MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Lucy Dedicates a Statue

Lucy Dedicates a Statue

posted 6 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
8 replies | jump to latest

This, of course, is the very final half-hour installment of ILL. Never a fan favorite (or a fave
of mine), this ep falls into the "okay offering" category for me. Like "Lucy Learns to Drive",
it isn't a bad episode, it's just one I NEVER crave.

Last night I watched it, and really noted something I've never thought about before. It
is one of the TALKIEST episodes ever filmed. There are so many lines, reactions to lines,
and just plain chattiness from everyone, especially Lucy and Ricky, the latter of whom,
goes on and on and ON about Fred the dog not being disciplined. There's also a snappish
quality to the ep, with Lucy coming off as extremely bossy, demanding, and super driven.

Is all this bad? Not necessarily. While it's no classic ending to this great series, I kind of
like the fact that, by this point, Lucy was extremely involved in her community, in her
child's life, and in keeping busy. She was no longer running out and buying hats, or taking
the train to crash Ricky's nightclub act. It's as if she somehow matured as a character.

The episode is indeed a busy, curious offering...one worth revisiting now and again. Lucy
was no longer a "dreamer" of sorts...no longer trading her cashmere sweater for a chance
to be president of a silly club. She had finally gotten a life, and was able to properly
channel her energy. At least until she got wrapped up with ENDLESS celebrities in the
Lucy/Desi Comedy Hour.

Sample dialogue:

RICKY: Show me! (that Fred the dog is now obedient)
LUCY: Not now, I have too many things to do.
RICKY: Show me NOW.
LUCY: I HAVEN'T GOT TIME NOW, I'LL SHOW YOU LATER!

As Little Ricky and Ralph Ramsey would say..."Sheesh!"

[–] [email protected] (5497) 6 years ago

I never thought about it, but yes, Lucy seems to have matured beyond her "hat buying" stage. Of course she dressed a lot more casually out in the country. I can't recall her wearing hats and gloves in Connecticut although I think she dressed up for her night in town when she had the matinee tickets for the musical "The Most Happy Fella".

This episode is one that I haven't watched in years. It makes me sad because I know in retrospect that Lucy and Desi were miserable and their marriage was in tatters. I always like to think of them as happy as Lucy and Ricky.

I'll have to give the episode another look. It just makes me sad because of what I know is going on behind the scenes.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 6 years ago

I don't have the same reaction, as I don't personally care about Lucy and Desi's marriage, divorce, children, etc. And
I think that while they both aged significantly (Desi looks puffy and tired; Lucy haggard at times), their performances
were still very strong, and in episodes like, "Building a Barbecue", the romantic ending still convinces. I still feel the
characters love each other very much.

Years ago, a newspaper critic, reviewing the release of season six, stated thoughts similar to yours. He went on to write
that fans should just skip the last season and go from season five back to watching again at season one. He felt that
Lucy and Desi's faltering marriage was obvious in their work. I completely disagree. Furthermore, I don't see much
difference in their performances in seasons five and six.

If I had to lose a season (and thank God I don't!), I would give up season one before season six. There far more
dated clunkers in that first year than in the well-oiled, more realistic season six.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 6 years ago

gbennett- yes, season six had many good episodes. Season one does have a number of "dated clunkers". But season one had two people who were clearly in love.

I see a difference in the Ricardo marriage from season one compared to season six. In season one they were married for ten years, but they still acted like newlyweds. In season six, they barely had any physical interaction.

I agree that "Building a Barbecue" had a sweet and sentimental ending, very believable. And they danced a tango in the other episode. But the closeness and intimacy were gone in season six. They were in bed together in the episode when they moved into their new house, but that was with little Ricky and the dog because of a strange noise ( a squirrel?) on the roof.

I watched that episode last night. I haven't seen it in a long time. One thing I forgot about was Lucy putting Fred the dog through his paces after he graduated from "Obedience School."

It was a funny scene but whoever wrote it had no idea what obedience school for dogs entail. LOL I have taken my dogs to those classes and they don't involve fetching, rolling over and playing dead. Those are tricks.
In obedience school a dog learns "sit/stay", how to walk on a leash, how to come when called, etc. Of course little Fred was well trained in that he stayed and didn't move no matter what Lucy requested. I'm sure his trainer was just out of camera range giving him the command to "sit".

Fred "licked half the cold cuts on that platter!!" LOL That's what you get for allowing a dog in the kitchen. I had a dog who swallowed an entire stick of butter when I put it on the table. (we were having corn on the cob). Obedience school or not, dogs go after food.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 6 years ago

Interesting. I have never really noticed - or cared - about how many/little bed scenes were in the country. I also
don't feel the characters were having any marriage problems. I guess there are more kissy/kissy scenes in the
first year, but I don't watch the show for the romance.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 6 years ago

gbennett- well there was only ONE bedroom scene in the country. It probably would have been too hard to have the bedroom set placed next to the living room in the country house. It was upstairs. In the New York apartment, the sets were next to each other.

No, I don't think the Ricardos were having marriage problems. But the Arnazes sure were! Just makes me sad since I think about it while watching those episodes.

You DON'T watch a show called "I LOVE Lucy" for the romance? LOL I always thought it was about Ricky loving Lucy, while else would be put up with her nutty behavior?

But true, it was a sitcom, not a show about romance. Still, Ricky had to love Lucy in order to pay for all those fifty dollar hats. haha

[–] [email protected] (1732) 6 years ago

No, I watch for the episodes that click, and make me laugh. There are several lovey/dovey eps in the
first year that come from really clunker shows, and the sexiness between Ricky and Lucy doesn't save
them for me.

As for one bedroom scene in the country, there are only 13 country shows!!

Curiously, we never see the club in those episodes either. Probably wasn't room, as you pointed out.

[–] Gubbio (3893) 6 years ago

...with Lucy coming off as extremely bossy, demanding, and super driven.

So, when wasn't she ???

I've watched Lucy since I was a small child, always enjoyed it, and laughed.

But being on these boards (RIP IMDB) the last ten years has convinced me that Lucy Ricardo was NOT a very nice person:

Spoiled, childish, petty, demanding, vengeful -- and she would throw ANYONE under the bus in order to get her own way.

Her antics provided the humor, but in real life, she'd be pretty hard to take. 🙀

[–] [email protected] (1732) 6 years ago

I only partially agree. While Lucy possessed all those traits, she was also extremely sentimental, a loving mother (look at the extremes she goes to spend the night in the hospital with Little Ricky), and did many things for people (look how
sad she feels for Ted Kurtz, or poor Mario, who just wants to earn a little money).

Many, many episodes contain lines like, "Gee, I felt sorry for Fred" (with the car fiasco). As Dick Van Dyke noted upon
Ball's death in 1989, Lucy Ricardo was a study in human behavior.

We root for Lucy because she's such an oppressed character. She's alone in that apartment all day and ALL night, six
days a week. She had talent, but she wasn't able to polish it. But she proved in many episodes how clever she
could be. And to do so, she had to FORCE her way past Ricky's ego.

I believe Ball gave more layering to Lucy Ricardo than any other actor (including the brilliant Carroll O'Connor and
Jackie Gleason) did for any TV character in history. Even Ball herself couldn't replicate all this in her subsequent
TV shows.