“Sentimental Anniversary”

(S3;E16 ~ February 1, 1954) Directed by William Asher. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll, Jr. Filmed December 17, 1953 at Ren-Mar Studios. It was the 82nd episode filmed. Rating: 61.1/82

Synopsis ~ It’s the Ricardos’ wedding anniversary and Lucy and Ricky plan a romantic dinner at home. Fred and Ethel, however, have other ideas.

[Note: Despite the color photo above, the episode has never been fully colorized.]

This episode was filmed just two weeks after Desi surprised Lucy with a 13th wedding anniversary party at the Mocambo. Both the Ricardos and the Arnaz’s were married on November 30, 1940. This was also the last episode filmed before the Christmas 1953 break.  

Happy Birthday! The day this episode first aired (2/1/54), actor Billy Mumy was born in San Gabriel, California. Ten years later, he co-starred with Lucille Ball in an episode of “The Greatest Show on Earth.” 

The day this episode was filmed (11/17/53), musician Dean Paul Martin Jr. (aka Dino) celebrated his second birthday.  At age 13 he joined Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy Hinsche in the pop group Dino, Desi, & Billy, which had a few minor hits between 1965 and 1968.  Lucille Ball and his father Dean Martin were friends and frequent co-stars. 

The afternoon this episode premiered, CBS debuted the soap opera “The Secret Storm.”  It was seen on the network for the next 20 years, leaving the airwaves in 1974, the same year “Here’s Lucy” came to an end. 

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Just like “Lucy Becomes a Sculptress” (S2;E15), the episode opens with insert shots of the Ricardo family photo album. The writers specifically wanted to use pictures of Lucy and Desi on their real wedding night and honeymoon. They knew that Lucy had these photos in her dressing room and specified exactly which ones to use in their script. The photo of the newly married Mertzes, however, is actually a prop created using two different snapshots of Vivian Vance and William Frawley in their youth. 

Vance had a terrible cold the night this show was filmed. If you listen closely, you can hear it in her voice. We learn that the Mertzes live in apartment 3C.

Lucy convinces Ethel to show her where Ricky has hidden her anniversary present – expensive Stone Marten furs. After much wheedling (and some blackmail about her domestic economizing), she helps Lucy find her surprise. 

Lucy’s gift to Ricky (hidden in the closet) is a set of MacGregor golf clubs and the company logo is clearly visible for a few moments. MacGregor Golf was founded in 1897 and is the second oldest golf company in the United States after Spaulding. MacGregor clubs were used by famous 1950s golfers like Jimmy Demaret, who played himself in “The Golf Game” (S3;E30) later that season. In that show, Ethel says that the reason the boys are so devoted to golf is because Lucy bought Ricky golf clubs for their anniversary.

Desi Arnaz himself was crazy about golf and that year even built a home in Palm Springs, California, adjacent to a golf course so that he could play on weekends. In the episode prior (“The Charm School” S3;E15), Ricky and the men are in the kitchen talking about golf. 

Lucy shows Little Ricky the album of family photos. Michael and/or Joseph Mayer play the role. Mrs. Trumbull (Elizabeth Patterson) is mentioned, but does not appear in the episode. 

For the special occasion, Lucy buys a brand new dress. If the show had been in color, audiences would have seen that it was an elegant chocolate brown outfit with a periwinkle blue bodice. She also wore it to ‘21’ in “Mr. & Mrs. TV Show” (S4;E9) and to the theatre in “Ethel’s Birthday” (S4;E8). In 2004, it was one of the outfits chosen to be part of “The Official ‘I Love Lucy’ Paper Dolls” book based on the original designs of Elois Jenssen.    

To assure that they have privacy for their intimate dinner at home, Lucy fibs and tells the Mertzes that Ricky has a business dinner with Rodgers and Hammerstein. This is one of several series mentions of the famous Broadway composing and producing team.  What Lucy and Ricky were to 1950s television, Rodgers and Hammerstein were to 1950s Broadway.  The foursome (plus Viv and Bill) appeared together in 1953′s “Dinner with the President.”

In a short scene set in the hallway, there is a print of “Woman in White Dress” by Leonard Campbell Taylor (1874–1969) on the wall. This is one of the few scenes to take place in the apartment’s hallway. 

Seeing the card table is already set up, Ethel says “They must have been playing Scrabble.”  Just before “Tennessee Ernie Visits” (S3;E28, above) Lucy and Ricky are playing the game, although the scene was often cut in syndication. Scrabble was first marketed in 1938 and is still one of the world’s best selling board games. The year this episode was filmed there were major changes to the game’s rules. 

The Mertzes give the Ricardos a silver cigarette lighter. Although Fred is shocked to see the price tag says $32.50, Ethel admits the the real price was $4.95. 

Fred is rightfully shocked, in today’s economy (accounting for inflation) $32.50 is like more than $300!  Lucy is equally appalled to discover that Fred’s skinflint ways have rubbed off on her best friend!

While Lucy and Ricky are trying to have their romantic dinner in the closet, they have lit the candles. Lucille Ball’s eyes occasionally dart nervously toward the lit candles as they totter atop the suitcase perched on their laps. The balancing act pays off, but is a bit distracting. 

When Fred goes to open the champagne, he is chided by Ethel. Although it is never blatantly stated, it is sometimes inferred that Fred Mertz, like William Frawley himself, had a problem with alcohol. When reading the newspaper for possible new business opportunities in “The Diner” (S3;E7, above), Ethel quickly shoots down the mere mention of a cocktail lounge, much to Fred’s chagrin. 

For their surprise party, Fred and Ethel invite the usual gang of extras, including Lucy and Desi’s camera and lighting stand-ins Hazel Pierce and Bennett Green. The pair are often given small roles and even have a few lines of dialogue from time to time. 

Also on the guest list is Lucille Ball’s good friend Barbara Pepper (center) and Vivian’s stand-in Renita Reachi (black hat). Pepper was one of the front-runners for the role of Ethel after Bea Benadaret passed. 

ETHEL: “Isn’t that a beautiful cloth?!” 

A Wilendur Dogwood print tablecloth takes center screen when the Mertzes set the table for the surprise party. Wilendur is a popular vintage brand of tablecloth. Ethel, however, brings paper napkins, not the matching cloth ones pictured here.  

Oops!  Lucy gets a fur for her anniversary present, but leaves it laying on the chair in their apartment instead of wearing it out to dinner. Ethel didn’t seem to wonder why Lucy wouldn’t have worn her new fur for such an important occasion. 

Oops! In the wide shot of the Ricardos’ return, the camera catches both the studio lights in the ceiling and the plaster line (where the ‘apartment’ carpet ends) on the floor.  These errors were computer fixed on the DVD but can still be seen in syndication prints.

Unusually, it is Ricky who saves the day – not Lucy – by throwing a champagne bottle from the closet through the open kitchen shutters to create a diversion. During the confusion, Lucy and Ricky sneak out the front door and they quickly return to shouts of… 

“Surprise!”