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I LOVE LUCY: MERTZ AND KURTZ (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.

Fred’s old vaudeville partner, Barney Kurtz, is coming to the Mertzes for dinner, and Ethel is trying hard to impress him. The Mertzes have received postcards about Barney touring all over Europe, performing for royalty and such; Ethel indicates that Fred is somewhat jealous of him. She borrows Lucy’s tableware in an effort to make the Mertzes seem more well-to-do and asks Lucy to pretend to be their maid, but Lucy is not keen on the idea and they argue.

The Mertzes have dinner with Barney along with Lucy, who is going along with Ethel’s maid scheme. She nearly blows her cover several times while Barney talks about his European tour and the success he has enjoyed, but laments that he doesn’t have much time for his daughter and grandson back in Indianapolis. He and Fred reminisce about their old vaudeville career and recollect a few of their old routines. Ricky enters and is confused by Lucy’s masquerade until Fred finally confesses the truth about their situation; Barney forgives them for the deception and everyone sits down to dinner.

Later, Lucy has the idea to wire Barney’s daughter to try and get his grandson in New York to see Barney perform. They read her letter back and she is sending Little Barney on a midnight train to New York, due to arrive that day. Barney returns and confesses that his boasts about his European tour are all false; he’s been living in New York the whole time working as a cook in a restaurant. He is distressed when they reveal his grandson is coming to New York and ask him to rent a hotel room for a few days, but he reveals he has been sending all his money back to Indianapolis in order to give his grandson an education. He doesn’t know how he’ll explain to truth to his grandson, but Lucy has the idea of letting Barney perform at the Tropicana.

Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, Fred, and Barney all perform at the Tropicana using a old routine from Fred and Barney’s vaudeville act, with Little Barney in the audience. The skit concerns a couple of dairy men who meet a few young women on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. The routine goes over well and Barney manages to reunite with his grandson. Includes commercials.

Details

  • NETWORK: CBS
  • DATE: October 11, 1954 9:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 0:28:22
  • COLOR/B&W: B&W
  • CATALOG ID: B:22070
  • GENRE: Comedy
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
  • SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1951-1957
  • COMMERCIALS:
    • TV - Commercials - Parliament cigarettes
    • TV - Commercials - Philip Morris cigarettes

CREDITS

  • Desi Arnaz … Executive Producer
  • Jess Oppenheimer … Producer, Writer
  • William Asher … Director
  • Madelyn Pugh (See also: Madelyn Davis) … Writer
  • Bob Carroll Jr. … Writer
  • Wilbur Hatch … Music by, Conductor
  • Eliot Daniel … Music by
  • Lee Scott … Choreographer
  • Lucille Ball … Cast, Lucy Ricardo
  • Desi Arnaz … Cast, Ricky Ricardo
  • Vivian Vance … Cast, Ethel Mertz
  • William Frawley … Cast, Fred Mertz
  • Charles Winninger … Cast, Barney Kurtz
  • Stephen Wootton … Cast, Little Barney