LUCY, THE OTHER WOMAN

S5;E7
~ October 23, 1972

Directed
by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs

Synopsis

Lucy’s
milkman has a crush on her but his angry wife (Totie Fields) thinks Lucy
is having an affair with the dairy deliveryman.

Regular
Cast

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

Guest
Cast

Totie
Fields
(Mrs. Poopsie Butkus, the Milkman’s Wife) was born Sophie Feldman in
1927 (some sources cite 1930). ‘Totie’ was a childhood nickname
derived from a baby’s pronunciation of ‘Sophie’. She was a nightclub
comedienne whose first big break came on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
After that, she appeared on many TV talk and variety shows. This
appearance was just one of handful of ‘acting’ jobs. Fields was
diabetic and had a leg amputation in 1976. Her health declined
afterwards and she died in 1978.

Mr.
and Mrs. Butkus have five children.

Herbie
Faye
(Lester Butkus, the Milkman) 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 fourth and final “Here’s Lucy” episode.

According
to the insignia on his hat, Mr. Butkus works for the Cloverleaf
Dairy.

Roy
Rowan (Radio
Newscaster Voice, uncredited) was the off-camera announcer for every episode of
“I Love Lucy” as well as “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s
Lucy.” He was also the voice heard when TV or radio programs were
featured on the plot of all three shows. He was first heard
announcing the TV football game in “Lucy
is a Referee” (S1;E3).
His first on-camera appearance was in “Lucy
Takes Up Golf” (S2;E17).

Lucille
Ball had this episode especially written to suit the talents of Totie
Fields, whom she greatly admired.

This
is the first episode aired in season 5 where Lucille Ball is on her
feet after her skiing accident and breaking her leg. She does,
however, still have a cast on her foot. Mr. Butkus, the milkman,
asks how her leg is feeling and how she came to break it. Lucy says
she didn’t come
to break it, she came
to go skiing!

Mr.
Butkus’s wife sends Lucy an anonymous threatening letter. Kim
jokingly says the letter is from Elizabeth Taylor. Lucy joins in the
joke yelling for Richard [Burton] to come out of the closet. Richard
Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were one of Hollywood’s most famous
couples. They appeared in “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (S3;E1) in
1970.

Lucy
listens to a radio news report about a marital triangle that caused a
Mrs. Mercedes Smith of Sherman Oaks to shoot a Mrs. Vivian Boone for
breaking up her happy home.

Totie
Fields was considered a female Don Rickles. As such she hurls some
of her trademark barbs at Lucy:

“Under-weight, over-height, skinny,
scrawny, and wearing a freaked out wig!”

Once again, Lucy
denies wearing a wig, but in reality Lucille Ball was wigged.

Harry
says Lucy’s plight with the milkman sounds like a bad opera. Kim
quips “Yeah.
Madame Buttermilk.”
Kim is making a pun about the Puccini opera Madame
Butterfly first
written in 1904. It is now part of the classical opera repertoire
worldwide.

When
Kim asks if she thinks Poopsie will leave her husband, Lucy says
“Giving up a Butkus isn’t exactly like giving up Paul Newman.”
Handsome movie star Paul
Newman
(1925-2008) was mentioned by Patty Andrews in “Lucy and the Andrews
Sisters” (S2;E6).

When
Mr. Butkus shows up on Lucy’s doorstep suitcases in hand, Harry calls
him “the curdled Casanova.” Giacomo
Girolamo Casanova (1725-98)
was an Italian adventurer
and author whose autobiography is regarded as one of the most
authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life
during the 18th century.
He
has become so famous for his often complicated and elaborate affairs
with women that his name is now synonymous with ‘womanizer.’

Lucy
and Harry compare the situation to “Peyton Place.” “Peyton
Place” was
a primetime soap opera that aired on ABC TV from 1964 to 1969. The
title has become synonymous with the personal problems and scandals
of small-town life. It was referenced several times on “The Lucy
Show” when the show was still on the air.

As
part of Lucy’s scheme to reunite the Butkuses, Harry plays Dr. Gustav
Glockenspiel and adopts a German accent. Lucy says he has an
advanced case of Cupidosis (ie; a broken heart).

To
break Lester out of his catatonic state, Poopsie sings ‘their’ song,
“You’re
Nobody Till Somebody Loves You.”
This was a song Totie Fields was known for including in her act. It
written
by Russ
Morgan, Larry
Stock,
and James Cavanaugh and published in 1944.
Its
most famous cover was by Dean Martin in 1964. Wayne Newton sang
it in “Lucy
Discovers Wayne Newton” (TLS S4;E14)
and
“Lucy Sells Craig To Wayne Newton” (S1;E9).

Mr.
Butkas brings Lucy a free pint of banana fudge yogurt. In “Lucy’s
Lucky Day” (S4;E15) the milkman Mr. Larson tells Lucy she won a
year’s supply of raspberry apricot yogurt.

Props! The
same issue of Elite Magazine seen in Lucy’s hospital room is now on
her living room coffee table.

Got Milk? In
two previous episodes, Lucy’s milkman was named Mr. Larson from the
Dover Dairy. He was played by Billy Sands. Now Lucy is getting
deliveries from Mr. Butkus (Herbie Faye) of the Cloverleaf Dairy.

The Chew! There
are marshmallows in Poopsie’s boxes of chocolates. This is likely
because marshmallows are far easier to eat on camera than chocolates.

Eye See You! Singing
her song, Fields breaks the fourth wall – first looking at the
studio audience, then directly into the camera, something virtually
unknown on a “Lucy” sitcom.