“The Club Election”

“You know, television has changed the thinking of the entire world.”

(S2;E19 ~ February 16, 1953) Directed by William Asher. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll, Jr. Filmed on September 12, 1952 at General Service Studios. Rating: 69.0/92

Synopsis ~ It’s election time at the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League, and Lucy and Ethel are vying for the presidency!

The script was based on “Women’s Club Election” (aka “Liz Is Elected Women’s Club Treasurer”) episode #56 of Lucille Ball’s radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on September 30, 1949.

Two days after this episode first aired (February 18, 1953) and two weeks after Lucille and the show won Emmy Awards, Lucy and Desi signed an $8 million deal to continue “I Love Lucy” through 1955.

This is one of five episodes filmed in late summer of 1952 and saved for broadcast until after Lucille Ball started her maternity leave. All included opening scenes that mentioned and/or showed the Ricardo baby and then flashed back to an earlier story. These opening scenes were normally discarded when the episodes were repeated or in syndication but are preserved on DVD.

This episode opens with Ricky feeding the baby when Ethel stops by to see Lucy, who is out shopping for the baby.

Ethel wants to remind Lucy that their club is having nominations for officers, which prompts Ricky recall the last time the group held elections [insert episode here].

The opening includes an insert shot of infant Ricky Ricardo Jr.  This is probably footage of James John Ganzer shot after his birth to be newborn Little Ricky.  The blankets are the same as the insert shot from “Lucy Goes To The Hospital” where we meet the character for the first time, although they do not match the swaddling Ricky holds in this flashback opening.

This is the first appearance of the characters Marion Strong and Lillian Appleby, played by Margie Liszt and Doris Singleton, respectively. When we next see Marion Strong she will be played by Shirley Mitchell and Lillian Appleby will have her first name changed to Carolyn. Doris Singleton later said that Lucille Ball didn’t like the sound of the name Lillian for some reason. She suggested Doris use her real first name, but Doris didn’t like that idea. So, Lucy just came up with Carolyn on the spot. Interestingly, the script originally listed her name as Applegate, but Lucy changed all the club members’ names to those of people she knew in real life. Lillian Appleby was Lucy’s favorite elementary school teacher while the others were personal friends of hers. Singleton made ten appearances on the show, as well as several on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy,” where she finally relented and allowed her characters to be named Doris!

In this episode, Grace Munson is played by Hazel Pierce (Lucy’s stand-in and frequent day player) although the role would later be played by Ruth Brady when she shows up in season six. It seems Grace and her husband Harry also made the move to Connecticut.

The club woman sitting on the couch between Marion Strong and Grace Munson is not identified – neither the actress nor the character.

Whoever she is, she turns up again at the end of the episode dancing at the Tropicana. Hazel Pierce (Grace Munson) is also seen on the dance floor, which begs the question, if Lucy and Ethel arrive at the Tropicana directly from the club elections, why weren’t these key officers at the meeting instead of out nightclubbing?

The outgoing club president who conducts the meeting remains nameless, but is played by Lurene Tuttle. A busy character actress, she went on to appear with Lucy in the 1960 film Critic’s Choice. Also in 1960 she appeared as Mrs. Chambers in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. She was nominated for an Emmy in 1970 for her supporting role on “Julia.”

This is the second of four appearances for Peggy Rea who plays Pauline Lopus, the club woman who nominates Grace Munson for Treasurer. Inexplicably, the voice over announcer during the original end credits of this episode calls her character “Susan.”  Perhaps this was the name of the character in an early draft of the script?  The character name Pauline Lopus was taken from one of Lucille Ball’s best friends in Celoron, New York. The name is mentioned again in “Tennessee Ernie Visits” (S3;E28) as well as in a 1962 episode of “The Lucy Show” and a 1968 episode of “Here’s Lucy.”  Rea made her “I Love Lucy” debut as a nurse in “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (S2;E16). Rea is perhaps best remembered as Rose on TV’s “The Waltons” (1971).

Oops! When Ricky is eating out of the can of pork and beans, the top of the label has tape hiding the brand name, although it looks like is probably Van Camp’s.

LUCY: “Didn’t you watch the conventions on television?” 

In July 1952 both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions were televised live from Chicago. Although the conventions were also televised in 1948, few Americans owned a TV set to watch them. This time, an estimated 70 million voters watched the broadcasts, which ended with the nominations of Adlai Stevenson II and Dwight D. Eisenhower. There is a popular myth that Stevenson lost the election because of backlash from interrupting airings of “I Love Lucy” with hour-long campaign ads. Another story has Stevenson receiving a telegram from a Lucy fan that read: “I love Lucy, but I hate you.” Eventual victors Ike and Mamie would be mentioned in “Ricky Asks for a Raise” (S1;E35) and Mamie again in “The Golf Game” (S3;E30). Politics or other current events were rarely mentioned on “I Love Lucy,” perhaps contributing to its longevity.

Blooper Alert!  In Lucy’s close-ups, the handwriting on the tally board changes!  This probably indicates that the close-ups were done at another time.

Ida Moore (Mrs. Knickerbocker, Ruth’s mother-in-law) had appeared with Lucy in the 1950 film Fancy Pants.

Desi Arnaz also sang “Cuban Cabby” on the show’s pilot. This is the first time he sings “Cielito Lindo” (by

Quirino Mendoza y Cortes) a song that will also be heard in “Ricky’s Hawaiian Vacation,” “Sales Resistance,” “The Freezer,” and “Second Honeymoon.”

Jerry Hausner (Jerry the Agent) also provided the baby cries in the scene introducing the flashbacks.