(S5;E14 ~ January 23, 1956) Directed by James V. Kern. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Filmed December 8, 1955 at Ren-Mar Studios. It was the 141st episode filmed. Rating: 51.5/66
Synopsis ~ Aboard the S.S. Constitution headed to Europe, Lucy is hoping for a second honeymoon, but unfortunately Ricky is busy working to pay their fare.
The episode opens with Lucy contentedly singing “Sailing Sailing Over The Bounding Main” a song written in 1880 by Godfrey Marks, a pseudonym of British organist and composer James Frederick Swift (1847–1931). The Desi Arnaz Orchestra incorporated the tune into the underscoring of this and the previous episode, “Bon Voyage” (S5;E13).
The S.S. Constitution (29,500 tons; 683 feet; speed 26.1 knots; capacity 1,000 passengers) was a real ocean liner owned and operated by American Export Lines. Christened in 1951, it had a nearly identical sister ship, the S.S. Independence.
Four months after this episode aired, Grace Kelly sailed aboard the Constitution from New York to Monaco for her wedding to Prince Rainier.
The ship was also featured in the 1957 film An Affair to Remember starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.
In 1959, the ship was enlarged to handle an additional 484 passengers. The Constitution was retired in 1995 and while being towed to the scrapyard sank off the Hawaiian Islands on November 17, 1997. American Export Lines reportedly paid Desilu Productions $12,000 to be a part of the episodes. The actual ship, however, was only used for establishing shots. The rest of the scenes on board were filmed on a sound stage in Hollywood.
A postcard for the ships describes it thus:
“Modern American living at sea is yours aboard the S.S. Independence and her sister ship, S.S. Constitution. First completely air-conditioned trans-Atlantic luxury liners, these great ships provide frequent, rapid service to all Europe via the Mediterranean. Sailing the pleasant Sun-Lane Route to Europe with 87% rain-free days. American designs, American fabrics, even an American soda fountain and true American hospitality characterize the friendly informality and fine service on the S.S. Independence and the Constitution. The stunning Sea Island Club, charming Independence (or Constitution) Lounge, the gay Boat ‘n Bottle Bar, set the scene for many good times.”
Since his busy schedule has him playing at the Boat ‘n Bottle (right), we can rightly say that Ricky Ricardo and his Orchestra played at a “gay” bar!
The romance of the sea has even affected the Mertzes, who use the voyage as a chance to rekindle their romance, as unlikely as that seems.
While Lucy wants to do all the activities she’s read about in the ship’s newspaper “The Sun Lane News,” Ricky has an itinerary of his own.
RICKY: Come on. Smile.
Naturally, Lucy has a plan to get Ricky all to herself, but her plan gets stuck – literally!
The first couple to sign up for activities is Mrs. and Mrs. Theodore Osterlander III, played by unidentified extras. The reason their name is announced is to set up Lucy’s next joke.
LUCY: Ethel, what’s the name of this boat?
ETHEL: The S.S. Constitution, why?
LUCY: From the way everybody’s paired up, I thought maybe it was the S.S. Noah’s Ark!
The plot of this episode very closely follows the adventures of Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Lorelei’s dinner companion turns out to be a seven year-old boy, just like Lucy’s ping pong partner turns out to be young Kenneth Hamilton played by nine year-old Harvey Grant*. Grant had played the youngest son in CBS TV’s “Life With Father” from 1953 to 1955.
Lucy gets stuck in a porthole just as Lorelei did, also draping a blanket around her shoulders so passersby wouldn’t know what was really going on.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes the motion picture premiered on July 1, 1953, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and was based on the long-running Broadway musical of the same name starring Carol Channing. The show closed just one month before “I Love Lucy” premiered in October 1951. It is probably best remembered for the song “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” by Jule Styne. In common with this episode and the film is extra Monty O’Grady, who played a passenger on both vessels! When watching the film, also look for “I Love Lucy” actors Norma Varden (Mrs. Benson in “The Ricardos Change Apartments”), Elliott Reid (Edward Warren from “Face To Face”), and Bennett Green (Desi’s stand-in and veteran background player).
This is the second time Lucy wears this Elois Jennsen blue chiffon dress. She’d also wear it when she visits the English countryside and in Havana, Cuba.
In the Boat ‘n’ Bottle Bar, while Lucy dances with Kenneth Hamilton, Ricky sings “Cielito Lindo”, a Spanish folk song written by Quirino Mendoza y Cortes. This version is done with a Samba tempo. Ricky previously sang it in “The Freezer” (S1;E29) and “The Publicity Agent” (S1;E31).
Ethel calls Fred “King of the Samba” and he replies “Arthur Murray look out!” This is one of many mentions of dancer and dance studio owner Arthur Murray on the series. He had a television program from 1950 to 1960 called “The Arthur Murray Dance Party.”
At the end, Ricky is discovered on the ship’s deck singing Lucy a romantic ballad:
My love is true, amor tierno,
I promise you amor eterno,
So cling to me, dear,
And say you’ll never let me go.
Because I love you so,
Querida mia.
The camera pulls back to show viewers that Lucy has no feet – she is still stuck in the porthole and welders are trying to cut her free.
When Ethel and Fred come up and Ricky is trying to explain that Lucy is stuck, first Ricky says “She’s stuck!” Then Ethel says “She’s stuck?”. Right before Fred delivers his line, you hear someone in the studio audience say “Yeah, she’s stuck!”
The passengers and crew were played by:
- Bennett Green* (voice of the Welder), Marco Rizzo (Pianist), and Louis Nicoletti* are series regular extras.
- Tyler McVey* (Activities Director) makes the third of four appearances on the series.
- Monty O’Grady was only on the series once, but returned for 14 episodes of “The Lucy Show” and 6 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
- Harold Miller had been in the audience of “Over the Teacups,” the play the foursome see on “Ethel’s Birthday” (S4:E8). Coincidentally, he was also in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Eerily, Miller played one of the passengers who went down with the Titanic in the 1953 film. Of his more than 630 film and TV appearances, eight of them were alongside Lucille Ball.
- Joseph La Cava (bartender) returned to work with Lucy in an episode of “Here’s Lucy” and was seen as a restaurant patron in Mame (1974).
- Paula Winslowe* was one of two actors to play Gale Gordon’s wife, Mrs. Martha Conklin, on the Desilu series “Our Miss Brooks.” She was later seen in an episode of “The Lucy Show.”
- Herbert Lytton* (Man in Deck Chair) later sailed the high seas again, as Admiral Reynolds on “McHale’s Navy.”
- Steve Carruthers was also in the Lucille Ball / Bob Hope film The Facts of Life and was seen in two episodes of “The Lucy Show.”
- George Bruggeman was also in the The Facts of Life and “The Lucy Show” as well as joining Lucy and Desi for a 1959 Milton Berle TV special.
- Flower Parry was also glimpsed in “The Dancing Star” (S4;E27) and “The Homecoming” (S5;E6). In real life, she was the first wife of Jackie Coogan.
- Virginia Barbour* had played the mind reader’s assistant in “Lucy’s Mother-in-Law” (S4;E8) and a waitress in “Lucy Goes To Vegas” (TLS S3;E17).
- Joan Carey (Boat ‘n’ Bottle Bar patron) was a frequent series background player. She would later become Lucille Ball’s stand-in on “The Lucy Show.”
- Rocky the Bloodhound
- French Poodle who leads Rocky astray
The name of the Captain is Jacobson, although we never meet him.
* = verbally credited by announcer Johnny Jacobs over the final credits.
The episode was sponsored by Sanka and Lilt.
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