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LUCY, THE PART-TIME WIFE
S3;E14
~ December 14, 1970
Directed
by Ross Martin ~ Written by Larry Rhine and Lou DermanSynopsis
Harry
is panicked when he thinks an old college girlfriend wants to marry
him, so he recruits Lucy to pretend to be his wife – complete with
two teenage kids and another one on the way!Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter)Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter) does not appear in this episode. He is, however, mentioned in
the dialogue and his name appears in the opening credits. Harry
claims Craig is “on vacation.”Guest
Cast
Jean
Willes
(Gertrude Krebs) appeared in The
Fuller Brush Girl
(1950) and A
Woman of Distinction
(1950) with Lucille Ball. This is her only series appearance.Gertrude
is a college friend of Harry’s.
Carole
Cook
(Lillian Rylander) played
Thelma Green on “The Lucy Show” as well as a host of other
characters. She was a protege of Lucille Ball’s during the Desilu
Playhouse years. Although born as Mildred Cook, Ball suggested she
take the name Carole, in honor of Lucy’s great friend, Carole
Lombard. Cook appeared in five episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”Lillian
is a member of Lucy’s bridge club. The surname Rylander has been
used many times by Gale Gordon when dictating letters to Lucy in both
“Here’s Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.”
Eddie
Quillan
(Cab Driver) appeared in the Lucille Ball film A
Guide for the Married Man
(1967) and in two episodes of “The Lucy Show.” This is
the first of his two “Here’s Lucy” installments.
Billy
Benedict
(Delivery Man) played Whitey in the original Bowery Boys / East Side
Kids film serials. He married
for the first time at age 52 while working as an extra on Hello,
Dolly
(1969) – coincidentally to a girl named Dolly!
This is his only time (in more than 300 films and television shows)
working with Lucille Ball.Gary
Morton
(Airport Announcer Voice, uncredited) was
a comedian who worked the famed ‘Borscht Belt’ in the Catskills
Mountains. He met Lucille Ball shortly after her divorce from Desi
Arnaz and they married in November 1961. At her request, Morton gave
up his nightclub career and became a producer of “The Lucy Show.”
Morton also served as a warm-up comic for the show’s studio
audience. He appeared in “Lucy
and the Andrews Sisters” (S2;E6) and
“Lucy and Sammy Davis Jr.” (S3;E3). Morton passed away in 1999.The
voice delivers the news that Gertrude’s flight has been delayed five
hours.
Unusually,
the character of Dr. Brogan (above), who has dialogue in the episode’s final
scene, is not identified or credited in the end credits. Other airport travelers are played by uncredited background performers.
This
is the first episode to be directed by actor Ross
Martin,
who was a good friend of Lucille Ball’s. In a 1970 TV special (two
weeks before this episode first aired) titled “Swing Out, Sweet
Land” – a history of America hosted by John Wayne – Lucille Ball
did the voice of the Statue of Liberty and Martin played Alexander
Hamilton. He will direct one more episode of “Here’s Lucy.”
The
title of this episode is often listed without the article: “Lucy,
Part-Time Wife.”Gary
Morton’s loud laughter from the studio audience is particularly
noticeable in this episode. Perhaps, as her husband, he was wildly amused at
the idea of Lucille being pregnant?
When
Harry pleads with Lucy saying “it’s
a matter of life or death”
Lucy immediately assumes he’s been drafted. From
1940 until 1973 men were drafted to fill vacancies in the United
States Armed Forces that
could not be filled through voluntary means. The draft came to an end
when the United States Armed Forces moved to an
all-volunteer military
force.
In 1970, the Vietnam War made the draft a hot button issue on TV and
politics.
To get Lucy to play along as his expectant wife, Harry bribes Lucy with a steam cabinet and an all-expenses paid trip to the Grand Canyon.
Gertrude
is in Los Angeles on a layover on her way to Honolulu. At the end of
season three, Lucy and Vivian will go to Hawaii, but by cruise ship,
not plane.
Gertrude’s
college nicknamed was ‘Blood and Guts’, the nickname of General
Patton. General George
Smith Patton Jr. (1885-1945)
was a senior officer of
the United
States Army who
commanded in the Mediterranean and European
theaters of World War II,
but is best known for his leadership in France
and Germany following
the Allied invasion
of Normandy in
June 1944.
A biopic of his life starring George C. Scott (inset) opened in spring 1970
making this reference topical.Lillian
Rylander says she’s at the airport on her way to Chicago with Hilda
and Jane for a bridge tournament. When
Lucy’s Bridge
Club was
introduced in “Lucy
and Eva Gabor” (S1;E7) it
consisted of Dolores, Maude and Nelly. Hilda was mentioned as a
Bridge Club member in “Lucy the Helpful Mother” (S2;E15). This
is the first mention of a member named Jane.
Lucy
tells Gertrude that she’s had cravings for pickles and ice cream, the
usual TV trope craving for expectant mothers.
When
Lucy is reading baby names from a book, she stops on the name ‘Anabell.’ Lucille Ball starred as Annabel Allison in the films The
Affairs of Annabel (1938)
and Annabel
Takes a Tour
(1938).Lucie
breaks out the doll she had as a child, which was named Clarabelle.
At
the end of the episode, Lucy kisses Harry, her brother-in-law, on the
lips!Interestingly, the last time Lucille Ball was pregnant on camera was with Desi Arnaz Jr., who is coincidentally absent from this episode of “Here’s Lucy.”
In 1952, when Lucy Ricardo was expecting, CBS censors forbade the writers from using the word ‘pregnant.’ Throughout this episode – eighteen years later – the word is still not used!
When
Lucy Ricardo was pregnant she craved pistachio ice cream and
sardines.
Lucy
Ricardo also worried about picking a name for the baby, wanting names
that were “unique and euphonious.”
Lucy
Ricardo spends some time in a steam cabinet in “The Diet” (ILL
S3;E1).
Sitcom
LogicGap
Chasm! Lucille
Ball was 59 years old when she filmed this episode!Also,
Harry tells Gertrude that Lucy is having a baby “any
day now.”
Could they not simply tell Gertrude that the baby came early and
disguise a doll (or a cheese!) as the baby?
“Lucy, the Part-Time Wife” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
episode has the shoe on the other foot: Harry has a wild scheme that
he must convince Lucy to go along with. Despite the preposterous
premise, the episode proves to be funny. The last scene, however,
fails to build to a climax quite in the way it should have. But Lucy
gets to do a good amount of her trademark physical comedy, including
her funny faces when eating the pickles and ice cream! -
LUCY LOSES HER COOL
S3;E13
~ December 7, 1970
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ray SingerSynopsis
Lucy
goes on the Art Linkletter show and is challenged not to lose her
temper for 24 hours in order to win $500. Little does she know that
her friends and family are all in on the stunt and are
determined to make her lose her cool!Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter)Guest
Cast
Art
Linkletter
(Himself) was
born in 1912 in Moose Jaw, Canada. He was the host of “House
Party” (aka “The Linkletter Show”) which ran on CBS radio and
television for 25 years, and “People Are Funny,” on NBC radio and
TV for 19 years. Linkletter had one of the longest marriages of any
celebrity in America, at nearly 75 years. He was the father of five
children. Art Linkletter also played himself on a 1966 episode of
“The Lucy Show.” He died in 2010 at age 97.
Mary
Jane Croft (Mary
Jane) played
Betty Ramsey during season six of “I Love Lucy. ” She also played
Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy
is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and
Evelyn Bigsby in “Return
Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26).
She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy
Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the
actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her
episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing
Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in
1999 at the age of 83.
Vanda
Barra
(Mrs. Carol Carroll from Walla Walla) was
Lucille Ball’s cousin-in-law and married to frequent day player Sid
Gould. This is just one of her over two dozen appearances on “Here’s
Lucy” as well as appearing in Ball’s two 1975 TV movies “Lucy
Gets Lucky” (with Dean Martin) and “Three for Two” (with Jackie
Gleason). She was seen in half a dozen episodes of “The Lucy Show.”This is a one-gag character based on her name. Because it wouldn’t be realistic for Art Linkletter to directly approach Lucy right off the bat, a throw-away character is created as a buffer to make it seem more natural.
Richard
Erdman
(Supermarket Clerk) was seen in the Lucille Ball film
Easy Living in
1949. This is his only series appearance.
Scott
Garrett
(Kid) was a child actor who was eleven years old at the time of
filming. He made his last screen appearance in 1980 and became a behind the scenes draper for motion pictures and television.The
Kid’s mother (or whoever she is) goes uncredited and has no dialogue.
The studio
audience of “The Art Linkletter Show” (all uncredited) are played
by:- Leon
Alton appeared
with Lucille Ball in The
Facts of Life (1960)
and Critic’s
Choice (1963).
He was in two episodes of “The Lucy Show.” This is the
second of his three episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” - Jack
Berle was the older brother of Milton Berle. This is just one of
his eleven uncredited appearances on the series. He also did two
episodes of “The Lucy Show.” - Paul
King makes
the second of his five background appearances on the series. - Leoda
Richards
made
at least three background appearances on “I Love Lucy.” She also
did four episodes of “The Lucy Show.” Coincidentally,
Richards was also in the studio audience of “The Art Linkletter
Show” on “The Lucy Show” in 1966. In 1968, she was in the
Lucille Ball film Yours,
Mine and Ours.
In deference to her reputation, Richards gets prime seating for the camera shot, located just behind Lucy and Mary Jane. - Walter
Smith makes
the third of his 13 mostly uncredited appearances on the series. He
also did one episode of “The
Lucy Show.” - Luree
Wiese
played a member of the Danfield Art Society in “Lucy Gets Her Maid”
(TLS S3;E11). This is her only appearance on “Here’s Lucy.”
Other
members of the studio audience, pages, shoppers, and security guards are all
played by uncredited background performers.
The
DVD Box Set lists this episode as “Lucy LOOSES
Her Cool” in the main menu.
On
the DVD, the episode is introduced by ‘TV Legend / Author’ Art
Linkletter,
who died shortly afterwards.
The
date this episode first aired (Monday, December 7, 1970), Art Linkletter began a week of co-hosting “The Mike
Douglas Show” interviewing Barbara Walters and football player
Roosevelt Grier.
Craig
says he is doing his biology homework by reading Playboy
magazine. This is the first time the magazine has been named, but
Harry has been seen ogling centerfolds in two previous episodes.
Despite using the name, the magazine’s cover has been removed. An ad for Lee Jeans is visible on camera.
Oddly, Craig makes no attempt to hide the magazine from his mother.
He then tells Lucy he got the magazine from his Uncle Harry!
Lucy
mentions borrowing earrings from Aunt
Vivian
during her last trip to California. Vivian Vance’s last appearance
was in “Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana” (S2;E19) aired eleven months
earlier. Her next appearance will be “Lucy Goes Hawaiian”
(S3;E23 & 24) in February 1971.When
Kim asks Lucy what day it is, Lucy naturally responds “Monday.”
All of Lucille Ball’s sitcoms aired on Monday
nights!
In the supermarket, Lucy actually slips on a banana peel, a comedy trope dating back to vaudeville.
When
she is about to lose her temper, Lucy ‘hears’ the voice of Art
Linkletter in her head. This surreal technique is repeated three
times throughout the episode.
Lucy
Carter pronounces tomato
as “toe-mah-toe”.
This is how Lucille Ball would pronounced the word in real life. On
“I Love Lucy”, however, Ball made a concerted effort to
pronounces it “toe-may-toe”
to make Lucy Ricardo sound less cultured.
When
Mary Jane asks Lucy to hold her groceries, they include boxes of
Kellogg’s Corn
Flakes
and Post Toasties,
although the brand names of both have been covered with tape.
Toasties were actually Post’s version of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, so
Mary Jane is buying two boxes of flakes. Toasties were discontinued
in 2016.
Harry
gives the Kid a dollar to squirt Lucy in the face with seltzer water,
but naturally Harry ends up getting the shower instead!
This
episode is a combination of “Ricky
Loses His Temper” (ILL S3;E19) and “Lucy and Art
Linkletter” (TLS S4;E19). Lucy Ricardo frequently got into
tests of will with Ricky for a modest wager. Above she tries to get him to lose his cool by using a dribble glass filled with “toe-may-toe” juice!
In 1966, Art Linkletter dared
Lucy Carmichael to not make a sound for 24 hours in “Lucy and Art Linkletter” (TLS S4;E16). [Note: Background player Leoda Richards is seated just behind Lucy, just as she is in this episode.]
The
end of the episode has Lucy presented with a bill for the damage to
the supermarket that comes to $499.99, leaving her with just one
cent. In “Bonus Bucks” (ILL S3;E21) the prize is $300 but when
the damage done to the laundry to retrieve the lucky buck comes to
$299, Lucy Ricardo is left with just one dollar – and extremely starched!
Lucy
Carter wreaked havoc in a supermarket where Craig was employed in “Lucy, the Shopping
Expert” (S1;E20).
Lucy Carmichael also terrorized the market place
in “Lucy
and Joan” (TLS S4;E4)…
…and in “Lucy
the Bean Queen” (TLS S5;E3).
The
stunt with the pyramid of oranges was first done in “Lucy, the
Shopping Expert” (S1;E20). The display table and scales look to be the same ones in each episode.
Wireless!
Art Linkletter’s microphone cord is tucked into his jacket pocket! He is literally wired for sound!
Where
the Floor Ends!
The camera pulls out too far in Lucy’s living room and reveals where
the carpeting meets the cement stage floor.
“Lucy Loses Her Cool” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5
The
comic premise of this episode is familiar, but still funny. Lucy in
a supermarket spells comedy gold.
1970, Art Linkletter, banana peel, CBS, Desi Arnaz Jr., Gale Gordon, Herbert Kenwith, Here’s Lucy, Jack Berle, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Leoda RIchards, Leon Altman, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Luree Wiese, Mary Jane Croft, Milt Josefsberg, Paul King, Playboy Magazine, Post Toasties, Ray Singer, Richard Erdman, Scott Garrett, supermarket, temper, The Art Linkletter Show, tv, Vanda Barra, Vivian Vance, Walter Smith - Leon
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LUCY AND RUDY VALLEE
S3;E12
~ November 30, 1970
Directed
by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by David Ketchum and Bruce KellySynopsis
Famous
crooner Rudy Vallée
is waiting tables to pass the time until his music comes back into
style. Lucy convinces Kim to help update his look and sound while
Harry gets him a booking at the local teen hangout.Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter)Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter) does not appear in this episode, although he does receive
opening title credit.Guest
Cast
Rudy
Vallée
(Himself) started his career as a saxophone player and singer and
became a popular bandleader, hosting a hit radio program in the
1930s. His first film was 1929’s The
Vagabond Lover.
He also wrote a popular song of the same title. He was known as a
crooner, and often depicted singing through a megaphone. On Broadway
he appeared in How
To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
and repeated his role in the film version in 1967. That same year he
played “Batman” villain Lord Marmaduke Fogg. Vallée
played himself in “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana,” the first episode of
“The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1957. He died in 1986 at age 84.
Herbie
Faye
(Luncheonette Manager) was a character actor whose first major role (at age 56) was Corporal Sam Fender in
“The
Phil Silvers Show” (1955).
He also appeared with Silvers on Broadway in Top
Banana
(1951) and also did the film version (1954) with Silvers. He appeared
in a 1968 episode of “The Lucy Show.” This is the first of his
four “Here’s Lucy” episodes.
Phil
Vandervoort
(Steve) appeared in two episodes of “The Lucy Show” where he met
Lucie Arnaz. The two were married from 1971 to 1977. This is the
first of his three episodes of the series.It
is fairly obvious that Vandervoort, then Lucie Arnaz’s fiancée, was
cast to fill in for the absent Desi Arnaz Jr. Also, a character
named Steve had already appeared on the series played by Steve March.
It is unclear whether this is a recasting or a different character
named Steve.
Vanda
Barra
(Rudy Vallée’s
Maid) was
Lucille Ball’s cousin-in-law and married to frequent day player Sid
Gould. This is just one of her over two dozen appearances on “Here’s
Lucy” as well as appearing in Ball’s two 1975 TV movies “Lucy
Gets Lucky” (with Dean Martin) and “Three for Two” (with Jackie
Gleason). She was seen in half a dozen episodes of “The Lucy Show.”Off-camera background singers are Marnelle
Wright, Gloria Wood, George Bledsoe, Thomas D. Kenny, Mack McLean, and
Sue Allen.The
diners in the luncheonette, patrons of the Hungry Hippie, and Steve’s
band are all played by uncredited background performers.
The first draft of the script was date May 25, 1970. It was originally titled “The Rudy
Vallée
Show”.
Interestingly, Lucy read the script and made notes aboard United Flight #196 on June 6, 1970 and made extensive notes about how to ‘fix’ it.
Two days after this episode originally aired (December 2, 1970), Lucie and Desi Jr. appeared on NBC’s “The Kraft Music Hall” with Robert Young and Jane Wyatt hosting. Lucille Ball does not appear.
This
is the first of 68 episodes directed by Coby
Ruskin.
He previously directed episodes of “Gomer Pyle” and “The Andy
Griffith Show,” both filmed at Desilu. Ruskin was hired after
Herbert Kenwith decided to leave the show after an incident between
Lucille Ball and guest star Ruth McDevitt.
According
to Lucille Ball, Rudy Vallée
had the foulest mouth of anyone she’s worked with and was very
difficult while filming this episode.
He
would blame every person around him for anything he couldn’t do. If
he made a mistake, it was always somebody else’s fault. On the DVD
introduction to the episode, music director Marl Young confirms this opinion.
Vallée
was well-known in Hollywood for being difficult to work with and to
work for, often referred to as a “slave driver.”
When
Harry asks Vallée
(who is waiting tables) if he’s busy, Vallée
responds “My
time, is your time.”
This was also the title of a song
recorded by Rudy Vallée and His Connecticut Yankees in 1929.
This
was
the theme song
of “The
Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour” for
many years, and it is heavily associated with that show. When Lucy
and Kim visit Vallée’s
home, the doorbell plays the first five notes of the song.
To
prove his identity to Lucy and Harry, Vallée
sings
“I’m
just a vagabond lover.”
The song was written by
Vallée
and Leon Zimmerman for
the 1929 film The
Vagabond Lover.
Vallée
says
he was “the
Tiny Tim of the roaring ‘20s!”
The soundtrack then plays “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” This is
one of many references to “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In” and the
third to reference singer Tiny
Tim,
an eccentric ukulele player with a similar crooner style who appeared
regularly on the program and made the 1929 song popular again.
When
Vallée
says “Hi
Ho”
(his signature greeting) to Kim, she guesses he is the Lone
Ranger.
The Lone Ranger was a masked avenging cowboy who appeared on radio,
in movie serials, and on television.
Lucy:
“Oh,
this modern generation! Some of them don’t even know who Bing Crosby
is!”
Vallée:
“Who’s
Bing Crosby?”Vallée
and
Bing Crosby
were rival crooners during the 1930s. In “Lucy Takes a Cruise to
Havana” (1957, above) Lucy Ricardo tells Vallée
she was a member of his fan club but her friend Susie MacNamara (Ann
Sothern, left) was trying to recruit her as a Crosby fan instead.
When
asked by Vallée
what songs she knows, Kim mentions “Octopus’s Garden,”
“Polythene Pam,” and “Mean Mr. Mustard.” All of these are
Beatles
songs
from 1969. Coincidentally, the day this episode was first aired
former Beatles member George Harrison released
his triple album set All
Things Must Pass.
Kim,
Steve, and the band perform “She
Came In Through the Bathroom Window”
by the Beatles. Vallée
also takes a stab at the song which prompts Kim to say “I’ve
never heard it sung quite that way before.”
Considering
Lucy’s infatuation with diamonds demonstrated in “Lucy Meets the
Burtons” (S3;E1) and “Lucy and the Diamond Cutter” (S3;E10), it
seems an opportunity lost not to mention or perform the Beatles’ 1967
hit “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Ah, well.
The
set for Vallée’s
home was decorated with items brought in from Vallée’s
private collection, including a Wiffenpoof Trophy and a small red
megaphone with a letter “Y” on it. Both of these were likely
given to him by Yale
University,
home of the Wiffenpoofs.
When
the full length portrait of Vallée
in a raccoon
coat
is revealed, Vallée
says he wore the coat in his first picture, Varsity
Hero.
In reality, Vallée’s
first film (aside from two shorts playing himself) was The
Vagabond Lover
in 1929. Vallée
himself was not a fan of the film. In a 1980 interview, he mused“They’re
still fumigating the theaters where it was shown. Almost ruined me.
In fact, I think it’s only shown in penitentiaries and comfort
stations.”
Performing
with Lucy and Kim at the Hungry Hippie, Vallée
sings a traditional version of “The Wiffenpoof Song” that morphs
into an up-tempo rendition.
The 1909 song was the signature tune of the
Yale University a capella singing group. Vallée
did not have a hit with it until 1937.
He then segues into “Let
the Sun Shine,” a song from the 1967 rock musical Hair.
The number then becomes a medley with the addition of “Winchester
Cathedral,” a 1966 song by The
New Vaudeville Band,
a British novelty group.
The
statue of the bearded and caped man was also seen decorating Jack
Benny’s home in the previous episode.
Craig
also wore a raccoon coat in “Lucy, the Co-Ed” (S3;E6) and Fred
Mertz wore one in “Lucy
Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL SE;E11).
Time Warp! Rudy
Vallée
says
that his style of music is bound to come back into style in 40 or 50
years time. As of this writing it has been 50 years since he spoke
those words. Any day now…Birds of a Feather! Kim
mentions a song called “Tennessee Walking Bird” but she probably
means “Tennessee Bird Walk,” a 1970 novelty song by Jack
Blanchard and Misty Morgan that hit #1 on the Billboard Country
Charts.
“Lucy and Rudy Vallée” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
episode attempts to continue the “generation gap” themes of the
series so that’s a plus. The sad backstories about Vallée’s
attitude reflect his somewhat distracted and unenthusiastic
performance here. The final medley with Vallée
in hippie duds is just plain cringe-worthy. The writers also give Kim and Lucy some pretty insipid dialogue.Lucy to Vallée: “You mean kids today don’t like your music?”
Kim to Vallée: “Nobody can teach modern music to the older generation. The older generation just doesn’t seem to have any soul.”
Abbey Road, Bing Crosby, Bruce Kelly, Coby Ruskin, David Ketchum, Gale Gordon, George Bledsoe, Gloria Wood, Herbie Faye, Here’s Lucy, Lone Ranger, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Mack McLean, Marnelle Wright, Mean Mr. Mustard, My Time is Your Time, Octopus’s Garden, Phil Vandervoort, Polythene Pam, Raccoon Coat, Rudy Vallee, She Came In Through the Bathroom Window, Sue Allen, The Beatles, The Vagabond Lover, Thomas D. Kenny, Vanda Barra, Wiffenpoof Song, Winchester Cathedral -
LUCY AND JACK BENNY’S BIOGRAPHY
S3;E11
~ November 23, 1970
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ray SingerSynopsis
Jack
Benny needs a private secretary to help him write his autobiography.
Naturally, Harry volunteers Lucy. Through a series of flashbacks we
meet many of the women in Benny’s life – all played by Lucy.Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter / ‘Mother’ / ‘Zelda’ / ‘Debbie’ / ‘Mary’ / ‘Lola’), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter)Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter) and Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter) do not appear in this episode, although they do receive
opening title credit.Guest
Cast
Jack
Benny (Himself)
was born on Valentine’s day 1894. He had a successful vaudeville
career, and an even greater career on radio with “The Jack Benny
Program” which also became a successful television show. His screen
persona was known for being a penny-pincher and playing the violin.
Benny was a Beverly Hills neighbor of Lucille Ball’s and the two
were off-screen friends. Benny previously appeared on “The Lucy
Show” as Harry Tuttle (a Jack Benny doppelganger) in “Lucy
and the Plumber” (TLS S3;E2),
did a voice over cameo as himself in “Lucy
With George Burns” (TLS S5;E1),
and played himself in “Lucy
Gets Jack Benny’s Account” (TLS S6;E6).
This is the second of his three episodes of “Here’s Lucy,” all
playing himself. Benny and Ball appeared on many TV variety and award
shows together. He died in 1974.
George
Burns
(Himself) was born Nathan Birnbaum in New York City in January 1896.
He married Gracie Allen in 1926 and the two formed an act (Burns and
Allen) that toured in vaudeville. They had their own hit show
“The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” first on radio then on
CBS TV from 1950 to 1958, airing concurrently with “I Love Lucy.”
After Allen’s death in 1964, Burns reinvented himself as a solo
act. Burns played himself on a 1966 episode ofIn 1976 he won an Oscar for playing one of The
Sunshine Boys.
He was also known for playing the title role in Oh,
God! (1978)
and its 1984 sequel Oh,
God! You Devil. He
died at the age of 100.
Mary
Livingstone
(Herself, uncredited voice) married Jack Benny in 1927 and the pair
remained together until his death in 1974. Initially an actor who
appeared on Benny’s radio and television programs, she retired from
show business in 1958, at the same time as Gracie Allen, wife of
George Burns. She died in 1983.
Michael
Barbera
(Jack Benny as a Boy) was a child actor who was 12 years old at the
time of filming. He accrued 18 screen credits before leaving the
industry.
Ben
Wrigley
(Lola’s Butler) played Liberace’s
Butler in “Lucy and Liberace” (S2;E16). He was a British actor
who appeared in My
Fair Lady (1964)
and Bednobs
and Broomsticks (1971).
Wrigley previously appeared as a ticket agent in “Lucy
Flies to London” (TLS S5;E6).
This is the second of his three episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Florence
Lake
(Trixie, right) did four films with Lucille Ball between 1936 and
1938. She will do one more episode of the series as well as the 1974
TV movie “Happy Anniversary and Goodbye” starring Lucille Ball.Ginger
(left), Trixie’s friend, goes uncredited and has no dialogue.
Louis
Quinn
(Sailor) started
out as a comedy writer for Milton Berle on radio and
moved to acting in 1954. He is best remembered as Roscoe in “77
Sunset Strip” (1958-63).It
is possible that this character is based on Pat O’Brien, who was also
a sailor and friends with Jack Benny.Sig
Frohlich
(Sailor, uncredited) makes the second of his uncredited background
appearances on the series.Walter
Smith
(Sailor, uncredited) made a total of 13
mostly uncredited appearances on the series. He also did one episode
of “The
Lucy Show.”The
other sailors and patrons of the café are played by uncredited
background performers.
Writer
and Script Supervisor Milt Josefsberg was a writer on Jack Benny’s
television program for a decade. Josefsberg wrote all three of the
“Here’s Lucy” scripts that featured Benny.This episode was shot without the presence of a studio audience. In her DVD introduction to the episode, Lucie Arnaz says that this episode didn’t ‘wrap’ until the early hours of the morning.
The
evening this episode first aired (November 23, 1970) Desi Arnaz Sr.
(above with Ann Elder) guest-starred on “Rowan
and Martin’s Laugh-In,”
the second half hour of which aired opposite “Here’s Lucy.”
At
the start of the episode, Harry is on the telephone with Jack Benny’s
manager Irving
Fein
(inset). In real life, Fein was Benny’s manager and publicity
director from 1947 to 1975. Fein also managed George Burns later in
his career.Jack
Benny’s present-day living room is a re-dressed version of Lucy
Carter’s living room. The front door, fireplace, and kitchen door are
all in the same location in both sets.
The
title of Jack Benny’s autobiography is…“The Women in My Life or I
am Curious Jell-O”Jell-O
was a long-time sponsor of Jack Benny’s radio and television
programs. I
Am Curious (Yellow)
is a 1967 Swedish art film that was controversial and censored in
many US cities due to sexual content.Chapter 1 ~ MOTHER
The first flashback is
set in Jack Benny’s childhood home in Waukegan, Illinois where Lucy
plays his mother. In reality, Benny’s mother was named Emma Sachs Kubelsky, although it is not mentioned here.Little
Jackie practices “Love in Bloom” on the violin. “Love
in Bloom”
by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin was published in 1934 and became the
signature song of Jack Benny.When
Mother (Lucy) says Jackie walks like her, he shouts “Now
cut that out”
which was one of Jack Benny’s common replies in his comedy routines.
He says it later on in this episode.
Mother
gets a telephone call from next door neighbor Mrs. Heifetz to
complain about Jackie’s violin playing. Mother claims that Jackie
plays much better than her son Jascha. Jascha
Heifetz
(1901-87, inset photo) is considered
to be the greatest violinist of all time.
Coincidentally, Lucille Ball was neighbors with Jack Benny and often
could hear his violin practicing from her yard!Chapter 2 ~ ZELDA
In
the second flashback, Jack is in the navy and meets a waitress named
Zelda.
Benny really did serve in the US Navy during World War I. The name
Zelda was also used as a former girlfriend on a 1957 episode of “The
Jack Benny Program.” The character was played by Sandra Gould, who
had appeared on two episodes of “I Love Lucy” and one “The Lucy
Show” but is probably best remembered as the second actor to play
Mrs. Kravitz on “Bewitched.”Jack’s
sailor friend wants to go to Roseland and dance instead of visiting
another museum. Roseland
was a popular New York City dance hall that opened in 1922 and closed
in 2014.Chapter 3 ~ DEBBIE
The
third flashback is set during Jack Benny’s vaudeville days. Lucy
plays Debbie
Fink, his comedy partner. Fink was a surname Benny used in a 1961
episode of “The Jack Benny Show.”On
stage, Benny plays “Sweet
Georgia Brown”
on the violin while Debbie dances the Charleston. The song was first
written in
1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard.Chapter 4 ~ MARY
In
the fourth flashback, Jack Benny is a radio star broadcasting with
Mary
Livingstone. In this sequence, Lucille Ball lip synchs to the voice of the real Mary Livingstone, who became Mrs. Jack Benny in 1927. She frequently performed with her husband on radio and television.
As part of the ‘radio show’ Mary (Lucy) reads a letter
from her mother who lives in Plainfield, New Jersey. Jack calls her
“the
midnight cowboy of New Jersey.” Benny is
probably referencing the 1969 Oscar-winning film Midnight
Cowboy.
In
reality, Mary Livingstone was born Sylvia Marcowitz in Seattle,
Washington.Chapter 5 ~ LOLA
In
the fifth flashback, film star Jack Benny breaks up with blonde
bombshell Lola Lavere (Lucy).
In retaliation, Lola threatens to get the studio to
re-issue The
Horn Blows at Midnight.
The 1943 film was a financial failure at the box office and Benny
would often make fun of the fact on his TV and radio shows.
The
striped wallpaper in the first flashback is the same as was seen in
the first sequence in “Lucy and the Generation Gap” (S2;E12).
Continuity!
Lucy says she never thought she’d meet a big star like Jack
Benny when in fact the two met in the second episode of the series
when the Carters stayed at his Palm Springs home – for a fee!Reel
Life! The episode ignores the fact that Benny and Livingstone
were married in order to play up the women in his life. The final
scene has Benny double dating with George Burns and calling
themselves swingers!
“Lucy and Jack Benny’s Biography” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
is more of a Jack Benny Program than a Lucille Ball show, but it is
enjoyable none-the-less. There is a silly running gag that concerns
Benny splitting his trousers and connected to the lyric “can it be
the breeze” from his signature song, “Love in Bloom.” There is
a surprising joke at the end of the show that implies that the
elderly ladies are taking birth control pills. Not the usual kind of
humor for Lucille Ball, but she was trying to keep pace with the
times. Silly, but enjoyable – and Lucy never looked better in her
various wigs and costumes.Ben Wrigley, biography, desi arnaz sr., Florence Lake, Gale Gordon, George Burns, Herbert Kenwith, Here’s Lucy, I Am Curious Yellow, Irving Fein, Jack Benny, Jascha Heifetz, Jell-O, Louis Quinn, Love in Bloom, Lucille Ball, Mary Livingstone, Michael Barbera, Midnight Cowboy, Milt Josefsberg, Plainfield NJ, Radio, Ray Singer, Roseland, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Sig Frohlich, Sweet Georgia Brown, The Horn Blows at Midnight, violinist, Walter Smith -
LUCY AND THE DIAMOND CUTTER
S3;E10
~ November 16, 1970
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Al SchwartzSynopsis
An
eccentric rich old lady wants her valuable but cursed diamond cut so
Harry offers Lucy’s home for the diamond cutter (Wally Cox) to work.
But the Carter house is full of dangerous distractions that threaten
to fulfill the curse!Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter) and Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter)Guest
Cast
Wally
Cox
(Gustav Vandemeer) was
one of Lucille Ball’s favorite character actors and best remembered
for being a panelist on TV’s “The Hollywood Squares” (1965-73)
as well as his hit series “Mr. Peepers” (1953-55). He
played a nervous musician on “Lucy
Conducts the Symphony” (TLS S2;E13) and
a reformed safe cracker in “Lucy
and the Ex-Con” (S1;E15).
This is the third of his four guest-star appearances on
“Here’s Lucy.” Cox died of a heart attack in 1973 at age
48.Cox
uses a German accent for the character and peppers his lines with
phrases like “ach du lieber!”
Ruth
McDevitt
(Mrs. Cornelius Whitmark III) was one of Hollywood’s most endearing
‘little old lady’ character actors. She was born in 1895 and didn’t
start acting until age 54. She made appearances in The
Birds
(1963),
The Parent Trap
(1961), and played Edith Bunker’s friend Jo on “All in the Family.”
In 1974 she was seen as Cousin Fan in Mame
starring Lucille Ball. She died in 1976 at the age of 80.Harry
says Mrs. Whitmark is a billionairess. When McDevitt makes her first
entrance the studio audience lets out an audible
“Awwww”
like they are witnessing the first steps of a newborn kitten.
Mary
Wickes
(Mrs. Whitmark’s Maid) was
one of Lucille Ball’s closest friends and at one time, a neighbor.
She made a memorable appearances on “I Love Lucy” as ballet
mistress Madame Lamond in “The
Ballet” (ILL S1;E19). In
her initial “Lucy Show” appearances her characters name was
Frances, but she then made four more as a variety of characters for a
total of 8 episodes. This is one of her 9 appearances on “Here’s
Lucy.” Their final collaboration on screen was “Lucy Calls the
President” in 1977.
This episode was aired on the same night as “Jack Benny’s 20th Anniversary TV Special” on NBC. The star-studded program featured Lucille Ball as the Benny maid, Janet.
During
blocking rehearsals for this episode, Ruth McDevitt (Mrs. Whitlock)
had trouble hitting her marks. Allegedly, after several attempts to
get it right, Lucille Ball went over to Ruth and kicked her foot
attempting to move her into place. Ruth fell to the floor screaming
with pain.
It was at this point that director Herbert Kenwith decided that if
his friendship with Lucille Ball was going to survive, he would no
longer be able to direct any of her shows. The
incident with McDevitt was likely resolved amicably because she was
later cast in Mame
(1974).As
usual with any ‘little
old lady’
character on the show, Mrs. Whitmark is dressed in lots of lace and
frills and a out-of-date hat. The fact that her purse and hat don’t
match her dress indicates that she is supposed to be eccentric.
That, and the fact that she collects bits of string. And that she
collects used teabags. And that she laughs like a lunatic.
Mrs.
Whitmark’s Casbah
Diamond
is said to be worth 5 million dollars and is cursed. The nature of
the curse is not revealed until the last minute of the episode.
When
the Maid goes to spray Harry with the disinfectant a second time, she
apologizes and says already been sprayed so he’s sterile.
Harry widens his eyes and the audience laughs at the naughty (for
1970) double entendre.
Craig
talks to Steve
on the telephone about a part for his motorcycle. It turns out to be
a candy apple red air horn. Steve is probably a reference to Steve
March, who was featured on two previous episodes and is often
referenced by Craig.
Gustav
calls Kim and Craig “the Katzenjammer Kids.” The
Katzenjammer Kids
was a comic strip created by German immigrant Rudolph Dirks which
appeared from 1897 to 2006. Dirks was said to be the first to use
‘thought balloons’ in a comic strip.The Carter living room has a wood floor instead of the green wall-to-wall carpeting previously seen.
The
first episode of season three “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (S3;E1)
also concerned itself with a large and valuable diamond. It was set
into a ring that Richard Burton gave to Elizabeth Taylor and Lucy got
stuck on her finger.
This
is not the first time Harry has fallen through the floor of the
Carter home.
He ended “Lucy’s Burglar Alarm” (S2;E7) going
through a trap door in the same exact location! Gale
Gordon also went down a trap door as Mr. Mooney in “Lucy
Takes a Job at the Bank” (TLS S2;E21).
Fact Check! To
keep the diamond cutter’s identity secret while he’s at the Carter
home, Lucy tells Kim and Craig that Gustav is their uncle. In
previous episodes, however, Kim and Craig have acknowledged Harry as
their only uncle.Props! The
disinfectant spray used by the Maid has had the label covered in blue
tape.
Props! Motorcycles
don’t usually have air horns!Sitcom Logic Alert! It is unclear why Mrs. Whitcomb and Harry don’t use his own homes and save having to compensate Lucy. For practical reasons, of course, the Carter home was the show’s main set and already in existence in the studio, saving the cost of constructing a new set.
Recycling! Mrs. Whitmark wears the same dress that Lucy wore as Abigail Throckmorton in LUCY AND THE EX-CON (S1;E15) aired on January 13, 1969.
Title Trouble! Due
to the outcome of the plot, this episode would be more aptly titled
“Harry the Diamond Cutter.” Of course, it then wouldn’t have
“Lucy” in the title!
“Lucy the Diamond Cutter” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
is a rather contrived premise but it greatly benefits by sharp comedy
writing from Josefsberg and Schwartz. The idea of Lucy’s home being
riddled with termites is introduced early on and is nicely connected
to the episode’s big gag ending. I also like the symmetry of the
repeated joke about the injuries caused by the curse. Good gags
always seem to come in threes!
-
LUCY CUTS VINCENT’S PRICE
S3;E9
~ November 9, 1970
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Martin RagawaySynopsis
Lucy
mistakenly buys a painting at an auction and brings it to art
connoisseur actor Vincent Price to be appraised. Price thinks Lucy
is an actress coming to audition for his new horror movie and
terrorizes Lucy in his study turned laboratory.Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter) and Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter)Guest
Cast
Vincent
Price (Himself)
was born in May 1911, just nine weeks before Lucille Ball. He
made his screen debut in 1938, and after many minor roles, he began
to perform in low-budget horror movies, where he would make his mark
on the horror genre. Three days before this episode first aired,
Price guest-starred on ABC’s “Love American Style” in a
Halloween-themed episode titled “Love and the Haunted House.”
His final feature film appearance was in 1990’s Edward
Scissorhands.Besides acting, his other passions were art and cooking. This is his
only time acting opposite Lucille Ball. He died in 1993 at age 82.
Mary
Jane Croft (Mary
Jane) makes
her sixth series appearance as Mary Jane. Croft played Betty Ramsey
during season six of “I Love Lucy. ” She also played Cynthia
Harcourt in “Lucy
is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and
Evelyn Bigsby in “Return
Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26).
She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy
Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the
actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her
episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing
Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in
1999 at the age of 83.
Tol
Avery
(Auctioneer) was
a Texas-born character actor making his only series appearance. He
previously played the toy company owner in “Lucy and the Efficiency
Expert” (TLS S5;E13).Avery the actor is not a skilled auctioneer, so he comically garbles the sped-up
bidding process.
Jack
Collins (Curt)
appeared
on the final two episodes of “The Lucy Show” in 1968. He
played Russel Slater on “Dallas” from 1982 to 1987. This is the
third of his six appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”Curt
is Vincent Price’s movie producer.Jack
Berle (Man
at Auction, uncredited) was
the older brother of Milton Berle. This is one of his eleven
uncredited appearances on the series. He previously did two
episodes of “The Lucy Show.”Chester
Jones (Man
at Auction, uncredited) makes
the second of his four background appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”The other auction attendees are played by uncredited background performers.
When
the Auctioneer offers a four
poster bed frame
from Washington DC, he claims that it was slept in by the Washingtons
and the Madisons. Craig jokingly thinks they slept in it at the same
time: “George & Martha & James & Dolley.” Embarrassed, Lucy says it will be the first auction rated X. Craig is making a
joke based on the 1969 comedy Bob
& Carol & Ted & Alice,
which was filmed at Sunset Gower Studios, the former home of Desilu.
The poster for the film depicted all four title characters in the
same bed together. Lucille Ball did a satire on the film on “The Carol Burnett Show” in 1969.
Lucy
says she previously talked on the phone to Mrs. Vincent Price when
arranging entertainment for a big party the Price’s threw. In 1970,
Vincent Price was married to costume designer Mary
Grant (inset photo),
although her name is never mentioned here. Making small talk on the
telephone, Lucy asks about Little Vicki. This is a reference to the
Price’s 8 year-old daughter, Victoria. Although Lucy visits their
home, both characters remain off-screen.
Syndicated
versions of this episode generally cut the entire scene with Kim and
Craig fretting over their mother’s visit to Price’s home. In the
scene, Craig is doing a book report on Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson. This makes them think that Vincent Price
may be a bit of a split personality due to all the horror films he
makes. The scene was restored to the DVD release.
Price
is filming a new horror film titled Who’s
Afraid of Virginia’s Wolfman?
He says it has the best title since he starred in The
Giant Chihuahua That Ate Chicago. Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
was
a play by Edward Albee that was filmed in 1966 starring Elizabeth
Taylor and Richard Burton. The acting couple guest starred in “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (S3;E1) which was actually filmed after this episode, but aired before it.Price
thinks Lucy is an actress who has come to his home studio to audition
for the role of a victim in his new film. He locks her in the study
and straps her to an examining table. Lucy’s terrified reaction
makes Price wonder aloud if she uses the Stanislavski method.
Konstantin
Stanislavski
(1863-1938) was a Russian actor, teacher, and director who developed
a method of acting training that is still used today.
When
Vincent Price says the painting under the painting could be a Peter
Paul Rubens Lucy asks what a Peter Paul and
Rubens is worth. Lucy is thinking of the folk music trio Peter
Paul & Mary,
which was made up of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers.
Between 1962 and 1969 they had three number one hits on the charts
including “Puff the Magic Dragon” and “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane.” Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was a Flemish artist from the Netherlands. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition.
Harry
says he could sell the painting to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for
a tidy profit. Located in New York City, the Metropolitan
Museum of Art
is the largest art institution in the United States. It was
established in 1870 and still welcomes guests today.
At
the end of the episode, Price says he charges $250 for art
appraisals: “That’s
Vincent’s price!”
In
“Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18) much of the action revolves around a worthless painting bought by Lucy Ricardo on the streets of Paris.
Lucy
only goes to the art auction because of the free food and
entertainment. This is the same reason Lucy Carmichael attends
fashion shows in “Lucy and Pat Collins” (TLS S5;E11).
“The
Lucy Show” did a monster-themed episode titled “Lucy and the
Monsters” (TLS S3;E18) but instead of airing at Halloween it aired
in mid-January.
Props! In a close-up (possibly an
insert shot) of the painting in the office, the file card boxes that
it sits atop have been arranged in the wrong order: Q-R, S-Z, L-P.Batter Up! To
save her mother from Price’s clutches, Kim hits him over the head
with a baseball bat that shatters into pieces. A break-away baseball
bat? In a living room laboratory? Kim instinctively knows where the
bat is and immediately goes to get it.Title
Trouble! The episode’s
title does not exactly come to pass since Lucy pays Vincent Price’s
exact fee for art appraisals and does not “cut” his price. The
title probably should be “Lucy Pays Vincent’s Price”.
“Lucy Cuts Vincent’s Price” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
is one of those episodes that has Lucy acting childish and silly.
The premise is unbelievable enough (filming torture scenes in an
actor’s home) but it would feel more probable if the Lucy character
approached the situation more realistically. Her scene with Harry
when she grovels at his feet is just plain embarrassing. Craig and Kim are also written as simpletons when they think actor Vincent Price might somehow also be a fiend because he plays so many predators in films. On the plus side, Price, usually a serious actor, gets the hang of Lucy’s brand of comedy quite easily and plays along with ghoulish glee.
1970, auction, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, CBS, Chester Jones, Desi Arnaz Jr., Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Gale Gordon, Halloween, Herbert Kenwith, Here’s Lucy, Jack Berle, Jack Collins, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Martin Ragaway, Mary Grant, Mary Jane Croft, Metropolitan Museum of Art, painting, Peter Paul & Mary, Peter Paul Rubens, Stanislavski, Tol Avery, tv, Vincent Price, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf -
LUCY’S WEDDING PARTY
S3;E8 ~ November 2, 1970
Directed
by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Sam Perrin and Ralph GoodmanSynopsis
Harry
goes to his college reunion and leaves Lucy to house-sit. When a
friend of Mary Jane’s loses her wedding venue due to a mix-up, Lucy
invites her to use Harry’s house. But when Harry comes home
unexpectedly, Lucy must play hide the wedding guests!Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter)Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter) and Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter) do not appear in this episode.Guest
Cast
Mary
Jane Croft (Mary
Jane) makes
her sixth series appearance as Mary Jane. Croft played Betty Ramsey
during season six of “I Love Lucy.” She also played Cynthia
Harcourt in “Lucy
is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and
Evelyn Bigsby in “Return
Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26).
She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy
Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the
actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her
episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing
Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in
1999 at the age of 83.
Lyle
Talbot
(Freddy Fox) previously played Harry’s lawyer in “Lucy Takes Over”
(S2;E23). He was
a ‘B’ movie actor who made several films for Ed Wood, including
what is considered one of the worst films ever made Plan
9 from Outer Space (1959).
This is last appearance on the series. He was previously seen on two
episodes of “The Lucy Show.”Freddy
Fox is an old college classmate of Harry’s at Bullwinkle State.
Bruce Gordon (Grandfather Konstantine Kasos) played Frank Nitti on “The Untouchables” (a Desilu show) as well as a parody of that program on “The Lucy Show” called “Lucy the Gun Moll” (TLS S4;E25). Gordon had appeared on Broadway in the long-running play Arsenic and Old Lace (1941-44) with Boris Karloff. He was also on Broadway with Charlton Heston and Katherine Cornell in Antony and Cleopatra (1947-48). He died in 2011 at age 94.
The character says he is 77. Gordon was just 54 at the time of filming.
Paul
Picerni (Father
Lambros) makes the first of his four appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”
He also appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1975 TV movie “Lucy Gets
Lucky.”In
the final credits this character is listed as “Mandikos”. This
may be a hold-over from an earlier version of the script.
Cynthia
Hull
(Cleo Menikos) played Ann on the Desilu show “Here Comes the Brides” (1968-69).
This is her only appearance with Lucille Ball.The
character’s first name is probably an homage to Cleo Smith, Lucille
Ball’s cousin and the series’ producer. Cleo is the bride.Sam
Chew Jr.
(Joe Andropopolas) comes from one of the oldest families in
Pennsylvania. This is just his fourth screen credit in a career that
featured hundreds of TV and film appearances.The
character is billed in the final credits as “Groom”. He has no
dialogue.
The
wedding guests, musicians, and dancers are played by uncredited
background performers.
The episode is introduced on the series DVD by Bruce Gordon (Grandfather Kosos) and Paul Picerni (Father Lambros).
On this date, in the metro New York TV market, a viewer could watch a rerun of “The Lucy Show” at 10am (WCBS), a rerun of “I Love Lucy” at 7pm (WNEW), and this new “Here’s Lucy” at 8:30pm (CBS). The TV Guide cover that week featured Mike Connors (”Mannix”) who would appear as Joe Mannix on “Here’s Lucy” in 1971. “Mannix” was the last successful TV show to be produced by Desilu.
When
Lucy tries to sneak into the office in the morning, Harry tells her
to stop tiptoeing through the tulips. This is yet another in a
nearly weekly series of references to “Here’s Lucy’s” competition
on ABC, “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.” A regular performer on
the show was a stringy-haired eccentric named Tiny Tim, who had a hit
song with “Tiptoe
Through the Tulips” which
he also played on the ukulele.
When
Lucy says she knows one Greek named Spiro, Mary Jane immediately
thinks she’s referring to Spiro
Agnew
(1918-96), the 39th Vice President of the United States under Richard M. Nixon. Like
Nixon, Agnew later left office in disgrace and was replaced by Gerald
Ford, who then replaced Nixon as President. Lucy corrects Mary Jane
that she is referring to Spiro Shapiro who owns a Greek restaurant
down in Chinatown.
The series also mixed cultures for comedy in the
opening scene of “Lucy and the Generation Gap” (S2;E12) which was
set in Murphy’s Pizza Parlor, owned by Murphy Irving Fong!
When
Harry enters the office in his old college threads, Lucy calls him
handsome
Joe Namath,
a professional football player who also had a career in show
business. In 1972 he guest-starred as himself on “Here’s Lucy.”
It
is mentioned that Lucy is a widow, something that is rarely
discussed.
Harry
and Freddy carry Bullwinkle pennants that were last used in “Lucy, the Co-Ed” (S3;E5) during the song “Collegiate.”
“Lucy
and the Golden Greek” (TLS S4;E2) also featured Greek dancing and
co-starred Mary Jane Croft.
Harry’s
home is decorated with the very same roll-top desk that Lucy
Carmichael had in her living room on “The Lucy Show.”
“I Love Lucy” had a wedding episode where Lucy Ricardo re-did her vows. In real-life, Lucy and Desi also renewed her vows in a Catholic Church on June 19, 1949 after being married for nine years.
On “The Lucy Show” Lucy Carmichael hosted the wedding of her sister Marge (Janet Waldo).
Memory
Lapse! Harry
just recently put on an show for the alumni at Bullwinkle University
in “Lucy, the Co-ed”
(S3;E5). Isn’t that a sort of reunion? Why another one so soon?
Also in “Lucy
the Co-ed”
(S3;E5), the college is called BU (Bullwinkle University) but here it is
named BS (Bullwinkle State) for the sake of the double entendre.
Throwing
Shade!
When Lucy backs away from Harry in the final scene, she bumps into
the lamp shade which wobbles. Lucille Ball, however, never loses
focus!
Shut
the Door! After
Lucy fetches Harry and Freddy’s coats from the closet, the door
swings open. Without much ado and barely a glance to her right, Lucille Ball reaches over and shuts
it as the scene continues.Sitcom
Logic Alert!
Why doesn’t Lucy just send the kids to the movies and use her own
home for the wedding?
“Lucy’s Wedding Party” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
episode has a straightforward plot and lots of laughs. Even though
it is not a musical episode, they manage to incorporate two full
Greek wedding dances! Getting a bit cheekier, this episode offers
two racier jokes: the acronym BS (Bullwinkle State) on Harry’s shirt
and saying that Harry is full of it (popularity). The interaction
between Harry and Lucy at the end of the episode seems especially
realistic and free from the usual farcical hysterics. Instead of
getting wet, Harry ends up wearing the wedding cake!
-
LUCY, THE AMERICAN MOTHER
S3;E7
~ October 26, 1970
Directed
by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Lou Derman and Larry RhineSynopsis
For
a class project, Craig is doing a documentary film about Lucy. When
Kim’s boyfriend wins a $100 cash prize at school, Lucy frantically
tracks it down to the local library where Craig and Harry are filming
her every move.Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter)Guest
Cast
Mary
Jane Croft (Mary
Jane) makes
her fifth series appearance as Mary Jane. Croft played Betty Ramsey
during season six of “I Love Lucy. ” She also played Cynthia
Harcourt in “Lucy
is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and
Evelyn Bigsby in “Return
Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26).
She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy
Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the
actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her
episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing
Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in
1999 at the age of 83.
Don
Crichton
(Steve Bailey) makes
his third and final appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” He was
an Emmy nominated choreographer who worked on “The Carol Burnett
Show” and “The Love Boat,” among others.
Olive
Dunbar
(Librarian) played a high school biology teacher in “Lucy Gets Her
Diploma” (TLS S6;E5). This is her last appearances on a “Lucy”
sitcom. Dunbar
passed away in February 2017 at age 91.
Richard
Collier
(Library Assistant) was a character actor who played small roles in
the musical films Bells
Are Ringing (1960)
and Hello,
Dolly
(1970). He did two episodes of “Dennis the Menace” (1963) with
Gale Gordon. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.
Sid
Gould
(Man in Library #1) made
more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” and nearly as many
on “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille
Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton.
Boyd
‘Red’ Morgan
(Man in Library #2) is
an actor and stunt man who was seen in “Lucy
and John Wayne” (TLS S5;E10),
with whom he did eleven films. This is the second of his four
episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”Morgan,
a veteran stunt performer, was cast because the character takes a
fall off of his chair.
Alma
Platt
(Old Lady) was born in 1891, so was 79 years old at the time of this
episode. Two weeks before this episode originally aired she was seen
on “Marcus Welby M.D.” on ABC and four days after this episode
originally aired she was seen on NBC’s “Adam 12” – meaning Platt
appeared on all three major networks in October 1970. She died in
1976.The
character is only caught on screen for a moment when the camera pans
to the right during the final chase scene in the library. She has no
lines or business – she just sits and reads.
The
woman who loses her wig in the library scene is the only actor not
credited in the show.
After
directing all of season one, Jack Donohue returns to “Here’s Lucy”
and will direct four more season three installments before leaving
again only to reappear for the last six episodes of the series in
season six.
In his DVD introduction to this episode, Desi Arnaz Jr. says that his parents took hundreds of hours of home movies. In 1993 Lucie Arnaz collected some of them in “Lucy & Desi: A Home Movie.”
The
title of Craig’s movie will be “A Day in the Life of My Mother.”When
Kim hears Craig is making a documentary about Lucy, she ‘auditions’
to get into the act:
She first imitates Katharine
Hepburn
in the 1937 film Stage
Door:
“The
calla lilies are in bloom again, such a strange flower.”
Coincidentally, Lucille Ball was also in Stage
Door.
The now-iconic line was actually taken from the play The
Lake,
one of Hepburn’s rare failures.
She
next imitates Maurice
Chevalier
singing “Louise,” a song by Leo Robin and Richard H. Whiting from
the 1929 film Innocents
of Paris.
The song became Chevalier’s signature song.
Lastly,
she mimics Bette
Davis
saying “Peetah!
Peetah! You read the letter, didn’t you?”
Although attributed to Davis and often spoken by Bette Davis
impersonators, this exact line is not found in any of her films. In
1941’s The
Great Lie she
does say the line “I
wish to leave Pete a letter marked personal” which
may be the source for the oft-imitated quote.
Lucy
tells Craig she doesn’t want to be filmed first thing in the morning,
when she looks like the Bride of Frankenstein. The
Bride of Frankenstein was
a 1935 sequel film to Universal’s Frankenstein
that starred Elsa Lanchester as the monster’s bride. Lanchester made
guest starring appearances on all three “Lucy” sitcoms and it was
common to use the name “bride of Frankenstein” as a punchline for
jokes in all three series.Lucie
talks about having breakfast with Steve
Bailey
(Don Crichton). They’ve been out together five times. Don Crichton
also played Kim’s boyfriend Don in “Lucy, the Conclusion Jumper”
(S1;E5).
When
Craig calls “cut” on a real argument between Kim and Lucy, he
takes on an exaggerated German accent, feeding into the TV trope that
all directors were temperamental Germans in the style of Erich Von
Stroheim (1885-1957), who was actually Austrian.
When
Lucy can’t seem to act natural in front of Craig’s camera, she
suggests he get someone else to play his mother; someone like Raquel
Welch, Carol Burnett, or Don Knotts. Movie star Raquel
Welch
seems to be the show’s go-to name to drop when wanting to reference a
young female sex symbol. Carol
Burnett
was a great friend of Lucille Ball and the two made numerous guest
appearances on each other’s television programs. Don
Knotts,
the nervous Deputy Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show” (which
filmed on the Desilu back lot) will make a guest star appearances in
a 1973 episode of “Here’s Lucy.”
Instead
of Gale Gordon ending
the episode wet, he starts
it that way when he walks through the front door splattered with
water from Lucy’s front lawn sprinkler system.
Harry
says that Lucy’s daily misadventures make “Laurel
and Hardy look like Sears and Roebuck.” Stan
Laurel and Oliver Hardy
were a vaudeville and film comedy team. Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon
briefly imitated them when under a hypnotic suggestion in “Lucy and
Pat Collins” (TLS S5;E11). Richard
Sears and Alvah Roebuck
founded one of the world’s largest retailers (now simply known as
Sears) in 1886.Steve
says that Spooky Brown and His Electric Goose Pimples is playing at
the Rock and Roll Palace.The
book that Lucie puts the mended $100 bill into is titled Kiss
Me Stranger. Daphne
Du Maurier wrote a book titled Kiss
Me Again, Stranger
in 1951. This title was chosen to be provocative when spoken to the
unsuspecting patrons of the library.
After the birth of Little Ricky, the Ricardos were also avid home movie enthusiasts. Things came to a boil in “Home Movies” (ILL S3;E20).
Kim
imitates Katharine Hepburn saying “The
calla lilies are in bloom again.” In
“Lucy’s Italian Movie” (ILL S5;E23) Lucy Ricardo also imitated Hepburn saying
the line to impress movie director Vittorio Philippi.
Kim
also imitates Maurice Chevalier singing “Louise,” something Lucy
Ricardo (and the rest of the gang did) in “The French Revue” (ILL
S3;E7). Chevalier eventually appeared as himself in “Lucy Goes to
Mexico” a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” In that
episode Lucy
once again does her Chevalier impersonation singing “Louise.”
Lucy
is suspicious of Steve Bailey’s motives and wants to meet her “future
son-in-law.” Coincidentally, that is exactly what she thought of
Kim’s boyfriend Don (also played by Don Crichton) in “Lucy the
Conclusion Jumper” (S1;E5).
Lucy
Ricardo also tore a bill in half and went to great lengths to
retrieve it in “Bonus Bucks” (ILL S3;E21). The second half of this “Here’s Lucy” episode is based on “Bonus Bucks.”
Lucy
Carmichael went to great lengths to retrieve five $500 dollar bills
she lost at a carnival in “Lucy Misplaces $2,000” (TLS S1;E4).
The
red “SILENCE” sign on the librarian’s desk is the same one seen
in the dorm room in the previous episode “Lucy, the Co-Ed”
(S3;E5). Because the prop is used as part of a joke here, and only
serves as set decoration in the dorm room, this episode may have been
filmed first and aired out of sequence.
Make-up! Although
Lucy comes downstairs after rolling out of bed calling herself ‘the
bride of Frankenstein,’ she is wearing full eye make-up!Shut the door! Harry
leaves the front door open when he comes in for the second time.Fact Check! There
is no need to have a cello-taped bill “set” by placing it in a
book.Sitcom Logic Alert! Why
is there a laundry cart in a library? It is clear that “Bonus
Bucks” (ILL S3;E21), which was set in a laundry and featured comic
business with a laundry cart, was very much on Lucille Ball’s mind
when filming this episode.
“Lucy, the American Mother” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
is an odd episode that doesn’t quite come together cohesively.
Although a bit of an homage to “Bonus Bucks” on “I Love Lucy”,
the home scenes seem disconnected to the library scene, which never
pays off as big as it should. Also, Craig is written to act in a
very uncharacteristic way in this episode.
1970, Alma Platt, Bette Davis, Boyd Red Morgan, Carol Burnett, CBS, Desi Arnaz Jr., Don Crichton, don knotts, Gale Gordon, Here’s Lucy, Home Movies, Katharine Hepburn, Laurel and Hardy, Library, Louise, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Mary Jane Croft, Maurice Chevalier, Olive Dunbar, Raquel Welch, Richard Collier, Sears Roebuck, Sid Gould, The Bride of Frankenstein, tv -
RIP Jack Bannon ~ TV actor who was the son of Jim Bannon and Bea Benadaret. His mother was on Lucille Ball’s radio show “My Favorite Husband” and was the first choice to play Ethel Mertz, but eventually found fame on “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Petticoat Junction” where her son Jack was employed as a dialogue coach and played occasional bit parts. Bannon did one episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1968. He was 77 years old.
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