"I Love Lucy" Episode Guide
(Season 1 / 1951-52)

#001 - "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying To Murder Her"

Filmed: September 8, 1951 -- Aired: November 5, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 36.5/56

A misunderstood conversation between Ricky and his agent leads Lucy to the conclusion that he is trying to kill her. Ricky pours a sedative for Lucy so she can relax, but she thinks it's poison. With what she believes is her last burst of energy, she drags herself to Ricky's club to shoot him.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note For this first episode, Desilu attempted to film it as a type of stage play, only stopping briefly between scenes for makeup and costume changes. Although this format quickly ended, if you look closely you can see Lucy hiding other costumes under robes and coats.
Extra Note The names of the dogs in Ricky's new act are Ann, Mary, Helen, Cynthia, Alice, and Theodore.

#002 - "The Girls Want To Go To A Nightclub"

Filmed: September 15, 1951 -- Aired: October 15, 1951 -- Rating Share: 38.7/56

To celebrate the Mertzes' wedding anniversary, Fred and Ricky want to go to a prize fight, but the girls want to get dressed up and go to a nightclub. Lucy threatens to find two other escorts if their husbands won't take them. This is just fine with Fred, but Ricky worries. So he and Fred find two other girls and go to the same nightclub to spy on their wives.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Guadalajara"
Extra Note In this episode, Ricky states he and Fred are Sam and Elmer, while Lucy states she and Ethel are Eunice and Maw. Ricky calls Ginny Jones, a singer at the Starlight Roof to get dates for Fred and himself.

#003 - "Be A Pal"

Filmed: September 21, 1951 -- Aired: October 22, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 40.3/60

Lucy decides Ricky's love is growing cold, so she takes Ethel's suggestions: that she join her spouse in his weekly poker game and that she turn the apartment into a Cuban hacienda to appeal to Ricky's native tastes.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Mama Yo Quiero"
Production Note Lucille Ball asked Carmen Miranda for permission to impersonate her before filming the comedy routine.
Extra Note In this episode we learn The Ricardos have been married almost eleven years, and that Ricky has five brothers.

#004 - "The Diet"

Filmed: September 28, 1951 -- Aired: October 29, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 37.9/56

One of the girls in Ricky's show quits, making a vacancy for a singer who can wear a size 12 costume. Lucy tricks Ricky into saying that if she loses enough weight she can sing in the show. She then starves, exercises, and steams, finally losing five pounds...but there are further obstacles to her "big break."

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Cuban Pete/Sally Sweet"
Production Note The songs were featured in the Arnazes' 1950 vaudeville tour. This was the first of many on-screen appearances for Marco Rizo, Desi's longtime pianist.
Extra Note The Mertz's dog, Butch, makes his only appearance in this episode. Also Lucy claims to have weighted 110 pounds on her wedding day.

#005 - "The Quiz Show"

Filmed: October 5, 1951 -- Aired: November 12, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 38.0/60

Finding herself short of funds, Lucy wangles her way into a contestant spot on a wild and woolly quiz show. The show is called Females are Fabulous, a title that Lucy justifies elaborately.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Phil Ober was Vivian Vance's husband. Also William Frawley doesn't appear in this episode. John Emery was a very distinguished stage, film, and television star. The original name the writers had for the radio program Females are Fabulous, was Women are Wonderful.
Extra Note The first prize on the radio show was $1,000.

#006 - "The Audition"

Filmed: October 12, 1951 -- Aired: November 19, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 41.9/62

Ricky's band is to be auditioned for television, and Lucy is trying to "get into the act." When Lucy substitutes for Buffo the clown, the producers want to sign her, not Ricky, and Lucy is confronted with problems.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Babalu" and "How Dry I Am"
Production Note Vivian Vance doesn't appear in this episode. This episode resembles the March 2, 1951 Lucy pilot. The TV network representatives were played by producer Jess Oppenheimer and Harry Ackerman, a CBS Vice-President. Pepito Perez, a friend of the Arnaz's, played Pepito the clown in the pilot and later in Episode #52 "Lucy's Showbiz Swan Song," however he was unavailable for this episode and Pat Moran replaced Pepito as Buffo, the Clown.
Extra Note Lucy appears at the Tropicana Night Club dressed as The Professor, looking for Risky Riskerdo and plays the saxovibrotrumpaphonavich.

#007 - "The Séance"

Filmed: October 19, 1951 -- Aired: November 26, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 44.9/64

Lucy suddenly becomes interested in numerology and superstitions. After advising Ricky that it's a good day for him to make deals, she realizes that she read yesterday's horoscopes and that today is actually a bad day for Ricky. She thus says "no" to a very important business call for Ricky from Mr. Meriweather. In the process of putting things right, Lucy conducts a séance.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note In the original script Mr. Meriweather's name was Mr. Simpson.
Extra Note In numerology, Ricky was a 5, Ethel a 7,Lucy a 3, Mr. Meriweather a 1, prompting the latter to observe, "We're all odd, aren't we?" According to numerology Ricky's "perfect" name is Genevieve. Mr. Meriweather's cocker spaniel was named Tillie, and his was Adelaide.

#008 - "Men Are Messy"

Filmed: October 25, 1951 -- Aired: December 3, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 42.1/65

When Ricky leaves his clothes around the living room, Lucy gets angry and divides the living room in half so Ricky can be as messy as he likes on his side.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Straw Hat Song"
Production Note Kenny Morgan, who at that time was married to Lucille Ball's cousin Cleo, was Desilu's PR representative.

#009 - "Drafted"

Filmed: November 2, 1951 -- Aired: December 24, 1951 -- Rating/Share: N/A

When Lucy opens a telegram addressed to Ricky ordering him to appear at the Army's Fort Dix, she assumes he has been drafted. Both Lucy and Ethel are convinced their husbands have been drafted when they see them drilling in the living room with brooms. They don't realize that Ricky and Fred are practicing a dance routine for the servicemen's show.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note The Sedgwicks, Orsattis, Buzzells, and Williard Josephy were real-life friends of the Arnazes. Ed Sedgwick, who tutored Lucille in comic technique when she first arrived in Hollywood, gave the bride away at the Arnaz's 1949 church wedding. The original print of this episode included a special four-minute tag that was introduced by the Lucy announcer Johnny Jacobs as "Lucy and Ricky will be back with a little surprise!" The Christmas Eve (original air date of "Drafted") "surprise" featured the four principals dressed as Santa and singing "Jingle Bells" while skipping around the Ricardos' yule tree. As if magically, a fifth Santa Claus appears, leaving the principals to quizzically wish the Lucy audience a Merry Christmas. The "real" Santa Claus was played by actor Vernon Dent. Desi hums a few bars of the song he and Eddie Maxwell wrote in July 1951 titled "There's a Brand New Baby In Our House."

#010 - "The Fur Coat"

Filmed: November 9, 1951 -- Aired: December 10, 1951 -- Rating Share: 44.1/67

Ricky brings home a mink coat that is to be used in his nightclub act, but Lucy takes it for granted it's for her. Trying to get the coat away from her is a problem for Ricky: Lucy not only sleeps in it, she even wears it while she is doing the housework. Finally, Ricky tells Fred to dress up like a robber and steal it back for him.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Extra Note Fred finally comes to fix the Ricardo's kitchen sink, which was first reported on August 6, 1948.

#011 - "Lucy Is Jealous Of Girl Singer"

Filmed: November 16, 1951 -- Aired: December 17, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 41.4/62

Ethel Mertz misinterprets a gossip column item and decides Ricky is interested in a chorus girl. To keep an eye on Ricky, Lucy manages to wangle her way into the chorus line, where she upstages the dancer during the number and makes a mess of the show.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Jezebel" and "El Cumbanchero"
Production Note Since Rosemary was a girl dancer, it appears this episode was mistitled.

#012 - "The Adagio"

Filmed: November 23, 1951 -- Aired: December 31, 1951 -- Rating/Share: 46.2/71

Lucy learns that Ricky is looking for an Apache dancer for his nightclub act. Convinced that someday she will break into show business, Lucy grabs at this opportunity. She dreams up a wild American Indian war dance routine and goes after the job at Ricky's club. As a result, Ricky is challenged to a duel behind Radio City Music Hall.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Lucille Ball once dislocated her shoulder doing an apache dance at age twelve for a Masonic musical revue. At the end of the original airing of this episode, for the first time, they showed previews of next week's episode, to get people to tune in.

#013 - "The Benefit"

Filmed: November 30, 1951 -- Aired: January 7, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 51.6/72

Lucy resorts to womanly wiles to get Ricky to sing at a women's club benefit. Ricky is reluctant at first, but Lucy tricks him into agreeing to sing and dance with her at the function.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Shine On, Harvest Moon," "Auf Wiederseh'n, My Dear," & "We'll Build A Bungalow"
Extra Note In this episode, Ethel's women's club is called The Middle East 68th Street Woman's Club.

#014 - "The Amateur Hour"

Filmed: December 7, 1951 -- Aired: January 14, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 50.1/72

Lucy buys a very expensive dress. When Ricky tells her to take it back or pay for it herself, she decides to get a babysitting job -- but gets more than she bargained for with the Hudson twins.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "I'm Breaking My Back" and "Ragtime Cowboy Joe"
Production Note Lee Scott was credited with the choreography. William Frawley did not appear in this episode.
Extra Note For the first time the Ricardo's address is mentioned as 623 East 68th Street. However, according to maps the address would be placed somewhere in the East River.

#015 - "Lucy Plays Cupid"

Filmed: December 13, 1951 -- Aired: January 21, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 51.8/73

Lucy tries to arrange a match between a love-starved old lady and a giddy grocery man. In her efforts to play Cupid, Lucy gives the grocer the idea that she has a crush on him.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Bea Benaderet appeared on Lucy's radio show, My Favorite Husband, and was Lucille's first choice to play what eventually became the Ethel Mertz character, however she was unavailable because she was working on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as neighbor Blanche Morton. Bea Benaderet would later go on to star in CBS's Petticoat Junction as Kate Bradley.
Extra Note Miss Lewis has been carrying around her diner invitation for Mr. Ritter for five years. Her hope chest will not open because the lock is rusted shut. Lucy claims to Mr. Ritter to have 31 children, however 6 are missing.

#016 - "Lucy Fakes Illness"

Filmed: December 18, 1951 -- Aired: January 28, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 57.4/77

Ricky won't hire Lucy for his new act, so Lucy consults a book on abnormal psychology for a solution. When Ricky arrives home and finds out that Lucy is faking a nasty case of the "gobloots," he calls in an actor to play a physician.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "When The Saints Come Marching in"
Extra Note Ricky claims that he and Lucy have been living in the Mertzes building for five years.

#017 - "Lucy Writes A Play"

Filmed: December 22, 1951 -- Aired: February 4, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 55.6/75

Lucy writes a tender, heartwarming story of a Cuban tobacco picker in A Tree Grows in Havana. She tries to get Ricky to star in it. When he refuses, Lucy settles for Fred. However, Fred's Spanish accent is so terrible that she changes the play's setting to England. Ricky wants back in, but doesn't realize that the play has been revamped until he's on stage.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Maury Thompson, who played the stage manager, was the show's script clerk.
Extra Note This was the first mention of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League.

#018 - "Breaking The Lease"

Filmed: January 5, 1952 -- Aired: February 11, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 53.4/73

After a fun evening around the piano singing favorite songs, the Mertzes retire to bed, leaving Lucy and Ricky alone to pursue a short encore. Ethel telephones demanding quiet. When Lucy points out that the Mertzes were just down there making noise themselves, the Ricardos and the Mertzes have the first of many classic feuds.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Sweet Sue," "I Want A Girl Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad," "El Cumbanchero," "La Raspa," and "The Mexican Hat Dance"
Production Note The Harwood Manufacturing Corporation actually produced I Love Lucy pajamas in the 1950s-they sold for $6.95 a pair and came in men's and women's sizes. Barbara Pepper would later go on to star in CBS's Green Acres as Doris Ziffel.
Extra Note This episode is the first to feature the Ricardo's wear matching pajamas. The Ricardos and Mertzes have previously gone on trips together, they have photos taken together in Atlantic City.

#019 - "The Ballet"

Filmed: January 11, 1952 -- Aired: February 18, 1952 -- Rating/Share:53.9/73

Ricky is searching for both a ballet dancer and a burlesque comic for his new act. Lucy wants the ballet job desperately and enrolls in a dance class run by the strict Madame Lamond. After failing at ballet, she decides to hire a burlesque comic teacher in hopes that she can at least be the comic in the show. When Lucy is summoned to the club to replace a sick performer, she assumes it's the comic they need, but it is actually the ballet dancer.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Martha"
Production Note Lucille Ball ad-libbed brilliantly when her foot accidentally got caught in the ballet practice bar. Lucille Ball's life-long friend Mary Wickes later appeared in other Lucy shows.
Extra Note First mention of Fred's vaudeville partner, Ted Kurtz.

#020 - "The Young Fans"

Filmed: January 18, 1952 -- Aired: February 25, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 56.5/76

When a teenage girl named Peggy drops her steady, Arthur, for suave Ricky Ricardo, Lucy tries to teach the clumsy schoolboy how to dance so he can impress Peggy. Unfortunately, Arthur gets carried away and proclaims his love for Lucy.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by William Asher
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Babalu"
Production Note Vivian Vance and William Frawley did not appear in this episode. "Teenager" Richard Crenna was twenty-four years old when this episode was filmed. Director William Asher also directed the pilot to Our Miss Brooks also starring Richard Crenna. Richard Crenna would later go on to star in The Real McCoys from 1957 to 1963 as Luke McCoy.

#021 - "New Neighbors"

Filmed: January 25, 1952 -- Aired: March 3, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 58.0/78

Lucy and Ethel can't wait to get a closer look at the belongings of their new neighbors, the O'Briens. Ricky makes Lucy promise not to set foot in their apartment. Lucy and Ethel decide to snoop anyway, but when the O'Briens come home suddenly, Lucy and Ethel hide in a closet. There they overhear the O'Briens discussing what sounds like a plot to murder Ricky and Lucy. The neighbors are actually television actors rehearsing a scene.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note K.T. Stevens and her actor-husband, Hugh Marlowe, were among Vivian Vance's closest friends. Hayden Rorke would later star as Dr. Bellows on NBC's I Dream Of Jeannie.

#022 - "Fred And Ethel Fight"

Filmed: January 30, 1952 -- Aired: March 10, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 59.5/61

Lucy and Ricky try to patch up the Mertzes' quarrel by inviting each to dinner without the other's knowledge. They manage to set the couple straight all right, but not without ending up in a squabble of their own, with Ricky moving to the Tropicana. To get him back, Ethel suggests Lucy try a subtle sympathy ploy, by pretending she was hit by a bus. At the same time, Fred encounters Ricky at a local drugstore lunch counter, and he urges Ricky to be a hero by saving Lucy from a burning apartment building.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note The scene in the drug store featured a huge advertising sign depicting Johnny, the "Call for Phillip" man; Desilu endeavored to accommodate its sponsor whenever possible.

#023 - "The Moustache"

Filmed: February 8, 1952 -- Aired: March 17, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 58.6/81

When Ricky refuses to shave off his new mustache, Lucy glues a white beard and mustache on her own face. Ricky concedes defeat, but Lucy is unable to remove her false whiskers because the glue remover is no longer available.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "I'll See You in C-U-B-A"
Production Note When Ricky shows his scrapbook, it featured clippings from Too Many Girls and his Copacabana dates -- highlights of Desi Arnaz's early career. This is the first instance of Vivian Vance and William Frawley doing a song-and-dance act in the show. Also John Brown was the second actor to play Harry Morton on The George Burns/Gracie Allen Show from January to June 1951.

#024 - "The Gossip"

Filmed: February 15, 1952 -- Aired: March 24, 1952 -- Rating/Share: N/A

Ricky and Fred bet Lucy and Ethel that they can keep from gossiping longer than their wives. The winners are to be served breakfast in bed for a month. Ricky tells Lucy some gossip while pretending to be asleep, so that Lucy will spill the news to Ethel and make the girls lose the bet.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Extra Note In this episode the Fosters live in apartment 3B, however they later live in apartment 2A.

#025 - "Pioneer Women"

Filmed: February 22, 1952 -- Aired: March 31, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 66.0/86

Determining that they have washed 219,000 dishes since being married, Lucy and Ethel demand dishwashers. The men insist that the women have it too "soft" and bet them fifty dollars that they can't live without modern conveniences.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Ruth Perrott also played "Katie, The Maid" on Lucille Balls radio show My Favorite Husband. The eight-foot long rye bread was baked by the Union Made Bakery company. After the taping, the loaf was cut and divided for everyone to take home. The name Pettebone was inspired by Jean Pettebone, a CBS photographer, and Pomerantz by Charles Ponerantz, a Philip Morris press representative, headquartered in Los Angles.

#026 - "The Marriage License"

Filmed: February 28, 1952 -- Aired: April 7, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 70.4/90

A close inspection of her marriage license convinces Lucy that she and Ricky are not legally married. Because his name is misspelled on the certificate, Lucy insists that Ricky go through the entire courtship and marriage ceremony a second time. This episode is based on Lucy and Desi's actual wedding.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "I Love You Truly"
Production Note According to ARB, this episode was the first TV show to be seen in 10 million U.S. homes. Lucille Ball and Desi Aranz were really married in 1940 at the Byram River Beagle Club, and also reenacted their vows in 1949 in a Catholic ceremony. Ricky's last name on the Ricardo's license is spelled Bicardi. In real-life, Desi's maternal grandfather, Alberto Acha, was one of the founders of Bicardi Rum.
Extra Note Lucy's maiden name is first mentioned as Lucille Esmerelda McGillicuddy.

#027 - "The Kleptomaniac"

Filmed: March 7, 1952 -- Aired: April 14, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 63.3/85

Ricky discovers a large amount of cash in Lucy's purse and a cache of silverware and other valuables in a closet. Unaware that Lucy is collecting items for a club bazaar, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that she's a kleptomaniac.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Joseph Kearns would later go on to star on CBS's Dennis The Menace as Mr. George Wilson.
Extra Note Fred won his beloved cuckoo clock at Coney Island. Lucy stole a baby elephant from the Clyde Beatty Circus.

#028 - "Cuban Pals"

Filmed: March 14, 1952 -- Aired: April 21, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 64.5/86

Annoyed by Ricky's accounts of the lovely Cuban entertainer Renita, who was his partner in the old days, Lucy rigs herself out as a seductive Latin dancer and devises a plan to replace Renita in the show.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "The Lady In Red"
Production Note In the first scene, Desi Arnaz made a few mistakes while translating Lucy's English into Spanish, but he covered nicely.

#029 - "The Freezer"

Filmed: March 21, 1952 -- Aired: April 28, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 60.4/87

Lucy gets a walk-in meat freezer, orders two sides of beef, and runs a business with Ethel until the neighborhood butcher gets wise to their competitive tricks. While trying to move the beef from the basement freezer into the unlit furnace before Ricky sees the $483 meat bill, Lucy accidentally gets locked inside the freezer.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Cielito Lindo," "Mama Inez"
Production Note This was the first episode to credit: "Executive Producer: Desi Arnaz."

#030 - "Lucy Does A TV Commercial"

Filmed: March 28, 1952 -- Aired: May 5, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 61.1/88

Lucy tricks Ricky into letting her do a commercial during a television variety show. The commercial is for Vitameatavegamin Vitamins, and Lucy is the Vitameatavegamin girl.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Vivian Vance did not appear in this episode. Maury Thompson, the script clerk, played himself. Stage manager Herb Browar, had to find the perfect liquid to fill the Vitameatavegamin bottles. After trying half-dozen products, including honey, Browar decided on apple pectin.
Extra Note Ethel is not seen in this episode because she is visiting her mother.

#031 - "The Publicity Agent"

Filmed: April 4, 1952 -- Aired: May 12, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 64.7/89

To increase business at the Tropicana, Lucy concocts a publicity scheme based on a newspaper item claiming that the Shah of Persia owns all of Benny Goodman's records. Lucy decides to pose as the Maharincess of Franistan, who has traveled halfway around the globe to see her singing idol, Ricky Ricardo.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "I Get Ideas" & "Babalu"
Production Note When Ricky enters the Waldorf suite as "Tiger," he is wearing special "platform" shoes that elevated him more than six inches.
Extra Note Ricky decides that the country of Franistan is "tucked right in between Switzerland and Persia."

#032 - "Lucy Gets Ricky On The Radio"

Filmed: April 11, 1952 -- Aired: May 19, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 57.9/85

Convinced that Ricky is a mental giant, Lucy makes secret arrangements to get him on a radio quiz show.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Ricky admits that the only thing he knows about American history is that, "Columbus discovered Ohio in 1776." However, in real life Desi Arnaz became an American citizen in 1943 and knew much more about his new country than Ricky did.

#033 - "Lucy's Schedule"

Filmed: April 18, 1952 -- Aired: May 26, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 51.7/81

After Lucy is late for a dinner appointment with Ricky's boss Alvin Littlefield, Ricky puts his wife on a rigid time schedule. Ricky tells his boss about this new schedule, adding that he has Lucy jumping around like a trained seal and that Littlefield should come over to see her perform. When Lucy gets wind of the plot, she schemes with Ethel and Mrs. Littlefield to teach their time-conscious hubbies a well-deserved lesson.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Gale Gordon who appeared on Lucy's radio program, My Favorite Husband. was considered to be Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy, however, he was unavailable because of his work on Our Miss Brooks. This was the first television appearance with Gale Gordon and Lucille Ball. Ten years later, they began starring together in The Lucy Show and later starred together in Here's Lucy, and Life With Lucy. Edith Meiser appeared in 1941 with Vivian Vance in Cole Porter's Broadway musical, Let's Face It.
Extra Note Lucy says no to all the dresses that Ricky picks for her to wear to the movies. Ethel has seen the first one to much, everyone has seen the second one to much, and the third one is too tight, Lucy decides on the fourth dress. Lucy, Ethel, and Mrs. Littlefield serve for dinner split pea soup, salad, steak, frozen peas, and hot biscuits. However Lucy couldn't fit chewing into her schedule.

#034 - "Ricky Thinks He's Getting Bald"

Filmed: April 25, 1952 -- Aired: June 2, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 56.0/90

Haunted by the thought that he is going bald, Ricky appeals to Lucy, who comes up with an unorthodox treatment.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note When this episode was originally filmed, the "'Caesar's Salad" scene was the climax of Act One. Once the show was edited, Jess Oppenheimer felt the ending -- the bald men "party" -- was weak, so he reshot a few expository scenes and reedited the thirty minutes so that the "block" comedy scene with the vibrators and the eggs came at the end of Act Two. In real-life Jess Oppenheimer had gotten bald at a very early age.
Extra Note Lucy hires bald men to come to her apartment for $10 each and a home cooked meal, so that she can get her apartment looking like a "sea of honeydew melons."

#035 - "Ricky Asks For a Raise"

Filmed: May 2, 1952 -- Aired: June 9, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 54.2/83

Lucy convinces Ricky that he should pressure his boss into giving him a raise. When Ricky follows Lucy's advice literally, he gets a big "no" from the nightclub owner. Insult is added to injury when Ricky's nightclub launches an explosive campaign announcing the debut of his replacement.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note Hal King was the I Love Lucy makeup artist. As a tag of this episode, Lucy and Desi appeared in the Ricardo bedroom, sitting atop a steamer trunk. They wished viewers a pleasant summer and alerted them to a new situation comedy that would replace I Love Lucy for the summer months, a new show starring Gale storm and Charles Farrell, My Little Margie. "I think you're going to like it," Lucy hinted. Although this was the last episode to air in the first season, the cast and crew finished filming and extra five episodes before having a summer vacation. Also by this time the Arnazes already knew that they were expecting their second child, they returned to the studio in August ahead of schedule to film fifteen episodes for the second season before Lucille took of for her maternity leave.
Extra Note Lucy and Ethel call the Tropicana and place seventy-five reservations, including Mrs. Worthington Proudfoot, Lucille McGillicuddy and Harry and Bess Truman.

#036 - "The Anniversary Present"

Filmed: May 9, 1952 -- Aired: September 29, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 69.1/66

Believing that Ricky has forgotten their anniversary, Lucy fears his attentions are wandering. Her suspicions are further aroused when she sees him fastening a pearl necklace around the neck of one of their neighbors.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "Down Argentine Way"
Production Note In this episode the Ricardos are married on the 19th. And in real-life the Arnazes had married for the first time on November 30, 1940 and renewed their vows on June 19, 1949. They always celebrated the November 30th anniversary, and the last time they spoke to each other was on November 30, 1986, two days before Desi arnaz died of lung cancer. Joseff Jewelry is a company, headquartered in Burbank, California, that supplies jewelry for movies and TV shows.
Extra Note Ethel and Lucy call the furnace pipe is "the snooper's friend."

#037 - "The Handcuffs"

Filmed: May 16, 1952 -- Aired: October 6, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 67.7/64

Inspired by a magic trick she saw, Lucy handcuffs herself to her sleeping husband. To their mutual horror, they discover that the handcuffs are of Civil War vintage and a key cannot be found to unlock them.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "In Santiago, Chile"
Production Note Director Marc Daniels worked out these handcuff routines with his wife (and I Love Lucy camera coordinator), Emily, before instructing Lucille and Desi. Lucille Ball redid this skit with Gale Gordon on their later shows.
Extra Note Mondays are Ricky's night off. Mr. Walters, the locksmith lives in Yonkers, New York.

#038 - "The Operetta"

Filmed: May 23, 1952 -- Aired: October 13, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 64.5/62

Lucy persuades members of her women's club to stage her original operetta with "John Charles Ricardo" as the leading man. Lucy plays a witchlike gypsy in the show, and Ricky plays the hero "good Prince Lancelot." In the midst of the performance, men from the costume and scenery rental company arrive and proceed to repossess the items.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by Marc Daniels
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "We're the Pleasant Girls," "Lily Of The Valley," "I Am The Queen Of The Gypsies," and "We Are The Troops Of The King"
Production Note This was director Marc Daniels' last episode and, coincidentally, his favorite. According to Newsweek (January 19, 1953), this was the first episode of her parents' TV series that Little Lucie was allowed to stay up and watch.

#039 - "Job Switching"

Filmed: May 30, 1952 -- Aired: September 15, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 64.4/60

Convinced that they need to do something more lucrative than keep house, Lucy and Ethel get jobs in a candy factory. The girls are forced to work at a conveyer belt that brings the sweets to them faster than their unskilled hands can pack them.

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by William Asher
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Production Note This is one of Lucille Ball's favorite I Love Lucy episodes. Amanda Milligan who played the candy maker was in reality a candy maker.

#040 - "The Saxophone"

Filmed: June 6, 1952 -- Aired: September 22, 1952 -- Rating/Share: 67.5/65

Determined to accompany her husband on a tour with his band, Lucy represents herself as a skilled performer on the saxophone. Unfortunately, Lucy blows another chance to be in the show with an off-key rendition of "Glow Worm."

Produced by Jess Oppenheimer Directed by William Asher
Written by Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.
Music Performed "The Glow Worm"
Production Note Lucy Ricardo attended high school in Celron, New York, in which Lucille Ball also went. At first Lucille Ball didn't know how to play the saxophone but learned by rehearsals on June 2, 1952.