I LOVE LUCY: HARPO MARX (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. In this episode, set in Los Angeles, Lucy asks Ricky to round up a few movie stars for the afternoon because rival Carolyn Appleby is visiting during a layover on her way to Hawaii, and Lucy wants to impress her. Ricky refuses -- so Lucy and Ethel concoct a scheme to fool Carolyn by using costumes and rubber movie-star masks. When Carolyn arrives, Lucy and Ethel rob her of her glasses, and Lucy pretends to go next door to borrow a cup of sugar. She soon returns, first as Gary Cooper and then as Clark Gable, impressing the nearly blind Carolyn. Meanwhile, Ricky feels bad about refusing to help Lucy so when he and Fred run into Harpo Marx at the hotel pool, Ricky asks Harpo to go upstairs and surprise Lucy. Harpo arrives at the Ricardos' suite, and Ethel thinks that he is Lucy in disguise until he goes to get his harp. When he goes out, Lucy comes in dressed as Harpo, and Ethel makes her hide in the kitchen to avoid being seen. The real Harpo returns and plays "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." After the song, Carolyn rushes out to catch her plane, and Harpo notices his look-alike hiding in the kitchen. Lucy pretends to be his mirrored reflection until he finally fools her. Ricky and Fred then come in dressed as Groucho and Chico Marx. Includes commercials. Animated stick figures of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz appear in commercials for Lilt home permanents.

Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Marc Haas and Helen Hotze Haas Foundations, 2000.

Details

• NETWORK: CBS
• DATE: May 9, 1955 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 0:28:21
• COLOR/B&W: B&W
• CATALOG ID: T:27004
• GENRE: Comedy
• SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Most Popular (Top 100)
• SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1951-1957
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - Lilt home permanents
  • TV - Commercials - Marlboro cigarettes

CREDITS

• Desi Arnaz … Executive Producer
• Jess Oppenheimer … Producer, Writer
• William Asher … Director
• Pugh, Madelyn (See also: Davis, Madelyn; Martin, Madelyn) … Writer
• Bob Carroll … Writer
• Wilbur Hatch … Conductor, Conducting The Desi Arnaz Orchestra
• Eliot Daniel … Music by
• Lucille Ball … Cast, Lucy Ricardo
• Desi Arnaz … Cast, Ricky Ricardo
• Vivian Vance … Cast, Ethel Mertz
• William Frawley … Cast, Fred Mertz
• Doris Singleton … Cast, Carolyn Appleby
• Harpo Marx … Cast, Himself
• Gary Cooper
• Clark Gable
• Chico Marx
• Groucho Marx