GUESS WHO OWES LUCY $23.50

S1;E11
~ December 9, 1968

Directed
by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs

Synopsis

Lucy
loans Van Johnson money to fix his car – but the man turns out to
be an impostor. In return, Lucy wants the real Van Johnson to fly to
Dallas to sing “Happy Birthday” to a cow named Ethel.

Regular
Cast

Lucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter)

Guest
Cast

Van
Johnson
(Impostor / Himself) co-starred in Too
Many Girls (1940),
the film that introduced Lucille Ball to Desi Arnaz. He was
also seen with Lucy in the films Easy
to Wed (1946)
and Yours,
Mine and Ours (1968). He played himself on one of the most popular episodes of “I
Love Lucy,” “The Dancing Star” (ILL S4;E27), a show originally
intended for Ray Bolger. He starred in The
Romance of Rosy Ridge
(1947) and The
Caine Mutiny (1954),
both mentioned in the dialogue of this episode. He died in 2008 at
age 92.

Jeff
DeBenning
(Douglas Alamo Davidson, a Dallas Oil Tycoon) was seen on many early
TV westerns. This is his only appearance opposite Lucille Ball.

Tommy
Farrell
(Morgan, Van Johnson’s Manager) was
on Broadway in three plays between 1942 and 1947. He was seen on “The
Lucy Show” twice. Farrell will appear in five more episodes of
“Here’s Lucy.”
He was also in the 1950 film The
Duchess of Idaho
with Van Johnson.

Farrell
is never addressed as “Morgan” on screen.

Nancy
Howard (Van
Johnson’s Secretary) appeared
with Lucille Ball in Yours,
Mine and Ours (1968),
which is mentioned in this episode. This is the second of her four
appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Orwin
C. Harvey
(Security Guard, right) was an actor and stuntman who played one of
the singing and dancing teamsters in “Lucy Helps Ken Berry” (TLS
S6;E21). This is the first of his six appearances on “Here’s
Lucy.”

Harvey
has one line, spoken off screen. A second Security Guard goes
uncredited and has no lines.

Ray
Kellogg
(Party Guest, left) played
the barking Assistant Director (“Roll
‘em!”)
in “Ricky’s
Screen Test” (ILL S4;E6)
and later appeared in “Bullfight
Dance” (ILL S4;E22).
He was seen on 7 episodes of “The Lucy Show.” This is the first
of his two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Kellogg appeared on
a 1972 episode of “Maude” with Van Johnson.

Although
unnamed, Kellogg is the only party guest with dialogue. Alamo calls
him “Old Rattlesnake.”

Clark
Ross
(Party Guest, uncredited) makes
the second of his three appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” He is
also in the 1974 Lucille Ball film Mame.

Norman
Stevans
(Party Guest, uncredited) was in the audience of “Over The Teacups”
during “Ethel’s Birthday” (ILL S4;E8) and at the airport when
“The Ricardo’s Go To Japan,” a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi
Comedy Hour.” He will appear in one more episode of “Here’s
Lucy” and in the 1974 Lucille Ball film Mame.

Uncredited
extras play the other party guests.

This
episode was written by Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs, who began
writing together during the final season of “The Lucy Show.” The
team will write 25 more episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” The pair were
nominated for an Emmy in 1978 writing for George Burns.

This
episode is written for Van Johnson to work in a not-so-subtle plug
for Lucille Ball’s latest film Yours,
Mine and Ours,
in which he is a featured player.

Van Impostor:
“I
loved working with that kooky redhead.”
Lucy:
“Personally,
I thought she was much too young for Henry Fonda.”

Lucy
says she remembers Johnson from his appearance in
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
(1947). She later tells him she saw the film 17 times! The film
was Janet Leigh’s screen debut.

Lucy
tells Van Johnson that she has a friend who also sings to animals.
She says it is a bird and she sings “When
the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along)”
a 1926 popular
song written
by Harry
Woods.
It was sung by Fred Mertz (William Frawley) in “Lucy and Ethel Buy
the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3).

Alamo’s
cow Ethel was undoubtedly named after Ethel Mertz, Lucy Ricardo’s
friend and landlady played by Vivian Vance on “I Love Lucy.” This episode might have been more creatively titled “Ethel’s Birthday”, to reinforce the tribute to Vivian Vance.

Craig
and Kim don’t go to the movies because the tickets are too expensive:
$3! The average movie ticket today is between $15 and $20.

Kim
suggests that she and Craig go over to the Hinsche’s to visit because
“Annie’s got a real cute girl visiting from San Francisco.”
This is a reference to Desi Jr.’s band mate Billy Hinsche (left),
part of Dino Desi & Billy. Billy’s sister Annie Hinsche was
married to Beach Boys guitarist Carl Wilson.

Lucy
says she’d get more rest with the LA
Rams
than in her own home. The day before this episode first aired, the
team lost a home game to the Chicago Bears.

Craig
says Van Johnson is the biggest star he’s met outside of Annette
Funicello
(1942-2013). Funicello who was famous for being one of the
Mouseketeers on the original “Mickey Mouse Club” (1955-58).
She later teamed with Frankie Avalon for a series of beach party
movies. Although Funicello never guest starred with Lucille Ball,
she is mentioned by Avalon on “Lucy and the Starmaker” (TLS
S6;E4). Two weeks before this episode originally aired, Funicello
starred with the Monkees in the movie Head.

Thinking
that the more the merrier, Lucy suggests getting the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir to sing to Ethel. The
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
is a 360 voice choir named after the Salt
Lake Tabernacle. It was founded in 1847 and still performs worldwide today.

Harry
facetiously suggests another Johnson – Lyndon,
who is also from Texas and could use the work! Lyndon Baines Johnson aka LBJ (1908-73) was born near Stonewall, Texas, and was the 37th President of the United States. He assumed office in
1963 after the assassination of John F. Kennedy and handily won
re-election in 1964. He withdrew his bid for a second full term and
was succeeded by Richard Nixon, who became President Elect a month
before this episode was first aired. This would mean the episode was
filmed sometime after August 29, 1968, the end of the Democratic
National Convention.

Harry
says if Lucy can get Van Johnson, he’ll carry her piggyback to
Catalina
Island.
Catalina Island has been the punchline of much humor on “The Lucy
Show.” It was also mentioned in “Lucy and Miss Shelley
Winters” (S1;E4).

About
Harry’s promised piggyback to Catalina, Lucy says “It’s
the only way to fly.”
This
was
the advertising slogan for Western Airlines, a US carrier that was in
operation from 1926 to 1987, before merging with Delta Airlines. It
was used as a punch line in several episodes of “The Lucy Show.”

When
Lucy is escorted out by the studio guards at Van’s direction, Lucy
says that now she’s glad he got court martialed in
The Caine Mutiny.
This is the second mention of The
Caine Mutiny
on the series. The previous one referred to the book by Herman Woulk
that served as the basis for the screenplay. A stage play adaptation
was mentioned on “Lucy Meets Orson Welles” (ILL S6;E3).

Lucy
impersonates a made-up Italian screen star named Gina Linguini. Van
Johnson compares her to Sofia
Loren.
Loren was born in Rome and in 1962 became
the first actor to win an Academy Award for a foreign language film.

As
Gina Linguini, Lucy sings a bit of “Luna
mezz’o mare”
(aka “Cella Luna”), a comic Neapolitan
song with
worldwide popularity.

Van
Johnson sings “Happy Birthday to You” to Ethel. This is the
second time the traditional birthday song has been heard on “Here’s
Lucy.” Although the copyright has since been lifted, in 1968
Lucille Ball Productions (LBP) had to pay a royalty to perform the
song.

Lucy
has a long history of impersonating Italians: “The Black Wig”
(ILL S3;E26), “Lucy’s Italian Movie” (ILL S5;E23), and as
‘Lucrecia Carmucci’ in “Lucy and the Plumber” (TLS S3;E2).

This
is the first (but not the last) episode of “Here’s Lucy” to
feature live animals. Live cows were seen in “Lucy’s Bicycle Trip”
(ILL 5;E24), “Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight” (TLS S3;E21)…

…and “Lucy Discovers Wayne Newton” (TLS S4;E14).

An
eccentric Texas oil tycoon named Sam Johnson was played by Harry
Cheshire in “Oil Wells” (ILL S3;E18).

Another big shot Texan
(played by Robert S. Carson, right) appeared in “Lucy Goes to Vegas”
(TLS S3;E17).

Other
celebrities that have played their own doppelgangers on “Lucy”
shows include Jack Benny, Dean Martin, Robert Goulet (above, who had two), and Lucille
Ball herself will play her double (Lucy Carter) on “Here’s Lucy”!

FAST FORWARD!

The abstract metal statue in Van’s office will appear again in “Lucy Takes Over” (S2;E23).

Booking Agent! This is one of the many times the Unique Employment Agency serves as more of a talent agency, booking unusual performers for unusual shows.

Where The Floor Ends! The
edge of stage is visible when Craig walks to his drum set at the
start of the episode.

Star Status? If
Van Johnson is the biggest star he’s met outside of Annette
Funicello, Craig must not think very highly of Wayne Newton or Jack
Benny (above), celebrities who played themselves on previous episodes.

Out of Order! Both
Van Johnson and Lucille Ball get entrance applause from the studio
audience in the second scene, indicating the show may have been shot
out of sequence.