I LOVE LUCY: LUCY MEETS ORSON WELLES (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 detests the winter weather and desires to go to Florida, but Ricky won't let her since he thinks it's too expensive. He gets a call from his manager confirming that Orson Welles will be appearing at the club to perform Shakespeare and a magic act for a charity benefit. Ricky is dismayed when he learns that the manager recommended that Lucy be Mr. Welles's assistant in the magic act. He decides to send Lucy to Florida so that she won't have the opportunity to wreak havoc on Mr. Welles's act, and Lucy is overjoyed that she apparently was able to convince Ricky to change his mind. Ethel and Lucy go out shopping for clothes to bring to Florida, and soon they run into Orson Welles doing a record signing for his Shakespeare albums. Lucy excitedly talks to him about her admiration for him and her performance in her high school's production of "Romeo and Juliet." Soon Mr. Welles realizes that Lucy is Ricky's wife and Lucy manages to deduce that Ricky is sending her to Florida to keep her away from participating in Mr. Welles's act. Mr. Welles offers the position to her and she accepts, not realizing that he means for her to be his assistant in the magic act and not to perform Shakespeare with him. Lucy calls Miss Hanna, her high school drama teacher, and invites her to see her perform Shakespeare with Welles. Ricky returns home and Lucy yells at him for trying to prevent her from joining Mr. Welles onstage. Ricky offers an explanation: that Mr. Welles only wanted her for his magic act and he was trying to save her the embarrassment of having to refuse. Lucy seems to accept this explanation, but secretly doesn't believe Ricky. Later, Mr. Welles arrives at the club for rehearsal and Lucy appears in Shakespearean garb, reciting lines from Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Welles relents slightly to perform a few scenes with her before he convinces her to be his assistant in the magic act after all. While preparing backstage for the act, Miss Hanna arrives, revealing that she brought her entire class to watch and is extremely excited to see Lucy acting with Mr. Welles. Lucy doesn't have the heart to tell her the truth and vows to somehow perform Shakespeare anyway. During the magic act, Mr. Welles makes Lucy appear to levitate. While levitating, Lucy performs lines from "Romeo and Juliet" while Mr. Welles attempts to keep her quiet. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: October 15, 1956 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:29:02
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:19763
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1951-1957
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – Fluffo shortening
- TV – Commercials – Sanka coffee
CREDITS
- Desi Arnaz … Producer
- Jack Aldworth … Associate Producer
- James V. Kern … Director
- Madelyn Martin … Writer
- Bob Carroll Jr. … Writer
- Bob Schiller … Writer
- Bob Weiskopf … Writer
- Eliot Daniel … Music by
- Lucille Ball … Cast, Lucy Ricardo
- Desi Arnaz … Cast, Ricky Ricardo
- Vivian Vance … Cast, Ethel Mertz
- William Frawley … Cast, Fred Mertz
- Orson Welles … Cast, Himself
- Ellen Corby … Cast, Miss Hanna
- Fred Aldrich … Cast, Customer
- Bennett Green … Cast, Customer
- Richard Keith … Cast, Little Ricky
- Lou Krugman … Cast, Babalu Manager
- Hazel Pierce … Cast, Customer
- Jack Rice … Cast, Macy's Clerk