeared as the clapstick man during “Ricky’s Screen Test” (S4;E6) and a waiter at the Brown Derby in “Hollywood at Last!” (S4;E16). He was also seen in the Lucille Ball films A Woman of Distinction (1950), Critic’s Choice (1963), and four episodes of "The Lucy Show,” all in 1963.

Howard Hoffman plays Dr. Barnett (center), the head surgeon who faints at the sight of a teddy bear. Hoffman had just 25 screen credits compared to Soules’ 250.

Twins Joseph and Michael Mayer played Little Ricky as a toddler from season 3 through season 5. They will do just two more episodes before the role is assumed by Keith Thibodeaux.  The episode ends with mother and child (and bear) sleeping side by side – a rare quiet fade-out for “I Love Lucy”!

FAST FORWARD! 

It’s deja vu for Lucille Ball when Lucy Carmichael also sneaks around a hospital in scrubs for a 1964 episode of “The Lucy Show.” 

In a 1969 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” another one of Lucy’s relatives gets his tonsils out – her brother-in-law Harry (Gale Gordon).