Colorful “Paris” Cuts!

On December 20, 2019, CBS broadcast a colorized version of “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18).  A few moments of the original show were edited out for time.  Here’s what you missed…

In the opening scene, a few lines where Lucy sticks her tongue out at Ricky are cut: 

LUCY: (consults her French dictionary)
Just a minute, just a minute.

RICKY: What are you doing?

LUCY: I’m looking up the French for
(sticks out her tongue at Ricky)

RICKY: While you’re at it, look up ‘I
am lost. Take me to the Royal Hotel.’

LUCY: Oh, now, honey, what can happen?
How can I get lost? I have my French dictionary. I have my guidebook.
I have my map of Paris.

The end of the scene is trimmed, omitting Ethel’s lines about her hair in curlers. Ethel’s funny mimicking of Fred’s “No, that’s  not the way I always wear it!” is lost. 

FRED: We’ll go down to the Express
office with you, Lucy. I want to change some money and pick up the
mail.

LUCY: Okay.

ETHEL: Well, Fred, I can’t go looking
like this.

FRED: Why not?

ETHEL: Well, look at my hair.

FRED: What’s the matter it? It looks
all right to me.

ETHEL: It’s up in curlers!

FRED: Isn’t that the way you always
wear it?

ETHEL: No, that’s not the way I always
wear it! We’ll see you down at the Express office later, honey.

LUCY: Okay.

FRED: Bye.

LUCY: Bye.

In the second scene, a few lines reinforcing Lucy’s lack of French language skills are cut.  Lost is Lucy’s bewildered “Well, there you are”: 

COUNTERFEITER: Ah! Evidemment madame parle et
comprend beaucoup de Francais.

LUCY: Huh?

COUNTERFEITER: Evidemment madame parle et
comprend beaucoup de Francais.

LUCY: Well, there you are.

COUNTERFEITER:

I just said, ‘Evidently madame
speaks and understands a great deal of French.’

LUCY: Oh, I do, I do! Oui, oui.

Not a cut line, but one that does indirectly tie in the episode to the “Christmas Episode” that preceded it!  In 1956, the episode aired in February, which would account for the delay in international delivery.  

The sidewalk cafe scene cuts when Lucy takes a few moments to study her French dictionary to translate the menu while the waiter is getting the wine.  The scene instead goes right from the waiter saying he will bring the wine to the Tour Guide’s entrance. This would be okay except that the wine is magically on Lucy’s table in the background of the very next shot!  

TRIVIA: The wine bottle is not a French wine, but California’s Paul Masson!  The actor (Maurice Marsac) places the wine bottle down, but immediately picks it up and sets it down on the extreme right periphery of the table.  Ball was right handed and also did not want the bottle to obstruct the camera’s shot of the soon-to-be-served plate of snails. Marsac no doubt momentarily forgets his previous direction about where to set it down. Lucille Ball was a stickler for props. Only one line is cut, but a few moments of business by Lucy. 

WAITER: Pardon. Votre vin, madame. (serves the wine)

At the police station, the opening of the scene introducing the Drunk is cut and the scene begins with Lucy’s entrance. Lost is the audience’s understanding that the Drunk doesn’t speak French, but does speak German and Spanish.  Also lost is that the arresting officer is from Strasbourg and speaks both French and German. Instead, after a commercial break, the scene begins with Lucy’s second line. 

GENDARME #1: Alors, alors, alors.
Qu’est-ce que c’est? [So, so, so. What is this?]

(holds out his wine bottle)

DRUNK: Agua mineral. [Mineral water.]

GENDARME #1: (to Desk Sergeant) Cet homme est paf.  [This man is hammered.]

DESK SERGEANT: (to Drunk) Est-ce vrai? [Is this true?]

DRUNK: Yo hablo espanol. [I speak Spanish.]

DESK SERGEANT: Espanol? [Spanish?]

DRUNK: Si, senor. [Yes, sir.]

GENDARME #1: Parlez francais? [Do you speak French?]

DRUNK: No. Yo hablo espanol. [No. I speak Spanish.]

GENDARME #1: Espanol!  [Spanish!]

DRUNK: Und ich spreche ein bisschen
Deutsch auch. [And I speak a little German, too.]

GENDARME #1: Was? Sie sprechen Deutsch?
Wunderbar! Ich spreche auch Deutsch. Ich bin aus Strasbourg. Il parle
allemand. [What? You speak German? Wonderful! I also speak German. I am from Strasbourg. I’ll translate.]

DESK SERGEANT: Fichez-moi la paix. [Leave me alone.]

DRUNK: (to Gendarme #1) Er hat was gesagt? [He said something?]

GENDARME #1: Nichts – er hat gesagt Sie
haben zu viel Wein getrunken. Kommen Sie. Kommen Sie. [Nothing – he said you drank too much wine. Come. Come.] (Hauls him off)

LUCY (enters with Gendarme #2):
I didn’t know it was counterfeit.

TRIVIA: When Lucy is flung towards the desk by the arresting officer, the telephone is directly in front of her. Knowing it will be in her way, Lucille Ball instinctively picks it up and indignantly plops it down on her right. Ball was a stickler for props! 

Interestingly, this line was NOT cut!  It had previously been edited out of recent MeTV syndication prints to be sensitive to the national conversation on immigration.   

At the very start of the final scene, an inconsequential line was cut and the scene starts with “Ricky gave you your money back, didn’t he?”

LUCY: “Yeah, well, I don’t care.”

Although the above lines were cut from the December 2019 airing, it is likely that they are included with the master colorized film and may appear in future releases on home video or streaming.  

For all the background, trivia, and bloopers of the original black and white episode, please click here!