S1;E11
~ December 10, 1962
Synopsis
Lucy
and Viv both have plans to entertain their dates at home on the very
same night. When the conflict can’t be resolved, Harry suggests they
build a rumpus room in the basement to solve the problem. When they
can’t afford to have it professionally done, they resort to a DIY kit
that comes with some very sticky glue.
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)
Guest
Cast
Don
Briggs
(Eddie Collins) makes the second of his seven appearances on the
series as Viv’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. The last time we saw
the character was in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2).
Eddie
Collins apparently travels a lot as part of his job.
Chris
Warfield
(Dr. Rudy Warren) started his acting career in 1953. This is
his only series appearance. In the 1970s, he began working as a
producer / director / writer of hardcore porn under the name Billy
Thornberg. He died in 1996.
Dr.
Warren is a dentist. He is a gourmet and his favorite dish is trout
almondine. This is the second doctor Lucy has dated. The first was Dr. Sam Eastman (Frank Aletter), an ear, eyes, nose and throat man in “Lucy the Music Lover” (S1;E8).
Jim
Boles (Delivery
Man for Barney’s Catering Service) was a character actor who began
acting on television in 1949. He will make one more appearance on
the series in “Lucy and the Runaway Butterfly”
(S1;E29).
LOST EPISODE!
Episode #11 was originally intended to be a show titled “Lucy and
Viv Fight Over Harry,” but it was shut down during rehearsal. Jimmy
Garrett (Jerry) remembers that the audience wasn’t laughing. The
main reason, however, is that it would have firmly established Lucy and Harry
as having deep feelings for one another. Dick Martin (Harry)
was not available every week and Lucille Ball did not want her
character to have a steady boyfriend. It had already been decided to
phase out Harry, so this storyline would have been at cross-purposes
with Lucille Ball’s long-range plans for the show and her character.
As executive producer, Desi Arnaz was consulted, and agreed to
abandoning the episode before filming. This
was the only episode of the series to be shut down while in production.
The rumpus room first appeared during the 1950s and 1960s of the baby boom generation and was usually built in the basement where kids or teenagers and friends could play or hang out (make a rumpus) away from the other rooms (adults) in the house.
Lucy says it costs $2,000 to convert the basement into a rumpus room so Harry suggests a DIY paneling kit that costs only $69.50. In today’s money, that $2,000 is equal to more than $17,250!
Viv
reminds Lucy that when they moved in together it was under ‘girl’s
rules’: if either of them had a date, all other plans were
automatically canceled. Lucy says it’s been so long since she’s had
a real date, she’d forgotten. Actually, dating was the subject of
“Lucy Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2) just two months earlier. This part of the script may be leftover from the abandoned episode’s script.
Lucy’s
home is heated by coal but she is behind in the bills. The coal is
provided by someone named Mr. Turner.
Lucy
remarks that her check from the bank is gone and Viv’s alimony hasn’t
arrived so they are in the “Twilight Zone” again. “The
Twilight Zone” was an anthology suspense TV series that aired from
1959 to 1964 on CBS. Jim Boles (Delivery Man) was seen in two
episodes of “The Twilight Zone,” one just two months after this
appearance on “The Lucy Show.” The show was inspired by an episode of “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” titled “The Time Element” produced by Desi Arnaz, who also hosted the episode.
Lucy
met her date at the Simmons’ dinner party, a reference to Lucy and
Viv’s friend Audrey Simmons played by Mary Jane Croft.
This
is our first look at the home’s basement, although Lucy mentions that
there was a sofa down there in “Lucy is a Referee” (S1;E3).
For
the scene where coal fell on Lucy and Viv, the actors wore quilted suits under their overalls to provide protection from the falling ‘coal’.
When
they mistakenly glue the brush and a glove to the wall, Viv
suggests framing it and passing it off as a Picasso. Pablo
Picasso (1881-1973)
is regarded
as one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th
century. He is known for co-founding the cubist
movement
and the invention of constructed
sculpture.
Callbacks!
Preparing to cook for Dr. Warren behind Viv’s back, Lucy
hides food all over the house, just like Lucy Ricardo did when she
faked a hunger strike in “Lucy Gets a Paris Gown” (ILL S5;E20) in 1956.
The gag is repeated when
Lucy Carter discovers cleverly hidden food in a 1968 episode of
“Here’s Lucy” starring Shelley Winters.
Lucy
says she can’t afford to have the basement professionally remolded
into a rumpus room. On “I Love Lucy,” it was Ricky’s who
constantly told Lucy “I can’t afford it.” In this series, Lucy Carmichael is a
woman in charge of making ends meet and raising two children. Off
screen, Lucille Ball was just as budget-conscious trying to keep
Desilu Studios out of the red and raise her two children.
The
DIY solution to decorating is also the subject of “Redecorating”
(ILL S2;E8) where Lucy and Ethel wreak havoc with wallpaper instead of
paneling.
Lucy
Ricardo and Ethel Mertz had many fights and reconciliations over the
years. In this episode, however, Viv packs to leave, but immediately
returns. This fight gets less than two minutes of screen time.
Blooper
Alerts!
Toaster Malfunction! During
the breakfast scene, Lucy pulls down the lever on the toaster and
walks away, but the audience can hear that it has popped up again. When she walks
back to the toaster, she pushes the lever down again, a
bit more firmly. Lucy stands near the toaster for a bit, then goes to
sit down at the table with Viv. The moment she sits down, you can hear
the toast pop up. This snafu is ironic, since one of Lucille Ball’s
favorite props on “I Love Lucy” was the toaster.
Table for Two! Viv should have known that Lucy was planning to double-cross her and cook for her date: there are only two chairs at the dining room table!
Wardrobe Malfunction! When Dr. Warren rings the doorbell, Lucy’s shoe isn’t completely on and she nearly trips on it.
Clatter Matter! When
Lucy passes Viv carrying a long a plank, Viv moves back against the
furnace and noisily knocks over a shovel. Viv picks it up and Lucy’s
dialogue goes on uninterrupted.
Cooking Chaos! Lucy’s
trout almandine burns to a crisp after only six minutes in the oven! When Lucy rushes to the
smoking oven, she nearly slips on some of the food on the floor from
Viv’s catering delivery. In the chaos, Vivian Vance opens her mouth
to say a line that she never gets out. She is interrupted by Eddie
Collins shouting from the living room.
The Stopped Clock! The kitchen clock reads 8:10 throughout the episode. That time works for the breakfast scene but later Lucy hurries Viv so she won’t “miss the 7:04.” We can assume that is the time Eddie’s train arrives. Three minutes later, Viv returns with Eddie. It is still 8:10 in the kitchen!
Continuity! After
Lucy and Viv glue on the first piece of wall paneling, the camera
angle changes and there is a second piece of paneling glued next to
it.
Watch Your Step! Harry
momentarily loses his footing when he is walking on the mountain of coal
in the final scene. This is an extraordinary amount of coal for a two-story home.
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