I LOVE LUCY: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (TV)
Summary
One in this series of comedies about the escapades of Lucy Ricardo, a zany redheaded housewife with show business aspirations, her Cuban-born bandleader husband Ricky Ricardo, and their best friends and neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz.
Lucy is travelling via train from Los Angeles back to New York, along with Ricky, Little Ricky, her mother, Fred, and Ethel. It is Lucy’s first train trip, and she is excited at the prospect. Fred and Ethel visit the dining car and Lucy and Ricky go to join them, but Lucy realizes she left her purse at the newsstand along with the train tickets. Ricky rushes out to get it as the train starts to leave without him. Lucy panics and pulls the emergency brake, bringing the train to a sudden stop and splattering the Mertzes’ food all over them. Ricky manages to make it back inside after colliding with the back of the train.
While Lucy is getting dinner with Ricky, Fred, and Ethel, she leaves her train tickets with her mother. The conductor comes around and realizes there has been an error on the tickets; Lucy’s mother and Little Ricky are moved to the adjacent car. Another man is placed in the room, a jeweler who carries around a gun. Lucy returns with a tray for her mother, but instead finds the jeweler. She fears the worst and once again pulls the emergency brake. The irritated conductor arrives and explains about the mix-up. Fred, Ethel, and Ricky are splattered with food.
Ricky is not pleased with Lucy’s antics. Lucy harbors suspicions that the jeweler is a crook. The train makes its first stop and a police detective comes around to the Ricardo’s room; the police are checking all the trains out of Los Angeles to find a jewel thief. Lucy becomes convinced that the jeweler staying next to them is actually the thief. While Ricky is at dinner, Lucy spies on the man inspecting a case filled with jewelry, seemingly confirming her suspicions. He pulls his gun on her and she backs off. Ricky wants her to forget about the whole thing.
Lucy gets Ethel alone and tells her about what she saw; the man sitting next to them eavesdrops. When Ethel leaves, the man introduces himself as a secret agent and asks her to accompany him in capturing the thief. She lures the thief into her room so that the special agent can knock him unconscious. However, it turns out the “special agent” is the real jewel thief, who holds Lucy at gunpoint and walks her out of her room. She manages to lose him and runs into Ricky. She pulls the emergency brake once again, allowing Ricky and the train conductor to capture the jewel thief. The Mertzes are once again covered in food. The episode ends as Lucy is being interviewed by newspaper reporters and she accidentally pulls the emergency brake one last time. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: October 31, 1955 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:28:11
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:19743
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1951-1957
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – Lilt hair permanent
- TV – Commercials – Sanka instant coffee
CREDITS
- Desi Arnaz … Executive Producer
- Jess Oppenheimer … Producer, Writer
- James V. Kern … Director
- Madelyn Pugh … Writer
- Bob Carroll Jr. … Writer
- Bob Schiller … Writer
- Bob Weiskopf … Writer
- Wilbur Hatch … Music by
- Lucille Ball … Cast, Lucy Ricardo
- Desi Arnaz … Cast, Ricky Ricardo
- Vivian Vance … Cast, Ethel Mertz
- William Frawley … Cast, Fred Mertz
- Harry Bartell … Cast, Jewel Thief
- Kathryn Card … Cast, Mrs. McGillicuddy
- Joseph Crehan … Cast, Thief with Gun
- Lou Krugman … Cast, Jewelry Salesman
- Joseph A. Mayer … Cast, Little Ricky Ricardo
- Michael Mayer … Cast, Little Ricky Ricardo
- Sam McDaniel … Cast, Sam the Porter
- Frank Nelson … Cast, Conductor
- Louis Nicoletti … Cast, Newspaper Reporter
- Hazel Pierce … Cast, Passenger