Lucy & Cash: A Crypto-History

One of the great dramatic devices is the pursuit of money. The Lucy character was generally a middle class, working mother who was in pursuit of the American dream. Her entrepreneurial aspirations were only matched by her fiscal irresponsibility!  

Blood Money (1934) ~ The metaphorical title of Lucille Ball’s 4th film.

“Trying to Cash the Prize Check” (1950) ~ Liz (Lucille Ball) goes on a radio quiz show and wins a check for $500, but she only gets to keep it if she can cash it within 25 minutes, and the banks are all closed!

I LOVE LUCY

“The Quiz Show” (1951) ~ With Lucy’s household accounts in arrears, she goes on a radio quiz show to win a $1,000!

Publicity photo showing Phil Ober handing Lucy the cash prize after dealing with a tramp (John Emery). 

Lucy wins the prize, but after some quick accounting by Ricky, Lucy is left with just 25 cents!  

“The Freezer” (1952)

“Job Switching” (1952)

“The Kleptomaniac” (1952)

• LUCY: “It’s my mad money.” 
• RICKY: “There’s two hundred dollars here.” 
• LUCY: “I get awfully mad.”

“The Business Manager” (1954) ~ Lucy figures out how to ‘game the system’ and pay her bills as well!  This is one of the best examples of money management gone wrong on all of television! 

LUCY: “They’re making the bills smaller, aren’t they?”

Lucy can’t think fast enough to answer Ricky’s financial questions about her windfall at the “market”. 

Lucy listens for her “little small voice” – which tells her what to buy at the “market”. 

Lucy breezes out of the room after giving Ricky money for a haircut. 

“The Girls Go Into Business” (1953) ~ Lucy and Ethel buy a dress shop they think is a gold mine!  Lucy figures that based on the fact that she saw two customers buy $200 in merchandise in five minutes, they would make $2,400 an hour, and $19,000 a day!  On the day this episode was filmed, September 11, 1953, hundreds of women took to the streets of New York City to track down bargains as part of 1953 Dollar Days.  It was also the same day Lucille Ball was accused of being a Communist. Earning green paled compared to being called  red! 

• MRS. HANSEN: Oh, you’re the dearest, sweetest girls in all the world and how do you want to handle the down payment?
• LUCY: Uh, well, what did you have in mind?
• MRS. HANSEN (bluntly): Money.

Mabel Paige (Mrs. Hansen) does a brilliant job of portraying a little old lady with the heart of a cash register!  

Oops! Mrs. Hansen can’t need money all that much, since she leaves a bill lying on the floor!  

Lucy and Ethel sell the shop for $3,500. Lucy and Ethel think they’ve made a nifty profit – until they boys tell them the building sold to developers for $50,000!  

“Lucy is Envious” (1954) ~ Lucy and Ethel unwittingly pledge $500 each to a charity and take a job posing as Martians on top of the Empire State Building to earn the money! 

“Bonus Bucks” (1954) ~ Lucy finds the winning dollar bill in the newspaper’s Bonus Buck contest, but lets it slip through her fingers. Now she has only a few hours left to get it back to qualify for the cash prize!  This was another of the best of the money madness episodes. In real life, contests like these were called Lucky Bucks, but since Lucky Strike was the largest competitor of “I Love Lucy’s” sponsor, Philip Morris, the writers were discouraged from using the word ‘lucky.’  

The episode begins with Lucy paying for her grocer delivery, careful not to pay with a buck whose serial number had not been checked. 

Lucy and Ethel check their bills against the newspaper’s published serial numbers to see if they are winners. 

When they find one – they fight over who it belongs to – ripping it in half!  

After going through great expense to get the bill back, they are awarded the prize money. After paying the bills for their efforts, they are left with one dollar – the same amount they started with! Fred gives the lone bill to a starched Lucy.

“The Diner” (1954) ~ After a price war over hamburgers reduces the price to a penny, ‘A Little Bit of Cuba’ gives a drunk a dollar to buy 100 hamburgers from ‘A Big Hunk of America’. 

“Getting Ready” (1954) ~ Talking in his sleep during a nap on the sofa, Ricky is dreaming of Hollywood.

• RICKY: “No. No, Mr. Zanuck. My price is a million dollars, Mr. Zanuck.”

“The Million Dollar Idea” (1954) ~ Lucy wants to sell her own salad dressing – until Ricky points out that she is losing money on every jar!  Although this episode was all about making money, no money was ever made.  

In April 2019, CBS colorized “Million Dollar Idea” and “Bonus Bucks” and aired them under the title Funny Mooney $pecial. 

“Ricky’s European Booking” (1955) ~ Lucy and Ethel run an illegal raffle to pay their fare to Europe. Little do they know the real founder of the charity they made up has come to collect the money!

“Bon Voyage” (1956) ~ After missing the ship to Europe, Lucy arranges a helicopter to catch up. Learning that the chopper can’t land and that she has to be lowered onto the moving ship, she tries to convince the pilot to fly her all the way to Europe! 

“Paris at Last!” (1955) ~ Lucy’s money trouble didn’t stop at the border. She exchanges American money for French Francs. Little does she know the man (Lawrence Dobkin) standing in front of the American Express Office is a forger! 

“Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo” (1956) ~ While traveling through the French Riviera, Lucy promises Ricky she won’t step foot inside a casino, but inadvertently gambles her way into a small fortune. When Ricky finds the cash hidden in Ethel’s lingerie case he thinks Fred is embezzling. The Desilu prop department visited Earl Hays Press in Hollywood to have the French money printed for this episode.  

THE LUCY $HOW

When Mr. Mooney arrives in Danfield to work at the bank, he reads from Mr. Barnsdahl’s 27-page memo about Mrs. Carmichael: 

• “To get money from the bank, she will threaten, wheedle, cajole, cry, implore, jolly, and stage tantrums.”

“Lucy Misplaces $2,000″ (1962) ~ The bank gives Lucy $2,000 instead of $20. Lucy gazes lovingly at the four $500 bills and remarks that President McKinley has a lovely smile. When it comes time to return the cash, it goes missing. Lucy and Viv track down the money to a local carnival. 

“Lucy, the Bird Sitter” (1964) ~ Mr. Mooney’s cockatiel is named Greenback for its coloration. “Greenback” is also a slang word for US paper currency due to its dark green color; an ideal name for a banker’s bird!  

“Lucy the Coin Collector” (1964) ~ When Jerry finds a rare penny worth $16.50, Lucy and Viv decide to search through thousands of pennies to find a rare one.

At the bank, Lucy asks Mr. Mooney for change for a ten dollar bill – in all pennies! 

Searching for the rare coins, Viv volunteers to sing a couple of choruses from “Pennies from Heaven” or “Three Coins in the Fountain.” Both songs also were the titles of popular films. 

“Lucy, the Meter Maid” (1964) ~ Viv volunteers to pay her parking fine rather than face a ticket, but Lucy thinks of it as a bribe. 

“Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery” (1964) ~ When Lucy rents out Viv’s room to two gentlemen visiting the World’s Fair, they turn out to be bank robbers who stash their loot in Viv’s mattress.  

“Lucy, the Bean Queen” (1966) ~ Mr. Mooney partners with an enterprising southern colonel to market canned baked beans.

Their sales are plunging thanks to Lucy capitalizing on their “Double Your Money Back” guarantee.

HERE’$ LUCY 

“Lucy Makes a Few Extra Dollars” (1971) ~ Literally! 

“Lucy Loses Her Cool” (1970) ~ Lucy goes on the Art Linkletter Show and is challenged not to lose her temper for 24 hours in order to win $500.

“Dirty Gertie” (1972) ~ Selling apples proved lucrative business.

“Lucy Takes Over” (1970) ~ Lucy finds her great grandmother’s diary with an IOU from one of Harry’s relatives tucked inside. Lucy estimates he owes her thousands of dollars and soon she’s taken over his business!

“Lucy the Process Server” (1968) ~ Harry asks Lucy to deliver a summons and make a bank deposit.  Lucy gets the two mixed-up and loses the envelope of $1,500 cash! 

“Lucy and the Raffle” (1971) ~ When Lucy and Kim stack up the money they’ve made from their raffle, Lucy says “Oh, ho ho!  You jolly green giant!”  

CA$H REGI$TER$

“Ricky and Fred art TV Fans” (1953) ~ To get a dime to call home, Lucy dips her hand into a corner diner’s cash register – in front of a policeman!

“The Diner” (1954) ~ After the diner is divided in two, the cash register is left straddling the border between “Cuba” and “America”.  

“Lucy Competes with Carol Burnett” (1970) ~ Frequent extra Vanda Barra has no lines, but a very funny bit of business with a cafeteria cash register.  

“Lucy Visits Jack Benny” (1968) ~ At Jack Benny’s home in Palm Springs, he makes change for Lucy on his toy cash register. 

“Lucy and the Franchise Fiasco” (1973) ~ The same cash register was used at both the luncheonette and the custard stand (with a penguin sticker slapped on the side). 

$TICKER $HOCK!

“Lucy is Matchmaker” (1953) ~ Wholesale nightgowns!

“Sentimental Anniversary” (1954) ~ The Mertzes give the Ricardos a silver cigarette lighter. Fred is shocked to see the price tag $32.50. Ethel proudly admits the real price was $4.95.

“The Fashion Show” (1955)

• LUCY: “Doesn’t Loper know any other numbers but 5-0-0?!”

Shopping for the best prices on furniture in “Lucy Bags a Bargain” (1966) and “Lucy Gets Chummy with the Neighbors” (1957). 

Mistaking price tags for stock numbers, Lucy has sticker shock realizing how much she spent on new furniture for the Connecticut house.

“Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1968) ~ It’s Van Johnson!  Or is it? 

THE CA$HWORD IS…

Lucille Ball’s favorite gameshow “Password” added a new feature for their “Super Password” (1986) reboot called Cashword.  

1947 – 2023

Cindy Williams was born in the Van Nuys California on August 22, 1947. Her family moved to Dallas, Texas when she was a year old, and returned to Los Angeles when she was ten. She had one sibling, a sister named Carol Ann. Williams wrote and acted during childhood at a church and later acted at Birmingham High School, graduating in 1965. She attended Los Angeles City College where she majored in theater .

Three years after playing small roles in film and television, Williams landed the role of Laurie in American Graffiti (1973) which she repeated in the 1979 sequel.  She was nominated for a BAFTA Award for the original film. 

That same year, Williams shared Ringmaster duties with Lucille Ball and Telly Savalas on “Circus of the Stars 2″. Ringmaster Williams introduces her future co-star Penny Marshall, who works with a baby elephant named Tika. Williams also does a stunt with Michael York that ends with her being shot out of a canon. 

Williams was first introduced to Penny Marshall by Marshall’s brother Garry, who had written 11 episodes of “The Lucy Show” from 1964 to 1966. 

Garry cast them on “Happy Days” as Fonzie’s dates on a November 1975 episode of the popular series. She was reunited with her American Grafitti co-star Ron Howard. A spin-off followed in 1976. 

“Laverne & Shirley” ran six seasons, although Williams departed the show after season five and 158 epsisodes. 

Laverne and Shirley’s high jinks were reminiscent of those of Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz on “I Love Lucy.” Williams demonstrated a flair for portraying the awkwardness of youth in broad physical comedy. Both series featured redheads and both took place in the 1950s. 

Although Laverne and Shirley were evocative of Lucy and Ethel, sometimes the homage was a bit more specific.  

“Laverne & Shirley” – “The Diner” (May 6, 1980) inspired by “I Love Lucy” – “The Diner” (April 26, 1954)

No other female comedy team in the history of television has been so often compared to Lucy and Ethel as Laverne and Shirley. Add in their pals Lenny and Squiggy, you’ve got a reasonable facsimile of the Ricardos and Mertzes, especially when the plots pit men against the women. In this episode, which has the same exact title as its inspiration, Lenny has inherited a diner that he gives over to the girls to run.

Just as Ethel was confined to the kitchen, so is Laverne. She even does a bit of business with a pop-up toaster, something that Lucille Ball often did. Both sets of ladies indulge in “diner lingo” and get overwhelmed by their new business ventures.

“Laverne and Shirley” was filmed at Stage 20 on the Paramount lot, which was formerly Desilu. The show was known for fearless physical comedy not seen since the days of “I Love Lucy.”  

“Lucy was a physical comedienne, and she would be all over the stage, so Desi Arnaz, being the genius he was, put all of their cameras on these dollies. So [on Laverne & Shirley] there are three cameras, you’ve got the stage, as though you are watching a play, and you have the cameras moving with us on dollies. Usually, [sitcom] cameras are set in place and stagnant, but our cameras were like Lucille Ball’s cameras.” ~ Cindy Williams, 2001

Actors who also appeared with Lucille Ball that appeared on “Laverne & Shirley” include Hans Conried, Mary Treen, Robert Alda, Gino Conforti, Dick Patterson, and Leoda Richards.  

In 1995, she participated in “The Laverne & Shirley Reunion”. In 2002, Williams once again re-united with Marshall for “Laverne & Shirley: Together Again”, a TV special. 

In 1978, Williams and Ball were part of “Gene Kelly: An American in Pasadena”, a variety show tribute to Kelly that also featured her “Laverne & Shirley” co-star Betty Garrett (Edna Babish). 

That same year, Lucy and Cindy were also seen on “General Electric’s All-Star Anniversary.”  Here she was teamed with her former co-star Penny Marshall. 

Williams was also seen with Ball at “The Sixth Annual American Cinema Awards” honoring Bette Davis on January 6, 1989. This was one of Ball’s last appearances before her death. 

Williams was married to Bill Hudson in 1982. Together they have two children: Emily and Zachary. The marriage ended in divorce in 2000. Cindy Williams died at home after a short illness. She was 75 years old. 

623 East 68th Street: The Most Iconic Address on Television! 

623: THE BUILDING

The Mertzes apartment building was completely fictional. Although based on traditional New York brownstones, the address 623 East 68th Street would have been located in the East River! 

All the scenes had to be filmed on one of several soundstages in Hollywood, California. The Ricardo apartment took up the bulk of the studio, with a larger space for the Tropicana. Everything else had to be staged within the Tropicana set (far right). 

In the “I Love Lucy” pilot (1951), the Ricardos don’t live at 623 East 68th Street, but in a seventh floor apartment in the Theatre District.  When the writers invented the landlord characters of Fred and Ethel Mertz for the series, Lucy and Ricky’s address was changed.  Being a ‘house-bound’ sitcom, location was integral to the show’s success. Location, Location, Location!  

623 may be partly based on the Wilcox Apartments in Jamestown, NY.  Lucy and her family moved there after being forced to sell their family home in nearby Celoron. 

~ THE STREET ~

The front of the building was seen in five episodes: “Getting Ready” (1954).

Is that Central Park in the background? 

“Lucy Learns to Drive” (1955) … 

“California Here We Come” (1955) …

“The Homecoming” (1955) …

and “The Ricardos are Interviewed” (1955). 

View of East 68th Street in “Lucy and Superman” (1957) from the ledge. Incidentally, this insert shot was not a set, but a genuine location. Where it was filmed remains a mystery. But back to…

~ THE LEDGE ~

Lucy went out on the ledge to spy on Ricky and the Mertzes in “Lucy Cries Wolf” (1954). She ventured out there again in “Lucy and Superman” (1957). In “Wolf” the ledge only extended to the wall, but in “Superman” it wraps around the corner and under the vacant apartment window, an architectural anomaly only possibly on television!

~ THE BASEMENT / FURNACE ROOM ~

When “Lucy Writes a Novel” (1954) her shredded roman a clef is set to be burned with the trash. 

The basement / furnace room is also the location of “The Freezer” (1952). Trying to hide her newly-bought sides of beef from Ricky, she stashes it them the furnace. When Fred lights gets a chill, it’s a barbecue feast for everyone at 623!

The furnace pipe (aka ‘the snooper’s friend) was used as an intercom in “The Gossip” (1952) and  “The Anniversary Present” (1952).  Here Lucy is trying to overhear Ricky and Grace Foster.

~ THE BACK PORCH / FIRE ESCAPE ~

The back doors / porches of 623 are first seen in “Pioneer Women” (1952). The script called for Ricky to ride a horse through the door of the Ricardo apartment. But when the horse saw the audience during filming, it got spooked and the scene had to be changed so Ricky could ride the horse to the apartment building’s back porch. This re-filming was done after the audience departed.

Then again in “Never Do Business with Friends” (1953) there is a tug of war over a wasing machine. Such porches were common in California apartment buildings, but less so in New York City. 

The Mertz’s back entrance in “The Quiz Show” (1951) is visited by a ‘tramp’ who Lucy believes might be an actor pretending to be her first husband. Ethel spots him for what he is!

“Too Many Crooks” (1953) gives us a glimpse of the fire escape outside the Ricardo bedroom.  While back porches were uncommon in Manhattan, fire escapes were ubiquitous. Here Fred gives Ethel his hat and coat for protection against the cold during her spying. This disguise makes her resemble cat-burglar Madam X.

~ THE ROOF ~

In “Vacation from Marriage” (1952) Lucy and Ethel get themselves locked on the roof!  

“Ricky and Fred are TV Fans” (1952) shows us a slightly different view of the roof during the same season (albeit from different apartments). This will be the last time we see ‘Lucy on the Roof’! Sounds crazy, no? 

• ETHEL: “Listen, I happen to own this building!” 
• COP: “Yeah, and I’m J. Edgar Hoover.”

~ CLOSET SPACE ~

A major selling point for any apartment is closet space!  In “I Love Lucy”, however, closets weren’t just for coats. In “The Kleptomaniac” (1952) Lucy and Ethel store treasures for their club tag sale in the Ricardo closet.  

In “Sentimental Anniversary” (1954) Lucy and Ricky’s plan for a romantic anniversary dinner at home is interupted by the Mertz’s party plans – so they move their candelit kiss to the closet. 

The Ricardo apartment has his ‘n’ her closets on both sides of the bed. In “The Fur Coat” (1951) Lucy keeps her iconic polka dot dress in hers. 

In “Drafted” (1951) Lucy and Ethel invite folks to the boy’s going away party, while at the same time, Ricky and Fred invite folks to celebrate Lucy and Ethel’s blessed event. The hall closet gets crowded when they both stow arriving guests in there! 

In “The New Neighbors” (1952) nosy Lucy hides out in the O’Brien’s closet – disguising herself as an armchair! 

When “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (1953) Lucy stores all Little Ricky’s things in the closet to prove to Ricky they need more space. 

When the Ricardos return from Hollywood in “The Homecoming” (1955) Mrs. Trumbull has saved all the newspapers for Ricky because they don’t get The New York Times in California. 

When “Lucy’s Mother-in-Law” (1954) visits, Lucy has cleaned up by hastily throwign everything in the closet – which fails to stay shut.  

More Closet Comedy:  

• In “Little Ricky Gets a Dog” (1957) ~ Lucy hides Fred the dog in a sombrero, the stashes it in the closet when new tenant Mr. Stewart drops by. 
• In “Ricky’s European Booking” (1955) ~ Lucy hides the newly printed Ladies Overseas Aid raffle tickets in the closet so Ricky doesn’t see them. 
• In “Sales Resistance” (1953) ~ Lucy hides her new Handy Dandy Vacuum Cleaner in the closet. Unfortunately, she fails to unplug it. When Ricky flips the light switch, the machine starts up!  
• In “The Saxophone” (1952) ~ Ricky turns the tables on Lucy (who was trying to make Ricky jealous) by stashing three men in the closet. 

~ THE HALLWAYS ~ 

In “Oil Wells” (1954) a bickering Lucy and Ethel call a truce in the hallway where “L’école de Dance (School of Ballet)” by Edgar Degas adorns the wall.

In “Sentimental Anniversary” (1954) the hallway is decorated with “Woman in White Dress” by Leonard Campbell Taylor.

In the hallway outside the “New Neighbors” (1952) apartment is a framed lithograph of “Off to Market” painted by Diego Rivera in 1937.

~ THE STAIRWELLS ~

After storming out of her apartment in “Lucy Cries Wolf” (1954), Lucy is unaware the wolves are right behind her!

Lucy is the prisoner of East 68th Street! 

~ THE NEIGHBORHOOD ~

In “Sales Resistance” (1953) Lucy loses one of her shoes trying to sell the vacuum cleaner. It got stuck in the door of 310 East 69th Street.  Above, the address as it looks today!  

In “Ricky Has Labor Pains” (1953) Fred throws Ricky a Daddy Shower at the East 68th Street Athletic and Recreation Society. 

When “The Ricardos Are Interviewed” (1955), Ricky’s new agent Johnny Clark starts hinting that the Ricardos should think about moving out of 623 into a swankier address. 

• FRED: “They don’t build ‘em like this anymore!”
• CLARK: “They haven’t built them like this in more than a hundred years.”

Lucy and Ricky seriously consider it, but end up staying put – at least until they move to Connecticut. But…

623 East 68th Street: The Most Iconic Address on Television

THE PEOPLE of 623

~ THE LANDLORDS ~

#1) Fred & Ethel Mertz, 3C

In 1948, former vaudevillians Fred and Ethel Mertz (played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance), bought a New York City brownstone at 623 East 68th Street. They operate it as an apartment building. The building is in Ethel’s name only! The childless couple resides in apartment 3C.

Coincidentally, the year after Fred and Ethel bought the building, in real life an unrelated new TV show was airing titled “Apartment 3C”. It dealt with a married couple living in a Manhattan apartment building. Just like Lucy and Desi, the actors were married in real life. Writing about the show in 2022, their daughter said:

‘Apartment 3C’ was no ‘I Love Lucy’ ~ J.G. Summers

In “Lucy Wants New Furniture” (1953), there is a door in that wall that leads to the Mertz kitchen and back door, although every other time we see the Mertz living room, the kitchen door is on the right, not the left, and there is a window where the door was!  This was to accommodate the gag of Lucy running from her kitchen to the Mertz’s.

At the end of the episode, the redecoration is such a disaster that the Ricardos end up giving the Mertzes their furniture and buying all new for themselves.

The only time we see the Mertz kitchen is in “Never Do Business with Friends” (1953). 

The only time we see the Mertz bedroom is in “Vacation for Marriage” (1952). Naturally they have single beds! [There’s a reason why they are childless!]

When the Mertzes move to Westport to live in the Ricardo’s guest cottage, the Mertzes retain ownership of the building, although they put the day-to-day running of the building (except for the collection of rents, that is Fred’s domain) in the hands of Mrs. Trumbull’s sister, a character we never see or even learn her name.

~ THE TENANTS ~

#2) Lucy & Ricky Ricardo, 4A

Lucy McGillicuddy and Ricky Ricardo (Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) moved to 623 shortly after they were married. He was a bandleader and she was a housewife with showbusiness aspirations. 

On August 6, 1948 (Lucille Ball’s real-life birthday), they moved to an apartment building recently purchased by the Mertzes. Their first apartment was 4A. The rent was $105 a month.  

Viewers typically remember 4A as ‘the apartment without the window’.  The Ricardos are given a 99-year lease and become fast friends with their landlords.

Ethel strikes a pose on Lucy’s brand-new living room furniture won at the Home Show.

In “New Neighbors” (1952) there is a window in the living room where Lucy and Ethel watch the moving vans unload. This window is technically in the set’s “fourth wall” and is never seen again.

The kitchen had a breakfast bar that serves as a chalk board for one of the unruly Hudson twins in “The Amateur Hour” (1952). Sometimes this breakfast bar was skirted and the folk rooster pattern could not be seen.

In “The Fur Coat” (1951) the view of the city outside the kitchen window suddenly disappeared!

The bedroom during rehearsals for the first episode filmed “Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her” (1951) – as yet undecorated!  The first scene of the first episode filmed takes place in the Ricardo bedroom. The bathroom was located directly behind the bed, and was accessible through Lucy and Ricky’s closets, on each side of their bed. During this period, the couple’s single beds were generally pushed together. After they had a child, it was thought unseemly so the beds were separated.

We see the bathroom of 4A only once – in “The Audition” (1951).  The un-aired pilot also had a scene set in the bathroom, so this episode followed suit. Part of the scene in the bathroom was deleted for syndication because Lucy holds up a pack of Philip Morris cigarettes when talking about how a girl can even smoke a sponsor’s product. The DVD restores the scene.  Although the bathroom was referenced in “Breaking the Lease” (1952) it was not seen.

#2) Lucy, Ricky & Little Ricky Ricardo, 3B / 3D

With the birth of Little Ricky, Lucy convinced Ricky they needed to move to a larger (and more expensive) apartment. In “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (1953), Lucy convinces Mrs. Benson, who just married off her daughter to a nincompoop, to switch apartments with them. 

The Benson (soon to be Ricardo) apartment is 3B. It has a picture window and space for a nursery!  

The change was because in “Lucy Tells the Truth” (1953) Lucy feels the need to embroider her show-business resume. She tells the casting director that she appeared in 3D.

• LUCY (trying not to lie): “I was in 3D.”
• LANE: “So you were in third dimension?”
• LUCY: “No, sir.” 
• LANE: “Well, what’s 3D if it isn’t third dimension?” 
• LUCY: “It’s the number on our apartment.”

For the sake of this gag, the Ricardo apartment was re-numbered 3D. It stayed 3D for the rest of the series. Above, Ethel poses in the doorway of 3D in “The Charm School” (1954). 

The apartment has been faithfully recreated at The Lucy-Desi Museum in Jamestown NY.  

They even decorate it for the holidays, just as it was seen in the “I Love Lucy” Christmas Special (1956).

The bedroom as seen in “Lucy is Envious” (1954). After the birth of Little Ricky, it was deemed inappropriate for the Ricardos to sleep in the same bed, lest viewers make they unseemly connection of how their child was created!

Ricky likes to sing in the shower. We see the Ricardo’s 3D bathroom twice – in “Bonus Bucks” (1954) and “Little Ricky Plays the Drums” (1956). Interestingly, the entire layout of the bathroom changed in those two years. Naturally, the only thing we don’t see is the toilet!

In “Lucy Hates to Leave” (1956), Lucy says a fond farewell to 623 3D before moving to Connecticut. Curiously, of the memories she shares about the apartment, a couple are of apartment 4A!  

#3) Mrs. Matilda Trumbull, 5?

Mrs. Trumbull (played by Elizabeth Patterson) lives with her cat on the 5th floor, although her exact apartment number is never stated. The character appeared in 10 episodes from seasons 2 through 6. Presumably a widow, we meet her nephew Joe (a washing machine repairman) and hear about her sister.

At first, she is adversarial with the Ricardos, but soon warms up to them, becoming their de-facto babysitter. Her favorite expression is “Oh, nuts!” Her favorite perfume is My Sin.

While the Mertzes were in Hollywood and Europe, Mrs. Trumbull managed the building for them. Much to Fred’s chagrin, she kept the building “nice and warm.” A Rudolph Valentino fan, she has some hidden show business aspirations.

#4) Mrs. Benson, 3B / 4A

Mrs. Benson (played by Norma Varden) lives with unseen Mr. Benson (”Meh!”) and has just married off her daughter to a nincompoop. Because of this, Lucy reasons that she has no need for such a large apartment and convinces her to change switch with her. 

When “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (1953) we get our first glimpse of the living space that the Ricardos will inhabit until they move to Connecticut. Noticeably different than how it looks after the ‘swish’ (as Ricky calls it), the Bensons keep the drapes drawn and have a lot of furniture crowded onto an area rug.

Although Mrs. Benson only appears in one episode, she is mentioned in “Lucy Gets Her Eyes Examined” (1953). Lucy sends Ricky to the drug store for some ice cream, but he returns quicker than Lucy expected after borrowing some from Mrs. Benson. He catches Lucy and the Mertzes ‘auditioning’ for their guest, producer Bill Parker and is not happy about it! 

In “The Business Manager” Lucy takes on the marketing for the entire building to pay her bills. She rattles off a list of her ‘clients’: “Benson, Williams, Trumbull.”  Interestingly, no tenant named Williams ever appeared on the series. If the writers had longer memories, they might have mentioned Miss Lewis, who lived at 623 (see #8 below).  

#5) The Johnsons, 4B

In “Oil Wells” (1954), Sam and Nancy Johnson (played by Sam Cheshire and Sandra Gould) move to 623 from Texas and they are in oil. (LUCY: “Hair, suntan, cod liver, or castor?”). Ricky is suspicious, thinking they may be frauds. 

• RICKY: “If he’s a millionaire, what’s he doing living in a dump like this?”
• FRED & ETHEL: “Dump!?!”
• RICKY: “Yeah, to a millionaire, this is a dump!” 
• FRED: “I accept that.”

#6) The O’Briens, 4B

Tom O’Brien (Hayden Rorke) and his wife (K.T. Stevens) are actors who move into 4B, the same apartment that will be rented by the Johnsons two years later. In “New Neighbors” (1952), they are renting the apartment while making a spy television show.  

Nosy Lucy and Ethel enter their apartment while they are away to ogle their belongings. Lucy gets trapped in their closet when they come back unexpectedly. They promptly move out! 

#7) The Taylors, 3D

When Lucy and Ricky are about to move to Connecticut, “Lucy Hates to Leave” (1957), but Fred wastes no time in showing their apartment. The new tenants are a young couple named the Taylors (played by Gene Reynolds and Mary Ellen Kay). Selling their furniture to the new tenants, Lucy is horrified to learn that Mrs. Taylor wants to use her own lampshade, paint the coffee table black, and saw the legs off the sofa. Lucy ends up buying most of her furniture back, rather than see it ruined.

If Desilu made a spin-off…

#8) Miss Lewis, 1A

In “Lucy Plays Cupid” (1952) an elderly spinster (played by Bea Benadaret) is enamored of the local butcher, Mr. Ritter. Lucy plays matchmaker, only to discover that the amorous butcher is sweet on her instead!  Miss Lewis enjoys elderberry wine, lace doilies, and gumdrops.

Although this was the only appearance of Miss Lewis, she was mentioned twice in “The Courtroom” (1952): A process server pretends to be looking for “the Lewis apartment”; and it is also mentioned that Miss Lewis has baked the Mertzes an anniversary cake.

The Fosters, 3B / 2A

Uniquely, husband and wife Bill and Grace Foster are tenants of 623, although both are seen in different episodes!  Bill Foster (played by Richard Reeves) is seen in “The Gossip” (1952) and (as one of the Tiger’s assassins) in “The Publicity Agent” (1952).  Although they are first said to live in apartment 3B, they are later in 2A.

Grace Foster (played by Gloria Blondell) is seen in “The Anniversary Present” (1952). Grace works for a Josef Jewelry and Ricky wants to by wholesale pearls for Lucy. Lucy thinks Ricky is cheating with Grace and disguises herself as a painter to spy on them. Trouble is – brownstones like 623 were rarely painted – let alone white!  

Mr. Stewart

When “Little Ricky Gets a Dog” (1957), its barking upsets grouchy new tenant Mr. Stewart (played by John Emery). Forced to choose between his namesake pooch and surly Stewart, Fred (the landlord) returns Stewart’s $200 deposit – then promptly faints!

Herbert & Martha

In “Lucy and Superman” (1957) Fred is anxious to rent apartment 3B next door to the Ricardos. Ethel shows it to a nice couple named Herbert and Martha (played by Madge Blake and Ralph Dumke). Martha is prone to dizzy spells. When she sees something out on the ledge, Herbert decides they should look at some basement apartments instead!  

• HERBERT: “Was it a bird?” 
• MARTHA: “No.” 
• HERBERT:“Was it a plane?”
• MARTHA:“No.” 
• HERBERT:“Well, what was it, dear?” 
• MARTHA:“It was Superman!”  

3B has the same view out the window as the Mertz kitchen (3C) in “Never Do Business with Friends” (1953).

~ VISITORS, GUESTS & SUBLETS ~

“Tennessee Ernie Visits” (1954) features country music singer and comedian Ernie Ford as a friend (of a friend) of Lucy’s mother’s best friend, who visits the Ricardos and stays…. and stays. After hearing that ‘Cousin’ Ernie is headed to NYC, Ricky moans that they have already had three visitors this month – but doesn’t say who they were.  

Their extended houseguest eats them out of house and home in “Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (1954).   

When Ricky gets a summer booking in Maine in “The Sublease” (1954), he decides to rent out their apartment. When the job falls through, they must figure out a way to get rid of their nervous new tenant, Mr. Beecher (Jay Novello), a witness at a recent murder trial.  The rent on the Ricardo apartment is just $125, but real estate agent Mrs. Hammond knows she can get $300.

When burglar Madame X strikes in “Too Many Crooks” (1953), a policeman is accompanied by other tenants of 623, all in their nightgowns and pajamas. In addtion to Mrs. Trumbull, the tenants include Lucy and Desi’s camera and lighting stand-ins Hazel Pierce (second from left) and Bennett Green (behind Lucy and Fred), along with Vivian Vance’s camera and lighting stand-in Renita Reachi (3rd from left).

~ NEIGHBORS ~

In “Breaking the Lease” (1952) Ricky’s impromptu jam session (designed to get evicted) attracts neighbors like Hazel Pierce and Bennett Green. In this case, Green is costumed as a hobo.

Also (getting the last ticket) is Ball’s Goldwyn Girl pal Barbara Pepper (dancing at right), as well as Ball’s future “Lucy Show” stand-in Joan Carey (next to the harp).

Lucy and Ricky’s “Homecoming” (1955) from Hollywood brings out many of the neighbors for a Ricky Ricardo Block Party. Those waiting at the stoop of 623 include Lucille Ball’s friend and frequent extra Barbara Pepper, Bennett Green, Joan Carey, Roy Schallert, and Dick Cherney.

Front and center is mother of the twins playing Little Ricky, Eva Jean Mayer!

A select group of friends and neighbors are invited inside, including Hazel Pierce (left), and Madge (played by Charlotte Lawrence).

When “Lucy Cries Wolf” (1954), across the street neighbor Mrs. de Vries (played by Beppie de Vries), telephones Ricky to report that his missing wife is on the ledge!

If Desilu did a spin-off…

In “Redecorating” (1952), the Party Line Gossips are played by Florence Halop and Margie Liszt, whose character is referred to as Agnes. Party lines depended upon the users living in the same telephone exchange.

Some unseen tenants and neighbors:

• Mr. Benson in “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (1953).
• Mrs. Trumbull’s Sister, who takes over the running of 623 when Fred and Ethel move to Connecticut.
• In “The Anniversary Present” (1952), Lucy and Ethel go to the basement to listen at the furnace pipe (”the snooper’s friend”) and hear the voices of the couple in 4B (“Albert!”) are not credited but sound like Barbara Pepper and Richard Reeves.
• In “The Business Manager” (1954), Lucy rattles off the names of several tenants she shops for, including “Williams”.  
• When trapped on the roof in “Vacation from Marriage” (1952), Lucy throws a stone to get the attention of Mrs. Sanders across the alley. She hits a window – but it isn’t Mrs. Sanders’!
• In “Lucy’s Mother-in-Law” (1954), Ethel tells Lucy that Fred’s mother comes all the way from Indiana once a year just to look under her rug for dirt!  It is unclear, however, if Fred’s mother actually stays with them at 623.

Miscellaneous Millinery

Outside of her four television series, Lucille Ball had a career as a model and a movie star – in both worlds hats were an integral part of the overall look.  She also did numerous TV specials where her head was adorned. 

Lucille Ball’s modeling career started at Hattie Carnegie, a salon where she worked as a hat model.

A few of Ball’s iconic hats are displayed at the Lucy-Desi Museum in Jamestown, New York. 

In a 1950 print ad for Carling’s Red Cap Ale, Lucy wore two hats: a red satin jockey’s cap (the sponsor’s symbol), and a mortar board. 

“Lucille Ball, too, has graduated to Carling’s – the light-hearted ale!”

In 1938, Lucy modeled ladies’ hats based on characters from Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Needless to say, she looked “charming”. 

Lucy’s got it in the bag!  

In 1937 Lucille Ball was seen modeling a Coronation Hat. The coronation of King George VI would take place at Westminster Abbey, London, on May 12, 1937. Ball did not attend, but as a young model, was widely seen in this Associated Press photo. As an interesting sidenote, more people watched the birth of Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy” than the televised Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, where Elizabeth receive the ultimate in hats – the jeweled St. Edward’s Crown.

On March 26, 1961, Lucille Ball appeared on the cover of Family Weekly, a Sunday supplement to newspapers to model Easter hats.  

The inside article by Margaret Bell was titled “Lucy Loves Easter Hats” and featured Lucy and her daughter, Lucie Arnaz, trying on various bonnets.

On Lucy Day at the 1964 World’s Fair, Lucy was accompanied by the world’s most famous hat-wearing gossip columnist, Hedda Hopper. Not to be undone, Lucy wore a blue straw hat to tour the grounds. 

In the International area, the People’s Republic of China adorned Lucy with a traditional pearl headdress.  At the Hawaiian Pavilion, another hat for Lucy – this one woven from palm leaves. 

LUCY ~ A HEAD FOR FASHION

LUCY ~ A HEAD FOR MOVIES

LUCY ~ TV’S HEAD OF THE CLASS

The Headwear of “Here’s Lucy”

From 1968 to 1974, hats had been relegated to strictly optional – more protection than fashion. But on “Here’s Lucy” hats added immeasurably to the comedy.  

Hats could also be used as a disguise.  A floppy brim was the best thing to wear undercover!

Admiring her crocheted cloche in the mirror, Kim says “Ali McGraw, eat your heart out!”  In 1970, McGraw starred in the film Love Story, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Her character in the film wore a crocheted cloche, which vaulted the fashion accessory to popularity.

MY TOP TEN TOPPERS of HERE’S LUCY

#1 ~ EYE SPY

Thinking Harry is hiding something, Lucy, Kim and Mary Jane spy on him during lunch at the country club. 

#2 – SUPERSIZE SOMBRERO

On a trip to Mexcio, Lucy tries on the largest sombrero in the shop. 

#3 ~ NATIVE NOGGIN EXTRAVAGANZA

On safari, the Carters perform a Jungle Rain Dance. Desi Arnaz Jr. later said that the dance sequence had him wearing “some of the worst clothes of the entire series.”

#4 ~ LAMPSHADE CHIC

Hiding the fact she’s working in a Chinese Laundry, Lucy turns a lampshade into a hat, with the lampshade’s fringe as her hair. 

#5 ~ ‘HEAVENLY’ HILLBILLY HATS

At cousin (Tennessee) Ernie’s Fun Farm, Lucy and Harry croon “Heavenly Music”!

#6 ~ DOGGY DO or DOGGY DON’T?

Running a dog grooming salon, Lucy tries on the merchandise.  If #2 is the biggest of Lucy Carter’s hats, this is the smallest. 

#7 ~ GROOMER GLAMAZON

In the same episode, Harry dons a fancy shower cap to bathe the pooches. 

#8 ~ SEE-THRU STETSONS

Lucy and Carol make their entrances with huge cowboy hats pulled down over their eyes. While Lucy did the stunt blind, Carol Burnett had a mesh visor in her hat!  

#9 ~ CHERRIES JUBILEE

Lucy dons a variety of quick change disguises to gain access to a movie studio, including this ‘Mary Poppins on Steriods’ chapeau.

#10 ~ IMPERIAL CROWN

When Harry dons an ornate crown to give Lucy a clue about the identity of a handsome bachelor (he’s a prince), Lucy at first guesses that he is a margarine salesman, a reference to a popular series of commercials for Imperial Margarine in which a person who ate something with Imperial on it would instantly have a crown appear on their head!

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

The Headwear of “The Lucy Show”

From 1962 to 1968 hats were in decline. Although they were still worn by some women to formal events, they were not worn on a daily basis as they had been in the post-war 1950s. On “The Lucy Show” hats went with uniforms and costumes. They completed a look – and sometimes were funny as well. 

Lucy Carmichael worked for Bigelow’s Department Store. One of her assignments was the Hat Department, where she worked with Amzie Strickland (Don Loper’s Saleswoman) and fitted Elvia Allman (Foreman of Kramer’s Candy Kitchen) for a new hat.    

“Picking out of a hat” was taken literally when Lucy, Viv, and their boyfriends can’t decide where to eat or what movie to see. 

MY TOP TEN TOPPERS of The Lucy Show

#1 ~ PERSONALIZED HARD HAT CHIC

Lucy’s construction worker boyfriend wanted her to feel attractive on the date – which was on the girder of a building under construction. 

# 2 ~ HEDDA LETTUCE

This green feathered head covering was worn by Lucy in Las Vegas, then by a starlet on the premiere of a red carpet. 

#3 ~ BLIND BAKING

Lucy can bake pies with her eyes closed – literally. 

#4 ~ BUNNY BONNET

Trying to make Mr. Mooney doubt his senses, Lucy becomes a pychodelic rabbit secretary. 

#5 – POSH PLUMMAGE

Lucy and the Countess attend a classy wine tasting and end up under the table – literally. 

#6 ~ TAKING WING

Air hostesses Lucy and Carol take musical flight paying trribute to their new employer, Global World Airlines, with Lucille Ball’s anthem “Hey, Look Me Over.” 

#7 ~ SHOWGIRL ELEGANZA EXTRAVAGANZA II

In a nod to a classic episode of “I Love Lucy”, Lucy Carmichael dons an unweildly headpiece to become a showgirl. 

#8 ~ DOLLY DUSTER 

Lucy wears pink feathers to impersonate “Hello Dolly” star Carol Channing. 

#9 ~ FIERY HELMETS

Volunteer firefighters Lucy and Viv sneer at the suits who turned down their funding request. Ball decided it was funnier to leave the strap in front of eyes. 

#10 ~ ‘HAPPY’ HATTER

Showbiz hopeful Tommy Cheever (Frankie Avalon) belts out “Walking Happy” at the bank, using Mr. Mooney’s hat and umbrella. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

The Headwear of “I Love Lucy” 

During the 1950′s hats were a standard wardrobe item for men and women. They combined form, function, and fashion. Here’s a look at some of the amazing hats that graced the heads of “I Love Lucy.” 

Right from the start, Lucille Ball made hats comedy by wearing a lampshade on her head to transform herself into a Ziegfeld Girl. The same moment was later recreated on the series itself. 

For Lucy, nothing was worse than shopping with no money to spend!  Mrs. Mumford wasn’t shy about tempting Lucy into buying a new hat.

Lucy went to great lengths to conceal the price tag of her new hats from budget-conscious Ricky!  Gulp! 

When Lucy noticed Ricky wearing his hat to breakfast (to hide his receding hairline), she fought topper with topper! 

LUCY: “It’s like having breakfast in a beanery!” 

A good hat could be used time and again!  This jacket was seen with and without its fur collar – from New York, to London, to Paris – fashion capitols of the world!

Lucy got comic mileage out of crushing a straw hat, as she did here with Maurice Chevalier, and earlier with Ricky’s Uncle Alberto in Cuba. 

Sometimes a hat can be more than just a wardrobe item, but an important prop! 

MY TOP TEN TOPPERS of I LOVE LUCY

#1 ~ HAT SALAD 

When you just can’t make up your mind!

#2 ~ HEDDA HATS

Known for her elaborate hats, Hedda Hopper appeared with Lucy on several occasions. 

#3 ~ SHOWGIRL ELEGANZA EXTRAVAGANZA

#4 ~ THE JACQUES MARCEL COLLECTION

#5 ~ THE BROOKLYN BEEKEEPER

#6 ~ THE TWENTY FIVE GALLON HAT

#7 ~ THE FRUIT BASKET

#8 ~ THE FUZZY FISHBOWL

#9 ~ THE INFLATABLE TOP HAT

#10 ~ EASTER BONNETS

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order)

1927 – 2023

Luigia “Gina” Lollobrigida was born in Subiaco, Italy, and became one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s. As an actress, she was put under contract by Howard Hughes, but decided not to stay in America. Her breakthrough film came in 1953′s Beat The Devil. Gina was tagged “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”, after her signature movie Beautiful But Dangerous (1955). 

Gina embodied the prototype of Italian beauty. Her earthy looks and short “tossed salad” hairdo were especially influential and, in fact, there’s a type of curly lettuce named “Lollo” in honor of her hairdo.

At the 1968 Golden Globe Awards, Lucy was nominated for Yours, Mine and Ours and Gina for Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell. Barbra Streisand took home the award for Funny Girl.

Although she never acted opposite Lucille Ball, her name was mentioned on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show”. 

In “The Black Wig” (1954), Ricky sarcastically calls his new raven-haired wife Lucille Magnani, a nod to Italian film actress Anna Magnani. Although Gina Lollobrigida is not included in the dialogue, she was undoubtedly an influence. The episode was filmed just five weeks after Lollobrigida was on the cover of Look about her hairstyle. 

In “Staten Island Ferry” (1956), Lucy and Ethel are studying languages in preparation for their European trip. Lucy is studying French, while Ethel is learning Italian. 

ETHEL: “By the time we get to Italy, you won’t be able to tell me from Gina Lollobrigida.”  

In “Lucy’s Italian Movie” (1956), Fred hogs more than his share of the sleeper seat on their overnight train trip to Rome. 

ETHEL: “Fred!  Fred!  Wake up, sleeping beauty.”

LUCY: “You couldn’t wake him up with a stick of dynamite.”

ETHEL: “I’ve got an idea. (yells) Look!  There goes Gina Lollobrigida!” 

FRED: (immediately jumping up from his seat): “Where?  Where?  Where?”

Starting with “Lucy Hunts Uranium” (1957), Lucille Ball sported a new hairstyle called the ‘layered artichoke look,’ that stylist Irma Kusely said was influenced by Gina Lollobrigida, among others. When Lucy reaches for a hatbox (in which she’s hidden her Geiger counter) Ethel mistakenly guesses: “Oh, you’ve bought a new hat to go with your new hairdo?”    

When “Lucy Dates Dean Martin” (1966) his stunt man Eddie Feldman (also played by Martin) says that while Lucy is attractive, she is no Gina Lollobrigida.

In 1968′s “Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50″ Lucy pretends to be a made-up Italian film star named Gina Linguini, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Gina Lollobrigida.

She appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1982 Bob Hope Special “Women Loved: Beautiful But Funny.” By this time, Lollobrigida had all but retired from acting, becoming a respected photojournalist. 

Gina Lollobrigida died in Rome at the age of 95. 

Lucy on Lucille / Lucille on Lucy

Lucille Ball created the Lucy character to live in a real world; a world also populated by movies stars, one of whom was film and radio performer Lucille Ball!  On rare occassion, the Lucy character dared to acknowledge the existence of her famous portrayer giving viewers a rare visit to the metaverse. Lucille believed that comedy was better if it stayed close to the truth. Her sitcoms are full of references to her own life and the lives of those around her – but that’s not enough to be Meta!  Here are some moments that transcend mere references and become self-referential! 

In 1946, Lucille Ball (the actress) met Lucille Ball (the filly), courtesy of jockey Johnny Longden. This meeting no doubt influenced Longden’s playing himself in “Lucy and The Loving Cup” (1957). 

~ META MAGAZINES ~

Lucille Ball was on the cover of a local edition of TV Guide (January 25, 1952), which was casually left on the coffee table during “Breaking the Lease” (1952).  

In “Ricky’s Life Story” (1953), the photo of Lucy (“That’s a fine picture of my left arm!”) holding Little Ricky, may actually be of Lucille Ball because the monogram on the blouse are the initials ‘LB’ – although it could be ‘LR’ as the lower part of the ‘B’ is blocked by the baby!. It could also be another person wearing Lucy’s blouse. Very meta!

When Look turned up in “Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio” (1952), the June 3, 1952, issue actually had Lucille Ball on the cover!  

Look was part of a 1952 flashback intro during Lucy’s pregnancy. Vivian Vance has her hand over Ball’s photo. Inside is an article by Desi Arnaz about his wife.

Another ‘meta’ magazine appearance was in “Ricky Has Labor Pains” (1953) where a pregnant Lucy is reading the January 1953 McCall’s (January 1953), which clearly has a cover that say “Why I Love Lucy” by Desi Arnaz!  

~ META COSTUMES ~ 

Desi Arnaz was such a golf nut that he built a second home on the 17th fairway of the Thunderbird Golf Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Ricky Ricardo (an East Coast golfer) wore the Thunderbird insignia on his cap in “The Golf Game” (1954). Desi ad-libs a verbal mention of the club at the start of “The Charm School” (S3;E15) earlier in 1954. 

RICKY: “You know, the whole membership of the Thunderbird Club was around the 18th hole. All I had to do was make this measly two-foot putt to win, and I missed it!”

In “Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (1971), Lucy Ricardo’s trademark blue polka dot dress turns up at Lucy Carter’s garage sale!  The dress is a visual Easter Egg but is never talked about. 

~ META MUSIC ~ 

For “Lucy’s Last Birthday” (1953), Ricky’s birthday present to Lucy is a song called “I Love Lucy.” In reality, viewers had been listening to the Eliot Daniel theme song for nearly two years, but the previously unheard lyrics by Harold Adamson were new.  

In “Job Switching” (1952), nine weeks before it was announced that Lucy Ricardo would have a baby, Ricky is heard idly whistling “There’s A Brand New Baby in Our House,” a song that Desi Arnaz wrote several years earlier for the birth of his daughter. When Ethel asks Ricky if he wrote the song, he replies that he wrote it for Lucy. But since Lucie and Lucy are pronounced the same, Desi  may be talking about his daughter!  

A few weeks later, in “Sales Resistance” (1953), Ricky sings the song in full, recording it on a reel to reel tape recorder in his living room. Coincidentally, the song was released on the B side of the “I Love Lucy” theme song. 

~ META CASTING ~ 

In “Don Juan is Shelved” (1955) Lucy thinks real-life Hollywood producer Dore Schary is an out-of-work actor so she hires him to pretend to be… Dore Schary! Schary was supposed to play himself in the episode, but backed out at the last minute and the role was recast with Phil Ober, marring the mega meta nature of the episode. An added layer of meta was added by casting Ober, who was married to Vivian Vance and was – at times – an “out-of-work actor.” 

Frank Nelson memorably played the exasperated train conductor dealing with Lucy Ricardo in “The Great Train Robbery” (1955), then reprised the role to deal with Lucy Carmichael when “Lucy Visits the White House” (1963). Since the conductor was never given a character name – it is possible he exists in both metaverses! 

William Frawley made his last scripted television appearance in “Lucy and the Countess Have a Horse Guest” (1965) as a horse trainer. When he is out of earshot, Lucy Carmichael turns the Countess (Ann Sothern) and says:

LUCY: “You know, he reminds me of someone I used to know.” 

Frawley spent nine years playing Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy.”  

“Lucy The Gun Moll” (1966) is essentially a parody of Desilu’s crime drama “The Untouchables.” The meta madness is that the original actors (Robert Stack, Bruce Gordon, Steve London, and Walter Winchell) were cast, but the character names were changed to protect the innocent!  Lucy, as chanteuse Rusty Martin, even mentions the series title to pound the satire home. 

At the end of “Lucy Visits Jack Benny” (1974), the world’s most famous bus driver Ralph Kramden makes a wordless appearance. Jackie Gleason played the character on his variety show and the sitcom “The Honeymooners”, airing simultaneously with “I Love Lucy.”  Ball and Gleason collaborated on several specials. The meta world that contains Lucy Carter, Ralph also exists!

 ~ META REAL ESTATE ~ 

In “The Tour” (1956), the Beverly Hills home of Richard Widmark actually is the home of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.  A second unit film crew was sent to Roxbury Drive residence to film establishing shots of Lucy and Ethel walking up to the home. The actors, however, are not Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance, but identically dressed doubles!  

When “Lucy Sues Mooney” (1967) with the help of her wily lawyer Wally Wiley (Jack Carter), she gives her address as 780 Gower Street. This was the address of the Desilu Studios Production Offices. An extra layer of meta is added because Carter was best man at Ball’s wedding to Gary Morton. Lucy Carmichael also gives this as her address in “Lucy The Babysitter” (1967).

~ META MENTIONS ~

In “Baby Pictures” (1953) Charlie Appleby tries to impress the Ricardos about his TV station’s catalog of films:

CHARLIE: “We’ve got the newest moving pictures in town. I bought a block of films yesterday, and I want to tell you that they’re going to make television stars out of some of the actors. Now, just remember their names: Conway Tearle and Mabel Normand.”

Conway Tearle’s career bounced between Broadway and Hollywood. One of his last starring roles was in Hey Diddle Diddle, a play that premiered in 1937 featuring a 26 year-old Lucille Ball. The play was scheduled to open on Broadway, but closed after one week in Washington DC due to Tearle’s declining health. Had it succeeded, Ball’s career trajectory might have been very different! 

In 1967, TV producer and director Sheldon Leonard (who actually worked at Desilu), arranged to film a bank robbery at Mr. Mooney’s bank – but keeps it a secret from Lucy, naturally. The end of the episode turns very meta when Leonard says:

“I suddenly got this idea for a new television series. It would be about this kooky red headed girl. She works in a bank and she gets into all sorts of impossible situations and… …forget it. Nobody would ever believe it!”

A guest appearance by Van Johnson in “Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1968) is used as an opportunity to promote their recently released film Yours Mine and Ours, where Lucy plays the wife of Henry Fonda and Johnson their best friend.

VAN JOHNSON: “I loved working with that kooky redhead.”

LUCY CARTER: “Personally, I thought she was much too young for Henry Fonda.”

During Lucille Ball’s third appearance on “The Carol Burnett Show” (1969) two flight attendants Finster (Carol) and Agnes (Lucille Ball) compete for a best employee award. They encounter a suspicious passenger (Harvey Korman) with a Fidel Castro-like beard, cigars tucked in his breast pocket, and a Spanish accent.

HOOPER (Lucy): “Where are you from, sir?  Havana?”

PASSENGER (Korman): “Havana? What makes you think I’m from Havana?”

HOOPER (Lucy): “Well, if it’s one thing I know, it’s a Cuban accent.”

This meta moment relies on the audience knowing that Lucille Ball had been married to Desi Arnaz, a Cuban immigrant, as was his sitcom spouse, Ricky Ricardo. In the late 1960′s hijacking planes to Cuba was headline news ripe for satire. 

When “Lucy Competes With Carol Burnett” (1970), she dresses like a charwoman identical to the one created by Burnett for “The Carol Burnett Show.” When Carol Krausmeyer (disguised as a hippie reporter) asks how Lucy Carter thought up such a crazy outfit. 

LUCY: “From some goofy dame on TV.” 

CAROL: “Well, she must be some kind of nut!”

~ THE DESILU METAVERSE ~

• Lucy Ricardo met Danny Williams (Danny Thomas) on a cross-over episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”;
• Danny Williams drives through Mayberry and meets Sheriff Andy Taylor, which spawns “The Andy Griffith Show”;
• “The Andy Griffith Show” is where the Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors) character began before getting his own show. “Gomer Pyle USMC”;

• Gomer Pyle turns up on “The Lucy Show,” although here she is Lucy Carmichael, not Lucy Ricardo (even though both women share the maiden name McGillacuddy). 
• The outcome is that Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carmichael exist in the same (TV) Metaverse! 

~ METAGRAPHS ~

In “Lucy The Gun Moll” (1966) Rusty’s Martin’s (aka Lucy) dressing room is decorated with black and white photographs of Lucille Ball performing. Behind Robert Stack is a photo of Ball singing “Jitterbug Bite” in the 1940 film Dance, Girl, Dance. She met Desi Arnaz while making this movie. It was filmed at RKO, the studio that became Desilu.  

When Kim decorates her room with posters of classic film stars in “Lucy and the Andrews Sisters” (1969), Lucy Carter finds a poster of Lucille Ball! She looks at it thoughtfully, is about to put it on the wall, and then says “Meh” and puts it down.  

When “Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball” (1974), the walls of Ball’s dressing room are covered with photos from the star’s real life, including one of her mother Dede.  

The black and white photo next to the door is from “The Lucy Show” episode “Lucy and Chris’s New Year’s Eve Party” (1962) where Lucy Carmichael did a silent movie sketch as Charlie Chaplin. So Lucille Ball is playing Lucy Carmichael who is playing Charlie Chaplin!

In 1975′s Lucille Ball special with Dean Martin, “Lucy Gets Lucky”, Lucy Collins admires a photo of Lucille Ball while walking through the Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel’s Hollywood Hall of Fame.  

~ META MASTERPIECE ~

The ultimate visit to the Metaverse is the “Here’s Lucy” episode “Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball” (1974), in which Lucy, Kim, and Cynthia (Carole Cook) enter a Lucille Ball look-alike contest. 

With the assistance of split screens and doubles (the best technology available at the time, Ball played both roles – and was even billed accordingly! 

Lucy, Cynthia, and Kim both don caftans and dark wigs to emulate Ball’s look in her upcoming film Mame, although the film is never directly mentioned. Kim says that a lot of her friends think she looks like Lucille Ball.  

LUCY: “That’s ridiculous. She’s old enough to be your mother!”

And the winner is… 

…Lucy, naturally!