-
Lucy’s Contact Lenses
S3;E10 ~ November 23, 1964
Synopsis
Lucy
is too vain to wear glasses, so she convinces Mr. Mooney to give her
the money for contact lenses. Baking a cake for Mrs. Mooney’s bake
sale, Lucy drops one of the lenses into the icing. After searching
through 15 similar cakes, Lucy and Viv discover that Mr. Mooney has
bought Lucy’s cake for his wife’s birthday. Lucy and Viv must break
into the Mooney home to steal the cake to retrieve the lost lens.Regular
Cast
Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley),Gale Gordon
(Theodore J. Mooney), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart
(Sherman Bagley)Candy
Moore (Chris Carmichael) does not appear in this episode.Guest
Cast
Teddy
Eccles (Arnold Mooney, right) began his show business career at the age
of 4 and was 9 years old when he first appeared on “The Lucy Show.”
He will make two more appearances on the series as other characters.
He made his last screen appearance in 1977 and is now producing for
television.Arnold
Mooney, Mr. Mooney’s youngest son, was previously played by Barry
Livingston (“My Three Sons”) in two episodes. Here the character
has no lines. There seems little reason to have the boy in the
episode, since Jerry and Sherman could easily take the cake to the
bank on their own.
Nelson
(Mr. Mooney’s Sheepdog) makes his second appearance on the series,
after debuting (uncredited) in “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (S2;E23).Nelson’s
bark and whimper are provided by an offstage voice. In Nelson’s
previous appearance his bark was voiced by Disney’s Pinto Colvig,
although no voice artist is credited here.
Although
Lucille Ball sometimes wore reading glasses in real life, Lucy
Carmichael says she doesn’t have the face for glasses.
Viv has
occasionally worn white-framed eyeglasses since season one and wears
them in this episode.Dr.
Kaufman’s ad in the paper:“Contact Lenses – No money down, 52
weeks to pay, wear them before you buy, free trial offer.”
Contact
lenses will cost Lucy $200.
Adjusting for inflation, that is the equivalent of more than $1,670
today. Early
lenses of the 1950s and ‘60s were relatively expensive and fragile,
resulting in a market for contact lens insurance.
Mr.
Mooney tells Lucy “If
glasses were good enough for Benjamin Franklin, they’re good enough
for you!” American
founding father Benjamin
Franklin
(1706-90) is generally credited with the invention of bifocal
lenses. Lucy Ricardo pretended to talk to Benjamin Franklin on the
telephone in “Lucy Gets Homesick in Italy” (ILL S5;E22).
Mr.
Mooney’s (unseen) wife Irma shares a birthday with their dog Nelson.
Mr. Mooney says (perhaps jokingly) that Irma is a wrestler!
Lucy
and Viv are baking a chocolate fudge cake to donate to Mrs. Mooney’s
charity bake sale at the bank.
Convincing
the boys to deliver the cake to the bank, Viv calls Lucy “The
Dr. Spock of Danfield.”
Dr.
Benjamin
Spock
(1903-98) was a pediatrician whose 1946 book Dr.
Spock’s Baby and Child Care is
one of the best-sellers of all time.
Spock and his book were both mentioned by Lucy Ricardo in “Nursery
School” (ILL S5;E9).
The
Mooney’s dog door cost $50 to install. Adjusting for inflation,
that is more than $400 today.
Hearing
Nelson’s startling bark, Viv says “It ain’t The Beatles giving a
concert.” On the day this episode first aired, Capitol Records
issued a documentary album, The Beatles’ Story, featuring
interviews, press conferences and extracts of songs by The
Beatles. The album was four weeks at #7 on the Billboard charts.
Lucy
describes the lost contact lens as “Kind
of like a tiddly, but it doesn’t wink.”
Tiddlywinks
is
a child’s game in which players flip small discs into a central pot
for points. It was first developed as an adult parlor game in 1888.
The game experienced a resurgence in the 1950s and in the mid-60s
there were international Tiddlywink tournaments at ivy league
colleges across the US and UK.
Lucy
says that nobody ever locks their doors in Danfield, yet Mr. Mooney
has six locks on his kitchen door alone!Callbacks!
Like
Lucy Carmichael, Lucy Ricardo’s had vision problems in “Lucy Has
Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11).
Cake
baking has been the source of humor in “Lucy’s Sister Visits”
(S1;E15) and “Lucy Enters a Baking Contest” (S2;E28).
Lucy
and Viv searching through the cakes for the lost contact lens is
reminiscent of Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz pawing through wet cement
to find Lucy’s lost wedding ring in “Building a Bar-B-Q”
(ILL S6;E24).
Lucy
and Viv end the episode covered with chocolate fudge, which is how
Lucy Ricardo ends up at Kramer’s Candy Kitchen in “Job Switching”
(ILL S2;E4) and Lucy Carmichael in “Lucy and the Safe Cracker”
(S2;E5).Blooper
Alerts!
Redacted Reading! Once
again, the magazine that Lucy reads has the masthead concealed by
gray masking tape.
Doctor Dilemma! In
previous episodes, Danfield’s eye doctor was Dr. Jacoby. He was
played by Herb Vigran in “Lucy and Viv Play Softball” (S2;E3) and
“Lucy and the Little League” (S1;E28).
Blue Ribbon Blooper! Mr.
Mooney says that he bought Lucy’s chocolate fudge cake because his
wife thinks Lucy is the best baker in town. In “Lucy Enters a
Baking Contest” (S2;E28) it was Viv who was the town’s championship
baker, not Lucy.
Never Work With… There’s
an obvious edit when Lucy is trying to slip out through Nelson’s dog
door. The dog must have been late on his cue to come into back inside
and some frames were edited out.
A Bake Shop By Any Other Name… Lucy
mentions that Hofstedder’s Bakery makes a good cake. In three
previous episodes Hoffstedder’s was a drug store, not a bakery. In
“Lucy Enters a Baking Contest” (S2;E28) the town bakery was
called Trumbull’s, after the Ricardo’s neighbor on “I Love Lucy.”
“Lucy’s Contact Lenses” rates 5 Paper Hearts out of 5
-
Lucy Becomes a Father
S3;E9 ~ November 16, 1964
Synopsis
When
Jerry is going on a father / son camping trip, Lucy insists on going
along. Mr. Mooney, however, has a plan to make it tough for Lucy so
she’ll go home.Regular
Cast
Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Candy Moore
(Chris Carmichael), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael)Vivian
Vance (Vivian Bagley) and Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley) do not appear
in this episode.Guest
Cast
George
Niese (Mr. Carter) makes his first and only appearance on “The
Lucy Show.” He will also appear on a 1971 episode of “Here’s
Lucy.”The surname Carter will belong to Lucy and Gale Gordon in “Here’s Lucy.”
Hal
Smith (Mr.
Wilson) is probably best remembered as Otis
Campbell, the town drunk, on “The Andy Griffith Show,” even
though in real life he never drank alcohol. He appeared with Lucille
Ball in the 1963 film Critic’s Choice. This is the first of his
three appearances on “The Lucy Show.” He also did one episode of
“Here’s Lucy” in 1972.Cliff Norton (Mr. Bentley, below left) makes the first of two appearances on “The Lucy Show,” returning for “Lucy the Fight Manager” (S5;E20) as well as three episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Buster West (Tom, above right) was a vaudeville performer who was also in five Broadway musicals, the last of which as a replacement for Eddie Foy Jr. in the original production of The Pajama Game. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball and his final screen credit.
John
‘Red’ Fox (George, right) was best known for playing policemen, which is
what he did on five of his eight appearances on “The Lucy Show”
as well as three of his five episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Five
uncredited boys play the other sons on the trip.
This
is the second of six episodes this season without Vivian Vance.This
is one of several episodes where widow Lucy strives to be both mother
and father to Jerry by taking part in the activities normally done by
a father figure.
This
being a father / son camping trip, one of the boys among the other
five must be Mr. Mooney’s son, Arnold, but he is not singled out.
Arnold was formerly played by Barry Livingston.Lucy
behaves very much like a Cub Scout Den Mother, as she did in “Lucy
and the Scout Trip” (S2;E26), although there is no mention that
this father / son camping trip is in any way affiliated with the
scouts.
Mis-hearing
the word ‘ante’ as ‘auntie’ Lucy jokingly says “Oh, she lives in
Milwaukee with my uncle!”
During
the poker game, Lucy mentions Audrey Simmons, who is her Bridge Club.
This is the fourth mention of Audrey Simmons this season. The
character was formerly played by Mary Jane Croft. Her last (and
final) appearance was in “Lucy Enters a Baking Contest” (S2;E27).
The
tame bear is named Brownie. According to one of the dad’s Brownie is
tame because he is the pet of an old trapper. He is played by an
actual trained bear! While Lucille Ball interacts with the bear on
screen, his trainer is just out of frame giving the bear commands.
Lucy calls him “Smokey”, a references to Smokey Bear, an
advertising icon used from 1940 to warn against the dangers of forest
fires. This is the third references to Smokey Bear in the series.
The
second bear in the scene is actually an actor in a bear suit, not a
real bear.
Lucy
has never been afraid to work with live animals. In addition to the
bear, thus far on the series, she has worked with numerous dogs,
dozens of sheep, an elephant, fish, and an imaginary butterfly.
The
episode ends with Lucy finally becoming ‘one of the fathers’ as the
men sing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” to her.Callbacks!
Mr.
Mooney’s scheme to make Lucy regret coming on the camping trip is the
same premise as “The Camping Trip” (ILL S2;E29) where Ricky does
the same thing.
Lucy
Ricardo also plays poker with the boys in “Be a Pal” (ILL S1;E2).
Like the one in this episode, that game also ended with Lucy unwittingly winning the entire pot.
Ricky
Ricardo and Howard Duff played cards in a lakeside cabin in “Lucy’s
Summer Vacation,” a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”
In that episode, however, Lucy did not play along, but stood by with
Ida Lupino, watching.
This episode is very similar to “Lucy and the Scout Trip” (S2;E26) aired eight months earlier, which had Lucy and Viv taking the place of a Den Dad on a camping trip in the woods.
Blooper
Alerts!
Memory Loss! At
first, Lucy says she doesn’t know how to play poker, but she played
poker with Mr. Mooney when they were captive in the bank vault in
“Lucy Gets Locked in the Vault” (S2;E4).
“Lucy Becomes a Father” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
-
Lucille Ball (1911-1989)
On April 26, 1989 Lucille Ball
passed away due to an aortic aneurysm at the age of 77.
Her career spanned over five decades, in which she was
nominated for an Emmy Award 13 times, winning four times, while becoming one of
the first recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Awards. She was also awarded a
Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, honored by the Kennedy Center, the
Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, while also
achieving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Besides becoming a pop culture
icon due to her television career, Ball also made history in becoming the first
woman to run a major television studio, Desilu, which was responsible for the
production of “Star Trek” and “Mission Impossible.” She was survived by two
children from her marriage with Desi
Arnaz. -
Lucy Makes a Pinch
S3;E8 ~ November 9, 1964
Synopsis
When
meter maid Lucy is recruited for a stake out with a handsome police
detective, she bungles the bust spectacularly. The next night,
trying to acquit herself, she recruits Viv to go on the stake out,
inadvertently handcuffing them both to the steering wheel just as the
crook arrives!Regular
Cast
Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley)Gale
Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael), Jimmy
Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), and Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley) do not
appear in this episode.Guest
Cast
Jack
Kelly
(Bill Baker) started
acting at age two, modeling in soap ads and earning a lifetime supply
of soap for his pay. He
appeared
in eight Broadway shows between 1932 and 1965. This is his only
appearance opposite Lucille Ball.
Alan
Carney (Captain
Bradford) appeared with comedian Wally
Brown
in
a number of films from 1943-1946.
He played Mayor Dogmeat in the musical film Li’l Abner (1959). This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.
Jack
Searl (Murdock)
was a
fairly well-known child actor who gained a film following in the 30s.
He returns to play a criminal in “Lucy and Art Linkletter”
(S4;E16).
John
Harmon (Green Scarf Louie) will return to “The Lucy Show” for
another crime-themed episode “Lucy and the Stolen Stole”
(S6;E19). He also was in a 1972 episode of “Here’s Lucy.”
This
is a stand-alone episode that continues the storyline of Lucy taking
a job with the Danfield Police Department in “Lucy, the Meter Maid”
(S3;E7). After this episode, the storyline will be dropped.This
episode was filmed on Thursday, August 20, 1964.In
the title, the word “pinch” means to steal something, a usage
mostly found in British English. Viv explains the pun by saying that
“Lots of relationships begin with a ‘pinch’” meaning squeezing a
bit of someone’s flesh between one’s fingers, hoping to illicit a
reaction.
Lucy
and Baker stake out Lover’s Lane in a 1964 Lincoln
Continental convertible.
When
Lucy and Viv are on their own stake out, they are sitting in a
customized Jeep
CJ-5.
It is never stated where or how they acquired a lavender jeep!It
is mentioned for the third time in the series that Lucy and Viv live
at 132 Post Road.
Viv
calls the handcuffs a “San
Quentin charm bracelet.”
She is referring to San
Quentin State Prison,
located in Marin County, California. It was first opened in 1852 and
is still in operation today. There were two films titled San
Quentin, in 1937 and 1946.Baker
mentions that Lover’s Lane is located in Paradise Grove! Viv says
that before she and her ex-husband Ralph were married they spent
their happiest hours at Lover’s Lane – before they met!
The
episode ends with both Lucy and Officer Murdock in drag!Callbacks!
Detective
Baker brings Lucy some “bait” in the form of a diamond bracelet
and a platinum mink stole in a box labeled “Madame Fifi”. Madame
Fifi and her fur shop were featured in “Lucy Gets Amnesia”
(S3;E4).
In
“Too Many Crooks” (ILL S3;E9) Ethel Mertz also dressed in a coat,
hat, and scarf and was mistaken for a criminal.
Lucy
and Ricky Ricardo were shackled together without the key in “The
Handcuffs” (ILL S2;E4).Lucy introduces herself as “Officer Carmichael, Traffic Department, Badge Number 8715, District 9, 21st Precinct, Division 7, Vehicle Number 12, Unit 11A, Women’s Auxiliary” and then salutes. This is exactly the same way she presented herself to the judge in “Lucy, the Meter Maid” (S3;E7).
Blooper
Alerts!What Season Is It? Viv
says “Spring is in the air” despite the fact that the episode was
filmed in August and aired in November. A similar situation occurred
in “Lucy, the Camp Cook” (S3;E6).Wavering Waves! Lucy
tells Captain Bradford that she used to be a WAC. The
Women’s
Army Corps
(WAC)
was the women’s branch of the United
States Army
from 1942 to 1973. This contradicts their previous claim to have
been WAVES, the Navy’s equivalent to the WACs. It is obvious that
the change was made to capitalize on the homonym of Lucy being
“whack” or “whacky.”
Purchase Order! It
is unlikely that the police department would purchase genuine mink
and diamonds as “bait” when they could easily purchase costume
jewelry and fake fur.In the Wrenches! When
Lucy has just been robbed by the Green Scarf Bandit, she says that he
wears a “wrench coat” before quickly correcting herself.
“Lucy Makes a Pinch” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
-
Lucy, the Meter Maid
S3;E7 ~ November 2, 1964
Synopsis
When Lucy takes a job with the police department, she ends up giving Viv a ticket for an expired parking meter. In traffic court, Lucy and Viv frustrate the judge – until Lucy tries to give him a parking ticket as well!
Regular Cast
Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney)
Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), and Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley) do not appear in this episode.
Guest Cast
Parley Baer (Judge Jack T. Kasten) previously played MGM’s Mr. Reilly in “Ricky Needs an Agent” (ILL S4;E29) and the furniture salesman Mr. Perry in “Lucy Gets Chummy with the Neighbors” (ILL S6;E18). This is the second of his five appearances on “The Lucy Show.” He also made two appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” He is perhaps best known for his recurring roles as Mayor Stoner on “The Andy Griffith Show” and Doc Appleby in “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
The surname Kasten will be used again for Phil Silvers’ character in “Lucy and the Efficiency Expert” (S5;E13) and for a character played by Carole Cook on “Here’s Lucy.”
Joseph Mell (Bailiff) previously played the Bailiff in “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (S2;E23) as well as the Butcher in “Together for Christmas” (S1;E13). He will make two more appearances as a background player on “The Lucy Show.” He also appeared in a 1969 episode of “Here’s Lucy.” In 1964 he appeared in the TV special “Mr. and Mrs.” (aka “The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour”), which featured many of the Desilu regulars and was directed by Jack Donohue, who also directed this episode. In 1971, he was a Taxi Driver on “Lucy and the Lecher,” a cross-over episode of Danny Thomas’s “Make Room for Granddaddy” in which Lucille Ball played Lucy Carter, her character from “Here’s Lucy.”
The title “meter maid,” is now considered a sexist and politically incorrect term for a female law enforcement official who patrols public parking areas and issues summons for violations.
This is the first of three episodes to be written by Vic McLeod, joined by Bob O’Brien, who previously wrote “Lucy and the Plumber” (S3;E2).
This episode was filmed after “Lucy and the Good Skate” (S3;E1), but aired out of filming order.
This episode was first aired the day before a US Presidential election where incumbent Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson handily defeated Republican challenger Barry Goldwater with sixty percent of the vote.
Hearing that Lucy is training for a physically strenuous job, Mr. Mooney hopefully says “Maybe they’re sending her to the moon.” Lucy and Viv were candidates to be the first women in space in “Lucy Becomes an Astronaut” (S1;E6).
In traffic court, Lucy calls Viv a “bleached blonde Perry Mason.” Perry Mason was a fictional attorney made famous in books by Erle Stanley Gardner and on the CBS TV series “Perry Mason” (1957-1966) starring Raymond Burr. The show was previously mentioned in “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (S2;E23).
Viv calls Lucy J. Edna Hoover. This is a pun on the name of the then director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972). He was first mentioned on “I Love Lucy” in “The Great Train Robbery” (S5;E5). Hoover was reportedly a fan of Lucille Ball, even writing her a fan letter!
The Danfeild Cab call box on the wall behind Viv in the above photo was last seen in “No More Double Dates” (S1;E21), below.
This is the third time we have been inside a Danfield court room. The first was “Lucy and the Runaway Butterfly” (S1;E29)…
…and then again in “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (S2;E23). In “Lucy, the Meter Maid,” however, the judge’s bench is on the left side of the room, not the right as in the previous episodes.
Lucy presents herself to the Judge as “Officer Carmichael, Traffic Department, Badge Number 8715, District 9, 21st Precinct, Division 7, Vehicle Number 12, Unit 11A, Women’s Auxiliary” and then salutes.
Taking place on a Danfield city street, the episode employs four different vehicles:
A 1965 Ford Mustang. This may also be the same car used in “The Lady and the Babysitter” an October 1964 episode of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” also filmed on the Desilu lot.
That series was filmed and aired on CBS in black and white.
A 1962 Triumph TR4. In court, the Judge admits to owning a “1964 blue convertible” which may be a reference to this car, despite the difference in the actual model year. The license plate is a 1964 NY World’s Fair commemorative plate 2F-37L5. The Fair was previously mentioned in two episodes of “The Lucy Show.”
A Cushman Meter Miser 3. The Cushman company also manufactures golf carts. As of 2015, they still make the Meter Miser.
A 1953 Ford Crestline Sunliner. This is Viv’s car and was previously seen in “Lucy Decides to Redecorate” (S2;E8), above. The license plate on Viv’s car reads 9P-7427. In “Lucy Buys a Sheep” (S1;E5), also starring Parley Baer, Viv owned a 1949 Packard which does not show up in this episode.
Callbacks!
Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz went to court on “I Love Lucy” over a television set. They then sued each other on “The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour” in “Lucy Makes Room for Danny” (1958) with Gale Gordon as the presiding judge (above).
Blooper Alerts!
Sitcom Logic Alert! While not exactly a blooper, Lucy says she doesn’t recognize Viv’s car. It was parked in her garage and Lucy even spent a night sleeping in it in “Lucy Decides to Redecorate” (S2;E8). Lucy also frequently borrowed Viv’s car.
“Lucy, the Meter Maid” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
-
Lucy, the Camp Cook
S3;E6
~ October 25, 1964
Synopsis
When
Lucy and Viv want their boys to stay an extra week at camp, they take
a job in the camp’s kitchen, but only succeed in nearly destroying
the place on their first (and last) day.Regular
Cast
Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Gale Gordon
(Theodore J. Mooney), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael), Jimmy Garrett
(Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley)Guest
Cast
Harvey
Korman
(Mr. Slater, Camp Director) is best known as a cast member of “The
Carol Burnett Show” (1967-1977), four episodes of which featured
Lucille Ball. He will make two more appearances on “The Lucy
Show.” In 1977 he had his own show on ABC which lasted just one
season. At
the time of this episode he was a regular on “The Danny Kaye Show”
(1963-67) which aired Friday nights on CBS.
Lucille Ball guest starred on the episode aired on Saturday, October
24, 1964, the night before her show, which generally aired on
Mondays.
Madge
Blake (Woman
Driver) is probably best remembered as Aunt
Harriet Cooper on TV’s “Batman” (1966-1968). On “I Love
Lucy,” she played Martha,
a prospective new tenant who has a fear of heights in “Lucy and
Superman” (ILL S6;E13). Blake had already appeared as hat shop
proprietor Mrs. Mulford in “Ricky
Loses His Temper” (ILL S3;E19).
She also played Aunt Anastacia in Lucy and Desi’s 1954 film The
Long, Long Trailer.
This
is the second episode in a row this season to be written by Bob
Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Although they departed the series as
regular writers in season two, Lucille Ball convinced them to
contribute several scripts to season 3.This
episode was first aired on Sunday, October 25, 1964, one day earlier
than its usual Monday night time slot.
Once
again, Chris’s friend Cynthia is mentioned; her parents are said to
be waiting outside to drive the girls on their vacation. When last
we saw Cynthia in season 1, she was played by Lucie Arnaz. It is
never stated where Chris and Cynthia are going.
Jerry
and Sherman call their camp group “The Rat Finks.” In “Lucy
Gets Amnesia” (S3;E4) Chris says her pet name for her ex-boyfriend
Bobby Edwards was “The Fink.”Viv
makes fun of Jerry’s fondness for Beatles records. Lucy calls them
his “Beatle” records. The
Beatles
were previously mentioned in “Lucy
and the Plumber” (S3;E2)
and “Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery” (S3;E5).Mr.
Mooney’s son is also at the camp, although the character is never
seen on screen. Arnold Mooney was played by Barry Livingston in
“Lucy and the Scout Trip” (S2;E26) and in “Lucy
Gets Locked in the Vault” (S2;E4).
Lucy
says to Mr. Mooney: “Compared
to you Jack Benny is Diamond Jim Brady.” Comedian
Jack Benny (1894-1974) recently guest starred on “Lucy and the
Plumber” (S3;E2). Jack
Benny’s
comic persona was that of a skinflint who still had every penny he
ever made. Conversely, James
Buchanan Brady
(1856-1917) was a real-life millionaire and philanthropist who was
fond of jewels (hence the nickname). He had a longtime relationship
with singer Lillian Russell. In the late 1960s, Lucy was announced to
play Russell to Jackie Gleason’s Brady in a film project that never
materialized. He was first mentioned in “The Business Manager”
(ILL S4;E1).
Mr.
Mooney’s red convertible is a 1964
Ford Falcon Sprint.
The Sprint
was overshadowed by the Mustang and was discontinued after 1965.
After
Mr. Mooney runs out of gas (because the last filling station didn’t
give trading stamps), Lucy and Viv try hitchhiking. Viv says “Let’s
give it that old Claudette Colbert try.” Viv
is referring to a scene from the 1934 film It
Happened One Night
in which Colbert ‘schools’ Clark Gable in how to get a driver to stop
by hiking up her skirt above the knee. Coincidentally, the film
featured Irving Bacon as a gas station attendant. Bacon played Ethel
Mertz’s father Will Potter in “Ethel’s Home Town” (ILL S4;E15).Viv:
“Did
Tommy Thompson hide his pet snake in somebody’s bed again?”Tommy
Thompson
was the name of one of “The Lucy Show” producers. He was
previously mentioned in “Lucy and Viv Play Softball” (S2;E3) by
his nickname, Art Thompson.Lucy
says that when she and Viv were in the WAVES they cooked for the
entire company. Lucy is fibbing to get the job. Viv reminds her that
they only cooked one meal and everyone got seasick – on dry land.
Their past as WAVES is first introduced in “Lucy Becomes an
Astronaut” (S1;E6).
Lucy
says the stove in the camp kitchen was made in 1903 by Mother’s Handy
Household Helper.
Viv says the last time she saw a stove like it Hansel and Gretel were
cooking a witch in it.Mr.
Slater says the last cook left them enough frozen pop-over batter to
sink Boys Town. Boys
Town was
founded in December 1917 as an orphanage for boys. In 1938, Spencer
Tracy played their founder, Father Flanagan, in a film titled Boys
Town,
which won two Oscars and spawned the sequel Men
of Boys Town, also
starring Tracy. Boys Town was previously mentioned in “Lucy is a
Referee” (S1;E3).
When
Lucy says to Viv “I’ll show you how to handle eggs” the studio
audience audibly gasps in expectation of what is to come. Perhaps
they are recalling the episode of “I Love Lucy” where “Lucy
Does the Tango” (ILL S6;E20)?From
Mr. Slater’s brief crooning of the camp song, it sounds like the name
of the camp is ‘Camp Awa-ha-haki,’ although he has a large yellow
letter “T” on his cap.Callbacks!
Broken
eggs were the cause of the longest recorded laugh on “I Love Lucy”
in “Lucy Does the Tango” (ILL S6;E20).
Ethel
Mertz worked as a short order cook while she was in vaudeville, as
seen in “The Diner” (ILL S3;E27).Blooper
Alerts!Seasonal Scenario? Although
the episode may have been filmed at the start of the summer of 1964,
it was not aired until October, which makes the boys being at summer
camp and Chris’s long vacation a bit untimely. They would probably
all be in school!
Holy Give-Aways! There
is a telltale square on the floor painted a slightly lighter shade of
gray where the frozen pop-over batter will fall through.
Audience Participation! When
Lucy spreads a towel on the floor to get the frozen batter out of the
pot, a single audience member can be heard muttering “Upside
down…” in
expectation of what she is going to do next.
Watch Yer Step! When
Viv moves to help Mr. Slater out of the hole in the floor, the towel
Lucy spread on the floor gets underfoot and nearly trips her up.Cap Catcher! When
Mr. Slater yells “Out!”
at Lucy and Viv, his hat flies off his head. Harvey Korman catches
it before it hits the ground.
“Lucy, the Camp Cook” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
-
Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery
S3;E5
~ October 19, 1964
Synopsis
When
Lucy rents out Viv’s room to two gentlemen visiting for the World’s
Fair, they turn out to be bank robbers who stash the loot in Viv’s
mattress.Regular
Cast
Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Vivian
Vance (Vivian Bagley), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael), Jimmy Garrett
(Jerry Carmichael) and Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley)This
is Ralph Hart’s first appearance in season 3. This is the first time
the entire regular cast has been together since “Ethel Merman and
the Boy Scout Show” (S2;E19).Guest
Cast
John
Williams (Carter
Harrison) was born in England in 1903. He is perhaps best
known for his role as Chief Inspector Hubbard in Dial
M for Murder,
a role he played on Broadway, in Alfred
Hitchcock’s
classic 1954 film, and on television in 1958.
From 1924 to 1970 he appeared in more than 30 Broadway plays,
winning a Tony Award in 1953. This was his only appearance opposite
Lucille Ball.On
“Here’s Lucy” Gale Gordon will also play a character named
Harrison Carter.
Lloyd
Corrigan
(Gordon Bentley) was
a portly character actor who played bit parts in silent movies before switching his attention to writing and directing. He returned
to acting in the 1940s, appearing in two films with Lucille Ball. He
first appeared as Mr. Holly in “Lucy Puts Up a TV Antenna”
(S1;E9). He will return for “Lucy the Choirmaster” (S4;E13).In
the end credits, John Williams is listed as playing Bentley and Lloyd Corrigan
as Harrison. When the characters introduce themselves to Lucy, they
say the reverse.Roy
Rowan (Radio
Announcer) was
the off-camera announcer for every episode of “My Favorite Husband”, “I Love Lucy” as
well as “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” He was also the
voice heard when TV or radio programs were featured on the plot of
all three shows. He was first heard announcing the TV football game
in “Lucy
is a Referee” (S1;E3).
His first on-camera appearance was in “Lucy Takes Up Golf”
(S2;E17).Hazel
Pierce (Bank
Customer) was
Lucille Ball’s camera and lighting stand-in throughout “I Love
Lucy.” She also made frequent appearances on the show. Of her many
on-camera appearances on “The Lucy Show” only once was she given
a character name and credited, in “Lucy
Plays Cleopatra” (S1;E1).
She was also an uncredited extra in the film Forever
Darling (1956).Uncredited
background performers play the police officers, bank staff and
customers.
This
episode was written by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Although they
departed the series as regular writers in season two, Lucille Ball
convinced them to contribute several scripts to season 3.This
episode was filmed on June 4, 1964, before the production went on
hiatus for the summer. It was aired out of filming sequence.The
night this episode first aired, “The Lucy Show” was aired
opposite “The Andy Williams Show” on NBC, which featured frequent
“Lucy” guest star Tennessee Ernie Ford.Viv
and Lucy discuss Ralph Bagley, Vivian’s ex-husband.
The
two boarders claim they’re in Danfield for the nearby 1964 World’s
Fair held in New York City. The
New York World’s Fair was
held in Flushing Meadow, Queens, opening on April 22, 1964, just
three weeks after this episode first aired. It closed on October 17,
1965, although it was not open during the winter months of 1964/65.
It was first mentioned in “Lucy and the Scout Trip” (S2;E26). Due
to the great influx of tourists to Queens during the Fair, it was not
uncommon for residents to rent rooms to visitors.
August 31, 1964 was Lucy Day at the World’s Fair! Ball was treated to a parade through the fairgrounds, a VIP tour, and an honorary luncheon and performance.
Chris
mentions The Beatles. The day this episode was filmed (June 4, 1964)
The
Beatles
began
their first and only world concert tour starting with a performance
in Copenhagen.
The Beatles were previously mentioned in “Lucy and the Plumber”
(S3;E2).
Bentley calls Harrison
the “Bard of the bandits.” Only a few months
before this, John
Williams (Harrison),
had played William
Shakespeare,
‘the bard of Stratford-upon-Avon,’ on “The Twilight Zone.”
This is the second episode in a row to mention the CBS sci-fi
anthology series.Harrison
says he wants to stop robbing banks and rob art galleries instead:
“Imagine
pilfering a Picasso.” Pablo
Picasso (1881-1973)
is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential artists of
the 20th century. He is known for co-founding the cubist movement and
the invention of constructed sculpture. He was previously mentioned
Picasso in “Lucy
Builds a Rumpus Room” (S1;E11)
and “Lucy Decides To Redecorate” (S2;E8).The
two boarders also wonder about robbing drive-in banks: “Just
toot for the loot and scoot.”
The first drive-in
bank
window dates back to 1928. The post-World War II spurt in automotive
sales saw steady growth in drive-up banking.
This
is the fourth time we have seen Viv’s bedroom and each time the
layout has changed. In this episode, the bed has been moved across
the room. In all four episodes, however, Viv has the same headboard.
Before the remodeling in “Lucy
Decides to Redecorate” (S2;E8),
the
painting above the dresser was on the living room wall.Viv’s
lumpy mattress was previously the subject of “Lucy and Her Electric
Mattress” (S1;E12).
Lucy
thinks the cash in the mattress belongs to Viv, calling her Mrs. J.P.
Morgan. John
Pierpont Morgan
(1837–1913)
was an American financier and banker who dominated corporate
finance
and
industrial
consolidation
in
late 19th and early 20th century.Reading
The Danfield Tribune, Viv notes that Oscar the butcher has a special
on rump roast. This is the third butcher to be mentioned on the
series. The first was Ernie (Joe Mell) in “Together
for Christmas” (S1;E13).
The
second was Mr. Krause (Tom G. Linder) in “Lucy and the Plumber”
(S3;E2).
Viv
says the all those henna rinses have finally pickled Lucy’s brain.
Henna
Rinse
was the dye that Lucille Ball (and Lucy Ricardo) used to keep her
hair its distinctive orange color. Bear in mind that TV viewers
still had not seen Lucy’s red hair because CBS had yet to air “The
Lucy Show” in color!The
robbers stole $8,500 dollars from the bank’s safe. The radio
announcer (Roy Rowan) says the theft would not normally have been
reported until Monday, but Mr. Mooney showed up at his desk,
forgetting that it was Saturday. This neatly closes a loophole in
the plot and earns a laugh from the studio audience.
Of
course, Lucy immediately assumes Viv stole the cash. Lucy compare
her to Ma Barker. Kate
Barker
(1873–
1935) was the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker
gang.
She traveled with her sons during their criminal careers.
FBI director J.
Edgar Hoover
described
her as “the most vicious, dangerous and resourceful criminal
brain of the last decade.”
Her legend was kept alive by the 1960 feature film Ma
Barker’s Killer Brood starring
“I Love Lucy” veterans Lurene Tuttle (“The Club Election” ILL
S2;E19), Tristram Coffin (Harry Munson) and Paul Dubov (“The
Handcuffs” ILL S2;E6). Ma Barker was parodied as Ma Parker in a
1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy” starring Carole Cook as the
maternal criminal.Viv
asks Lucy to “stop
acting like a mystery guest”
and explain her accusations. ‘Mystery guests’ were participants in
the CBS TV quiz show “What’s
My Line”
(1950 to 1967). Lucille Ball appeared on the show numerous times.Callbacks!
When
Lucy hides the loot under her baggy sweater and stretch pants, her
look is similar to when Lucy Ricardo tried to smuggle raw eggs under
her clothes in “Lucy Does the Tango” (ILL S6;E20).Blooper
Alerts!
Beauty Sleep! At
the start of the episode Viv says that she is not wearing any makeup,
but it’s obvious that Vivian Vance is wearing both eye makeup and
lipstick.
Name That Tune! At
least on the official 3rd Season DVD, the music heard on Jerry’s
portable radio is definitely not The Beatles. Sometimes licenses for
music expire and producers must replace the original soundtrack with
a royalty-free version. Whether that is the case here remains
unclear.
Seeing Double! The
bank seems to have two adjacent bulletin boards, each with the exact
same notices posted on them.Stray Props! When
Lucy’s grocery bags break (as well as the robbers’ shopping bags), a
couple of items are left underfoot in front of the teller window.Crash Prevention! When
Lucy is turning the mattress in Viv’s room, she nearly knocks over
the lamp on the bedside table. Lucille Ball takes a moment to steady
it before continuing.Door is Ajar! When
the thieves return from the World’s Fair, they leave the front door open.
This may have been intentional to facilitate the easy entrance of Mr.
Mooney and the policemen.
“Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
1964, Candy Moore, CBS, Gale Gordon, Hazel Pierce, Henna Rinse, J.P. Morgan, Jimmy Garrett, John Williams, Lloyd Corrigan, Lucille Ball, Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery, Ma Barker, Picasso, Ralph Hart, Roy Rowan, The Beatles, The Lucy Show, tv, Vivian Vance, What’s My Line, William Shakespeare, World’s Fair -
Lucy Gets Amnesia
S3;E4
~ October 12, 1964
Synopsis
Lacking
sales resistance, Lucy buys a fur coat and must ask Mr. Mooney for
the money to pay for it. When Mr. Mooney goes away on business, his
replacement at the bank remembers Lucy from their childhood, but Lucy
doesn’t have a clue who he is. So as not to hurt his feelings (and
secure the money for the coat) Lucy plans to pretend she has amnesia,
until she really gets conked on the head for real and doesn’t even
remember Viv!Regular
Cast
Lucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Vivian
Vance (Vivian Bagley), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael)Jimmy
Garrett (Jerry Carmichael) and Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley) do not
appear in this episode.Guest
Cast
Max
Showalter (Vinnie
Meyers) was born
in Kansas (like Vivian Vance) in 1917. He got the acting bug as a
toddler when mother took him to the local theater where she played
piano for silent movies. He acted in 92 shows at the Pasadena
Playhouse between 1935 and 1938 and made his Broadway debut in
Knights
of Song. On
Broadway he played the
role of Horace Vandergelder in Hello,
Dolly!
more than 3,000 times opposite such luminaries as Carol
Channing,
Betty
Grable
and Ginger
Rogers.
Showalter
made more than a thousand TV and film appearances. He would return
to “The Lucy Show” six months after this appearances for “Lucy
and Arthur Godfrey” (S3;E23). Toward the end of his life he lived
in Connecticut (again, like Vivian Vance) and died there in 2000.Vinnie
Meyers is said to be from the Jamestown (NY) branch of Mr. Mooney’s
bank. This is to account for his knowing Lucy from their childhood.
Fifi
D’Orsay (Madame
Fifi) was
born Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Québec, in 1904.
She
appeared in The
Greenwich Village Follies
where the director re-named her Mademoiselle Fifi. She later adopted
the name after her favorite perfume as her surname.
In
1971, at the age of 67, she appeared on Broadway in the Stephen
Sondheim
musical
Follies
playing a former Follies headliner, a character reminiscent of her
own life and career.
This is her only appearance opposite Lucille Ball. She died in
1983.
James
Gonzales (Bank
Clerk) was
a popular Hollywood extra who first acted with Lucille Ball in the
1953 film The
Long, Long Trailer.
He was first seen on the series as Stan Williams in “Lucy
Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2).
He was subsequently seen in more than 20 episodes of “The Lucy
Show” and 3 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Unlike most of his appearances, Gonazles actually has a line and
receives screen credit in this episode.Sid Gould (Delivery Man) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” all as background characters. He also did 40 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton. Gould was married to Vanda Barra, who also appeared on “The Lucy Show” starting in 1967, as well as on “Here’s Lucy.”
Renita Reachi (Bank Customer) was Vivian Vance’s camera and lighting stand-in for “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.” She was was a costumer and made occasional crowd background appearances in “The Lucy Show”, “Here’s Lucy” and the Lucille Ball films Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) and Mame (1974).
Several
other uncredited background actors play the other bank staff and
customers.
This
is the first episode written by Leonard
Gershe.
He would also pen “Lucy and the Countess” (S3;E19). In 1957 he
was nominated for an Oscar for writing the film Funny
Face.
Gershe is the author of the Broadway hit Butterflies
are Free
(1969) as well as its movie version in 1972.The
working title for this script was “Memories.”
It was filmed on June 24, 1964, before the series went on summer
hiatus.
The
same evening this episode first aired, Carol Channing, star of
Broadway’s Hello,
Dolly!
appeared on “I’ve Got A Secret” on CBS. Max Showalter co-starred
in the musical in 1967.The
$110 Lucy needs to buy the fur coat would be equivalent to more than
$900
in 2020 after adjusting for inflation.
Like
the characters she played, Lucille Ball also loved furs. She was
often photographed in fur coats or stoles, even doing an ad for
Blackglama in 1984.
Through
the fur shop window, there is a glimpse of the marquee of the Iris
Theatre. This may be an homage to Los Angeles’ legendary Iris
Theatre,
which reportedly
had the first electric sign in Hollywood. It may also simply be an
homage to the character Iris
Atterbury,
Lucille Ball’s sidekick (played by Bea Benadaret) on her radio show
“My Favorite Husband.”
When
the sleeve easily detaches from the rabbit fur coat, Viv asks Madame
Fifi, “Who did you make this coat
for? Gypsy Rose Lee?” Gypsy
Rose Lee (nee Rose Louise Hovic) was
a vaudeville performer who turned to burlesque, perfecting the art of
the striptease. Her story was memorably told in book form, on stage,
and on screen in the musical Gypsy
(1959). Coincidentally, Fifi D’Orsay’s only Broadway musical
Follies,
was by Stephen Sondheim, who also wrote lyrics for Gypsy.
About
the rabbit fur coat, Vis says “What’s
up, Doc?,”
a line made famous by Bugs Bunny in the Warner Brothers cartoon
shorts. Lucy’s last line of the episode also mentions Bugs
Bunny.
The cartoon character was first created in 1940 and voiced by the
legendary Mel Blanc.Mr.
Meyers will take over for Mr. Mooney while he is away at a banker’s
convention in Bridgeport, a real-life Connecticut city with easy
access to New York by train or automobile.
Although
Lucy doesn’t remember him, Vinnie remembers Lucy from Lake Hiawatha
when he was 17 and she was 14. Lucy’s pet name for Vinnie was
“Drippy.” Vinnie called Lucy “Love Bug.” Chris says
she had a crush on Bobby Edwards when she was 14. Her pet name for
him was “The Fink.”This is Candy Moore’s first appearance at Chris in season 3. She comes home at nine o’clock saying she has been at Cynthia’s typing reports. Cynthia is much talked about but seldom seen. When she appeared on screen in season 1, she was played by Lucie Arnaz.
Lucy
lives at 132 Post Road, Danfield. This fact was previously mentioned in
“Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (S2;E23).
Coming
up from the basement with two umbrellas, Lucy says one belonged to
Audrey Simmons. The character appeared for the last time in “Lucy
Enters a Baking Contest” (S2;E28) but has been mentioned in all
three episodes thus far in season 3. Audrey was played by Mary Jane Croft.
While
talking about the delivery of Lucy’s new fur coat Viv says, “It
came while you were in the twilight zone.” “The Twilight Zone”
was a popular sci-fi anthology series hosted by Rod Serling which
aired on CBS from 1959 to 1964.Callbacks!
Lucy
Ricardo pretends to have amnesia in “Lucy Fakes Illness” (ILL
S1;E16).
A
fur coat has long been seen as a status symbol, and something Lucy
Ricardo was always trying to acquire. This was played out in “The
Fur Coat” (ILL S1;E9). Lucy Carmichael will covet fur again in
“Lucy the Stuntman” (S4;E5).
Lucy
Ricardo and Ethel Mertz spent some time in a fur shop in “Lucy
Changes Her Mind” (ILL S2;E21).Blooper
Alerts!The
living room has been slightly re-arranged to suit the action of the
episode. The dining room chairs have been removed and there is a
hanging flower pot where there formerly was a hanging lamp.
“Lucy Gets Amnesia” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
-
Lucy and the Winter Sports
S3;E3
~ October 5, 1964
Synopsis
Lucy
wants to impress her boyfriend so she embarks on most any sport that
he participates in, even fibbing that she knows how to ski. Mr.
Mooney gives her a few short lessons in her living room, but she is
still too clumsy to master it.Regular
CastLucille
Ball (Lucy Carmichael),Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney)
Jimmy
Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael) and Ralph
Hart (Sherman Bagley) do not appear in this episode.Guest
Cast
Keith
Andes
(Bill King) was born John Charles Andes in Ocean City, New Jersey, in
1920. He appeared opposite Lucille Ball in her only Broadway musical Wildcat
in
1960. Andes previously played Bill King in “Lucy Goes Duck Hunting”
(S2;E6) and played Brad Collins in “Lucy and Joan” (S4;E4)
co-starring Joan Blondell. Andes took his own life in 2005 after
being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Some
sources list this episode as
“Lucy Tries Winter Sports.” In
reality, Lucy tries a lot of sports, but never gets any closer to a
ski slope than her back yard. In fact, the episode is set in fall
and there is no snow or ice anywhere in sight!This
is the first of five episodes written by Ray Singer and Dick
Chevillat. Singer went on to write 15 more episodes with other
writers while Chevillat moved on to write for “Green Acres.”
Both writers also collaborated on “Make Room for Daddy” and “The
Joey Bishop Show.” Singer later wrote for “Here’s Lucy.”
Mr.
Mooney says that in his younger days he was a ski instructor at Lake
Placid. This is the second mention of Lake Placid, an upstate New
York resort community. In “Lucy is a Process Server” (S2;E27)
Viv said she usually spends her summer there
Dressed
in a pink tennis outfit, Viv mistakenly compares Lucy with Patty
Berg. Patricia
Jane Berg
(1918–2006)
was
a professional
golfer
and
a founding member (and leading player) on the LPGA
Tour
during
the 1940s through the 1960s. Her 15 major title wins remains the
all-time record for most wins by a female golfer. She was elected to
the World
Golf Hall of Fame.
Viv
jokes about Lucy breaking her leg to get out of the skiing date.
Lucille Ball was also an avid skier and broke her leg skiing during
the run of “Here’s Lucy.” Rather than cancel the series, she had
her injury written into the scripts!
Lucy
says that while dating Bill King, she has been duck hunting, taken
golf lessons, and is going bowling. The last time Bill King was seen
was in “Lucy Goes Duck Hunting” (S2;E26). He was not, however,
in the episode “Lucy Takes Up Golf” (S2;E17), in which her date
was Gary Stewart (Gary Morton, Ball’s real-life husband).Lucy
lies to Bill and tells him she was captain of her college tennis
team. It was established in “Lucy’s College Reunion” (S2;E11)
that she attended Milroy University, although her level of higher education would vary throughout the series.
In
order to avoid another physically strenuous date, Lucy wonders aloud
to Viv if it is possible for a man in his 40s to be drafted
overnight? From
1940 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men
were drafted
to fill vacancies in the United States Armed Forces. The draft was
ended when the nation moved to an all-volunteer military force.
During
her living room skiing lesson, Lucy
keeps hitting Mr. Mooney with her skis and poles. He says that Willy
Mays would love her batting average. Nicknamed
“The
Say Hey Kid," Willy
Mays
was Major
League Baseball
center
fielder who
spent almost all of his 22-season career playing for the New
York and San Francisco Giants,
before finishing
up with the New
York Mets and ending his career in 1973 with 660 home
runs.
In 1964 his batting average was 33.
Mr.
Mooney’s wife Irma calls him about going with her to see his
mother-in-law. Although Mr. Mooney previously implied he doesn’t
like his mother-in-law, after a short lesson with Lucy, he compares
her to Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Rebecca
of Sunnybrook Farm is
the title of a 1903 children’s
novel by Kate
Douglas Wiggin that
tells the story of Rebecca Randall and her two stern aunts in a
village in Maine.
The story was adapted for the theatrical stage, and was filmed three
times, once with Shirley
Temple in
the title role.
The hallmark of Rebecca’s character was her cheerful optimism in the
face of adversity.
Callbacks!
Lucy
Ricardo went skiing with Ethel Mertz and Fernando Lamas in “Lucy
Goes to Sun Valley,” a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy
Hour.”
In
1971, Lucy gets stuck on a chair lift with Dinah Shore during her
ski vacation in “Someone’s on the Ski Lift with Dinah” on
“Here’s Lucy.”Blooper
Alerts!Not
exactly a blooper, but a lapse in sitcom logic occurs when Bill King
surprises Lucy by visiting while she is skiing in the living room.
Lucy doesn’t want to be caught practicing and tries to hide. Viv and
Lucy try the stairs and the closet, but never think of hiding in the
kitchen, the most obvious and accessible location for a person
wearing skis.
“Lucy and the Winter Sports” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5
-
Lucy and the Plumber
S3;E2 ~ September 28, 1964
Synopsis
When Lucy calls a plumber, he looks remarkably like Jack Benny. When it is discovered that he also is a concert violinist, she is determined to get him on a TV talent show. Unfortunately, Lucy recently appeared on the show with a dog act that wreaked havoc, so she (and the plumber) must go on the show in disguise.
Regular Cast
Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael)
Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael) and Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley) do not appear in this episode.
Guest Cast
Jack Benny (Harry Tuttle) 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. His theme song was “Love in Bloom.” Benny was a Beverly Hills neighbor of Lucille Ball’s and the two were off-screen friends. This is his first of two appearances on “The Lucy Show.” He later appeared on three episodes of “Here’s Lucy” and the two appeared on many TV variety and award shows together. Benny died in 1974.
Tuttle is also Viv’s maiden name, although this ‘coincidence’ is never mentioned in the episode.
Bob Hope (Irving, Plumber’s Helper) was born Lesley Townes Hope in England in 1903. During his extensive career in virtually all forms of media he received five honorary Academy Awards. In 1945 Desi Arnaz was the orchestra leader on Bob Hope’s radio show. He appeared as himself on the season 6 opener of “I Love Lucy.” In return, the “Lucy” cast did a guest spot on a Bob Hope special just three weeks later. In the sketch, Hope wonders what “I Love Lucy” would be had he married Lucille Ball instead of Desi.
The comedy superstars made four films together: Sorrowful Jones (1949), Fancy Pants (1950), The Facts of Life (1960), and Critic’s Choice (1963). Hope died at the age of 100.
Willard Waterman (Greg Gregory) was a versatile voice actor who appeared on hundreds of radio shows in the 1930s and 40s. He is probably best remembered for playing “The Great Gildersleeve” on both radio and TV. The year after this episode aired, he performed at New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He returned to “The Lucy Show” in 1966 for “Lucy the Rain Goddess” (S4;E15).
The character is never referred to by name in the episode.
Tom G. Linder (Mr. Krause) was Beauty the dog’s trainer. This is his only screen credit.
After 59 episodes, this is the first one in which Vivian Vance does not appear. She was unhappy having to constantly commute to the West Coast and was given additional weeks off during the season so she wouldn’t have to make the trip as often.
The day this episode first aired Harpo (nee Adolph) Marx died at age 75. Lucy appeared with Harpo in the 1938 film Room Service. He guest starred as himself on the now classic episode of “I Love Lucy” titled “Lucy and Harpo Marx” (ILL S4;E28).
This is the first of many episodes written by Milt Josefsberg and Bob O’Brien. Josefsberg was hired at the start of season 3 as the show’s script supervisor. He was a writer for “The Jack Benny Show” which accounts for Benny’s guest appearance in this episode and Josefsberg’s authorship. Both writers would also contribute to “Here’s Lucy.” The hallmark of their writing is witty wordplay.
In return for Benny appearing on “The Lucy Show” Lucille Ball made a guest appearance on “The Jack Benny Program” on October 2, 1964. Lucy played the jealous wife of Paul Revere (Benny).
The name of the TV program Lucy appears on is “The Talent Discoverer’s Show.” From the products stacked around the host’s desk, it appears that the show is sponsored by Kiddie Cookies, baked beans, and varnish!
Lucy’s first discovery was made in Mr. Krause’s butcher shop when she saw his German Shepard Beauty “howl like the Beatles” when Mr. Krause played the harmonica. Lucy and Viv visited a butcher shop in “Together for Christmas” (S1;E13). In that episode the butcher’s name was Ernie and he was played by Joe Mell. 1964 was a groundbreaking year for The Beatles, who made their first appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” released seven singles that made the charts, and made the film A Hard Days Night.
Beauty is just another of many dogs to appear on “The Lucy Show.” The very first episode featured Tiger, Harry Conners’ dog. Amy Schaeffer’s dog Alvin and a dozen other mutts were in “Lucy and Viv Learn Judo” (S1;E22). More recently, Mr. Mooney’s sheep dog Nelson (and several off-screen pooches) played a part in “Lucy is Her Own Lawyer” (S2;E23).
Lucy’s last experience with a plumber was when “Lucy and Viv Put in a Shower” (S1;E18). His name was Joe Melvin and he was played by Stafford Repp.
Naturally, where there are water faucets, Lucy will not be able to control them. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Mooney ends up all wet!
Lucy’s line “Today to get a plumber you need a banker” gets a round of applause from the studio audience. Mr. Tuttle charges Lucy $6 for the house call, but $12 for the plunger that is stuck to her kitchen floor. That would be the equivalent of $140 in today’s economy.
Harry Tuttle says he gets thrown out when he applies for a driver’s license because he’s really 39. Throughout his later career, Jack Benny made a running gag of never admitting to being older than 39.
Mr. Tuttle says he once grew a mustache so not to look like Jack Benny, but he ended up looking like Hitler, which (he says) was better than looking like Benny. Lucy says Harry should try a beard, like Skitch Henderson or Mitch Miller. Lyle Russel “Skitch” Henderson (1918–2005) was a pianist, conductor, and composer. He was bandleader for “The Tonight Show” from 1962 to 1966 during which time Jack Benny made multiple appearances. Mitchell William “Mitch” Miller (1911–2010), oboist, conductor, recording producer and recording industry executive was one of the most influential people in American music during the 1950s and early 1960s. He was previously mentioned on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy Puts Up an Antenna” (S1;E9).
On “The Talent Discoverer’s Show” Harry Tuttle plays an arrangement of Donizetti. Earlier in the episode, classical composers Beethoven, Bach and Brahms were also mentioned.
One of the sponsors of “The Talent Discoverer’s Show” is Kiddie Cookies. The boxes were actually left over props from “Lucy Wants a Career” (1959) on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” where they were known as Wakey Flakes cereal. As Kiddie Cookies, the boxes would turn up many times, especially in episodes set at a supermarket.
At the end of the episode, Lucy is on the telephone with Audrey Simmons. The character was seen on screen for the last time in “Lucy Enters a Baking Contest” (S2;E28). In “Lucy and the Good Skate” (S3;E1) Viv also had a phone conversation with Audrey.
Callbacks!
So that the host won’t recognize her from her first disastrous appearance, Lucy passes herself off as a dark-haired Italian named Lucrecia Carmucci. Lucy Ricardo disguised herself as a dark-haired Italian in “The Black Wig” (ILL S3;E26).
When the host nearly recognizes Lucy disguised as Lucia, she says “You Americanos! All-a the time you give-a the girls the same line ‘Have-a we met before someplace?’” In “The Black Wig” (ILL S3;E26) Lucy Ricardo says “Haven’t I seen you someplace before?” and Ricky responds “It’s possible. I’ve been someplace before.” Always the same line, indeed!
This is the second time a “Lucy” show has made a Hitler joke. The first was a visual gag in “Ricky’s Movie Offer” (ILL S4;E5) when Ethel jokingly puts a comb under an unconscious talent scout’s nose to give him a Hitler-style mustache.
Blooper Alerts!
When Harry Tuttle enters the kitchen for the first time, he closes the door behind him but it swings open again.
The configuration of Lucy’s new kitchen has changed since the remodeling in “Lucy Decides to Redecorate” (S2;E8). The cook top range is now against the shuttered hatch instead of on an island where the sink now seems to be. Also, in this episode the modern taps have been replaced by the old fashioned hot and cold water faucets in order to facilitate the gag that turning on one, opens the spout of the other and vice versa.
“Lucy and the Plumber” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
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