GINGER ROGERS COMES TO TEA

S4;E11
~ November 22, 1971

Directed
by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis

Synopsis

Ginger
Rogers leaves her purse in a movie theatre where she’s gone incognito
to see one of her films for the first time. Lucy and Harry discover
the purse and hope to get to meet the star in person by inviting her
to tea.

Regular
Cast

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

Guest
Cast

Ginger
Rogers
(Herself)
was
born Virginia Katherine McMath in Independence, Missouri on July 16,
1911, just one month before Lucille Ball. As a singing and dancing
actor, Rogers was mainly know for her partnership with fellow singer
/ dancer Fred Astaire in ten films. It was said that “Ginger did
everything that Fred did, except backwards – and in heels!”
During the 1930’s Lucille Ball did five films with Rogers, whom she
considered a mentor. By the 1970s Rogers had entered
semi-retirement. Lucie Arnaz has said that Rogers may have been a
distant cousin of Lucille Ball’s. She won an Oscar in 1940 for Kitty
Foyle,
a rare dramatic role. Rogers died in 1995.

William
Lanteau
(Spike, Ginger Rogers’ Secretary) first
appeared with Lucille Ball in The
Facts of Life (1960).
In addition to an episode of “The
Lucy Show,” Lanteau
did four episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” He is best remembered
for playing Charlie the Mailman in the play and the film On
Golden Pond (1981).

Lanteau
wears a toupee and eyeglasses for the role.

Shirley
Anthony
(Theatre Patron, uncredited) makes her second screen appearance and
the first of her 13 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Bob
Harks

(Theatre Patron, uncredited)

Extra, stand-in, and double Bob Harks was born on September 20, 1927.
Harks appeared in his first film in 1968 and was seen in the
background of Mame
(1974). In 1970 he popped up on his first television show and was
seen in more than a dozen episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” He died at
age 83 in 2010.

Eugene
Jackson
(Theatre Patron, uncredited) gained
fame as Farina’s older brother, Pineapple, in six of Hal Roach’s
“Our Gang” serials (1924-25). He appeared with Lucille Ball
in the 1963 film Critic’s
Choice as
well as an episode of “The Lucy Show.” He was seen in a
previous episode of “Here’s Lucy” guest-starring Sammy
Davis Jr.

Victor
Romito (Theatre
Patron, uncredited) was
seen as the Bartender in “Lucy
Meets John Wayne” (TLS S5;E10).
He also appeared in four episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Romito
was an extra in the 1960 Lucille Ball / Bob Hope film Critic’s
Choice.

The
other Theatre Patrons are played by uncredited background performers.

This
episode was filmed without an audience due to an imminent actor
strike. As a result, the canned laugh track is noticeably missing
Gary Morton’s usual loud guffaws. The
episode was filmed in mid-July 1971 with only two days of rehearsal as
Lucille Ball wanted to make sure it was completed before the strike.
The strike was averted when the Actors Guild signed a three-year
contract on July 14, 1971.

During the 1930s, newcomer Lucille
Ball was coached by Ginger Rogers’ mother, Lela, at the little
theatre on the RKO lot. Inspired by this Lucy also mentored young
actors at a little theatre when she bought the studio for Desilu.

At
the start of the episode, Harry is looking to hire party staff for an
(unseen) client named Mrs. Metcalf. Metcalf was the surname given to the Fire Department Captain played by Patrick McVey in “Lucy and Viv are Volunteer Firemen” (TLS S1;E16), also written by Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll Jr.

Instead
of working late, Lucy tells Harry that she wants to go to a Ginger
Rogers Film Festival. They are showing
Tender
Comrade (1943)
and Flying
Down To Rio (1933), two films made at RKO, which eventually became Desilu.

Lucy
claims to be Ginger Rogers’ biggest fan alive, seeing every picture
she’s ever made, some of them several times. This is a claim made by
Lucy Carter about most celebrities, as well as by Lucy Ricardo and
Lucy Carmichael.

In
the office, Harry and Lucy improvise singing and dancing to “Cheek
to Cheek” a
song written by Irving
Berlin in
1935
for
the Fred
Astaire /
Ginger
Rogers movie Top
Hat.

Trying
to impugn the taste in films of the mystery woman (a disguised Ginger Rogers), Lucy tells her to try back next week and they might be showing
Beach Blanket Bingo. This was the fourth of the light comic
films set on the California beach starring Frankie Avalon and Annette
Funicello. It was released in 1965. Two years later, Avalon appeared (not as himself) in “Lucy and the Starmaker” (TLS S6;E4). He will also play himself on “Here’s Lucy” in 1973.

According
to the hotel key in her purse, Ginger Rogers is staying at the Bel-Air Hotel. This is probably meant to be the Hotel Bel-Air, located
just outside Beverly Hills and Westwood. Hotel Bel-Air has regularly
housed celebrities including Robert
Wagner,
Judy
Garland,
Bette
Davis,
Lauren
Bacall,
Paul
Newman,
Robert
Redford,
Jimmy
Stewart,
Audrey
Hepburn, and
Grace
Kelly,
who frequented the hotel so regularly she had a suite named after
her.

Rogers
tells Lucy she has done 73 movies. Rattling off some of Rogers’ hits, Lucy adds a sugar cube to
Ginger’s tea for each title: Top Hat, Roberta, Flying Down To Rio,
Follow the Fleet, Shall We Dance, and
The Barkleys of Broadway. When Lucy realizes she’s put six lumps
of sugar in Ginger’s tea, Rogers says she only wanted Top Hat and
Roberta (two lumps).

Rogers
mentions having a meeting with David Merrick to discuss starring in
his new musical. In August 1966 Rogers had taken over the role of
Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway produced by David
Merrick.

When
Kim returns with photos of Ginger Rogers for the star to sign, she
accidentally grabbed a photo of Lassie. Canine star Lassie was
the hero of both movies and television. Lassie was first mentioned by Lucy
Ricardo in “The Young Fans” (ILL S1;E20) twenty years earlier. The dog made an appearance in “The Desilu Revue” in 1959.

Kim,
Lucy and Ginger Rogers all dance the Charleston in this episode. Lucy
reminds Rogers that she was the Texas State Charleston champion. A
portion of the dance routine was originally choreographed for Lucie
Arnaz by Jim Bates on “The Kraft Music Hall” which aired on NBC
on February 4, 1970. It also starred Desi Sr. and Jr. (above). Bates had taken over for choreographer Jack
Baker on “Here’s Lucy.”

After
dancing the Charleston with Lucy and Kim, Lucy asks Rogers to do a
scene from Kitty Foyle, Ginger’s Oscar-winning role. Rogers graciously declines, asking Lucy to become a
Katherine Hepburn fan instead!

In
“The Dancing Star” (ILL S4;E27) Lucy Ricardo got to dance with another one of her idols, Van Johnson. Johnson and Ginger Rogers had starred
together in 1945’s
Week-End at the Waldorf. Irving
Bacon (who played Ethel’s father, Will Potter) was also in the MGM film.

I
Had A Dream! The
passage of time while the theatre patrons are watching Flying
Down To Rio
is marked by the use of a wavy screen and harp glissando, techniques
that usually indicate a dream sequence, not the mere passage of time.

Where
Do I Live?
Lucy gives her home address as 4863 Valley Lawn Drive. Both Harry
and Lucy have given this address as their own in previous episodes.