MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Neighbors Marathon

Neighbors Marathon

posted 7 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
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Watched a "Neighbors" marathon last night (eps that featured other people who live in the
Mertz building). Here's what I put together:

The Young Fans (Lucy says that Peggy lives "next door"; not certain if Arthur does. Doubt it,
as Lucy's never heard of him until Peggy brings him up as a boy in her class).

New Neighbors (Never a huge fan of this episode, which goes all over the map. The chair scene
is hilarious, and I love K.T. Stevens. But the gun and shooting stuff does NOT play well today,
especially given recent circumstances. But it was fun to give a whirl again).

No Children Allowed (Yes, I actually watched this one for like the tenth time in three months.
But this one introduces Mrs. Trumbull, so I enjoyed it all over again).

Oil Wells (One of my all-time faves, and those "neighbors from Texas" are a hoot! Love
the always under-appreciated Sandra Gould. A great entry from season three).

Little Ricky Gets a Dog (Was never a huge fan of this episode, and hadn't watched it in years. I
was pleasantly reminded of how strong this offering really is. Fred is delightful in this, and I love the way the little pooch moves them all. Only sad part is Ball and Arnaz were REALLY
showing their age by this point).

[–] [email protected] (5490) 7 years ago

Well, I never cared much for 'The Young fans' until you pointed out how great Richard Crenna was in it.

The guest stars are good in 'New Neighbors', K.T. Stevens and "Dr. Bellows"(ha). Lucy and Ethel were such snoops!
And Lucy's frantic phone call to the police about enemy agents from another country planning to blow up the Capitol. When asked their last name "O'Brian". It IS funny if you take it in context. Back in the fifties no one was all that concerned about global terrorists.

'Oil Wells'' is an episode which has grown on me over the years.

Actually I was watching a "neighbors" episode last night, but it was a Connecticut episode, 'Lucy Gets Chummy with the Neighbors'. Lucy's pride got in the way once again and she couldn't admit to Betty Ramsey that they couldn't afford all that new furniture.

Speaking of neighbors, last week I watched 'Lucy's Night in Town' with the big mix up of theater seats (she bought tickets for the matinee by mistake). Fred was already in New York because he was collecting the rent. They make a point of saying he was carrying five hundred dollars.

The show never said exactly how many apartments were in the building. The Ricardo rent was $125. So it would appear that if Fred was carrying $500, only four apartments were being rented. It always seemed like there were more than that.

Also, off topic, but WHY was Fred carrying all that cash? He surely must've had a bank account in the city to deposit the rent money!

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Because we have to assume that some people paid in cash, or partly in cash, while others wrote a check. Of COURSE
the Mertze's received more than $500 a month in rent.

When the owner comes to collect the rent personally, many people did - and do - pay some, or all, in cash. Also, it was a Saturday. In 1957, no banks would've been open for him to
deposit the cash and checks.

[–] [email protected] (5490) 7 years ago

Oh I'm forgetting the day and age! Weren't banks open on Saturday back then? Didn't realize that.

Coincidentally I just watched the Madame X episode and Mrs. Trumbull went to the Mertz apartment with her rent check.

If I was Fred and that worried about carrying around that much cash, I'd collect the rent on a day when the banks WERE open! Concerning Mrs Trumbull's sister who moved in to manage the building, wouldn't part of her job be collecting the rents and then depositing them in Fred's account? Probably Fred enjoyed the feel of all that money in his hand though. ha!

Of course the whole scenario had to play out so there could be the big mishap with the purses.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

We have to assume that the first of the new month on was on Saturday. While normal landlords would've waited
until Monday, the third, Fred, of course, had to grab the money from his tenants the exact day of.

Normally, he walked home and put it all "in his secreting hiding place", as Ethel once put it. But he was new to living
in Connecticut, and also he was traveling to a restaurant in New York, THEN to the theatre! Makes sense he'd be
so nervous.

As for waiting to do this so late on a Saturday, perhaps several of his tenants weren't available until around dinner
time. Even in those days, people often worked Saturdays.

[–] [email protected] (5490) 7 years ago

You mean his "secret hiding place" which Ethel knew about for twenty years! LOL