THE PRACTICE

“The
Dream” (S2;E1) ~ October 13, 1976

Directed
by Noam Pitlik

Created
and Written by Steve Gordon

Synopsis:
Dr.
Jules has an eccentric new patient (Lucille Ball) who claims to see
visions of her own death. When she correctly predicts that a
chandelier will fall, Dr. Jules starts to take her seriously. With
the date of her predicted demise fast approaching, she is
hospitalized, where she undergoes emergency brain surgery, saving her
life.

Danny
Thomas (Dr.
Jules Bedford) was
born Amos Muzyad Yakhoob Kairouz in 1912. His screen career began in
1947 but he was most famous for appearing on television in the
long-running show “Make Room for Daddy” (1953-1964), which was
shot at Desilu Studios. When the series moved from ABC to CBS in
1957, Thomas and the cast starred in a rare TV cross-over with “The
Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” titled “Lucy
Makes Room for Danny.”  In
return, Lucy and Desi turned up on Thomas’s show. Fifteen years
later, Lucy and Danny did yet another cross-over when Lucy Carter of
“Here’s Lucy” appeared on “Make Room for Granddaddy.” In
addition, Thomas also played an aging artist on a 1973 episode of
“Here’s Lucy.” Thomas is fondly remembered for founding St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He is also father to actress
Marlo Thomas, who did a guest star appearance on “The Practice.” He died in 1999.

Lucille
Ball (Matilda
Morrison) 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, which was not a success and was canceled
after just 13 episodes.

Matilda
is an unmarried underwear saleswoman who is psychic. 

David
Spielberg (Dr.
David Bedford) started acting on screen in 1969. This was his first
recurring role on a series. He also was featured on “The American
Girls” (1978) and “Wiseguy” (1988) among many others. He died
in 2016.

Dr.
David Bedford is Jules’ son.

Dena
Dietrich (Molly
Gibbons) is
probably best known for her Chiffon Margarine commercial in which she utters the famous line: “It’s
not nice to fool Mother Nature!” She
had recurring roles on such series as “Adam’s Rib” (1973),
“Karen” (1975), “The Ropers” (1979-80), and “Philly”
(2001-02). In
1986, she guest starred on “Lucy, Legal Eagle” (LWL S1;E7), an
episode of “Life With Lucy.”  

Molly
is secretly in love with Jules.

Didi
Conn (Helen)
is probably best remembered for her role as Frenchie, the Beauty
School Dropout, in both Grease
and
Grease
II.
She also starred in the film You
Light Up My Life
(1977). Her childlike voice also is heard in various animated shows.

Helen
is Dr. Jules Bedford’s receptionist and office manager.

Shelley
Fabares
(Jenny Bedford) achieved teen-idol
status with her role as the wholesome daughter Mary
Stone on “The Donna Reed Show” (1958-65), a part she
played for five seasons before embarking on a film career. She
also had recurring roles on “The Brian Keith Show” (1972-74) and
“One Day at a Time” (1978-84). She is the niece of Nanette
Fabray, who appeared with Lucille Ball in “Happy Anniversary and
Goodbye” in 1974.  

Jenny
is married to David.  They have two children (who do not appear in
this episode).  

Mike
Evans
(Lenny) is probably best remembered as Lionel Jefferson, first on
“All in the Family” then on the spin-off “The Jeffersons.”
He left the series and was replaced by Damon Evans (no relation) only
to return to the role in 1979. In 1973, he played opposite Desi
Arnaz Jr. in the film Voyage
of the Yes.
The same year he joined the cast of “The Practice” he created
the series “Good Times,” which ran until 1979. He died in 2006 at
age 57.

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“The
Practice”
was a short-lived situation comedy starring Danny Thomas as grumpy
old Dr. Jules Bedford. It was a mid-season replacement on NBC,
premiering in January 1976. It was picked up for a second season but
was canceled in January 1977 before the last two of its 27 episodes
could air.

Danny
Thomas and Lucille Ball often did cross-overs on each others shows.
Lucy Ricardo was seen on “Make Room for Daddy” (above) in 1957 and Lucy
Carter appeared on an episode of “Make Room for Granddaddy” in
1971. Thomas invited Lucille Ball to appear at the start of season
two of “The Practice” to boost ratings.  At this point, “Here’s
Lucy” had ended so Ball had to appear as a newly created character,
Matilda Morrison.  

Except
for specials and award shows, this would be the last time Lucille
Ball and Danny Thomas would act together on television. It is also
the last time Lucille Ball would play a character on someone else’s
show.  

“The
Practice” aired opposite “Good Times” on CBS, a series created
and written by Mike Evans. Essentially Evans was competing with
himself.  

This
episode was taped on August 13, 1976, one week after Lucille Ball’s
65th birthday.

The
opening credit sequence was filmed on location in Manhattan, while
the show was video taped in front of a studio audience in Hollywood.
The final frames show Danny Thomas standing in front of New York
Medical College. While
the visuals for the opening credits remained unchanged for the second
season, the music changed to a new ragtime-style theme.
During season one a more classical-sounding theme was used.

Dr. Jules Bedford’s office is in a middle-class area on Manhattan’s West
Side. His son’s
practice is on exclusive Park
Avenue.

Matilda
(having a blood test): “Is
that my blood?”
Jules:
“No,
it’s Zsa Zsa Gabor’s.  How it got into your body, I’ll never know.”

Although
Zsa Zsa Gabor and Lucille Ball were off-screen acquaintances, they
never worked together in front of the camera. Zsa Zsa’s sister Eva,
however, guest-starred on two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”

Matilda
has a premonition that she’s going to die on October 14th.
The episode was first aired on October 13th, which also happens to be the date of the first scene in the hospital.  

Jules:
“Where
is the pain?”
Matilda
(confused): “The
pain is..  The pain is… (to Jules) You wanna buy a bra?  Mrs.
Garvas, let’s face it you’re no Jane Russell.  You could use a little
lift.”

Hollywood
actress Jane
Russell
was a sex symbol of the 1940s and 50s. In
the 1970s, she started appearing in television commercials as
a spokeswoman for Playtex Cross-Your-Heart Bras. In 1959 she guest-starred on “The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse”
in “Ballad for a Bad Man” hosted and produced by Desi Arnaz. She
was mentioned on “I Love Lucy” during “Ricky’s
Screen Test” (ILL S4;E6) in 1954.

Matilda
has to have brain surgery, which saves her life.

Matilda:
(waking
up) “Am
I dead?”
Jules:
“If
you were, I’d be the first to tell you.”  

Ooops!
When Matilda comes out of brain surgery, Lucille Ball’s head is
covered in bandages, yet she still has on heavy eye make-up and
bright red lipstick!  

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This
Date in Lucy History
– October 13th

“The
Operetta”
(ILL S2;E5) – October 13, 1952

“Lucy
Runs the Rapids”
(HL S2;E4) – October 13, 1969

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