LUCY GETS LUCKY

March 1, 1975

Directed
by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Robert O’Brien

Synopsis

Lucy
Collins comes to Las Vegas to see Dean Martin perform at the
newly-opened MGM Grand Hotel. When Lucy’s reservation falls through,
she hears that Martin is doing a special show for employees and
promptly gets herself hired. Naturally, Lucy causes chaos in each
department she is transferred to: valet parking, cocktail waitress,
Keno girl. But Lucy gets lucky when Dean Martin takes a liking to her
and arranges a front row seat at his show.  

Cast

Lucille
Ball (Lucy
Collins) was
born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen
career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’
due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning,
she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which
eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television
situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband,
Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful,
allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming
it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known
as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s
marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy
returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted
six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s
Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr.,
as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show”
during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more
attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Lucy
Collins lives in Los Angeles and took the bus to Las Vegas.

Dean
Martin
(Himself) also played himself (and his stunt man doppelganger Eddie
Feldman) in “Lucy Dates Dean Martin” (TLS S4;E21) in 1966.  He
was
born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1917. He made his
screen debut in a short playing a singer in Art Mooney’s band, but
his first big screen role was 1949’s My
Friend Irma with
Jerry Lewis. This began a partnership that would be one of the most
successful screen pairings in cinema history. Later, he also worked
frequently members of “the Rat Pack”: Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop,
Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis Jr.  His persona was that of a
playboy, usually seen with a glass of booze and a cigarette. Martin
and Lucille Ball appeared on many TV variety and award shows
together. He died on Christmas Day in 1995 at age 78.     

Jackie
Coogan
(Gus L. Mitchell, below center) was
a child actor. In “Ricky’s
Screen Test” (ILL S4;E6) Lucy
Ricardo hopes Little Ricky will be “the
next Jackie Coogan.” Coogan
was once married to Flower Parry, who was a frequent extra on “I
Love Lucy.”  He is, of course, best remembered as Uncle Fester
on TV’s “The Addams Family” (1964-66). He made two appearances
on “The Lucy Show” and on one episode of “Here’s Lucy.” He
died in 1984 at age 69.

Gus
Mitchell is head of personnel at the MGM Grand.

Bruce
Gordon
(Max
Siegel / Vogel, above right) is
best
known for playing Frank Nitti on the Desilu series “The
Untouchables” (1959-63).  He played a version of the character
when “The
Lucy Show” parodied
“The Untouchables” in 1966. He
was also seen in “Lucy and the Ex-Con” (HL S1;E15) in 1969.

Although
the final credits list him as Max Vogel, in the special Gordon
clearly says his name is Max Siegel. He is a toy company executive
with a business that has been suffering due to shipping problems with
their baby dolls.

Paul
Picerni
(Packy West) was
a also cast member of Desilu’s “The Untouchables” from 1959 to
1963. He was seen in four episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Lee
Delano
(Chuck Murdock) previously appeared on the Desilu shows “Star Trek”
and “Mission: Impossible.”  

Packy
and Chuck are Max’s gambling buddies.

Ken
Lane
(Himself) was Dean Martin’s musical arranger, pianist, and, alongside
Nelson Riddle, also served as composer for this special, although he
was uncredited for that work.

Hal
England
(Dean Martin’s Arranger) was an experienced Broadway actor who began
screen acting in 1960. He previously appeared in “Lucy
and the Astronauts” (HL S4;E5) and
“My Fair Buzzi” (HL S5;E13). England died in 2003.

Joey
Forman (Eddie)
had a nightclub act with Mickey Rooney during the 1950s that led to
his appearance on many TV variety shows.  He will also appear in
“Lucy Calls the President” in 1979.

Eddie
is the head of valet parking at the MGM Grand.

Gino
Conforti
(Antonio) began
his TV acting career in 1968 and has been continually working since,
although mostly as one-off characters. He had a recurring role as
Felipe on “Three’s Company” from 1980 to 1982, a series Lucille
Ball admired. He played the burglar in “Lucy Plays Cops and
Robbers” (HL S6;E14) in 1974. He will also be seen in and “Three
for Two” later in 1975.  

Antonio
is the Maitre D’ at the Celebrity Room. His name is never mentioned
in the dialogue.

Vanda
Barra
(Gladys) made
over two dozen appearances on “Here’s Lucy” as well as
appearing in Ball’s “Three for Two” (with Jackie Gleason). 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. 

Gladys
is the desk clerk (possibly owner) of the Cactus Flower Motel.

Sid
Gould (Taxi
Driver) 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.
He was previously in the Lucille Ball Special “Happy Anniversary
and Goodbye.”  

Gary
Morton
(Al) was
a comedian who worked the famed ‘Borscht Belt’ in the Catskills
Mountains. He met Lucille Ball shortly after her divorce from Desi
Arnaz and they married in November 1961. At her request, Morton gave
up his nightclub career and became a producer of “The Lucy Show.”
Morton also served as a warm-up comic for the show’s studio
audience. He is also Producer of this special. Morton passed away in
1999.

Al
is a pit boss at the MGM Grand.  His name is not spoken in the
dialogue.

Bonnie
Boland
(Sally) played Mabel on “Chico and the Man.” The last of her six
episodes aired two weeks after this special was first broadcast.

Sally
is a waitress at the MGM Grand Coffee Shop.

Jack
Donohue
(Ralph) was the director of this special, as well as many episodes of
“The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” He would sometimes make
cameo appearances in the episodes he directed.

Joan
Swift (Dawn)
made six appearances on the “The Lucy Show” as well as two
episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” This special is her final screen
credit.

Dawn
is Ralph’s wife. Lucy parks their car when they arrive at the MGM
Grand.

Judith
Wright
(Peggy, Keno Girl)

Jane
Aull
(Keno Girl) was a background performer making her fifth and final
screen appearance.

While
making a telephone call, the character is mistaken from the back for
Lucy.

Jay
Jones (Maintenance
Man) makes his screen debut with this special.

Roy
Rowan
(Voice Over Announcer, uncredited) was
Lucille Ball’s announcer for all of her sitcoms. He also made
occasional on-camera appearances. 

During
his introductions, Rowan doesn’t use the show’s title, but calls it
“The Lucille Ball Special.”  This was also the case with “Happy
Anniversary and Goodbye,” which had nearly identical voice-over
announcements introducing the show.

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This
was Lucille Ball’s second primetime special after the end of “Here’s
Lucy” in 1974. The first was “Happy Anniversary and Goodbye”
four months earlier.  After playing a character named Norma in that
special, Ball is back to playing a character named Lucy. This time
her last name is Collins. 

• In 1953’s “Lucy is Matchmaker” (ILL
  S3;E27), Lucy tried to fix up Eddie Grant with a girl named Sylvia
  Collins, although the character remained off-screen. 
• On “The Lucy Show” Viv’s on-again-off-again boyfriend was named Eddie Collins. 
• Collins is the surname assigned to Robert Cummings on a 1972 episode of “Here’s Lucy”. 
• In the film Follow The Fleet (1936), Lucille Ball’s character is named Kitty Collins.
• On a 1966 “The Lucy Show” Mr. Mooney and Lucy Carmichael meet the hip hypnotist Pat Collins (her real name)!

This
special is available on DVD from MPI video or can be streamed online.
It was originally aired on CBS in the USA and ITV in the UK. Like
“Happy Anniversary and Goodbye”, this show is sponsored by Timex,
which gets opening title credit.

Writer
Robert O’Brien had written 54 episodes of “The Lucy Show” and 24
of “Here’s Lucy,” many of which were directed by Jack Donohue.

The
biggest departure for this special is there is no studio audience or
laugh track.  

Lucille
Ball reunites with many of her “Here’s Lucy” production staff,
including hairstylist Irma Kusely, prop master Kenneth Westcott,
costumer Renita Reachi, production manager William Maginetti, and
script supervisor Dorothy Aldworth.

Location
shooting was done at the (then) newly opened MGM Grand Hotel in Las
Vegas. Scenes set inside the Cactus Flower Motel were shot at
Paramount Studios in Hollywood. This is the second time Lucille Ball
has shot on location in Las Vegas, the first being at Caesars for
“Happy Anniversary and Goodbye.” Although episodes of her
television shows were set in the city, actor doubles and second unit
footage were used while Ball remained in Hollywood.  

Dean
Martin’s name was seen on the marquee of the Riviera Hotel when Lucy
Carter went to Las
Vegas
in 1970’s “Lucy
and Wayne Newton” (HL S2;E22, above),
three years before the MGM Grand was built. Lucille
Ball first used location footage of Las Vegas in “Lucy
Hunts Uranium” (LDCH 1958). Lucy
Carmichael also visited the town in 1965’s “Lucy
Goes to Vegas” (TLS S3;E17),
however no establishing or location footage was shot, and the episode
was filmed entirely on the Desilu soundstage in Hollywood.

The
show opens with a montage of the the Las Vegas strip that includes
the marquees of the Caesars Palace, the Flamingo, the Frontier, the
Stardust, the Sands, and the Dunes, before ending on the exterior of
the MGM Grand. This montage is an aerial view at night, instead of
the daytime street view in “Lucy
and Wayne Newton” (HL S2;E22).

The
MGM
Grand
opened as one of Las Vegas’s first mega resorts on December 5,
1973. Dean Martin was
the entertainer on opening night. It was the largest hotel in the
world at its opening and would remain so for several years. “The
Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts” were filmed at the hotel. The
property was sold in 1986 and the name was changed to Bally’s. The
MGM Grand name was transferred to the former Marina Hotel, now
known as MGM Grand Las Vegas.  

When
Lucy Collins arrives at the MGM Grand with suitcases in hand, she
walks through the casino and down their ‘Hall
of Fame’ lined
with illuminated posters of movie stars. The soundtrack plays a
wistful  version of “Hooray for Hollywood.” 

• Lucy
  pauses at posters of Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn;  
• She
  blows kisses to Cary Grant, whose poster is alongside Grace Kelly.
• She
  gazes lovingly at photos of Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire and Ginger
  Rogers. Rogers played herself on a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy.”
• Lucy
  does a ‘ha-cha-cha-cha’ in front of a poster of Jimmy Durante, who
  Lucy Ricardo disguised herself as in “Lucy Meets Harpo Marx”
  (ILL S4;E28). Durante later did a brief cameo on a 1966 “Lucy
  Show.”  

In
a meta moment, Lucy Collins then stops and primps her hair in front
of a poster of Lucille Ball!  Lucy Carter also stood before a poster
of Lucille Ball in “Lucy and the Andrews Sisters” (HL S2;E6) and
later shared scenes with movie star Ball in “Lucy Carter Meets
Lucille Ball” (HL S6;E22).  Although her recent film Mame
had been released by Warner Brothers, Lucille Ball had done several
films with MGM, like The
Long, Long Trailer
(1954) and Forever
Darling (1956).

Walking
out the employees back entrance and trekking through the desert, it
becomes clear that Lucy was only using the MGM Grand lobby as a
shortcut to get to her actual lodgings, the Cactus Flower Motel,
managed by her friend Gladys (Vanda Barra).

Lucy:
(about
her dress choices for Dean Martin’s opening night) “The
other one is older, but its got a Gucci label.”
Gladys:
“You
have an outfit from Gucci?” 
Lucy:
“No. Just the label.”

In
the MGM Grand coffee shop having a cup of tea in a back booth, Dean
Martin sings a few bars of “Volare,”
a song written by Franco
Migliacci and
Domenico Modugno. Martin
was one of the first to cover the song in 1958.
His orchestra will reprise the song at the end of the special while
Lucy and Martin dance.

When
Lucy phoned for a reservation for Dean Martin’s opening night, she
lied and said there’d be eight guests. Talking to Antonio the maître
d’ she must now make excuses for the absence of the seven others.  

• Mr.
  and Mrs. Winters are expecting a baby;
• Mr.
  and Mrs. Nichols, Mrs. Winters mother and father, naturally won’t be
  coming either;
• Mabel
  and Henry, Mr. Winters mother and father also aren’t coming because
  of the baby;
• Gregory
  is Mrs. Winters doctor, so he also won’t be there;
• So
  it is just Lucy.

Unfortunately,
Antonio won’t give Lucy a table for one!

Lucy:
“I
have been a fan of yours from bobby socks to suphose.”
Dean
Martin:
“Do
you think those suphose would help my problem?”
Lucy:
“What’s
your problem?”
Dean
Martin:
“I
fall down a lot.”

Lucy
Collins gets a job as a cocktail waitress and causes chaos at the
roulette tables. Lucy Ricardo had
some luck (then lost it all) playing
roulette in “Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo” (ILL S5;E25). In 1965,
Lucy
Carmichael had some luck (then lost it all) playing roulette in “Lucy
Goes to Vegas” (TLS S3;E17).    

The
character of Max Siegel (credited as Vogel) is likely named for
gangster Bugsy Siegel, who was primarily responsible for the
development of the Vegas strip in the 1950s. The fact that Max is
being played by Bruce Gordon, famous for playing real-life gangster
Frank Nitti on Desilu’s “Untouchables,” pretty much assures the
comparison. Naturally, Lucy overhears Siegel and his friends talking
about “busted up dolls” and thinks they are talking about women,
as the term was often used for females in the Damon Runyon musical
Guys
and Dolls.

Max
Siegel’s gambling buddy is played
by Paul Picerni, another “Untouchables” alumni. His character
name is Packy
West,
which is an obscure reference to Lucy’s pal Bob Hope. In July 1919, a
16-year-old Hope entered the Ohio State Boxing Amateurs tournament
under the name “Packy East,” a nod to light and welterweight
boxer Patrick “Packy” McFarland and Hope’s own school, “East”
High.

A
chase sequence involving Lucy and Max Siegel’s gambling buddies ends
up backstage at
“Hallelujah Hollywood,”
a lavish stage show conceived, produced, and directed by Don Arden,
It was a 3 million dollar tribute to classic MGM Hollywood musicals
which played The Ziegfeld Room (which at the time was the largest
stage in the world, with the largest backstage area in the world), at
the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. The show opened in 1974, and ran
until 1980. Its flamboyant finale was a tribute to the Ziegfeld
Follies, featuring The Grand Stairway and The Great Ziegfeld Walk.
The show featured over a 700 costumes (designed by Ray Aghayan and
Bob Mackie). Lucille Ball played a lavishly attired Ziegfeld showgirl
in the 1946 MGM film Ziegfeld
Follies.

On
stage with Lucy in the front row, Dean sings “Everybody
Loves Somebody,” a
song written in 1947 by Sam Coslow, Irving Taylor. Although it had
been recorded by others, it was Dean Martin’s 1964 recording that
hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Charts. He
also sang it in “Lucy Dates Dean Martin” (TLS S4;E21, above). He then
launches into “Tie
a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree” written
by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown in early 1973. It was a #1 hit
for Tony Orlando and Dawn. The song was referred to by Steve Lawrence
(but not sung) in “Lucy, the Peacemaker” (HL S6;E3).

---

This
Date in Lucy History – March 1

“Home
Movies”
(ILL S3;E20) – March 1, 1954

“Lucy
and the Old Mansion” (TLS
S3;E22) – March 1, 1965

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This
is one of the best post-”Lucy” outings of Lucille Ball’s career.
The reason is simple: She sticks close to what she does best – and
she does it without the cloying addition of a laugh track. Had she
decided to call the character Lucy Carter instead of Lucy Collins, it
might well have been billed as a “Here’s Lucy” special.  As Lucy
Carmichael, she did a similar filmed special titled “Lucy in London”
during “The Lucy Show.”  Lucy Carmichael dated Dean Martin for
one episode, so it would only have worked with Lucy Carter. Perhaps
Ball thought people wouldn’t remember “Here’s Lucy” a year later.
But whatever she’s named, this special gives us old school,
celebrity-hunting, anything-goes, Lucy and it is terrific!