“Face to Face” aka “The Ricardos are Interviewed”

(S5;E7 ~ November 14, 1955) Directed by James V. Kern. Written by

Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Filmed October 20, 1955 at Ren-Mar Studios. Rating: 44.3/61

Synopsis ~ Lucy and Ricky are scheduled to appear on a TV interview show from their home. But his new agent says the apartment is a dump, and urges them to move into ritzier quarters.

Ricky’s new agent Johnny Clark visits to tell Ricky that ‘Dick and Oscar’ are very interested in him for their new show, and that Ed Sullivan also wants him as a guest. This is yet another reference to Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II (above), who were not only composers of some of Broadway’s biggest hit musicals, but also producers of television and film. 

Clark tells Lucy and Ricky that he just came from a meeting with Bing.

A huge multimedia star from 1934 to 1954, Bing Crosby (above) was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses. He was frequently seen with Bob Hope, who also frequently teamed with Lucille Ball. Crosby was mentioned on at least five other episodes, but never appeared on the show. 

Clark also tells Ricky that he thinks he’s got him “planted on the Sullivan show next month”.  “The Ed Sullivan Show” (aka “Toast of the Town”) was a Sunday night staple on CBS.  In addition to hosting performers on the stage of their New York theatre (above), celebrities would also be in the audience, and get introduced by Sullivan to get camera time.  This is what is meant by “planted” on the Sullivan show. A year earlier, the show devoted an entire hour to “I Love Lucy” featuring all four of its stars.  Lucille Ball appeared on the show a dozen times during her career and Desi Arnaz made eight appearances. 

The new agent is from Associated Artists and is played by John Gallandet. The character also appears in the following episode, “Lucy Goes to the Rodeo.” The actor was one of William Frawley’s best friends. Between 1937 and 1948 the two appeared in seven films together. Gallandet and Lucy were in Twelve Crowded Hours together in 1939. Along with Desi Arnaz, he was one of the pallbearers at Frawley’s funeral in 1966. 

Clark bluntly says that now that Ricky is a movie star, he should move our of this ‘dump’ to a fancier apartment. He calls the building a ‘crummy joint’.

FRED: “They don’t build ‘em like this anymore!”
CLARK: “They haven’t built them like this in more than a hundred years.”

When Lucy hears her apartment will be on TV, she immediately starts picking up Little Ricky’s toys that are strewn around the room. The nagging question is since Lucy knew Ricky had an important business associate coming over, why didn’t she clean up the toys earlier?  

Practically speaking, leaving toys around the apartment reminds viewers that the Ricardos had a child – even when he is not seen or referred to!  Lucy holds a ‘ray gun’, stacking rings, a sand pail, a jack-in-the-box and a toy trolley.  The toy trolley was seen previously in “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (S2;E26) and will reappear in “Lucy and Superman” (S6;E13).

On the coffee table is the November 15, 1955 copy of LOOK Magazine. Although the cover story is on Africa, inside is a story on Lucille Ball that promotes the film Forever Darling. 

“Darling, I love you but give me Park Avenue!” ~ Lisa Douglas

Clark leaves some real estate brochures for Lucy to peruse. Although the name of the company is redacted by tape on the cover of the brochure, it is not on the back cover. There is also a two-page view of Manhattan as seen from a Park Avenue penthouse. 

Just for fun, the next day Lucy goes to look at one she later describes as “an $11,000 humdinger” – that’s like 107,000 ‘dingers’ in today’s economy! She is shown the apartment by a Mrs. Skyler. Sadly, viewers never see the apartment or Mrs. Skyler. 

Fred and Ethel concoct a plan to pick a fight with the Ricardos so that they will move – for the good of Ricky’s career, of course. This same tactic will be tried once again in season six when Lucy and Ricky consider moving to the country. 

When Ethel insults Lucy, something amazing happens. Lucille Ball slams her fist down on the card table so hard that the score book that was lying flat flies up in the air and lands standing on its edge!  What are the odds?  

Confusion sets in when (unbeknownst to the Ricardos) Fred fields interest in their apartment and it gets back to the Lucy and Ricky. 

While on the phone with Aunt Martha, Ethel calls herself “Little Ethel” which causes William Frawley to look down at Vance’s posterior and smirk.  When Ethel hangs up the phone, it does not sit in the cradle correctly.  Comforted by Fred, Ethel dissolves into tears at the thought of losing her best friend and the scene cross fades to Ricky comforting Lucy in tears about losing HER best friend!  

Later, Lucy gets a phone call from Aunt Martha checking to see if Uncle Elmo will fit in their bathtub. We learn that Ricky is five foot eleven and a half inches  tall. Coincidentally, Lucy also has an Aunt Martha, whom she names a salad dressing after in “The Million Dollar Idea” (S3;E13).

The fight culminates during their appearance on a live TV interview show called “Face to Face” hosted by Edward Warren.  During the interview, actor Elliott Reid could not see the other actors. The effect seen here was added in later. 

Warren is a parody of Edward R. Murrow (right), who hosted “Person to Person” from 1953 to 1959. Elliott Reid, the actor who played Warren, had appeared on Broadway in Julius Caesar with Orson Welles but was also a master imitator who studied tapes of Murrow to perfect the characterization. During the Kennedy administration his impersonation of JFK got him invited to the White House to perform for the President himself. Lucy must have also approved of his work, as Reid later guested on two episodes of “The Lucy Show” and two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Any resemblance between “Face to Face” and last season’s “Breakfast with Ricky and Lucy” is completely understandable!

• Both shows are broadcast live from the Ricardo apartment
• Both shows feature the Ricardos and the Mertzes
• Both use the same TV camera
• Both feature a table set with Lucy’s finest

  Quaker Lace

  tablecloth

• Both shows start off well and go horribly wrong!

As in “Mr. and Mrs. TV Show” (S4;E5) the television camera has had the RCA logo removed from the side. RCA was the parent company of NBC, CBS’s rival.  

During Ed Warren’s introduction, he says that they are calling Ricky “a second Valentino”.  Ricky was compared to Latin heartthrob Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) by Mrs. Trumbull in the previous episode.  In Hollywood, we learned that Valentino was Mrs. McGillicuddy’s favorite movie star. 

Despite all the talk about Ricky’s film debut, the picture he made is never named. And it never will be!  

Fred can’t resist staring into the camera and sending ‘shout-outs’ to his pals in Steubenville, Ohio as well as the guys down at Joe and Bill’s Barbershop, including someone named Lefty!   This leaves the question – why is

‘follicularly challenged’

Fred Mertz hanging out in a barbershop?  Is Lefty one of Fred’s boxing pals?  One imagines that Ethel keeps a pretty tight leash on Fred, not allowing him near places that sell alcohol or that allow gambling.  

The phone number that Fred advertises on the back of his shirt is PLaza 5-6098, one of the many phone numbers the Mertzes have over the years. Others include CIrcle I-2099, CIrcle 7-2099, and SKyler 4-8098.

Ethel’s Aunt Martha’s phone number is GRamercy 3-8098 (473-8098). 

The episode also features a rousing chorus of “Rancho Grande,” a Mexican song written in the 1920s. The previously mentioned Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1939 and it reached the #6 spot on the charts. Crosby recorded the song again in 1954.

Lucy and Ethel once again encounter some troublesome chocolates, just as they famously did in “Job Switching” (S2;E1). The television lights have caused the sweets to melt. She finds them “difficult to swallow.”

Monty Masters (aka Mongomery Banta)

plays the “Face to Face” director. Masters was also on “Dragnet” during this period and was active behind the cameras, coincidentally as an AD (assistant director). Desi’s camera and lighting stand-in Bennett Green plays the cameraman. 

Little Ricky is mentioned, but not seen in the episode. Other unseen characters are Mrs. Skyler, Lefty, Aunt Martha, and Uncle Elmo. 

The gang makes up with each other and, just like Murrow, Warren signs off by bidding the audience “Good night, and good luck!” The well-known catch-phrase was later the title of a 2005 film that featured David Strathairn as Murrow. 

Four days after this episode first aired in November 1955, “Person to Person” visited the West Orange, New Jersey, home of burlesque king Harold Minsky. Two years later Murrow made the cover of Time Magazine.