GOODBYE, MRS. HIPS

S5;E23
~ February 26, 1973

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

Synopsis

Lucy,
Mary Jane, and Vanda all go on a crash diet. To help them succeed,
Lucy invites them to live at her house for two weeks.  At the same
time, Harry has been invited to join a prestigious food and wine
society when his refrigerator breaks down. He stores his gourmet
goodies at Lucy’s just when the ladies are at their most ravenous.  

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 screen
credit. Except for the clips seen in the season finale, the character
will not return to the series until the fourth episode of season six.
Black and white photos of Kim and Craig are on the dresser in the
room shared by Vanda and Mary Jane.  

Guest
Cast

Mary
Jane Croft (Mary
Jane, right) played Betty Ramsey during season six of “I Love Lucy. ”
She also played Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy
is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and
Evelyn Bigsby in “Return
Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26).
She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy
Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the
actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her
episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing
Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in
1999 at the age of 83. 

In
this episode, Vanda continually calls Mary Jane “Mary” (no Jane).
   

Vanda Barra (Vanda, above left) makes one of over two dozen appearances on “Here’s Lucy” as well as appearing in Ball’s two 1975 TV movies “Lucy Gets Lucky” and “Three for Two”. She was seen in half a dozen episodes of “The Lucy Show.” Barra was Lucille Ball’s cousin-in-law by marriage to Sid Gould.

This is the largest part Vanda Barra will have on “Here’s Lucy.” In later years, Barra and Sid Gould divorced and she retired from acting.

Sid
Gould (Sam,
the Waiter) 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.  

Bob
Harks
(Café Patron, uncredited) 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.

The
cashier and the other diners at the luncheonette are played by
uncredited background performers.

The
title puns on Goodbye,
Mr. Chips,
a 1934 novella by James Hilton that was translated to radio in 1936
and 1939, and an Academy Award-winning film in 1939. It was remade
as a musical film (above) in 1969 starring Petula Clark, who guest-starred in
“Lucy and Petula Clark” (S5;E8). The property was also seen on
stage in 1938 and in 1982 (the musical version). On television, the
story was seen in 1984 (in the UK) and in a 2002 teleplay.  

The
date this episode first aired (February 26, 1973) “Here’s Lucy”
guest stars Jackie Gleason (“Lucy Visits Jack Benny”), Robert
Alda (“Lucy Goes Hawaiian” and “Lucy the Co-Ed”), and Tony
Randall (“Lucy and the Mountain Climber”) all celebrated
birthdays!

This
episode was shot earlier in the season when Lucy Carter / Lucille
Ball was still wearing the cast on her leg from her skiing accident during
hiatus. Lucy mentions her leg as an excuse for not exercising with
Vanda and Mary Jane.

Mary
Jane tells Lucy that she has a new boyfriend who has curly brown
hair, blue eyes, and dimples.  When Vanda adds that he is only four
feet tall, Mary Jane admits that he is a little bit short. In a
previous episode, Mary Jane was dating a man named Marvin. Vanda does
not mention her relationship with Sam, the waiter. These
inconsistencies could be due to the fact that the episode was filmed
early in the season and aired out of sequence.  

Harry
has been invited to join the Encino
Wine and Food Society.
To gain admission, he must cook a gourmet meal for two judges. His
proposed menu includes a lunch consisting of: 

• asparagus vinaigrette 
• poached salmon with black caviar
• roast duckling in aspic
• Chantilly cream cake with toasted hazelnuts  

Coming
into the luncheonette, Harry tells Sam to bring him “the usual”:
roast beef, mashed potatoes, and a double order of gravy.  

This
is the third episode in a row in which Lucy wears her over-sized blue
check shirt. Both Vanda and Mary Jane wear horizontal stripes, which no doubt help make them look a bit heavier on camera. Stripes may also imply that living with Lucy and being on a diet is like
being in prison!

Lucy
is so hungry she can’t sleep so she tries watching TV but the only
movies on are Breakfast
at Tiffany’s, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and
Animal
Crackers.  

Diets
are not new to the Lucy characters, Lucy Ricardo had to slim down to
dance in Ricky’s show in “The Diet” (ILL S1;E3). Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) acted as Lucy’s coach and
trainer.

In
“Lucy and The Countess Lose Weight” (TLS S3;E19) Mrs. Carmichael
and her pal Rosie go to a health farm where their diet consists of a
lettuce leaf, a
curl of carrot, a sprig of parsley, and a yogurt wafer.  Mr. Mooney
(Gale Gordon) was their coach and trainer.

In
“Lucy and Miss Shelley Winters” (S1;E4) it wasn’t Lucy Carter who
was dieting, but movie star Shelley Summers. Lucy acted as her
trainer and coach, just as she does here for Mary
Jane and Vanda.

Mary
Jane is reading in bed, but closes her book because the character
gets a job in a candy factory working with chocolate fudge. This is
undoubtedly a reference to “Job Switching” (ILL S2;E1), the
episode where Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz go to work at Kramer’s
Candy Kitchen. It was written by the same writers who wrote this
episode of “Here’s Lucy.”  

Living
in a Barn?
During the kitchen scene, the back door remains open, generally
telegraphing that someone is going to enter with their arms full.
Sure enough, Harry comes in carrying a large silver tray and saying
“Thank
goodness your door was open!”  

Roomies!
While staying with Lucy, Vanda and Mary Jane share a room with two
beds pushed together. Since Kim and Craig had their own rooms, who
moved the beds to one room?  Why are the beds so close together?  And
where is Kim sleeping?  It is likely that this early season 5 episode
assumed Kim would be living on her own in her Marina Del Rey
apartment due to the character being spun-off into her own series.
This is also the reason Lucie Arnaz is noticeably absent from so many
episodes.  

Mystery
Phone Call!  Harry
gets a phone call from someone named Jim to cancel Harry’s luncheon interview.
Jim somehow knew that Harry would be at Lucy’s home and also knew
Lucy’s home phone number.  

“Goodbye, Mrs. Hips” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

This episode is a showcase for Vanda Barra, who really shines teamed with Mary Jane and Lucy.  The only downside to this funny episode is that it was aired out of sequence, with Lucy incongruously still in her cast and Kim’s absence (in her own home) still unexplained!