Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery

S3;E5
~ October 19, 1964

Synopsis

When
Lucy rents out Viv’s room to two gentlemen visiting for the World’s
Fair, they turn out to be bank robbers who stash the loot in Viv’s
mattress.

Regular
Cast

Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Vivian
Vance (Vivian Bagley), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael), Jimmy Garrett
(Jerry Carmichael) and Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley)

This
is Ralph Hart’s first appearance in season 3. This is the first time
the entire regular cast has been together since “Ethel Merman and
the Boy Scout Show” (S2;E19).

Guest
Cast

John
Williams (Carter
Harrison) was born in England in 1903. He is perhaps best
known for his role as Chief Inspector Hubbard in Dial
M for Murder,
a role he played on Broadway, in Alfred
Hitchcock’s
classic 1954 film, and on television in 1958.
From 1924 to 1970 he appeared in more than 30 Broadway plays,
winning a Tony Award in 1953. This was his only appearance opposite
Lucille Ball.

On
“Here’s Lucy” Gale Gordon will also play a character named
Harrison Carter.

Lloyd
Corrigan
(Gordon Bentley) 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
first appeared as Mr. Holly in “Lucy Puts Up a TV Antenna”
(S1;E9). He will return for “Lucy the Choirmaster” (S4;E13).

In
the end credits, John Williams is listed as playing Bentley and Lloyd Corrigan
as Harrison. When the characters introduce themselves to Lucy, they
say the reverse.

Roy
Rowan (Radio
Announcer) was
the off-camera announcer for every episode of “My Favorite Husband”, “I Love Lucy” as
well as “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” He was also the
voice heard when TV or radio programs were featured on the plot of
all three shows. He was first heard announcing the TV football game
in “Lucy
is a Referee” (S1;E3).
His first on-camera appearance was in “Lucy Takes Up Golf”
(S2;E17).

Hazel
Pierce (Bank
Customer) was
Lucille Ball’s camera and lighting stand-in throughout “I Love
Lucy.” She also made frequent appearances on the show. Of her many
on-camera appearances on “The Lucy Show” only once was she given
a character name and credited, in “Lucy
Plays Cleopatra” (S1;E1).
She was also an uncredited extra in the film Forever
Darling (1956).

Uncredited
background performers play the police officers, bank staff and
customers.

This
episode was written by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Although they
departed the series as regular writers in season two, Lucille Ball
convinced them to contribute several scripts to season 3.

This
episode was filmed on June 4, 1964, before the production went on
hiatus for the summer. It was aired out of filming sequence.

The
night this episode first aired, “The Lucy Show” was aired
opposite “The Andy Williams Show” on NBC, which featured frequent
“Lucy” guest star Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Viv
and Lucy discuss Ralph Bagley, Vivian’s ex-husband.

The
two boarders claim they’re in Danfield for the nearby 1964 World’s
Fair held in New York City. The
New York World’s Fair was
held in Flushing Meadow, Queens, opening on April 22, 1964, just
three weeks after this episode first aired. It closed on October 17,
1965, although it was not open during the winter months of 1964/65.
It was first mentioned in “Lucy and the Scout Trip” (S2;E26). Due
to the great influx of tourists to Queens during the Fair, it was not
uncommon for residents to rent rooms to visitors.

August 31, 1964 was Lucy Day at the World’s Fair! Ball was treated to a parade through the fairgrounds, a VIP tour, and an honorary luncheon and performance.

Chris
mentions The Beatles. The day this episode was filmed (June 4, 1964)
The
Beatles
began
their first and only world concert tour starting with a performance
in Copenhagen.
The Beatles were previously mentioned in “Lucy and the Plumber”
(S3;E2).

Bentley calls Harrison

the “Bard of the bandits.” Only a few months
before this, John
Williams (Harrison),
had played William
Shakespeare,
‘the bard of Stratford-upon-Avon,’ on “The Twilight Zone.”
This is the second episode in a row to mention the CBS sci-fi
anthology series.

Harrison
says he wants to stop robbing banks and rob art galleries instead:
“Imagine
pilfering 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. He was previously mentioned
Picasso in “Lucy
Builds a Rumpus Room” (S1;E11)
and “Lucy Decides To Redecorate” (S2;E8).

The
two boarders also wonder about robbing drive-in banks: “Just
toot for the loot and scoot.”
The first drive-in
bank
window dates back to 1928. The post-World War II spurt in automotive
sales saw steady growth in drive-up banking.

This
is the fourth time we have seen Viv’s bedroom and each time the
layout has changed. In this episode, the bed has been moved across
the room. In all four episodes, however, Viv has the same headboard.
Before the remodeling in “Lucy
Decides to Redecorate” (S2;E8),
the
painting above the dresser was on the living room wall.

Viv’s
lumpy mattress was previously the subject of “Lucy and Her Electric
Mattress” (S1;E12).

Lucy
thinks the cash in the mattress belongs to Viv, calling her Mrs. J.P.
Morgan. John
Pierpont Morgan
(1837–1913)
was an American financier and banker who dominated corporate
finance
and
industrial
consolidation
in
late 19th and early 20th century.

Reading
The Danfield Tribune, Viv notes that Oscar the butcher has a special
on rump roast. This is the third butcher to be mentioned on the
series. The first was Ernie (Joe Mell) in “Together
for Christmas” (S1;E13).
The
second was Mr. Krause (Tom G. Linder) in “Lucy and the Plumber”
(S3;E2).

Viv
says the all those henna rinses have finally pickled Lucy’s brain.
Henna
Rinse
was the dye that Lucille Ball (and Lucy Ricardo) used to keep her
hair its distinctive orange color. Bear in mind that TV viewers
still had not seen Lucy’s red hair because CBS had yet to air “The
Lucy Show” in color!

The
robbers stole $8,500 dollars from the bank’s safe. The radio
announcer (Roy Rowan) says the theft would not normally have been
reported until Monday, but Mr. Mooney showed up at his desk,
forgetting that it was Saturday. This neatly closes a loophole in
the plot and earns a laugh from the studio audience.

Of
course, Lucy immediately assumes Viv stole the cash. Lucy compare
her to Ma Barker. Kate
Barker
(1873–
1935) was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker
gang.
She traveled with her sons during their criminal careers.
FBI director J.
Edgar Hoover
described
her as “the most vicious, dangerous and resourceful criminal
brain of the last decade.”
Her legend was kept alive by the 1960 feature film Ma
Barker’s Killer Brood starring
“I Love Lucy” veterans Lurene Tuttle (“The Club Election” ILL
S2;E19), Tristram Coffin (Harry Munson) and Paul Dubov (“The
Handcuffs” ILL S2;E6). Ma Barker was parodied as Ma Parker in a
1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy” starring Carole Cook as the
maternal criminal.

Viv
asks Lucy to “stop
acting like a mystery guest”
and explain her accusations. ‘Mystery guests’ were participants in
the CBS TV quiz show “What’s
My Line”
(1950 to 1967). Lucille Ball appeared on the show numerous times.

Callbacks!

When
Lucy hides the loot under her baggy sweater and stretch pants, her
look is similar to when Lucy Ricardo tried to smuggle raw eggs under
her clothes in “Lucy Does the Tango” (ILL S6;E20).

Blooper
Alerts!

Beauty Sleep! At
the start of the episode Viv says that she is not wearing any makeup,
but it’s obvious that Vivian Vance is wearing both eye makeup and
lipstick.

Name That Tune! At
least on the official 3rd Season DVD, the music heard on Jerry’s
portable radio is definitely not The Beatles. Sometimes licenses for
music expire and producers must replace the original soundtrack with
a royalty-free version. Whether that is the case here remains
unclear.

Seeing Double! The
bank seems to have two adjacent bulletin boards, each with the exact
same notices posted on them.

Stray Props! When
Lucy’s grocery bags break (as well as the robbers’ shopping bags), a
couple of items are left underfoot in front of the teller window.

Crash Prevention! When
Lucy is turning the mattress in Viv’s room, she nearly knocks over
the lamp on the bedside table. Lucille Ball takes a moment to steady
it before continuing.

Door is Ajar! When
the thieves return from the World’s Fair, they leave the front door open.
This may have been intentional to facilitate the easy entrance of Mr.
Mooney and the policemen.