Trees of the Lucyverse!

“I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.” ~ Joyce Kilmer

(Everything Except Christmas Trees.)

“The Marriage License” (1952) ~ To correct an error on their original marriage license, Lucy and Ricky travel to Greenwhich, Connecticut to renew their vows. While there, Lucy makes Ricky renact his proposal at the tree bench where it first happened.  

LUCY: “Gee. I don’t remember this seat being so small, do you? I guess the tree grew in a little from each side.” 

RICKY: “Let’s face it, we’ve grown out a little from each side!”

“The Camping Trip” (1953) ~ Lucy wants to do everything Ricky does – including going on a camping trip to go fishing and duck hunting. To make sure she bests Ricky in hunting and fishing, Ethel tags along out of sight, hiding up a tree to make sure Lucy is a sure shot!  

LUCY: “These look like pretty good duck trees to me.”

RICKY: “This might come as a surprise to you, Lucy, but you find ducks on the water, not up in the trees.”

Later, Ricky spies Ethel in the branches. 

RICKY: “Ethel, you get out of that tree!”

“Lucy’s Last Birthday” (1952) ~ When the Friends of the Friendless marches through the park, a low-hanging tree branch snags Barbara Pepper’s hat knocking it to the ground. Pepper continues the scene hatless and (for consistency) also appears hatless in the next scene inside the Tropicana. 

“Lucy Writes a Play” (1952) ~ The title of Lucy’s first script is “A Tree Grows in Havana”, a pun on “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” a book and a film in the mid-40’s. There was even a Broadway musical of the same title starring Shirley Booth that closed two weeks before the episode filmed.

“Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (1952) ~ Ricky demonstrates his English skills by reading aloud from a children’s book. 

RICKY: “He spent his time in the forest cutting down booges from the trees.”

LUCY: “Wait a minute. Wait  just a minute. What is this booges?“

RICKY: (points to text)“Booges, right in there.”

LUCY:“That’s boughs.”

RICKY: “B-O-U-G-H is bough?”

LUCY: “Right.”

RICKY: “Bough.”

“Lucy is Enceinte” (1952) 

“We’re having a baby, my baby and me.

You’ll read it in Winchell’s

That we’re adding a limb to our family tree!”

“First Stop” (1955) ~ On the way to Hollywood, the gang has no choice but to stay at the run-down One Oak Cabins.  

• In “Lucy and the Stolen Stole” (1964), con-man Harry Barton (Buddy Hackett) lives on Old Oak Drive in San Fernando. 
• In Danfield, Hoffstedder’s Drugstore is located on Oak Street.
• When “Lucy is a Process Server” (1964), she is hired by a new employment agency located on Oak Street.

“Ethel’s Hometown” (1955) ~ To upstage Ethel on her ego trip homecoming, Fred performs an old vaudeville routine involving a rapidly growing tree! 

“The Tour” (1955) ~ Lucy scales a wall of the Richard Widmark estate to pick a souvenir grapefruit from his tree – then gets caught on the other side. 

“LIttle Ricky’s School Pageant” (1956) ~ Big Ricky’s role in “The Enchanted Forest” is to play a Hollow Tree.  

RICKY: “The only father in the whole school that is in show business, and they want me to play a hollow tree.”

LITTLE RICKY: “Why don’t you want to be a tree?”

RICKY: “Oh. Well, I’m a performer. I’ve been in show business since I was a…”

LITTLE RICKY: “I think you should be a tree. It’s more fun to cooperate than to be the center of attention.”

RICKY: “You’re absolutely right. I’ll be a tree.”

LITTLE RICKY: “Oh, boy! Daddy’s gonna be a tree! Daddy’s gonna be a tree!”

“The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue” (1957) ~ While seraching for Fred the dog, Lucy decapitates the statue by not looking in the rear view mirror!

LUCY: “I jumped in the car and forgot all about the trailer and backed right into that elm tree.”

Danfield’s Elm Tree Inn was mentioned in several episodes of “The Lucy Show”: “Chris’s New Year’s Eve Party” (1962),  “Lucy Teaches Ethel Merman to Sing” (1964), and “Viv Moves Out” (1964).  

• In “Lucy and Bob Crane” (1966), Crane says he owns a home on 993 Elm in Beverly Hills.  
• In Danfield, Mr. Mooney’s home is located at 429 Elm Street.

Rescuing Grandma Sutton’s cat from up a tree is the first call of the Danfield Volunteer Women’s Fire Brigade in “Lucy and Viv Are Volunteer Firemen” (1963). The incident is mentioned again in “Lucy Drives A Dump Truck” (1963). 

“Chris Goes Steady” (1964) ~ Lucy Carmichael and Mr. Mooney are stranded in a Jerry and Sherman’s tree house hoping to catch their kids eloping. They didn’t count on a snowstorm while they waited.     

“Lucy the Rain Goddess” (1966) ~ At a dude ranch, Lucy and Viv listen to a guide Tex Critter (Willard Waterman) explain the local foliage. 

TEX: “Now… this is a Joshua tree, and there’s a real romantic story behind it. You know all about the birds and the bees. Well, this is a love triangle between two Joshua trees and a little bee called the Joshua Tree Bee. See, the Joshua trees depend on this little bee to carry the pollen from one to the other. You know, it makes me feel poetic. Where would the Joshua tree be without the Joshua Tree Bee?”

“Lucy and Curtis Are Up A Tree” (1986) ~ In this unaired episode of “Life With Lucy,” Curtis is building a tree house for Kevin. When Kevin overhears his grandparents are planning to move out, he removes the ladder to the tree house stranding them in a rain storm.

The Arnaz-Morton family poses between the boughs of a tree (1965).

A plaque has been placed at the base of two tall palm trees where The Long, Long Trailer was filmed in 1954. A resort is now on the site where the trailer park was located in the film. 

Sequels, Spinoffs, and Reboots We Never Saw – But Wish We Had!

Ads and listings from a Papermoon Loves Lucy fantasy issue of TV Guide!

“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” ~ Before Andy Cohen there was Don Loper – TV’s first gay man with a doting bevy of housewives at his command. At press time, Mrs. Alan Ladd was replaced by Mrs. Ricky Ricardo. In the premiere, Loper stages a benefit for Share and Mrs. Ricardo gets a sunburn. Sponsored by Unguentine. 

“American Picker” ~ In this episode, Dan picks over some old furniture at a run-down brownstone in New York City. Mid-century modern is Jenkins’ specialty and tonight he strikes gold.

“Hot Bench” ~ Today: “The Case of the Damaged Television & Fractured Friendship”. Judge Moroni Olsen and Bailiff Bobby serve justice at 4 ET / 3 CT. 

“Desi’s Desert Island Discs” ~ Premiere!  Desi’s first guest is Ricky Ricardo. Viewers are treated to excerpts from his top ten. Special appearance by Lucy Ricardo singing “Sally Sweet”. 

“Bent Fork R.F.D.” ~ This week the Sheriff (Will Wright) arrests a Pontiac full of Yankees headed for Hollywood. Guest star Ernie Ford tries to pawn off Teensy and Weensy (the Borden Sisters) on the westbound travelers, but they get all tied up. 

“My Big Fat Fabulous Life” ~ Premiere!  In this musical docuseries, Teensy and Weensy are profiled at their mobiel home in Tennessee. It’s a “Ricochet Romance” when the girls become obsessed with the Bent Fork BBQ Buffet – and it goes bankrupt. 

“The Walking Fred” ~ Fred turns into a walker after losing $500 to Al Hergesheimer (Milton Berle), an undead used car salesman from Brooklyn. Sponsored by Pontiac. 

“Hoarding: Buried Alive” ~ In the season premiere: a woman is buried alive by two sides of beef; two urban couples are presumed lost in a collection of cardboard boxes; and old newspapers take over the lives of several desperate homeonwers. 

“Lucy’s Neighborhood” ~ Beppe de Vries stars in this all-new spin-off to “East 68th Street”.  In this episode, Mrs. de Vries sees a wacky neighbor on the ledge and goes to great lengths to get her psychiatric help. Guest star Joseph Kearns as Doctor Toim Robinson. 

“Freddie Filmore’s Drag Race: Females are Fabulous!” ~ Season 15 of the long-running show welcomes Carson Kresley and Michelle Visage in their first appearances since “Rupaul’s Drage Race Season 87″. This year’s guest judges include Phil Spitalny, Countess Blublitzki, and Fredrika. 

“Trailer Park” ~ Lucy and Ethel move into a trailer park outside West Jamestown. There they keep an eye on the comings and goings of the flirty Flamingo Sisters (Gloria and Joan Blondell). Tonight: Mrs. Trumbull’s cat gets sick from an out-of-date can of All Pet.  

“Ugly Betty Loves Wreck-It Ralph” ~ In this all-new teaming of two popular CBS sitcoms, the Ramseys (Mary Jane Croft and Frank Nelson) find a litter of kittens hidden in the chicken coop. Meanwhile, Little Bruce (Ray Ferrell) discovers hundreds of baby chickens in the litter box. 

“Night of the Living Fred” ~ A television adaptation of the popular zombie film. In the new series, a landlord / zombie (Fred Mertz) eats the tenants of his New York City brownstone, until he is unmasked by Sergeant Nelson (Frank Nelson). 

“I Spy: The O’Briens” ~ Hayden Rorke and K.T. Stevens play international spies masquerading as actors playing international spies on a television series about actors playing international spies. Tonight: Tom breaks a lamp and neighbor Lucy (Lucille Ball) impersonates a chair.

“Big Brother: The Twins Twist” ~ This season welcomes Teensy and Weensy, Timmy and Jimmy Hudson, the Harpo Twins, and special guests Patty and Cathy Lane – all competing to be the last houseguests in the brownstone. Julie Chen Moonves McGillicuddy hosts. 

“Jamestown” ~ From the producers of “Downton Abbey,” this dramatic series follows courageous performers who leave their dark pasts behind in England for a new life in 17th-century America. Tallulah Bankhead plays Elizabeth, the Quinn of Jamestown. Friar Quinn is played by William Frawley. Tonight’s episode “The Quinn’s Lament” was written by Quinn and Madelyn Martin. 

“The Taylors in 3D” ~ The first spinoff from Desilu’s impossibly successful “I Love Lucy” starring Gene Reynolds and Mary Ellen Kay as young newlyweds who move into a Manhattan brownstone haunted by hilarious ghosts. Elizabeth Patterson plays Matilda, the new landlady and part-time medium, Reya. 

“The Carmichael Show” ~ In this reboot of “The Lucy Show”, Viv and Sherman have moved out, leaving the Carmichaels to make it on their own. In the pilot episode, Lucy cancels plans to move to Los Angeles and Jerry’s Military School rejects his application. Chris becomes a waitress to pay the tuition. 

Based on the hit series, “Iron Man Carmichael”, this all new TV movie marks the return of fearless stunt performer and housewife Lucy Carmichael as she takes on the Marvel Multiverse. 

In the tradition of “Fosse Verdon” FX brings us “Lucy Desi”. Follow the tumultuous romance and career of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as they climb the ladder of showbusiness success.  

“Feud: Lucy and Joan” ~ A docudrama television series created by Ryan Murphy in the footsteps of “Bette and Joan”.  Based on the legendary real-life feud between Lucille Ball and Joan Crawford. 8 episodes of nail-biting drama and shouting. 

Allegorical Cats, Metaphorical Cats, & Mrs. Trumbical’s Cat

Although often talked about, house cats were rarely seen on screen. Practically speaking, cats are harder to train than dogs, making their appearances unpredictable and possibly costly and time-consuming. Despite this, there were some cats in the Lucyverse!

HISTORICAL CATS

In November 1943, Lucille Ball appeared on the cover of Movie Show Magazine holding a basket of kittens! Note that her dog is lurking in the background!

“Liz’s Superstitions” (1949) ~ In this episode of Lucille Ball’s radio series “My Favorite Husband”, Liz (Lucille Ball) is obsessed with superstitions. 

LIZ: “If you walk under a ladder it might fall on you. If a black cat walks in front of you, you might trip over it.”

In the usual closing bedroom tag, Liz and George (Richard Denning) are sleeping when a neighborhood cat screeches.

GEORGE: “What’s that?” 

LIZ: “Well, it ain’t Bing Crosby.”

Liz tells George to do something about the cat, but he doesn’t know how. Liz solves the problem by throwing something at it.

GEORGE: “What did you throw at him?” 

LIZ: “Our cat!  Goodnight, George!”

Lucille Ball was an animal lover. She had both cats and dogs, although the dogs seemed to get more press. 

It is established that Mrs. Trumbull (Elizabeth Patterson), who lives in the same building with the Ricardos and Mertzes, has a pet cat – although the animalis never given a name. The cat was most famously mentioned in “The Business Manager” (1954) when Mrs. Trumbull asks Lucy to pick up a can of cat food at the market. A can of All Pet is interpreted by Ricky to be a stock named Canadian Allied Petroleum. Is Lucy shopping at the corner market or the stock market?!  Interestingly, although the building has a no pets policy we learn about when Little Ricky gets a dog, Mrs. Trumbull’s cat seems exempt from the rule. 

“Ricky Minds the Baby” (1954) ~ When Ricky is supposed to be watching the baby, Lucy thinks every sound is Little Ricky crying out for her. 

LUCY: “I heard a cry.”

ETHEL: “Oh, wait a minute. That was Mrs. Trumbull’s cat.”

LUCY: “Are you sure?”

ETHEL: “I am, unless Little Ricky’s sitting on the windowsill going meow.”

Elizabeth Patterson, the actress who played Mrs. Trumbull had starred in the feline films The Cat Creeps (1930) and The Cat and the Canary (1939). 

“The Handcuffs” (1952) ~ While Ricky takes a cat nap on the sofa, Lucy sneaks in and handcuffs them together! To rouse Ricky from his sleep, she runs her fingers across his lips. Half asleep, Ricky looks around saying “Here kitty, kitty, kitty”. Is he having a dream or are stray cats allowed to wander around the Ricardo apartment? 

“Lucy Does the Tango” (1957) ~ In Connecticut, Bruce Ramsey tells Little Ricky about his cats.

LITTLE RICKY: “We’re going to have to get rid of all our chickens. They don’t lay enough eggs so my daddy says they got to go.”

BRUCE: “That’s what mine said when our cat had kittens.”

LITTLE RICKY: “Did he give the kittens away?”

BRUCE: “He couldn’t.”

LITTLE RICKY: “How come?”

BRUCE: “Because I hid the kittens so he couldn’t find them.”

On “The Lucy Show,” the Danfield Volunteer Women’s Fire Brigade brags that they have rescued 43 cats; 12 of them of the same cat. This was likely Grandma Sutton’s cat, a reference that has been made several times throughout the series and the reason for the Fire Department’s first alarm. Viv says that there was once a rumor that Grandma Sutton had run off with a 22 year-old cat food salesman! Like the cat, Grandma Sutton never appears on screen. 

METAPHORICAL CATS

“Nursery School” (1955) ~ Lucy is mad that Ethel let the cat out of the bag about her plan to enroll Little Ricky, but not actually send him to Nursery School. 

RICKY (to Ethel): “I wouldn’t know anything around here if you didn’t come up once in a while and spill the beans out of the cat bag.”

LUCY: “It’s not ‘spill the beans out of the cat bag’. It’s ‘spill the beans’ or ‘let the cat out of the bag’.”

Letting the cat out of the bag is a colloquialism meaning to reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake. 

The expression is used again in “Don Juan is Shelved” (1955). When Fred reads in Variety that Ricky’s picture has been canceled, she tells him not to mention it to Ricky.

LUCY: “Whatever you do, don’t let the cat out of the bag.”

But very quickly, Lucy blurts out the news.

FRED: “That cat wasn’t let out of the bag. It was yanked out.”

“The Operetta” (1952) ~ Part of Camille’s incantation in song includes:  

“I took the wing of an owl! And the eye of a yak! The lost brown tooth of an alley cat!”

The chorus keeps chiming in to cover Lucy’s off-key singing. 

“Lucy Is Jealous of Girl Singer” (1952) ~ “What Cuban bandleader with the initials R.R. is making cat’s eyes at his dancing mouse?” The episode also describes Ricky’s suspected infidelity as playing “cat and mouse”.  Webster’s defines the expression as ‘to engage in behavior that is like the way a cat chases a mouse or plays with a mouse before killing it.’

“New Neighbors” (1952) ~ The girls use binoculars to get a glimpse of the new neighbors moving in. 

RICKY: “Curiosity killed the cat, eh, Fred?”

FRED: “Yeah, but we’ll never get a break like that.”

“Curiosity killed the cat” is a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. It also implies that being curious can sometimes lead to danger or misfortune.

“Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (1953) ~ Ethel borrows Lucy’s cloche for a 1920s number.

ETHEL: “Ain’t I the cat’s pajamas?”

In the 1920s, pajamas were just coming into fashion as women’s apparel, though still slightly risqué. The term ‘cat’ also was coming into use by the flapper set as a slang word for a cool person. Thus, ‘the cat’s pajamas’ became a way to say that someone was cool, great, special, the best.

The episode features Jitterbug expert Arthur ‘King Cat’ Walsh.  

“Little Ricky Gets Stage Fright” (1956) ~ When Little Ricky is going to perform on stage for the first time, the adults are more nervous than he is!  

ETHEL: “Oh, I’m as nervous as a cat. I was so nervous, I couldn’t eat my breakfast.”

FRED: “And, believe me, for Ethel, that’s nervous.”

This expression alludes to the skittishness and anxious behavior of cats.

“The French Revue” (1953) ~ Lucy and Ethel get free French lessons from a waiter. 

DUBOIS: “Cat?”

LUCY: “Cat. Oh, cat, cat, yes.”

DUBOIS: “Le chat.”

LUCY: “Le chat.” 

“Ragtime Band” (1957) ~ Fred plays the violin for the PTA show, but the last time he played it was three chins ago at a Roosevelt Rally (Teddy, not Franklin)! Ethel compares his playing to the screeching of a dying cat! 

ETHEL: “Oh, Fred, Fred! That cat sounded better when it was alive.”

FRED: “Never mind the wisecracks.”

ACTUAL CATS

“Lucy the Fixer” (1969) ~ When the wall of Harry’s living room is torn open to repair a light bulb (!) he finds a stray kitten behind the plaster.  

Lucy asks it “What’s new pussycat?” which was the title of a 1965 film by Woody Allen and an Oscar-nominated song of the same name by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The punchline was also used in “Lucy Meets Mickey Rooney” (1966). 

On “Here’s Lucy,” Kim (Lucie Arnaz) had a cat she named Harry after her Uncle. Lucy cat-sits with Harry while Kim is busy. 

CERAMICAL CATS

“Lucy and the Ceramic Cat” (1965) ~ When Lucy and Viv are entrusted with Mrs. Mooney’s elegantly wrapped birthday gift, they naturally drop it – shattering it to pieces. They finally figure out what it was – a ceramic cat – and must try to replace it. 

A silmilar cat in yellow turns up as set decoration in “Lucy and the French Movie Star” (1967). This one remains safely on the shelf. 

Although Kim’s cat Harry never reappears, there are several ceramic cats in her new apartment.  The crazy cat with the long neck was first glimpsed in Flip Wilson’s office in “Lucy and Flip Go Legit” (1971). 

DRAMATICAL KITTYS

Lucille Ball played Kitty Winslow, a dance instructor who inherits a prize fighter in “K.O. Kitty”, a 1959 episode of “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse,” Ball’s first dramatic outing without Desi. 

Lucille Ball also played characters named Kitty in Follow the Fleet, The Facts of Life, and Without Love. 

“Meanwhile Back at the Office” (1974) ~ Mrs. Skyler’s Kitty Cat was brought up on milk. Kitty Cat was played by Neil the Lion. But that’s another blog. 

Lucy’s Encounters with the Criminal Underworld ~ Part 3

Lucycoms introduced crime stories to keep plotlines exciting and contemporary. Here’s a look at the thieves, burglars, robbers, murderers, prowlers, second-story men, mobsters, forgers, counterfeitters, and con artists in the Lucyverse!

“Lucy’s Impossible Mission” (1968) ~ In this parody of “Mission: Impossible” (a Desilu / Paramount production), Lucy Carter fights international espionage in the persons of Mulhill Omar (Tim Herbert) and  Ambassador Korlik of the Slobtoni Embassy (Joseph Ruskin). 

“Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1968) ~ It’s Van Johnson!  Or is it?  Lucy loans the film star money to fix his car – but the man turns out to be a con-man posing as Johnson. 

“Lucy and the Ex-Con” (1969) ~ The Unique Employment Agency sends Rocky (Wally Cox), a reformed safe cracker, on an assignment as a janitor. When the place is robbed, Rocky is the number one suspect. Disguised as old ladies, Lucy and Rocky go undercover to catch the real crook…     

…Doc Morgan (Bruce Gordon). Morgan is nicknamed Doc because he uses a stethoscope when safe cracking. Bruce Gordon had played mobster Frank Nitti on Desilu’s “The Untouchables” (1959-63). 

“Lucy and the Great Airport Chase” (1969) ~ Filmed on location at Los Angeles International Airport, Lucy and Harry elude dangerous spies Enemy Agent Yang (Larry Duran) and Enemy Agent Kurt (Sid Haig). 

“A Date for Lucy” (1969) ~ Caesar Romero plays jewel thief Tony Rivera, Lucy’s date for a soiree at which he plans to steal the gems of a wealthy dowager. After Rivera is knocked out cold, Lady Warren (Barbara Morrison) discovers she’s been robbed. When Lucy tells her who it was, she can’t believe it. 

“He’s so charming! He’s so handsome!  He looks just like Cesar Romero!”

“Lucy Gets Her Man” (1969) ~ Harry’s old Army buddy is working in Counter-Intelligence and needs a stenographer to help get the goods on suspected spy Arthur Vermillion (Victor Buono). Naturally, Lucy gets the assignment. Isabel (Mary Wickes) calls Harry Jack the Ripper, comparing him to the famous London serial killer.

Lucille Ball and Victor Buono were both featured in “Like Hep!”, a Dinah Shore special that aired a few months after this episode. In it, Ball did a variety of sketches, including one set in a speakeasy with Buono as a mob boss. On television, Buono is probably best remembered for playing King Tut, one of the arch villains on “Batman” (1966-68). 

“Lucy’s Burglar Alarm” (1969) ~ When Lucy and the kids are robbed and Harry refuses to fund a $500 burglar alarm, Craig comes up with an elaborate home alarm system. Guy Marks plays the well-dressed crook. 

“Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana” (1970) ~ On a sightseeing trip to Mexico, Harry is convinced by shopkeeper / smuggler Pedro (Don Diamond) to transport a stuffed animal over the border, claiming it is for his 3 year-old niece living in Los Angeles. Stopped at the border, they discover it actually contains contraband. 

“Lucy and Wally Cox” (1970) ~ Lucy and Wally are assigned to be security guards at a warehouse, where they encounter armed robbers Lefty Logan (X Brands) and Baby Face Johnson (Gil Perkins). 

“Lucy and Ma Parker” (1970) ~ When a woman and two children mysteriously move in next door, Lucy discovers that they’re a band of criminals led by Ma Parker (Carole Cook). Her cohorts are little people dressed as archetypal children: Herman Golub (Billy Curtis) is dressed as Buster Brown, and Milton / Mildred (Jerry Maren) is dressed as Shirley Temple. 

Lucy is recruited to impersonate Ma Parker and help nab dangerous Chicago mobsters Muggsy (Boyd ‘Red’ Morgan) and Joe Grapefruit (Marc Lawrence).     

The title character is a parody of Kate ‘Ma’ Barker (inset), the mother of several criminals who ran the Barker gang in the 1930s. She traveled with her sons during their criminal careers.  

“Lucy and Harry’s Italian Bombshell” (1971) ~ When Lucy and Kim sleep at the office, they encounter a burglar (Herbie Faye). Instead of robbing them, the he actually gives Kim and Lucy five dollars!  

“Lucy and Mannix are Held Hostage” (1971) ~ Mannix (Mike Connors) and Lucy are taken hostage by Vernon (John Doucette) and Ruby (Marc Lawrence). 

“Lucy and the Candid Camera” (1971) ~ Allen Funt, host of TV’s “Candid Camera”, plays himself and his con-man doppelganger. 

As the con-man, he convinces the Carters to rob a fur salon, then a bank – all under the impression they are pranks for the TV show. 

“Lucy and the Little Old Lady” (1971) ~ When Mrs. Brady, a kindly widow from out of town (Helen Hayes), comes to the Unique Employment Agency looking for a part-time job, Kim becomes suspicious that she may be running a con game so they plan to hold a fake séance to expose her. The character Hayes plays here capitalizes on her Oscar-winning role of Ada Quonsett in Airport (1970), a sweet little old lady who cons the airlines and stows away to get free air travel. On “Here’s Lucy” the plot relies on the premise that Mrs. Brady could be a con artist.  

“Lucy and the Reckless Wheelchair Driver” (1972) ~ Hickey, a show business agent (Jesse White), tries to sue Lucy for hitting his client with her wheelchair. Lucy and Harry think the young man is faking and that the agent is a con artist.  

“Dirty Gertie” (1972) ~ In this story based on A Pocketful of Miracles, Lucy is mistaken for an apple peddler who just happens to be the good luck charm of Rocky (Bruce Gordon), a mob boss. The police recruit Lucy to help capture the mobster in his own nightclub. Johnny Silver plays Benny, one of Rocky’s mob. 

Other mobsters include ‘Moose’ Murdock (John Harmon) and ‘Numbers’ Smith (Ed Hall). 

“My Fair Buzzi” (1972) ~ Kim’s shy and awkward friend Annie Whipple (Ruth Buzzi) comes out of her shell in order to audition for a 1920s revue in which Harry plays a mobster named ‘Big Jake’. 

“Lucy Goes To Prison” (1973) ~ Lucy goes undercover as a convict to get information out of bank robber Mumsie Westcott (Elsa Lanchester).

“Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers” (1973) ~ Lucy forms a neighborhood watch group and starts seeing criminals where there are none. After several false alarms to the local police, a real burglar (Gino Conforti) actually shows up!  

“Lucy the Sheriff” (1974) ~ Lucy finds out that her grandmother was the first woman sheriff of a Montana town that is celebrating its centennial. She is asked to play her grandmother at the celebrations, which include the recreation of a bank robbery. Lucy is enjoying playing lawmaker until Jake (Cliff Osmond) and Rusty (John Craig), a couple of genuine robbers, interrupt the celebration and take her hostage!  

Lucy’s Encounters with the Criminal Underworld ~ Part 2

Lucycoms introduced suburban crime to keep storylines interesting and contemporary. Here’s a look at the thieves, burglars, robbers, murderers, prowlers, second-story men, mobsters, forgers, counterfeitters, and con artists in the Lucyverse!

“The Bob Hope Show” (1962) ~ Lucille Ball plays the District Attorney and Bob Hope is a gangster named Bugsy. A spray of gunfire comes through the window, narrowly missing Lucy’s head. Lucy remarks “Just what I wanted, a Jackie Kennedy hairdo.” Considering the tragic assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, the lines could never be re-aired.

“Lucy and Viv Learn Judo” (1963) ~ When a rash of burglaries in the neighborhood makes Lucy and Viv feel unsafe, they learn judo for self-protection. Martial arts became a popular spectator sport during the twentieth century. This included televised martial arts tournaments and even Westernized versions of Asian martial arts. This also marked the beginning of women participating in martial arts, although participation in martial arts.

“Lucy and the Safe Cracker” (1963) ~ Lucy accidentally locks Mr. Mooney back in the bank vault. To help break him out, Lucy recruits Mr. Bundy (Jay Novello), a reformed safe-cracker, now a candy store owner. 

Opening the vault rekindles Mr. Bundy’s criminal desires so he grabs a bag of loot and takes Lucy and Viv hostage at his candy shop.  

“Lucy and the Bank Scandal” (1963) ~ Lucy suspects Mr. Mooney may be embezzling from the bank, so she digs up his back yard to find the money. Naturally, Mr. Mooney is innocent and Lucy has accidentally punctured his new oil tank. 

“Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery” (1964) ~ Lucy rents out Viv’s room to two gentlemen visiting for the World’s Fair. They turn out to be bank robbers who stash their loot in Viv’s mattress. Lloyd Corrigan (as Gordon Bentley) and John Williams (as Carter Harrison) play genteel bandits who quote Shakespeare. Harrison says he wants to stop robbing banks and rob art galleries instead:“Imagine pilfering a Picasso.”  The two boarders also wonder about robbing drive-in banks: “Just toot for the loot and scoot.”

When she discovers the loot in Viv’s mattress, 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.”  

“Lucy Takes a Job at the Bank” (1964) ~ When Lucy’s gossip leads all of Danfield to think there’s a run on the bank, Lucy and Viv stage a robbery to scare off account-holders and save the bank – and her new job.   

“Lucy Makes a Pinch” (1964) ~ Recruited to be part of a police stake-out, Lucy goes undercover to help appprehend Green Scarf Louie (John Harmon).

“Lucy the Gun Moll” (1966) ~ Lucy Carmichael takes the place of  Rusty Martin, girlfriend of gangster Big Nick (Bruce Gordon) in this satire on Desilu’s crime series “The Untouchables”. 

“Lucy and John Wayne” (1966) ~ Lucy is on the set for the filming of John Wayne’s latest western, in which he faces off with gunslinger Pierce (Morgan Woodward). In westerns, the villain was generally dressed in black, including a black cowboy hat. 

“Lucy Puts Main Street on the Map” (1966) ~ Trying to think of a way to help bring the town of Bancroft’s story to the rest of America, Lucy and the town fathers stage a gun battle to get national news coverage. Lucy takes the role of criminal mastermind “Carrot Top Carmichael”. 

“Lucy Meets the Law” (1966) ~ Lucy thinks she’s being arrested for littering when she is actually being mistaken for a red-haired jewel thief.  

Lucy is tossed in a cell with Hard Head Hogan (Iris Adrian), a bouncer in a beer hall in jail for assault and battery.

“Lucy and Art Linkletter” (1966) ~ Lucy is plucked from the audience of “The Art Linkletter Show” to perform a stunt: stay silent for 24 hours to win $200. To test her, Linkletter sends her a variety of distractions her way, including an armed one-armed fugitive (Jack Searl). The man bursts into Lucy’s apartment waving a gun saying that a guy has been chasing him for three years. This is a reference to the hit ABC series “The Fugitive” (1963-67) on which David Janssen was on the trail of a one-armed man who killed his wife.  

“Lucy Meets Sheldon Leonard” (1967) ~ Lucy is unaware that Mr. Mooney has given director Sheldon Leonard permission to film a bank robbery in the lobby, so Lucy and Mary Jane (not recognizing Leonard) are determined to foil the robbery. 

“Lucy and the Stolen Stole” (1968) ~ Lucy gets embroiled in the schemes of Harry Barton (Buddy Hackett) a con-man dating a girlfriend of Mary Jane’s. 

Mr. Mooney says they’ve been in more jails than Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie Parker (1910–34) and Clyde Barrow (1909–34) were criminals who traveled with their gang during the Great Depression, robbing people and killing when cornered or confronted. A popular film about their lives was released in August 1967, winning two Academy Awards.

“Lucy and the Lost Star” (1968) ~ Lucy thinks Joan Crawford is down on her luck, so she stages a 1920s musical for her to star in. Set in a speakeasy during Prohibition, Mr. Mooney plays a mobster named ‘Scarface’. Lucy is his gun moll Rusty. 

“Lucy and Sid Caesar” (1968) ~ Frankie the Forger, who looks like Sid Caesar, is passing bad checks at the bank. Lucy and Mr. Mooney try to tell the real Sid Caesar from the forger.  

STAY TUNED FOR PART 3

Lucy’s Encounters with the Criminal Underworld ~ Part 1

To add drama and an element of danger to her sitcoms, Lucy would often encounter burglars, thieves, robbers, and other criminals.  Here’s a look at some of those on the ‘other side of the law’ in early Lucycoms. 

“The Burglar” (1947) ~ Lucille Ball guest stars on the radio show “The Smiths of Hollywood” starring Arthur Treacher and Brenda Marshall. At Lucille Ball’s home, a burglar and a concerned neighbor break in!  

BILL: “By the time he finishes off that Scotch, you’ll wish the real burglar had gotten in!” 

BURGLAR: “I am in.” 

LUCY (screams): “They’re coming through the woodwork!”

“The Fur Coat” (1951) ~ To get an expensive fur back from Lucy, Ricky enlists Fred to paly a burglar to steal it back. Naturally a real burglar (Ben Weldon) shows up on the same night! 

“New Neighbors” (1952) ~ Lucy believes the actors who move into the building are actually dangerous spies intent on blowing up the capitol. This leads to a shoot-out with the police. Hayden Rorke and K.T. Stevens play the couple. 

“The Kleptomaniac” (1952) ~ When Lucy is caught collecting household items for a tag sale, Ricky and Fred believe she is a kleptomaniac, a theif who steals uncontrolably. Lucy learns of their misapprehension and decides to teach them a lesson by pretending to be a real thief – robbing a bank and stealing a baby elephant from the circus. 

“The Publicity Agent” (1952) ~ To get Ricky’s name in the papers, Lucy at first thinks that she should stage a robbery, but after a quick inventory, her jewels are only worth $43. 

LUCY: “You know how those Hollywood stars get their name in the paper when their jewels are stolen?” 

This actually happened to Lucille Ball when on tour with Desi in 1950. Their Chicago hotel room was robbed and nearly all Lucy’s jewelry was stolen.

“Ricky and Fred Are TV Fans” (1953) ~ Lucy and Ethel are arrested attempting to cut the wires on the roof of their apartment building. At the police station, the desk sergeant (Frank Nelson) assumes they are wanted female felons “Pickpocket Pearl and Sticky Fingers Sal”. Later, Sergeant Nelson apologies when he finds out that the criminals are already in prison. 

“Too Many Crooks” (1953) ~ The entire neighborhood is on alert over a prowler nicknamed Madame X.  Ethel thinks it may be Lucy and Lucy thinks it may be Ethel!  Then the real Madame X (Alice Wills) shows up!  The original script had Madame X get away at the end, taking both Ricky and Fred’s suits along with her! In the filmed ending, justice was served!  

“Equal Rights” (1953) ~ Over the telephone, Lucy and Ethel pretend to be held up at gunpoint by robbers to get Ricky and Fred to rescue them from washing dishes. But when the boys discover that they were just faking, they pretend to be burglars to teach them a lesson. When the police arrive, it is Ricky and Fred who are arrested. 

“Lucy Cries Wolf” (1954) ~ Lucy is worried about her safety during a local crime spree, demanding Ricky demonstrate her love by protecting her against made-up thieves. Whe real burglars really break in and kidnap her, Ricky and the Mertzes think Lucy is just ‘yelling tiger’ – Ricky’s version of ‘crying wolf’!  The same two actors who played the policeman in “Equal Rights” (Fred Aldrich and Louis Nicoletti) turn to the darkside here as the burglars. 

“The Great Train Robbery” (1955) ~ A jewel thief (Harry Bartel) is aboard the train and Lucy is tricked into telling him that there is a jewelry salesman in the next compartment. 

“Paris at Last” (1956) ~ Lucy gets a taste of the dark side of the City of Light. First she encounters a counterfeitter (Lawrence Dobkin)…

Followed immediately by a forger (Shepard Menken), who passes off a mass-produced painting as an original. 

“Off to Florida” (1956) ~ During a rideshare to Florida, Lucy and Ethel hear a radio report about Evelyn Holmby, a hatchet murderess driving south and believe it to be their driver, Edna Grundy, who matches the description. While Lucy and Ethel take a cat nap, Mrs. Grundy hears a report that the hatchet murderess is traveling with a red-haired companion and believes it to be Lucy and Ethel. Finding a hatchett in the car’s trunk, Lucy is convinced her hunch is correct. 

“Lucy Wants To Move to the Country” (1957) ~ To convince the Spauldings  that they are undesireables and that they should give Ricky his deposit back, Lucy and the Mertzes pretend to be Runyonesque gangsters and Ricky their mob boss!  Believing them, the Spauldings (Eleanor Audley and Frank Wilcox) hold them at gunpoint! 

“K.O. Kitty” (1958) ~ An episode of “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” in which Lucille Ball plays a dance instructor who inherits a prize fighter. Two mobsters (Jesse White and Sid Melton) hold Kitty at gunpoint, pressuring her to fix the fight. In the end, the criminals reveal that they are not real mobsters and their guns are nothing but cigarette lighters!

“Sunday Showcase: The Lucy-Desi Milton Berle Special” (1959) ~ Lucy and Desi play the Ricardos on a Milton Berle special on NBC. In the story set in Las Vegas, Lucy gets an expensive ring intended for Mrs. Berle stuck on her finger.   Two jewel thieves (George Macready and Mike Mazurki) tell Lucy they are jewelry wholesalers. When the ring won’t come off, the thieves pursue Lucy and Berle all around the hotel. 

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2

April 1, 1949

“April Fool’s Day” is episode #37 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on April 1, 1949 on the CBS radio network.

Synopsis ~ As an April Fool’s joke, Liz plans to plant a lipstick-smeared handkerchief in George’s coat pocket.

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his  roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury, George’s Boss) had worked with Lucille Ball on “The Wonder Show” on radio in 1938. One of the front-runners to play Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” he eventually played Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, during two episodes in 1952. After playing a Judge in an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, he would re-team with Lucy for all of her subsequent series’: as Theodore J. Mooney in ”The Lucy Show”; as Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”; and as Curtis McGibbon on “Life with Lucy.” Gordon died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Bea Benadaret does not appear in this episode.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz (above right), a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

GUEST CAST

Gerald Mohr (Joe Ridgely) played psychiatrist Henry Molin, who masquerades as Ricky’s old friend Chuck Stewart in “The Inferiority Complex” (ILL S2;E18 ~ February 2, 1953), his only appearance on “I Love Lucy”. In return, Lucy and Desi appeared on his show “Sunday Showcase” that same year. He also made an appearance on “The Lucy Show” in “Lucy and Phil Harris” (TLS S6;E20 ~ February 5, 1968).

Jerry Hausner (Charley, a friend of George’s) was best known as Ricky Ricardo’s agent in “I Love Lucy” and as the voice of Waldo in “Mr. Magoo” and several characters such as Hemlock Holmes, The Mole, Broodles and Itchy in “The Dick Tracy Show.”  On Broadway, Hausner had the role of Sammy Schmaltz in Queer People (1934). On radio, he was a regular on such shows as “Blondie”, “The Jim Backus Show”, “The Judy Canova Show”, “Too Many Cooks”, and “Young Love”. Hausner died of heart failure on April 1, 1993. He was 83 years old.

Jack Edwards (Felix, the Druggist) was a prolific radio actor and writer, making his only appearance on “My Favorite Husband”. 

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers tonight, George hasn’t returned from work and Liz is in the kitchen, talking to Katie the Maid.”

Liz reminds Katie that since it is April Fool’s Day, she intends to plant a lipstick stained handkerchief in his over coat pocket. She recruits Katie to help. 

George has stopped off at the drugstore to buy a prank to play on Liz: itching powder, a dribble glass, or candy with soap in it. They don’t stock pranks, but Felix the druggist suggests he play the joke he played on his girlfriend Imogene, pretend he has lost his job. 

George comes home and Liz immediately senses something is wrong. He finally admits that he has lost his job. George says he was fired. 

GEORGE: “They ‘re already scraping my name off the door. When I left I was down it was already down to George Coop.”

George can’t carry on the charade any longer and shouts,

Liz tries to get George to keep his coat on long enough for Katie to slip the lipstick soiled hanky into his coat pocket.  She kisses George and asks for a handkerchief to wipe the lipstick from his face. When Liz sees the lipstick, George starts to make up a story to cover himself, but Liz suddenly shouts,

Katie calls Liz into the kitchen where she admits that she was unable to plant the handkerchief in George’s coat. Liz angrily confronts George, who insists he’s been framed. He has no idea where the lipstick came from. 

In the middle of the night, Liz wakes George to ask who the woman might be: 

LIZ: “Who was she? Was it the blonde cashier at the bank? Anita Aarons? Dora Allburg? The A-1 Cleaning Company?”

Liz is going through the phone book. She gives George the third degree, shining a flashlight in his face. 

At work the next day, Joe Ridgely, George’s co-worker, wakes up George at his desk. When George explains why he got no sleep, Joe agrees to call Liz and tell her that he planted the handkerchief on George as an April Fools joke. 

Mr. Atterbury calls George into his office. He has learned of George’s troubles at home. He admits that it was him who planted the handkerchief on George, and shouts,

George storms out. Mr. Atterbury feels bad about his prank, and feels he should do something to help him out.

At home, Liz gets a call from Joe to confess he planted the handkerchief. Liz feels terrible that she was jealous. The phone rings. It is Mr. Atterbury, who admits that he slipped the handkerchief into George’s pocket. Liz accuses the men of colluding to cover up for George. Liz is angry again. 

LIZ: “Which friend do you want me to believe? Which friend has the phony?” 

Liz is punning on the popular ad campaign of Toni Home Permanents: “Which Twin has the Toni?” The campaign was so overwhelmingly successful, that the phrase could often be found in pop culture, like “My Favorite Husband!” 

George spanks Liz for her jealous behavior, which only makes Liz angrier!  She threatens to leave him. He doesn’t try to stop her. 

At the drugstore, Liz drowns her sorrows with three lemon cokes. She confesses to Felix that she has left George. George bursts in, but Liz insists he’s not speaking to him. They communicate through Felix. Charley, a friend of George’s (Jerry Hausner), comes in to the store and tells him that he accidentally took George’s overcoat at lunch the other day. He brags that he had a heavy date the night before and warns them not to look in the pocket!  Liz apologizes for being suspicious of George. They leave together. Once the are gone, Charley and Felix talk about how wonderful the Coopers are.

CHARLEY: “I dunno. I never saw them before. He stopped me on  the street outside, handed me the coat and gave me ten bucks to say that!” 

End of Episode

Lucille Ball & Plumbers

Clogged drain? Leaky sink?  Installing a shower?  Call a plumber!  Or – if you are like Lucy – do it yourself.  Here’s a look at the plumbers of the Lucyverse!

“The Two Mrs. Coopers” (1950) ~ Liz (Lucille Ball) thinks everyone, including her husband George (Richard Denning), has forgotten her birthday. Before leaving for work, he reminds her of an important date: It’s Saturday and he told her to call the plumber last Wednesday about the leaky bathroom basin! Liz dissolves into tears!

On “I Love Lucy” Fred Mertz generally handled all the minor plumbing problems at 623 East 68th Street.  Fred’s sudden arrival to fix a sink or unclog a drain was a clever way for the writers to get Fred into a scene with a purpose. 

In “Equal Rights” (1954), however, Fred tells Ricky that he called the plumber and he is coming out this afternoon. Problem is, it is already night and they are headed to dinner!  This is likely an ad lib by Frawley. He doubles down on the error after Lucy’s brief interruption.

In “Fan Magazine Interview” (1954), everyone is trying to impress a journalist.  Fred arrives to fix the leaky faucet in a derby and bow tie. Lucy calls him the “Beau Brummell of plumbers.”  Beau Brummell (1778-1840) was the arbiter of men’s fashion in Regency England.

A sight gag in “The Amateur Hour” (1952) betrays that Ethel handles the more simple plumbing tasks. Fred has always been full of s*#t! 

‘Lucy and Viv Put in a Shower” (1962) ~ Lucy Carmichael decides that her Danfield home needs another shower and asks Harry to help her install it. Harry gets out of helping by paying a local plumber to do the job under the guise of being an old friend. After Lucy drives him away with her meddling, she and Viv finish the job themselves, nearly drowning as a result! 

At first, Lucy prices putting in the new shower with Paisley the Plumber. His prices are so high that Lucy says they are in danger of needing “socialized plumbing.”

LUCY: “The only way to get clean is to be filthy rich.”

These jokes are clearly about the high cost of health care in America, which was a topical issue, even in the early 1960s. 

Stafford Repp plays Joe Melvin, a plumber from nearby Ridgebury. He is best known as Police Chief O’Hara on “Batman” but will appear again on “The Lucy Show” as well as on “Here’s Lucy.” 

“Lucy and the Plumber” (1964) ~ To fix her kitchen sink, Lucy calls a plumber named Harry Tuttle (Jack Benny). 

MR. MOONEY: “Would you explain the emergency that made you drag me away from the bank?”

LUCY: “Well, I’m having trouble with my plumbing.”

MR. MOONEY: “Mrs. Carmichael, any normal woman faced with that situation would send for a plumber, not a banker!”

LUCY: “Oh, I know that, but today, to get a plumber, you need a banker. I just sent for a plumber, so I need money to pay him.”

HARRY: “What’s the matter, lady, haven’t you ever seen a plumber before?”

Harry is the spitting image of Jack Benny and plays the violin between jobs.  

Lucy is intent on getting him out of the drain and onto the stage by entering him in “The Talent Discoverer’s Show” on TV. Harry cleans up good, but doesn’t win so he puts down his bow and picks up a wrench again. 

This time, however, he has a plumber’s helper, Irving, who enters just as the episode ends.  

In “Lucy the Stamp Collector” (1964), the sink is again acting up, making the kitchen look like the geyser Old Faithful.  Lucy says she can’t afford to call a plumber – despite the fact that she did so twice previously!  She hopes that the discover of valuable collectible stamp will save the day – until she mails it! 

“Lucy Meets the Burtons” (1970) ~ When the bathroom sink at the Unique Employment Agency needs fixing, Lucy hires a plumber she sees outside a hotel. Unbeknownst to Lucy, Richard Burton has swapped clothes with the plumber to escape his mobs of fans. 

The real Sam the plumber is played by Cliff Norton. Sam has his name boldly printed on his tool box, the front of his overalls, and on his back – just in case anyone mistakes him for Richard Burton!

Lucy pays Sam / Burton $23.50 for fixing the leak in the sink, taking fifty cents off for the time he took to recite Shakespeare!

Lucille Ball & Postage Stamps

Lucille Ball and her Lucy charcters have appeared on postage stamps in countries around the world. 

“I LOVE LUCY”

“Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her” (1951) ~ Guyana

“The Audition” (1951) ~ Republic of Chad

“The Handcuffs” (1952) ~ Republic of Mali

“Pioneer Women” (1952) ~ Guyana

“The Marriage License” (1952) ~ Republic of Mali

“The Ballet” (1952) ~ Republic of Chad

“Lucy is Enceinte” (1952) ~Gambia

“The Freezer” (1952) ~ Mongolia

“Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (1952) ~ Sierra Leone

“The Camping Trip” (1953) ~ Camoros Islands

“The Operetta” (1954) ~ Gambia

“Lucy Writes a Novel” (1954) ~ Guyana

“Million Dollar Idea” (1954) ~ Mozambique-Correios 

“Million Dollar Idea” (1954) ~ Mongolia

“The Game of Golf” (1954) ~ Republic of Guinea

“Lucy Cries Wolf” (1954) ~ Gambia

“Bonus Bucks” (1954) ~ Grenada

“Bonus Bucks” (1954) ~Antigua & Barbuda

“Ethel’s Birthday” (1954) ~ Guyana

“First Stop” (1955) ~ Republic of Chad

“Lucy Gets a Paris Gown” (1956) ~ Guyana

“Lucy Raises Chickens” (1957) ~ Republic of Senegal

“Lucy Does the Tango” (1957) ~ Grenada

“I Love Lucy” ~ United States (1989)

Classic Lucy ~ Republic of Senegal

Classic Lucy ~ Comoros Islands

Antingua and Barbuda

Sierra Leone

“I Love Lucy” ~ TV Early Memories – United States (2009) 

The series is represented by “Job Switching” (1952), although “California Here We Come” (1955) is used in a collage on top of the stamp sheet. 

LUCILLE BALL

In 2001, the United States Post Office issued this 34 cent stamp depicting Lucille Ball wearing an Elois Jenssen dressed she wore on “I Love Lucy” in “Hollywood Anniversary” (1955) and “Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo” (1956). Mattel made a Lucy Barbie dressed in the same outfit.  

Famous Actresses Series / Celebrities of the World ~ Republic of the Congo

Republic of Guinea

Republic of Turkmenistan ~ Lucille Ball mixes with such Hollywood legends as Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Carmen Miranda, and Elvis (not pictured). 

Lucille Ball and the Mail

Lucille Ball gets the mail at the end of the driveway to her Chatsworth home, Desilu Ranch, circa 1940s.

“Lady, we don’t mind the rain, or the snow, or the sleet. It’s kooks like you that drive us nuts!” ~ Postmaster, “Lucy & The Missing Stamp” (1964)

In 1943, Lucille Ball performed on the radio program “Mail Call,” a show only available to the troops overseas and not broadcast stateside.The term mail call was used when soldiers would get letters from home. 

“My Favorite Husband” (1948-1951)

Jay Novello played Mr. Negley the mailman on a couple of episodes of Lucille Ball’s radio series. 

• “The Sleigh Ride” (1949) ~ Mr. Negley uses his motorcycle to pull the holiday sleigh, but the load proves to much and the milkman’s old horse is pressed into service instead. 
• “Liz The Matchmaker” (1949) ~ Katie the maid decides that after three years of dating Mr. Negley their relationship is not going anywhere, so she enlists Liz’s help.

In “Mother-in-Law” (1949), Liz (Lucille Ball) correctly assumes that Katie the maid (Ruth Perrot) is so happy because Mr. Negley the mailman has flirted with her. Katie says they were “playing post office.”

KATIE: “He’s so creative. He said my mouth was like a postage stamp. Then he canceled me!”

Katie hands her the mail and Liz finds a letter from her mother-in-law.

LIZ: “No one else addresses a letter ‘To George Cooper Only’ marked personal all over and then seals it with Scotch tape!”

“George Attends a Teenage Dance” (1948) ~ George and Liz chaperone a high school dance and we learn that ‘post office’ is more than just a venerable institution. Post Office is a kissing party game played at teenage parties. It has been referred to in popular culture since at least the 1880s. The group playing is divided into two groups. One group goes into another room which is called “the post office”. To play, each person from the outer group individually visits “the post office”. Once there, they get a kiss from everyone in the room. They then return to the original room. 

The game of Post Office is mentioned again in “George Needs A Raise” (1949). In “The Charm School” (1954), Ethel mentions that Fred suggested they play Post Office the previous night when a beautiful guest arrived at their dinner party. In “Kiddie Parties Inc.” (1963) Vivian says she played Post Office when she was younger.

JIMMY: “Do you know how to play Post Office, Mrs. Cugat?”

LIZ: “Know how? When I was your age they used to call me Jim Farley.”

James Farley was the the 53rd US Postmaster General from 1933 to 1940.  

Hans Conried played a weary mailman in “Valentine’s Day” (1949).

LIZ: “Are you picking up the mail?”

MAILMAN (sarcastically): “No, I’m a Confederate soldier and these are messages for General Lee.”

In 1949, General Robert E. Lee’s face was on a postage stamp commemorating the 200th anniversary of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

“I Love Lucy” (1951-1960)

“Drafted” (1951) ~ A letter from Fort Dix makes Lucy and Ethel think that Fred and Ricky have been drafted. The flap of the envelope is open, so Lucy reasons it is okay to read Ricky’s mail. Re-sealing Ricky’s letter from Fort Dix, Ethel says “I’ve had lots of practice at this.” 

Early in the episode, Lucy gets a postcard from the Bishers, who are on vacation in Florida. The comedy trope of the landlord / landlady (Ethel) reading the tenants’ mail to keep up on gossip is introduced here! 

The premise of a letter from the Draft Board will be used again on “The Lucy Show” in 1966, when Lou C. Carmichael is mistakenly called up. 

Unfinished love letters to a former boyfriend haunt Lucy in “Lucy Changes Her Mind” (1953). When Ricky insists she finish everything she starts, she finishes the love letter to Tom Henderson and it mistakenly gets mailed! 

The “I Love Lucy” Comics created a similar storyline for a 1954 issue. 

Mailed postcards once again cause trouble in “Fan Magazine Interview” (1954) when a publicity scheme for the Tropicana maquerades as a ‘date’ with Ricky Ricardo. When Lucy finds one of the postcards, she naturally thinks Ricky is cheating!  She tracks down the addressee: Minnie Finch (Kathryn Card). 

I turns out that Minnie’s neighbors (Elvia Allman and Sunny Boyne) also got invitations for ‘dates’ with Ricky in the mail. 

“The Passports” (1955) ~ Lucy has trouble proving where and when she was born. After locking herself in a trunk, Lucy gets a letter from her mother enclosing her birth certificate (from West Jamestown) saving the day. 

“Tennessee Ernie Visits” (1954) ~ Lucy gets a very verbose and confusing letter from her mother to explain the imminent arrival of Ernie Ford.

“Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (1954) ~ Lucy discovers an unmailed letter home from Ernie to his Ma in Bent Fork, causing Lucy and Ricky to feel guilty for scheming to get rid of him. 

“Lucy Gets into Pictures” (1955) ~ Ricky discovers a postcard Lucy’s written to  Lillian Appleby, fibbing about having a part in a picture. Inexplicably, Ricky calls Mrs. Appleby Lillian instead of Carolyn. She was only named Lillian in her very first appearance.  

To apply the stamp, Lucy borrows Ricky’s tongue. 

LUCY: “I’ve stamped so many cards, I’m all out of lick. Now, remember, don’t read them.”

RICKY: “Why not?”

LUCY: “Because it’s not nice to read other people’s postcards.”

RICKY: “Well, you and Ethel do it at home all the time.”

LUCY: “Not until after they’re mailed. It’s illegal to read them before they’re postmarked.”

“Don Juan is Shelved” (1955) ~ To save Ricky’s film, Lucy decides to flood the studio with fan mail. She organizes an assembly line in her hotel room to churn out 500 handwritten and stamped fan letters.

“Paris at Last!” (1956) ~ In the City of Light, Lucy goes to the American Express Office to change some money. Fred is in charge of collecting the mail, which has been forwarded to the American Express Offices along their tour route. 

Although primarily known for their credit cards today, in the 1950s American Express was an international banking company that issued travelers checks and was a trusted source of currency exchange. Their international offices were equipped with reading and writing rooms which offered the latest American newspapers and magazines. They also maintained a post office where clients’ letters could be forwarded. 

“Return Home from Europe” (1956) ~ Packing to sail home, a surprise in the mail changes their plans. 

RICKY: “Hey, did they have any mail for us at American ‘Spress?”

LUCY: “Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Oh, a letter from Mother! (opens it) Here’s a telegram for you.”

RICKY: “How do you like that? A telegram and she forwards it in the regular mail. It takes three weeks to get here!”

It turns out to be an offer to play at the Roxy in New York – staring immediately! 

“Lucy Raises Chickens” (1957) ~ After placing an ad for someone to help with their egg business, Ricky finds a reply in the mailbox – from Fred! He put the letter in the box himself, saving the cost of a stamp by replacing it with an Easter Seal! 

“Lucy Meets the Mustache” (1959) ~ Lucy opens a letter from Ricky’s Uncle Alberto in Cuba, then must figure out a way to get it back into the envelope before Ricky comes home!  She employs a knitting needle using a technique she saw on television. 

STAMPS

MAILBOXES

“The Lucy Show” (1962-1968)

“Lucy and the Missing Stamp” (1964) ~ Lucy mistakenly uses a collectible stamp on an envelope she’s mailed then realizes its value.

She tracks it to the post office where she does everything she can to retrieve it – including getting bagged and tagged for delivery!

Herb Vigran plays the postman. Robert S. Carson plays the postmaster, who thinks Lucy is a kook!

“Lucy Goes Into Politics” (1964) ~ As volunteers working on Mr. Mooney’s campaign for Danfield Comptroller, Lucy and Viv are in charge of stamping hundreds of envelopes!

“Lucy Gets Caught Up in the Draft” (1966) ~ The mail that contains her draft notice is delievered by Joe the Postman (Sid Gould). 

Also in the mail is a letter from Lucy’s son, who is away at Military School. In probably the largest blooper in the history of “The Lucy Show,” the letter is signed “Jimmy Carmichael” instead of “Jerry Carmichael”.  It was Lucille Ball who insisted that the character’s name was Jimmy, remembering the actor’s name (Jimmy Garrett) and not the character’s!  

“Lucy the Bean Queen” (1966) ~ At the office, Mr. Mooney notes that it costs five cents postage to send a letter. This rate went into effect in 1963, rising a penny, and went up again another penny in 1968.

“Here’s Lucy” (1968-1974)

“Lucy’s Working Daughter” (1968) ~ When Kim must have her social security number to get a job at a boutique, Lucy confuses it for the Zip Code!  The US Post Office introduced Zip Codes on July 1, 1963.  

“Lucy Protects Her Job” (1969) ~ Kim disguises herself as new secretary –  gum-chewing Shirley Shoppenhauer. She returns from the post office with 500 postage stamps. Unfortunately for Harry, they are all balled up in a bunch and jammed into her purse. 

“Lucy and Lawrence Welk” (1970) ~ Lucy gets a letter from her old friend Viv, saying that she’s coming to visit. Naturally, the letter arrives moments before Viv walks through the door!