“Ricky Sells the Car”

“Lots can happen in thirty minutes!” – Lucy Ricardo, Vice-President in Charge of Sneaky Swishes

(S5;E4 ~ October 24, 1955) Directed by James V. Kern. Written by

Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Filmed September 29, 1955 at Ren-Mar Studios. Rating: N/A

Synopsis ~ Ricky sells the car and then forgets to buy train tickets home for the Mertzes, which causes a temporary rift between the couples. 

This is the last complete episode set in Hollywood. 

When Desi Arnaz first read the script, he didn’t like it. He thought the two new writers, Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, had written it. But he changed his opinion when he learned that the old writers, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr., were responsible for the episode.

The show opens with some silly antics caused by Little Ricky (the Mayer Twins) getting into Ricky’s shaving gear. 

The scene is capped off with Fred returning from the store with billiard cues, instead of what Lucy actually sent him for: Q-Tips. Fred’s excuse is that “They wouldn’t sell me the tips without the cues.”  Um…maybe Desi was right after all?

When Lucy remarks that she has twice as much stuff going home as she did coming to Hollywood. Fred uses this as an opportunity to make fun of Ethel’s weight. 

FRED: “I’ve got twice as much Ethel as we had when I came out here. If Route 66 was downhill, I could roll you back to New York.” 

Route 66 was one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway System. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in the United States, opened in 1926 and originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending in Los Angeles County, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles. It was recognized in popular culture by both the hit 1946 song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” and the “Route 66″ television series, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964.  The Ricardos drove much of their journey to Hollywood on Route 66, especially in Texas and New Mexico, as seen in the above screen shot from “Ethel’s Hometown” (S4;E16). 

As Lucy is gathering up her son’s toys, she holds Little Ricky’s favorite Teddy Bear, which was seen being packed in “California, Here We Come!” (S4;E13) and sitting around the room when “Don Juan is Shelved” (S4;E22).  Lucy also holds a snare drum. This toy drum was made by Ohio Art especially for children. Thinking ahead, in “Little Ricky Learns to Play The Drums” (S6;E2), the gift of a snare drum threatens an end to the Ricardo marriage and their friendship with the Mertzes.  

Ricky phones from the Studio to tell Lucy that his friend Ralph Berger bought the Pontiac for what Ricky originally paid for it. Ralph Berger was the name of the head of the Desilu Art Department. He was nominated for an Oscar for Art Direction of The Silver Queen (1942). In the spring of 1955 he won an Emmy for Art Direction of a television version of “A Christmas Carol” starring Fredric March. He won a second Emmy in 1960 for “The Desilu Westinghouse Playhouse,” a show hosted by Desi Arnaz himself.

ETHEL: “I presume when Ricky sold the car the back seat went with it.”

Lucy calmly tells Fred and Ethel that Ricky has arranged for them all to take the train home. 

In a brief scene, Don Brodie plays the Union Pacific Railroad Clerk. Brodie and Lucy were busy contract players in the 1930s, both appearing un-billed in The Whole Town’s Talking (1935). Union Pacific Railroad would play a key role in the following episode, “The Great Train Robbery” (S5;E5), which features location footage of their ‘City of Los Angeles’ train.

Lucy gets a pitch in for Union Pacific’s new dome-liner and diner cars. These will be heavily promoted in the following episode, “The Great Train Robbery” (S5;E5), which will also be the first time a member of the main cast (Bill and Viv) leave the studio for location footage – albeit only to the Los Angeles train station. This partnership with UPR was the deciding factor in how the gang returned to New York, even if it is impractical in real life. The actual train route terminated in Chicago, where, presumably, the group transferred to a connecting train to New York City for “The Homecoming” (S5;E6). But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and keep the train on the proverbial tracks! 

Desi’s camera and lighting stand-in and frequent series extra Bennett Green plays the messenger who delivers the train tickets.

Doubtful that Ricky will spring for their train fare home, Fred purchases an antique motorcycle. He weighs it down with all their belongings, just like the Pontiac in “California, Here We Come!” (S4;E13). The Mertzes are even attired in vintage leather riding outfits!  Viewers who know their motorbikes guess that it is a Harley-Davidson Model DL 750cc from about 1929.

Oops! The sound of the motorcycle crashing happens before it is even off the screen. Also, Fred’s dialogue in this scene has been noticeably re-recorded (looped) because of the noise from the crash. In the above screen shot you can see the wire that pulled the motorcycle backward.  

When Ethel and Fred check out of the hotel to head home on the motorcycle and then come back when Ricky agrees to pay for their train fare, they have to get a new hotel room. The old room was 317 and the new number is 372.  This accounts for their room having a different layout than in previous episodes, something viewers sometimes mistake for a blooper.  

This is one of my personal favorite moments in the series.  Lucy and Fred scenes are rare (”Staten Island Ferry” being the exception).  I particularly love Vivian Vance’s reaction to catching her best friend with her hand in her husband’s jacket. The lines below betrays that Vance is an accomplished actress. You can see in her face that the character is trying to work out what is happening while at the same time slowly showing righteous indignation.

ETHEL: “What are you doing? 
LUCY: “Uh…”
ETHEL: “What are you doing?! 
LUCY: “Now Ethel, I can explain.”
FRED: (waking up) “What’s going on?”
ETHEL: “What are you doing???”

For once, Ethel shows a tinge of jealousy at Lucy’s attentions to her “old goat”! 

Knowing a furious Fred and Ethel will follow her back to her room, Lucy quickly picks up a magazine and pretends to be casually reading. She grabs the September 13, 1954 issue of Time Magazine, more than a year old at the time of filming. On the cover is Alicia Patterson, the publisher of Long Island Newsday. The paper was founded by Patterson in 1940 and is still published today. 

The episode has a bit of a twist ending, but all ends happily for the gang’s last day in Hollywood!

FAST FORWARD VRROOM! 

This episode has it’s own page in the “I Love Lucy” Sound Book, although sadly it does not include an audio clip of the motorcycle crash!  

In a 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show,” a motorcycle zooms by Lucy Carmichael selling maps to the movie stars homes. This time it is the driver who is old, not the cycle.  As the old lady races off on her bike, Lucy shouts “Say hello to Steve McQueen!”  Two of McQueen’s favorite things were racing and motorcycles. He famously rode a motorcycle in 1963’s The Great Escape. 

This three-wheeled police motorbike appeared in a 1963 episode of “The Lucy Show” ridden by Richard Reeves, who also did nine episodes of “I Love Lucy.” 

Lucy Carmichael’s California neighbor Mel Tinker (Mel Torme) kept his motorcycle indoors in this 1965 “The Lucy Show”. The bike is a 1962 Honda Dream. Question is – how did he get it up the stairs? 

In 1966, mates Lucy Carmichael and Anthony Newley get around mod London any way they can – including motorcycle and side-car. 

A biker gang shows up at Hamburger Hovel (home of the Bikeburger) in this 1967 episode of “Here’s Lucy” that reunites Lucy with Viv.