MILTON BERLE IS THE LIFE OF THE PARTY

S6;E19
~ February 11, 1974

Directed
by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis

Synopsis

Lucy’s
parties are a bore, so she calls a telethon to make a very low bid on
Milton Berle to attend her next soiree – and wins!

Regular
Cast

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

Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter) does not appear in this episode, although the final credits
do state “Lucie Arnaz Wardrobe by Alroe”

Guest
Cast

Milton
Berle (Himself)
previously played Cheerful Charlie in “Lucy and the Used Car
Dealer” (S2;E9), the
first time that Milton Berle has not played Milton Berle on a Lucille
Ball sitcom. He was born Milton Berlinger in New York City on July
12, 1908. He started performing at the age of five. Berle perfected
his comedy in vaudeville, early silent films, and then on radio,
before taking his act to the small screen, where he would be
proclaimed “Mr. Television” and later “Uncle Miltie.” He
hosted “Texaco Star Theater” on NBC from 1948 to 1956. The
variety show was re-titled “The Milton Berle Show” in 1954 when
Texaco dropped their sponsorship. The program was briefly revived in
1958, but lasted only one season. In 1959 he played himself
in “Milton
Berle Hides out at the Ricardos.” Berle
continued to perform live, in films, and on television specials for
the remainder of his career. Berle previously appeared on “The Lucy
Show” in “Lucy
Saves Milton Berle” (S4;E13) and
did a cameo in “Lucy
Meets John Wayne” (S5;E10).
Berle died of cancer in 2002.

Elliott
Reid (Elliott,
Telethon Emcee) played Edward Warren, a parody of Edward R. Murrow,
in “The
Ricardos Are Interviewed” (ILL S5;E7) and
appeared in two episodes of “The Lucy Show.” This is his third
appearance on “Here’s Lucy.”

Reid
is only credited as “Emcee” but Milton Berle calls him Elliott.

James
Joyce (Man
at TV Station) passed away just three months after this episode was
first aired. He posthumously appeared in the film A
Woman Under the Influence
(1974). He was 53 years old.

Mary
Jane Croft (Mary
Jane, left) 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.

Vanda
Barra (Vanda, right)
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.

Sid
Gould (Sam, above right center)
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.

Robert
Hitchcock (Marvin,
uncredited, above left center) was
seen in in one episode of “The
Lucy Show.” This
is his sixth and final appearance on “Here’s Lucy.”

Marvin
has no lines and no ‘date’ for the party. Hitchcock appears
uncredited.

John
Clavin
(Bill McCormick) makes his very first screen appearance with this
episode of “Here’s Lucy.”

Shirley
Anthony
(Mrs. Thalken) makes
the tenth of her 13 appearances of “Here’s Lucy.”

Bob
Whitney (Mr. Thalken, uncredited) appeared with Lucille Ball in The
Facts of Life (1960).
He
played one of the jurors (unnamed but credited) in “Lucy and Joan
Do Jury Duty” (S6;E9).

Whitney has no lines.

Joyce
McNeal (Mrs.
Helen Maurer) was a stunt performer and actor making her very first
screen appearance with this episode. She later worked extensively on
the “Star Trek” franchise, which began at Desilu.

John
Calvin (Bob
Maurer, uncredited) grew up in New York City and started his film
career in 1971 at age 24.

Helen
and Bob Mauer are the names of Lucille Ball’s in-laws. Helen is Gary
Morton’s siter. John Calvin has no lines.

Jack
Berle
(Telethon Stage Manager, uncredited) was
the older brother of Milton Berle. This is one of his eleven
uncredited appearances on the series. He previously did two
episodes of “The Lucy Show.”

Bob
Harks (Telethon Cameraman, 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.

Those
working the phone bank at the telethon appear uncredited.

There
was no new episode of “Here’s Lucy” on Monday, February 4, 1974.

Director
Jack
Donohue
replaces Coby Ruskin, who Lucille Ball fired during “Lucy, the
Sheriff” (S6;E19). Donohue was the first director of the series,
having staged 29 episodes from 1968 to 1971.

At
the start of the episode, Lucy, Mary Jane and Harry are playing
cards. Harry asks Lucy, “Don’t
you ever get tired of playing games?”
Lucy bluntly replies “No!”
In real life, Lucille Ball adored games.
She was well-known for her addiction to backgammon, Scrabble, and
charades, the latter two being incorporated into several scripts. She
even endorsed a couple of mass marketed games with her photo
appearing on the box.

Harry
and Mary Jane suggest an alternative to party games: singing
barbershop quartet – launching into a chorus of “You
Tell Me Your Dream, I’ll Tell You Mine.”
The song was written in 1899 by Seymour Rice and Albert Brown.

Everyone
seems to have an excuse NOT to attend Lucy’s party. Harry has to go
to Santa Barbara to see an ill client, Mary Jane has to go to Laguna
to see her sick aunt, Vanda and Sam are going to Arrowhead, the
Maurers are going to Palm Springs, and the Thalkens are going to San
Diego.

Instead
of playing another game, they watch a TV telethon auction raising
money for a Day Care Center Fund. When they tune in, the Emcee is
just thanking Mrs. Dorothy Culbertson, who phoned in the highest bid
to hear The Franklin Brothers’ latest song. The bidding is still open
on one of Lawrence Welk’s autographed batons. It ends up fetching
$780 from the Sun City Shuffleboard Club. Combining Sun City (a 55+
gated community) and shuffleboard, a game associated with senior
citizens, the writers are making a joke about Welk’s old fashioned
music and style. What’s even funnier is the idea of signing a baton –
essentially a thin dowel of wood!

The
KBEX
TV
camera is seen for the third time on the series. KBEX are the
fictional call letters used for broadcast stations depicted in movies
and on TV. The telethon’s phone number is 555-7236, which utilizes
the 555 prefix generally assigned to on-screen phone numbers.

Milton
Berle offers his services as a guest at a party thrown by the highest
bidder. The first bid is phoned in by (an unseen) Don
Rickles,
an insult comedian who Berle calls “the Merchant of Venom,” a pun
on Shakespeare title The
Merchant of Venice.

Just
in case she wins, Lucy gives Berle directions to her home. Westlake
is a planned community of similar homes that straddles the Los
Angeles and Ventura county line.

Harry
isn’t going to change his RSVP because Milton Berle will be the guest
of honor. He says he wouldn’t be influenced by Elizabeth Taylor,
Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, or Princess Anne and her new husband.
Anne, the Princess Royal, and Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, married
Mark Phillips on November 14, 1973, which indicates that this episode
was filmed sometime after that date. The
couple divorced on April 23, 1992.

When
Harry rushes through the living room headed to the barbecue with two
chickens on a spit, Lucy calls him the Galloping
Gourmet.
That is the name of the persona of Graham
Kerr, an English chef
who is best known for his 1969–71 television cooking show “The
Galloping Gourmet.”

Milton
Berle tries in vain to tell a joke about a foursome at Hillcrest
County Club but is constantly interrupted by latecomers to Lucy’s
party. Hillcrest
Country Club is
a private social club located in the Cheviot
Hills neighborhood
of Los
Angeles.
For
years, many of the city’s top comedians, including Jack Benny, George
Burns, George Jessel, Groucho Marx, Danny Kaye, and later Milton
Berle and Don
Rickles,
got together for a regular Friday lunch at Hillcrest, where they
would socialize, try new material out on their friends, and talk
“shop.”

Harry
and Milton Berle mention his old TV sobriquet “Uncle Miltie” as
well as his well-known gag of appearing in drag, something he did on
“The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1959.

This
episode includes a lot of name dropping of Hollywood celebrities. Click on the names to read about their appearance and/or mention on a “Lucy” show (if any)!

Kirk
Douglas
Bert
Parks
Pinky
Lee
Soupy
Sales
Durwood
Kirby
Lawrence
Welk
Elizabeth
Taylor
Frank
Sinatra
Clint
Eastwood
Princess
Anne and her Husband (Mark Phillips)
Don
Rickles
Dean
Martin
Jack
Benny
Buddy
Hackett
The
Galloping Gourmet (aka Graham Kerr)

In
“Lucy and the Good Skate” (TLS S3;E1) a
country club doorman announces “Mr.
and Mrs. Robert Maurer.” at
a dinner dance where Lucy Carmichael is hiding roller skates under
her evening gown.

The
Emcee tells Milton Berle that someone bid five – which Berle thinks
is $500. This is what happened to Lucy Ricardo when she pledged money
to the charity of philanthropist Cynthia Harcourt (coincidentally
played by Mary Jane Croft) in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23).

The
Maurer’s cancel their trip to Palm Springs because of a forecast of
rain, just as it does when Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz travel there
during “In Palm Springs” (ILL S4;E26). Rainstorms are a rarity
for the California desert resort.

Wardrobe
Malfunction! Lucy fiddles with the collar of her jacket
during the first scene. Unbeknownst to her, it gets stuck with one
side up and the other down.