LUCY AND PETULA CLARK

S5;E8
~ October 30, 1972

Directed
by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Bob O’Brien

Synopsis

Singer
Petula Clark is in town for a recording session and needs a personal
companion and secretary. Lucy takes the job, but when she finds out
the star is pregnant, Lucy turns Clark’s world upside down catering
to the expectant mother.

Regular
Cast

Lucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter)

Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter) does not appear in this episode, nor does she receive opening
title credit.

Guest
Cast

Petula
Clark
(Herself) is a British-born singer and actor who became well-known
for her pop hits “Downtown”,
“I
Know a Place”,
“A
Sign of the Times”,
“Color
My World”,
“This
Is My Song”
and “Don’t
Sleep in the Subway”.
She was dubbed ‘the First Lady of the British
Invasion’. Clark’s screen acting career began in 1944. She starred in film
musicals of Finian’s
Rainbow
(1968) and Goodbye
Mr. Chips
(1969). In 1968 she had her own special on NBC produced by her
husband, Claude Wolff. In 1973 she hosted a British TV series titled
“The Sound of Petula.” She has three children with Wolff.
Although still married, the couple do not live together.

Claude
Wolff (Himself,
Petula Clark’s Husband) is a French-born publicist and producer who
married the singer in 1961. This is Wolff’s only on-camera acting
role.

All
of Wolff’s dialogue is in French, which was his native language.

Doris
Singleton
(Miss Perkins) created the role of Caroline Appleby on “I Love
Lucy,” although she was known as Lillian Appleby in the first of
her ten appearances. She made two appearances on “The Lucy Show.”
Singleton played a secretary in the first episode of “Here’s Lucy”
and was meant to be a series regular, but her role was written out to
concentrate on Lucy Carter’s family life. She will do two more
episodes of the series.

Tommy
Farrell (Paul,
Record Producer) was on Broadway in three plays between 1942 and
1947. He was seen on “The Lucy Show” twice. This is the
third of his six episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Marl
Young
(Petula Clark’s Pianist and Musical Director, uncredited) was also
the musical director of “Here’s Lucy.” He later supplied the DVD
introductions for several of the musical episodes. The other
musicians in the recording session are also uncredited.

Among
Petula Clark’s studio back-up singers are Gloria
Wood (in black), Peggy
Clark (in pale pink), and
Gwenn
Johnson (purple pants). Lucy jokingly calls Gloria Wood “Tiny”. All three women were part of Lucy’s Canary Club in “A Home is Not
an Office” (S5;E4). There, all were credited with character names
but here are remain uncredited and unnamed. There are three other
background singers, one woman and two men, as well as a recording
engineer who are also uncredited.

Coincidentally,
Petula Clark’s first record was a recording of the song “Put Your Shoes On, Lucy”
in 1949. She was 16 years old. The song was written by Hank Fort in
1947 and also covered by Gracie Fields.

In
her DVD introduction to the episode, Petula Clark says that Lucille
Ball was “amazing” but “formidable”. She says that her
husband (Claude Wolff) was greatly intimidated by Ball and that he
didn’t like being on camera as his English was not very good. Lucy
insisted he play the role.

Petula
Clark was really pregnant during the filming of this episode with the
last of her three children, Patrick.

Although
back at work and walking around, Lucy is still in the leg cast from
her skiing accident at the beginning of season 5.

The
episode opens with Lucy absentmindedly singing “Golden Slippers.”
The song dates back to Minstrel Shows of the 1800s.

The
Unique Employment Agency pays their temps $35 a day!

Petula
Clark and her husband are staying at the Wilshire Apartment Hotel.

After
hiring Miss Perkins to replace her so that she can take the job with
Petula Clark, Lucy leaves the office singing “Hey
Look Me Over.”
Lucille Ball introduced this song by Cy Coleman in the 1961 Broadway
musical Wildcat
and
it has been sung on the series several times previously.

Lucy writes her own letter of recommendation.

At
the recording studio, Clark sings “People
Get Ready,”
a song written in 1965 for The Impressions by Curtis Mayfield and
Johnny Pate. Clark covered the song on her 1970 album Memphis.

Lucy
insists that Petula Clark get off her feet and sit down during the
recording session. She explains to the exasperated record producer that Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Frank
Sinatra all sat down when singing!

After
Lucy insists that all the musicians give up their chairs so that
Petula and the singers can sit down, they perform “Goin’
Out of My Head”
a song written by Teddy
Randazzo and Bobby
Weinstein,
especially for Little
Anthony & the Imperials in
1964.
Clark covered the song in 1965. The song was previously heard as
party music in “Mod, Mod Lucy” (S1;E1).

It
is ironic that Doris Singleton fills in for Lucy as Harry’s
secretary, since Singleton played Harry’s secretary (using her own
name) in the very first episode of the series.

Clark’s
hit song “I Know A Place” was performed by Lucy in the series’
first episode “Mod, Mod Lucy” (S1;E1). It was performed (without
lyrics) once more in “Lucy Gets Her Man” (S1;E21) above.