#Alice Wills

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY & THE CRIMINALS

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 in to 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 the club’s tag sale, Ricky and Fred believe she is a kleptomaniac, a theif who steals uncontrolably. Lucy finds out about their misapprehension and decides to teach them a lesson by pretending to be real theives - 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 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 is 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 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 overly-worried about her safety during a local crime spree, demanding Ricky demonstrate her love by protecting her against made-up thieves. Whe real burglars 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. Finding a hatchett in the car’s trunk convinces Lucy her hunch is correct. 

“Lucy Wants To Move to the Country” (1957) ~ To convince the Spauldings  that they are undesireables and 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 played a dance teacher 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) approach Lucy and tell her 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

[bietrofastimoff23]

the small council immediately after the meeting with Aemond in ep6:

[seamayweed]

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON — 1.09 // 2.08

[shortnotsweet]

[ “SOMEBODY TOLD ME”]:

BREAKING MY BACK JUST TO KNOW YOUR NAME. SEVENTEEN TRACKS AND I’VE HAD IT WITH THIS GAME. A BREAKIN’ MY BACK JUST TO KNOW YOUR NAME—BUT HEAVEN AIN’T CLOSE IN A PLACE LIKE THIS.

— The Killers, Hot Fuss (2004)

Princess Rhaenyra’s insolence is wearing her stepmother’s patience thin. Queen Alicent is not ten years her senior, but even during her own sixteenth year, she cannot recall herself behaving so brazenly. She would never burst into courtly discussions in nothing but gilded armor and the underskirts of her riding leathers, awash in blood. (She would never be spotted in blood that was not her own, anyway. Alicent has never picked up a sword, not one that belonged to her.) Nevermind that Rhaenyra is attending to diplomatic affairs with bared teeth and scales, no—the crux of the matter is just that, her affairs. Rhaenyra is the Realm’s Delight, a beauty incomparable to any fair maiden, Alicent included. She indulges herself with appetite of a spoiled child, the confidence of man, and the pickings befitting only to her royal blood. Criston Cole. Daemon Targaryen. Harwin Strong. Laena Velaryon. She’s full of love, isn’t she? That selfish, foolish girl. What does Rhaenyra Targaryen know of love, of duty? She is a child in so many ways—she thinks killing makes her a man, thinks the throne is hers despite being a woman, thinks she can have her knight and her uncle and her protector and Laena Velaryon in one fail swoop. She’s wrong. She doesn’t know herself half as well as Alicent does. Alicent, who sees her for what she truly is, who wants to see all of her and more of her and none of her. Alicent has been stolen into the Keep by her own father—both of their fathers—but Rhaenyra is the key to this place, is the window to everything barred. Rhaenyra Targaryen has a dragon. Rhaenyra can fly.

That’s what Rhaenyra had promised her once, with her lips pulled back in a grin, exposing the white of her teeth like the violently radiant creature she was. “Perhaps when you grow tired of plotting against me, we shall ride on dragonback together,” she had said. The tease.

Alicent had yanked her into an empty corridor by the silk of her sleeve, ready to chastise her for her ill behavior. Conversing with the lords and ladies of the court at a feast was one thing, but chattering about her bloody encounters in battle over the pudding tureen were another. The lord at her elbow was going green. Alicent’s own face was likely red; her heart raced whenever Rhaenyra got like this. Alicent had never seen the battlefield—only seen battered men in dented armor and the slumps of corpses lined along dirt roads in the aftermath of war—but her own imagination terrified her like nothing else.

(Rhaenyra is better with a sword than half of the knights in Westeros, and more lovely than the lot. Her reign has not yet begun, but already the commoners flock to her—lured in by tales of her beauty and fine hair—and soldiers would follow her into battle. Alicent would not follow, but she would watch and bite her nails down to the quick.

She thinks of the figure Rhaenyra cuts in full armor, the heat in her gaze underneath the slots of her helmet. Alicent remembers the weight of her own hand in Rhaenyra’s—which was gloved—when the princess rode up to the spectators box and grasped it in her own, bringing Alicent’s knuckles to her lips. She thinks of Rhaenyra murdered in the sky, skewered with another man’s sword, plummeting to the ground, torn in half, streaking crimson across the clouds. Alicent would scream, or cry. She might laugh. She would throw herself from the window of her tower. Rhaenyra’s bloody exploits terrified Alicent for reasons she could not identify, and excited her for reasons she refused to.)

“I’d sooner be confined to the castle for the rest of my days than get on the back of that bloody lizard,” Alicent scoffed. Rhaenyra only tucked her hand over Alicent’s, where it was resting on her forearm. She flexed her fingers, moving to release her grip on the dark fabric, but Rhaenyra intertwined their fingers and held them fast.

“You’re confined already. You are already accustomed to such a thing. I know you. But—”

“But you forget yourself. You think you’re invulnerable, Rhaenyra. You don’t know who you are.” Alicent intends for it to be a sneer, but instead it comes out quietly, and too gentle for disdain. She can’t know. Rhaenyra is as trapped as she is, but they’re trapped together. They belong together. She belongs with Alicent.

“I am Rhaenyra Targaryen, Heir to the Iron Throne and all of Westeros. I am a dragonrider. I am—I am your daughter. In a way. Your sister, too. Your enemy. Your sword, your shield.”

“And what am I?” What else is left for me? Alicent wonders.

“My Queen. For now.” Rhaenyra cocks her head, and the gleam in her eyes burns like fire raining down. “When I am Queen, you will be my lady.”

[jolivers-wonder]

catherine earnshaw & heathcliff to me btw

(there's still time to cancel the current one and recast them instead)

@lioftb

[prideprejudce]

I feel like people have read into Alicent's response to Rhaenyra's ultimatum in both good AND bad faith ways, but i feel like I haven't seen much of what Rhaenyra was feeling about it!!

Personally, I feel like the ultimatum she gave Alicent was the product of 3 different motivations- first, it was the obvious political move to kill the usurper to her throne, duh. The second, is that I think Rhaenyra is super aware- and terrified of- being trapped in a cycle of loss, being passed over for a son, and her claim to the throne standing only because of what she represents not her as a person. Thats its own whole fascinating character essay i cant get into here lol.

But the third reason is that I THINK she has a desperate personal obsession with being chosen by Alicent over Aegon, and leans into the ultimatum as a way to extract what she needs from Alicent-- to be chosen and prioritized over her father's son, and be the centre of Alicent's attention (romantic or not).

The directors/writers have mentioned one of the crucial aspects of Rhaenyra and Alicent's relationship is how many times Rhaenyra reaches out, only to be rejected by Alicent over and over. I think Rhaenyra, as someone who really internalized going after what she wants from a young age, is a bit spoiled, and is obsessed with Alicent's continuous rejection as both a novelty, and a deep source of insecurity.

Rhaenyra has a bit of magical thinking where she really does think that if she just pushes hard enough she can change the world into the shape she wants it to be, and I think when Alicent CONTINUES to deny her, she gets more and more frustrated.

Double this with her general issues around being passed over for a son, first from her father with baelon, and then COMPOUNDED with baby aegon stealing both her father AND alicent's attention as alicent prioritized birthing and probably caring for her son over rhaenyra's sulking when Rhaenyra was in the most pain she had been in yet in her life.

I think Rhaenyra is HIGHLY resentful about not just aegon usurping her throne, but also the lack of attention during the HEIGHT of her teenage years, where she already has a contentious relationship with her father AND .....stepmother?? first love??? sister?? (targaryen family incest issues are a wonderful icing on top of this cake)

It was very clear that the reason Alicent married viserys was SPECIFICALLY to have more children, and that Alicent CHOSE (from Rhaenyra's perspective) to put herself in that position JUST after Aemma died from the same cause, becoming a mother rather than staying with Rhaenyra and daydreaming about riding off into the sunset. In Rhaenyra's mind, she lost her mother to the promise of a son, only to lose Her Alicent™️ to ANOTHER promise of a son right after. This is probably the deepest rejection Alicent could have given her.

The entire second half of season 2 is more denial; Rhaenyra's marriage proposal of their children is rejected, Alicent rejects Rhaenyra's bastard sons in general, and Rhaenyra's choices by extension, then driftmark happens, then the ENTIRE USURPTION happens, rejecting Rhaenyra's claim to her own birthright.

Rhaenyra even tries AGAIN in season 3 - extending herself to go into Alicent's place of comfort to sue for peace, even telling Alicent bits of a personally sacred religious doctrine only to be rejected AGAINNNNNNN.

(I could write forever about how Rhaenyra indulges Alicent's religious but never gets the same back on her own customs)

Yah, I think when Rhaenyra sees Alicent next, its not just that the ultimatum is a political necessity, but its decades of rejection culminating in 'you need to choose and prioritize me over everything, including your son, bc i cannot take anymore rejection from you, and I cant handle NOT being the most important thing in your whole world tbh :)' Especially on the heels of her newfound radicalization i feel like Rhaenyra sees Alicent's 'Choosing Rhaenyra' this time as a Holy Blessing and the last crucial piece she needs to self actualize.

(Also never forget all of this takes place in the targaryen CESSPOOL that is Rhaenyra having Alicent as a sister/step mother/half employee?? Alicent was at least her subordinate at one point/only confidante/possible first love-- theres probably alot of projection on Rhaenyra's part for what Alicent's approval means to her)

sorry this is so long the word rejection has ceased to mean anything to me at this point

"Rhaenyra sees Alicent's 'choosing Rhaenyra' this time as a Holy Blessing and the last crucial piece that she needs to self actualize"

what if we all just set each other on fire

[dirtytransmasc]

Alicent being ignored as a parent during those first few years. Alicent being expected to take care of aegon, while also allowing Viserys to take him whenever he so pleased, to show off and pass around like a model toy. Alicent being denied her child whenever lords and ladies were around. Alicent only getting him back when she was at her wits end, stressed after being separated from him for so long, watching people hold him wrong, play with him wrong, touch him wrong. Alicent only getting him back when he is fussy and no longer a source of entertainment for Viserys and his guests. Alicent holding her baby close to her chest during outings or events, stiffening when people ask to see him, hesitant to release her grip on him. Alicent biting her tongue when people ask to "give her a break" when she really wants to tell them that it's her baby and she's perfectly capable. Alicent being so exhausted from guests and Aegon being so little and full of energy, and her second pregnancy, causing her to doze with Aegon in her arms, only to nearly lash out when someone tries to slip him from her arms, engulfing him in her arms as if to fend him from hungry wolves. Alicent carrying him around, even as she grows tired, her arms burning and back aching, so she knows he is safe, away from prying hands and acrid whispers, away from his father's attempts to use him for amusement purposes. Alicent feigning a smile, feigning composure and enjoyment, when really, she just wants to be home, in her chambers with her son, where no one can bother them, where they aren't props meant to smile and wave for a man who does not love them.

(inspired by this reblog of my post from earlier. cause yes, @squgs [hope you don't mind me tagging] is right, she would very much go to war for her baby)

[b-rainlet]

The Green family dynamics are so interesting because like, Viserys is the father but due to his decay he seems more like the grandfather, whereas Otto is the Grandsire but seems to fill out the role of a father more, not only to his daughter but also her children, so he and his daughter are a mother/father unit but in some situations Alicent is treated like a sibling to her children (by Otto) and then you have the obvious Helaena/Aegon happening (siblings who are also husband/wife and mother/father to their children), but at the same time it seems like Aemond is the one trying to be the family's protector and attempting to step up as patriarch, with some of the scenes between him and Alicent giving off the vibes of equals rather than Mother and Son (like when they discuss Aemond finding Aegon) and his relationship with Aegon seeming like he's the big brother and not the other way around, in this essay I will-

[ramblingsfromthytruly]

everyone say thank you to nobleflower for inventing forbidden romance

[doomed2repeat]

I think some of the criticisms of Bridgerton come down to nostalgia as the the series progresses because too many people have forgotten we had an episode of S1 that revolved around Daphne not being able to properly choose a winning pig.

Every season has at least one “pig plot”, it’s inevitable.

[eggrolls-and-fandoms]

It’s the way you’d think Alice would laugh at Gwen when she hears about Mr. Bonzo, but she doesn’t. I think she believes it, but ignores it. Like she does everything else. I love them

[sansacherie]

while im glad those freaks didnt get their wish of helaena hating alicent for blood and cheese and saying the complete opposite of what they wanted to her mother ("i forgive you") it still absolutely would have been FAR better to have helaena instead say "i don't blame you"/"i've never blamed you". that way you can still address alicent's feelings of (undeserved) guilt without trying to imply that she could have stopped it, if that was the implication they were going for.

[antigonenikk]

"...no one possesses more than one mother, and the relation to her is based on an event that...cannot be repeated."

[daeneryseastar]

“alicent making homophobic remarks the night of laena’s funeral isn’t cool considering laenor was shown to be heavily grieving his sister and didn’t deserve to be attacked during it (not to mention it was an obvious ploy on alicent’s part to divert attention from her committing literal treason).”

“b-bUT WHAT ABOUT DAEMON AND RHAENYRA FUCKING-“

i’m not gonna lie i don’t particularly care that they had sex that night. was it disrespectful? for sure. did it harm anyone for them to do it? it, in fact, did not. two consenting adults having sex away from prying eyes and keeping to themselves < an entitled boy purposely calling a girl at her mother’s funeral (whom he had never interacted with before) a pig and ridiculing her grief. laena’s storyline was cut short because the writers decided she wasn’t important enough to make into a proper character that isn’t at the mercy of other characters (it’s something i’m forever going to be salty about, daemon and rhaenyra loved her with all their hearts and were absolutely devastated when she passed) but out of those two scenarios who do you think she would be more upset with?

the people who bring this up in retaliation cannot handle alicent taking any criticism whatsoever. in all honesty i wouldn’t even care if her fans would just say ‘yeah, it was shitty. don’t really care though.’ it would at least save me the time of reading think piece after think piece on why alicent deserved to get her lick back against rhaenyra for her lot in life (caused by otto and viserys) by focusing on her pain rather than her son’s. these are the same people who try to claim that most of rhaenyra’s children and step children secretly hate her, due to wanting ‘complex and nuanced relationships’ to occur (they actually also can’t handle that rhaenyra was a great mom all around to all of her kids, and that maybe they need to be focusing those feelings on the green kids with their parents instead). let’s be serious for just one moment: it makes more sense that the children who were neglected by one parent and abused by the other having complicated familial feelings than children who were (for the most part) raised in a relatively stable and loving environment.

[listerbirdloml]

i have nothing original to say so here you go

[juniperhillpatient]

I’ve always been fascinated by female characters that are defined specifically by what they mean to the (mostly male) characters around them in an objectifying way but I don’t mean misogynistic writing because I fully believe the narrative can be aware of the tragedy of never belonging to yourself or being allowed to have any agency in your own life. The mysterious dead girl who is the object of everyone’s curiosity or grief whose relationship with the men in her life is the focus of the investigation. Like…. The horror of having no agency within your own identity & no power to change that or take control of your own narrative.