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The Palm Springs Historical (Hysterical) Society hosts “Palm Springs Loves Lucy & Desi” Exhibit. September 1, 2017 through May 27, 2018. (Photos from Lucie Arnaz)
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LUCY AND ANN-MARGRET
S2;E20
~ February 2, 1970
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Choreography by Jack Baker ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ray SingerSynopsis
A
chance meeting with Ann-Margret leads to songwriter Craig performing
with her on television.Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter)Guest
Cast
Ann-Margret
(Herself) is one of Hollywood’s most enduring sex symbols, singers,
and actors. She made her screen debut in 1961’s A Pocketful of
Miracles and followed up with the critically acclaimed film musicals
State
Fair
and Bye
Bye Birdie.
After this episode of “Here’s Lucy” she was nominated for Oscars
for Carnal
Knowledge
(1971) and Tommy
(1975). In February 1969, she appeared on “The
Jack Benny Birthday Special”,
which
also featured Lucille Ball, although the two did not share screen
time. At the end of 1969, Lucille Ball guested on her special “From Hollywood With Love.” In
2010, Ann-Margret won her first Emmy Award for her guest appearance
on
“Law
& Order: Special Victims Unit.”
John
O’Neill
(Walter, Ann-Margret’s Pianist)Although
billed as ‘Walter’ in the final credits, Ann-Margret calls him ‘Wally’ in the dialogue.Gary
Morton
(Voice Introducing Ann-Margret) 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 played the Emcee in “Lucy and the Andrews Sisters”
(S2;E6) and will make two more on-camera appearances on “Here’s
Lucy.” Morton passed away in 1999.Throughout the episode, Morton’s loud guffaw can be heard on the soundtrack.
Ann-Margret’s
back-up dancers (3 men and 3 women) perform uncredited.
The much anticipated episode was the subject of a TV Guide “Close Up”. It mentions that the singer was repaying Ball for appearing on her earlier special…
“Ann-Margret: From Hollywood With Love” in December 1969. In it, Ball played herself and an autograph hound named ‘Celebrity Lu’ (above).
The
date this episode first aired (February 2, 1970) the 27th Annual Golden Globe Awards
was held. Lucille Ball was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical
or Comedy Series, but lost to a tie between Carol Burnett and Julie
Sommars in “The Governor and J.J.” John Wayne also won for True
Grit.
Both Burnett and Wayne were guest stars of Lucille Ball’s on her
sitcoms. Joan Crawford (who guest-starred on “The Lucy Show”)
received a life-time achievement award.
Two days later, on February 4, 1970, Lucie and Desi Jr. appeared with their father on NBC’s “Kraft Music Hall”. Vivian Vance and Bernadette Peters were also part of the cast. Desi Sr. performed "Babalu” and “Cuban Pete” and teamed with his children on “The Straw Hat Song”. Lucille Ball does not appear.
In
the DVD introduction to the episode, Desi Arnaz Jr. says that he had a crush
on Ann-Margret since he was ten years old. At the beginning of the episode, Kim says her brother is “barely seventeen.” This was true for Desi Jr. when the show was being filmed, but he celebrated his 17th birthday two weeks before the show first aired.
Lucy Carter describes her aspirations for her children:
KIM: “Mom wants me to be a wife and a mother.”
LUCY: “Yes. And in that order.”Lucy wants Craig to be a doctor, while he wants to be a songwriter.
LUCY: “We’ll compromise. You’ll be the only songwriter in the world to make house calls.”
In the early part of the 20th century, physicians often visited the home to treat patients, a practice that is virtually unheard of in most parts of the country today.
The ad soliciting new songs Craig finds in the newspaper gives an address of 718 North Gower. In reality, this is the address of Paramount Studios
(formerly Desilu) where the show was filmed.
Lucy
hopes Craig becomes as famous as Simon & Carbunkle. Kim corrects
her: Simon &
Garfunkle. In
1970 Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle released the album “Bridge Over
Troubled Water.” Lucy later says Craig sings as well as Engelbert
Pumpernickle. Craig corrects her: Engelbert
Humperdinck.
In a previous episode, Lucy pronounced the English pop singer’s name
“Englebert Dumperhinck.” Lucy is turning into a regular Mrs.
Malaprop!
Craig
calls himself “this
generation’s Cole Porter.” Cole
Porter
(1891-1964) was a songwriter who wrote both lyrics and music. He
was responsible for the score of DuBarry
Was A Lady,
a Broadway musical that was filmed in 1943 with Lucille Ball. The
show included the Cole Porter song “Friendship,” which Lucy
Ricardo later sang with Ethel Mertz in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same
Dress” (ILL S3;E3, above).When
Craig needs $100 for his song to be published, he wants to ask his
Uncle Harry.
LUCY: “Uncle
Harry wouldn’t have given Francis Scott Key $100 for ‘The Star
Spangled Banner.’”“The Star Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States. On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) wrote a poem which was eventually set to music by John Stafford Smith. It was adopted as the anthem in 1931.
Wally, Ann-Margret’s arranger, suggest she sing Craig’s song as a duet – perhaps with Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. Frank Sinatra’s hit single from 1969 called “My Way” re-entered the charts in 1970, spending nearly a hundred weeks in the top forty. In 1970 singer Dean Martin, who was one of Lucille Ball’s favorite performers, was still producing new episodes of “The Dean Martin Show” (above) as well as starring in the feature film Airport.
On her coffee table is a copy of the December 1966 issue of House & Garden Magazine. Ann-Margret obviously doesn’t have much time for reading!
Lucy Carter seems to have no qualms about leaving her 16 year-old son alone in the apartment of a 28 year-old woman known to the world as a ‘the original sex kitten’! Offstage, however, Lucille Ball was not quite as understanding when Desi Jr. took up with 23 year-old divorcee Patti Duke, whose onscreen reputation was considerably more wholesome. In tabloid press, Lucille Ball was quoted as saying “Leave My Son Alone…He’s Only 17″ and “Patti Duke Used My Son and Victimized Us”.
When
Ann-Margret is slipping into “something more comfortable” (an age old film and TV trope intimating seduction), Craig
practices his dancing alone to the strains of “I’m
in the Mood for Love”
written
by Jimmy
McHugh in 1935. Ann-Margret covered the song in 1962 on her album
“On the Way Up.” While Ann-Margret’s version of the song was on RCA Records and had lyrics, the LP Craig selects has the Capital Records label (the rainbow ring) and is instrumental only. Coincidentally, Guy Lombardo included the song on his 1958 release on Capitol Records, although the version heard is not that cover.
While Ann-Margret is off changing, Craig has three wordless minutes on screen alone to imagine his evening with the noted sex symbol. Here, Desi Jr. does some very funny and charming silent acting depicting the nerves of a first romantic encounter. Until she breaks the spell by appearing in a chenille robe, fuzzy slippers, and curlers!
Craig
and Ann-Margret perform the song "Country Magic” which in
reality was not by Craig or Desi Arnaz Jr. but by Steve
March,
the son of Mel Torme and adopted son of Arnaz family friend, Hal
March.
Steve March appeared onscreen as one of Craig’s high school
friends in “Lucy and the Bogie Affair” (S2;E13) and will appear
in a future episode guest starring Sammy Davis Jr. When Craig
referred to his friend Steve in past episodes, this is likely who he
has in mind.
The
pink paisley Fender
telecaster guitar
Craig plays during his number with Ann-Margret belonged to Jimmy
Burton (below), Elvis Presley’s number one guitar player.
Burton
actually played the guitar solo on the soundtrack.
Unusually, after leaving Craig with Ann-Margret, the Lucy character is not seen again until the final fade-out. Lucille Ball is off-screen for 10 minutes of her own 24-minute show!
In December 1968, just as “Here’s Lucy” was starting, Lucille Ball and Ann-Margret shared the cover of Coronet Magazine. Lucy wrote about her teenagers while Ann-Margret modeled see-through fashions.
Lucy
Carter wants Craig to be a doctor, not a musician. On “I Love
Lucy” Lucy Ricardo wanted Little Ricky (Keith Thibodeaux, above) to be a doctor,
not a musician!
When
Ann-Margret changes into “something more comfortable” she comes
out wearing the same blue chenille bathrobe that Lucy wore in “Lucy
and Tennessee Ernie’s Fun Farm” (S1;E23, left). It
looks very similar to the one that Vivian Vance wore in
1952’s “Breaking
the Lease” (ILL S1;E18, center) and
other episodes. It is likely that it is the same robe
from the Desilu wardrobe racks!FAST FORWARD!
A year later, Ann-Margret is mentioned as one of the wishes Craig would ask of a magic lamp in “Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (S3;E21). Craig must have forgotten this lengthy encounter when he mentioned his wish.
Both Lucille Ball and Ann-Margret were on hand for “America’s Tribute to Bob Hope” on January 2, 1988.
In 2000, Lucie Arnaz and Steve March-Torme (author of “Country Magic”), both children of megastars, did a cabaret act together. This was March’s cabaret debut. As of this writing, two decades later, they are both still performing in cabaret – just not together.
Memory Lapse! Lucy
tells Ann-Margret that the last time Craig sang in public it was
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Actually, Craig sang in his
school musical in “Lucy and Carol Burnett” (S1;E17, above), in “Lucy
and Tennessee Ernie’s Fun Farm” (S1;E23), as Bing Crosby in “Lucy
and the Andrews Sisters” (S2;E6), and in “Lucy and the Generation
Gap” (S2;E12) – all in front of audiences!
Hey Lady! At the end of “Country Magic,” Lucy bursts from the wings and shouts to the studio audience “My son the songwriter!” If this was one of Ann-Margret’s television specials (as was earlier mentioned), a random mother bragging about her son is not something you’d expect to see!
Can I Have a Drum Roll… Please? Oddly, there is absolutely no mention of Craig’s former musical obsession – the drums! A skilled percussionist in real life, there were many episodes in which played drums and even a couple that revolved around it.
This
episode is a terrific showcase for Desi Arnaz Jr. He does his best
with the comedy, but really shines in the musical number, where his
dancing is as his sharp as his musicianship. Ann-Margret seems to be
enjoying herself and the episode is fun to watch, although not
particularly funny.1970, Ann-Margret, CBS, Cole Porter, Desi Arnaz Jr., Engelbert Humperdinck, Fender Telecaster, Gary Morton, Golden Globe Awards, Herbert Kenwith, Here’s Lucy, I’m In The Mood for Love, Jimmy Burton, Joan Crawford, John O’Neill, John Wayne, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Milt Josefsberg, Paramount Studios, Ray Singer, Simon & Garfunkle, Steve March, The Star Spangled Banner, TV Commercial -
LUCY AND VIV VISIT TIJUANA
S2;E19
~ January 26, 1970
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ray SingerSynopsis
Lucy,
Harry and Vivian go sightseeing in Tijuana, but are stopped at the
border after agreeing to take back a plush animal that turns out to be carrying
contraband!Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter)Guest
Cast
Vivian
Vance
(Vivian Jones) was
born Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kansas in 1909, although her
family quickly moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where she was raised.
She had extensive theatre experience, co-starring on Broadway with
Ethel Merman in Anything
Goes.
She was acting in a play in Southern California when she was spotted
by Desi Arnaz and hired to play Ethel Mertz, Lucy Ricardo’s
neighbor and best friend. The pairing is credited with much of the
success of “I Love Lucy.” Vance was convinced to join the cast
of “The Lucy Show” in 1962, but stayed with the series only
through season three, making occasional guest appearances afterwards.
This is the second of her half a dozen appearances on “Here’s
Lucy.” She also joined Lucy for a TV special “Lucy Calls the
President” in 1977. Vance died two years later.Vance
uses her birth name as her character name in all of her “Here’s
Lucy” guest appearances. Vivian Jones says she met Lucy Carter the
day they entered kindergarten. Jones is visiting from North Salem,
New York.
Don
Diamond (Pedro) was born in Brooklyn in 1921. He is probably
best remembered as Crazy Cat, the inept but scheming side-kick of
Chief Wild Eagle on TV’s “F-Troop” (1965-67). This is his only
appearance with Lucille Ball.Pedro is the proprietor of Pedro’s Bazaar in Tijuana. He claims to have a 3 year-old niece living in Los Angeles named Estrellita (Spanish for ‘Little Star’).
Don
Megowan (Customs Inspector) played a stunt actor on the
western-themed “Lucy the Stunt Man” (TLS S4;E5). He was
frequently seen on TV westerns and action shows. This is his only
“Here’s Lucy” appearance.Customers of Pedro’s
Bazaar and those crossing the border are played by
uncredited background performers.
The
alternate title of this episode was “Lucy and Vivian Vance.” The
two titles are used interchangeably, even on the series DVD.
The original broadcast of this episode on January 26, 1970 may have been pre-empted or delayed in some areas due to a televised address by President Richard M. Nixon during which (for the first time on live television) he signed a veto calling a $19.7 billion appropriation bill for education “the wrong amount, for the wrong purpose, at the wrong time.”
On ABC, a half-hour before “Here’s Lucy,” action series “It Takes A Thief” (starring Robert Wagner) managed to nab Hollywood legend Bette Davis as a guest star. Lucille Ball had always wanted Davis to guest-star on her shows, and came close twice, but it never came to pass.
Five days earlier (January 20, 1970), Lucille Ball was a guest on “Garroway,” a daytime talk show on WNAC-TV, Boston, which host Dave Garroway hoped would be picked up for national syndication. The program lasted into early 1970 and never aired outside Boston. The show was canceled when management decided to show old movies instead of local live shows. Two years later, Garroway was a presenter and an honoree (along with Lucille Ball) when Zenith Presents a Salute To Television’s 25th Anniversary on ABC. Ironically, Garroway was an NBC star (”The Today Show”) and Lucy was associated with CBS.
Don
Diamond (Pedro) introduces the episode on DVD. He remembers how
professional and convivial Lucille, Vivian, and Gale were on the set.Naturally, Vivian Vance gets a warm round of applause from the studio audience when she makes her first entrance, cheerfully coming downstairs for breakfast in the Carter kitchen.
VIV: “Smile and the world smiles with you. Snore and you sleep alone.”
After Kim lists all the various breakfast items, Viv says yes to all of them. It seems jokes about Viv’s appetite that began on “I Love Lucy” are still a source of comedy for the writers.
Likewise with Lucy’s real age. When queried by Craig, Viv laughs and says “The shadow knows!” The introduction from “The Shadow” radio program “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!,” spoken by actor Frank Readick, has earned a place in the American idiom.
Vivian
mumbles in her sleep. Lucy remembers hearing the names Gregory,
Cary, Kirk, and Rock. These names refer to movie stars Gregory Peck, Cary
Grant, Kirk Douglas, and
Rock Hudson. While Peck and Grant were merely mentioned on “Lucy”
shows, Douglas and Hudson actually appeared on them. Kirk Douglas
did a wordless cameo in “Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere” (TLS
S4;E20) and Rock Hudson guest starred on “In Palm Springs” (ILL
S4;E26) with Vivian Vance.
Craig
suggests that on their way to Tijuana they visit the San Diego
Zoo. Located
in Balboa Park, it is one of the most famous zoos in the world. It
first opened in 1916 and is still in operation today. The Zoo
was last mentioned in “Lucy, the Helpful Mother” (S2;E15) and will be mentioned again in “Lucy in the Jungle” (S4;E13), both of which featured live animals.
When Lucy tries to butter up Harry to borrow his car to drive to Tijuana, she puts a rose on his desk, sharpens his pencils and replaces his blotter. Before the advent of computers, large sheets of blotting paper were placed atop desks to protect the wood surface from the ink from leaky fountain pens. Even after the advent of the ballpoint pen, blotters were common desk accessories. Carrying a single desk blotter was Fred Mertz’s idea of helping Lucy and Ricky move when “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (ILL S2;E26).
Harry
gets a telephone call from the Morton Service Station that his
car is ready to be picked up. It cost Harry $297 for a tune-up!In today’s economy (adjusting for inflation) that is the equivalent of nearly $2,000. He
says “That’s what I get for letting relatives do my repair
work.” This implies that Harry and Lucy have relatives
with Lucille Ball’s real-life surname, Morton. Ball married Gary Morton in
1961 and he is a producer on “Here’s Lucy.”
Angry about the tune up bill, Harry barks into the phone “Who tuned it? Leonard Bernstein?”
Leonard Bernstein was a tremendously popular classical and
musical theatre composer and conductor. In late 1969 he made
headlines by stepping down from his position with the New York
Philharmonic in order to have more time for composing.
Viv calls Lucy’s brother-in-law “Horrible Harry,” a nickname that she used about him during her first visit to California in “Lucy, the Matchmaker” (S1;E12) where a computer dating service matched them up! Both episodes mention Viv’s crush on Rock Hudson.
When the action switches from Los Angeles to Tijuana, the underscoring naturally features “La Cucaracha” ("The Cockroach”), a traditional Spanish folk song very popular in Mexico, especially during the Mexican Revolution. It was memorably played by a Bavarian Polka Band in “Lucy in the Swiss Alps” (ILL S5;E21).
Modeling a fancy black lace shawl with a rose in her teeth, Viv thinks she looks like Dolores del Rio, although Harry suggests she resembles Pancho Villa. Dolores del Rio (1904-83) was one of Mexico’s first film actresses to have international appeal. Pancho Villa (1878-1923) was a Mexican revolutionary general and one of the most prominent figures of the Mexican Revolution.
Wearing over-sized sombreros, Lucy and Viv do an impromptu “Mexican Hat Dance.” It was memorably performed by Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in “Breaking the Lease” (ILL S1;E18) where it was referred to as “El Break-o the Lease-o” and performed using air hammers and trash can lids! It dates back to the 18th century but became internationally famous after Russian dancer Anna Pavlova added it to her repertoire after visiting Mexico in 1919.
When Harry demonstrates the jai alai (which he pronounces ‘Jay Alay’) at Pedro’s Bazaar, he accidentally breaks open a piñata which costs $25. Jai alai is ball game that originated in Spain but was also very popular in Mexico. At the height its popularity in the 1970s, some venues would routinely see thousands of fans each night. An extended players strike all but ended the sport in the USA.
Pedro says he can’t travel to the US because he can’t drink the water! Americans traveling to Mexico and other foreign countries were warned not to drink the water, lest they risk dysentery. Just two months before this episode first aired, Jackie Gleason starred in a film version of Woody Allen’s 1966 play, Don’t Drink The Water. The joke gets a round of applause from the Los Angeles studio audience.
One of Viv’s bargains is a multi-colored serape, marked down from $75 to $3.98 due to a few enchilada stains. Lucy jokes…
LUCY: “You’ll be the only girl on your block with a sloppy serape!”
Their souvenir haul includes:
- A large wicker basket
- A straw donkey
- Bongos (for Craig)
- A tin mask (to scare the kids at Halloween)
- a white plush monkey (for Kim)
- and a pink plush monkey (that Harry agreed to carry back to Los Angeles for Pedro’s niece, Estrellita) inside of which the Customs Officer discovers…
HARRY: “Gallstones?”
When Harry tells the officer that Lucy and Viv will vouch for his identity, the girls suddenly adopt Spanish accents and call themselves Conchita (Lucy) and Lolita (Viv), women that Harry picked up in a bar! The girls disavow any knowledge of the gem-stuffed monkeys.
CUSTOMS OFFICER (to HARRY): “Do those monkeys belong to you?”
HARRY: “No! One is my secretary and the other is her friend!”
Harry
drives a 1970 yellow Plymouth Satellite convertible license
plate JNA-035. In “Lucy at the Drive-In Movie” (S2;E8) Harry
drove a 1965
Yellow Dodge
Dart convertible
license plate WMO-526, which was the same car Craig took his driving
test in during “Lucy Helps Craig Get a Driver’s License”
(S1;E24). Harry not only seems to have bought a new car, but a new
license plate to go with it!
Also in line to cross the border is a
1968 red Sunbeam
Alpine GT.
The passengers appear to be the same couple seen shopping in Pedro’s
Bazaar in the previous scene.
The line of cars also features a red
1970 Dodge Challenger.
This episode is very closely modeled on “Lucy Goes To Mexico,” a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” that kicked off the second series of hour-long episodes.
Both episodes had Lucille
Ball and Vivian Vance driving to Tijuana from Southern California…
…haggling at a gift shop, mentions of J’ai Alai, wearing polka dots…
…and being detained at the border. The contraband item in 1958 was
a pink cashmere sweater. Here it is a pink stuffed monkey. Some of the scenery and props used in 1958 are recycled here.
That set (as well as Lucy in a ‘sloppy serape’ and sombrero) was also seen in an un-aired Westinghouse corporate film (informally titled “Lucy Buys Westinghouse”) where Mrs. Lucy Arnaz (the only time she is ever called by her married name on television) wants to outfit her dressing room with Westinghouse products and follows the spokesman (played by Ross Elliott) on a tour of Desilu Studios, including a ‘hot’ set for
When
the candy cascades out of the piñata, Lucy momentarily stuffs some
down her blouse to hide it, just as Lucy Ricardo did with the candy at
Kramer’s Candy Kitchen in “Job Switching” (ILL S2;E1).
Lucy Ricardo had problems at the border (of Italy and France) in “Lucy’s Bicycle Trip” (ILL S5;E24).
Don McGowan follows in the footsteps of previous Desilu Customs Officers, Frank Nelson in “Return Home From Europe” (ILL S5;E26) and Charles Lane in “Lucy Goes To Mexico” (LDCH S2;E1), two of Desilu’s busiest and most popular character actors. Coincidentally, “Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana” was first aired on Lane’s 65th birthday. He would live to the age of 102!
When Viv is dressed in her bargain serape and discount sombrero and speaking with a Mexican accent, she instantly reminds us of the time Ethel Mertz helped Ricky recall his youth in Cuba during “Be A Pal” (ILL S1;E2). While still in costume, she greeted actress Theresa Wright (above) who was in the audience for the filming that evening.
Turning the tables on Lucy and Viv for pretending they didn’t know him, Harry then tells the Customs Officer that he never saw Lucy and Viv before in his life! This same twist ending was first used when Ricky and Fred tried to explain that they aren’t really burglars in “Equal Rights” (ILL S3;E4) but Lucy tells the Police Officers that she’s never seen them before in her life!
You Break It…You Bought It! When Lucy and Viv turn to react to one another about Harry’s false modesty with Pedro, Viv gets momentarily distracted when her right arm nearly tips over a vase on the shelf behind her. She is also trying to balance on all the candy on the floor after Harry burst the piñata.
Lemon Law! Since
this episode was filmed at the end of 1969 and aired at the start of
1970, it would be highly unusual for a brand new 1970 Plymouth
to require $297 in repairs so soon.
Where Do I Live? Vivian
says she is from North Salem, New York, but in her first
appearance on “Here’s Lucy” she said she was living in Santa Fe,
New Mexico. In the previous episode she claimed to be from “back East.” In real life, Vivian Vance did actually own a home (above as it appears today) in North Salem, NY, which is in
Westchester County, about 50 miles north of Manhattan. It is possible
that Vivian Jones moved back East sometime after her last visit to
Lucy Carter in “Lucy, the Matchmaker” (S1;E12).
“Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5While
it sounds like a colorful premise to revisit (recycled from a lesser-seen “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”), the episode never really takes
off. Harry acts like a priggish know-it-all in the gift shop scene.
Lucy and Viv sometimes act ridiculously silly for women of their age.
Worst is that the plot doesn’t resolve, it just fades out. A
disappointing return to Tijuana!
1970, Cary Grant, CBS, customs, Desi Arnaz Jr., Dodge Challenger, Don Diamond, Don Megowan, Gale Gordon, Gary Morton, Gregory Peck, Here’s Lucy, Jai Alai, Kirk Douglas, Leonard Bernstein, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Lucy Goes To Mexico, Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, Mexico, North Salem NY, Pinata, Plymouth Satellite, Rock Hudson, San Diego, San Diego Zoo, Sunbeam Alpine GT, Tijuana, tv, Vivian Vance -
LUCY AND LAWRENCE WELK
S2;E18
~ January 19, 1970
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Martin A. RagawaySynopsis
When
Vivian visits, she expects Lucy to fulfill her promise to arrange a
date with Lawrence Welk. Lucy doesn’t know Welk, so she
borrows a wax dummy of the bandleader and convinces nearsighted Vivian to give up her glasses. When the kids secretly convince the real
Lawrence Welk to come to dinner, everything ends “wunerful
wunerful”!Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter)Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter) does not appear in this episode, although he does
receive opening title credit. Harry is said to be playing golf.Guest
Cast
Lawrence
Welk
(Himself) was a musician, accordionist,
bandleader,
and television impresario,
who hosted the television program “The Lawrence Welk Show” from
1951 to 1982 on ABC. His style came to be known to his audiences as ‘champagne music.’ His catchphrase was “wunerful,
wunerful” spoken with his slight German accent. Welk’s
trademarks included his “uh-one,
uh-two”
song intro and a perpetual bubble machine. He died in 1992 at the
age of 89.
Vivian
Vance
(Vivian Jones) was
born Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kansas in 1909, although her
family quickly moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where she was raised.
She had extensive theatre experience, co-starring on Broadway with
Ethel Merman in Anything
Goes.
She was acting in a play in Southern California when she was spotted
by Desi Arnaz Sr. and hired to play Ethel Mertz, Lucy Ricardo’s
neighbor and best friend. The pairing is credited with much of the
success of “I Love Lucy.” Vance was convinced to join the cast
of “The Lucy Show” in 1962, but stayed with the series only
through season three, making occasional guest appearances afterwards.
This is the second of her half a dozen appearances on “Here’s
Lucy.” She also joined Lucy for a TV special “Lucy Calls the
President” in 1977. Vance died two years later.Vance
uses her birth name as her character name in all of her “Here’s
Lucy” guest appearances. Vivian Jones (the character) is from Cherrvale, Kansas,
just like Vivian Vance.
Mary
Jane Croft (Mary
Jane Lewis) makes
her fourth 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) with Vivian Vance. She died in
1999 at the age of 83.
Nancy
Howard (Secretary)
appeared
with Lucille Ball in Yours,
Mine and Ours
(1968).
This is the third and final appearance on “Here’s Lucy.”
This
is the first of five episodes written by Martin
A. Ragaway,
who won a 1961 Emmy Award for his work on “The Red Skelton Show.”
When this show first aired, Lucille Ball and her children were actually in New York City, having been introduced from the audience of “The Ed Sullivan Show” the night before, January 18, 1970.
The date this episode originally aired (January 19, 1970) CBS launched Operation 100, a plan to beat NBC’s ratings in the last 100 days of the season, using the slogan “The man can’t bust our network." This was a riff on the campaign CBS Records (Columbia) used to appeal to the youth market in the late 1960s.
Also on this date, actor Hal March (born Harold Mendelson) died at age 49 of lung cancer. March had appeared in two episodes of “I Love Lucy”,
a 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show” (above), and the Lucy film A Guide For the Married Man (1967).
This episode was first aired on the 27th anniversary of one of the most-watched episodes of television to that time, “Lucy Goes To the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). It is estimated that 72% of the American public who owned a television tuned in to see the birth of Little Ricky. The event was even more remarkable in that it coincided with the birth of Desi Arnaz IV (Craig Carter here), who turned 27 years old on the day this episode aired in 1970.
Both Lucille Ball and Lawrence Welk were known for their frequent (and unique) use of the word “wonderful.”
In
February 1969, Lucille Ball had appeared on “The Jack Benny Birthday
Special” which also featured Welk and singer Ann-Margret, who
will guest star on “Here’s Lucy” two weeks after this episode
airs. Other “Lucy” supporting actors who participated in the
special: Dennis Day, Carole Cook (ghost singer), Gail Bonney, Larry
Blake, Robert Foulk, Frank Gerstle, John Harmon, Ray Kellogg, Tyler
McVey, Benny Rubin (above, with Welk), Rolfe Sedan, and Olan Soule. It was written by
Sam Perrin and George Balzer, who wrote several episodes of “Here’s
Lucy” and choreographed by “Here’s Lucy” choreographer Jack Baker.
On
the series DVD the episode is introduced by Norma Zimmer, one
of Welk’s Champagne Dancers, who also was featured as a Kildoonan
Townsperson in the dream musical episode “Lucy Goes to Scotland”
(ILL S5;E17). Although not featured in this “Here’s Lucy”
episode, Zimmer recalls that Welk, who did not consider himself an
actor, was thrilled and proud to be asked to share the screen with
Lucy.Gary Morton’s loud laughter can clearly be heard on the soundtrack. Some sources mistakenly report this to be Desi Arnaz Sr.
KIM: “All the girls are ironing their hair!”
The episode opens with Craig ironing Kim’s hair with a clothes iron on an ironing board! As odd as this seems, this was actually done during the 1960s when straight hair became fashionable. In the 1970s, straight hair became easier with the advent of the hair iron, made specifically for hair use.
The
studio audience starts applauding for Vivian Vance as the doorbell
rings and before she’s spoken or entered!Vivian
Vance wears the same type of white-frame eyeglasses she wore as Vivian Bagley
on “The Lucy Show.”
When
Mary Jane also gushes about Lawrence Welk, Lucy remarks “He
turns on more people than warm Postum.” Postum
is
a powdered roasted-grain
beverage
once
popular as a coffee
substitute.
It was developed by the Post Cereal Company (hence the name) in 1895
and is still sold in limited areas today. Later seasons of “I Love Lucy” were sponsored by Sanka, a similar caffeine-free coffee beverage.
Lucy
says that Welk is in town performing at the Palladium. The Hollywood
Palladium is
a theater
built in 1940 and
located
at 6215 Sunset
Boulevard
in
Hollywood,
California.
It has a dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with
room for up to 4,000 people.
Coincidentally,
the Palladium is across the street from what was CBS
Columbia Square,
the home of CBS’s
Los Angeles radio and television operations from 1938 until 2007.
When
Welk’s secretary announces that there are a couple of teenagers (Kim and Craig) to see
him, he asks if they are picketing and hostile. In the late 1960s
teenagers were in the news as frequently involved in protests and
marches involving the Vietnam War.
Lawrence
Welk is first seen practicing his golf stroke in his office.
Like Desi Arnaz Sr. and Gary Morton, Welk was a big fan of golf and in 1964 founded a
company known as Welk Resort Group which still operates properties in
North America including golf resorts.
Mary
Jane tells Lucy that they have a wax figure of Lawrence Welk at the
Movieland Wax Museum where her friend is the manager. She adds
that they also have one of Cary Grant, both of which require nightly lipstick removal from amorous visitors! Grant was last
mentioned in “Lucy Protects Her Job” (S2;E14) as well as several
previous episodes of this and Ball’s other sitcoms.
The real-life
museum was located in Buena Park, Caliifornia. In addition to a wax Welk, a wax Lucille Ball was installed in 1963. Needless to say, the actual museum wax figure of Welk (seen above) was not used in the episode. The museum closed
permanently in 2005.
Lucy
phones Sam Lutz to find out how much Lawrence Welk is paid. He tells
her that Welk gets $7,500 a night. Sam Lutz (inset) was the
name of Welk’s real-life manager and the producer of his television
show.Vivian
is reported to be doing touristy things like visiting Disneyland and
Knotts Berry Farm. When Ethel Mertz was a tourist in Hollywood, she
wanted to visit Knotts Berry Farm, but jealous Lucy was too
angry with Ricky to enjoy it. “The only knots you’ll see today
will be on Ricky’s head.” Disneyland
would open a month later and be mentioned in “Lucy the Bean Queen”
(TLS S5;E3) in 1966.When
Vivian returns from the Universal Studios Tour she says she saw:
John
Wayne’s Saddle –
In “Lucy Dates Dean Martin” (TLS S4;E21) John Wayne’s saddle was
an auction item for the Bank Charity Ball. Wayne played himself on
a season
5 episode
of
“I Love Lucy” and did so again on a season 5 episode of “The
Lucy Show.”
The last time Vivian Jones visited Lucy Carter on “Here’s Lucy”
she lied and said that she was in town to be in a movie with the
western star.
Doris Day’s Bicycle – In real life, Doris Day was an avid bike rider. She rode to the studio on many occasions and pedaled around Beverly Hills until the police finally told her they couldn’t guarantee her safety.
Dean
Martin’s Bartender –
This is a joke at the expense of Martin’s reputation as a heavy drinker.
It is coincidental that it follows a mention of John Wayne’s saddle,
which was seen in “Lucy Dates Dean Martin” (TLS S4;E21).
Vivian
visited the studio commissary and sat in the very chair Bob Hope
sat in, which was still warm. Vivian Vance and Bob Hope worked
together on “Lucy and Bob Hope” (ILL S6;E1).
VIV (To ‘LAWRENCE WELK’): “I watch your show every Saturday night!”
“The Lawrence Welk Show” began airing in June 1955 and had a remarkable 16 year run on ABC TV before being syndicated for a further 11 years ending in 1982. Welk was as associated with Saturday nights as Lucille Ball was with Mondays. Two days before this episode first aired (January 17, 1970) Welk’s guest was Ted Mack, legendary bandleader and talent scout.
This
episode is closely modeled on “Lucy Meets Harpo Marx” (ILL S4;E28).
Vivian takes on the part of the nearsighted Carolyn Appleby and Mary
Jane helps Lucy arrange the deception much like Ethel (Vivian Vance)
did in 1955. The premise somehow comes off as more believable here.
Lucy does not have steal Viv’s glasses but simply convinces her to
take them off to look better for her date. Instead of Lucy wearing a
disguise, she borrows a wax mannequin of the star.Lawrence Welk was one of the most-mentioned celebrities on “The Lucy Show” (1962-67) despite never appearing on it in person. He rectifies that here.
In “The Loophole in the Lease” (TLS S2;E12), the plot hinged on Lucy stealing Viv’s white-framed eyeglasses.
Although
this is the first time Welk has actually been on set with Lucille
Ball, his face was seen on a record album that Lucy Carmichael won at
a bank picnic in “Lucy and Clint Walker” (TLS S4;E24).
In “Lucy and the Starmaker” (TLS S6;E4), Mr. Mooney cuts off Tommy Cheever’s (Frankie Avalon) ‘audition’ after just a few notes. Lucy remarks that “Dizzie Gillespie would have had a better chance with Lawrence Welk!” Gillespie was famous for free-form jazz riffs on the trumpet, while Welk was best known for the polka, waltzes, and more structured genres of music.
When Viv goes to shake the wax Welk’s hand, quick thinking Lucy extends her own hand for Viv to shake instead. The gag also got big laughs in “The Handcuffs” (ILLS2;E4), “Lucy The Music Lover” (TLS S1;E8), and “Lucy Meets the Burtons” (HL S3;E1).
In the second episode of “Here’s Lucy”, When Kim and Craig are on vacation at Jack Benny’s home in Palm Beach, Kim compares her brother’s ping pong game with Lawrence Welk. This line was likely an ad-lib by Lucie Arnaz to time the hitting of the ball over the wall.
Welk facetiously claims to be writing a song for The Beatles. In “Lucy’s Birthday” (S1;E18), Welk was contrasted with Ringo Starr, the drummer for the Beatles, when the kids are trying to find their mother a date for her birthday.
In “Lucy The Shopping Expert” (S1;E20) a year earlier, Lawrence Welk was the punchline of a joke when Lucy insists on shaking the canned goods and listening to the noise they make.
In “Lucy and the Drum Contest” (S3;E4), Craig says that Buddy Rich is his favorite musician. Uncle Harry says his is Guy Lombardo, who Lucy tells the kids is the Lawrence Welk of Harry’s generation. Lombardo and Welk were both popular bandleaders and cultural icons. The above photo of the two men (and
Gila Rosenhause) was taken in 1971.
Sitcom
Logic Alert!- The premise of this episode seems to ignore the fact that Vivian
visited Lucy in Los Angeles less than a year before. She says that
Kim
“must have grown a foot”! - When talking to the kids about Vivian, Lucy refers to “back East”
which confirms that Lucy previously was from New York, but ignores
that Vivian was last living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. - Lucy lies about
knowing Lawrence Welk, but in “Lucy the Matchmaker” (S1;E12) it
was Vivian who lied about knowing John Wayne. - While Lucy Carter admits to her
children that she’s lied to Vivian about knowing celebrities, she
forgets that she has met (to date) Jack Benny, Van Johnson,
Oscar-winner Shelley Summers (aka Winters), novelist Eva Von Graunitz (aka Eva Gabor), Carol Burnett, country singer Ernie Epperson (aka Ernie Ford), Patty Andrews, Johnny Carson, and
Liberace! - The ultimate lapse in believable coincidence comes when Welk wears the
exact same outfit to the dinner date as the wax figure (above). - Vivian really should be able to recognize Lucy’s deep voice saying “wunerful wunerful’.
- Inexplicably,
Welk (the character) seems to want imitate the waxworks instead of be
himself.
Not
being an actor, Welk’s eyes often distractingly glance over at the teleprompter for
his lines. He smiles at his own jokes, and anticipates rather than reacts.
“Lucy and Lawrence Welk” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
is a really funny episode that is also a treat for Lucy lovers who
know its inspiration. Of course, the classic Harpo mirror routine
is a classic compared to a wax figure sitting at a dinner table, but
in many ways this episode feels less contrived and more real than
Lucy Ricardo’s costumes and gruff voices. Welk, as expected, is a
total fail as an actor, but it doesn’t really matter. It is
wonderful to see Mary Jane Croft play an integral role in the plot.
Her facial expressions at dinner are priceless! Not having Gale
Gordon involved is never noticed thanks to the glorious presence of
Vivian Vance.
1970, Bob Hope, Cary Grant, CBS, Dean Martin, Desi Arnaz Jr., Doris Day, eyeglasses, Herbert Kenwith, Here’s Lucy, Hollywood Palladium, John Wayne, Knotts Berry Farm, Lawrence Welk, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Martin A. Ragaway, Mary Jane Croft, Movieland Wax Museum, Nancy Howard, Norma Zimmer, Postum, Sam Lutz, The Beatles, tv, Universal Studios Tour, Vivian Vance - The premise of this episode seems to ignore the fact that Vivian
-
LUCY THE LAUNDRESS
S2;E17
~ January 12, 1970
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Larry Rhine and Lou DermanSynopsis
After
bragging to Craig about her perfect driving record, Lucy smashes into
a laundry truck. In order to pay for the repairs, she has to go to
work at the laundry and keep her identity a secret when Kim and Craig
are suddenly plagued with clothing stains.Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter)Guest
Cast
James
Hong
(Lee Wong) was born in 1929 and began his screen career in 1954. He has lately been acclaimed as the voice of Mr. Ping in the Kung-Fu Panda franchise. Aside from his nearly 500 screen credits, Hong
is
one of the founders of the East-West Players, the oldest Asian
American theater in Los Angeles.
At Desilu, he unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Sulu in “Star
Trek.” This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.Mr.
Wong is a widower with two young girls. He operates Lee Wong’s Hand
Laundry on Pine and Hurst.
Lauren
Gilbert
(Mr. Michaels, Insurance Adjuster) played recurring characters on
“Edge of Night” and “Hazel” – both named Harry. This is his
only appearance with Lucille Ball.
Bee
Thompkins
(Secretary) had only a handful of other screen credits between 1969 and 1972. Also in 1970, she was one of the passengers in the blockbuster film Airport. She was variously credited as ‘Bea Tompkins’ during her career.
Rosalind
Chao
(Linda Chang Wong, right) made her screen debut with this episode.
She created the role of Soon-Ye Klinger on “M*A*S*H” and “After
M*A*S*H” but is perhaps best known for playing Keiko O’Brien on
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine.”
During that series she also filmed The
Joy Luck Club.
She recently guest-starred on TV’s “Blackish,” “This is Us,” and “The
Catch.”Heather
Lee
(Sue Chin Wong, left) makes her only screen appearance in this
episode.Linda Chang and Sue Chin are sisters and the daughters of Lee Wong.
Romo
Vincent
(Laundry Customer) was
a Broadway performer from 1942 to 1959. He played an airline
passenger in “Lucy Flies to London” (TLS S5;E6). This is the
first of his two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”Vincent
was cast for his size. He claims his shorts are size 52.
This
is the first of nine episodes written by Larry
Rhine and
Lou Derman.
Rhine had been nominated for an Emmy Award in 1963 for writing for
“The Red Skelton Show.” He was nominated again in 1978 for an
episode of “All in the Family.” Derman was also an Emmy nominee
for “All in the Family.” Together they also wrote many episodes
of “Mr. Ed.”
In
his DVD introduction to the episode, James Hong tries
to diffuse any misinterpretation of Lucy’s disguising herself as an
Asian character.“Sometimes
it’s very offensive for the Asians to see that kind of image. But
she was in essence playing that character pointing out how society
had this cliched image of the Asians. So she was laughing at herself
and and laughing at the society’s concept of Asians. To contrast
that they had me dress up in this wonderful suit – very elegant!”
In the opening scene, Lucy comes home with a bag of groceries containing Cheerios. On the bottom right corner of the box it states that a free Super-Ball is inside. [In the inset photo it is for Wacky Racers as a Super-Ball box was not available.] During the summer of 1969, scores of American kids begged their parents to buy the General Mills cereal to get the amazing Super-Ball inside.
Next to that is a box of Nabisco Rice Honeys, also a breakfast cereal. The cereal was first marketed
under another name in 1939 and, after several more name changes, was discontinued in 1975. What is unique about this particular box is that it includes free Beatles’ Rub-Ons promoting their movie Yellow Submarine. The film was released in November 1968, about a year before filming. If you saved one of those boxes, they’re currently going for over $1,000. In 2014, someone sold one for $1,430.50 at auction!
At the office, Lucy gets a call from Mary Jane. The character does not appear in this episode, but is played by Mary Jane Croft.
Harry is looking for the Treshkin contract.
The car accident costs Lucy $97.50. When
Lucy doesn’t have money to pay for the damages to Wong’s van, he
suggests she should “Sell
car. Take bus. Leave driving to us.”
This was a paraphrasing of the advertising slogan of the Greyhound Bus Company. It was
previously quoted in “Lucy
Helps Craig Get a Driver’s License” (S1;E24)
and
“Lucy and the Used Car Dealer” (S2;E9).When
Sue Chin Wong learns that Lucy will be working for her father, she
exclaims: “Well,
there goes the neighborhood!”
This was a common expression used to grouse about integration, which
was a hot topic in the late 1960s. To further reinforce the role reversal comedy, the writers give the line to an Asian character.
When
Lucy meets Wong’s daughters, she greets them in an exaggerated and
condescending Chinese accent. The girls look horrified and answer
back in voices totally devoid of any Asian influence. To further the
humor of Lucy’s backward thinking, the girls are eating hamburgers
with ketchup, a typical American-style meal.
Mr.
Wong’s daughters inform Lucy that their father only pays sixty five
cents an hour.In late 1969 the minimum wage was $1.30 per hour, but rose to $1.45 per hour in February 1970. The girls explain that their dad thinks that because he’s Chinese he
can pay “coolie” wages. The word “coolie”
refers to
an
unskilled native laborer generally from India, China, or some other
Asian country.
Depending on the context, this word can be considered offensive or
pejorative.
When
Kim enters the shop to get a stain out of her new dress, Lucy
disguises herself with a bright kimono, thick eyeglasses, and a
fringed red lampshade on her head. She disguises her voice to a
stereotypical Asian accent by changing her Rs to Ls (ie: “tellycroth
lobe”).After
Lucy’s true identity has been revealed, Harry says “Well,
if it isn’t Madam Butterfly.” He is referring to the title character in Madam
Butterfly, an Italian opera
by
Giacomo
Puccini
that premiered in 1904 and is still in the classical repertory today.
In the opera, a 15 year-old Japanese girl falls in love with an
American sailor with tragic consequences. The story was also the
inspiration for the Broadway musical Miss
Saigon (1989)
and the play M.
Butterfly
(1989).
Lucy Ricardo also caused havoc at a laundry in “Bonus Bucks” (ILL S3;E21).
Lucy
tells Craig that Mr. Wong is a decorator who is there because she is considering
doing the house over in Chinese Modern. Chinese Modern was the style
that Carolyn Appleby redecorated her apartment in “Lucy Tells the
Truth (ILL S3;E6). Sworn to be truthful, Lucy says it looks like “a
bad dream you’d have after eating too much Chinese food.”
Lucy fibs to Craig that Mr. Wong decorated Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
(everything but the footprints). The iconic Hollywood movie palace
was the setting of “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” (ILL S5;E1) and the
footprints were integral to that episode and the following one, “Lucy
and John Wayne” (ILL S5;E2).
Lucy
Carmichael also disguised herself as an Asian character in “Lucy
and the Soap Opera” (TLS S4;E19).
Lucy
Carter’s ironing skills seem no better than that of Ricky Ricardo and Fred Mertz, who both left their ‘marks’ on the laundry during “Job
Switching” (ILL S2;E1).
In
season one, Lucy Carter celebrated her birthday at a Chinese
restaurant.
Ouch!
Lucille Ball accidentally scalded her hand during the filming when using the steam press.
This
is ironic, since the dialogue has Mr. Wong warn Lucy to be “careful
with the steam iron” when he first agrees to let her work off her debt.
The Shadow Knows! There is a moving shadow across the side of the desk when Harry bends down to get a key from the drawer. The next shot is a close-up (below), which necessitated the camera move that caused the shadow.
Props! Harry offers Lucy a mini-bottle of booze that he got on a flight to Hawaii. It is hidden inside the jade green desk ornament that coincidentally makes its debut with this episode – and disappears thereafter. In the above photo, the bottle is difficult to see. Only the neck of the tiny bottle with its white seal can be seen.
Where
the Floor Ends!
This
time the floor ends in the Chinese Hand Laundry.Sitcom
Logic Alert(s)!- From the time Harry hears Lucy’s collision outside his window to
Lucy’s entrance into the office is a mere 8 seconds! Take into
account that she says she left a note for the owner on his windshield
– and put the windshield in the front seat! - Mr. Wong
arrives with an estimate of the damages on the very same day as the
accident. - At the laundry, Lucy immediately knows how to work a
commercial laundry press with no instruction. - Even with the accent
and disguise, Kim should probably recognize her own mother’s voice.
Oops!
When
Lucy trips and her hat and wig fall off, the black masking placed
next to her right ear to hide her red hair stays on. Lucille Ball has
to duck down quickly and rip it off.
“Lucy the Laundress” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
This
episode feels the most like an episode of “I Love Lucy.” Lucy is
caught in a fib, so instead of telling the truth, she goes to
elaborate lengths to conceal her lie. The thorny issue of racial
sensitivity rears its head when viewed by a modern audience. But it
is clear that Lucille Ball was trying to portray Mr. Wong and his
family as average Americans, and Lucy’s view of Asian culture as
backward. It is worth noting that all the Asian characters are
actually played by Asian actors. When the young girls call Lucy out
for her patronizing attitude, Lucy immediately acknowledges that
she’s been wrong and the scene (and the comedy) continues without
any rancor. The hard-fought Civil Rights battles of the 1960s are
slowly having an effect on television. - From the time Harry hears Lucy’s collision outside his window to
-
RIP Bob Schiller ~ Emmy-winning TV writer who joined the “I Love Lucy” writing team in season 5 and was responsible for all of the Europe and Connecticut episodes including the classic “Lucy’s Italian Movie” (aka Grape Stomping). He co-wrote all 13 of the “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours” and was a co-writer and creator of “The Lucy Show” until 1964. He was 98 years old.
-
LUCY AND LIBERACE
S2;E16
~ January 5, 1970
Directed
by Jack Baker ~ Written by Fred S. Fox and Seaman JacobsSynopsis
For
a high school initiation, Craig goes on a scavenger hunt to retrieve
one of Liberace’s candelabras. Liberace loans it to him but Lucy
thinks he stole it so she recruits Harry to sneak into the star’s
mansion and return it.Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter)Guest
Cast
Liberace
(Himself) was born Władziu
Valentino Liberace
in 1919. A piano prodigy, he was the
son of working-class immigrants, and enjoyed a career spanning four
decades of concerts, recordings, television, motion pictures, and
endorsements. At the height of his fame, from the 1950s to the 1970s,
Liberace was the highest-paid entertainer in the world,
with
established residencies in Las
Vegas,
and an international touring schedule.
Liberace (known informally as ‘Lee’) embraced a lifestyle
of flamboyant excess both on and off stage, acquiring the sobriquet
“Mr. Showmanship.”
Prior to this episode, his only appearance with Lucille Ball was the
musical film Best
Foot Forward
(1943). He died at age 67 after a battle with HIV/AIDS.
Ben
Wrigley
(Williams, Liberace’s Butler) was a British actor who appeared in My
Fair Lady (1964)
and Bednobs
and Broomsticks (1971).
He previously appeared as a ticket agent in “Lucy Flies to London”
(TLS S5;E6). This is the first of his three episodes of “Here’s
Lucy.”
Paul
Winchell
(Carlo, Liberace’s Tailor) previously played himself in“Lucy
and Paul Winchell” (TLS S5;E4). He
was born Paul Wilchinsky in 1922. Coming into the public eye in 1948,
he became one of the most famous ventriloquists since Edgar Bergen.
He hosted the enormously popular children’s television show
“Winchell-Mahoney Time” (1964-68) in which he shared the
spotlight with Jerry Mahoney, one of his most popular characters. He played Doc Putnam in “Main
Street U.S.A.” (TLS S5;17) and
“Lucy
Puts Main Street on the Map” (TLS S5;E18).
This is the second of his two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” He died in 2005.Winchell
uses an Italian accent for this character.
This
is the first episode of the new year and the new decade.
The 1970s
will see the end of “Here’s Lucy” in 1974, as well as Lucille
Ball’s return to the silver screen in Mame
that same year. In 1971, Lucie Arnaz will wed Phil Vandervort and
Desi Arnaz Jr. made his big screen debut in Red
Sky at Morning. At the end of the decade, Lucie Arnaz made her Broadway debut in
They’re
Playing Our Song (1979).
The
date this episode was first aired (January 5, 1970) ABC premiered
a new daytime drama called All
My Children. Philip Amelio, who played Lucy’s grandson on “Life With Lucy”, appeared on the sudser in 1988. It ceased production in 2013.
Liberace
brought $50,000 worth of his spectacular wardrobe to the set, and
Lucille Ball hired a round-the-clock security guard to ensure its
safety. The tuxedo jacket that lights up in the dark made its debut
on this show; Liberace will use it in his act for the rest of his
life.
In
the 2013 HBO biopic Behind
the Candelabra,
an aging Liberace (Michael Douglas) compares
his domestic life with partner Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) to an old
sitcom. Scott protests: “Why am I the Lucy?” Douglas’ father Kirk made a wordless cameo appearance on a 1966
episode of “The Lucy Show.”Professor
Harkens gave Craig the African mask.
Lucy
recalls her initiation into ‘The Swingers’ in high school. The double
entendre of ‘swinging’ is quickly cleared up by Lucy saying she was
in a trapeze club! For her initiation, she had to get an autographed
photo of Rudy Vallee. Rudy
Vallee
was a singer popular in the 1920s and ’30s who made a guest
appearance on the first episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in
1957. He will guest star as himself during season 3 of “Here’s
Lucy.”
Kim
guesses that Craig may have to retrieve an item from Engelbert
Humperdinck. Lucy replies “What’s
an Engelbert Dumperhinck?” Engelbert
Humperdinck
is
an English pop
singer
acclaimed as one of the finest middle-of-the-road balladeers around.
In 1969 he released two albums and had three hit singles. That same year he was the first guest on “The Liberace Show”.
In
Liberace’s mansion, he enters and sits at a glass-lid Baldwin grand
piano and plays Chopin’s “Military
Polonaise”
(Opus 40, #1) composed in 1838.
When
Liberace tries on the light-up jacket, he says “This’ll
really turn them on in Pasadena!” He could be referring to his senior citizen female fans. There was a popular song at the time titled “Little Old Lady From Pasadena.” Later in the episode we learn that the candelabra loaned to Craig was a gift from a Senior Citizen group.
In
a retrospectively ironic line, Liberace says about his many
candelabras: “I’ve
got closets full of them.”
Although Liberace was flamboyant, his sexual orientation was never
discussed publicly (he was ‘in the closet’) until later in his life. When 17 year-old Craig
and Liberace are alone (and Craig’s shirt is unbuttoned to the navel)
it is difficult not to think of Liberace’s romance with 18 year-old
Scott Thorson (inset), who later sued the entertainer in America’s first
same-sex palimony case.At home, Craig
gets a phone call from Bill. This is probably a nod to Desi Arnaz
Jr.’s friend and band mate Billy Hinsche.
Answering
the front door, Kim says “It’s
probably Craig with his arms loaded down with that something he had
to get from a big star.”
Lucy replies: “Maybe
he’s got his arms full of Jackie Gleason.” This
is a quick joke about comedy star Jackie
Gleason’s
weight. Gleason did a cameo as Ralph Kramden in the second episode
of “Here’s Lucy” (above).
Harry
is reminded that in college he underwent initiation into the
fraternity Delta Delta Tau. The joke comes when he gives says their
initials – DDT. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
(DDT)
is a chemical used as an insecticide. In the late 1960s and early
‘70s DDT was frequently in the news regarding its harmful effects on
humans, wildlife, and the environment. DDT was eventually banned.
The
candelabra is inscribed “To
Liberace. From his Senior Citizen Fan Club in Pismo Beach.”
Along with Cucagmonga, Pismo Beach was often used as a punch-line for jokes about California. It was mentioned in “Lucy Goes on
Strike” (S1;E16). Pismo Beach is one of the locations Lucy and
Ethel want to visit before returning to New York in “Lucy
Gets Into Pictures” (ILL S4;E18).
On
their way to return the candelabra to Liberace, Harry holds it forth
and says “Lead,
kindly light.” “Lead,
Kindly Light”
is
a hymn
with
words written in 1833 by John
Henry Newman
as
a poem titled “The Pillar of Cloud.”
Sneaking
into Liberace’s mansion through the back door, Harry’s shoes squeak!
Lucy says “You’d sure be a goofball on ‘Mission: Impossible.’” The Desilu TV spy show “Mission:
Impossible”
has been a source of humor for “Here’s Lucy,” which even did a
whole episode parodying the show: “Lucy’s Impossible Mission”
(S1;E6, above).
Harry
and Lucy sing while Liberace plays “By
the Light of the Silvery Moon,”
a song
written in 1909 by Gus Edwards and Edward Madden. Lucy says she and
Harry first performed the number at the Kiwanis
Capers.
When
Lucy suggests that Liberace use the whole family on his TV special,
Liberace remarks “You’re
about 83 short of the King Family.”
The
King Family
was a family musical group that had great success on records and
television in the 1960s. They had a TV show on ABC that ran until
1969.As
the big finale, everyone sings and dances to "I’ll
Be Seeing You,”
a song written by
Sammy
Fain
and
Irving
Kahal
in
1938.
It
was inserted into the Broadway
musical
Right
This Way,
which closed after just fifteen performances.
Lucy and Lee shared the covers of many periodicals of the 1950s. Both had top-rated television programs and were instantly identifiable figures and names. Nearly 20 years later, both are still considered show business royalty.
Offscreen, Lucy and Desi socialize with Liberace during the height of their fame.
At
the start of the episode, Craig enters wearing an African mask. The
moment is similar to when Ricky Ricardo researched African masks for
his Voodoo act during “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). The scene also begins the 1953 episode. Ricky Ricardo also briefly wore an African mask in “Cuban Pals”
(ILL S1;E28) before singing “Similau.”
Liberace
tells Craig not to worry about returning the candelabra as he has
a lot of them. Craig replies: “If
Los Angeles ever had a black out – you could light the whole city.”
This
echoes when Liberace was first mentioned by Lucy Ricardo in “The
Diner” (ILL S3;E25) in 1954.
LUCY RICARDO: (about Ricky’s bad mood):
“Everything
went wrong down at the club last night. Right
in the middle of his big number, the lights went out all over the
whole neighborhood. Everybody got up and, and left and went into the
nightclub across the street.”
ETHEL MERTZ: “How’d they manage without electricity?”
LUCY RICARDO: “Liberace was playing there. He does his show by candlelight.”
“Lucy’s Club Dance” (S3;E25) included the February 26, 1954 issue of TV Guide with Liberace (and a candelabra) on the cover. It was one of many used as set dressing for a corner news stand.
In
“Lucy’s Show-Biz Swan Song” (ILL S2;E12) Lucy and Ethel sing “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” and wangles her way
into performing with a barbershop quartet.
In
“Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) Lucy Carmichael and
Vivian Bagley sing “By the Light of the Silvery Moon” and
wangles her way into performing with a barbershop quartet.
Craig’s
collectibles are no doubt supplied by prop master Kenneth Westcott
from the Desilu props supply. It is likely that all of the items were
used in some television program, but the one most recognizable is the
female ship’s figurehead. It was last seen in the background of the
Sunset Strip beatnik hangout in “Viv Visits Lucy” (TLS S5;E15).
In “Lucy and the Countess Have a Horse Guest” (TLS S4;E6), Lucy Carmichael tells the Countess (aka her old chum Rosie) that since moving to Hollywood she has met Lassie’s hairdresser, the man who used to dry off Lloyd Bridges, and Liberace’s dentist. Liberace was well known for his continual smile.
In “Lucy Dates Dean Martin” (TLS S4;E21) Lucy Carmichael admires (and later wears) a sequined top once worn by Audrey Hepburn. Dean Martin says “The last time I saw anything that fancy was on Liberace.” In “Lucy and Liberace” Harry admires and tries on Liberace’s red sequined jacket.
Math Fail! Liberace says that the Carters are 83 short of the King Family. There were 39 members of the King family, ranging in age from 7 months to 79 years, who appeared on their television show. Liberace is exaggerating by 48 Kings!
Where
the (Marble) Floor Ends! In the
living room scene the camera pulls back to far and reveals the
soundstage cement floor. When
this happens in Liberace’s mansion, the tape spike marks are clearly
visible for centering of the dance numbers and camera positions.Sitcom
Logic Alert! The
ending of the episode ditches all pretense of reality and turns into
a musical performance for the studio audience, including Liberace
waving to the audience as he exits – stage right! It is jarring
and a sign that – once again – “Here’s Lucy” is unsure of its
identity.
“Lucy and Liberace” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5Let’s
face it – even playing himself Liberace is a pretty mediocre actor,
so this episode could never be more than a showcase for his talent and opulent wardrobe on which is hung a paper thin plot. The worst
thing about the episode is the complete demolishing of the fourth
wall during the final number. Shameless, really.1970, Behind the Candelabra, Ben Wrigley, Billy Hinsche, By the light of the Silvery Moon, Candelabra, CBS, Chopin Military Polonaise, DDT, Desi Arnaz Jr., Engelbert Humperdinck, Fred S. Fox, Gale Gordon, Here’s Lucy, I’ll Be Seeing You, Jack Baker, Jackie Gleason, Kenneth Westcott, Lead Kindly Light, Liberace, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Michael Douglas, Mission Impossible, Paul Winchell, Rudy Vallee, Scott Thorson, Seaman Jacobs, The King Family, tv -
RIP Y.A. Tittle (1926-2017)
-
LUCY THE HELPFUL MOTHER
S2;E15
~ December 29, 1969
Directed
by Herbert Kenwith ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Al SchwartzSynopsis
Kim
and Craig want their own phones, so they take on part-time jobs to
pay for them. Kim’s job has her animal-sitting for the local pet
shop, turning Lucy’s living room into a zoo!Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy
Carter), Gale
Gordon (Harrison
Otis Carter), Lucie
Arnaz (Kim
Carter), Desi
Arnaz Jr. (Craig
Carter)Guest
Cast
Irving,
a baby chimpanzee.
Radish,
a talking parrot who says
“You did it again, stupid!”
Breath-of-Spring,
a deodorized skunk.
Bruce,
a sarcastic mynah bird who says “Get
away, kid, you bother me.”
This quote from W.C. Fields was previously spoken in “Lucy and the
Used Car Dealer” (S2;E9).The
cast also includes baby leopards, a ring-tailed cat, bunnies,
hamsters, canaries, doves, and a tank full of piranha (the only
‘prop’ [fake] animals in the episode).
This is the only episode to only feature the Carter Family: Lucy, Harry, Craig and Kim. A season five show will only feature Lucy and Harry, with archival clips of Kim and Craig. This episode is also the only episode to have an ‘all-animal’ supporting cast!
This
is the final episode of calendar year 1969 and the final episode of
the turbulent 1960s. For Lucille Ball, the decade began with saying
farewell to Lucy Ricardo with the last “Lucy-Desi
Comedy Hour” airing in April 1960. “The Lucy Show” was born in 1962
and ran through 1968. The decade also began with Ball’s divorce from
Desi Arnaz. In 1961 she married Gary Morton. The upcoming decade
would be quieter for Ball, but not for Lucie and Desi Jr., who would
each face failed relationships that dominated the headlines.
For
some unknown reason, assistant choreographer Anita Mann was asked to
introduce this dance-less and creature-filled episode on the series
DVD. Mann fondly remembers that Lucille Ball was a virtual ‘Dr. Doolittle’ when
working with animals.
Lucy’s
phone number is KL5-8231. On rotary telephones the alpha characters K
and L corresponded to the number 5 making Lucy’s number 555-8321. A
555 exchange is the accepted screen format to include a telephone
number as it will never correspond with a real telephone number.
The
episode includes multiple rotary
telephones
at Lucy’s home and work, including Kim’s Princess model. Rotary
(dial) telephones were first introduced around 1904. In 1962, the
touch tone button phone was introduced. These gradually supplanted
dial telephones throughout the decade. The Princess telephone, a
compact rotary phone with an illuminated dial, was first introduced
by Bell Telephone in 1959.
Teenagers
and telephones was a familiar TV and movie trope of the 1960s. It
most famously is celebrated in the 1960 stage musical and 1963 film Bye
Bye Birdie,
which features a song called “Telephone Hour.” Interestingly,
Bye
Bye Birdie
played on Broadway at the same time, just two blocks away, from
Lucille Ball in Wildcat.
During
the episode, Lucy and Harry are working on contracts for the Kasten
account. The name was previously given to a character played by Phil
Silvers in “Lucy and the Efficiency Expert” (TLS S5;E13, above).
Craig
plays a drum solo over the phone for his friend Steve. Steve has been
mentioned on several previous episode, but never seen. Later, Craig
talks on the phone with Tina, a new name in the long list of Craig’s
girlfriends.
To
get Craig’s attention over the din of his drumming, Kim calls out:
“Hey,
Buddy Rich!” Buddy
Rich
(1917-1987) was a world-famous drummer. He appeared with Lucille
Ball in the film Du Barry
Was a Lady (1943)
and will guest star as himself on a 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy” (above).While
Kim takes care of the animals for the local pet shop, Craig is
earning extra money gluing wings on toy airplanes for Herbie’s Hobby
Shop and blowing up 500 balloons for the school dance.
Lucy
gets a call from Mary Jane about Bridge Club and the Bowling League.
She mentions Hilda, who is the only one who knows how to keep score.
When Lucy’s Bridge Club was introduced in “Lucy and Eva Gabor”
(S1;E7, above) it consisted of Dolores, Maude and Nelly, but no Hilda. Mary
Jane is played by Mary Jane Croft, but she does not appear in this
episode.
With his bandaged dialing finger, Harry
invokes the name of the inventor of the telephone Alexander
Graham Bell
(1847-1922). Bell is considered the father of the modern telephone
and founded AT&T in 1885.Lucy
compares her house full of animals to the San
Diego Zoo.
Located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, it is one of the most
famous zoos in the world. It first opened in 1916 and is still in
operation today.
Lucy
sings a lullaby to the chimp:“Rock-a-bye
Irving
Hark
to my chant.
You’re
kinda cute
But
you’re no Cary Grant.”Here
is yet another mention of Hollywood heartthrob, actor Cary Grant, who
was mentioned in the previous episode “Lucy Protects Her Job”
(S2;E14) as well as many episode of “I Love Lucy.”When
Lucy gets a call from a kindly Officer O’Reilly that Kim is in jail for
setting off the Pet Shop burglar alarm, she calls him “a
nice Fuzz.” It
was a common TV trope to portray policeman with Irish accents and
surnames. “Fuzz” was a slang word for policemen (or, in Lucy’s
generation, ‘cops’) that was coined due to the fact that so many
serviceman coming home with short military haircuts became policeman.
Their buzz cuts resembled peach fuzz. The expression sounds
particularly odd spoken by Lucille Ball.
From
1951 to 1969 Lucille Ball worked on television with:- chickens
- cows
- a calf
- dogs of every breed
- elephants (2 babies and one Jumbo)
- many horses
- a pony
- a lion
- chimpanzees
- pigeons
- sheep
- dolphins
- seals
- bears
- birds of all sorts
- an antelope
- rabbits
- donkeys
- deer
- geese
- turkeys
- goats
- an adorable kitten
- a scent-free skunk
- a baby leopard
- and a
ring-tailed
cat
All of these were LIVE animals! The list does not include
prop animals (like the piranha), imaginary animals, offstage creatures, or actors in animal suits!
Lucille
Ball got a lot of experience working with three trained chimpanzees
in
“Lucy the Babysitter” (TLS S5;E16, above) which not only starred three rambunctious chimps, but a baby elephant as well!
A
tank full of piranha were also featured in the pet shop in “Lucy
Gets the Bird” (TLS S3;E12). The comic payoff of retrieving a
devoured item from the tank is repeated here. TV’s “Addams Family” (1964-66) kept piranha as pets the way other families kept goldfish.
Little
Ricky had a mini-menagerie on “I Love Lucy” that included Fred
the dog,
a frog named Hopalong, Tommy and Jimmy the turtles, parakeets Alice
and Phil, goldfish named Mildred and Charles, and a lizard (who fell
– or jumped – out the window).
FISH ON A WIRE! When
the piranha fish jumps out of the tank, the wire can be seen attached
to the end of the fish. [Unfortunately, the wire can barely be seen in the still photo above.]DIETARY RESTRICTIONS! Piranha
fish are carnivorous and would not eat a leather pouch and paper.
“Lucy the Helpful Mother” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5The
fun of this episode is seeing Lucy working with Irving the chimp.
Lucy loved animals and incorporated them in scripts whenever she
could. The finale with her glued to three phones is particularly
funny.1969, Al Schwartz, Alexander Graham Bell, animals, Anita Mann, Buddy Rich, Bye Bye Birdie, Cary Grant, CBS, chimpanzee, Desi Arnaz Jr., Gale Gordon, Herbert Kenwith, Here’s Lucy, Lucie Arnaz, Lucille Ball, Milt Josefsberg, Mynah Bird, Parrott, pet shop, pirahna, Princess Phone, ring-tailed cat, Rotary Phone, San Diego Zoo, skunk, telephones, tv -
Someone tried to add a FAKE “Here’s Lucy” episode onto IMDB. Not on my watch, pal. Not on my watch!
-
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