“Don Juan is Shelved”

(S4;E22 ~ March 21, 1955) Directed by William Asher. Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll, Jr. Filmed on February 10, 1955 at Ren-Mar Studios. It was the 119th episode filmed. Rating: 51.5/69

Synopsis ~ MGM gives Ricky the gate (or “the door in the fence,” as he puts it) when they cancel Don Juan. Naturally, Lucy has a scheme to make studio head Dore Schary see the error of his ways!

The day after this episode was filmed, actress Ona Munson committed suicide at age 48. She is most remembered as Belle Watling in MGM’s Gone With The Wind, a role intended for Mae West and turned down by Tallulah Bankhead. Munson’s first husband was Edward Buzzell, who directed Lucille Ball in three films. 

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Forgetful Mrs. MacGillicuddy (Kathryn Card) keeps asking “Who’s Dore Schary?” despite the fact that in “California, Here We Come!” (S4;E12, above) she mentioned how she plans to show him the book she’s written about her family.

MRS. MCGILLICUDDY (about Dore Schary): “Well, just what does he do?”
FRED: “Oh, he’s the guy who twists the lion’s tail when they want him to roar!”

Fred is sarcastically referring to Leo the Lion, the MGM mascot and corporate trademark that appeared before every MGM film. The Latin phrase “Ars Gratia Artis” translates to “Art for Art’s Sake”.  

When they think the Hollywood trip is over, Ethel is sad that she hasn’t seen Palm Springs and Fred is even sadder that he hasn’t seen Lana Turner! 

A month later, Ethel is “In Palm Springs” (S4;E26) lounging by the pool and by the trip’s end Fred has Lana Turner’s lipstick print on his handkerchief, a souvenir we see in “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” (S5;E1).

Lucy has the idea to flood the studio with Ricky Ricardo fan mail. She organizes an assembly line in her hotel room to turn out 500 letters. This is similar to the tactic Lucy used in “Ricky Asks For A Raise” (S1;E35) to convince Mr. Littlefield to re-hire Ricky.  In that episode, the gang disguised themselves as Ricky Ricardo fans. 

In this, and many previous episodes, Lucy’s writing implement of choice was Paper-Mate’s Deluxe Ballpoint Pen with retractable tip. It first came out in 1951 and was patented by the Frawley Corporation (no relation). 

When Ricky learns that his picture has been canceled, he sarcastically says that the studio might use him one of the Marx Brothers’ pictures: “You know, Chico, Harpo, Groucho, and Floppo.” Just a few episodes later, “Lucy and Harpo Marx” (S4;E27, above) will feature the real Harpo, with Ricky dressing up as Groucho, and Fred as Chico.

Ricky wonders aloud if he could “borrow a couple hundred bobby-soxers from Sinatra.” Although he never actually guest starred on “I Love Lucy,” Frank Sinatra inadvertently appeared in “Lucy and the Dummy” (S5;E3) when a short clip of his new MGM musical Guys and Dolls was shown just before Lucy sings “I Get Ideas” with dummy Ricky during the MGM Executive Show.  The clip was not included in the syndication or the DVD releases.  

While posing as a member of Ricky’s fan club, Lucy plays the ukulele. The DVD calls this “Lucy’s Ukulele Song.” Lucy first played the ukulele in “Ricky Loses His Voice” (S2;E9) and will do so again in “Little Ricky Gets Stage Fright” (S6;E4). She is idly playing the accompaniment to “Has Anybody Seen My Gal?,” the very same song she plays and sings in the other two episodes. It is possible, like “Sweet Sue” on the sax, this is the only song Lucy knows on the ukulele. Lucille Ball could actually play the instrument and would do so again with her daughter Lucie Arnaz in an episode of “Here’s Lucy.”

Oops! Ricky phones the studio using the number TExas 0-3311. TE was the alpha phone exchange for 83, numbers from Culver City area. In “Hollywood at Last!” (S4;E16), however, Ricky dialed HOllywood 3-3349 (463-3349) to reach the studio.  

While trying to hide his identity from Lucy and Ethel, Dore Schary (Phil Ober) says his name is George Spelvin, the pseudonym traditionally used in theater credits when an actor (for one reason or another) wishes to hide their true identity.

Dore Schary (inset photo) was born Isadore Schary in Newark, New Jersey, in 1905. After working on Broadway he went to Hollywood were he eventually became head of MGM in 1948, ousting its founder Louis B. Mayer. He would helm the studio until 1956 and was in charge during Lucy and Desi’s filming of The Long, Long Trailer and Forever, Darling. Shary’s last film as director and screenwriter was a 1963 adaptation of Moss Hart’s Act One in which he also figures as a character. He returned to Broadway where he added a Tony Award to his 1939 Oscar.

DORE SCHARY: “I don’t usually work this cheap, but things are tough, what with television and all.” 

Schary was supposed to play himself in this episode, but he backed out at the last minute claiming an acute kidney infection. Some sources say he may have had second thoughts about appearing on camera, especially on television, a rival medium. Vivian Vance’s husband, Phil Ober, took over the role. Schary said that Ober would do a better job playing him than he could himself. Although Schary playing himself would have added an interesting dimension to the episode, the switch works because few people actually knew what Schary really looked like. This is reinforced when Bobby the bellboy says he’s never even seen Dore Schary!

Philip Ober (Dore Schary) was the real-life husband of Vivian Vance for nearly the entire time she played Ethel Mertz. The two met in May 1940 while doing a short-lived Broadway play directed by Antoinette Perry, for whom the Tony Awards were named eight years later. Ober would do a dozen Broadway shows in all before coming to Hollywood with Vance to begin a film career. He was featured in “The Quiz Show” (S1;E5) and was hired when the real Schary withdrew. According the book Hollywood Babble-On, Ober physically abused Vivian Vance, and when Vance came to the set with a black eye, Lucille Ball told her that if she wouldn’t divorce him, then she [Lucy] would! Vance and Ober divorced in 1959. He had already filmed a small role in Lucy’s film The Facts of Life (1960) but that was the last time he would work with Ball. He died in 1982.

John Hart (Jim Stevens) makes his third and final appearance on the series, having first appeared as handsome furrier Tom Henderson in “Lucy Changes Her Mind” (S2;E21). He had just played the lifeguard at the Beverly Palms Hotel in “The Hedda Hopper Story.” Because he plays two different characters in back-to-back episodes, he was made to look noticeably different, wearing glasses, a suit and tie, and even a touch of gray in his hair!  Two years earlier, Hart had played the title role on TV’s “The Lone Ranger” for 54 episodes when star Clayton Moore was absent due to a pay dispute. 

At the poolside is Vivian’s stand-in Renita Reachi, who often appeared on camera in crowd scenes.

Jody Drew plays Miss Ballantine, Dore Schary’s secretary. This is one of only two screen credits for Drew.

Recurring performers Kathryn Card (Mrs. McGillicuddy), Bob Jellison (Bobby the bellboy) also appear in the episode. Although Lucy is seen picking up Little Ricky’s toys (including his famous Teddy Bear), the baby remains off-screen throughout the episode.  

Blooper Alert!  In the last scene, as Dore Schary is saying goodbye, a shadow can been seen quickly moving across the small high window as if a stagehand is carrying a long pole from one side of the set to another. Don’t blink!