My Fair Lucy

S3;E20 ~ February 8, 1965

Synopsis

When the Countess can’t pay her bills, Lucy suggests she open a charm school. To get the money from a wealthy couple of millionaires, Rosie pretends to transform a lowly charwoman (Lucy) into a highclass lady, much in the manner of My Fair Lady.

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael / Liza Lumpwhomper), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney)

Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley), and Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael) do not appear in this episode.

Guest Cast

Ann Sothern (Rosita “Rosie” Harrigan, the Countess Framboise)
makes the second of her seven appearances as a countess down on her luck. Sothern had appeared in the first “Lucy-Desi
Comedy Hour” “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana” (1957) as Susie MacNamara, the same character she played on her show “Private Secretary” from 1953 to 1957. In return Lucille Ball played Lucy Ricardo on her show in 1959. Sothern appeared with Ball in five films between 1933 and 1943. She was nominated for an Oscar
for her final screen appearance in The Whales of August
in 1987. She is buried near her home in Sun Valley, Idaho, a place
also dear to Lucy and Desi.

Reta Shaw (Dora Dunbar) started her career on the stage in such hits as Picnic (1953) and The Pajama Game(1954), for which she also did the film versions. She is best known for playing maids, such as in Disney’s Mary Poppins (1964) and TV’s “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” (1968-70). This is the second of her three appearances on “The Lucy Show” and she will make three more on “Here’s Lucy.” Shaw had played the recurring role of Flora on “The Ann Sothern Show” from 1958 to 1959.

Byron Foulger (Fred Dunbar) played the leader of the Friends of the Friendless in “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (ILL S2;E25). This is the first of his two appearances on “The Lucy Show.”  He was also seen on two episodes of “My Mother the Car” in which Ann Sothern voiced the title role!

The Dunbars live in New York City and are in Danfield to visit Mr. Dunbar’s relatives. According to Mrs. Dunbar, her husband made his fortune in ‘crude’ oil. The character is named after Lucy’s brother, Fred Ball, who also gave his first name to the landlord on “I Love Lucy.”

Carole Cook (Mrs. Valance) makes her second appearance as Mrs. Valance after being seenas Thelma Green in four episodes. She was a protege of Lucille Ball’s during the Desilu Playhouse years. Although she was born as Mildred Cook, Ball suggested she take the name Carole, in honor of Lucy’s great friend, Carole Lombard. Cook also went on to appear in five episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

In her first appearance as Mrs. Valance, she was the Society Editor of the Danfield Tribune, although that is not mentioned here.

John J. ‘Red’ Fox (Butler) was best known for playing policemen, which is what he did on five of his eight appearances on “The Lucy Show” as well as three of his five episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

The uncredited Party Guests are played by:

• Monty O’Grady was first seen with Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer (1953), and played a passenger on the S.S.  Constitution in “Second Honeymoon” (ILL S5;E14). He was at the airport when “The Ricardos Go to Japan” (1959). He made a dozen appearances on the series and a half dozen more on “Here’s Lucy.”
• James Gonzales was a popular Hollywood extra who first acted with Lucille Ball in the1953 film The Long, Long Trailer. He was previously seen on the series as Stan Williams in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2). He was seen in more than 20 episodes of “The Lucy Show” and 3 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
• Sam Harris was born in Australia in 1877 and did a dozen films with Lucille Ball before appearing in the audience of Over the Teacups in “Ethel’s Birthday” (ILL S4;E8) and playing a subway passenger in “Lucy and the Loving Cup” (ILL S6;E12). In between, he was a wedding guest in Lucy and Desi’s film Forever Darling (1956). Along with Monty O’Grady and Murray Pollack, he was in the airport when “The Ricardos Go to Japan” in 1959. This is the last of his six appearances on “The Lucy Show.” Coincidentally, Harris was also a background performer in the 1964 movie of My Fair Lady!
• Murray Pollack was seen as one of the party guest in “Country Club Dance” (ILL S6;E25), the episode that introduced Barbara Eden. Coincidentally, he later appeared on half a dozen episodes of “I Dream of Jeannie.” Like Monty O’Grady, he was at the airport when “The Ricardos Go to Japan” (1959). He was seen in the 1963 movie Critic’s Choice with Lucille Ball. Here he makes the first of two appearances on “The Lucy Show” and returned for three episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
• Jerry Rush makes the second of his nine (mostly uncredited) appearances on the series. He also did two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”  He had been in the 1950 film Nancy Goes to Rio starring Ann Sothern.
• Bert Stevens and Caryl Lincoln were a real-life husband and wife who made many appearances as background players on the series. Lincoln was one of Lucy’s friends from her Goldwyn Girl days. Stevens was the brother of actress Barbara Stanwyck, whose given name was Ruby Stevens. He was seen in the Tropicana audience for the Flapper Follies when “Ricky Loses His Voice” (ILL S2;E9) but along with Lincoln, probably appeared on other episodes as well.
• Ervin Richardson makes the third of four uncredited appearances on “The Lucy Show.” He also did two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
• Judith Woodbury makes the fourth of her eight (mostly) uncredited appearances on “The Lucy Show.” She also appeared in one episode of “Here’s Lucy.”

This episode was filmed on December 3, 1964.  This is production #78, exactly halfway through the “Lucy Show” catalog of 156 episodes.

A clip of Lucy as the cleaning woman begins the season four kaleidoscope credit sequence.

In the previous episode, “Lucy and the Countess” (S3;E19), Lucy says Viv’s been out of town for a week and will be gone for two more. As Vivian Vance started to phase out her involvement on “The Lucy Show” in order to spend more time with her husband on the East Coast, Lucille Ball was looking to introduce a new character to fill the ‘second banana’ role. The Countess will appear in seven episodes through November 1965, the start of season 4. For episodes featuring Ann Sothern, Vivian Vance’s opening title sequence credit is eliminated. Instead of the freeze frame of Viv as the flapper in the silent movie sketch (and the screen title “co-starring Vivian Vance”), the freeze frame is on Lucy as Charlie Chaplin.

The episode is inspired by My Fair Lady, a 1956 stage musical by
Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe that was turned into a major
motion picture in 1964. The film starred Audrey Hepburn and Rex
Harrison, recreating the role he played on stage. The film won eight Oscars and was phenomenally successful at the box office.

It premiered in New York City on October 21, 1964, five weeks before this episode was filmed.

My Fair Lady played on Broadway at the same time in 1961 that Lucille Ball was starring in the musical Wildcat. In the above photo, Lucy goes to bat for Wildcat, while Julie Andrews catches for Camelot. The banner on the right indicates that My Fair Lady was the Broadway Show League softball champion three years running.

Among the many television shows riffing on the My Fair Lady theme and title were:

• “My Fair Vocal Coach” – a 1956 episode of “The Danny Thomas Show”
• “My Fair Landlord” – a 1957 episode of “The Jackie Gleason Show”
• “My Fair Deadly” – a 1958 episode of “Mike Hammer”
• “My Fair Olive” – a 1961 episode of “Popeye the Sailor”
• “My Fair Uncle” – a 1963 episode of “The Danny Thomas Show”
• “My Fair Ignatz” – a 1963 episode of “Krazy Kat”
• “My Fair Munster” – a 1964 episode of “The Munsters”
• “My Fair Gilligan” – a 1964 episode of “Gilligan’s Island”
• “My Fair Chinese Lady” – a 1964 episode of “My Three Sons”
• “My Fair Lucy” – a 1965 episode of “The Lucy Show”
• “My Fair Co-Ed” – a 1965 episode of “Hank”
• “My Fair Mermaid” – a 1965 episode of “Sinbad and His Magic Belt”
• “My Fair Cousin Itt” – a 1965 episode of “The Addams Family”
• “My Fair Andy” – a 1965 episode of “No Time For Sergeants”
• “My Fair Freddy” – a 1966 episode of “The Flintstones”
• “My Fair Sister” – a 1969 episode of “Gomer Pyle: USMC”
• “My Fair Buzzi” – a 1973 episode of “Here’s Lucy”

In the feature film, a couple of familiar faces from Lucy sitcoms appear: Walter Bacon, George Holmes, Barbara Morrison, Jerry Rush, Bert Stevens, Ben Wrigley, and Lucille Ball’s good friend, Barbara Pepper. Although set in England, the film was shot exclusively in Hollywood.

Sothern, a well known TV star in her own right, gets a warm round of entrance applause from the studio audience. She says the postman complimented her for having “a cute zip code”.  Zip Codes were initiated in in the USA in July 1963, so they were relatively new at the time of filming.

Lucy says she is allergic to caviar and breaks out in hives every time she eats it. As Lucy is a middle class struggling mother of two, this can’t be very often.

Mr. Mooney claims that as an athletic young man he was supposed to go to the Olympics, but married (the perpetually unseen) Irma instead.

Rosie describes ‘Liza Lumpwhomper’ as “a wretched bit of flotsam”. Merriam Webster defines the rarely-used word as “people or things that have been rejected and are regarded as worthless.”  The same writers also used the word to describe the Friends of the Friendless in “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (ILL S2;E25).  Both times the word is used in the presence of actor Byron Foulger.

Rosie continues to mistakenly call Mr. Mooney ‘Mr. Money,’ a running gag for the Countess.

Lucy proposes that down-on-her-luck Rosie open a Charm School to pay the bills, but they have no money for the start-up costs.

LUCY:  “Rosie, I have a plan. Did you see ‘My Fair Lady’?”
ROSIE: “Yes.”
LUCY: “Now listen…” [fade to commercial]

To con a rich couple into funding their charm school, Rosie claims that under her tutelage, she can transform an uncouth, slovenly woman into a refined lady at an elegant soiree. Lucy’s cleaning lady character is named Liza Lumpwhomper. Eliza Doolittle is the name of Audrey Hepburn’s character in My Fair Lady.

Rosie tries a variation on one of Henry Higgins’ diction exercise in My Fair Lady:

“The rain in Maine falls plainly on the grain.” 

The actual quote is “The rain in Spain stays mainly on the
plain” which is also the basis for a song in the play and film.

As Liza Lumpwhomper, Lucy continually calls Dora Dunbar “fat lady.” This is the second time Reta Shaw has been cast for her size. In “Lucy Misplaces $2,000” (S1;E4, above) she played an overweight grandma who sits on Lucy’s hand while Lucy writhes in pain.

Lucy / Liza says she knows a ‘loverly’ poem. In My Fair Lady, cockney flower girl Eliza pronounces ‘lovely’ as ‘loverly’ which inspires a song called “Wouldn’t it Be Loverly.”

Mrs. Dunbar says that the Countess would be wasting her time trying to transform ‘Liza’. “You’ll never be a Pygmalion to this Galatea.”

Pygmalion is the title of the 1913 George Bernard Shaw play that was the basis for My Fair Lady. The non-musical play was filmed in 1938.

Shaw, in turn, based his story on the Greek legend of a sculptor
(Pygmalion) who falls in love with his beautiful statue (Galatea),
which comes to life.

As a transformed ‘Liza’ Lucy enters in a long, flowing gown, wearing a tiara and with a whippet on a leash. The dog is the only thing not found in Eliza Doolittle’s entrance to the ball in My Fair Lady. Lucille Ball, however, loved dogs.

There is a vigorous comic physicality between Ann Sothern and Lucille Ball that was never apparent in her partnership with Vivian Vance. Sothern isn’t afraid to get Lucy into a neck hold or do any of the physical stunts with Lucy. This is a change for Lucy, who is used to being the one doing all the physical comedy.

When Lucy gets hives from unknowingly eating caviar, the Countess scratches her itch by drawing a map of Paris on Lucy / Liza’s back!  The fingernail drawing includes the Eiffel Tower (”It’s higher!”) and the Arc de Triomphe (”You should see both of them!). Lucy Ricardo saw both landmarks in “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18).

Mrs. Dunbar is unveiling a new work of art by Gabonzo (fictional) but she has two Picassos in New York City. 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. His name was dropped in three previous “Lucy Show” episodes. The new Gabonzo is a statue, another nod to the legend of Pygmalion and Galatea.

Callbacks!

Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz attended a “Charm School” (ILL S3;E15) run by Phoebe Emerson (Natalie Schaefer).

Lucy Ricardo also disguised herself as a cleaning woman in “Cuban Pals” (ILL S1;E28).

Lucy accidntally knocks over the Gabonzo statue, which breaks into many pieces. In “The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue” (ILL S6;E27), Lucy Ricardo backed up over the Minuteman Statue made by Mr. Silvestri causing it to break into many pieces as well.

Lucy Carmichael previously wore the pink evening gown in “Lucy Meets a Millionaire” (S2;E24). In a crazy turn of events, the pink gown is dyed green (along with Lucy herself) by episode’s end!  [Thanks to Lucy fan Richard Swinburk for spotting the recycled dress!]

Fast Forward! 

In 1965′s “Lucy Saves Milton Berle” (S4;E13), Lucy Carmichael disguises herself as a poor flower seller, bearing more than a passing resemblance to Eliza Doolittle. Despite that, Mr. Mooney compares her to Mary Poppins! Although Mary Poppins never dressed as a poor flower seller, Julie Andrews dressed this way on stage in My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle.  My Fair Lady and Mary Poppins were both Oscar contenders in 1965.

In “Lucy in London” (1966), after Anthony Newley’s medley, there is a brief shot of Lucy as an Eliza Doolittle-type figure perched in the balcony. She is clutching a small bunch of violet flowers, just like Eliza in My Fair Lady.

One year later, in “Lucy and the Efficiency Expert” (S5;E13), a famous quote from My Fair Lady was uttered by Phil Silvers: “By George, I think she’s got it!” 

On a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy”, Dan Dailey and Gale Gordon quote the lyrics (verbatim) to the song “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” from My Fair Lady. Dailey says “If Rex Harrison can talk through that song, we can too.”

In 1972, “Here’s Lucy” revived the premise with Ruth Buzzi going from frumpy to fabulous in “My Fair Buzzi” (HL S5;E13).

Lola Fisher, who played Bunny in “Lucy and the Franchise Fiasco” (HL S5;E20) in 1973 and Mrs. Pomeroy in “Lucy in the Jungle” (HL S4;E13), understudied and replaced Julie Andrews in the Broadway company of My Fair Lady.

Ann Sothern’s pink powder puff nightgown was worn by her again on a 1969 episode of “Love American Style” on ABC.

Blooper Alerts!

Fourth Wall MIA! In the opening shot from the kitchen to the living room, it is very apparent that we are looking at a set as the hatch between the two rooms is completely missing it’s fourth side!

Door Is Ajar! When Rosie brings in the morning mail, she leaves the front door wide open. This is not uncommon in the Carmichael home.

Over the Line! Ann Sothern jumps Reta Shaw’s line “What challenge?” but she recovers quickly.

Heel! The dog that Lucy / Liza enters with immediately starts sniffing the guests standing on the opposite side of Lucy. She must hand off the dog to the butler, but the animal is briefly reluctant to go!

Office Space! It is not mentioned how Lucy and Rosie got the use of the well-appointed office to interview to meet with the Dunbars. Perhaps Mr. Mooney at the Bank was persuaded by the Countess to loan his offices for the day?

“My Fair Lucy” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5