S1;E9 ~ November 26, 1962
Synopsis
When Lucy’s TV set doesn’t work, she discovers that the antenna has blown off the roof. Refusing to spend extra money to have one professionally installed, she talks Viv into helping her replace it.
Regular Cast
Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael)
Dick Martin (Harry Connors) does not appear in this episode.
Guest Cast
Del Moore (Herb, of Herb’s TV Repair) was a comedian, actor, and a popular radio announcer. He was a friend of Jerry Lewis, and appeared in many of his films.
Lloyd Corrigan (Mr. Holly, the cleaners) was a portly character actor, who played bit parts in silent movies, before switching his attention to writing and directing. He returned to acting in the 1940s, appearing in two films with Lucille Ball. He will appear in two more episodes of “The Lucy Show.”
Chuck Roberson (Fireman #1, left) was a stuntman who played minor roles in many films. He was a stunt double for John Wayne, and was seen (but not credited) in “Lucy and John Wayne” (S5;E10). Hubie Kerns (Fireman #2) was also a stuntman who played minor roles in films, three of which were also with fellow fireman Chuck Roberson.
In “Lucy and Viv Are Volunteer Firemen” (S1;E16) we discover that Danfield does not have its own fire department, but is served by a nearby town called Ridgebury.
Sherman and Jerry are excited that the All-American Football Team is going to be on TV. The team was composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers. This continues Sherman and Jerry’s enthusiasm for football, established in “Lucy is a Referee” (S1;E3). Later, when trapped on the roof, Lucy mentions that Chris is having her music lesson and the boys are playing football. This is the first mention of Chris having music lessons.
When Lucy mentions the idea of a sing-along, Jerry thinks she is referring to Mitch Miller (1911– 2010) who had an immensely popular television series, “Sing Along with Mitch” (1961-1964) on NBC. Miller was involved in almost all aspects of the music industry, particularly as a conductor. He was one of the most influential people in American popular music during the 1950s and early ‘60s. When the home sing-along doesn’t pan out, Lucy says “So much for ‘Sing Along with Mom’.”
Lucy engages in the old practice of fixing the reception by banging on the side of the set, something she claims she learned from her late husband. Lucy says “What did we do before television?” Viv replies “We used to hit the radio.”
TV repairman Herb charges $8 for house calls and $40 to install a TV antenna. Lucy notes that doctors only charge $7.50 for a house call. Herb quips “That’s why I dropped out of medical school.” Today Herb would regret that decision. Although doctors no longer make house calls, TV repairmen are non-existent and antennas are nearly obsolete.
The rooftop of Lucy’s home was really only three feet off the studio floor. A special effect called a matte painting gave it the appearance of being a two-story home for two long shots, one of which with Lucy and Viv in it. This is the second time we have seen the exterior of the house.
The ladder Lucy and Viv use to get access to the roof was borrowed from Harry. The character must be off on a long flight (he is a pilot) because Lucy and Viv never think of asking him to put up the aerial. The character (played by Dick Martin) hasn’t been seen since episode 6. They also never think of asking Viv’s sometimes boyfriend, Eddie Collins, who hasn’t been seen since episode 2.
Viv yells up the chimney, “I got carried away watching Art Linkletter. Come on down Lucy. He’s about to go through a lady’s purse.” “The Linkletter Show” (also known as “Art Linkletter’s House Party”) was seen on CBS from 1952 to 1970. Art Linkletter played himself on a season 4 episode of “The Lucy Show” and then did so again on “Here’s Lucy” in 1970 (above).
When the TV breaks, Lucy suggests they sing songs around the piano. The kids don’t know their parents’ selections:
- “There’s a Long, Long Trail” is a popular song of World War I. The lyrics were by Stoddard King (1889–1933) and the music by Alonzo Elliott. It was published in London in 1914.
- “Wait ‘Till the Sun Shines, Nellie” is a 1905 popular song with music by Harry Von Tilzer and lyrics by Andrew B. Sterling. Bing Crosby and Mary Martin sang it in the 1941 film Birth of the Blues. Harry James recorded a version in 1941. There was also a 1952 film by that name.
- “Down By the Old Mill Stream” is a song written by Tell Taylor in 1908. It was one of the most popular songs of the early 20th century. The sheet music sold 4 million copies.
Conversely, the Lucy and Viv don’t know their kids’ favorites:
- “Ahab the Arab” is a novelty song written and recorded by Ray Stevens in 1962. It was so successful that it was covered three times in 1962 alone. This is the only song in the sing along that isn’t actually performed by the cast.
- “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” is a 1962 novelty doo-wop song by the Rivingtons. It peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #35 on the Cashbox charts. The band released two similar follow-up songs: “Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow (The Bird)” and “The Bird’s the Word.”
The scene in the TV repair shop is was much longer when filmed so was edited for time. In it, Lucy contorts her face behind a cardboard TV screen so the repairman can get an idea of what her TV’s reception looks like.
A color still from this moment will be used as part of the show’s opening credits for season two. Not only was the image not originally seen in color, it was never seen on screen at all!
This show features an exceptionally long stunt sequence with more than half of the episode’s screen time is spent on the roof.
At the time, Lucille Ball was 51 years old and Vivian Vance was 53.
Lucy gets uncharacteristically nasty with Viv when she’s trapped in the chimney, even calling Viv an elephant!
This June 1963 comic book used a photo from the episode but the story had nothing to do with Lucy installing an antenna. The inset photo is from “Lucy Becomes an Astronaut” (S1;E6). All images were originally in black and white but hand colorized.
This episode also made the cover of the most recent DVD release of Season 1.
A scene from this episode was included in “Lucy and Viv Reminisce” (S6;E16), the series’ only clips episode.
Callbacks!
“Down By the Old Mill Stream” was performed by the Ricardos and the Mertzes as Western Bell Ringers in “Lucy Goes to the Rodeo” (ILL S6;E8).
“There’s a Long, Long Trail” was undoubtedly the song that inspired the naming of the Lucy-Desi film The Long, Long Trailer (1953).
The idea of the group not knowing how to spend their evening without television due to poor reception is identical to the start of “Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio” (ILL S1;E32).
Lucy says it would be cheaper to have the Mayo Brothers make a house call than Herb, the TV repairman. The Mayos were the most famous group of physicians in the United States. The world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Minnesota was founded in 1889 and is dedicated to diagnosing and treating nearly every known illness. When the Ricardos and the Mertzes are “Getting Ready” (ILL S4;E10) for their cross-country trip to California, Ethel mentions going to the Mayo Brothers Clinic in Minnesota to have her gallstones removed.
The scene in the TV repair shop is reminiscent of Feldman’s Appliance Store (above), where Lucy and Ethel auction off a TV set for Ladies Overseas Aid in “Ricky’s European Booking” (ILL S5;E10). The gang tried to repair a television on their own in “The Courtroom” (ILL S2;E7). Lucy also disembowels their TV set in order to get inside it when “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (ILL S1;E30). Lots of TV aerials are seen on the rooftop of 623 East 68th Street when “Ricky and Fred are TV Fans” (ILL S2;E30).
The episode ends with Lucy and Viv congratulating each other for meeting men. This was also the fade out of “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2).
Blooper Alerts!
Set Change! The television set has been moved into the center of the room. It usually sits against the wall where the piano is now located. The TV was integral to a scene in “Lucy is a Referee” (S1;E3).
Shocking! Lucy touches an electrical power line with the antenna but gets no shock. She acts as a conductor, however, when holding both the wire from the television and the one from the antenna. In the opening credits for season two, a visible shock wave was added to this moment, one that is not present in the original.
Ladder Matter! Harry’s wooden ladder would not be tall enough to reach the roof of the two story house.
Edge of the Sky! The sky in the background has several seams in it, and in one shot the camera pans too high and you can see studio lights. This was ‘fixed’ for the DVD release.
Architectural Anomaly! At the end of this episode, Viv lights a fire that billows smoke up to Lucy, who is stuck in the chimney. However, we have never seen a fireplace in the house, especially not one near the television set.
Home Consistency! The exterior of the house outside Viv’s window is not the same as the one we saw in “Lucy Waits Up for Chris” (S1;E1). Not only is there a lot more ivy, but the window configuration is different.
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