623 ~ Part 2

623 East 68th Street: The Most Iconic Address on Television! 

623: THE BUILDING

The Mertzes apartment building was completely fictional. Although based on traditional New York brownstones, the address 623 East 68th Street would have been located in the East River! 

All the scenes had to be filmed on one of several soundstages in Hollywood, California. The Ricardo apartment took up the bulk of the studio, with a larger space for the Tropicana. Everything else had to be staged within the Tropicana set (far right). 

In the “I Love Lucy” pilot (1951), the Ricardos don’t live at 623 East 68th Street, but in a seventh floor apartment in the Theatre District.  When the writers invented the landlord characters of Fred and Ethel Mertz for the series, Lucy and Ricky’s address was changed.  Being a ‘house-bound’ sitcom, location was integral to the show’s success. Location, Location, Location!  

623 may be partly based on the Wilcox Apartments in Jamestown, NY.  Lucy and her family moved there after being forced to sell their family home in nearby Celoron. 

~ THE STREET ~

The front of the building was seen in five episodes: “Getting Ready” (1954).

Is that Central Park in the background? 

“Lucy Learns to Drive” (1955) … 

“California Here We Come” (1955) …

“The Homecoming” (1955) …

and “The Ricardos are Interviewed” (1955). 

View of East 68th Street in “Lucy and Superman” (1957) from the ledge. Incidentally, this insert shot was not a set, but a genuine location. Where it was filmed remains a mystery. But back to…

~ THE LEDGE ~

Lucy went out on the ledge to spy on Ricky and the Mertzes in “Lucy Cries Wolf” (1954). She ventured out there again in “Lucy and Superman” (1957). In “Wolf” the ledge only extended to the wall, but in “Superman” it wraps around the corner and under the vacant apartment window, an architectural anomaly only possibly on television!

~ THE BASEMENT / FURNACE ROOM ~

When “Lucy Writes a Novel” (1954) her shredded roman a clef is set to be burned with the trash. 

The basement / furnace room is also the location of “The Freezer” (1952). Trying to hide her newly-bought sides of beef from Ricky, she stashes it them the furnace. When Fred lights gets a chill, it’s a barbecue feast for everyone at 623!

The furnace pipe (aka ‘the snooper’s friend) was used as an intercom in “The Gossip” (1952) and  “The Anniversary Present” (1952).  Here Lucy is trying to overhear Ricky and Grace Foster.

~ THE BACK PORCH / FIRE ESCAPE ~

The back doors / porches of 623 are first seen in “Pioneer Women” (1952). The script called for Ricky to ride a horse through the door of the Ricardo apartment. But when the horse saw the audience during filming, it got spooked and the scene had to be changed so Ricky could ride the horse to the apartment building’s back porch. This re-filming was done after the audience departed.

Then again in “Never Do Business with Friends” (1953) there is a tug of war over a wasing machine. Such porches were common in California apartment buildings, but less so in New York City. 

The Mertz’s back entrance in “The Quiz Show” (1951) is visited by a ‘tramp’ who Lucy believes might be an actor pretending to be her first husband. Ethel spots him for what he is!

“Too Many Crooks” (1953) gives us a glimpse of the fire escape outside the Ricardo bedroom.  While back porches were uncommon in Manhattan, fire escapes were ubiquitous. Here Fred gives Ethel his hat and coat for protection against the cold during her spying. This disguise makes her resemble cat-burglar Madam X.

~ THE ROOF ~

In “Vacation from Marriage” (1952) Lucy and Ethel get themselves locked on the roof!  

“Ricky and Fred are TV Fans” (1952) shows us a slightly different view of the roof during the same season (albeit from different apartments). This will be the last time we see ‘Lucy on the Roof’! Sounds crazy, no? 

• ETHEL: “Listen, I happen to own this building!” 
• COP: “Yeah, and I’m J. Edgar Hoover.”

~ CLOSET SPACE ~

A major selling point for any apartment is closet space!  In “I Love Lucy”, however, closets weren’t just for coats. In “The Kleptomaniac” (1952) Lucy and Ethel store treasures for their club tag sale in the Ricardo closet.  

In “Sentimental Anniversary” (1954) Lucy and Ricky’s plan for a romantic anniversary dinner at home is interupted by the Mertz’s party plans – so they move their candelit kiss to the closet. 

The Ricardo apartment has his ‘n’ her closets on both sides of the bed. In “The Fur Coat” (1951) Lucy keeps her iconic polka dot dress in hers. 

In “Drafted” (1951) Lucy and Ethel invite folks to the boy’s going away party, while at the same time, Ricky and Fred invite folks to celebrate Lucy and Ethel’s blessed event. The hall closet gets crowded when they both stow arriving guests in there! 

In “The New Neighbors” (1952) nosy Lucy hides out in the O’Brien’s closet – disguising herself as an armchair! 

When “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (1953) Lucy stores all Little Ricky’s things in the closet to prove to Ricky they need more space. 

When the Ricardos return from Hollywood in “The Homecoming” (1955) Mrs. Trumbull has saved all the newspapers for Ricky because they don’t get The New York Times in California. 

When “Lucy’s Mother-in-Law” (1954) visits, Lucy has cleaned up by hastily throwign everything in the closet – which fails to stay shut.  

More Closet Comedy:  

• In “Little Ricky Gets a Dog” (1957) ~ Lucy hides Fred the dog in a sombrero, the stashes it in the closet when new tenant Mr. Stewart drops by. 
• In “Ricky’s European Booking” (1955) ~ Lucy hides the newly printed Ladies Overseas Aid raffle tickets in the closet so Ricky doesn’t see them. 
• In “Sales Resistance” (1953) ~ Lucy hides her new Handy Dandy Vacuum Cleaner in the closet. Unfortunately, she fails to unplug it. When Ricky flips the light switch, the machine starts up!  
• In “The Saxophone” (1952) ~ Ricky turns the tables on Lucy (who was trying to make Ricky jealous) by stashing three men in the closet. 

~ THE HALLWAYS ~ 

In “Oil Wells” (1954) a bickering Lucy and Ethel call a truce in the hallway where “L’école de Dance (School of Ballet)” by Edgar Degas adorns the wall.

In “Sentimental Anniversary” (1954) the hallway is decorated with “Woman in White Dress” by Leonard Campbell Taylor.

In the hallway outside the “New Neighbors” (1952) apartment is a framed lithograph of “Off to Market” painted by Diego Rivera in 1937.

~ THE STAIRWELLS ~

After storming out of her apartment in “Lucy Cries Wolf” (1954), Lucy is unaware the wolves are right behind her!

Lucy is the prisoner of East 68th Street! 

~ THE NEIGHBORHOOD ~

In “Sales Resistance” (1953) Lucy loses one of her shoes trying to sell the vacuum cleaner. It got stuck in the door of 310 East 69th Street.  Above, the address as it looks today!  

In “Ricky Has Labor Pains” (1953) Fred throws Ricky a Daddy Shower at the East 68th Street Athletic and Recreation Society. 

When “The Ricardos Are Interviewed” (1955), Ricky’s new agent Johnny Clark starts hinting that the Ricardos should think about moving out of 623 into a swankier address. 

• FRED: “They don’t build ‘em like this anymore!”
• CLARK: “They haven’t built them like this in more than a hundred years.”

Lucy and Ricky seriously consider it, but end up staying put – at least until they move to Connecticut. But…