LUCY SHOW BLOOPERS!

“The Lucy Show” was one of the most inconsistent shows on television.  After the departure of the show’s initial writers, a revolving door of guest writers took over resulting in many character contradictions.  Like all shows, they also had their share of production goofs and gaffes. Here’s my top 12. Enjoy!  

1. 
My Son What’s-His-Name

For
55 episodes actor Jimmy Garrett played Lucy’s son Jerry Carmichael.
The character was sent away to military school and made his final
appearance in “Lucy the Choirmaster” (S4;E15).  But in  “Lucy
Gets Caught Up in the Draft” (S5;E9), only a year later, she reads
a letter from her son Jimmy.   According
to Geoffrey Mark Fidelman’s The
Lucy Book,
when
Lucille Ball was handed the script, she complained that they had used
the wrong name. She was reminded that it was ‘Jimmy’ Garrett who
played ‘Jerry’ Carmichael. Ball still insisted that she was right
and (picking their battles, probably) the crew left the reference as
‘Jimmy.’  Don’t argue with the boss!  

2. School
Dazed

In
“Lucy’s College Reunion” (S2;E11) Lucy returns to
where she graduated college, Milroy University. But
in “Lucy the Babysitter” (S5;E16) Lucy says she only has two
years of business college. Her education will be forgotten
again in “Lucy Gets Her Diploma” (S6;E5), where she claims to be
a high school dropout!

3. Taylor
Maid(en) Name

In
“Lucy’s College Reunion” (S2;E11) Lucy gives her maiden name as
Taylor, but
in “Lucy and John Wayne” (S5;E10) she says it is
McGillicuddy, just as it always was on “I Love Lucy.”  Taylor was
also the surname of the young couple who moved into the Ricardo’s
NYC apartment when they moved to the country.

4. Cheever
the Achiever

The
character of Mr. Cheever, Mr. Mooney’s boss at the bank, was
mentioned for a year before actor Roy Roberts brought him to life.  Once he
was on screen, however, no one could decide what his name was!  In
“Lucy and the Starmaker” (S6;E4) he says his middle name is
Winfield.  But in “Little Old Lucy” (S6;E7) Mr. Mooney introduces
him as Harrison Cheever. (Harrison will become the first name of Gale Gordon’s character on “Here’s Lucy.”)  In subsequent episodes Mr. Mooney simply
calls him Winfield or Mr. Cheever.  

5. Take
a Seat – Please!  

One
of the biggest goofs of an early season was in “Lucy is a Referee”
(S1;E3) when Lucille
Ball’s canvas director’s chair, clearly marked LUCY, is visible
in the background behind the chain link fence of the playing field!

6. Where
the Floor Ends

A
fairly common goof in many episodes happened whenever the cameras
used a wide shot.  Many times the edge of where the wall-to-wall
carpeting meets the concrete soundstage floor was clearly in frame.
Many times!

7. Haven’t
We Met Somewhere Before?

Lucy
Carmichael met Milton Berle for the first time in “Lucy
Saves Milton Berle” (S4;E13).
In “Lucy Meets the Berles” (S6;E1) Lucy meets Milton Berle for
the first time – again!   Berle also walked by Lucy in the studio cafeteria without acknowledging her in “Lucy and John Wayne” (S5;E10). 

8. Time
Stands Still in Danfield

During
Seasons 1 and 2 the clock in Lucy’s kitchen was set to one time and
stayed there throughout the episode.  It was 8:10 for several
episodes!  

9. Wall
of Indecision

During
the first season of the show the wall next to the dining room table
was the subject of continual redecoration!  Paintings and lighting
fixtures were rotated in and out weekly to find the perfect look! 

10. Office
of the Vice President

Once
Lucy begins working for Mr. Mooney at the Westland bank, the plots
would dictate where Lucy and Mr. Mooney’s desks would be located from
week to week.  While most times they have a private office, when
necessary their desks would be in the lobby, unlikely for a bank VP.
In several episodes Lucy was not just a secretary, she was a teller
as well!  

11. A
Door is a Jar

In
many episodes, doors would not be fully shut or remain wide open to
facilitate entrances and exits. In “Lucy’s Sister Pays a Visit”
(S1;E15) Lucy leaves the refrigerator door
ajar.  In
Lucille Ball’s later life, Lucy’s car had a computer voice that
reminded the driver “A door is ajar.”  Lucy would always drolly
wisecrack “A door is not a jar, a jar is a jar.”  

12. Monster
Crew from Desilu

In
“Lucy and the Monsters” (S3;E22) a crew member’s head is in the
frame as a scene fades out.  The scene is dark but he is clearly
caught where he shouldn’t be!