LUCY AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

S2;E8
~ November 10, 1969

Directed
by George Marshall ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ray Singer

Synopsis

When
Kim goes to a drive-in movie with her boyfriend Alan, Lucy and Harry
spy on them dressed in hippie clothes to blend in.

Regular
Cast

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

Guest
Cast

Robert
L. Hughes
(Alan Stevens) was
mainly a theatre artist with only a dozen screen appearances,
including playing the Colorado River Guide in “Lucy Runs the
Rapids” (S2;E4). Hughes left show business in the 1980s to pursue
a business career.

Interestingly,
in his previous appearance as the Colorado River Guide, Kim flirted with him, which Lucy disapproved of. Alan’s mother is
in the social register and his father is a millionaire. He
is 21 and taking post-graduate courses. Lucy still disapproves of
him!

Larry
J. Blake (Manager
of the Drive-In) appeared
as a Native American Medicine Man in “Lucy
the Rain Goddess” (TLS S4;E15).
He was an ex-vaudevillian making the second of his eight “Here’s
Lucy” appearances.

Jackie
Joseph
(Jackie Berry) is perhaps best known as Audrey in the 1960
(non-musical) horror/comedy film The
Little Shop of Horrors.
From 1960-76 Jackie Joseph was married to performer, Ken Berry, one
of Lucille Ball’s protege’s who was shooting “Mayberry R.F.D.” on
the Desilu Paramount lot and followed “Here’s Lucy” on the CBS
Monday night line-up. Joseph and Lucille Ball appeared together in
the film A
Guide for the Married Man
(1967).

Jackie
Joseph is using her married name for the character. Jackie Berry is
a married friend of Kim’s who has a newborn named Wendy. Her husband
is in the service.

Orwin
C. Harvey
(Drive-In Patron with dog, uncredited) was
an actor and stuntman who played one of the singing and dancing
teamsters in “Lucy
Helps Ken Berry” (TLS S6;E21).
This is one of his six appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Harvey was featured on the same “Lucy Show” episode that also starred Jackie Joseph’s husband, Ken Berry.

Robert Buckingham (Drive-In Patron, uncredited) had been seen with Lucille Ball in Critic’s Choice (1963). This is his third and last uncredited appearance on the series.

Other
men and women (and one dog) at the drive-in go uncredited.

The
final draft of this script was submitted on April 28, 1969.

On
the date this episode was originally aired (November 10, 1969)
“Sesame Street” debuted on PBS, changing the landscape of
children’s television. In 1970, production memos for the show
indicate that Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon were to be guest stars,
with their segments taped at the Paramount stage where they were
shooting “Here’s Lucy.” The appearances, however, were postponed
and never came to be. In 2007 “Sesame Street” mentioned “I
Love Lucy,” although they were referring to Lucy the Lazy Lizard.
During the reference, the background music was similar to the “I
Love Lucy” theme. In
the book Sesame
Street Unpaved
it
is pointed out that Snuffy
shares
his astrological sign, Leo, with Lucille Ball.

“Vitameatavegemin is almost as hard to say as Snuffleupagus”.

In
the DVD introduction to the episode, Jackie Joseph reinforces that
Lucille Ball was all business on the set, but a dear friend when not
working.

The
episode opens with Craig alone in the living room singing along to a
record. “It
Was a Very Good Year”
is a song Ervin
Drake
composed
in 1961 for and originally recorded by Bob
Shane
with
The
Kingston Trio.
It
was subsequently made famous by Frank
Sinatra
and
won him a Grammy
Award
in
1966.
Craig imitates Sinatra’s performance style, but Lucy jokingly says
she thought he was imitating Lawrence
Welk.
Lucy admits that Sinatra was her idol when she was a bobby-soxer.
Lawrence Welk will make an appearance as himself on a future “Here’s
Lucy” episode. Although Lucille Ball knew Sinatra socially, the two
never acted together on screen.

When
Lucy hears that Kim’s boyfriend Alan graduated from Berkeley, she is
visibly upset. Craig jokes that Alan got two degrees and three
arrests for picketing. During the 1960s the University of California
Berkeley was the site of several riots and protest marches that
received national attention.

When
Lucy is concerned about Kim being too young for Alan, Craig reminds
Lucy that she was 17 when she married his father. This is one of the
few mentions of Lucy’s late husband.

Kim
and Alan are going to the drive-in to see a (fictional) Italian film
titled La
Notte Del Bacio Dolce,
which translates to Sweet
Night Kiss.
Craig also goes on a date to another drive-in with his girlfriend
Patty. This may be seen as a coy reference to Desi Jr.’s dating Patty Duke,
although most sources agree that the two did not meet until 1970, a
year after this episode was filmed.

Lucy
does a long comic take when she realizes Kim and Alan are going to a
drive-in. In the 1950s and 60s drive-in movies were dubbed “passion
pits” because they were a popular place for teenagers to be alone
together for making out on a date. Although drive-in
theatres
were very popular in the 1960s there are hardly any remaining today.
The first one opened in Camden, New Jersey in 1933. The fourth in the nation was in Los Angeles (above) in 1934. Although Lucy is
a self-confessed movie fan, she acts as though she has never been to
a drive-in before, not knowing how to activate the sound or where to
hang the speaker.

Meanwhile, bachelor Harry is home alone looking at the centerfold of a magazine that has
a scantily clad woman on the cover! Although the magazine’s name has
been taped over, it is likely supposed to be Playboy magazine. In the
image of Playboy’s founder, Hugh Hefner, Harry wears a red silk smoking
jacket and is drinking a cocktail. While ogling the centerfold from
every angle he sighs and sings “To
dream the impossible dream.”
“The
Impossible Dream”
was written by Joe Darion and Mitch Leigh for the 1964 Broadway
musical Man
of La Mancha.
Harry also looked at a magazine with a centerfold in “Lucy’s
Birthday” (S1;E8).

This
is an expensive shoot for “Here’s Lucy” because of the many cars
needed for the drive-in scene:

1969
Red Plymouth Barracuda convertible (Alan’s car)
1965
Yellow Dodge Dart convertible (Lucy’s car)
1969
Blue Plymouth Valiant (Younger necking couple’s car)

1969
Blue Plymouth Barracuda (Older necking couple’s car)
1969
Blue Simca 1204 [928] (Man with dog’s car)
1964
Red Plymouth Valiant Signet
1969
Beige Simca 1118 [950]
1969
Yellow Triumph TR6

When
“Viv Visits Lucy” (TLS S5;E15) they both dress as beatniks to spy
on a friend’s son who is hanging out with the hippies on the Sunset Strip.

Lucy
and Harry’s 1965 Dodge Dart is the same car used in “Lucy Helps
Craig Get a Driver’s License” (S1;E24)…

…
except that the license plate was California
WMO-526 and it is now UTM-541. Also, the dialogue infers that it is
Harry’s car, not Lucy’s.

The
hood of Alan’s car has collected a great deal of dust. Apparently
the vehicle was in studio storage for quite some time and not wiped
down prior to shooting.