All of the best Lucy Show episodes were in the first black-and-white season. The writers always went back to the same ideas -- or at least similar themes -- once this show switched to color. That's why I confused a lot of these episodes in my mind before I started revisiting them. I thought "Lucy and the Bank Scandal" was the one where Mary Jane starts the rumor and everyone in town freaks out and withdraws their money.
No, "Scandal" is this one, where Lucy, having only met Mr. Mooney TWO episodes ago, assumes he's embezzling her trust fund just because he's made some extravagant purchases. HELLO, he's new in town, of course he's going to upgrade the house he just bought. And this job was likely a promotion for him, hence the fur coat for his wife and sports car for Bob (Did a convertible REALLY only cost $300 in 1963??). I love Lucy, but I also love to nitpick.
Speaking of that, is this THE LUCY SHOW or a springboard for a backdoor pilot called "Mooney's Three Sons?". Well, they were both filmed at Desliu. Anway, in Gale Gordon's first episode we had little Barry Livingston (MY THREE SONS' Ernie) as pint-sized Arnold Mooney (the one whom Lucy gave a Mohawk haircut), in this one it's preppie Bob as Son #2, played by Eddie Applegate just before he signed on as Patty Lane's boyfriend Richard on THE PATTY DUKE SHOW A few episodes after this, Chris is going steady with spacey Ted Mooney (Michael J Pollard in a bizarre performance), Son #3. So, Chris is dating brothers within a few weeks of each other? Didn't know a Lucille Ball program could be so kinky! If the scripts were funnier, my mind wouldn't wander and ponder when watching these Season 2 shows.
The whole "jumping to conclusions" aspect gives this one a very I LOVE LUCY quality - but not a Classic one - more like one of the average ones. I did catch the charity Lucy and Viv were collecting for - The Hospital Helpers Fund. This comes up later in the season in LUCY PLAYS FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE where the ladies show up as candy stripers when Mooney has a broken leg. So, the script supervisor was doing her job there but why couldn't they give us a clearer view on the Mooney offspring? Only the Golden Girls writers were more lax when it came to relatives.
There is also a joke in the script about Flo the Manicurist, and this unseen character helps get the plot moving by putting ideas in Lucy's head. The ladies mention her a few times in the early episodes. I wish we had seen her. They could have had Doris Singleton play the part. It would have expanded their story pool and given us something other than the bank to go to for outside plots.
Desi's guiding hand was sorely missed this season. And it doesn't get much better as its goes along.
No, "Scandal" is this one, where Lucy, having only met Mr. Mooney TWO episodes ago, assumes he's embezzling her trust fund just because he's made some extravagant purchases. HELLO, he's new in town, of course he's going to upgrade the house he just bought. And this job was likely a promotion for him, hence the fur coat for his wife and sports car for Bob (Did a convertible REALLY only cost $300 in 1963??). I love Lucy, but I also love to nitpick.
Speaking of that, is this THE LUCY SHOW or a springboard for a backdoor pilot called "Mooney's Three Sons?". Well, they were both filmed at Desliu. Anway, in Gale Gordon's first episode we had little Barry Livingston (MY THREE SONS' Ernie) as pint-sized Arnold Mooney (the one whom Lucy gave a Mohawk haircut), in this one it's preppie Bob as Son #2, played by Eddie Applegate just before he signed on as Patty Lane's boyfriend Richard on THE PATTY DUKE SHOW A few episodes after this, Chris is going steady with spacey Ted Mooney (Michael J Pollard in a bizarre performance), Son #3. So, Chris is dating brothers within a few weeks of each other? Didn't know a Lucille Ball program could be so kinky! If the scripts were funnier, my mind wouldn't wander and ponder when watching these Season 2 shows.
The whole "jumping to conclusions" aspect gives this one a very I LOVE LUCY quality - but not a Classic one - more like one of the average ones. I did catch the charity Lucy and Viv were collecting for - The Hospital Helpers Fund. This comes up later in the season in LUCY PLAYS FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE where the ladies show up as candy stripers when Mooney has a broken leg. So, the script supervisor was doing her job there but why couldn't they give us a clearer view on the Mooney offspring? Only the Golden Girls writers were more lax when it came to relatives.
There is also a joke in the script about Flo the Manicurist, and this unseen character helps get the plot moving by putting ideas in Lucy's head. The ladies mention her a few times in the early episodes. I wish we had seen her. They could have had Doris Singleton play the part. It would have expanded their story pool and given us something other than the bank to go to for outside plots.
Desi's guiding hand was sorely missed this season. And it doesn't get much better as its goes along.
