1956 Part Two – JULY to DECEMBER
The sixth and final season of “I Love Lucy” starts and includes a quick trip to Florida.
“The Ed Sullivan Show” (S9;E2) ~ September 30, 1956
Lucy and Desi are in New York to promote the sixth season of “I Love Lucy”. In a comedy sketch Lucy mistakenly believes that she and Desi will be
appearing on Edward R. Murrow’s “Person to Person.” This 10-minute sketch also features appearances by Vivian Vance and
William Frawley. A year earlier, “I Love Lucy” had also satirized the show as “Face to Face” (ILL S5;E7).
“Lucy and Bob Hope” (ILL S6;E1) ~ October 1, 1956
Season six brings a lot of changes to the show due largely to the departure of co-creator, head writer, and producer Jess Oppenheimer. Keith Thibodeaux makes his series debut as Little Ricky and Ricky has become part owner of the Tropicana and is re-opening it under the name Club Babalu. Bob Hope and Lucille Ball did several films together and was a natural choice to kick off the new season. Filmed June 5, 1956.
“Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums” (ILL S6;E2) ~ October 8, 1956
Keith Thibodeaux was cast for his resemblance to Desi as well as his skill at playing drums. Filmed June 28, 1956.
“The Bob Hope Chevy Show” ~ October 8, 1956
In return for his appearance on “I Love Lucy,” Bob Hope hosts the cast of “I Love Lucy” (crossing network lines to NBC). An extended sketch supposes that Bob Hope might have played Ricky Ricardo. Desi plays Fred Mertz and William Frawley plays a nautical neighbor. This show has been colorized and released on home video.
“Lucy Meets Orson Welles” (ILL S6;E3) ~ October 15, 1956
This episode was written as a way for the Aranzes to supplement Orson Welles’ income so he could afford to move out of their guesthouse. This one of four episodes filmed (June 14, 1956) at the end of season 5, but held over until the start of season 6. Originally broadcast on the 5th anniversary of the series premiere.
“Little Ricky Gets Stage Fright” (ILL S6;E4) ~ October 22, 1956
Little Ricky’s music teacher is played by Howard McNear (Floyd the barber on “The Andy Griffith Show”). Lucy revives her skill at the ukulele with “Has Anybody Seen My Gal?” Filmed June 21, 1956.
“Visitor from Italy” (ILL S6;E5) ~ October 29, 1956
A callback to the trip to Europe and the return of Jay Novello as Mario. Lucy making pizza is one of the most memorable images of the series. As with most special skills, Lucille learned to toss pizza dough for this episode. The first episode filmed after the 1956 summer hiatus, on September 24, 1956.
“Off to Florida” (ILL S6;E6) ~ November 12, 1956
Oscar-nominee Elsa Lanchester (The Bride of Frankenstein) guest stars in this road trip from hell. Character actor Strother Martin (Cool Hand Luke) is also featured. Filmed September 13, 1956.
“Deep-Sea Fishing”
(ILL S6;E7) ~ November 19, 1956
Set in Miami Beach, Florida, at the newly-opened Eden Roc Hotel. The props list features two 100-pound tuna (real ones flown in for the episode) and a real fishing boat floating in a studio water tank. Desi Arnaz was a big fan of fishing. Filmed September 27, 1956.
“Desert Island” (ILL S6;E8) ~ November 26, 1956
Claude Akins plays himself playing a ‘giant native’ when Lucy schemes to keep Ricky from judging a beauty pageant. Filmed October 4, 1956.
“The Ricardos Visit Cuba” (ILL S6;E9) ~ December 3, 1956
Before leaving Florida, the gang takes a side-trip to Ricky / Desi’s homeland.
For a long time, this episode was not shown in syndication due to the political situation with Cuba.
The episode finishes with two songs: “A Lucky Guy” and “Babalu” with Little Ricky joining in on Conga drums. Filmed October 18, 1956.
“Little Ricky’s School Pageant” (ILL S6;E10) ~ December 17, 1956
Back in Manhattan, the gang takes roles in Little Ricky’s school play. The actual pageant was staged by a nearby dance school run by Desi’s friend Pepito Perez and his wife Joanne. The costumes are now in the Lucy-Desi museum in Jamestown, New York. Filmed October 25, 1956.
“The ‘I Love Lucy’ Christmas Show” ~ December 24, 1956
Filmed on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1956. Since it was a holiday, and the episode consisted mainly of flashbacks, there was no studio audience. The episode was not included in syndication and was not aired again until December 1989. In 2013 it was colorized and is now shown annually at the holidays.
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