LUCY’S HOUSE GUEST, HARRY

S3;E20
~ January 25, 1971

Directed
by Charles Walters ~ Written by Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs

Synopsis

Harry
is having his house redecorated and needs a place to stay. Naturally,
he imposes on Lucy, who is increasingly aggravated by her
brother-in-law’s obnoxious habits.  Rather than ask him to leave, she
schemes with Kim to get him to leave on his own accord.

Regular
Cast

Lucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter)

Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter) does not appear in this episode, but he does receive opening
title credit and is mentioned in the dialogue.

Guest
Cast

Herbie
Faye
(Poker Player #1) was
a character whose first major acting role (at age 56) was Corporal
Sam Fender in “The Phil Silvers Show” (1955). He also
appeared with Silvers on Broadway in Top
Banana (1951)
and also did the film version (1954) with Silvers. He appeared in a
1968 episode of “The
Lucy Show.”  This
is the second of his four “Here’s Lucy” episodes.

Emile
Autuori
(Poker Player #2) makes
the third of his six appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”  He
passed away in early 2017.  He was the uncle of writer /
director P.J. Castalleneta.

Autuori
introduces the episode on the series DVD.  In the episode, he wears a cardigan
sweater monogrammed G.R.

Robert
Foulk
(Poker Player #3, right) played
the policeman on the Brooklyn subway platform in “Lucy
and the Loving Cup” (ILL S6;E12)
and a Los Angeles Detective in “Lucy Goes To A Hollywood Premiere”
(TLS S4;E20).  This is the second of his six
characters on “Here’s Lucy,” two which were policemen.

Frank
J. Scannell
(Poker Player #4, center) played the Burlesque Comic (“Slowly I
turn…”) in “The Ballet” (ILL S1;E19).  He had done two films
with Lucille Ball in 1945, including Lover
Come Back.
This is his only appearance on “Here’s Lucy.”  

Vince
Barnett
(Cabbie #1) appeared with Lucille Ball in one of her first films, The
Affairs of Cellini
in 1934.  He also appeared with her in A
Girl, A Guy, and a Gob
in 1941. This is his only series appearance.

Sid
Gould (Cabbie
#2) made
more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” and nearly as many
on “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille
Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton.

Eugene
Molnar
(Tuba Player) appeared
on four episodes of the series. These are his only screen credits.

Molnar
has no dialogue. The character is part of a 12-piece marching band
that appears in full uniform. The band is uncredited.

Anthony
and Cleopatra are
Harry’s pet parakeets.

Willy
the Goat
is the mascot of Kim’s college.  

This episode was filmed on September 17, 1970. 

Charles
Walters
makes his series directing debut with this episode.  He directed
Lucille Ball in five motion pictures between 1942 and 1945.  He was
nominated for an Oscar in 1953 for directing Lili.  He will direct
one more episode of “Here’s Lucy” as well as the Lucille Ball
television movies “Three for Two” (1975) and “What Now,
Catherine Curtis” (1976), which was his final screen credit. He
died in 1982 at the age of 70.

Sid
Gould (Cabbie #2), Robert Foulk (Poker Player #3), and Emile Autuori
(Poker Player #3) all appeared in the previous week’s episode “Lucy
and the Raffle” (S3;E19).  This is the second episode in a row in
which Desi Arnaz Jr. does not appear.  Lucy says he is on vacation
for two weeks.

This
episode was filmed on September 17, 1970. “The
Flip Wilson Show”
(aka “Flip”) premiered that evening on NBC. Flip Wilson will play
himself in the season 4 opener of “Here’s Lucy.” In return, Lucy appears on “Flip.” Both shows
ended their runs in early 1974.  

Harry
balks at paying $40 a day for a hotel room in Los Angeles overlooking
the park. “For
$40 a day I should overlook Fort Knox!”  Both Harry and Mr. Mooney were fond of punchlines that featured Fort
Knox,
a Kentucky military installation that is the repository for most of
the nation’s gold reserves.  In today’s money, considering inflation,
$40 a day is the equivalent of spending $250 a day; not unreasonable
in greater Los Angeles.

Trying
to ingratiate himself to Lucy to get her to allow him to stay in her
home while his house is being renovated, Harry greets her cheerfully,
coyly asking about “dear
Kim”
and “little
Craig.”
Lucy says that ‘little’ Craig is 5’11” and shaves.  ‘Little Craig’
is absent from this episode.

Moving
in to Lucy’s house, Harry brings his parakeets Anthony
and Cleopatra.
These are the names of real-life historical figures that also are
featured in Shakespeare’s play Anthony
and Cleopatra.
Lucy Carmichael played Cleopatra for the Danfield Community Theatre
in 1963.  

Harry’s suitcases are packed with his John
Philip Sousa
records.  He calls them The
Tijuana Brass
of his generation.  John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) was a composer
hailed as “The March King.”  His music was extensively used in
“Lucy Goest to the Air Force Academy” Parts 1 and 2. The Tijuana
Brass was a modern jazz group led by Herb Alpert.  They had numerous
hit records from 1962 to 1969, when they disbanded. In “Lucy and
the Bogie Affair” (S2;E13) in 1969, Kim has a photo of Herb Alpert
posted inside her school locker!

Harry
leads Lucy and Kim through morning exercises to “The
Stars and Stripes Forever,”
which was written by Sousa in 1897.  It is considered his most famous
work and was declared the officially march of the United States of
America in 1987.  The tempo is sped up a bit on the soundtrack to add
to the comedy of the scene.

When
Lucy bemoans Harry turning her home into a gambling joint with the
arrival of Harry’s poker pals, Kim says “Maybe
we could sell out to Howard Hughes.”
The real life millionaire aviator was mentioned on several previous
episodes, including the very first “Lucy Visits Jack Benny”
(S1;E1). In the 1960s Howard
Hughes
went on a spending spree and bought several Las Vegas casino hotels,
including the Desert Inn and the Sands, the setting of a 1958 episode
of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”  

In
light of his poker game, Lucy calls Harry Nick the Greek. Nicholas
Andrea Dandolos (1883
-1966), aka Nick
the Greek,
was a was a professional gambler and high
roller from Rethymnon, Crete.
He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979.  

Harry’s
decorator is named Poindexter.  On the telephone, Lucy mistakes him
for a her.

Kim
suggest checking Emily Post for a polite way to get rid of an
unwanted house guest.
Emily
Post
(1872-1960) was a writer who’s name has become synonymous with proper
etiquette and manners. More than half a century after her death, her
name is still used in titles of etiquette books.

When
the marching band startles awake Harry, Lucy is trying to look
nonchalant by reading a magazine. It is Sunset,
a monthly lifestyle magazine that focuses
on homes, cooking, gardening, and travel, with a focus
almost exclusively on the Western United States. 
It was first published in 1898 and still is in circulation today.

Harry
has fallen asleep reading Boating,
a magazine for boat enthusiasts. It began publication in 1966 and is
still in print today.  Harry is a boat enthusiast who decorates his
home and office with model ships and paintings of vessels.

Harry
is allergic to Willy
the Goat
– and all long-haired animals.  This is consistent with “Lucy and
the Bogie Affair” (S2;E13, above) where we learn that Harry is allergic to
dogs.  

As
Harry is finally is finally about to leave, Lucy has a horrible
thought: what if Harry is like Sheridan Whiteside in the play The
Man Who Came to Dinner
and falls on his way out and must stay with them even longer?  The
play, by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, was a comedy that opened on
Broadway in 1939.  It starred Lucille Ball’s good friend (and “Here’s
Lucy” performer) Mary Wickes as Nurse Preen.  Wickes was one of
several stage actors who recreated their roles in the 1942 film
adaptation.

This
episode is similar to “Lucy’s Mystery Guest” (TLS S6;E10), where
Lucy Carmichael’s Aunt Agatha (Mary Wickes) turns up on her doorstep
and turns her life upside down with exercise at dawn, a health food
regimen, and wardrobe requirements.

Gale
Gordon also put Lucy and a pal through their paces with vigorous
exercise in “Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight” (TLS S3;E21) in
which Mr. Mooney helps out at a fat farm to keep the bank from
foreclosing and recruits Lucy and the Countess as members.

Party in the Kitchen! Harry’s poker pals head into the kitchen for their game, despite the fact that Lucy has a green felt-lined card table in the living room!

Where
the Ceiling Begins!  When
Harry is leading the morning exercises, the camera pulls back for a
long shot and the top of the living room set is visible on the right,
with a loop of cable hanging down.  

Where
the Floor Ends!  Later,
when Kim leads in Willy the Goat, the camera pulls back revealing the
edge of the sound stage floor.

This
is classic (if not hysterical) situation comedy material. No guest
stars, no music, just Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon in a battle of
wit(ticism)s.