“Tennessee Ernie Hangs On”

(S3;E29 ~ May 10, 1954)

Directed by William Asher. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.  Filmed April 8, 1954 at Ren-Mar Studios. 

Rating: 55.6/80

Synopsis ~ Ernie is still boarding with the Ricardos, much to their annoyance. In order to help him get home, they try to raise money to pay for his travel.  

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT “TENNESSEE ERNIE VISITS”

This is the second of a two-part guest appearance by Tennessee Ernie Ford, a popular country singer of the 1950s. This was his first credited ‘acting’ job and happened before his big hit with the song “Sixteen Tons” in 1955. 

Ernie Ford spouts some humorous country wisdom, which he doubtless helped the “I Love Lucy” writers insert into the script:

• "Mama always said I had a lot of get-up-and-go, so I’ll just get up and go." 
  
• "I stayed with you while you was eatin’ high on the hog and I’m gonna stick to you while you’re down around the hocks." 
  
• "Don’t say the preserves is spoilt till you’ve took the lid off the jar." 
  
• "As the whale said when he seen Jonah standing on the bank, ‘I ain’t a-swallerin’ that.’” 
  
• "Right after the last twang of the guitar, I’ll be a-headin’ home quicker than a bobcat with a burr under his tail.”

The episode opens with Ethel returning Little Ricky’s Bubble-O-Bill Bubble Hat! The flying saucer-themed toy was made by Mattel. Although Little Ricky (The Mayer Twins) is mentioned, he does not appear on screen. 

Sitcom Logic Alert! The Ricardos’ TV set ‘explodes’ when Ernie tries to slap Cousin Lester Bike (a fellow Bent Forkian) on the back during an episode of “Millikan’s Chicken-Mash Hour.” Apparently Ernie is so naive he doesn’t know the difference between a televised image and a real person! 

The Ricardos don’t have much luck with television sets: the one they gave to the Mertzes was faulty and led them to “The Courtroom” (S2;E7) and Lucy disemboweled hers in “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (S1;E30). 

“The Wabash Cannonball” is performed by Ford while sitting alone in the Ricardo apartment “jest a-pickin’ and a-singin’.” The song’s first documented appearance was on sheet music published in 1882, titled “The Great Rock Island Route” and credited to J.A. Roff. A revised version was made famous by Roy Acuff in 1936 and it was a staple song of the Carter Family, which included June, who would later marry Johnny Cash, who also performed the song.

“Millikan’s Chicken-Mash Hour” was a fictional country music TV program, but there were real-life examples as well, the first ever called “Village Barn,” broadcast from 1948 to 1950 from a New York City nightclub. Others included “Hayloft Hoedown,” “ABC Barn Dance,” “Saturday Night Jamboree,” “Windy City Jamboree,” “The Old American Barn Dance,” and “Midwestern Hayride” – all on rival networks. The most famous entry into the genre, “Hee Haw,” did air on CBS, but didn’t come along until 1969.

Richard Reeves (Lester Bike) makes the last of his eight appearances on the series. He made one appearance on “The Lucy Show” in 1963 and might have gone on to appear in “Here’s Lucy” but he died in 1967 at the age of 54. He is probably best remembered as Bill Foster (Grace’s jealous husband) in “The Gossip” (S1;E24).

“Y’all Come” was written and recorded in 1953 by Arlie Duff. It rose to number seven on the Billboard country charts. Here, some special lyrics and arrangements include references to “Babalu.” It is sung and played by Ernie Ford and ‘His Four Hot Chicken Pickers: Lucy on washboard, Ethel on kazoo, Fred on the jug, Ricky on the conga drum, and Ernie on guitar.

Lucy plays a Brass King

washboard manufactured by the National Washboard Company. It is labelled “Top Notch, Soap Saving Sanitary Front Drain, Do Not Rub Hard, The Board Will Do The Work!”  The prop department painted out The Brass King logo on the upper left side.

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FAST FORWARD!

Ford’s appearances were so successful that he returned for a third time when the gang travels through his (fictional) home town of Bent Fork, Tennessee, on their way to Hollywood in "Tennessee Bound” (S4;E14).  No other celebrity guest star made three appearances. 

In 1958, Ford sold Fords during the “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”

Ford went on to play alliteratively-named characters on both “The Lucy Show” (as Homer Higgins) and "Here’s Lucy” (as Ernie Epperson) and also on "The Red Skelton Show” (as Loser Lumpkin) and the Desilu-produced “Make Room For Daddy” (as Kentucky Cal). 

Lucille Ball appeared on “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Special” on November 16, 1968.  a month later Ball and Ford both did cameos on “The Dean Martin Christmas Show.” Ball’s appearance on Ford’s special was her was her way of repaying him for appearing on “The Lucy Show” in February 1967.  

This is the first, but not the last time the Ricardos have trouble getting rid of a house guest who over-stayed his welcome. In “Visitor from Italy” (S6;E5), Mario (Jay Novello) comes to visit his brother Sam but ends up at the Ricardo’s instead. Like Ernie, Mario is too proud to accept the money that would enable him to leave.

The custom-made leather glove with thimble tips that Lucy wears during “Y’All Come” are now in a museum. These must have been used for rehearsals or recording session as the ones Lucy wears on screen are short gloves with ribbons.