LUCY MOVES TO NBC

February
8, 1980

Directed
by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Hal Kanter, Robert O’Brien, and Paul
Pumpian

Synopsis

TV
star Lucille Ball is convinced to come back to work for NBC. She is
welcomed back by some of the network’s top stars and immediately
gets to work creating her first show, “The Music Mart” starring
Donald O’Connor and Gloria DeHaven. 

Main Cast

Lucille
Ball (Herself)
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.

Gale
Gordon
(Himself) was
said to be the highest paid radio artist of the 1930’s and was in
such demand that he often did two or more radio shows a day. His
professional collaboration with Lucille Ball started in 1938 as the
announcer of Jack Haley’s “The Wonder Show” (Wonder Bread was
their sponsor). He played Mr. Atterbury on Lucy’s “My Favorite
Husband” and was a front-runner for the part of Fred Mertz on “I
Love Lucy.” When scheduling prevented his participation, he
appeared as Mr. Littlefield, the Tropicana’s owner in two
episodes of
the show. In addition to Mr. Littlefield, he played a Judge in “Lucy
Makes Room for Danny,” a
1958 episode of “The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.” “The Lucy Show”
solidified his partnership with Lucille Ball for the rest of their
careers. He went on to play Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”
and Curtis McGibbon in “Life with Lucy.” He died in 1995 at the
age of 89.

Gary
Imhoff
(Fred Silverman) made his screen debut in a 1973 Thanksgiving special
based on the Boston company of the musical Godspell
performing at Plymouth Plantation. He is now a professional acting
teacher in the Los Angeles area.

Imhoff
is playing the real-life head of NBC, Fred Silverman.

Gary
Coleman (Gary
Coleman, Vice President in Charge of Primetime Programming) became a
household name as the star of NBC’s “Diff’rent Strokes”
(1978-86). He appeared with Lucille Ball on several awards shows
and “Night of 100 Stars II” (1985). He died in 2010 at the age of
42.

Gary
Coleman says starring in “Diff’rent Strokes” is just part-time
work.

Robert
Alda
(Mickey Ludin) originated
the role of Sky Masterson in Broadway’s Guys
and Dolls,
winning the 1951 Tony Award. He is the father of Alan Alda of
“M*A*S*H” fame. He made one appearance on the “The Lucy Show,”
and did three episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Alda died in 1986.

Mickey
Ludin is Lucy’s lawyer. 

Takayo
Doran
(Choo Choo) makes her fourth screen appearance with this special.
That same year she did various voices for the animated series
“Heathcliff.”  

Choo
Choo is Lucy’s maid. There was also a character named Choo Choo in
the Lucille Ball special “Happy Anniversary and Goodbye” (1974). 

Doris
Singleton
(Wanda Clark) 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” and four appearances on
“Here’s Lucy,” all as secretaries. Doris Singleton died in 2012
at age 92.

Singleton
plays Wanda Clark, who was the real-life personal secretary to
Lucille Ball. Clark was not an actress, but did a cameo on “Here’s
Lucy” in 1969.  

---

Playing Themselves

Ruta
Lee
was born in Montreal, Canada in 1935.  She was in the film Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers in 1954 and has amassed more than 150
screen credits. In 1972 she did two episodes of “The Lucy Show.”

Jack
Klugman
was a stage, screen and television actor most recognized as Oscar
Madison on TV’s “The Odd Couple” (1970-75). Although Klugman
never appeared on a Lucille Ball sitcom, his co-star Tony Randall did
a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy.” Klugman was seen with Lucille
Ball in 1978 on “Circus of the Stars #2.” He died in 2012 at age
90.  

Johnny
Carson was
born in 1925 in Corning, Iowa.  He was a talk show host and
comedian, best known for his 30 years as host of “The Tonight Show”
(1962–92) for which he received six Emmy Awards. Johnny Carson and
Lucille Ball appeared together many times on TV specials and award
shows.

From 1968 to 1980 Lucille Ball made 16 appearances on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. Carson played himself on “Here’s Lucy” in 1969. He died in
2005 as an icon of late night television.  

Bob
Hope was
born Lesley Townes Hope in England in 1903. During his extensive
career in virtually all forms of media he received five honorary
Academy Awards. In 1945 Desi Arnaz was the orchestra leader on Bob
Hope’s radio show. Ball and Hope did four films together. He appeared as himself on the season
6 opener of
“I Love Lucy.” He
did a brief cameo in a 1964 episode of “The Lucy Show.”  He died
in 2003 at age 100.

Gene
Kelly
was an Oscar-winning performer who did four films with Lucille Ball
between 1943 and 1967. In 1978 Lucille Ball and Gloria DeHaven were
guests on the TV tribute special “Gene Kelly: An American in
Pasadena.”  A Hollywood legend for his effortless dancing, Kelly
died in 1996 at age 83.

---

The Cast of “The Music Mart”

Donald
O’Connor
(Himself / Wally Coogan) was another legendary Hollywood star noted
for his dancing. This is his first time appearing with Lucille Ball,
but he went on to appear with Lucy and Gary Coleman in “Night of
100 Stars II” (1985). He died in 2003 at age 78.

Wally
Coogan owns a music store in downtown Burbank.  

Goria
DeHaven (Herself
/ Carol Coogan) did the films Thousands
Cheer
and Best
Foot Forward
(both in 1943) with Lucille Ball. She died in 2016 at age 91.  

Carol
Coogan is a politician who is married to Wally.

Scotty
Plummer (Scotty
Coogan) was
a highly regarded banjo player
who earned the title “Prince of Banjo.” He also toured as a
headliner with Liberace in
the mid-1970s.
Plummer
was killed in a motorbike accident in 1992, leaving behind his wife
Denise and daughter Kylen.

Scotty
Coogan is Wally’s son. In the opening credits of “Lucy Moves to
NBC,” Plummer gets an ‘introducing’ credit after all other stars
are announced.

Sidney
Miller
(Al Cody) appeared in a 1968 episode of “The Lucy Show.” That
same year she appeared with Lucille Ball in the film Yours,
Mine and Ours.
He died in 2004 at age 87.

Al
Cody is musician friend of Wally’s.

Ivery
Wheeler
(Ivery) is a tap dancer making his first screen appearance.

Ivery
is a clerk at Coogan’s Music Mart.

Micki
McKenzie
(Lola) makes only her third screen appearance with this special. She
also participated in the DVD short film about the making of “Lucy
Goes To NBC” issued in 2012.

Lola
is a bookkeeper at Coogan’s Music Mart.

Lucille
Ball (Sister
Hitchcock)  

Sister
Hitchcock is a Mission worker in the manner of the Salvation Army.
The name Hitchcock is probably a bow to director Alfred Hitchcock,
who often had cameos in his films, just as Lucy does in her sitcom.

Gale
Gordon
(Mr. Tetley)

Mr.
Tetley is the credit manager for a motorcycle shop.

---

Others in the Cast

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

Gary
Morton
(Announcer at the Fairmont Hotel, uncredited) was Lucille Ball’s
husband and the Executive Producer of this special. On “Here’s
Lucy” he often played emcee’s or did voice over introductions of
acts set in clubs.

Ty
Nutt

NBC
Workmen, the Audience at Donald O’Connor’s performance, O’Connor’s
back-up dancers, Scotty Coogan’s Rock Band, Customers at Coogan’s
Music Mart, and the Audience at the Election Rally are all played by
uncredited background performers.

---

The
final draft of the script is dated October 12, 1979.  It was taped in
late 1979 and aired Friday, February 8, 1980.  

The
famous NBC 3-note chime tones are integrated into the opening theme
music. The special utilizes a laugh track.  

Writer
Hal
Kanter was
primarily known as one of the Emmy-winning writers behind “The
Academy Awards” telecast, something he started doing in 1963. In
2003 he appeared in the TV documentary “Lucy: TV’s Comedy Queen.”
He also produced “Lucy Moves to NBC.” Robert
O’Brien had
written 54 episodes of “The Lucy Show,” 24 of “Here’s Lucy,”
and the 1975 special “Lucy Gets Lucky.” Director Jack
Donohue also
served in the same capacity for “Lucy Gets Lucky,” as well as
helming 107 episodes of “The Lucy Show,” and 35 of “Here’s
Lucy.” He made on-camera appearances on several episodes of the
shows he directed.

Lucille
Ball started her television career on CBS, where “I Love Lucy,”
“The Lucy Show,” and “Here’s Lucy” all aired. Her first five
TV specials after the end of “Here’s Lucy” in 1974 were also for
CBS. Her final sitcom, “Life With Lucy” in 1986, was aired on
ABC, meaning Lucille Ball appeared on all three major networks
throughout her career.  

Unlike
Ball’s previous specials, this one ran 90 minutes (73 minutes without
commercials) rather than an hour. The special is clearly divided into
two sections, the last half hour devoted solely to Lucy’s sitcom
pilot “The Music Mart.” Whether this was to be an actual pilot
for a new series or not is unclear. There are no credits, but the
show-within-the-show lasts nearly 26 minutes, the average length of
time (in 1980) of a television half hour without commercials. During
“The Music Mart” the action never shifts back to Lucy at NBC.
Only after the sitcom pilot concludes is there a brief tag in Lucy’s
NBC office. 

Lucy’s
move to NBC didn’t actually produce any hits for the network, but it
did produce one real pilot (not “The Music Mart”) in 1981 that
was directed by Lucille Ball, “Bungle Abbey,” a quirky sitcom
about a monastery inhabited by out-of-the-ordinary monks. The pilot
starred Charlie Callas, Guy Marks, Gino Conforti, Graham Jarvis,
Peter Palmer, and Gale Gordon. Gino Conforti (above right) later said that the
series would have never worked, and that it was a challenge to write
enough material for the one pilot episode, but it was still fun to
do. Although
promising, Lucy’s controversial move to NBC only resulted in this one
special, the “Bungle Abbey” pilot, and several guest appearances
on Bob Hope specials.

The
special opens with a bus tour through Beverly Hills, passing the
homes of Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, and (of course) Lucille Ball.
Ball orders the driver to stop because she wants to get out. She says
“It’s
my way of saving gas.”
In 1979, the US experienced its second energy crisis, with the price
of crude oil doubling, resulting in long lines at service stations.

This
opening scene should be familiar to Lucy fans, since Lucy Ricardo
also toured the movie stars’ homes on a bus in “The Tour” (ILL
S4;E30) in 1955. In that episode, the bus also pulled up alongside
Lucy’s home, doubling on screen for the home of Richard Widmark.  

Inside
Lucy’s Roxbury Drive mansion, she is playing backgammon with Ruta
Lee. Backgammon was one of Ball’s favorite pastimes. In “What Now,
Catherine Curtis?” (1976) she played backgammon with Joe Bologna. Her
Asian housekeeper, Choo Choo, answers the door to admit Lucy’s
manager, Mickey Ludin. Mickey tells Lucy that he’s invited NBC
executive Fred Silverman over to convince her to get back to work.  

Lucy:
“All
my old shows are running morning, noon and night. If I went back, I’d
be so busy rehearsing I wouldn’t be able to watch my old shows
morning, noon, and night.”  

In
reality, Lucille Ball often said that she seldom watched her old
shows.  

Mickey
(answering
the doorbell for Choo Choo): “Mr.
Silverman’s a little wary of Orientals ever since he canceled “Kung
Fu.”

Fred
Silverman
(Gary Imhoff) was one of the few executives to work at all three of
the major networks. He started at CBS in 1970, moved to ABC in 1975,
and landed at NBC in 1978. It was while he was at ABC that the hit
show “Kung Fu” (1972-75) was canceled. Star David Carradine later
claimed that the series ended because he left it, not that it was
canceled by the network. 

It is unclear why Silverman did not play
himself in this special. Something similar happened when a role was
was written for real-life producer Dore Schary on “I Love Lucy.”
Schary (inset photo) withdrew at the last minute, claiming illness, although others
later said that he got cold feet. The part was filled by Vivian
Vance’s husband, Phil Ober (above).

Lucy:
“Mr. Silverman, may I get you something? Scotch and soda?  Bourbon
and water?  Milk and cookies?”
Fred
Silverman: “I’ve
been a fan of yours since you started, Miss Ball.”
Lucy:
“Oh? You had a TV set in your nursery.”

Actor
Gary Imhoff was just 28 years old (but looked far younger) when the
special was taped, while the real Fred Silverman was 42. The gag was
that the man running NBC was a mere child.

While
at Lucy’s home, Silverman gets a call from the White House. He talks
to the Vice President.

Fred
Silverman:
“Hello,
Fritz. Yes, that’s what I told Jody. I’m sorry, I can’t give the Oval
Office an hour of prime time. After all, that’s only the White House,
not the ‘Little House on the Prairie.’”

“Little
House on the Prairie” (1973-83) was an hour-long NBC drama based on
the novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The phone rings again, this time
it is the President of the United States.

Fred
Silverman:
“Fifteen
minutes, Jimmy. No, no, don’t put Rosalynn on. I’m in a very
important meeting with the first lady of television. That’s right,
Lucy.”

Fritz
was the nickname of Vice President Walter
Mondale,
who served under President Jimmy
Carter
from 1977 to 1981. Jody
Powell was
Carter’s Press Secretary. If all this seems familiar, Lucille Ball
did a 1977 TV special called “Lucy Calls the President” (1977) where
Lucy Whittaker phones President Jimmy Carter, who then invites
himself and First Lady Rosalynn to dinner at her Indiana home.

Jack
Klugman welcomes Lucy to NBC as honorary chairman of the studio’s
hospitality committee. He says he was delayed because he got attacked
by wild savages due to the taping of “The
$1.98 Beauty Show”
(1978-80). Klugman was the star of NBC’s “Quincy
M.E.”
(1976-83). As Dr. Quincy, he gives Lucy some parting advice: avoid
the NBC commissary!

Four
NBC workman putting the finishing touches on Lucy’s office suddenly
break into a chorus of “Hello, Lucy!” to the tune of “Hello,
Dolly!,”
the title song from the 1964 Jerry Herman musical of the same name.
In a 1965 episode of “The Lucy Show” (above) Lucy Carmichael dressed as
Dolly and sang the song, re-titled “Hello, Solly!” to fit the
plot.

After
the first commercial break, Lucy is on the telephone to a “Mr.
McClay.” This is reference to Lucille Ball’s long-time publicist
Howard
McClay,
who is also an associate producer of this special.

Secretary
Wanda announces Johnny Carson’s entrance just as Ed McMahon did on
“The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”: “Heeeeeere’s
Johnny!”
Carson comes into Lucy’s office with the “Tonight Show” theme
music playing. Breaking the fourth wall, Carson cuts off the studio
audiences’ applause with a sweeping gesture and they instantly fall
silent, just as he did on his talk show. Carson delivers some
one-liners about his favorite target, Burbank. There is also some
innuendo about Johnny Carson’s work schedule at NBC. In 1980,after
more than a year of speculation, Carson finally re-negotiated his
contract with the network for a shorter work week, only doing one
hour a night, four nights a week. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the
evening this special aired, Johnny’s guest was Bob Hope, who will be
the next NBC star  through Lucy’s office door.

Johnny
Carson:
“Don’t
tell me you’re the one that has to find a new pilot for Don
Rickles?”
Lucy:
“No.
I’m here to do a comedy show.”

Don
Rickles starred in NBC’s sitcom “CPO Sharkey” from 1976 to
1978. He was also a guest star on “The Lucy Show” in 1967. In
1976, Johnny Carson impulsively crashed the show mid-taping, while he was
shooting “Tonight” at his nearby studio. 

After
the sound of a peacock pierces the air, Lucy shouts “Quiet,
Clyde!”
She explains to Carson that Silverman gave her a live peacock to
remind her that she’s now at NBC. The bit is repeated later with Gale
Gordon shushing the bird. The peacock and its rainbow plumage became the symbol of NBC when the network started broadcasting in color. 

The peacock was briefly replaced in the 1980s by a red and blue stylized “N” which is seen on the special in the establishing footage (above) of the studio building. 

Carson
pulls out a four-page pamphlet on being a good TV producer and reads
some of them to Lucy.

#1
– Always cast the right actor for the right job  

Johnny
Carson:
“For
example, if you’re doing a show about an Olympic pole vaulter,
immediately you do not hire Orson Welles.”

#2
– No star is indispensable

Johnny
Carson:
“Even
when Milton Berle was Mr. Television, the network gave him the pink
slip.”

Lucy:
“Yeah,
and he’s still wearing it.“

#3
– Stay within your budget

Lucy:
“It’s
amazing what some of these stars get for just showing up. Oh, not
you, Johnny. You deserve every penny. You keep more people up at
night than Mexican food.”

Bob
Hope enters Lucy’s office and sings “Thanks
For the Memory.” Hope
also sang the song when he guest starred on “I Love Lucy” in
1956. Like Carson, he breaks the fourth wall, holding his hand to
his ear to solicit more exit applause.

Bob
Hope’s home network was NBC for nearly all of his TV career. When
Hope guest-starred as himself on CBS’s “I Love Lucy” in 1956, his
last line was “I
may never go back to NBC.”  

Gale
Gordon
is the next to come through Lucy’s office door. When he hears she is
hiring a production assistant, he can’t hide his eagerness to get the
job. Lucy is reluctant.

Lucy:
“I played your secretary for so long, I’d feel uncomfortable giving
you orders.”
Gale
Gordon:
“Nonsense. When you played my secretary on ‘The Lucy Show’ you
always gave me more orders than I ever gave you.”

During
all of Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon’s onscreen collaborations, this
is the first and only time he has been called Gale, although Ball
always went by the name Lucy.  

Lucy:
(about
the name to put on her parking space) “Tell
them it’s the same old Lucy.”

The
second half hour of the special begins in San Francisco’s Fairmont
Hotel, where Lucy and Gale have traveled to sign Donald O’Connor.
Interestingly, the first three notes of the background piano music in
the hotel showroom are the same as the NBC chimes.

On
the way to their table, Lucy encounters Gene
Kelly.
In early May 1980 Kelly guest-hosted and episode of NBC’s “The Big
Show.” A week later, Donald O’Connor also appeared on the variety
program.  

Kelly
has come to San Francisco to introduce Donald O’Connor. He reminds
Lucy that the two are old friends.

Lucy:
“Oh,
I know. Who could ever forget you two in ‘Singing Up a Storm’?”
Gene
Kelly:
“It
was called ‘Singing in the Rain’.”
Lucy:
“Oh?
You made a sequel?”

When
introducing O’Connor, Kelly makes a slightly racist comment (by
today’s standards):

Gene
Kelly:
“He
proves that we Irish also have rhythm.”

Earlier
in the special, there was humor derived from Asian housekeeper Choo
Choo’s inability to pronounce the letter “L” and substituting “R”
instead. When Mickey tells Choo Choo he knows that Lucy is in the
living room playing backgammon, she says to herself “How
he know she is praying?” 

Onstage
at the Fairmont Showroom, Donald O’Connor sings a medley of songs
that he performed on screen, all with re-written lyrics:

• “Anything
  Goes” from
  the musical of the same name by Cole Porter. The film was made in
  1956.

• “You’re
  Just In Love”
  from the musical Call
  Me Madam
  by Irving Berlin. The film was made in 1953.

• “Singin’
  in the Rain”
  from the musical of the same name. The film was made in 1952.  

The song “Singin’
in the Rain” by
Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown was first written in 1931. It was
previously heard in a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy” (above). 

O’Connor
invites Lucy on stage and sings “Real
Live Girl”
to her, a song from the 1962 Broadway musical Little
Me
by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, the same team that wrote Lucille
Ball’s only Broadway musical Wildcat
in 1960. The song was also sung on a 1968 episode of “The Lucy
Show” (above) by guest-star Sid Caesar, who introduced it on Broadway.  

Lucy
tells Donald O’Connor she wants to do a musical television series
with a plot similar to his film 1954 film There’s
No Business Like Show Business.
This time, Lucy wants him to play the father.

Lucy:
“Don’t
you think people will believe you as a father?”
Donald
O’Connor: “My
own kids don’t.”
Gale
Gordon:
“You
have children, huh?”
Donald
O’Connor:
“Oh,
yes, four. Two boys, a girl, and one that won’t tell us what it is.”

When
Gale suggests they will have to clear their idea with the network
brass, Lucy says “Forget
it, Gale. I’m going to trust my own instincts. The public is fed up
with computers deciding what they want to see.”  The
line gets a tiny smattering of applause from the studio audience.
Little did they know in 1980 how pervasive computers would become
worldwide.  

Lucy
wants to cast Gloria
DeHaven
as Donald O’Connor’s wife on the series. The two played husband and
wife in the 1949 Universal film Yes
Sir, That’s My Baby.
O’Connor
and DeHaven had been friends as children and that was the first of
two films they were in together, the other being Out
to Sea nearly
50 years later.
They also played a married couple on a 1986 episode of “The Love
Boat.” In 1980, DeHaven made guest star appearances on NBC’s “BJ
and the Bear” and “Hello, Larry.”  

---

“THE
MUSIC MART”

At the first table read for Lucy’s new sitcom we learn that the series is titled “The Music Mart” and stars Donald O’Connor as

music store owner and former big band musician Wally Coogan, Gloria DeHaven as his politician wife Carol, Scotty Plummer as his son Scotty, Micki McKenzie as the bookeeper Lola, Ivery Wheeler as their clerk Ivery, Lucille Ball as Sister Hitchcock, and Gale Gordon as a credit officer named Mr. Tetley. It takes place primarily at Coogan’s Music Mart, a music store in Burbank. The table read scene dissolves to the actual show…  

Wally
Coogan:
“Hey Lola, what’s with the earphones?” 
Lola
Coogan:
“It’s
Earth Wind and Fire.”
Wally
Coogan:
“I
don’t care if it’s Olivia Newton and John.”

Wally
Coogan and his Musical Merry Men are comprised of:

• Al
  Cody (who
  could beat out a disco tune that would make Donna Summer spring)
• Speedy
  Novak
  (who has dropped into second gear)
• Go
  Go Benson (who
  looks like he might ‘go’ at any minute)
• Cookie
  Baker (who
  is starting to crumble)
• Junior
  Collins (who
  is now a senior citizen)

Ivery
(to
Wally): “Woo-wee!
I just love that old-time jive. You must have been a real groovy
rudy to cut a rug while you jitterbug to Swing and Sway with Sammy
Kaye.”
Wally:
“Well, it sure beats tryin’ to dance to that hooey of David Bowie.”

Swing
and Sway with Sammy Kaye will be mentioned by Gale Gordon on “Life
With Lucy” in 1986.  

Carol:
(about her son Scotty) “Now that he’s turning 18 he can vote, you
know.”
Wally:
“Kids
grow up fast enough. At 18 they’re still innocent, trusting,
open-minded, beautiful people. Why turn them into Democrats and
Republicans?”

Although
he was hoping for a motorcycle for his 18th birthday, Scotty gets a $2,500 collectible banjo that once belonged
to Eddie Peabody.

Ivery:
“Who’s
Eddie Peabody?”
Scotty:
“Oh, he was a banjo player.”
Wally:
“A
banjo player? Eddie Peabody A
banjo player? Was Nijinsky a hoofer? Was Rembrandt a cartoonist? Is
Danny Thomas the Pope?”

Eddie
Peabody
(1902-70) was
an American banjo
player, instrument developer, and musical entertainer whose career
spanned five decades. He was the most famous
banjoist of
his era.

When
Scotty is trying to get a loan to buy a motorcycle, he offers credit
manager Mr. Tetley his collectible banjo for collateral, telling him
it once belonged to Eddie Peabody.

Mr.
Tetley:
“Wasn’t he was a banjo player?”
Scotty:
“A
banjo player? You call Eddie Peabody just A
banjo player? Was Nijinsky a bush pilot?  Was Lindbergh a dancer? Is
the Pope Danny Thomas?”

During
the scene between Scotty and Mr. Tetley, Lucille Ball’s distinctive
laugh can clearly be heard in the background.

Al
dumps a box of toupees out to decide which one to wear onstage at the
Rally. Carol likes one he calls “his
Robert Redford”
but Wally says it makes him look more like Barbra Streisand.

At
the Election Rally, Wally and Carol sing “Walkin’
My Baby Back Home.”
The song was written by Roy
Turk and Fred
E. Ahlert in 1930.
It
was the title song from the 1953 film starring Donald
O’Connor. 

Sister
Hitchcock joins Wally and Carol to sing “Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home?”
The song was written in 1902 by Hughie Canon. Scotty takes over with
a banjo solo.  

In
the special’s final moments, Sister Hitchcock is on Lucy’s office TV
screen where she is watching with Fred Silverman and Gary Coleman,
who have now traded jobs. Lucy remarks “I
can hardly wait to see the next episode of ‘Different Strokes’.”

---

This
Date in Lucy History
– February 8th

“Fan
Magazine Interview” (ILL S3;E17) – February 8,
1954

“My
Fair Lucy” (TLS S3;E20) – February 8, 1965

“The Unemployment Follies” (HL S3;E22) –
February 8, 1971

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This is a sprawling oddity.  The first hour a virtual commercial for 1980 NBC and its stars. The last half hour is a terribly dated show-within-a-show faux sitcom set in a music store. Some of the humor (even by 1980′s standards) is questionable. On the plus side, Lucy is is great form, and feels relaxed in her banter with the parade of stars playing themselves. Gary Coleman is shoe-horned into the special, and real-life people like Fred Silverman and Wanda Clark are played by others.  This is the only tangible proof that Lucille Ball was ever under contract to NBC.