“Bonus Bucks”

(S3;E21 ~ March 8, 1954) Directed by William Asher. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll, Jr. Filmed on February 4, 1954 at Ren-Mar Studios. Rating: 57.8/83

Synopsis ~ Lucy finds the winning dollar bill in the newspaper’s Bonus Buck contest, but lets it slip through her fingers. Now she has only a few hours left to get it back to qualify for the cash prize! 

This episode revolves around a newspaper contest: win $300 if your bill’s serial number matches the one published in the paper. These contests were quite common in the 1950s, and were also sponsored by car dealerships, radio stations and other businesses, but they were generally called Lucky Buck contests. 

Due to their sponsorship by Philip Morris, the writers were discouraged from using the word ‘lucky’ prominently on the show, afraid that it would be a subliminal message to viewers to go out and buy Lucky Strike, a competing cigarette brand. During season five, Van Johnson’s affiliation with Lucky Strike delayed his guest appearance from “The Star Upstairs” (which went to Cornel Wilde) to “The Dancing Star” (S4;E27). 

A few months earlier, the “Amos and Andy” radio show had aired an episode called “Lucky Bucks Contest” (December 27, 1953).

Ricky mentions that the odds of finding one are pretty remote as there are 8 million people in New York City, a number that has risen to 8.4 million today. 

Lucy mentions that she is due for a win after having failed to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar at the drugstore and not winning the Irish Sweepstakes. The Irish Sweepstakes were created in Ireland in the 1930s to help fund hospitals. Despite tickets being illegal outside Ireland, millions of tickets were sold in the US, the UK and Canada, where lotteries were generally illegal. 

Fred holds out hope by claiming to have found a diamond ring in a box of Cracker Jack. When Lucy thinks he’s kidding, Ethel holds up her wedding ring. This is the second of several references inferring that Ethel’s ring is so cheap that it was found inside the box as one of their famous ‘prizes’. The first was in “Breaking the Lease” (S1;E18). Ethel makes a similar joke several years later in “Building a Bar-B-Q” (S6;E24).

FRED: “Cancel our subscription.”
ETHEL: “We don’t take this paper.”
FRED: “Well, order a subscription, and THEN cancel it!”

The fact that the Ricardos and Mertzes subscribe to different newspapers was common at the time. During the heyday of newspaper publishing, New York City had as many as seven daily papers, some with morning and afternoon editions. In the pre-cable TV and internet age, newspapers and magazines played an important role in daily life and hence – in “I Love Lucy” as well. 

Despite the odds, Ricky finds a Bonus Buck in his wallet but decides to let Lucy have the thrill of discovering it for herself. Ricky warns Fred not to tell Ethel, who Fred calls “Miss Walkie-Talkie”. 

When secretly putting the bill in her purse, he finds a dozen random items, including one of Little Ricky’s toys, 

and a safety pin chain!  This is a gag about the unusual items found in women’s handbags.  It is also a clutch purse, making it like a ‘clown car’ moment.  Ricky must cram the items back in the tiny purse after hiding the bill. 

Oops!  When Lucy stirs in bed, Ricky suddenly ducks and one of the emery boards from Lucy’s purse falls on his head and lands on the floor. This stray item could unravel Ricky’s plan. If Lucy woke up and saw her emery board on the floor, she would know someone (Ricky) had been in her purse.  The jig is up! But since this is a blooper, that didn’t happen!

When showering, Ricky tucks the bill into the pocket of his pajama top. This scene gives us a rare glimpse of the Ricardo bathroom (which has a bathtub, but no toilet) and Ricky’s bare chest! 

When the laundry man (Tony Michaels, last seen in “Be a Pal” S1;E2) comes to the door, Lucy grabs the pajama top and stuffs it into the laundry bag. Little Ricky is played by the Mayer Twins. Although Mrs. Trumbull is mentioned (someone has to mind the baby while the chaos ensues), she is not seen in this episode. 

Oops! Why Lucy is sending out laundry when Ricky just bought her a brand new washing machine a few episodes back (“Sales Resistance” S3;E17)?

The grocery delivery boy was played by Don Garner, who also played a delivery boy in “The Diner” (S3;E27).  Perhaps it wasn’t customary, but Lucy fails to tip the delivery boy, counting out exactly $3.85 for her delivery. If the market was close enough for Lucy and Ethel to exchange their checked dollar bills for unchecked ones, why do they need delivery service?  

Although the Ricardos and Mertzes read different papers, they both smoke Philip-Morris Cigarettes!  A carton is sticking out of both of the delivery boy’s boxes. 

Interestingly, Lucy has on a different dress to go to the laundry than she had on that morning, one that would match the specially-built starched costume of the show’s hilarious fade-out.

The Laundry Checker at Speedy Laundry was played by Frank Jaquet, a short, paunchy, character actor who specialized in playing pompous windbags and villains. He appeared in nine Broadway shows from 1934 to 1945. 

CHECKER: “Now, please, just one of you tell me your story in just plain English. You.” (points to Ricky)

RICKY (In one big breath): “Well you see I found a Bonus Buck and I brought it the house last night I wanted to surprise my wife with it Y la senora se lo dio al grocer and then he took it downstairs he gave it to the manager of the apartment who’s Mrs Mertz in the change and then when they come up she said she had found the Bonus Buck actually well Bonus Buck que le puse en la cartera anoche and then we had a big fight and then we tore it up she had a half and we had a half and then we decided together maybe we’d go down to the newspaper office and win the $300 y entonces yo fui a un shower y la puse en el top de la pajama se lo dio al muchacho del laundry and it’s here… we got to get it back.” 

(Blank stare from the Checker)

LUCY (Simply): “Look, you you picked a fine one to tell you in plain English. There’s a little slip of paper that’s worth $300. It’s in the pocket of my husband’s pajamas and I sent it to the laundry.” 

CHECKER (Incredulously, to RIcky): “Is THAT what you was trying to say?”

The episode allows Lucille Ball to do what Lucy did best: physical comedy. She is buried in a laundry pile and climbs a ladder onto a moving conveyor belt, all while being chased by a woman with a crowbar.

Oops! In a rare blooper, when Ricky bursts into the laundry room the crowbar falls off the wall and the laundry sorter (Patsy Moran) had to look for it on the floor. Patsy Moran appeared in 1944’s Meet the People with Lucy, a film made by RKO, the studio that would become Desilu.

Oops Again! When Ricky and the Checker barrel through the doors just in time to stop the sorter from bashing Lucy on the head, the door opens wide enough that viewers catch a glimpse of the backstage and crew members. 

When Ricky wants to tell Lucy which of the many laundry bags to find the half Bonus Buck, he says “The blue one, honey!”  While all the other laundry bags are white, the Ricardos is deliberately colored blue (or what the viewers saw, dark gray) to help the plot and provide visual continuity. This is where the 2019 colorized version is particularly helpful.  

Because the episode was so riotously funny, the actors had to keep shouting “starch vat” over and over again because the studio audience was laughing so hard that it was difficult to hear the lines. If the audience didn’t understand where Lucy ended up, the episode’s comic ending wouldn’t have made any sense. 

The man at the newspaper office is played by John Frank.  

After all the expenses of the adventure are deducted… 

• -$29 for the taxi cab
• -$25 extra for the cab driver to go really fast 
• -$50 for a speeding ticket for going really fast
• -$10 for overalls to wear into the laundry 
• -$185 for repair of damage to the laundry 

A very starchy Lucy’s ‘bonus’ is a single (bonus) buck! 

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FAST FORWARD

In 1957, a short clip from this episode was used in a short animated film by Terrytunes called “Depth Study.” Meant as a CBS sales film, it was designed to explain the impact television has in shaping the country’s outlook toward the ntertainment and live historical events it presented (via CBS, naturally).

In a 1964 episode of “The Lucy Show,” “Lucy and the Missing Stamp” (TLS S3;E14), Lucy Carmichael also hides in a sack and fights a losing battle with a conveyor belt – this time in a post office while searching for a rare stamp. 

A custom doll creator named Dolls By Maria created a Lucy doll inspired by this episode. 

CBS announced two newly colorized episodes of “I Love Lucy” to ease your post-Tax Day blues! “Bonus Bucks” will be joined by “The Million Dollar Idea” (S3;E13) first broadcast January 11, 1954, under the umbrella title of “Funny Money Special.” This brings the total number of colorized episodes to 16 of the 180 episode catalog.