MOD, MOD LUCY

S1;E1 ~ September 23, 1968

“Here’s
Lucy” Background

In
December 1967 Lucille Ball sold Desilu Studios to Paramount.  “The
Lucy Show” was in its sixth season and still at the top of the
ratings for CBS. Ball was not interested in working for Paramount and
“The Lucy Show” now had enough episodes to qualify for
syndication, so she decided to form her own production company named
Lucille Ball Productions (LBP) and produce a new show for CBS.
First, she asked her own children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. if
they would be interested in starring alongside her. Gale Gordon would
co-star. Eventually, Mary Jane Croft would also join the cast.
Ball’s husband Gary Morton would act as co-Producer and his actor
cousins Sid Gould and Vanda Barra would round out the ensemble
players.  Jack Donohue, who had directed 107 or the 156 episodes of
“The Lucy Show,” would direct season one.  With the main cast in
place and former “Lucy Show” writers Milt Josefsberg and Joe
Singer in charge of scripts, “Here’s Lucy” premiered in September
1968 in the same time-slot and evening formerly held by “The Lucy
Show” and “I Love Lucy.”  For the first season, Paramount would
co-produce the show with LBP.  

The
premise of the show was similar to that of the first seasons of “The
Lucy Show.”  Ball played widow raising two children on her own –
in this case free-spirited teenagers played by Lucie and Desi. Using
her own first name as usual, Lucy chose the surname CARter in order
to repeat the AR combination of letters so successful in her marriage
to Desi ARnaz and the characters Lucy RicARdo, and Lucy CARmichael.
One story (possibly apocryphal) says that Carole Lombard’s mother was
very superstitious and told Lucy these letters would be key to her
future success.  Lucie and Desi were given freedom to chose their
character names and selected Kim and Craig, respectively.  The show’s
scripts would showcase their offscreen talents; Lucie’s singing and
dancing, and Desi’s drumming.  

Once
again, Gale Gordon, who had appeared on all of Lucille Ball’s
successful radio and television programs, would play her employer,
Harrison Otis Carter, proprietor of the Unique Employment Agency.
This business’s name was taken from a 1967 episode of “The Lucy
Show”.  Their motto was “Odd Positions for Odd people.”  On
“Here’s Lucy” it would be “Unusual Jobs for Unusual People”
and was sewn on a sampler that hung in their office.  Just as in the
final seasons of “The Lucy Show,” Lucy and Harry would share an
office.  Here, Harry would also be related to the Lucy character, as
the brother of her deceased (but never mentioned) husband, Kim and
Craig’s father.  Just like the latter seasons of “The Lucy Show,”
the show would be set in Los Angeles.    

“Here’s
Lucy” debuted on September 23, 1968 at 8:30 Eastern time on CBS.
Its lead-in was the massively popular “Gunsmoke,” entering its
14th season. “Here’s Lucy” was followed by the first
season of “Mayberry R.F.D.,” a reformatted version of “The Andy
Griffith Show,” just as “Here’s Lucy” was a reformatted version
of “The Lucy Show.”  

“Here’s Lucy” was aired opposite the
second half hour of season two of “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In”
on NBC.  Both Dan Rowan and Dick Martin were frequently seen on “The
Lucy Show.”  On ABC “Here’s Lucy” was up against the third (and
final) season of “Felony Squad,” a half-hour crime drama starring
Howard Duff.  Duff and his wife played themselves on a 1959 episode
of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”  

The
“Here’s Lucy” opening credit sequence featured a puppet created
by Oscar-nominated Jim Danforth.  The figure hearkens back to the
original stick-figure drawings that opened “I Love Lucy” and the
first seasons of “The Lucy Show.” During the opening sequence,
the Lucy puppet blows a kiss toward the name Gary Morton, Ball’s
husband.  The theme song was composed by Wilbur Hatch, who had been
involved with Lucy and Desi since “I Love Lucy.”  

Directed
by Jack Donohue ~ Written
by Milt Josefsberg and Ray Singer

Synopsis 

When Kim and Craig get a job performing at a birthday party for one of Uncle Harry’s clients, Kim gets laryngitis and Lucy must take her daughter’s place.  

Regular
Cast

Lucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began
her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of
the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With
Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite
Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,”
a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her
real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was
phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was
once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960
(in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so
did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu
financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The
Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a
similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life
children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined
the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death
in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With
Lucy,” also with Gordon, which was not a success and was canceled
after just 13 episodes.

Lucie
Arnaz (Kim Carter) is the real-life daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. She
was born in 1951 just before the premiere of “I Love Lucy.”
Lucille Ball was actually pregnant during the filming of the show’s
pilot. Despite rumors to the contrary, Lucie Arnaz never appeared on
“I Love Lucy.” Lucie played Cynthia (as well as other characters)
on “The Lucy Show.”  She
has been twice married, to actor Phil
Vandervort (1971)
and actor-writer Laurence
Luckinbill (1980–present).
She has three children  with Luckinbill: Simon, Joseph, and Katharine.
She now lives in Palm Springs, California, near the home once owned
by her parents.

Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Cartrer) is the real-life son of Lucille Ball. His 1953 birth was
worked into the plot of “I Love Lucy” although Desi Jr. never
played the role of Little Ricky Ricardo. He did, however, appear on
the final half-hour episode of the series “The
Ricardos Dedicate a Statue” (ILL S6;E27)
in
a crowd scene. He was occasionally seen as Billy Simmons and other
minor characters on “The Lucy Show.”  At the time of filming
“Here’s Lucy” he was part of the band Dino Desi and Billy along
with Dean Martin Jr. and Billy Hinsche. Arnaz
was married to actress Linda
Purl from
1980 until 1981. In 1987, Arnaz married Amy Laura Bargiel.
They
lived in Boulder
City, Nevada,
with their daughter, and own the Boulder Theatre, a cinema converted
into a theatre and home to the Boulder City Ballet Company.
Amy
died in 2005 after a long battle with cancer.

Desi Arnaz
has a daughter, Julia.

Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter) was said to be the highest paid radio artist of the
1930’s and was in such demand that he often did two or more radio
shows a day. His professional collaboration with Lucille Ball started
in 1938 as the announcer of Jack Haley’s “The Wonder Show”
(Wonder Bread was their sponsor). He played Mr. Atterbury on Lucy’s
“My Favorite Husband” and was a front-runner for the part of Fred
Mertz on “I Love Lucy.” When scheduling prevented his
participation, he appeared as Mr. Littlefield, the Tropicana’s
owner in two
episodes
of
the show. In addition to Mr. Littlefield, he played a Judge in “Lucy
Makes Room for Danny,” a
1958 episode of “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.” “The Lucy Show”
solidified his partnership with Lucille Ball for the rest of their
careers. He went on to play Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s
Lucy,” Omar Whittaker in “Lucy Calls The President,” and Curtis
McGibbon in “Life with Lucy.” He died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Guest
Cast

Doris
Singleton
(Doris Singleton) created the role of Caroline Appleby on “I Love
Lucy,” although she was known as Lillian Appleby in the first of
her ten appearances. She made two appearances on “The Lucy Show.”
This is the first of her four appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Unusually,
the actor gets to use both her first and last names as her
character’s names. Her birth name, however, was Dorthea.

Lew
Parker (Mr. Caldwell, above right) is probably best remembered as
the restaurateur father of Ann Marie, Marlo Thomas’ character on
TV’s “That Girl” (1966-71). He made five appearances on “The
Lucy Show.”  This is the first of his two appearances on “Here’s
Lucy.”

Nancy
Roth (Laurie Caldwell, above center) had played Lucille Ball’s
stepdaughter in the film Yours, Mine and Ours released earlier
in 1968.  She made only three more television appearances before
leaving the business.  

The
character’s first name is not spoken in the dialogue.

Nancy
Howard (Mrs. Caldwell, above left) along with Nancy Roth, also
appeared with Lucille Ball in Yours, Mine and Ours (1968).
This is the first of her four appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”  

Monty
O’Grady (Party Guest, uncredited) 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 a traveler at the airport
when “The
Ricardos Go to Japan”(1959). He made more than a dozen
appearances on “The Lucy Show” and a half dozen more on “Here’s
Lucy.”

Don
Crichton (Featured Dancer, uncredited) makes the first of his
three appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”  He was an Emmy nominated
choreographer who worked on “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The
Love Boat,” among others.

Carole
Cook
(Lucille Ball’s Singing Voice in “All Alone”, uncredited) played
Thelma Green on “The Lucy Show” as well as many other characters.
She was a protege of Lucille Ball’s during the Desilu Playhouse
years. Although born as Mildred Cook, Ball suggested she take the
name Carole, in honor of Lucy’s great friend, Carole Lombard. Cook
appeared on camera in five episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Uncredited
background performers play the party guests and the musicians.  

This
is the first and only appearance of Doris Singleton as Harry’s
competent and efficient secretary. Originally intended to be a series
regular, the character was dropped to show more of Lucy’s family life
with her kids rather than her job.

When
Harry balks about hiring family, Lucy says “Suppose the
Smothers Brothers didn’t hire relatives. We’d only have one Smother!”
A month before “Here’s Lucy”
premiered, CBS presented a four episode series titled “The Summer
Smothers Brothers
Hour.”  Season 3 of their popular variety show premiered a week
later. Lucille Ball was obviously in favor of nepotism.  “Here’s
Lucy” employed her children, her husband, her cousins-in-law, and
(in season two) her cousin Cleo.  

It
is established that Lucy has been working for Harry for two years.

The
Carter’s doctor is named Schwartz.  

Harry
wants to book “that English band” but cannot remember
their name. “The Grasshoppers?  The Caterpillars?  The
Centipedes?  The Beatles!”  Just a few weeks after this
episode aired saw the release of the Beatles’ film Yellow
Submarine.  The Beatles were previously mentioned on “The
Lucy Show.”  

Harry
refers to Lucy as “the Lucrezia Borgia of the typists.”
Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519) was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI
and was rumored to have taken part in murders by poison.  Harry is
likely inferring that her typing is deadly (very bad).  

Harry
tells Mr. Caldwell that their company motto is “The difficult we
do immediately.  The impossible takes a little longer.”  The
slogan may have originated with the US Army.  

When
Lucy hears Kim has gone surfing the afternoon before her singing gig
she is worried. “Does Mahalia Jackson go surfing before
she sings?”  Mahalia
Jackson (1911-1972) was a
black gospel singer dubbed ‘The Queen of Gospel’ and who was one of
the most popular singers in the world.  Jackson played an integral
role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.  

When
Lucy comes up with the idea to take Kim’s place at the party, she
says to Craig “Sonny – meet Cher.”
In 1967 the husband and wife singing duo had released the album “In
Case You’re In Love” which featured top 100 hits “The Beat Goes
On” and “Little Man.”  Cher’s
mother, fashion model Georgia Holt, had appeared on both “I Love
Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.”  Cher and Lucy would appear on an
Emmy-nominated special together in 1979 (above).  

The
script has Lucie Arnaz play charades to relate how she got
laryngitis. Pantomime was one of Lucille Ball’s favorite skills, so
naturally she wanted to encourage her daughter’s mime skills.  Lucie
receives a round of applause from the studio audience at the
conclusion of the charades.  

As
the party scene opens, the band (featuring Craig on drums) is playing
“Goin’
Out Of My Head,”
a song written by Teddy
Randazzo and
Bobby
Weinstein,
initially recorded by Little
Anthony and The Imperials in
1964.
The lyrics are not heard here. “I Know A Place” by Tony Hatch was recorded in 1965 by Petula Clark.  It is here performed as a dance number without lyrics.  

“All
Alone”
by Irving
Berlin interpolated
into the Broadway show The
Music Box Revue of 1924.
It is here performed
by Lucille
Ball (conspicuously
dubbed by Carole
Cook).
Because Lucille Ball had used her own voice in songs during “The
Lucy Show,” the dubbing sounds nothing like her own voice. 

Choreography
was by Jack Baker’s history with Lucille Ball dates back to
choreographing “Nobody Loves the Ump” in 1956, a song featured on
“Lucy and Bob Hope” (ILL S6;E1).  He also staged dance numbers on
“The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” and “The Lucy Show.”  This is the
first of 16 choreographic credits on “Here’s Lucy.”  He also
directed three episodes of the series.  Baker was assisted by Anita
Mann, who would also appear on camera in two episodes. She went on
to choreograph the “Solid Gold” dancers.  

Desi
Arnaz Jr. later said that he was very proud of his first on-camera
drum solo in front of his mother.  

The
first time Lucille Ball went mod was in the location-filmed special
“Lucy in London” (1966).  

In
“Viv Visits Lucy” (TLS S5;E15) Lucy and Viv don mod outfits to
fit in with the crowd on Sunset Strip.

Harry
hiding a pie in the globe when he’s supposed to be dieting is
reminiscent of when Lucy Ricardo went on a hunger strike in “Lucy
Gets a Paris Gown” (ILL S5;E20) yet had food hidden all around her
hotel room.  

Lucy pronounces ‘bar mitzvahs’ as ‘bar mitzvers’, perhaps for comic effect. Lucille Ball was married to Gary Morton, a man of Jewish heritage, so would have known the proper pronunciation, but Lucy Carter may not!  

“Mod, Mod Lucy” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

While this episode nicely lays out the themes of the series (the generation gap) and allows Lucie and Desi Jr. a showcase, it is a bit disturbing for Lucy’s voice to be dubbed and her playing younger without it being the butt of the joke is a bit uncomfortable to watch.