Lucy, the Camp Cook

S3;E6
~ October 25, 1964

Synopsis

When
Lucy and Viv want their boys to stay an extra week at camp, they take
a job in the camp’s kitchen, but only succeed in nearly destroying
the place on their first (and last) day.

Regular
Cast

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

Guest
Cast

Harvey
Korman
(Mr. Slater, Camp Director) is best known as a cast member of “The
Carol Burnett Show” (1967-1977), four episodes of which featured
Lucille Ball. He will make two more appearances on “The Lucy
Show.” In 1977 he had his own show on ABC which lasted just one
season. At
the time of this episode he was a regular on “The Danny Kaye Show”
(1963-67) which aired Friday nights on CBS.
Lucille Ball guest starred on the episode aired on Saturday, October
24, 1964, the night before her show, which generally aired on
Mondays.

Madge
Blake (Woman
Driver) is probably best remembered as Aunt
Harriet Cooper on TV’s “Batman” (1966-1968). On “I Love
Lucy,” she played Martha,
a prospective new tenant who has a fear of heights in “Lucy and
Superman” (ILL S6;E13). Blake had already appeared as hat shop
proprietor Mrs. Mulford in “Ricky
Loses His Temper” (ILL S3;E19).
She also played Aunt Anastacia in Lucy and Desi’s 1954 film The
Long, Long Trailer.

This
is the second episode in a row this season to be 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 first aired on Sunday, October 25, 1964, one day earlier
than its usual Monday night time slot.

Once
again, Chris’s friend Cynthia is mentioned; her parents are said to
be waiting outside to drive the girls on their vacation. When last
we saw Cynthia in season 1, she was played by Lucie Arnaz. It is
never stated where Chris and Cynthia are going.

Jerry
and Sherman call their camp group “The Rat Finks.” In “Lucy
Gets Amnesia” (S3;E4) Chris says her pet name for her ex-boyfriend
Bobby Edwards was “The Fink.”

Viv
makes fun of Jerry’s fondness for Beatles records. Lucy calls them
his “Beatle” records. The
Beatles
were previously mentioned in “Lucy
and the Plumber” (S3;E2)
and “Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery” (S3;E5).

Mr.
Mooney’s son is also at the camp, although the character is never
seen on screen. Arnold Mooney was played by Barry Livingston in
“Lucy and the Scout Trip” (S2;E26) and in “Lucy
Gets Locked in the Vault” (S2;E4).

Lucy
says to Mr. Mooney: “Compared
to you Jack Benny is Diamond Jim Brady.” Comedian
Jack Benny (1894-1974) recently guest starred on “Lucy and the
Plumber” (S3;E2). Jack
Benny’s
comic persona was that of a skinflint who still had every penny he
ever made. Conversely, James
Buchanan Brady
(1856-1917) was a real-life millionaire and philanthropist who was
fond of jewels (hence the nickname). He had a longtime relationship
with singer Lillian Russell. In the late 1960s, Lucy was announced to
play Russell to Jackie Gleason’s Brady in a film project that never
materialized. He was first mentioned in “The Business Manager”
(ILL S4;E1).

Mr.
Mooney’s red convertible is a 1964
Ford Falcon Sprint.
The Sprint
was overshadowed by the Mustang and was discontinued after 1965.

After
Mr. Mooney runs out of gas (because the last filling station didn’t
give trading stamps), Lucy and Viv try hitchhiking. Viv says “Let’s
give it that old Claudette Colbert try.” Viv
is referring to a scene from the 1934 film It
Happened One Night
in which Colbert ‘schools’ Clark Gable in how to get a driver to stop
by hiking up her skirt above the knee. Coincidentally, the film
featured Irving Bacon as a gas station attendant. Bacon played Ethel
Mertz’s father Will Potter in “Ethel’s Home Town” (ILL S4;E15).

Viv:
“Did
Tommy Thompson hide his pet snake in somebody’s bed again?”

Tommy
Thompson
was the name of one of “The Lucy Show” producers. He was
previously mentioned in “Lucy and Viv Play Softball” (S2;E3) by
his nickname, Art Thompson.

Lucy
says that when she and Viv were in the WAVES they cooked for the
entire company. Lucy is fibbing to get the job. Viv reminds her that
they only cooked one meal and everyone got seasick – on dry land.
Their past as WAVES is first introduced in “Lucy Becomes an
Astronaut” (S1;E6).

Lucy
says the stove in the camp kitchen was made in 1903 by Mother’s Handy
Household Helper.
Viv says the last time she saw a stove like it Hansel and Gretel were
cooking a witch in it.

Mr.
Slater says the last cook left them enough frozen pop-over batter to
sink Boys Town. Boys
Town was
founded in December 1917 as an orphanage for boys. In 1938, Spencer
Tracy played their founder, Father Flanagan, in a film titled Boys
Town,
which won two Oscars and spawned the sequel Men
of Boys Town, also
starring Tracy. Boys Town was previously mentioned in “Lucy is a
Referee” (S1;E3).

When
Lucy says to Viv “I’ll show you how to handle eggs” the studio
audience audibly gasps in expectation of what is to come. Perhaps
they are recalling the episode of “I Love Lucy” where “Lucy
Does the Tango” (ILL S6;E20)?

From
Mr. Slater’s brief crooning of the camp song, it sounds like the name
of the camp is ‘Camp Awa-ha-haki,’ although he has a large yellow
letter “T” on his cap.

Callbacks!

Broken
eggs were the cause of the longest recorded laugh on “I Love Lucy”
in “Lucy Does the Tango” (ILL S6;E20).

Ethel
Mertz worked as a short order cook while she was in vaudeville, as
seen in “The Diner” (ILL S3;E27).

Blooper
Alerts!

Seasonal Scenario? Although
the episode may have been filmed at the start of the summer of 1964,
it was not aired until October, which makes the boys being at summer
camp and Chris’s long vacation a bit untimely. They would probably
all be in school!

Holy Give-Aways! There
is a telltale square on the floor painted a slightly lighter shade of
gray where the frozen pop-over batter will fall through.

Audience Participation! When
Lucy spreads a towel on the floor to get the frozen batter out of the
pot, a single audience member can be heard muttering “Upside
down…” in
expectation of what she is going to do next.

Watch Yer Step! When
Viv moves to help Mr. Slater out of the hole in the floor, the towel
Lucy spread on the floor gets underfoot and nearly trips her up.

Cap Catcher! When
Mr. Slater yells “Out!”
at Lucy and Viv, his hat flies off his head. Harvey Korman catches
it before it hits the ground.

Papermoon Loves Lucy