KIDZ!

The Young People of the Lucyverse ~ Part 2

W.C. Fields famously warned performers never to work with children or animals. Luckily for us, Lucille Ball consistently disregarded his advice. Here’s a look at some of the young performers and characters of the Lucyverse.

Jerry Carmichael (Jimmy Garrett) and Sherman Bagley (Ralph Hart) ~ Jerry was the son of Lucy and Ralph was Viv’s boy on “The Lucy Show”. Hart appeared in 44 episodes from 1962 to 1965. Garrett appeared in 55 episodes from 1962 to 1965. Jerry had a teenage sister named Chris and their father was deceased. Sherman was an only child whose dad Ralph was divorced his mother Vivian. 

Chris’s young friend Susie (Lucie Arnaz) appeared in “Lucy is a Chaperone” (1962). 

Susie turned up again as a waitress at Wilbur’s Ice Cream Parlor in “Lucy is a Soda Jerk” (1962). Desi Arnaz Jr. plays a customer, meaning that both of Lucille Ball’s real-life children appeared in the same episode. 

In other episodes, Desi Arnaz Jr. played Billy Simmons, son of Audrey (Mary Jane Croft), a baseball player, football player, and cub scout. Billy was seen in “Lucy is a Referee” (1962), “Lucy and the Little League” (1963), “Lucy Visits the White House” (1963), and “Lucy and the Scout Trip” (1964, above), which also included Barry Livingston (as Arnold Mooney) and nine other uncredited scouts. 

When the show shifted locations to Los Angeles leaving Susie and Billy behind, Lucie and Desi Jr. appeared as spectators in the grandstands in “Lucy At Marineland” (1965). 

“Lucy Misplaces $2,000″ (1962) ~ Katie Sweet (Katie, Granddaughter of Woman on Bench) was just five years old when she filmed this episode, but had been acting since the age of two!  Earlier that year, Sweet played the title role in the Desilu pilot “Sukuzi Beane”, which co-starred Jimmy Garrett and helped him land his role of Jerry Carmichael. Sweet left show business when she was 13.  

“Together for Christmas” (1962) ~ Ends with Jerry and Sherman joining a group of carolers from the YMCA. The carolers were played by the real-life Mitchell Boys Choir. 

“Lucy is a Referee” (1962) ~ In addition to Jerry, Sherman, and Billy, the cast featured Dennis Rush (left) as Tony Lawrence. The other football players are played by the Mighty Mites of the Venice Athletic Club, a pee-wee football team from Venice Beach, California.

“Lucy Goes to the White House” (1963) ~ Lucy and Viv take their cub scout troop to Washington DC to bring their sugar cube White House to President Kennedy. In addition to Jerry, Sherman, and Billy – the cast also includes 9  uncredited young boys as Cub Scout Pack 57.

Critic’s Choice (1963) ~ Ricky Kelman played John Ballentine, son of Parker (Bob Hope) and stepson of Angie (Lucille Ball), husband and wife theatre critics. 

“Lucy Gets Locked in the Vault” (1963) ~ Barry Livingston plays Mr. Mooney’s son Arnold. Livingston is probably best remembered as Ernie, the adopted son on “My Three Sons.”  His first appearance on that series was just one week after he played Arnold Mooney, a role he would return to in “Lucy and the Scout Trip” (1964).  

When Livingston started on “My Three Sons” (also filmed at Desilu), the role of Arnold Mooney was taken over by Teddy Eccles in “Lucy’s Contact Lenses” (1964). Eccles began his show business career at the age of 4 and was 9 years old when he first appeared on “The Lucy Show.” 

He will make two more appearances on the series as other characters, including as Harold, a young cadet in “Lucy At Marineland” (1965). Coincidentally, Eccles also appeared in two episodes of “My Three Sons” alongside Barry Livingston. 

“Kiddie Parties, Inc.” (1963) ~ Lucy and Viv go into business hosting children’s birthday parties. Ronnie Dapo (David, above right) was a ten year-old actor whose first screen credit was in 1959 and his last in 1966. He made several appearances on “The Andy Griffith Show,” the second airing the very same night as this episode of “The Lucy Show.”  There are 8 other young boys in the party scene.  

“Lucy Becomes a Father” (1964) ~ Lucy accompanies Jerry on a father / son camping trip where Mr. Mooney is intent on making it so difficult that Lucy will pack up and go home. Five uncredited boys play the other sons on the trip. If Mr. Mooney’s son Arnold is among the boys, he is not singled out, nor are Barry Livingston or Ted Eccles in the cast. 

“Lucy and the Stamp Collector” (1965) ~ Stamp collector Junior White is played by Flip Mark, who celebrated his 16th birthday the day after this episode first aired. He was born Philip Mark Goldberg in New York City. In 1965, he played a young Steve Olson on “Days of Our Lives.” 

Flip Mark returned to “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere” (1966) as a kid selling maps to the stars homes. Curiously, this episode also mentions stamp collecting! 

“Lucy the Choirmaster” (1965) ~ Lucy organizes a boys choir to entertain at the bank holiday show.  The choir features her son Jimmy Garret as Jerry (his final appeareance), Ted Eccles as Barry,  Robert Roter as Newton, Micahel Blake as Malcolm, and Theodore Miller as Stanley. 

The other members of the choir (except for Mr. Mooney) were played by the St. Charles Boys Choir. Later that year, they formed the Disneyland Boys Choir and recorded the It’s a Small World album of folk songs still sold at Disney theme parks.

“Lucy the Robot” (1966) ~ Jay North, best known as the title character of “Dennis the Menace”, plays Mr. Mooney’s rambunctious nephew Wendell. Interestingly, Gale Gordon (Mr. Mooney) played Mr. Wilson on “Dennis the Menace” during its final season. 

“Main Street U.S.A.” (1967) ~ Jackie Minty plays a Bancroft newspaper boy. Minty was a child actor who had done two episodes of “The Munsters.”  A week after this episode of “The Lucy Show,” he appeared on “My Three Sons,” his final screen credit before leaving Hollywood.  

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) ~ Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda play parents of a blended family of 19 children. Among them are Tim Matheson, Gil Rogers, Nancy Howard, Morgan Brittany, Eric Shea, and Tracy Nelson. 

BONUS KIDZ!

“Lucy Meets Mickey Rooney” (1966) ~ In an acting school show, Lucy plays Charlie Chaplin and Mickey Rooney plays ‘The Kid’, a character based on Chaplin’s 1921 silent classic The Kid starring Jackie Coogan in the title role. 

“Lucy the Stockholder” (1965) ~ Lucy, Viv and Mr. Mooney participate in an age regression experiement conducted by an eccentric doctor. 

STAY TUNED FOR PART 3