“Return Home from Europe”

(S5;E26 ~ May 14, 1956) Directed by James V. Kern. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Filmed April 5, 1956 at Ren-Mar Studios. Rating: 38.4/62

Synopsis ~ Lucy has promised her mother a present from Europe – a rare Italian cheese. When plans change for their trip home, Lucy must find a way to smuggle a 25 pound cheese on board the plane!

This is the last episode of season 5 and the last episode for writer / producer Jess Oppenheimer. He left for NBC due to creative differences at Desilu. Film editor Dann Cahn later said “After [Jess left], the show changed. Jess had a spark that was missed. A lot of the flavor of the show came from Jess Oppenheimer.”

The season ended at #2 in the ratings, with a 46.1 share, down from 49.3 the previous season, and the lowest of the previous seasons. The top spot was taken by CBS’s “The $64,000 Question”, the first time since season 1 that “I Love Lucy” was not #1. It was also the shortest of all six seasons with just 26 episodes, compared to the previous season’s 30. In addition, it ended a week earlier in the calendar than season 4. Clearly the show was winding down while competition for viewership was increasing.

During season 5, CBS continued to air reruns of “I Love Lucy” on a regular basis. But they moved the time slot from Sundays at 6 to Saturdays at 6:30. The reruns now aired under the title “The Lucy Show” (not to be confused with Lucille Ball’s 1962 sitcom of the same name), and aired all season. After that, CBS decided to stop rerunning the show and it was sold into syndication. 

Unfortunately, Desilu’s other TV series, “Our Miss Brooks,” was cancelled at the end of this season. As the filming for the fifth season ended, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were tired. The production schedule was hectic, and they had little time for their kids. Plus, the writers were saying that they were starting to run out of ideas. Lucy and Desi wanted to end the series. So they planned for this fifth season to be the last. This last episode of this season was intended to be the last episode of the series.  But CBS balked at this. They pleaded for more episodes. So Lucy and Desi relented, and decided to do one more season.

The night this episode originally aired, “I Love Lucy” was followed by Desilu’s other hit show, “December Bride.” That particular episode features Kathryn Card (Mrs. McGillicuddy), Verna Felton (Lucy’s Maid), and Jack Albertson (Airport Dispatcher in “Bon Voyage”). 

After “December Bride,” “Studio One” presented “The Genie of Sutton Place” starring young Harvey Grant as a 13 year-old orphan who finds a genie in a lamp. Grant played Kenneth Hamilton, the little boy Lucy is set-up with aboard the S.S. Constitution, on their way to Europe, bringing things full circle. 

Just as coincidental, “I Love Lucy’s” lead-in “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show,” aired a new episode that night called “Back from Paris” (S6;E33). George and Gracie were also depicted on an airplane returning home from Europe!  Wave to Lucy, George!  

The writers got the idea for this episode from something similar that happened to Bob Carroll, Jr. when he was coming home from Europe. Carroll saw customs officials open a huge 20 pound wheel of cheese because they thought the owner might be trying to smuggle jewels in it. 

The episode opens with the same establishing shot of Nice as the previous episode “Lucy Goes To Monte Carlo” (S5;E25). 

Lucy and Ethel have nearly identical souvenir hauls. Both have models of the Eiffel Tower, wooden shoes. a straw hat, and a doll of the Buckingham Palace Guard, a character they encountered in “Lucy Meets The Queen” (S5;E15). 

Lucy’s wooden shoes are for Marion Van Vlack. A bottle of My Sin perfume is for Mrs. Trumbull, who whispered the somewhat provocative name of the fragrance request to Lucy in “Bon Voyage” (S5;E13). Marion Van Vlack was the real-life name of one of Lucille Ball’s friends from Jamestown.

If Marion’s gift is the result of a stop in Holland, the viewers (sadly) don’t see it.

The Ricardo’s hotel room contains the trunk that Lucy got stuck in during “The Passports” (S5;E11) now draped with Lucy’s dresses, ready to be packed. Also atop the suitcase is a Cinzano ashtray. Cinzano is an Italian brand of vermouth.

At that time Cinzano was still a family run business based in Turin Italy that had been around since the 1700’s. The “I Love Lucy” set dresser added well chosen European pieces to evoke a European flair.

FOR MORE ABOUT THE DECOR OF THE MONTE CARLO HOTEL ROOM, CLICK HERE!

When Ricky gets an offer to play the Roxy Theatre (New York City), they must fly home to get there in time. Ricky is determined to play the Roxy, even if flying everyone home will mean he ends up making no money doing it. 

One of Desi Arnaz’s first big gigs was at the Roxy Theatre. It was on the stage of the Roxy that he publicly announced that he and Lucy had eloped on November 30, 1940. They returned to the venue ten years later to try out the material that would become the basis for “I Love Lucy.” 

In this episode, Ricky has a long-distance telephone conversation with the manager of the Roxy, Mr. Rothafel. In reality, this was the name of the founder of the Roxy, Mr. Samuel ‘Roxy’ Rothafel (‘Roxy’ was Rothafel’s nickname). A troupe of dancers he discovered were known as the Roxyettes, although later renamed the Rockettes. Rothafel died in early 1936, however, so this was probably Desi’s way of honoring the man whose legacy gave him his start.

When Ricky comes up with the idea to fly home instead of take the steamship, Lucy evokes the name Peter Pan, the main character of the J.M. Barrie children’s story of the boy who would’t grow up – but could fly (without help from Pan Am, that is). In “Lucy Hires An English Tutor” (S2;E13, above), pregnant Lucy made Ricky read aloud from the book to test his command of the English language. On “The Lucy Show,” Lucy Carmichael claims to have played Captain Hook in “Peter Pan” while in school. On “Here’s Lucy,” Lucy Carter calls Mary Jane ‘Peter Pan’ when the subject of growing old is brought up.  

Ricky tells Lucy that airlines only allow 66 pounds in luggage with $2.00 a pound for overage. This means all Lucy’s souvenirs must travel by boat while only necessities go by air. Lucy refuses, however, to leave behind the 25 pound Italian cheese she bought for her mother to thank her for her babysitting services of Little Ricky while they were in Europe.  

RICKY: “For all the money she’s cost me, I could have hired Dr. Spock.” 

Benjamin McLane Spock (1903-98) was a pediatrician whose 1946 book Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care is one of the best-sellers of all time.  Ricky and Lucy consulted the book during the episode “Nursery School” (S5;E9, above). When Lucy Carmichael uses reverse psychology on her son on “The Lucy Show” Viv calls her “the Doctor Spock of Danfield.” 

Ricky books passage on Pan American World Airways (PAA) President Clipper Service. The Clipper in the insert shot is named Bald Eagle. They will also use Pan Am when flying from Miami Beach to Havana in “The Ricardos Visit Cuba” (S6;E9). 

There are two insert shots of Pan Am aircraft, one taking off and one in mid-flight. The DC-7C (nicknamed “seven seas”) first entered service for Pan Am in December 1955 and was dubbed “the zenith of piston-engine technology.” 

Pan Am had 27 DC-7Cs flying during 1956. By 1958, jet travel began to overtake propeller airplanes. 

The PAA logo is visible on blankets and tote bags which Ethel proudly shows off to Fred. These items were likely provided by Pan Am for the use of their name and images of their aircraft. 

During the flight, Ethel reads the April 9, 1956 issue of Time Magazine. Coincidentally, the cover story is about the President of American Express and also features a travelers cheque, a steamship, and an airplane!  Ralph Reed issued the first Amex card in October 1958. The Ricardos and Mertzes used their international service to forward and receive mail during the trip. This episode also mentions American Express in the dialogue: 

RICKY: “I stopped by American ‘Spress and gave them our forwarding address in New York.” 
LUCY: “Hey, did they have any good mail for us at American ‘Spress?”

Oops! Although it may be assumed that this magazine was obtained by Ethel at the airport newsstand, there is a mailing sticker on the lower left corner, indicating it was a subscription copy received through post office delivery!  

FOR MORE ABOUT THE MAGAZINES SEEN ON THE SERIES, CLICK HERE!

Under the impression that babies fly for free, Lucy disguises her 25 pound cheese as a hefty newborn.

Lucy calls her baby Cheddar, before quickly correcting herself to Chester. Her seatmate says her baby is named Caroline, a name already familiar to viewers as it is the name of Lucy’s friend Caroline Appleby.

The woman sitting next to Lucy is named Evelyn Bigsby and she is played by Mary Jane Croft. This is Croft’s first series appearance since playing Lucy’s old school chub Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy is Envious” (S3;E23). She will return in season 6 as Connecticut neighbor Betty Ramsey. Croft became one of Lucy’s best friends in both “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy,” always playing a character named Mary Jane. Her last screen appearance was in “Lucy Calls the President” (1977).

In real life, Evelyn Bigsby was the name of a journalist who often wrote about “I Love Lucy” and other Desilu programs. Mary Jane Croft later said that she loved this episode.

Evelyn and Lucy are using Nursmatic Insta-Valve screw top baby bottles. In 1961, Nursmatic was sold to Hankscraft, who where later obtained by Gerber. 

To convince Evelyn that her cheese is really a child, Lucy takes a gulp of formula while she thinks Evelyn isn’t looking. Lucy’s expression of revulsion is hysterical – as is Evelyn’s when she catches Lucy swigging from the bottle! 

Oops! After the flight attendant tells Lucy that babies are not free on overseas flights, the camera pans in and outside the window a couple of black objects can be seen in the lower end of the window. Much too dark for clouds, these were probably steel cleats designed to hold the sky backdrop in place. 

This line has to go down as one of the funniest in “I Love Lucy” history! 

When Lucy finds out that babies pay 10% of the regular fare, she and Ethel get rid of most of the cheese by eating it. The rest is secretly stuffed inside Ricky’s band instruments.

Mildred Law played the Pan Am flight attendant. She had appeared as a co-ed in Too Many Girls in 1939, the motion picture where Lucy and Desi first met. After this episode, Law did one more TV appearance before retiring from screen work.

Ray Kellogg plays the Airline Officer. Kellogg played the barking Assistant Director (“Roll ‘em!”) in “Ricky’s Screen Test” (S4;E6) and also appeared in “Bullfight Dance” (S4;E22). He did seven episodes of “The Lucy Show” and two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”  

Although it is not specifically mentioned, it is likely that the plane landed at Idlewild Airport, which was officially named New York International Airport when it first opened in 1948. It was re-named John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in 1963. This is the same airport where Lucy hired the helicopter in “Bon Voyage” (S5;E13). 

Frank Nelson (US Customs Officer) was primarily known as Freddy Fillmore and has the distinction of being the only actor to play more than one recurring  character when he takes the role of Ralph Ramsey in “Lucy Gets Chummy With The Neighbors” (S6;E18). Coincidentally, his wife Betty will be played by Mary Jane Croft (Evelyn Bigsby). 

Lucy models “the latest thing from Paris” in front of the US Flag. In 1956 the flag had 48 stars. This version of the US flag was in use the longest of any version of ‘Old Glory’. In 1958 it would add one more star to represent the statehood of Alaska. The 49-star flag was only circulated for a year before Hawaii boosted the stars to 50, creating the flag we fly today. When Lucille Ball was born in 1911, the flag only had 46 stars, imminently awaiting the statehoods of Arizona and New Mexico. 

Once on the ground in the USA, Desi’s stand-in and frequent day player Bennett Green plays the reporter. He calls the newsreel cameraman “Vic” which may have been the background actor’s real first name. 

Since none of Desi’s band members would agree to have their instruments stuffed with gooey cheese, Desilu prop man Jerry Miggins rented the brass instruments from Ellis Mercantile Company in Hollywood. After the filming he spent an entire day cleaning the cheese out of them before returning them to the rental company! Watching the episode in High Definition, the band instruments are tarnished and in rough condition. The trumpet is black!

RICKY: “You know something, Lucy? Being married to you isn’t easy – but it sure is a lot of fun!” 

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FAST FORWARD FLIGHTS! 

The last episode of Season 5 of “Here’s Lucy” was also supposed to be the series conclusion, until Lucille Ball relented and agreed to a sixth season.  Ball liked the symmetry since both her previous sitcoms lasted six seasons. Plus, at the time it was the ideal number for ‘stripping’ – running daily in syndication!  

The Ricardos and Mertzes also traveled Pan Am to Cuba during season 6.The same airline cabin set and props are used from “Return Home from Europe.”

They also traveled by plane (on United this time) to Alaska to celebrate its statehood… 

…and later all the way to Japan, also on United.

Lucy wreaked havoc when seated next to Gale Gordon in a scene from a 1962 Victor Borge Comedy special which was re-staged nearly verbatim four years later on “The Lucy Show.” 

Lucy Carmichael’s flight to London was merely suggested over the opening credits of “Lucy in London”!  Heaven knows what went on during the long TWA flight!  Unable to afford to shut down Heathrow Airport, the production waited until a TWA jet was on the tarmac and then quickly shot Lucy disembarking from it! The above photo from the opening credits was created in post-production. 

Lucy Carmichael and Carol Tilford (Carol Burnett) caused in-flight chaos as flight attendants in a two-part episode of “The Lucy Show.” They were employed by the fictional Globe World Airlines. 

In Lucille Ball’s third appearance on “The Carol Burnett Show” (1969), two competitive flight attendants encounter a mysterious passenger (Harvey Korman) with a Spanish accent.

LUCY: “Where are you from, sir? Havana?”
HARVEY: (alarmed) “Havana? What makes you think I’m from Havana?”
LUCY: “Well, if it’s one thing I know, it’s a Cuban accent.”

Lucy Carter never got off the ground in this on-location adventure at LAX!

Lucy even tried sky diving!  The food must have been pretty bad to cause her to leave mid-flight!

Lucy Collins flew off into the sunset with Dean Martin in his private plane at the end of “Lucy Gets Lucky” (1975). Lucky indeed!