Lucy Plays Cleopatra

S2;E1
~ September 30, 1963

Synopsis

When
the Volunteer Fire Department asks Professor Gitterman to help them
put on an amateur production of Antony
and Cleopatra,
Lucy and Viv both want the lead. A compromise is made, with Lucy as
Cleopatra and Viv as Mark Antony! The girls continuously upstage one
another until it is interrupted by a fire call.

Regular
Cast

Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael / Cleopatra), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley /
Mark Antony)

Jimmy
Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley), Candy Moore
(Chris Carmichael) do not appear in this episode. Although still
under contract, these three actors will be featured less in season
two than season one. Candy Moore’s status went from regular to
recurring cast member.

Guest Cast

Hans
Conreid (Professor
Gitterman / Julius Caesar) returns to the character the played in
“Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (S1;E19) He first co-starred with
Lucille Ball in The
Big Street (1942).
He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan
Jenkins in “Redecorating”
(ILL S2;E8)
and
later that same season as prissy Percy Livermore in “Lucy
Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13)
–
both
in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by
voicing Captain Hook in Peter
Pan. He was probably best
known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny
Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. When Thomas guest-starred
on “Here’s Lucy” in 1973, Hans Conreid was also in the cast.

Mary
Jane Croft (Audrey
Simmons / Octavia) played Betty Ramsey during season six of “I Love
Lucy.” She also played Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy
is Envious” (ILL S3;E23)
and
Evelyn Bigsby in“Return
Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26).
She played Audrey Simmons for eight episodes but when Lucy moves to
California, she will play Mary Jane Lewis (the actor’s married
name) until the series finale. Her husband Elliott Lewis was a
producer of “The Lucy Show” from 1962 to 1964. She also played a
character named Mary Jane Lewis on “Here’s Lucy” from 1969 to
1974.

Mary
Wickes (Frances
/ Charmian) was one of Lucille Ball’s closest friends and at one
time, a neighbor. She made a memorable appearances on “I Love Lucy”
as ballet mistress Madame Lamond in “The
Ballet” (ILL S1;E19).In
She appeared in the penultimate episode of season one of “The Lucy
Show” “Lucy and the Runaway Butterfly” (S1;E29). She will make
two more appearances as Frances, but then makes four more as a
variety of characters. Wickes appeared in nine episodes of “Here’s
Lucy.” Their final collaboration on screen was “Lucy Calls the
President” in 1977.

Hazel
Pierce (Mary
Lou / Iris) was Lucille Ball’s camera and lighting stand-in
throughout “I Love Lucy.” She also made frequent appearances on
the show. This
is the only one of her 21 on-camera appearances on “The Lucy Show”
that she is given a character name and credited. She was also an
uncredited extra in the film Forever
Darling
(1956).

Renita
Reachi (Colleen / Alexis) was a costumer for “The Lucy Show”
from 1966 to 1968. She was also Vivian Vance’s camera and lighting stand-in for “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.” She was also a costumer and made crowd appearances on “Here’s
Lucy” and the Lucille Ball films Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)
and Mame (1974).

Sid
Gould (Joe,
Litter Bearer) was last seen in “Lucy is a Kangaroo for a Day”
(S1;E7). This is his second of 46 appearances on “The Lucy Show,”
all as background characters. He also did 40 episodes of “Here’s
Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin
by marriage to Gary Morton. Gould was married to Vanda Barra, who
also appeared on “The Lucy Show” starting in 1967, as well as on
“Here’s Lucy.”

The
character holds the back end of Cleopatra’s litter. He does not
speak and is not addressed by name.

An
on-camera accompanist plays the piano for the rehearsal, but is seen
slipping out the side door once the song is over. It is possible
this might be the show’s musical coordinator Julian Davidson,
who is also credited with Original Music on the series. He also
worked on “Here’s Lucy” and Desilu’s “Star Trek.” Because
the pianist’s face is not seen on screen, it might also be Sid Gould,
who later carries the litter for Cleopatra.

Under
Lucille Ball’s supervision, season 2 episodes were filmed in color,
although they would continue to be aired in black
and white
until
September 1965. Ball realized that when the series ended its
prime-time run, color episodes would command more money when sold to
syndication. CBS was equipped for color but would only use color
transmission equipment for feature films. At the time most color
equipment and color TV sets were made by RCA,
parent company of rival network NBC.
The also reasoned that fewer than 5% of the population owned a color
TV set in 1963.

The
opening title sequence was changed from the stick figures to stills
from previous episodes. A photo of Lucy as Cleopatra was
included in these stills. The theme music, however, remains the same.

For
color film, Viv’s
hair is darkened slightly and restyled to give her a more youthful
appearance.
Lucy and Viv’s eye make-up, however, seems much more prominent in
color than it did in black and white. Perhaps they were adjusting it
to ‘read’ for the black and white broadcast.

Lucy
says she should get the part of Cleopatra because she saw the film
twelve times. Sarcastically, Viv says “She
means the one with Theda Bera.”
Lucy is referring to the 20th Century Fox’s 1963 extravaganza Cleopatra
starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as Mark Antony. Viv is
referring to Cleopatra,
a 1917 silent film. All known prints of this film were destroyed in
a Fox Studios Fire in 1937, so it is unlikely that (1) Viv would know
about it or (2) that Lucy would have seen it! The writers might have
referenced Cecil B. DeMille’s 1934 film Cleopatra
starring Claudette Colbert instead.

Professor
Gitterman is scheduled to do excerpt from his readings from Cyrano
de Bergerac
for the Danfield Literary Society. He is referring to Edmond
Rostand’s 1898 stage play. It was filmed several times, including in
1950 starring Jose Ferrer. There was also a December 1962 television
production starring Christopher Plummer.

For
the aborted “Volunteer Vanities” the women sing an original song called
“Hello” to the tune of “Ta-ra-ra
Boom-de-ay"
which is a traditional vaudeville
and
music
hall
song.
The song’s first known public performance was in the 1891 revue
Tuxedo.

When
Audrey volunteers her husband Harvey, Professor Gitterman thinks she
means Laurence Harvey. Laurence
Harvey
(1928-1973) was a tremendously popular British movie star who was
classically trained. He received an Oscar nomination in 1959 for
Room
at the Top.
In 1962 he played Raymond Shaw in The
Manchurian Candidate.

Lucy
mentions Commissioner McCullough in Ridgebury. In “Lucy and Viv
Are Volunteer Firemen” (S1;E16), the episode that introduces the
fire department storyline, Captain Metcalf was the representative
from Ridgebury.

Professor
Gitterman calls the first Cleopatra rehearsal for Monday night at 8 o’clock.
This is the same time that “The Lucy Show” aired on CBS. It was
also the time slot of “I Love Lucy.”

Professor
Gitterman says that Lucy needs to project so that the people in the
back row who paid $4 can hear her. In today’s money, that would be
almost $32! Bear in mind, however, this is a benefit for the fire
department.

In
the dressing rooms Frances brags that they might be Danfield’s answer
to the Old Vic. The
Old Vic is
a theatre located in London. It was originally called The Royal
Victoria, but over the years got the nickname The Old Vic, which is
what it is officially called today. The year this episode first
aired, Laurence Olivier, a renowned Shakespearean actor, founded
Britain’s National Theatre at the Old Vic. The National now occupies
its own complex on the South Bank, but the Old Vic is still
operating.

Recently,
the gold asp bracelet Lucille Ball wore as Cleopatra came up for
public auction, along with an engraved cup given to the cast and crew
in honor of the first show of the second season.

Callbacks!

“Lucy
Meets Orson Welles” (ILL S6;E3) Lucy Ricardo says she was Juliet at
Jamestown High School.

This episode originally contained a scene
where Fred and Ethel also dress in Shakespearean garb, but it was cut
for time. All that remains is this color still photo.

In
a 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” Richard Burton recites from Richard II while fixing a sink disguised as a plumber.

Blooper
Alerts!

Lucy’s
play script has multiple colored paper instead of all white paper
stock. In Hollywood, different colored pages indicated updates or
re-writes. This is not usually done with stage play scripts.

Lucy
at first assigns Viv the roles of Mardion, Diomedes and Fulvia. Viv
notes that Fulvia dies before the play begins and says the combined
speeches of Mardion and Diomedes amounts to “Hark!”
“ Begone! and “Fie!”
If Fulvia is dead before the play begins why does Lucy hand Viv a
script? Professor Gitterman has also noted that he did some
‘improvements’ to Shakespeare, so although Viv seems to be
exaggerating about the paucity of dialogue, the characters’ lines may indeed
have been greatly reduced.

When
Viv makes her entrance as Mark Antony, Frances bumps into the pillar
as she bows. It nearly falls but is quickly righted by Audrey.

The
feather that falls off Frances’ fan into Lucy’s face does not match
the color of the rest of the feather’s in the fan. It was probably
placed in the fan, rather than attached, to assure it fell off on
cue.