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Lucy: Easily Intimidated and Intimidating

posted 6 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
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I have always felt that Lucy Ricardo is possibly the most complex, layered TV character in
history. She has so many aspects to her personality that Ball played out beautifully. She
is sentimental, haughty, financially irresponsible, sweet, wise, petty, childish....and on
and on it goes.

One aspect of Lucy that has always fascinated me is how easily she could intimidate, or
how easily she was intimidated.

For instance, in both Verna Felton appearances ("Sales Resistance", "Lucy Hires a Maid"),
she is so SCARED of those women (same actor). Yet in so many other shows, she could
mouth off at anyone. In the final scene of "Ethel's Birthday", Lucy hauls off on that man
who says he can't hold the seat much longer ("Oh, SHUT UP!"). Off hand, I can't think
of any other TV character that possessed such extreme levels of this trait.

Any other examples of Lucy being intimidated or intimidating?

[–] [email protected] (5495) 6 years ago

One instance of Lucy being intimidated that cracks me up is when she keeps changing bus seats in the Hollywood episode when she and Ethel take a tour of the movie star homes.

Lucy says, "This seat is taken." The reply, "It sure is honey" always makes me laugh. I think that was her old MGM pal Barbara Pepper. Lucy sneaks back into the seat next to her and that very large woman sits on her! It made Ethel laugh.

Lucy is also a bit intimidated (or maybe just embarrassed) when the bus driver puts his microphone in front of Lucy as she is doing a running monologue about the movie stars. She is so embarrassed when she says that the star (was it Ava Gardner?) only wears black lace lingerie, and she said it on the mic for the entire bus to hear!

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

THOSE are examples of Lucy being "intimidated?" Can't say I agree. Lucy's behavior on that bus is outrageous and
while she ACCEPTS that Pepper isn't moving, I would hardly call Lucy intimidated. Also, she appears somewhat shocked
by the bus driver's mic, but hardly intimidated.

I think this whole scene demonstrates Lucy's INTIMIDATING behavior...or at least her effort to try to be. That bus
driver meets her word-for-word, and facial expression for facial expression, but I wouldn't say Lucy was intimidated
in any part of THAT scene.

She is, however, intimidated by Ricky and Widmark - but he's holding a GUN!

[–] [email protected] (5495) 6 years ago

Well...maybe not intimidated, but the bus driver sure was able to shut her up for a moment! lol I thought that he did embarrass her. I'd call being "sat on" intimidating. At least I would be intimidated.
Though it was an example of Lucy's pushy, "it's all about me" behavior.

Richard Widmark "holding a GUN"! lol And he DID have a lot of heads on his walls. I don't think Lucy wanted to join them.

So, let me try this again. In "Equal Rights" the restaurant manager made Lucy and Ethel stay and wash dishes. Lucy had a lot of girlfriends. I would expect her to call one of them and ask one to bring some cash to the restaurant because Ricky and Fred were playing a terrible joke on them.

I don't know if Lucy was exactly intimidated by Cousin Ernie, but she sure let him walk all over her. She seemed intimidated by what her mother would think.

As she said to Ricky, "If we aren't nice to one of mother's friends, we'll never hear the end of it!"

When it came to being intimidating, she was pretty tough on Bobby the bellboy. She forced him to allow her to sneak into Cornell Wilde's suite or she'd tattle to the management that Bobby told her he was staying at the hotel.

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

Yes! I was going to bring up the manager of that restaurant, as well. That guy may have been paid off by Ricky, but
I would've liked to have see Lucy PROVE "equal rights" by responding to the dishes demand as follows:

Lucy: Oh, you ARE humorous! We can pay our bill, as soon as I call my friend Caroline or Marion Strong
to come down and bail us out of what YOU know our husbands are up to , buster! NOW, either point me
to the nearest pay phone (surely, Lucy or Ethel would've had a dime in their purse), or let me use YOUR
phone! Unless, of course, you'd rather I make a scene in front of your OTHER guests! (I believe there
were one or two tables still occupied at that point).

Either that, or we SIT here until our husbands come their senses. Your choice, buster.

This is a lot to expect from Lucy under the circumstances, but she WAS capable of making such scenes. Look
at the way she speaks to the COP (!) in the jail: "Shut your mouth and open the door."

[–] [email protected] (5495) 6 years ago

Yes, Lucy was more than capable of making a scene if she wanted to do so.

In Hollywood when she had her big movie scene, she tried her best to convince the director that she should play the lead after he gave the role to the other girl.
"Wouldn't you like to see me die?" lol

She was more nagging than intimidating though because the director wouldn't back down.

Lucy was her intimidating worst (and probably committed a crime too) in a first season episode. I think it was "The Diet". She basically had dancer at the Tropicana kidnapped and tied up in a closet.

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

Yes!! You read my mind again. Although off topic, I just watched "The Diet" last week, and every time
Ethel opens that closet door at the end, I get creeped out. Lucy either did this herself, or HIRED thugs
to do it for her. THIS could've landed her in jail for assault and KIDNAPPING! Surely, this is Lucy's
oddest and most vile stunt in the history of the show. And yet...some humor lies in the fact that this one
one of those girls who were so nasty to Lucy at the audition. Talk about a comeuppance!

Getting back to the subject: I don't think Lucy was intimidated by Ernie. It would've been easy for her
to kick him out. She wasn't AFRAID of him, like the maid. I think this is a better example of Lucy's
soft-heartedness. "Here comes my oldest boy."

[–] [email protected] (5495) 6 years ago

Yes I think Lucy was being softhearted in regard to Ernie. She did take a liking to him even though he ate like a "bottomless pit". lol

But in the very first scene he walked in and just expected to stay with the Ricardos. They let a total stranger sleep on their couch. I suppose they both felt awkward about sending him to a hotel. But it really was pushy of Ernie to assume he was their houseguest.

In that instance I think Lucy was intimidated by the thought of her mother having a fit and calling them to complain.

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

One thing that always comes to mind for me (hardly surprising, considering my other posts), is that
Ricky makes such a stink about going to bed at 9:00. Uh....surely, they could've found an activity
to OCCUPY themselves. On the other hand, I know I would feel uncomfortable doing the nasty with
a houseguest right in the next room!!! Lol!

[–] [email protected] (5495) 6 years ago

Well I'm a night owl myself. But since it was Ricky's one night off and he usually got home from the club around two or three A.M., you'd think he'd be happy to catch up on some sleep!

Of course I always thought that the Ricardos and Mertzes could have played bridge in the kitchen. They just would have had to tell Ernie that they already had something planned. They hoped that they wouldn't keep him awake. They'd try to talk quietly. He was probably exhausted anyway from his long walk from Long Island.

HE didn't have any problem playing the guitar and singing at the top of his lungs at 6:30 A.M. Of course he was on "farm time" and had overslept. lol

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

Strange two-parter for me. I like it much more than the John Wayne two-parter (it gets too
ridiculous with all the wet cement stuff), although both are very funny.

Since season three is my fave, I roar when I watch Ernie in those two, but I don't "crave"
them.

While I'm on that subject, I also don't crave "Ricky Minds the Baby" (the Little Red Riding
Hood thing never amuses me), or the Carlotta Romero episode. All of these are good, but
they're my least favorites in season three.

Curiously, I LOVE "Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress" even though there isn't much story
to it. The first half is just stating they'll do a TV show. Then there's that rushed ending
where they're both wearing the same (horrid) dress.

[–] [email protected] (5495) 6 years ago

The cousin Ernie two-parter had a lot more laughs than the John Wayne two-parter.

Ernie's country sayings were hilarious. "I see I aint the only one who's been a beatin' the sheets."
"Somebody's been actin' a hog." etc...

And when he searched for the bathroom...It's in the HOUSE? Wait till I write Mama about this.

Lucy stealing the footprints was a believable Lucy stunts. But the endless messing up the wet cement stuff does get tiresome with repeated viewings.

At the end of the second episode I actually wondered, WHY didn't John Wayne just deliver his set of footprints to Grauman's? Why bring them back to the hotel??

There's a little blooper in the second episode that I noticed (after many viewings). Ricky is frantic about the trouble Lucy has caused. Lucy answers the phone to find out that she and Ethel are late for their hair appointments downstairs. Lucy raises her arm to look at her watch and realizes what time it is. But Lucy isn't wearing a watch! I figured that she left it in her dressing room.

The "same dress" episode features one ugly dress! lol I don't think it was flattering on either woman. But it was designed to have a lot of "parts" which could be ripped away. However, the irony of singing "Friendship" while tearing each others' dress apart was pretty funny!

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

Very good points!

Lucy's Italian Movie: Lucy is intimidating AND intimidated ALL through this classic ep!

First, she's (overly) intimidated by "the masher" on the train (the film director). Then,
she's very intimidating when she wants her seat back (waving her hand) "Move over,
move over."

Next, after Ricky tells her "no funny business" (not to visit the grape vineyards), Lucy
tells Ethel nonchalantly "Tell him anything you want. Tell him the truth, I don't care."
When Ethel replies, "Okay." Lucy marches over to her pointing her finger right in
Ethel's face, "DON'T YOU DARE!" Ethel backs down with, "I won't", and Lucy replies,
"ALRIGHT!"

Next, in the vineyard, Lucy is like a scared little girl and REALLY is intimidated by the
man who grabs her and tells her to work the wine vat. Lucy sheepishly follows the
order, then follows the woman's orders, then turns completely intimidating once more
when she instigates that fight (the woman didn't mean to start a GRAPE fight; but Lucy
does - hilariously).

[–] [email protected] (5495) 6 years ago

Stomping on grapes with that woman, hilarious! At first Lucy is intimidated by her.

But after running around in that vat, she insists, "I'ma pooped."

I always laugh out loud when Lucy tries to deliver a kick in the pants to that woman and slips and falls! LOL

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

Back to "The Tour:" To me, Lucy on the bus is definitely a season four and beyond
Lucy. I don't see her being that obnoxious in seasons one, two, or even three. She's just so in that driver's face.

Speaking of the bus driver, to me, he is a MALE version of Verna Felton. Not only
in his taking Lucy on, but he RESEMBLES her!!

What's curious is season two Lucy is soooooo intimidated by the maid, who is
Lucy's employee, yet the bus driver, who in charge of the bus - and clearly in
the right - gets a heap of sarcasm and, frankly, verbal abuse from Lucy.

He did the right thing by driving off. As if all those people are supposed to WAIT
while Lucy STEALS a grapefruit from a movie star's private property.

[–] [email protected] (5495) 6 years ago

Well.... Richard Widmark's dog got even. He ate Lucy's shoe. LOL

Lucy usually went out in public in a suit and hat. But this episode called for her to climb a wall, so she was wearing pants. It would have been interesting to see Lucy try to climb that wall wearing a skirt!

The bus driver was so funny. He probably dealt with all sorts of star struck tourists. He had a couple of good comebacks for Lucy.

For instance when she tells everyone that her husband is having lunch with Richard Widmark, the bus driver says that he "can't wait to tell Lana" when he gets home.