Lucy Helps Danny Thomas

S4;E7
~ November 1, 1965

Synopsis

When
Mr. Mooney hires Lucy to get some important papers signed at a TV
studio, she finds herself dancing on Danny Thomas’s TV show instead!

Regular
Cast

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

Mary
Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis) does not appear in this episode.

Guest
Cast

Danny
Thomas
(Himself) was born Amos
Muzyad Yakhoob Kairouz in
1912. His screen career began in 1947 but he was most famous for
appearing on television in the long-running show “Make Room for
Daddy” (1953-1964), which was shot at Desilu Studios. When the
series moved from ABC to CBS in 1957, Thomas and the cast starred in
a rare TV cross-over with “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” titled
“Lucy Makes Room for Danny.” In return, Lucy and Desi turned up
on Thomas’s show. Fifteen years later, Lucy and Danny did yet
another cross-over when Lucy Carter of “Here’s Lucy” appeared on
“Make Room for Granddaddy.” In addition, Thomas also played an
aging artist on a 1973 episode of “Here’s Lucy.” Thomas is
fondly remembered for founding St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
He is also father to actress Marlo Thomas. He died in 1999.

Dick
Patterson
(Marty King) previously played himself in “Lucy and the Beauty
Doctor” (S3;E24). He made
his Broadway debut in David Merrick’s Vintage
‘60 and
served as a replacement for Dick Van Dyke in the original cast of Bye
Bye Birdie.
He went on to appear opposite Carol Burnett in Fade
Out, Fade In
(1964)
and his last musical was Smile
(1986),
a
spoof of beauty pageants. Although he is billed here as playing
himself, Patterson was never the host of a hidden camera show. He was
in the film musicals Can’t
Stop the Music (1980),
Grease
(1978),
and Grease
2
(1982).
In September 1966, Patterson and his wife Gita were seen on “Lucy
Week” of the game show “Password” along with other “Lucy
Show” performers. Patterson will appear in four episodes of “Here’s
Lucy” – all in character roles. He died in 1999 at the age of 70.

Mickey
Manners (Messenger) was born Solomon Shapiro in 1925. He was a
nightclub performer who was friends with Jerry Lewis and appeared in
a number of his films. He will make one appearance on “Here’s Lucy”
in 1969.

Miriam
Nelson (Miriam / choreographer, above left) made her Broadway debut in 1938.
She eventually became a Hollywood dancer and choreographer and
married fellow dancer Gene Nelson. She acted as choreographer for
this episode as well as “Lucy in the Music World” (S4;E3) and
“Lucy and the Golden Greek” (S4;E2).

Larri Thomas
(Sally, above right) was a dancer and actress who had appeared in the stage to
screen musical transfers of Guys and Dolls (1955), The
Pajama Game (1955), South Pacific (1958) and The Music
Man (1962). She played ‘Miss Hairdo’ in “Lucy Wants a Career,”
a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”

The
character is never addressed by name in the dialogue.

Sid
Gould
(Elevator Operator) made
more than 45 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.”

Four
other uncredited female dancers are part of the show.

The
date this episode first aired (November 1, 1965) “The Lucy Show”
was followed by an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” (which was
filmed at Desilu Studios) featured Eddie Quillan and Herb Vigran, who
were seen on the previous week’s “Lucy Show,” “Lucy and the
Countess Have a Horse Guest” (S4;E6).

At
the beginning of this episode, Mr. Mooney hires Lucy as a part-time
secretary.
Mr.
Mooney pays Lucy $14 a day. In a few weeks, he will hire her full
time. This is the relationship that Lucy will have with Mr. Mooney
(as well as with Harrison J. Carter on “Here’s Lucy”) for the
remainder of their screen careers.

Citing
her qualifications, Lucy says she was private secretary for Mr.
Miller, president of Pop Records, for a whole week. This is a
reference to “Lucy in the Music World” (S4;E3) where Lou Krugman played Miller and Mel Torme appeared as Mel Tinker.

Lucy
is sent by Mr. Mooney to the TV studio where they are rehearsing “The
Danny Thomas Show.” Although this is not a real TV program, Thomas
did host “The Danny Thomas Hour” for 22 episodes in 1967.

The
TV studio hallway has large black and white framed photos of TV
stars: Lassie, Andy Griffith, and Jim Neighbors. In 1963, Danny
Thomas served as Executive Producer for “The Andy Griffith Show,”
which was shot on the Desilu backlot as was “Gomer Pyle: USMC”
starring Jim Neighbors. Both were spin-offs of his show. “Lassie” aired on CBS from 1954 to 1971.

Lucy
says that back in Danfield she played the lead in a play once –
outside in the summer time. This means it wasn’t Cleopatra,
which was indoors.

During
rehearsals, Danny Thomas speaks to the unseen piano accompanist:
“Wilbur? Shall we hatch it?”
He is making a pun on the name of “The Lucy Show” composer
Wilbur Hatch who is probably playing the piano off screen.

“Broadway
Melody” was written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed for the
1929 musical film of the same name (above). It was the first sound picture
to win an Oscar.

Like
Lucy’s frequent co-star Bob Hope, Danny Thomas also makes jokes about
his nose.

Lucy
says she loves the way Danny Thomas says “And
away we go!”
which is actually Jackie Gleason’s famous catch phrase. Gleason will
make a wordless cameo appearance on “Here’s Lucy.”

The
episode ends without knowing if Lucy ever got the important bank
papers signed by the (never seen) Mr. Katz or whether she is fired,
as Mr. Mooney promised she would be, for failing to get them signed
and returned by 3pm.

Callbacks!

Lucy
attempting to come down a staircase wearing an extremely heavy
headdress is recycled directly from the “I
Love Lucy” episode
“Lucy
Gets into Pictures” (ILL S4;E18).
Lucy repeats some of the same dialogue and comic business she did in
1955.

Lucy
Ricardo also messed up a chorus line of experienced dancers in “The
Diet” (ILL S1;E3).

Blooper
Alerts!

Mr.
Mooney’s office will change constantly over the next few months,
getting larger and more luxurious each week until its layout is
frozen in the next season.

Lucy
tells Danny Thomas that this is the first show she’s ever been in.
She apparently has forgotten that she appeared as a singer on “Wing
Ding” in “Lucy in the Music World” (S4;E3).