TIPSY THROUGH THE TULIPS

S6;E10
~ November 12, 1973

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

Synopsis

Lucy
is in charge of keeping a mystery novelist (Foster Brooks) sober long
enough to finish his next book.

Regular
Cast

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

Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter) does not appear in this episode, nor is she mentioned in the
dialogue. The final credits do state, however, “Lucie Arnaz
wardrobe by Alroe.”

Guest
Cast

Foster
Brooks
(David Benton Miller) was
a newscaster and disc jockey before switching to television
newscasting. His drunk act went over well with crowds at Las Vegas
nightclubs and on television. Brooks was a frequent guest on talk and
variety shows and several Dean
Martin celebrity roasts.
He actually quit drinking in the early 1960s (on a bet) and remained ‘on the wagon’
for the rest of his life.
He was nominated for an Emmy a year after this episode was filmed for his work with Dean Martin. He
died in 2001 at age 89.

Jack
Collins
(Arthur Collins) appeared
on the final two episodes of “The Lucy Show.” He played Russel
Slater on “Dallas” from 1982 to 1987. This is the fifth of his
six appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Arthur
Collins is Harry’s accountant.

The
title is a reference to the song “Tip-Toe
Through the Tulips”
originally published in 1926 written by Joe Burke and Al Dubin and
introduced in the 1929 film The
Gold Diggers of Broadway.
The song had a revival in the 1960s and 1970s by falsetto singer Tiny
Tim of “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.”
The song was referenced in “Lucy’s Wedding Party” (S3;E8) and Gale
Gordon and Vivian Vance sang the song in “Ethel Merman and the Boy
Scout Show” (TLS S2;E19). In this episode, the detective novel
written by Miller takes place in Holland and contains the line “he
was tiptoeing through the tulip beds” which
cues an intoxicated Lucy and Miller to sing the song.

This episode was shot on September 27, 1973. After the episode was finished filming, the studio audience was sent home and Lucille, Lucie, and Gale stayed behind to film the US Savings Bond / US Treasury promo on the Unique Employment Agency set. Like this episode, it was directed by Coby Ruskin, but was written by Bob O’Brien. Although the actors play their “Here’s Lucy” characters, the 12-minute film does not have a laugh track. It can be seen on the bonus features of the “Here’s Lucy” Season Six DVDs.

Foster
Brooks was on the dais for the “Dean
Martin Celebrity Roast” of
Lucille Ball in February 1975. Other than Brooks and host Dean
Martin, others paying homage to Ball that night were Gale Gordon,
Vivian Vance, Jack Benny, Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Don Rickles, Ginger
Rogers, Totie Fields, Milton Berle, Henry Fonda, Ruth Buzzi, Rich
Little, and Phyllis Diller.

When
Harry is told by his accountant (Jack Collins) to cut office expense,
he retorts, “This
isn’t exactly Hugh Hefner’s office at the Playboy Club.” Hugh
Hefner
(1926-2016) was a millionaire publishing magnate who created the
magazine and brand Playboy, a publication that showed nude or nearly
nude women alongside journalistic essays. The Playboy Clubs were an
offshoot of the magazine.

This
is the first episode to mention the word “inflation”
regarding
the cost of living. From 1973 to 1975 was a period of economic
stagnation in the US, ending the Post–World War II economic boon.
It differed from many previous recessions in that
high unemployment and high inflation existed
simultaneously.

The book Lucy is trying to help Miller finish is titled The Killer Wore Wooden Shoes and is set in Holland. Lucy
and Harry have both read Miller’s previous mystery novel, Murder
at the Masked Ball,
one of the Detective
Tuttle Mysteries.
On “The Lucy Show,” Tuttle was Vivian Bagley’s maiden name!

As the story unfolds, Miller goes from sober to sloppy. While
Lucy is taking dictation, Miller has booze hidden all around the
room.

In the mantle clock…

In a golf club…

In a golf ball…

In his binoculars…

In his boutonniere…

In a painting of a wine cask!

Lucy moves the work to her own home, where she figures she’ll have more control of Miller’s sobriety. Naturally, she’s wrong!

Mr.
Miller hides booze the same way Shelley Summers hid food in “Lucy
and Miss Shelley Winters” (S1;E4) during her crash diet.

Spike
fruit punch was also Lucy Carmichael’s undoing in “Lucy’s Sister
Pays a Visit” (TLS S1;E15).

Mystery
novels were Lucy and Ricky Ricardo’s obsession in “The Black Eye”
(ILL S2;E20).

Other famous Hollywood elbow benders that have guest-starred with Lucille Ball include Dean Martin…

and Phil Harris, who will play himself again in “Lucy and Phil Harris Strike Up the Band” (S6;E21).

Sitcom
Logic Alert!

Lucy becomes noticeably drunk after one glass of spiked punch. Her
taste buds fail to notice a whole bottle of spirits in her punch.