S4;E25
~ March 14, 1966
Synopsis
In
an “Untouchables” parody, a Federal Agent says that Lucy looks
just like the chanteuse gun moll of a bank robber about to be
released prison. For a $5,000 reward, Lucy agrees to become the gun
moll and help find the hidden loot.
Regular
Cast
Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael / Rusty Martin), Gale Gordon (Theodore J.
Mooney)
Mary
Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis) does not appear in this episode.
Guest
Cast
Robert
Stack
(Federal Agent Briggs) played Eliot Ness on “The Untouchables.”
He was in the series pilot for Desilu and (along with Walter
Winchell) was the only actor to appear in every episode as well as
the pilot. In 1957, he earned an Oscar nomination for Written
on the Wind.
When he took the role of Eliot Ness, he expected that the pilot
would fail. From 1987 to 2002 he was the host of TV’s “Unsolved
Mysteries.” Stack died in 2003 at age 84.
Bruce
Gordon
(Big Nick) played Frank Nitti on “The Untouchables” in 30
episodes. Gordon had appeared
on Broadway in the long-running play Arsenic
and Old Lace (1941-44)
with Boris Karloff. He was also on Broadway with Charlton Heston and
Katherine Cornell in Antony
and Cleopatra
(1947-48). His heavy-featured look and gravelly voice led him to be
typecast as gangsters.
He died in 2011 at age 94.
Nick calls Rusty ‘Doll’.
Steve
London
(Detective Lane, left)
appeared as Agent
Jack Rossman on “The Untouchables” for 63 episodes, although he
often had little or no dialogue.
After
this his career waned he attended law school he practiced under his
birth name Walter Gragg. He died in 2014 at age 85.
Walter
Winchell
(Narrator
Voice) was a journalist and radio host who was the narrator of “The
Untouchables.” Along with Robert Stack, he was the only person to
be part of every episode as well as the show’s pilot. His voice was
heard (uncredited) in the 1949 Lucille Ball film Sorrowful
Jones.
Winchell is said to have coined
the phrase, “America – love it or leave it." He “left it” in 1972 when he died at age 74.
Marl Young (Piano Players, uncredited) was the show’s musical arranger and become “Here’s Lucy” musical director. He often appeared on camera when episodes included music.
Duke
Fishman (Domino
Club Audience, uncredited) was also an extra in 8 episodes of “The
Untouchables.” His birth name was Marcus, but he was known as ‘the
Duke of Catalina’ so he adopted Duke as his first name.
Kathryn Janssen (Domino Club Audience, uncredited) began doing background work in 1966. This is her second of at least 4 “Lucy Show” appearances. She went on to be spotted in three episodes of “Here’s Lucy”.
Background
performers play the other members of the Domino Club audience. There is also a jazz quartet playing back-up for Lucy / Rusty.
In
the episode’s title the term ‘gun moll’ refers to a female
companion of a professional criminal. The word ‘moll’ derives
from ‘molly,’ a euphemism for ‘whore’ or ‘prostitute’ in 17th century England.
In real life, Bonnie Parker (companion of Clyde Barrow) and Mae Capone
(wife of Al Capone) were gun molls. Fictional gun molls include
Breathless Mahoney (Dick Tracy) and Tallulah (Bugsy Malone).
The September 27, 1960 Look Magazine with both Lucille Ball and Robert Stack on the cover!
The Untouchables was first an autobiographical memoir by Eliot Ness co-written with Oscar Fraley, published in 1957.
According to testimony from Aladena Fratianno (aka Jimmy the Weasel), a Mafia boss-turned-FBI informant, the Mafia ordered the assassination of producer Desi Arnaz in 1966, because they didn’t like that “The Untouchables” was focusing attention on the Mafia and because of the show’s portrayal of Italians. Fratianno said that two hitmen hid themselves near Arnaz’s house one night waiting for him to show up, but he never did. Shortly afterwards, the assassination order was rescinded when they realized that Arnaz’s murder would cause the Mafia more trouble than it was worth.
it is worth noting, however, that Arnaz actually sold his share of Desilu to Lucille Ball in 1962, so he didn’t even own the company behind the show in 1966. So it seems highly unlikely that Fratianno’s confession is accurate and that his story is mere exaggeration by a known criminal.
This
episode was filmed on Thursday, February 10, 1966. On that evening,
Lucille Ball (and singer Kate Smith) appeared on “The Dean Martin Show” on NBC in return
for Martin’s appearance on “Lucy Dates Dean Martin” (S4;E21),
which would air four days later, on Valentine’s Day.
Less than 24
hours before filming, Sophie Tucker died. Tucker co-starred in the
1938 Broadway show that introduced “My Heart Belongs to Daddy,”
which Lucy sings in this episode. Lucille Ball would play Tucker on a
Bob Hope TV special in 1977.
“The
Untouchables” started out as a two-part pilot episode of “Westinghouse
Desilu Playhouse” in April 1959. The show was introduced by Desi
Arnaz and starred Robert Stack and the voice of Walter Winchell, both
of whom were cast in the series, which began in October 1959 on CBS.
The final episode was aired in May 1963. Lucille Ball, who was then
the President of Desilu, got an angry letter from Frank Sinatra about the show’s negative depiction of
Italian-Americans.
“Lucy Show” actors who also appeared on “The
Untouchables” include: Harvey Korman, Richard Reeves, Lou Krugman,
Oscar Beregi, George DeNormand, Joe Mell, Stanley Farrar, Byron
Foulger, Nestor Paiva, Louis Nicoletti, Ross Elliott, Beverly Powers,
Amzie Strickland, Eleanor Audley, Alan Hale Jr., Jay Novello, Bert
Stevens, Hans Moebus, Bess Flowers, Leoda Richards, Bernard Sell,
Norman Leavitt, Sam Harris, Hal Taggart, George Barrows, Steve
Carruthers, James Gonzales, John Banner, Stafford Repp, Hazel Pierce, Charles Lane, and Joan Blondell.
Like “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show” Dell created comic books based on the series.
In 1962, Desilu licensed “The Untouchables” to make bubble gum…
… as well as a play set and arcade target game by Marx!
In 1987 the
series inspired a feature film starring Kevin Costner as Eliot Ness
and Robert DeNiro as Al Capone.
In 1991, Robert Stack reprised the role he made famous in the TV Movie “The Return of Eliot Ness” on NBC.
A 1993 TV reboot of the series
lasted two seasons on CBS.
“The
Untouchables” theme music is also heard in this episode. It was
composed by Nelson Riddle. Riddle was born in Oradell, New Jersey,
but grew up in nearby Ridgewood. Riddle wrote music for four TV
movies with Lucille Ball, including “Lucy Gets Lucky” (1975) with
Dean Martin.
In
2007, “The Untouchables” Season 1 DVD included a bonus track of
this episode of “The Lucy Show.” This was before “The Lucy
Show” episodes were restored and released on DVD, making it this episode’s first appearance on home video.
Although
he had nothing against comedy, Robert Stack said he always refused to
play any sort of satire or parody of Eliot
Ness.
Apparently, when his boss (Lucy) asked, he relented and did this
one-off episode. This could be the reason that the characters are all
given very different names than their “Untouchables”
counterparts, despite there being three years since its
cancellation.
Lucy
didn’t want Walter Winchell to be part of the episode at all because
of how poorly he treated her during the Red Hunt of 1953. Her
ex-husband, Desi Arnaz, told her that Winchell’s narration was
strictly business, and she eventually agreed. In the 1940s, Winchell
had reported that newlyweds Lucy and Desi were expecting a baby when
no one else knew. She lost the baby. Still, Desi slyly incorporated
Winchell’s name into his song “We’re Having a Baby” written for
little Lucie’s birth: “You’ll
read it in Winchell, that we’re adding a branch to our family tree.”
Further adding to this ‘in-joke’, in “Ricky Has Labor Pains” (ILL
S2;E19) the script mentions an article in Winchell’s column that is
all about Lucy Ricardo having a baby, but very little about Ricky’s
career.
All
the members of “The Untouchables” guest cast receive entrance
applause from the studio audience.
The
name ‘Rusty Martin’ was probably derived from Lucy’s hair color and the surname of Mary Martin, who introduced the song “My
Heart Belongs to Daddy” (music and lyrics by Cole Porter) in the
1938 Broadway musical Leave
It to Me.
Marilyn
Monroe sang it in
the 1960 film Let’s
Make Love.
Lucy
wants an apple vending machine for the employees at the bank. Mr.
Mooney says they already have a cigarette machine, a candy machine, a
coffee machine and a soft drink dispenser.
Although vending machines
offering fresh fruit are rare in today’s world, the Fruit-O-Matic
Company started to manufacture such machines around 1950. Before
that, fruit was also generally available available in Automats (a
sort of cafeteria of vending machines) located in big cities.
Fruit-O-Matic Apple Machines were made in California and were mostly
found in schools and other youth and health oriented locations.
Rusty’s “Ain’t Jar” (similar to a ‘Swear Jar’) where she puts a quarter every time she says “ain’t” is actually a Hills Brothers Coffee Can with the brand name redacted with masking tape! A can of Hills Brothers Coffee was also seen on the stove on “I Love Lucy.”
Mr.
Mooney vouches for Lucy’s identity to Agent Briggs, saying they were
neighbors back in Danfield.
Lucy
intimates that Briggs looks like someone famous. Although she
doesn’t say the name Robert Stack (or Eliot Ness), that is the
inference. At the end of the episode, Briggs talks about Big Nick’s
‘series’ of crimes and ‘series’ of arrests. Lucy says she thinks
Briggs should give Nick a break because they’ve spent so much time
together in the same ‘series.’
Rusty’s
dressing room is decorated with black and white photographs of
Lucille Ball performing. Behind Stack is a photo of Lucy singing
“Jitterbug Bite” in the 1940 film Dance,
Girl, Dance.
Ball met Desi Arnaz while filming this movie. It was filmed at RKO,
the studio that became Desilu.
Lucy
breaks the fourth wall at the end of the episode and addresses the
audience, something of a rarity for Ball and her shows. The other actors bow to the studio audience! The last
time Lucy talked to the audience / camera was on the “I Love Lucy Christmas Special” and
the previous Christmas tags, where the cast wished the viewing audience a Merry Christmas.
Callbacks!
Lucy
Ricardo pretended to be a gun moll to ‘The Brains’ (aka Ricky) in
“Lucy Wants to Move to the Country” (ILL S6;E15). Ethel Mertz is
gun moll to ‘Fingers’ (aka Fred) who "packs a rod” (aka gun)
which turns out to be a water pistol.
Lucy Carter agreeing to be a decoy for the Federal Agents is reminiscent of when Lucy Ricardo agrees to help the FBI catch a jewel thief. in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5). Lucy brags that she will call her memoir “I Was A Woman for the FBI.”
Fast Forward!
Lucy would again play a 1920s flapper named Rusty in the episode “Lucy and the Lost Star” (S6;E22) which co-starred Vivian Vance and Joan Crawford.
Lucy plays a gun moll named Joyce the 1969 Dinah Shore special “Like Hep!” Dinah plays the detective and Dick Martin her mobster boyfriend. Lucy sings a few bars of “Hey, Big Spender,” a song from the musical Sweet Charity.
Although doppelgangers Lucy Carmichael and Rusty Martin are in the same scene, they do not appear on camera together. This would be saved for when Lucy Carter meets Lucille Ball on a 1974 episode of “Here’s Lucy.”
Lucille Ball and Robert Stack were both exhibits at the Movieland Wax Museum in Corona Park, California. Postcards were issued of their figures. The Museum opened in 1962 and closed for good in 2005. It was mentioned in “Lucy and Lawrence Welk” (HL S2;E18) where Mary Jane’s friend was the manager.
Lucille Ball also breaks the fourth wall to wink to the camera in “Lucy and Harry’s Memoirs” (HL S5;24). This was supposed to be the series finale, but at the last minute a tag was added to leave the door open for a sixth season.
A publicity still from the episode is displayed at the Lucy-Desi Museum in Jamestown, New York. (photo by Maggie St. Thomas)
Blooper
Alerts
An
intentional blooper! Robert
Stack’s character Agent Briggs ‘mistakenly’ hands Lucy a card that
says “Rose Marie’s School for Models.” Stack’s wife was
named Rosemarie.
Born Rose Marie Bowe, right out of school she became a
model and cover girl as the winner of pageant titles, including “Miss
Tacoma”. Eventually she relocated to Los Angeles, where she
ultimately made the cover of Life magazine and started working in films.
She ended her career to raise a family after marrying Stack in 1956.
Papermoon Loves Lucy 
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