“Lucy Cries Wolf”

(S4;E3 ~ October 18, 1954) Directed by William Asher. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr. Filmed June 3, 1954 at Ren-Mar Studios.

Rating: 49.2/68

Synopsis ~ To test Ricky’s love, Lucy fakes being in danger. She thinks she has proved her point – until a real criminal shows up!

This was the 100th episode aired, but not filmed. This is one of five episodes filmed before the company went on summer hiatus but saved for broadcast during season 4. Although it was the first one filmed (June 3), it was aired third. The honor of 100th Episode filmed goes to “The Business Manager” (S4;E1), which everyone agreed was a stronger episode to kick off season 4. A cake celebrated the landmark, which read “The First 100 are the Hardest”. “I Love Lucy” would end just 20 episodes before episode 200.

The story combines Lucy and Ricky’s relationship issues with coping with urban crime, something that has been part of the series since the very beginning.

The title is based on the Aesop’s fable about a young shepherd who tricked his fellow villagers by shouting for help, pretending that wolves were attacking his sheep. Several times the villagers rushed to his aid, only to find the shepherd laughing at them. One day, some wolves actually came – and none of the villager’s believed him or came to his rescue.

The episode opens with a frustrated Lucy trying to get Ricky’s attention over his morning newspaper. This is a familiar scenario, having also started the second episode of the series, “Be a Pal” in 1951.

This time Ricky is reading the New York Daily Bulletin, a fictional newspaper that was likely created by the oldest paper prop maker in Hollywood, The Earl Hayes Press. The one blooper here is that Ricky is reading the FINAL EDITION at breakfast. Big city newspapers published a morning and evening edition, which would be the last (or final) edition of the day.

When the camera angle switches to Lucy’s POV, a small article titled THUGS ROB HOUSEWIFE can be seen in the middle of the page. It is this article that launches the plot of the episode and is recreated on the right. Upon closer examination, the font and spacing of this article are clearly different from the rest of the paper. It is likely that the text of the article was as per the script, so that Lucille Ball can just read what is printed.

Oops! The article about the crime says it took place at 527 East 65th Street. Like the Ricardo’s address of 623 East 68th Street, this is a fictional address. In Manhattan, 65th Street ends with the 400′s block.

This episode was not completely fictional for the cast. Crime even affected the Arnaz family.

While staying at the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago in 1950, Lucille Ball was robbed of her jewelry, including a 40 carat aquamarine engagement ring. They were playing the The Chicago Theatre with a vaudeville act to test material for their planned television series, “I Love Lucy.”

The episode has some things in common with “Equal Rights” (S3;E4, right). Just as in season 3, it was the boys against the girls, and Lucy again faked a criminal attack over the telephone to Ricky.

Also, the two arresting officers in “Equal Rights” (Fred Aldrich and Louis Nicoletti) are now on the other side of the law, playing the burglars who abduct Lucy. This is one of 5 series appearances for Aldrich and one of 15 for Nicoletti. In 1954, Aldrich was seen in the MGM musicals Brigadoon and There’s No Business Like Show Business as well as Lucy and Desi’s The Long, Long Trailer, which also featured Nicoletti.

A rare backstage shot of the apartment that Lucy has deliberately messed up to look ‘robbed’!

Ricky assures Lucy that if she were in trouble, he would drop everything and come home immediately.

LUCY: “What if you were doing a number? Would you leave in the middle of it?”
RICKY: “Right between the ‘Baba’ and the ‘lu’.“

MRS. DE VRIES: “Oh, it’s a nice wide ledge.”

Dutch-born actress Beppie de Vries plays Mrs. de Vries, an East 68th Street neighbor across the street who sees Lucy on the ledge and calls to see if everything is alright and inadvertently gives away Lucy’s game. Both the actress and the character will never be heard of again.

This is the first time the Ricardo’s living room window is used for anything other than scenery. When next we see Lucy on the ledge in “Lucy and Superman” (S6;E13) the ledge extends around the corner of the building to the window of the apartment next door. Here, it stops at the corner! In this episode, the building is made of small brick instead of large blocks, there are no pigeons, and there is no insert shot of the street below to show Lucy’s point of view from the ledge.

RICKY: “I don’t know whether something has really happened to her or she’s just yelling tiger.”
FRED: “You mean, crying wolf?”
RICKY: “Yeah!”

Oops! When Lucy crawls out onto the ledge, she leaves the window open. Fred and Ethel fail to notice that when they entered the apartment it was closed, but when they come back from searching the bedroom, it is open!

After hearing Ricky and the Mertzes ‘pretend’ that Lucy’s abduction is just a minor inconvenience, Lucy is angry!

Thinking that her loss will be insignificant to her loved ones, Lucy is sad! This camera angle looks a lot like Lucy is in jail, reinforcing the urban crime theme of the episode.

The episode ends on a somewhat disconcerting note with two criminals loose in the neighborhood and Ricky, Fred, and Ethel not believing ‘the girl who cried wolf.’