S2;E27 ~ April 20, 1964
Synopsis
When
Lucy needs money for a summer vacation, she takes a job as a process
server. The only trouble is her first summons must be delivered to
none other than Mr. Mooney.
Regular
Cast
Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Gale Gordon
(Theodore J. Mooney)
Jimmy
Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley), and Candy
Moore (Chris Carmichael) do not appear in this episode.
Guest
Cast
Stafford
Repp
(Counterman) made
a career of playing policemen even before he became famous as Chief
O’Hara on TV’s “Batman” (1966-68). He played two different
officers of the law on “Dennis the Menace” in 1962 and 1963,
alongside “The Lucy Show”’s Mr. Mooney, Gale Gordon.
Ironically, “Dennis the Menace” had their own Mr. Mooney, who was
a police officer! Repp previously appeared on “The Lucy Show” in
“Lucy and Viv Put in a Shower” (S1;E18) as Joe the plumber. He
also did a 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy” as (what else?) a
police detective!
The
counterman does not have any lines, but Repp listens attentively to
Mr. Mooney’s ramblings.
Lee
Millar
(Stewart) was
best known as the voice of Jim Dear (Lady’s master) in Walt
Disney’s classic
Lady
and the Tramp.
He was following in the footsteps of his parents, Verna Felton and
Lee Millar Sr. She had played Mrs. Porter in “Lucy
Hires a Maid” (S2;E23)
but
was best known for an array of Disney voices, including Jim Dear’s
Aunt Sarah. His father was one of the actors who supplied the ‘voice’
of Disney’s Pluto. He made four appearances on “I Love Lucy,”
although this was his only episode of “The Lucy Show.”
The
credits list Millar as Stewart, but this could be due to Gale Gordon
mis-pronouncing “steward” since the character is acting in the
capacity of a ship’s cabin steward.
Richard
Keith
(Little Boy) was born Keith
Thibodeaux in
Lafayette, Louisiana, on December 1, 1950. He was cast out of 200
other young hopefuls to play Little Ricky from 1956 to 1960 on “I
Love Lucy” because of his resemblance to Desi Arnaz and his
remarkable talent on the drums. Fearing no one would be able to
pronounce his last name, his professional name became Richard Keith,
although it was never listed in the credits. In “The Lucy-Desi
Comedy Hours” he was simply credited as Little Ricky.
Keith’s
appearance on camera lasts about one second. At the train station,
Lucy walks out the front doors to see if Mooney’s car is parked in
the lot. As she’s leaving, a young boy walks in with his mother. He
has no dialogue. Initially, Keith figured into a longer scene with a malfunctioning candy machine, but the scene was cut for time when the episode was running long.
Jose
“Pepin” Betancourt (Porter)
was a member of the Desi Arnaz / Ricky Ricardo Orchestra making a
rare on-camera non-musical appearance with a line of dialogue.
Richard
Kindelon
(George, Bank Guard) was primarily known as a casting director. He
also was a stand-in on Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho
(1960).
Uncredited
background players play the people at the train station. [Although
IMDB lists Hazel Pierce and Carole Cook among them, I cannot confirm
their participation.]
CBS originally aired this episode in black and white. It was filmed on March 19, 1964.
CBS broadcast repeats of “The Lucy Show” on April 6 and April 13, 1964. This is the first new episode since March 30, 1964. Coincidentally, on April 6 “The Andy Griffith Show” (which followed Lucy on CBS) broadcast an episode that starred Richard Keith (aka Little Ricky) as Opie’s pal Johnny Paul Jason. It is possible that his very brief wordless cameo on this episode of “The Lucy Show” was timed to capitalize on him being on the Desilu lot to film “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Through a new employment agency located on Oak Street, Lucy
is hired as a secretary by the Danfield Attorney Service. One of her duties will be to act as a process server. A process server is a
person who personally delivers (as per law) writs, warrants,
subpoenas, and other legal documents to someone called to court in
a legal action.
Mr.
Mooney says that if Lucy had her way, she’d use up her allowance
until 1972.
That year, Lucille Ball finished the fourth season of “Here’s
Lucy” and started the fifth playing Lucy Carter opposite Gale
Gordon as Harrison Carter.
To help Lucy practice her shorthand, Viv reads aloud from “Mother Goose”, a collection of nursery rhymes illustrated by Hilda Miloche and Wilma Kane first published in 1953 by Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin.
A winter travel poster outside the double doors of the train station is for Greyhound Bus Lines. Although the episode was shot in winter, it was aired in spring and the girls are looking to take a summer vacation. A companion poster was titled “Summer is Fun”.
Outside the double doors on the left is a travel poster by René Jacques from 1960. It depicts the aqueducts Pont de Garde, near Nimes, in Provence, France. It was previously seen on the wall of the beach house kitchenette in “Lucy is a Chaperone” (S1;E27). Because this is a Danfield train depot, the bottom portion of the poster labeled “FRANCE” has been omitted.
When
Lucy tries to pick the pocket of the man in the station she thought
was Mr. Mooney, the man is reading a newspaper called The Times.
This is not, however, the masthead of The New York Times, but a
fictional newspaper.
Viv
is planning on going to Lake Placid for the summer. Lake
Placid is a resort community in the
Adirondack mountains of Essex County, New York, approximately 290
miles due north of Manhattan. It was the site of the 1932 and 1980
winter Olympic Games.
CALLBACKS!
Harry Bartell played a Process Server in “The Courtroom” (ILL S2;E7) delivering the summons from the Mertzes to appear in court over their damaged television set. The character pretends to be a fan wanting Ricky’s autograph.
Mr. Mooney tells Lucy Carmichael she’s used up her allowance until 1972. In “The Million Dollar Idea” (ILL S3;E13), Lucy tells Ethel she’s used up her allowance until June the 12th, 1978!
Lucy
Carmichael mentions her prior experiences at Acme Employment Agency.
This is the same name of the employment agency that found Lucy
Ricardo and Ethel Mertz jobs at Kramer’s Candy Kitchen in “Job
Switching” (ILL S2;E1).
Missed
connections and mistaken identity at the depot also happened at the
Westport train station in “Lucy Misses the Mertzes” (ILL S6;E17).
The series previously visited the Danfield Train Station in “No More Double Dates” (S1;E21). Although the station looks to have had a bit of a face lift, the double doors to the platform and the newsstand are in the same place. A candy machine replaces the taxi call machine on the wall.
Lucy
also had encounters with a moving train in “Lucy Visits the White
House” (S1;E25) and “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5).
Mr. Mooney’s wife Irma misses the ship because she had to buy one last sundress. Lucy Ricardo famously misses the S.S. Constitution by going back for one last hug with her son in “Bon Voyage” (ILL S5;E13).
Fast Forward!
Lucy Carter also worked as a process server in a 1968 episode of “Here’s Lucy.” She mixes up a summons and a bank deposit!
Blooper
Alerts!
Burger Blooper! When
Mr. Mooney is eating a hot dog at the train station he says that he is
eating a hamburger. The joke of Mr. Mooney squirting himself
with mustard works better than it would with ketchup since Mr. Mooney
is wearing a dark coat. The yellow mustard reads better on camera,
and everyone knows that mustard is the proper condiment for hot dogs!
Why Gale Gordon didn’t just say “hot dog” remains a mystery.
Touch Typing! In
this episode Viv says Lucy hasn’t touched a typewriter since high
school but in “Lucy the Babysitter” (S5;E16) Lucy say she has two
years of business college. She was previously
seen typing in “Lucy is a Kangaroo for a Day” (S1;E7) where she
was also sent out on deliveries in lieu of being fired for
incompetence.
Any Port in a Storm! Mr.
and Mrs. Mooney’s cruise on a freighter to the Caribbean is for six
weeks and the ship doesn’t make its first port for 28 days. Any ship
leaving New York harbor (even a freighter) would not need four weeks
to reach a Caribbean port. A ship in motion would also need to
refuel.
Sitcom Logic Alert! Lucy practices her typing and shorthand with a book of Mother Goose nursery rhymes. Her children are not toddlers anymore, so it is unclear why this book is so handily available on the bookshelf.
Papermoon Loves Lucy 
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