#Shepard Menken

[papermoonloveslucy]

THE FACULTY!

Teachers, Instructors and Coaches of the Lucyverse

Here’s a tribute to all the teachers at the Lucyverse University! 

Jean Valjean Raymond (Apache Dancing) played by Shepard Menken in “The Adagio” (1951). Ethel suggests the recently-arrived cousin of someone at the French laundry to teach Lucy how to dance the Apache. He turns out to be more interested in amore than apache! 

Percy Livermore (English / Grammar / Elocution) played by Hans Conried in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (1952). Naturally, tutor Livermore has show business aspirations. Conried also played various teachers and instructors on Ball’s radio sitcom “My Favorite Husband.” 

Madame LeMond (Ballet) played by Mary Wickes. LeMond was the premiere ballerina of the French Ballet. She puts Lucy through her paces at the barre. 

Arthur ‘King Cat’ Walsh (Jitterbug) played by Arthur Walsh in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (1953). In real life, Walsh was one of Hollywood’s most popular Jitterbug dancers / actors. His first film role was as a Jitterbugging soldier in Stage Door Canteen (1935). 

Robert Dubois (French) played by Alberto Morin in “The French Revue” (1953). A waiter moonlighting by giving French lessons, DuBois is really in show business and wants to audition for Ricky at the Tropicana. In reality, Morin was not French, but born in Puerto Rico! 

Kitty Winslow (Dance) played by Lucille Ball in “K.O. Kitty” (1958), an episode of the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. The dance instructor turns boxing coach when she ‘inherits’ a prize fighter. Lucy Carmichael also coached a prize fighter (played by Don Rickles) in a 1967 episode of “The Lucy Show.” 

Henry Taylor (Math) played by William Windom in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (1962). Although Jerry calls him ‘Old Man Taylor’, he is a new young bachelor recently relocated to Danfield from San Francisco. He replaced teacher Mr. Lucas (a character we never see). In various episodes of “The Lucy Show” Jerry also talks about teachers named Mrs. Lopus and Miss Clementine. 

Vito (Fencing Instructor) played by Vito Scotti, also in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (1962). He gives lessons at the new Danfield YMCA. 

Professor Dr. Gitterman (Singing and Acting) played by Hans Conried in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (1963) and “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (1963). The roles are reversed when Lucy uses his breath control techniques in “Lucy Teaches Ethel Merman to Sing” (1964). 

Dr. Adrian Vance (Chemistry) played by Lou Krugman in “Lucy and Viv Take Up Chemistry” (1963). Vance teaches night school at Danfield High. 

Mr. Sheldon (Judo) played by James Seay in “Lucy and Viv Learn Judo” (1964). Sheldon runs a Judo and Karate studio in Danfield. During the lesson he is assisted by his prize students, Louis Coppola and Ed Parker, who were real-life martial arts experts hired for the episode. 

Professor Guzman (Art) played by John Carradine in “Lucy Goes To Art Class” (1964). Guzman teaches Beginning Art Class at Harold’s Stationery and Art Store in Danfield.    

Mickey Rooney (Acting) in “Lucy Meets Mickey Rooney”. The school Mickey Rooney wants to open is called The Players Showcase. 

When “Lucy Gets Her Diploma” (1967) she attends Wilshire High School. There she has several teachers (top left to bottom right):

Larry Wilcock plays the Math teacher

Barbara Babcock plays the English teacher

Olive Dunbar plays the Biology teacher

Donald Randolph plays the History teacher

Ken Jones (Dance) played by Ken Berry in “Lucy Helps Ken Berry” (1968).  Jones teaches a course of tap and soft shoe for $25. 

Sister Mary Alice (Grade School Teacher) played by Mary Gregory in the film Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). Sister teaches Lucy’s son Philip and objects to him using his adopted name Beardsley, insisting he is still legally a North. 

Buddy Rich (Drums) coaches Craig in “Lucy and the Drum Contest” (1970).

Mike Howden plays a Ski Instructor in “Someone’s On the Ski Lift with Dinah” (1971). 

Freddy Martin coaches Lucy Carter in the saxophone in “Lucy and Her All-Nun Band” (1971). Martin was a saxophonist and band leader who first gained national attention in 1940 and continued on through the 1970s.

Professor Dietrich and Professor John Kleindorf played by Murray Matheson and John Davidson in “Lucy and the Professor” (1973). Kleindorf is the head of the music department of the college Kim attends. Dietrich is the author of the best-selling book Sex and the College Girl.

Jack Scott (Auto Mechanics) played by Robert Rockwell in “The Not-So-Popular Mechanics” (1973). Scott teaches night courses at Valley Trade School. Rockwell is probably best remembered as biology teacher Mr. Boynton on “Our Miss Brooks” (1952-56) opposite Gale Gordon and Mary Jane Croft, a series filmed at Desilu Studios. 

Mr. Tweed (Pottery) played by Roger Twedt in “Lucy and Uncle Harry’s Pot” (1973). Twedt was a real-life art teacher from Palm Springs, California. He also  was Lucille Ball’s adviser for using the pottery wheel.

[goalhofer]

CBS spring 1962 Primetime Lineup.

Sunday

The Twentieth Century narrated by Walter Cronkite.

Mister Ed starring Allan Lane and Alan Young.

Lassie starring Tommy Rettig and Jan Clayton.

Dennis The Menace starring Jay North and Herbert Anderson.

The Ed Sullivan Show hosted by Ed Sullivan.

General Electric Theater hosted by Ronald Reagan.

The Jack Benny Program starring Jack Benny and Edmund Anderson.

Candid Camera hosted by Homer Kirby and Allen Funt.

Monday

To Tell The Truth hosted by Bud Collyer.

Pete And Gladys starring Harry Morgan and Cara Williams.

Father Knows Best starring Robert Young and Jane Wyatt.

The Danny Thomas Show starring Danny Thomas and Jean Hagen.

The Andy Griffith Show starring Andy Griffith and Ron Howard.

Hennesey starring Jackie Cooper; Jr. and Abby Dalton.

I’ve Got A Secret hosted by Garry Moore.

Tuesday

Gunsmoke starring James Arness and Hugh Stone.

Password hosted by Allen Ludden.

The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis starring Dwayne Hickman and Frank Faylen.

The Red Skelton Show hosted by Richard Skelton.

Ichabod And Me starring Robert Sterling and George Chandler.

The Garry Moore Show starring Garry Moore and Carol Burnett.

Wednesday

The Alvin Show starring Ros Bagdasarian and Shepard Menken.

Window On Main Street starring Robert Young and Constance Moore.

Checkmate starring Anthony George and Charles Cabot.

The Dick Van Dyke Show starring Dick Van Dyke and Mary Moore.

The United States Steel Hour hosted by Lawrence Langner and Roger Pryor.

Armstrong Circle Theatre hosted by Ron Cochran.

Thursday

Oh! Those Bells starring Herbert Wiere and Harry Wiere.

Frontier Circus starring Theodore Wills and John Derek.

Tell It To Groucho hosted by Julius Marx.

Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theatre hosted by Dick Powell.

CBS Reports hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

Friday

Rawhide starring Eric Fleming and Clint Eastwood.

Route 66 starring Martin Milner and George Maharis.

Father Of The Bride starring Leon Ames and Ruth Warrick.

The Twilight Zone hosted by Rod Serling.

CBS News Eyewitness.

Saturday

Perry Mason starring Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale.

The Defenders starring E.G. Marshall and Robert Reed.

Have Gun-Will Travel starring Richard Boone and Kam Tong.

Gunsmoke starring James Arness and Hugh Stone.

[geekbroll]

The Lone Ranger - The Rainmaker - Episode 21 Segment 2 - (Original air date 1967-10-28) features the voice work of Paul Winchell as The Rain Maker and one of the farmers threatened by The Rain Maker. Paul Winchell (1922–2005) is known for voicing Fleegle, Dick Dastardly, Gargamel, Zummi Gummi, Goober, Tigger and others. Michael Rye — Lone Ranger Shepard Menken — Tonto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=126IZRjCQL8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lone_Ranger_(1966_TV_series) #paulwinchell #therainmaker #rainmaker #loneranger #theloneranger #lonerangercartoon #lonerangerandtonto #tonto #formatfilms #1966 #loneranger66 #weirdwest #weirdwestern #hannabarbera #fleegle #bananasplits #bananasplitsmovie #cartoons #cartooncharacters #dickdastardly #loneranger1966 #MichaelRye #johnhalas #joybatchelor #halasandbatchelor #cbs #cbscartoons #allnewloneranger #ShepardMenken #zummigummi #gargamel #tigger #voicework (at Portland, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/By4F47RhSCz/?igshid=1rpxfrbljzvte

[dannyreviews]

Entertainment Legends Who Should Receive The Kennedy Center Honors (Frequently Updating)

Being a lover of several types of entertainment and cultural mediums, I always look forward to hearing who the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors will be. Usually between June and September, 5 individuals and groups are announced to join the list of the most well known performers. 95% of the time, I agree with the recipients, but there have been some figures that I believe do not belong in the same regard as Leonard Bernstein, Katharine Hepburn, Neil Simon and Led Zeppelin. Because there are only 5 spots per year, several famed people get shut out and unfortunately lose out when they pass away. Presented below, are a list of individuals that have yet to be recognized (grouped by profession):

Actors:

Michael Caine, Glenn Close, Leslie Caron, Diahann Carroll, Daniel Day-Lewis, Olivia de Havilland, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Kline, Nathan Lane, Jessica Lange, Jerry Lewis, Ian McKellen, Christopher Plummer, Carl Reiner, Dean Stockwell, Dick Van Dyke, Betty White

Composers/Conductors:

Daniel Barenboim, John Corigliano, Francis Lai, Phillip Glass, Gershon Kingsley, Michel Legrand, Ennio Morricone, Mike Post, Simon Rattle, Steve Reich, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson-Thomas, La Monte Young

Dancers/Choreographers:

Toni Basil, Savion Glover, Cynthia Gregory, Gillian Lynne, Kenny Ortega, Susan Stroman, Tommy Tune

Directors:

Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Donen, Ron Howard, James Ivory, Norman Jewison, Franco Zefferelli

Musicians:

Herb Alpert, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Emanuel Ax, Burt Bacharach, Yefim Bronfman, Ron Carter, Chick Correa, Stanley Drucker, James Galway, Evelyn Glennie, Jimmy Heath, Wynton Marsalis, Jean-Luc Ponty, Peter Schickele, Wayne Shorter, Pinchas Zukerman

Singers:

ABBA, Paul Anka, Charles Aznavour, Kathleen Battle, José Carreras, Carol Channing, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Fats Domino, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Renee Fleming, Barry Gibb, Kiri Te Kanawa, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Patti Lupone, Audra McDonald, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Van Morrison, Bernadette Peters, The Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, Frankie Valli (and the Four Seasons), Willard White

Theatrical People:

Emanuel Azenberg, Alain Boubil/Claude-Michel Schonberg, Peter Brook, Michael Frayn, David Hare, Sheldon Harnick, James Lapine, David Mamet, Terrence McNally, Alan Menken, Trevor Nunn, Tim Rice, Stephen Schwartz, Sam Shepard, Tom Stoppard, Charles Strouse, Jonathan Tunick, Jerry Zaks

[johnmulaneys]

[papermoonloveslucy]

THE FACE IS FAMILIAR... BUT I CAN'T PLACE THE NAME!

Same Actor / Different Character ~ Part 1: "I Love Lucy"

It used to be quite common for actors to be cast in multiple roles on the same series. Not in principal parts, certainly, but in supporting and minor characters. Lucycoms were no exception. Although the world created by these shows was representative of reality, the characters who populated them often gave viewers Deja vu.

For the purposes of this discussion, we won't include background performers (aka extras) as they were nearly always drawn from the same pool of actors. Also, those who played multiple characters need to have at least two of them identified by name. We will, however, include "the "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours" in our discussion of "I Love Lucy".

FRANK NELSON

A busy character actor, Frank Nelson has the distinction of being the only performer to play more than one recurring character (a character seen in more than one episode) on "I Love Lucy": Quizmaster Freddie Fillmore and Westport neighbor Ralph Ramsey. In addition, he played a nearsighted waiter, a TV host, a policeman, a a talent scout, a customs officer, a cruise director, and (perhaps most famously) a train conductor. His turn as the conductor was so memorable, he reprised it on "The Lucy Show" in 1963. Lucy has worked with Nelson on her radio show and new that audiences loved him - so she had no problem engaging him time and time again.

CHARLES LANE

Another familiar face was veteran character actor Charles Lane. Instead of radio, Lane came from the world of film, having done several pictures with William Frawley. He played a total of six characters, including Mr. Stanley, father of nine girls when "Lucy Goes to the Hospital." He followed up with Mr. Hickox "The Business Manager", a casting director, a passport office clerk, a uranium claims officer, and (like Nelson) a customs official, this time at the Mexican border. Lucille Ball created a role for him on "The Lucy Show", only to let him go to make way for a similar character when Gale Gordon finally became available. But that didn't stop Lane, who kept acting until he died at the age of 102!

MARY JANE CROFT

Before settling into the role of Betty Ramsey (with Frank Nelson as her husband Ralph), Croft played the role of Lucy Ricardo's old chum Cynthia Harcourt, who's request for a charitable donation forces Lucy to take a job as a woman from Mars. She returned to new mother Evelyn Bigsby, who sits next to Lucy on the plane home from Europe. Interestingly, Frank Nelson is also in this episode. Just a few months later the pair are back as the Ramseys. Viewers didn't need to have long memories to think the Ricardos' Westport neighbors looked familiar.

ELIZABETH PATTERSON

Viewers fondly remember Patterson as Mrs. Trumbull, the lovable spinster who babysat Little Ricky. On her first episode in 1953, the character was irascible, but grew more likeable over the seven more appearances that followed. Many forget that when Lucy and Ricky renewed their vows in Greenwich Connecticut, Patterson played Mrs. Willoughby the mayor! Mr. Willoughby was played by....

IRVING BACON

Bacon wore many hats (literally) as the man who greeted the Ricardos in Greenwich. But he must've done something right because he was asked back to play Will Potter when the gang drove through "Ethel's Hometown" on their way to Hollywood.

KATHRYN CARD

Best remembered as the scatterbrained Mrs. McGillicuddy, Card was nearly unrecognizable when she was first seen on the series, as Minnie Finch's brusque neighbor in "Fan Magazine Interview" (1954). Mother (she never had a first name) was seen in seven episodes in 1955 and 1956.

HERB VIGRAN

Busy character man Herb Vigran started on "I Love Lucy" playing Jule, Ricky's music agent in two 1952 episodes. But when Lucy's washing machine goes on the fritz, Vigran shows up as Joe, a repairman who also happens to be Mrs. Trumbull's nephew. He also was seen as Hal Sparks, the publicity man who convinces Lucy and Ethel to dress as women from Mars at the top of the Empire State Building.

PARLEY BAER

Baer’s first collaboration with Lucille Ball was playing MGM’s Mr. Reilly in "Ricky Needs an Agent” (1955). He returned to the series as Connecticut furniture salesman Mr. Perry in "Lucy Gets Chummy with the Neighbors” (1957).

SHEPARD MENKEN

Menken did four different characters from season one to season six. He adopted a French accent to teach Lucy to Apache dance as Jean Valjean Raymond, sold Lucy clay as art store salesman William Abbott, examined Lucy's vision as an eye doctor, and reverted to his French accent to sell Lucy mass-produced art as Parisian con-man Charpontier.

DAYTON LUMMIS

Also in "Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined" (1953) we see Dayton Lummis for the first time as producer Bill Parker ("Parker Preps Prod for Pittsburgh Preem"). He returned the following year as publisher Mel Eaton when "Lucy Writes a Novel" (1954) and yet a third time as MGM producer Mr. Sherman in "LA at Last!" (1955).

LOU KRUGMAN

Viewers didn't meet Lou Krugman until season four, when he played the film director coping with Lucy and her unwieldy headdress. Ball was so impressed by him that she immediately cast him as the FBI agent on the train back to New York. When Lucy reprised her heavy headgear routine on a TV special, Krugman was again at her side. In season six, he was cast as the manager of the Club Babalu, formerly the Tropicana. The job lasted just two episodes before the action of the show shifted to Connecticut.

JAY NOVELLO

Novello was one of Lucille Ball's favorite performers from her radio show, playing Mr. Negley the postman and other quirky characters. On "I Love Lucy" he was first (perhaps best) remembered as theatrical producer Mr. Merriweather, who longs to talk to his beloved Tilly in "The Seance" (1951). He returned to play Mr. Beecher, the skittish tenant in "The Sublease" (1954), and "The Visitor From Italy" (1956), who arrives looking for his brother Sam Franchesca. Or maybe San Francisco.

JOHN HART

Another actor to score a trifecta was John Hart.  Producer Jess Oppenheimer didn’t want to pay too much for the actor who would play Tom Henderson in "Lucy Changes Her Mind" (1953), a character who only says two words at the very end of the show. He wrote in the script that he wanted “the most handsome hunk of man anyone ever saw for $15.56.”  Hart was cast. He returned (hopefully with a pay raise) to play the lifeguard who saves Lucy (despite her best efforts) in "The Hedda Hopper Story," and to play Jim Stevens, a studio executive meeting with Dore Schary poolside (the same pool he guarded in the previous episode) in "Don Juan is Shelved" (1955).

ELVIA ALLMAN

Another of Lucy's favorites from her radio sitcom was Elvia Allman. Even the most casual fan of "I Love Lucy" will recognize her as the barking foreperson at the chocolate factory ("Speed it up a little!") but she also returned to play one of Minnie Finch's neighbors ("Do you wanna see Minnie or don't ya?"). In a change of pace, she played Nancy Graham, the prim columnist who thinks Lucy should "cherish" Ricky. She also encountered Lucy Ricardo as Ida Thompson of the Westport PTA, and as Milton Berle's officious secretary.

HANS CONRIED

Perhaps no other performer was as beloved by Lucy and Desi as Hans Conried. He was seen on all of Lucy's TV and radio shows as well as in a film with her. On "I Love Lucy" he had time to do just two roles: the foppish English tutor Percy Livermore and the unscrupulous used furniture dealer Dan Jenkins. These two diverse characters showed Conried's range as an actor, so viewers can be forgiven for not noticing that they were the same actor - even though their airdates were just a month apart!

BOB JELLISON

Most viewers remember Jellison as the bell hop at the Beverly Palms Hotel. He played the portly luggage jockey for six episodes in 1955. Jellison was so convincing in the role that in "Lucy Hunts Uranium" (1958), he was once again cast as the bellboy, this time named Henry. But few remember him in his first series appearance, as the milkman (or “cow juice peddler”, as Bill Foster called him) in "The Gossip" (1952).

JOSEPH KEARNS

Kearns was another veteran of Lucille Ball's radio series. He found fame as Mr. Wilson on "Dennis the Menace". He played Dr. Tom Robinson, a psychiatrist, in "The Kleptomaniac" (1953). He returned to the show in its final season as the Theatre Manager in "Lucy's Night in Town" (1956). "If four people are seeing the show, then four have got to pay!" He died while still playing Henry Wilson so instead of recasting, George's brother arrived in town, played by...

GALE GORDON

Gordon's relationship with Ball goes back to 1938 on radio. She spent the rest of her career casting him on her various shows. She had intended for him to play Fred Mertz, but he was too busy - and too expensive - so Desi cast William Frawley. Lucy, however, wanted Gordon on the show, so the role of Mr. Littlefield, manager of the Tropicana, was created. The character appeared in two episodes. He wasn't seen with Lucy again until 1958, when he played a Judge that is tasked with deciding a case between the Ricardos, the Mertzes, and the Williams', in "Lucy Makes Room for Danny".

PHIL OBER

Ober was Vivian Vance's husband, so it makes sense that he would make at least one appearance - and he did - as the fake husband sent to the Ricardo apartment by "The Quiz Show" (1951). Ober's marriage eventually ended when Vance accused him of cruelty, but before that could happen, he was a last minute replacement for Dore Schary when "Don Juan is Shelved" (1955). Schary was a real-life MGM movie producer who was scheduled to appear as himself. He either got sick or (more likely) got cold feet. So Ober played Schary instead, leaving many unsavvy viewers thinking that Ober WAS Schary! Speaking of bad marriages and "The Quiz Show"...

JOHN EMERY

...played Harold the Tramp that was confused for Ober's character. Emery had been married to tempestuous Tallulah Bankhead from 1937 to 1941. Their four short years together were compared by Emery to "the decline of the Roman Empire". He played a Doctor in Lucy and Desi's 1956 film Forever Darling. It wasn't long before he was back at "I Love Lucy" to play the pet-hating Mr. Stewart when "Little Ricky Gets a Dog" (1957).

MADGE BLAKE

Blake is best remembered as Batman's Aunt Harriet, but after her notable role of the gossip columnist in Singin' in the Rain (1952), she was cast on "I Love Lucy" as Mrs. Mulford, the owner of the hat shop when "Ricky Loses His Temper" (1954). Lucy and Desi were introduced to her talent when she played  Aunt Anastacia in The Long, Long Trailer.  She was asked back in late 1956 to play Martha, the acrophobic prospective tenant for apartment 3B in "Lucy and Superman" (1957).

VERNA FELTON

Felton is probably best remembered as Lucy's demonstrative maid Mrs. Porter, but she first appeared as Mrs. Simpson, a housewife living without electricity but with lots of "Sale Resistance" (1953). The two roles aired just three months apart. A few months later Lucy and Desi cast her as series regular Hilda Crocker on their new sitcom "December Bride" (1954-57).

HAZEL BOYNE

A former dancer, Boyne was born on Independence Day 1883 and was 68 years old when "Men Are Messy" (1953) was filmed. She charmed audiences as Maggie, the Tropicana's Irish cleaning woman, dancing with Ricky during his rehearsal. She would go on to play one of Minnie Finch's neighbors in "Fan Magazine Interview" (1954) and a (don't blink) passenger on "The Great Train Robbery" (1955).

HAL MARCH

March had been an original cast member of "My Favorite Husband." In the first season of "I Love Lucy" he played an actor named Hal March who Ricky asks to masquerade as a doctor when "Lucy Fakes Illness" (1951). At the end of the show, announcer Johnny Jacobs says “The part of Hal March was played by Hal March.”  March returned to the show to play womanizing lingerie salesman Eddie Grant in “Lucy Is Matchmaker” (1953).

WILL WRIGHT

Wright did two films and a radio show with Lucille Ball before being seen on "I Love Lucy." First, he played Mr. Walters, the locksmith from Yonkers, in “The Handcuffs” (1952). He returned to the series to play Bent Fork Sheriff (and father of Teensy and Weensy) in “Tennessee Bound” (1955). 

ALBERTO MORIN

Morin was Carlos, one of Ricky's "Cuban Pals" (1952). He had appeared in some of Hollywood's most cherished films: Gone with the Wind (1939), Casablanca (1943), and Key Largo (1948). He was invited back to play Robert Dubois, waiter turned tutor in "The French Revue" (1953).

HY AVERBACK

Averback played two different Charlies on "I Love Lucy": Appleby and Pomerantz. Charlie Appleby was seen twice on the series, but was only played by Averback on his first appearance in 1953. Charlie Pomerantz was Ricky's press agent in Hollywood in 1955, coming up with the brilliant idea for Ricky to save Lucy from drowning in the hotel pool.

Naturally, there were many other actors whose did double (or triple) duty on "I Love Lucy", chief among them Bennett Green and Hazel Pierce, Lucy and Desi's camera and lighting stand-ins and were omnipresent throughout the series, although not always with specific character names.

[ycimea-blog]

Watching Killers from Space Online

Killers from Space movie download

Actors:

Frank Gerstle James Seay Steve Pendleton Shepard Menken Barbara Bestar Peter Graves John Frederick

Download Killers from Space

online To Kill a Mockingbird online Lovely by Surprise Wild Target movie

[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

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY UNIVERSITY!

Classes, Lessons & Other Tutorials

The Lucy character was one of the most inquisitve characters on television. A basic education did not prevent Lucy from furthering her education.  Here are some lessons learned by Lucy!

HIGH SCHOOL

“Lucy Gets Her Diploma” (1967) ~ When Lucy Carmichael finds out the bank has a new policy of only employing high school graduates, she must go back to school to get her diploma in order to keep her job. 

Lucy takes the usual classes - with a fair amount of physical comedy for extra credit. Her teachers include Dave Willock (Math), Donald Randolph (History), Olive Dunbar (Biology), and Barbara Babcock (English). The principal of Wilshire High School is played by George E. Carey. 

MATH

“Liz Goes To Night School” (1950) ~ Liz's arithmetic skills are so bad, George sends her to night school where she somehow winds up in a math contest.  

CHEMISTRY 

“Lucy and Viv Take Up Chemistry” (1963) ~ Viv regrets letting Lucy talk her into joining her for a night school chemistry class. Lucy gets carried away trying to invent a youth serum and develops a huge ego between explosions. The frustrated biology teacher is played by Lou Krugman. 

To teach her a lesson, Viv and the professor make her drink her own concoction. She’s horrified by the results of her youth formula.

AUTO MECHANICS

“The Not-So-Popular Mechanics” (1973) ~ Lucy Carter and Mary Jane take an adult school course in auto mechanics so they can change the oil on Harry’s vintage Rolls Royce. Their teacher is played by Robert Rockwell, who played biology teacher Mr. Boynton on “Our Miss Brooks” opposite Gale Gordon and Mary Jane Croft.

MUSIC

“Piano and Violin Lessons” (1949) ~ Liz takes up the piano to win a radio talent contest. To get even, George starts learning the violin. Who will win?

“The Benefit” (1952) ~ When Lucy wants to get into Ricky’s new act, she’s determined to improve her singing.  

Lucy Carmichael was given singing lessons by Dr. Gitterman (Hans Conried) in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (1963). She used those same techniques on Agnes Schmidlap (aka Ethel Merman) when “Lucy Teaches Ethel Merman to Sing” (1964). 

DANCE

“Lucy Helps Ken Berry (1968) ~ Ken Jones (Berry) teaches a course of tap and soft shoe for $25. Lucy signs up and recruits a dozen truck drivers to  participate - not your typical dance students. 

“Dance Lessons” (1950) ~ After a disastrous experience at a club dance, Liz and Iris send their husbands to Professor Crawford’s School of the Dance. Instead of being greeted by  a befuddled old Professor, they meet his daughter, a breathless sexpot who immediately agrees to be their instructress.

RUDOLPH: “I’ve seen those girls who teach at Arthur Murray’s.”

“Liz Teaches Samba” (1950) ~ George talks Liz into teaching Wally, the son of the bank’s newest director, how to dance the Samba, and Wally gets a crush on Liz. The radio show served as the basis for...

“The Young Fans” (1952) ~ Lucy gives private dance lessons to Arthur Morton (Richard Crenna) so he can better woo Peggy Dawson, but he turns out to be more attracted to Lucy.

“The Ballet” (1952) ~ Thinking Ricky’s new act requires ballet, Lucy attends a class led by Madame LeMonde (Mary Wickes). “Abbas!  Abbas!”

“The Adagio” (1952) ~ Fred teaches Lucy to do the Apache dance for Ricky’s new act. When Fred’s lessons prove unhelpful, Ethel suggests Jean Valjean Raymond (Shepard Menken), a Frenchman who is more interested in amour than apache. This episode was partly inspired by....

FRENCH

“The French Lessons” (1949) ~ Liz and Iris are humiliated when they can't read the menu at a French restaurant, so they decide to take French lessons. The lessons lead to the prospect of a duel between her favorite husband George and her amorous French teacher, Jacques Duval (Rolfe Sedan). The radio episode inspired...

“The French Revue” (1953) ~ A trip to a French restaurant makes Lucy think she should take French lessons from the waiter Robert DuBois (Alberto Morin) so she can take part in Ricky’s new show. Lucy later taught herself French when preparing for her trip to Europe. 

DUBOIS: “In French, everything it is either masculine or feminine. You Americans don’t have that.”  LUCY: “You haven’t been in this country very long, have you?”

ENGLISH

“The English Tutor” (1952) ~ So that her baby will be surrounded by proper elocation, diction and grammar, Lucy recruits tutor Percy Livermore (Hans Conried) to teach them how to speak properly - for free. Naturally, he has ulterior motives.

LIVERMORE (to Ricky): In lieu of the remuneration for my tutelage, I am to be permitted to introduce my talents into your nocturnal bistro.

ART

“Lucy Goes To Art Class” (1964) ~ To impress handsome bachelor John Brooks (Robert Alda) Lucy and Viv join him at an art class. The art teacher is played by John Carridine. 

BROOKS: “I do believe that all of us have some sort of creativity bottled up inside of us.” LUCY: “I think this class might be just the thing to pop my cork!”

“Lucy and Uncle Harry’s Pot” (1973) ~ When Lucy breaks a vase which has great sentimental value to Harry, she goes to a ceramics class to make him a new one – with dubious results!  Her teacher is played by Roger Twedt, an actual high school art teacher from Palm Springs. 

ACTING

“Lucy Meets Mickey Rooney” (1966) ~ Mickey Rooney takes out a loan from Mr. Mooney's bank to open an acting school. Lucy and Mooney each wangle free acting lessons.

EQUESTRIANISM

“Horseback Riding” (1949) ~ George’s female co-chair for his horseback riding club’s upcoming breakfast ride has Liz so jealous that she’s determined to overcome her fear of horses and learn to ride herself.

COLLEGE 

Fictional Pottawatomie College in New Mexico is the setting of Too Many Girls (1939), the film in which Lucille Ball first met Desi Arnaz, although their characters never meet on screen. 

“Lucy’s College Reunion” (1963) ~ Lucy Carmichael (nee Taylor) goes back to her alumnus, Milroy College. 

“Lucy and the Professor” (1973) ~ Lucy hears her daughter is dating an older man, so she goes to Kim’s college to see for herself. Unfortunately, Lucy mistakes an elderly professor (Murray Matheson) for the younger one (John Davidson) that Kim is actually dating!

PROFESSOR KLEINDORF: ”Thanks Professor Dietrich. You’re really groovy.” PROFESSOR DIETRICH: (points to his frown lines) “These aren’t grooves. They’re wrinkles.”

At Desilu Studios, Lucy opened the Desilu Playhouse, recruiting promising young performers to practice their craft under her tutelage, much in the same way Lela Rogers taught her at RKO. Some of the more famous graduates were Robert Osborne, Carole Cook, and Majel Barrett. 

In the early 1980s Lucille Ball become Professor Ball, lecturing on comedy at UCLA.  

Grade school students listen to Lucie Arnaz talk during Lucy Lessons, educational modules built around episodes of “I Love Lucy.”  

[loving-lucilleball]

[papermoonloveslucy]

SHEPARD MENKEN

November 2, 1921

Shepard Menken was born in New York City on November 2, 1921. He is sometimes billed as “Shep” Menken or Shepard Menkin. 

He made his film debut in 1949 with a supporting role in The Red Menace, in which he played Henry Solomon. The film dealt with the growing fear of communism, something that would threaten Lucille Ball’s career in 1953. 

In 1952, Menken appeared in MGM’s The Great Caruso, which also featured future “I Love Lucy” actors Mario Siletti, Harry Dar Boggia, Ernesto Molinari, Bess Flowers, Bert Stevens, and Harold Miller. 

In March 1951, he made his television debut on “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” co-starring Bea Benadaret, who had played Iris Atterbury on Lucy’s radio show “My Favorite Husband.” 

On New Year’s Eve 1951, Menken made the first of his four appearances on “I Love Lucy” as Jean Valjean Raymond, Lucy’s French dance teacher in “The Adagio” (ILL S1;E12). 

Ethel calls Raymond the only French insult she can think of - Crepe Suzette. 

A year later, in January 1953, Menken played William Abbott, the Art Store Owner, in “Lucy Becomes a Sculptress” (ILL S2;E15).  Turns out, Mr. Abbott is scamming his customers, in league with his clerk (Leon Belasco, right). 

At the end of 1953, Menken was back in a different role; Lucy and Ricky’s optometrist in “Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined” (ILL S3;E11).  

Although Lucy has sent Ricky for an eye exam, it turns out Lucy is the one with vision problems!  The doctor gives her some eye drops that blur her vision and drastically steer her off course in her dance routine at the Tropicana. 

In February 1956, he returned to his French accent to play Charpontier, a shady sidewalk artist, in “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18).

Poor but talented street artists wearing berets is a typical film and television trope. Menken plays it to the hilt. 

Although Lucy believes she’s bought an original Charpontier, it turns out she’s been scammed by Menken yet again!

In 1958, Menken began doing voice over work, which would keep him busy for the rest of his career. He worked with recognizable animated figures like Mr. Magoo, Spider-Man, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Garfield the Cat. 

The last time he was seen on screen was in a 1971 episode of “Mission: Impossible” a series originally filmed at Desilu (later Paramount). “Here’s Lucy” did a satire on the show in October 1968 although it featured none of the original cast. 

Shepard Menken died on January 2, 1999, at the age of 77. 

[papermoonloveslucy]

Colorful “Paris” Cuts!

On December 20, 2019, CBS broadcast a colorized version of “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18).  A few moments of the original show were edited out for time.  Here’s what you missed…

In the opening scene, a few lines where Lucy sticks her tongue out at Ricky are cut: 

LUCY: (consults her French dictionary) Just a minute, just a minute.

RICKY: What are you doing?

LUCY: I'm looking up the French for (sticks out her tongue at Ricky)

RICKY: While you're at it, look up 'I am lost. Take me to the Royal Hotel.'

LUCY: Oh, now, honey, what can happen? How can I get lost? I have my French dictionary. I have my guidebook. I have my map of Paris.

The end of the scene is trimmed, omitting Ethel’s lines about her hair in curlers. Ethel’s funny mimicking of Fred’s “No, that’s  not the way I always wear it!” is lost. 

FRED: We'll go down to the Express office with you, Lucy. I want to change some money and pick up the mail.

LUCY: Okay.

ETHEL: Well, Fred, I can't go looking like this.

FRED: Why not?

ETHEL: Well, look at my hair.

FRED: What's the matter it? It looks all right to me.

ETHEL: It's up in curlers!

FRED: Isn't that the way you always wear it?

ETHEL: No, that's not the way I always wear it! We'll see you down at the Express office later, honey.

LUCY: Okay.

FRED: Bye.

LUCY: Bye.

In the second scene, a few lines reinforcing Lucy’s lack of French language skills are cut.  Lost is Lucy’s bewildered “Well, there you are”: 

COUNTERFEITER: Ah! Evidemment madame parle et comprend beaucoup de Francais.

LUCY: Huh?

COUNTERFEITER: Evidemment madame parle et comprend beaucoup de Francais.

LUCY: Well, there you are.

COUNTERFEITER: I just said, 'Evidently madame speaks and understands a great deal of French.'

LUCY: Oh, I do, I do! Oui, oui.

Not a cut line, but one that does indirectly tie in the episode to the “Christmas Episode” that preceded it!  In 1956, the episode aired in February, which would account for the delay in international delivery.  

The sidewalk cafe scene cuts when Lucy takes a few moments to study her French dictionary to translate the menu while the waiter is getting the wine.  The scene instead goes right from the waiter saying he will bring the wine to the Tour Guide’s entrance. This would be okay except that the wine is magically on Lucy’s table in the background of the very next shot!  

TRIVIA: The wine bottle is not a French wine, but California’s Paul Masson!  The actor (Maurice Marsac) places the wine bottle down, but immediately picks it up and sets it down on the extreme right periphery of the table.  Ball was right handed and also did not want the bottle to obstruct the camera’s shot of the soon-to-be-served plate of snails. Marsac no doubt momentarily forgets his previous direction about where to set it down. Lucille Ball was a stickler for props. Only one line is cut, but a few moments of business by Lucy. 

WAITER: Pardon. Votre vin, madame. (serves the wine)

At the police station, the opening of the scene introducing the Drunk is cut and the scene begins with Lucy’s entrance. Lost is the audience’s understanding that the Drunk doesn’t speak French, but does speak German and Spanish.  Also lost is that the arresting officer is from Strasbourg and speaks both French and German. Instead, after a commercial break, the scene begins with Lucy’s second line. 

GENDARME #1: Alors, alors, alors. Qu'est-ce que c'est? [So, so, so. What is this?] (holds out his wine bottle)

DRUNK: Agua mineral. [Mineral water.]

GENDARME #1: (to Desk Sergeant) Cet homme est paf.  [This man is hammered.]

DESK SERGEANT: (to Drunk) Est-ce vrai? [Is this true?]

DRUNK: Yo hablo espanol. [I speak Spanish.]

DESK SERGEANT: Espanol? [Spanish?]

DRUNK: Si, senor. [Yes, sir.]

GENDARME #1: Parlez francais? [Do you speak French?]

DRUNK: No. Yo hablo espanol. [No. I speak Spanish.]

GENDARME #1: Espanol!  [Spanish!]

DRUNK: Und ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch auch. [And I speak a little German, too.]

GENDARME #1: Was? Sie sprechen Deutsch? Wunderbar! Ich spreche auch Deutsch. Ich bin aus Strasbourg. Il parle allemand. [What? You speak German? Wonderful! I also speak German. I am from Strasbourg. I’ll translate.]

DESK SERGEANT: Fichez-moi la paix. [Leave me alone.]

DRUNK: (to Gendarme #1) Er hat was gesagt? [He said something?]

GENDARME #1: Nichts - er hat gesagt Sie haben zu viel Wein getrunken. Kommen Sie. Kommen Sie. [Nothing - he said you drank too much wine. Come. Come.] (Hauls him off)

LUCY (enters with Gendarme #2): I didn't know it was counterfeit.

TRIVIA: When Lucy is flung towards the desk by the arresting officer, the telephone is directly in front of her. Knowing it will be in her way, Lucille Ball instinctively picks it up and indignantly plops it down on her right. Ball was a stickler for props! 

Interestingly, this line was NOT cut!  It had previously been edited out of recent MeTV syndication prints to be sensitive to the national conversation on immigration.   

At the very start of the final scene, an inconsequential line was cut and the scene starts with “Ricky gave you your money back, didn’t he?”

LUCY: “Yeah, well, I don’t care.”

Although the above lines were cut from the December 2019 airing, it is likely that they are included with the master colorized film and may appear in future releases on home video or streaming.  

For all the background, trivia, and bloopers of the original black and white episode, please click here!   

[papermoonloveslucy]

LIZ BECOMES A SCULPTRESS

October 7, 1950

“Liz Becomes a Sculptress” (aka “Liz the Sculptress” aka “Liz Turns Sculptress”) is episode #100 [some sources say #99] of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on October 7, 1950.

This was the fifth episode of the third season of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND. There were 31 new episodes, with the season ending on March 31, 1951.  

This program was the basis for “I Love Lucy” episode titled "Lucy Becomes a Sculptress" (ILL S2;E15), first aired on January 15, 1953.

Synopsis ~ Liz decides that she needs a hobby, and the proprietor of the local arts and crafts store convinces her she's a natural artistic genius when it comes to sculpting clay.

“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.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury / Miss Crawford) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricardo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, “Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968.

It is not unusual for radio performers to double up on voices, especially if they have very little to do as their principal character. Iris only has a brief phone chat with Liz before Miss Crawford’s entrance. It would not make sense to hire another actress for the role when Benadaret was under contract. 

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.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) and Ruth Perrott (Katie the Maid) do not appear in this episode. 

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Carl, Art Store Owner) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (TLS S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He joined Thomas on a season 6 episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1973. He died in 1982 at age 64.

The Professor (aka Sam) and Muscles Malcolm the model are played by uncredited performers. 

THE EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on 321 Bundy Drive, Sheridan Falls, it's late afternoon. Liz is just arriving home from her club meeting, and is met at the door by George.” 

Liz has had a very educational day at the club today. They had a lecture on older people and how they can be kept happy and useful, but as Liz has no hobbies, the lecturer pointed out that she's on a slippery slope to being lonely and unhappy when she gets older. So she's going to get a hobby!

On “I Love Lucy,” the motivation for Lucy Ricardo to take up art as a hobby is so that her baby will be born into a cultured household. Lucy shows Ricky a portrait of her great-grandfather (above), who she says was was a great artist. In reality, this is a photo of writer Bob Carroll Jr., who co-wrote both the radio and television scripts!

After some conversation about who will pre-decease whom (and whether they will re-marry), Liz vows to go down to the art store first thing in the morning to get a hobby.

Liz enters Carl’s Arts and Crafts shop and is welcomed by Carl. 

CARL: “I have all media. What do you usually like to work in?” LIZ: “Oh, just an old housedress.”

On TV, Lucy is confused by the term ‘media’ and likes to work in ‘an old smock.’ On TV the art store clerk will be played by Russian-born Leon Belasco (right) who had done three movies with Lucille Ball between 1939 and 1944. William Abbott, the shop owner, is played by Shepard Menken.  

Liz flirts with the idea of finger painting. After all, she already has fingers!

LIZ: “Are these the right kind of fingers?” CARL: “You can start with those. Later on I’ll sell you some better ones.”

Instead, Carl convinces Liz to try sculpting with their in store clay display. Carl suddenly is taken aback by her handling of the clay!  It becomes apparent to the listener that Carl is more salesman that art lover. He gushes over her primative squeezings.

CARL: "All the world is waiting for a squeezer like you!” 

Carl calls over an art critic (whom he calls “the Professor”) who just happens to be browsing in the shop. They both fawn over her lump of clay, even falling to their knees in admiration. Liz is convinced to spend $25 on clay and leaves the shop feeling she is destined for greatness.  Once she is gone, the men drop their pretense and we learn that “The Professor” is really a clerk named Sam.

CARL: “The next aspiring artist to come in I get to be the Professor. You have all the fun!”   

The idea of a convincing a customer to make a purchase by staging a deceptive scenario will also be used on in “The Girls Go Into Business” (ILL S3;E2) in which dress shop owner Mrs. Hansen (Mabel Paige) tries to convince Lucy and Ethel her shop does a booming business by recruiting two ‘shoppers’ (Kay Wiley and Barbara Pepper) to buy lots of merchandise while Lucy and Ethel look on in amazement. The scam works and Lucy and Ethel buy the store. 

George comes home from work to find Liz has set up an art studio in his den. To George’s surprise Liz is wearing an artist’s smock and a tam. 

LIZ / LUCY: “This is the official outfit of all us sculptressessss.” GEORGE / RICKY: “All us whatressesessss?”

Liz proudly shows off her latest work to George, who teases her about not knowing exactly what it is. Finally, he says it is a bunch of grapes and Liz bursts into tears. She’s sculpted a man’s head! 

On TV, Ricky guesses Lucy’s first sculpture is supposed to be a boy and his dog or a girl and her dog but Lucy says it is a child at its mother’s knee.  Ethel guesses it is the nose on somebody’s face.   

After Bob LeMond does a commercial for Jell-O (”You can turn out a work of art with Jell-O!”), the story resumes with Liz sobbing and George comforting her. Liz says she’d do much better if she could hire a model. George volunteers as her model but Liz quickly rejects him. George asks why.

LIZ: “Your muscles. They’re all in your coat.”

George takes off his coat and shit to prove he has what it takes to model.

LIZ: “Well! Gypsy Rose Cooper!”

Liz is referring to the famous strip tease artist and burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick, 1911–1970), whose life was the inspiration for the Broadway musical and film Gypsy in 1959. Above, Gypsy Rose Lee visited the set of “I Love Lucy” during the filming of “Hollywood Anniversary” in February 1955. 

Liz unfavorably compares George’s physique to the Discus Thrower, a Greek sculpture completed at the start of the Classical Period, depicting a youthful athlete throwing discus, circa 460–450 BC. Liz measures George’s ‘bicups’ (biceps) but they fall short.  

On “I Love Lucy,” Ricky avoids being a model, but Fred is recruited to pose as the Discus Thrower - and throws his back out in the process! 

George scolds Liz for spending so much money on her ‘hobby’ - $50, which is equal to more than $500 in today’s economy. George demands she return everything to the art store and Liz bursts into tears again. 

The next day, Liz telephones Iris to tell her that she has hired a model anyway.  The doorbell rings and it is ‘Muscles Malcolm’ from the modeling agency. To Liz’s surprise he wants to pose ‘au naturel’ but Liz convinces him to wear a tiger skin. 

George comes home early from dinner so Liz quickly stashes Malcolm in the closet. George sees Malcolm’s street clothes.  Liz tries to convince him that they are his clothes!  Malcolm suddenly sneezes from inside the closet. 

LIZ (quickly): “I didn’t hear anything. Nobody sneezed!”  GEORGE (suspicious): “I didn’t say anyone did.” 

In “The Saxophone” (ILL S2;E2), Ricky stashes a handsome man in the closet to turn the tables on Lucy. Writer Madelyn Pugh remembers: "For some reason, Bob [Carrol Jr.] and I liked the idea of people hiding in a closet. We used it in this show, and in a couple of other 'Lucys.’ We even used it in the pilot of 'The Mothers-in-Law’ fifteen years later – and it always got a laugh!”

The jig is up and Malcolm emerges from the closet. Surprisingly, George is not mad at all.  He leaves the house calmly, but Liz smells a rat.  

George returns with a giggly girl named Miss Crawford (also Bea Benadaret). George is going to take up painting and Miss Crawford is his model. 

MISS CRAWFORD: “Do you want me to pose draped or undraped?  I usually pose undraped.” LIZ: “Draped. You’ve got a bad enough cold already.”

NOTE: This line gets the biggest audience reaction of the entire episode, perhaps because of the intimation of nudity or because Bea Benadaret’s voice sounds very scratchy. Perhaps the audience knows that she is under the weather and feels in on the joke?  

In the live Jell-O commercial, Lucille Ball, in a seductive voice, tells Bob LeMond claims she always wanted to be...a ballet dancer!  Instead, Ball switches to her “Professor” voice; a deep, husky, and blunt tone. 

LUCILLE BALL: “I ain’t gonna do the Jell-O jiggle. I had an accident. I had on my new shoes; they’re kinda sharp. I spun six times. Once for strawberry like this. Once for raspberry like this. Once for cherry, like so. And once for orange, lemon and lime, like this. Darn that Jell-O jiggle, I dun it again. I dug myself right into the ground!” 

ANNOUNCER: “Lucille Ball can currently be seen in Columbia’s laugh-fest ‘The Fuller Brush Girl’.  Watch for it when it comes to your city.”

A recorded commercial for Instant Sanka coffee and the Jell-O jingle ends the broadcast. 

FAST FORWARD!

The television version of this script ends very differently. Lucy tries to pass off her own head as an example of her art work. Ricky invites an important art critic to assess it, and he attempts to buy Lucy’s head and take it with him!  The highly visual ending, with Lucille Ball’s head stuck through a table and covered with clay, works much better than the radio conclusion. 

This isn’t the last time Lucy had a brush (pun intended) with the visual arts. 

In “Lucy Goes To Art Class” (TLS S2;E15) in 1964, Lucy Carmichael also visited an art store and took a drawing to meet an eligible bachelor (Robert Alda).  

In “Lucy and Uncle Harry’s Pot” (HL S5;E21) in 1973, Lucy Carter took up pottery in order to recreate a vase she’s broken which had sentimental value to Harry. 

[papermoonloveslucy]

GEORGE O’HANLON

November 23, 1912

George Samuel O'Hanlon was best known for his role as Joe McDoakes in the Warner Brothers live-action Joe McDoakes short subjects (1942-1956) and as the voice of George Jetson in Hanna-Barbera's 1962 prime-time animated television series “The Jetsons” and its 1985 revival. He started working at 16 with his own stage show, but was fired after a few weeks due to a fight over wages.  His cousin, Virginia O'Hanlon, is the subject of the famous editorial, "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus". 

The 63 Joe McDoakes ten-minute shorts are also known as the Behind the Eight Ball series (for the large eight ball Joe appeared behind in the opening credits) or the So You Want... series (as most of the film titles began with this phrase). “Behind the eight ball” is an expression that signifies the inability to get ahead of something. The character's name comes from "Joe Doakes," which was then a popular slang term for the ‘average man’ akin to ‘John Doe’. The series was often co-written by O’Hanlon, who was generally uncredited as writer. 

From 1947 to 1949, the series earned three consecutive Academy Award nominations for Short Subject.  Actors from the series who also worked with Lucille Ball on television and radio include: Frank Nelson (above with O’Hanlon), Iron Eyes Cody, Arthur Q. Bryan (who voiced Elmer Fudd), Bobby Jellison, Fritz Feld, Jesslyn Fax, Phil Arnold, Joi Lansing, and Herb Vigran. 

O’Hanlon was originally hired to voice Fred Flintstone for “The Flintstones” (1960) but one of the sponsors didn't think he was right for the part and he was replaced by Alan Reed. Two years later, they created “The Jetsons” for him, even using his first name for the character. He did, however, later do various voice on “The Flintstone Kids” (1986-88). 

He made his big screen debut as a background actor in 1932′s The Death Kiss starring Bela Lugosi. 

His first time on television was a 1953 episode of “My Little Margie”. 

His only appearance with Lucille Ball was in “Lucy and Superman” (ILL S6;E13) in 1957. The episode was filmed on November 15, 1956. O’Hanlon played Charley Appleby, Caroline’s husband and little Stevie’s father, a role originated by Hy Averback in “Baby Pictures” (ILL S3;E5). Both Charleys were very proud of their son!  

In addition to O’Hanlon, “The Jetsons” also featured Lucy alumni Janet Waldo who played Peggy in “The Young Fans” (ILL S1;E20) in 1952 and Lucy’s sister Marge on a 1963 episode of "The Lucy Show.”  Waldo voiced Judy Jetson, George’s teenage daughter. Jean Vander Pyl, who voiced the Jetson’s maid Rosie the Robot and was perhaps best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone, did several episodes of “My Favorite Husband”, Lucille Ball’s popular radio series. Other “Lucy” actors who could be heard on “The Jetsons” include Hal Smith, Shepard Menken, Paul Winchell, Bea Benadaret, and Frank Nelson, to name a few.  

From 1954 to 1958, O’Hanlon played the recurring role of Calvin on NBC’s “The Life of Riley.” While the show was not related to “Lucy” or Desilu, it did feature many of the same performers. 

In 1959, he worked for Desilu again in “Martin’s Folly,” an episode of the “Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse”. It also starred Bart Braverman, Phil Ober, Tony Randall, and Jay North, all of who had (or would) work with Lucy.  As with all episodes of the anthology series, the story was introduced by Desi Arnaz. 

From 1958 to 1961, O’Hanlon did three episodes of Desilu’s “The Ann Sothern Show,” two as Jerry Doolittle. He co-wrote several episodes, including one that  he appeared on. Lucille Ball guest-starred on the series as Lucy Ricardo in 1959.

During the same period (1955 to 1961), O’Hanlon did three episode of “The Danny Thomas Show” as various characters. It was filmed at Desilu Studios. In 1958, the series switched from ABC to CBS and did reciprocal crossover episodes with “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”  This would be his final time at Desilu. 

His final role was voicing his most famous character, George Jetson, in an animated feature film reboot Jetsons in 1990. During a recording session, he suffered a second stroke. He was rushed to the hospital where he died. The film was dedicated to him.

His first wife was Inez Yvonne Witt. They were married in February 1932 and divorced in May 1948. The following year he wed Martha Stewart (not relation to the current lifestyle icon) but they divorced in 1952. In 1953 he married Nancy Owens with whom he had two children. The marriage last until his death. 

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PAUL HARVEY

September 10, 1882

Paul Harvey was born as Roy Paul Harvey on September 10, 1882 in Sandwich, Illinois. 

He starred on Broadway in The Awful Truth (1922, above left with Bruce McRae and Ina Claire) and repeated his role in the film in in 1929, which is now presumed lost, although it was remade twice (without Harvey) in 1937 and 1953 as the musical Let’s Do It Again.  

He did a dozen plays on the Great White Way, but his most successful stage appearance was in Dinner at Eight (1932, above with Constance Collier), although his role was taken in the 1933 film by Wallace Beery. 

He started doing films in 1915 and eventually specialized in supportive dads, nervous corporate types, military men, judges, lawyers, or priests, notably, Reverend Galsworthy in Father of the Bride (1950) and its sequel Father's Little Dividend (1951). 

He was also seen in Spellbound (1945), Calamity Jane (1953) and High Sierra (1941).  During his long career he amassed more than 200 screen credits. 

Between 1934 and 1943, Harvey did seven films with Lucille Ball:

“The Affairs of Cellini” (1934) ~ Harvey played an Emissary and Lucille Ball was uncredited as a Lady in Waiting.

“Kid Millions” (1934) ~ Harvey played Sheikh Mulhulla and Lucille Ball was one of the Goldwyn Girls (uncredited). 

“Broadway Bill” (1934) ~ Harvey played James Whitehall while Lucille Ball was an uncredited telephone operator. 

“The Whole Town’s Talking” (1935) ~ Harvey played J.G. Carpenter and Lucille Ball was an uncredited bank employee. 

“I’ll Love You Always” (1935) - Harvey played Sandstone with Lucille Ball playing a character known as Lucille (uncredited).

“The Marines Fly High” (1940) ~ Lucille Ball is finally above the title as Joan Grant with Paul Harvey as Colonel Hill. 

“Easy To Wed” (1946) ~ Ball played Gladys Benton and Harvey played Curtis Farwood in their final big screen venture. 

Then came television. His first appearance was in a 1951 episode of the CBS anthology series “The Bigelow Theatre” (1950-51). Before joining the cast of “I Love Lucy,” William Frawley did three episodes of the series, as did Elizabeth Patterson (Mrs. Trumbull) and Kathryn Card (Mrs. McGillicuddy). Frawley had done three feature films with Harvey, from 1935 to 1948. 

“Lucy” fans probably remember Harvey best as the art critic from the New York Times who visits the Ricardo apartment to assess Lucy’s talent in “Lucy the Sculptress” (ILL S2;E15) first aired in January 1953 but filmed in November 1952. In this episode he gets to use his own surname.  

Little does Mr. Harvey know that Lucy’s sculpture is not made of clay, but Lucy!  The jig is up when he hilariously tries to lift the bust from the table!  Harvey had done three films with Shepard Menken, who plays the art store owner in the episode, although the two share no scenes together. 

Coincidentally, on the evening this episode was filmed (November 7, 1952), CBS’s sitcom “Our Miss Brooks” (filmed at Desilu) aired an episode titled “Living Statues” which also starred Paul Harvey as Mr. Stone (!).  Instead of clay, a sticky furniture finish caused people to get stuck - making them appear to be living statues. Lucy’s comic foil on radio Gale Gordon, appeared with Eve Arden, and Richard Crenna, all of whom would make appearances on “I Love Lucy.”

In 1954, he was back on the Desilu lot in the Desilu-produced sitcom  “December Bride.”  He returned in 1955 for another episode, this one featuring Kathryn Card, who also played Mrs. McGillicuddy, Lucy Ricardo’s mother on “I Love Lucy.” 

Although not a Desilu series, in 1955 Harvey did two episodes of CBS’s “My Little Margie,” which was sponsored by Philip-Morris and promoted on “I Love Lucy,” when it served as their summer replacement series. 

Paul Harvey was married to actress Ottye Henrietta Cramer and before that to Merle Stanton. 

His final big screen role was posthumous, as the Royal Physician in The Ten Commandments (1956) starring Charleton Heston. 

His final appearances on television were all posthumous, on “The Roy Rogers Show” (1951-57). He died on December 15, 1955. 

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY AND DANNY THOMAS

S6;E1 ~ September 10, 1973

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Robert O'Brien

Synopsis

Lucy befriends a gruff painter (Danny Thomas) who says that most artists only sell their work after they die. Lucy decides to go into mourning to help his work sell – until the artist wants to paint Lucy herself – nude!

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter)

Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter) does not appear in this episode, nor does she receive screen credit. The character will not return to the series until the fourth episode of season six. Despite her absence, the final credits do state “Lucie Arnaz Wardrobe by Alroe.”

Guest Cast

Danny Thomas (Danny Gallupi) was born Amos Muzyad Yakhoob Kairouz in 1912. His screen career began in 1947 but he was most famous for appearing on television in the long-running show “Make Room for Daddy” (1953-1964), which was shot at Desilu Studios.  When the series moved from ABC to CBS in 1957, Thomas and the cast starred in a rare TV cross-over with “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” titled “Lucy Makes Room for Danny.”  In return, Lucy and Desi turned up on Thomas’s show.  Fifteen years later, Lucy and Danny did yet another cross-over when Lucy Carter of “Here’s Lucy” appeared on “Make Room for Granddaddy.”  In addition, Thomas also played himself on a 1965 episode of “The Lucy Show.”  Thomas is fondly remembered for founding St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He is also father to actress Marlo Thomas. He died in 1999.

Danny Gallupi disguises himself as his brother, Giuseppe Gallupi.  

Hans Conried (William Barkley) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He died in 1982 at age 64. This episode was his final appearance on a “Lucy” show.

William Barkley owns the art studio adjacent to the plaza.

Sid Gould (1st Bidder) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show” and nearly as many on “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton.   

Shirley Anthony (2nd Bidder) makes the sixth of her 13 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”  This is one of only two times where she received screen credit.

Bob Whitney (3rd Bidder) appeared with Lucille Ball in The Facts of Life (1960). This is the first of his five appearances on the series. Like Danny Thomas, he was born in 1912.  

Bob Harks (Auction Spectator / Stand-In for Hans Conried, uncredited) was seen in the background of Mame (1974). In 1970 he popped up on his first television show and was seen in more than a dozen episodes of “Here's Lucy.” He died at age 83 in 2010.

Frieda Rentie (Auction Spectator, uncredited)  makes the second of her three uncredited appearances on the series. Rentie was in the 1958 film South Pacific and 1972’s The Poseidon Adventure.

The artists and gallery spectators are played by uncredited background performers.

“Here's Lucy” opens its 6th season with a slightly newer look. Lucille Ball has an updated, more  contemporary appearance with new make-up and wigs, and the entire show is shot in soft focus to help downplay Ball's age (62). She is no longer shot in close-up and always filmed through a filtered lens. This is generally the complaint about the film Mame, which was finished and about to be released. Although originally scheduled for release in late 1973 in time for awards season, poor early word of mouth led Warner Brothers to move the release date to Spring 1974.  

For the 1973 Fall Season, CBS moved “The New Dick Van Dyke Show” to follow “Here's Lucy.”  By the end of the season, both shows will be canceled.

Shirley Anthony (3rd Bidder) introduces the episode on the series DVD and recalls that Thomas and Ball had great affection for one another and liked to make each other laugh.  

Lucille Ball dabbled in painting during her rare free time at home.

The previous episode, at the end of season five, hinted that the series would continue but how or if Carter's Unique Employment Agency was bought back is never mentioned.  Neither Lucy's home nor the Employment Agency are seen in this episode. Scenes are set in Danny's attic studio [TV trope: all artists live in sparsely furnished attics with skylights] or in the plaza adjacent to the Barkley Art Gallery.  

Lucy says she does paint by numbers because it is for beginners. Paint by Number kits date back to 1950 and were a cultural phenomenon.  

There are two 'age' jokes in the first scene, both directed at Lucy. Danny tells her to go find a bingo parlor and Harry says she reminds him of Grandma Moses. Anna Mary Robertson Moses (1860-1961) was an American folk artist who began painting at the age of 78 and is often cited as an example of a person who successfully began a career at an advanced age. In “Nursery School” (ILL S5;E9) Lucy Ricardo is so proud of Little Ricky's first drawing, she dubs him the next “Grandpa Moses.” The Ricardos had two framed prints by Grandma Moses next to their front door: “So Long” and “The Old Snow Roller.”  

Lucy quotes lyrics from the song “People” written by Bob Merrill for the 1964 Broadway musical Funny Girl. It was introduced by Barbra Streisand, who also sang it in the 1968 film adaptation.  

Danny cites Van Gogh, Gaughin, and Modigliani as painters who only found fame and fortune only after death.  

Lucy rebuffs Danny's assertion that all great paintings of women were nudes by citing “Whistler's Mother.” The actual name of the painting is “Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1” by American painter James McNeill Whistler. It was painted in 1871 and is housed at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.  Danny incorrectly claims that the subject is sitting in a rocking chair.

Danny jokingly says that the reason the “Venus de Milo” didn't have any arms because the sculptor didn't want her to use them to cover nude body!  One of the most famous pieces of statuary in history, it is of Greek origin and dates back to between 130 and 100 BC.  It currently is on view at the Louvre in Paris.  

The (nearly) 'nude' painting of Lucy featured in the episode was saved and is now at the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York.

In “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18) Lucy Ricardo encountered an artist (Shepard Menken) on the street passing off mass produced paintings as original works of art!  [TV Trope: All artists and Frenchmen wear berets!]

Lucy Carmichael took art class in drawing in order to get close to an eligible bachelor (Robert Alda) in “Lucy Goes to Art Class” (S2;E15).

Lucille Ball and Danny Thomas were together in “Lucy Makes Room for Danny,” a 1958 installment of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” which also featured Gale Gordon as a Judge...

and “Lucy Helps Danny Thomas” (TLS S4;E7) where Mrs. Carmichael gets involved in Thomas's TV variety show.  

Character Consistency! Harry was formerly depicted as a miser, but here he is walking around with $500 cash in his pocket, and spends $5,000 on an unseen painting.  

Nautical Knowledge! Harry calls the subject of Danny's painting a ‘boat’ and Danny corrects him that it is a ‘ship.’ At the start of the series, Harry's home and office were decorated with ships and other nautical items. One of Harry's hobbies was building ships in bottles. He should know the difference.

Oops! When Lucy startles Danny while he is hiding behind the door, he jostles the shelf unit with his arm and a brown bottle falls to the floor.  Danny Thomas appears surprised, but picks it up.  It falls with a sound that betrays it is actually empty and plastic.

Wardrobe Malfunction! When Danny is disguised as his own brother, Giuseppe, his hat has trouble staying on his head due to the wig. It falls off twice, but is caught before hitting the floor.

“Lucy and Danny Thomas” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

Lucille Ball and Danny Thomas have great comic chemistry but the script feels like it could be from any series.  Harry behaves uncharacteristically and there is no tie in to the the series’ premise.