MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY: LUCY UPSETS THE WILLIAMS HOUSEHOLD (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about entertainer Danny Williams and his family. This episode guest-stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, portraying their "I Love Lucy" characters. Danny is working on an upcoming show with Ricky when he gets a call from Lucy from jail. She was arrested for perpetuating a gambling scheme implemented through gumball machines. Danny believes Ricky has let Lucy get out of control and proposes that the Ricardos stay with his family while they're in town, hoping that Lucy will change her ways after being exposed to Kathy's more level-headed influence. This plan backfires when Lucy ends up influencing Kathy, and they enact a scheme to get their husbands to let them keep some expensive negligees. Kathy feels guilty about it, but Lucy likens marriage to a "war of the sexes" and believes it is a natural part of any relationship. Ricky sees through Lucy's plan but lets her get away with it anyway. Danny believes Ricky is going too easy on Lucy, and they call their wives downstairs to scold them. They suspend their charge accounts, preventing them from doing any more shopping. However, they manage to purchase new gowns anyway and won't explain how they paid for them. Ricky remarks that the harder it is for Lucy to have her way, the more enjoyment she derives. This causes Danny to have an epiphany: he believes that Lucy's expensive habits are merely her way of "winning the contest." He hypothesizes that if Ricky acquiesces to Lucy and lets her have her way without any opposition, she'll be unable to go through with it since victory will lose all enjoyment. Ricky decides to give Danny's idea a try. Lucy takes the opportunity to go on a massive shopping spree. However, she comes to believe that Ricky might be having an affair after recalling similar stories of usually frugal husbands suddenly showering their wives with gifts just before they ran off with other women. Danny and Ricky return home to find Lucy acting meek and busying herself with more "housewife-"esque activities such as sewing. Danny takes this as evidence that his plan worked, but much to his surprise Ricky hates the result, preferring Lucy's natural vivaciousness and unpredictability. He calls her in to yell at her and deny her access to his charge account, which serves as proof to Lucy that Ricky does care for her and reinvigorates her. The episode ends as Danny and Ricky find that their wives have pawned Danny's piano in order to pay for their new purchases. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: January 5, 1959 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:30:00
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:19762
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1953-1957; CBS, 1957-1964
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Louis F. Edelman … Executive Producer
- Sheldon Leonard … Producer, Director
- Ronald Jacobs … Associate Producer
- Arthur Stander … Writer
- Sid Dorfman … Writer
- Earle Hagen … Music by
- Herbert W. Spencer … Music by
- Danny Thomas … Cast, Danny Williams
- Marjorie Lord … Cast, Kathy Williams
- Angela Cartwright … Cast, Linda Williams
- Lucille Ball … Cast, Lucy Ricardo
- Desi Arnaz … Cast, Ricky Ricardo
- Sandra Wright … Cast