“Drafted”

(S1;E11 ~ December 24, 1951) Directed by Marc Daniels. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr. Filmed on November 2, 1951. It was the 9th episode filmed, but the 11th aired.

Synopsis ~ A letter from Fort Dix makes Lucy and Ethel think that Fred and Ricky have been drafted. When the boys catch their wives crying and knitting socks, they assume that they are pregnant. Confusion reigns when the girls hold a surprise going-away party for their husbands at the same time as the boys hold a surprise baby shower for their wives.

Like many early episodes of the show, this plot is almost identical to “George Is Drafted – Liz’s Baby” (#115), a January 1951 episode of Lucy’s “My Favorite Husband” radio show.

Early in the episode, Lucy gets a postcard from the Bishers, who are on vacation in Florida. The comedy trope of the landlord / landlady (Ethel) reading the tenants’  postcards to keep up on gossip is used here!

Geoffrey Mark Fidelman, author of The Lucy Book, quips that this is one of the few times we can be sure that Ethel and Fred have some sort of sex life. Otherwise, why would Fred so quickly believe that Ethel could be pregnant? 

Re-sealing Ricky’s letter from Fort Dix, Ethel says “I’ve had lots of practice at this” but in “Lucy Meets the Mustache” of “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour” (1959, above), the reverse is true when Lucy has to get a letter from Ricky’s Uncle Alberto back into an envelope!

Fort Dix Army Base is a real-life military installation in Burlington County, New Jersey, that first opened in 1917. On July 15, 1947, it became an Army basic training center and the home of the 9th Infantry Division. Ricky and Fred are performing for the troops because this episode was filmed during the Korean War (June 1950-July 1953). The draft (aka conscription) has been employed by the federal government on three occasions. The third came into being in 1940 and ended when the United States military became all-volunteer in 1973. 

Fred remembers that he did a Civil War act in vaudeville and still has the costumes. Fred wears the Northern Army uniform, while Ricky, in gray, is “Stonewall Ricardo, from South Havana.”

Desi Arnaz himself received his draft notice in 1943, but before reporting, he injured his knee. He completed his recruit training, but was classified for limited service in the United States Army during World War II. He was assigned to direct United Service Organization (USO) programs at a military hospital in the San Fernando Valley. 

There is no record of William Frawley serving in the military, but future episodes will talk about Fred Mertz serving as a doughboy in World War One, with time spent in France. 

In this episode, Desi hums a few bars of the song he wrote (with Eddie Maxwell) for the birth of his daughter called “There’s a Brand New Baby in Our House.” The song will be featured on the series to celebrate Little Ricky’s birth in “Sales Resistance” (S2;E17, above) in 1953.

The names of the guests invited to the going-away party / bridal shower were taken from some of Desi and Lucy’s real-life friends. 

• Edward Buzzell had directed Lucy in 1943’s Best Foot Forward. 

• Victor Orsatti 

  is the name of the Arnaz’s neighbor and fellow producer. In “The Visitor From Italy” (S6;E5) the character Mario Orsatti is given his surname. 

• Ed Sedgwick tutored Lucille Ball in comedy when she first arrived in Hollywood and gave away the bride at Lucy and Desi’s 1949 church wedding. 
• The letter from Fort Dix is signed by Commander Maurice Thompson. In reality, Maury Thompson was the script clerk and camera coordinator of “I Love Lucy.” 

The guests who crammed into the tiny closet are played by uncredited extras. 

The first guest to arrive, however, is played by Hazel Pierce, Lucille Ball’s camera and lighting stand-in for the next two decades and a frequent background performer in many episodes. 

Oops!  When the fifth of the six guests is wedged into the closet, the pole for the hangers comes loose at one end. It is fixed by the time the sixth guest enters the closet.   

Oops!  When stashing the guests in the closet Ethel requests a second glass of milk. Her next line “I must have had something salty for dinner” sounds distinctly like it was dubbed in later, possible because it could not be heard over audience laughter. During the line, the camera shot is of Ricky so Vivian Vance did not need to match lip movements with herself in post production.  

Early episodes of the series often featured specially lit close-up shots like the one above. Cinematographer Karl Freund came from the world of films so composing portrait shots like this were doubtless his contribution. Eventually, these were eliminated because they were time-consuming and expensive.  

Because William Frawley only learned his own lines and tossed away the rest of the script, he was often out of the loop on jokes that did not center on him. Such is the case in this “Oh crap!” moment above.  The only one who doesn’t understand the gravity of the door knock is Fred – who is the only one who doesn’t go suddenly wide-eyed!

Lucille Ball explored this premise again – this time during the Vietnam War. In “Lucy Gets Caught Up In The Draft” (TLS S5;E9), a 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show,” Lucy herself gets a draft notice because the government thought Lucy Carmichael was actually Lou C. Carmichael. 

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Announcer: “Lucy and Ricky will be back with a little surprise!”

This episode aired on Christmas Eve 1951 so a “Jingle Bells” / Santa Claus tag scene was added to the end. It showed all four main cast members dressed like Santa as they discover a fifth St. Nick who turns out to be the real thing!  

The ‘real’ Santa was played by Vernon Dent, who earned more than 400 movie and TV credits between 1919 and 1957. Dent was a staple foil of The Three Stooges.

This tag scene was used many times throughout the series and was the basis for the official Christmas special (above) shot during season 6, where Santa was played by A. Cameron Grant. 

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FAST FORWARD!

While reviewing the daily mail, Clara discovers a letter addressed to Cuba from the command of a military unit. The letter ‘opens’ by itself and Clara reads that Cuba has to appear at a military unit. Clara is terrified that they want Cuba in the army. Hanna warns her that a war may break out, and they will make Cuba an agent.