MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Could Any of The Foursome's Arguments...

Could Any of The Foursome's Arguments...

posted 5 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
16 replies | jump to latest

...have been prevented if one of them suddenly decided to act like an adult?

In "Oil Wells" Lucy and Ricky are clearly at fault for starting that argument when they
suddenly think they've been swindled. There is no way Fred and Ethel could've avoided
an argument here because Lucy and Ricky are ridiculous and out and out LYING about
the conversation with Fred generously sharing with them.

It's interesting that in the following scene, when Lucy searches for Ethel, and Ethel
understandably says, "I'm not SPEAKING to you", Lucy has the unfettered gall to
reply, "I know, I'm not speaking to you either." HUH??? I would've told Lucy where to
go!! But Ethel caves in.

In "Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums", Ethel wisely advises Fred to be very tactful in
asking to have Little Ricky cut down on playing. She even sees the argument coming
on, and tries to nip it in the bud with, "Just to give his little hands a rest" and "he's
just amazed at the child's stamina." But she blows it with, "Keeping up that racket for
four days."

Since Fred and Ethel blow it, and clearly put Lucy and Ricky on the defensive, I think the
fight could've been avoided, had Ethel just said something like, "Now fellas. You know
we LOVE that he's got this talent. He's our GOD son! Ricky, how about having Little
Ricky play at Club Babalu?! He'd have a real audience! And since Lucy, Fred and I have
performed at the club, why not Little Ricky??" This would've worked, I think, and it
also would've changed the subject.

In "Never Do Business With Friends", PJ and I disagree big time. I think Lucy should've
sided with Fred and Ethel, and told Ricky to pay for the repair. Since they are long
time friends, they should've shown that decency. If I were Fred, I wouldn't pay Ricky
the $35 either! And if it was purchased from a reputable dealer, they would've fixed
the machine without charge.

To give an example of someone's maturity nipping a fight in the bud, I can think of
two minor occasions. In "Mertz and Kurtz", when Lucy is lending Ethel all those kitchen
items, Lucy jokes that she's surprised Ethel doesn't want her to serve for them. Ethel
gets very offended, but Lucy kids her out of it (by taking the high road).

In "Lucy Learns to Drive", Lucy says Ethel is just "dead weight" because she can't drive.
Ethel gets offended, and Lucy kids her out of it (again, by taking the high road).

Any other examples?

[–] steven1660 (140) 5 years ago

I agree with "never do business with friends" If I were Ricky I wouldn't have taken there money if it was broken. But, being that they were such good friends, if it were me I would have just given the washing machine to Ethel and Fred and not have them pay at all. How many times had they probably baby sat for them? I would never charge best friends 35 dollars. Ricky I'm sure didn't need 35 dollars lol. But then we wouldn't have the episode lol.

Also in "Ethel's Birthday" when Ethel insults the pants. If I were Lucy I would have just given her the receipt to exchange them and never shopped for her again, I wouldn't have made such a fuss.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 5 years ago

Well gb, I didn't know that we disagreed "big time"! lol The reason I sided with Ricky is because he didn't want to "do business with friends". He had a feeling ( maybe a premonition?) that if something went wrong, there would be hard feelings. And he was right. But Lucy could have persuaded him to just forget the $35. As steven1660 pointed out, the Mertzes probably did a lot of free babysitting.

The whole situation enters a gray area later on. Fred and Ethel insist that since they didn't yet pay for the washer, it belonged to the Ricardos. But when Mrs. Trumbull's nephew offered to buy it, Ethel couldn't run and tell Fred fast enough! The Ricardos were almost as bad. They insisted that the machine belonged to the Mertzes until they found out that someone would buy it.

They were good friends but they could be so childish at times.

When Ethel insulted Lucy's choice of "hostess pants" for a gift, Lucy did go ballistic. She took great pride in her taste in clothes which was usually good...but not in this case! With a bit of humor, Lucy could have been gracious and accepted Ethel's criticism and given her the receipt to exchange them.

In "The Diner", the Ricardos could have been good sports and mature enough to realize that they DID have to share in the work. Standing at the door and handing out menus is not the same as working behind a hot grill all day. Lucy and Ricky were being unfair.

When Ethel repeated her story for the umpteenth time in "No Children Allowed", Lucy could have kept her mouth shut. So Ethel told everyone how she was a loyal friend. After a day or two, she would have run out of people to tell. Lucy must've had postpartum depression. She didn't need to be so rude to Ethel.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

Well, PJ, as I've always shared, I've always thought Lucy was such a bitch in "No Children Allowed." She's just
nasty throughout the entire episode, but the character WAS sleep deprived. I never even liked the offering until
a few years ago. Now I really enjoy it. (although I still think Lucy is rather ungrateful...even to Fred, whom she
DOESN'T thank for getting the baby to sleep!!).

In "Ethel's Birthday", Ethel at first tries to laugh off Lucy's anger with, "Oh, Lucy...Oh, Lucy, I don't believe it."
Lucy responds with, "I should've known more than to get you something CHIC!" Here, Ethel could've said, "Now,
honey, you know those pants would look darling on YOU...but I don't have the figure for such an outfit." That
MIGHT'VE derailed it, although Lucy was really ticked off at this point.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 5 years ago

Yes, Lucy was crabby in "No Children Allowed". As a formerly "sleep deprived" mom of an infant , I can relate though! ha ha But I never did pick a fight with my best friend.

Interesting to note that all through the pregnancy episodes, they treated Lucy with kid gloves. She and Ethel didn't fight. (unless I'm forgetting an argument). After the baby came, all bets were off.

I wonder who should have been the bigger person when the gals bought the same dress for the "Friendship" number. They both DID agree to return their dresses and get new ones. Then both reneged. I'd say that neither one had the right to be angry. They were both wrong.

To keep things honest, they should have gone together to return their dresses and pick out new ones. They could have each helped the other to find another pretty gown. It's not like it was the only gown in the city!

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

And those dresses make those hostess pants look GOOD by comparison.

Yes, all through the pregnancy shows, Ricky, Ethel and Fred do handle Lucy carefully. When both Lucy
and Ethel are rejected by Ricky for the gay '90's act, it's LUCY who takes it far more sensitively, with
Ricky asking her not to be such a sorehead. Ethel says, "it's her condition", prompting Lucy to
angrily retort, "It is NOT my condition; I was a sorehead long before I thought about having a baby!"

I would imagine Lucy and Ethel made up fairly easily after "Lucy and Ethel Wear the Same Dress", as they
both were equally guilty.

Boy, when Lucy got her chance to be on TV, she always screwed it up:

Getting drunk on the vitamin drink
Getting into a "tearing contest" in "Wearing the Same Dress."
Having to hold that little toad Stevie out to the audience, as though she really thought he was "cute!"
Getting into yet ANOTHER four-way squabble on TV in "Face to Face."

[–] [email protected] (5497) 5 years ago

Those dresses WERE awful! I think part of the joke was that both women thought they were so pretty and they actually made both women look lumpy. They did nothing for their figures.
That gown is featured in the Lucy paper doll book that I have. The notes about the dress said that something had to be designed with a lot of stuff on it so that the women could pull things off each other during their on-stage catfight.

"I was a sorehead long before I ever thought of having a baby." LOL I forgot about that line!

Ethel does give in easily to Lucy when she suggests that she, Ethel be the man in their boy/girl duet.
When Ethel asks, "Why can't YOU be the man?", Lucy's reply must've been kind of risque for the fifties.

She puts her hands on her hips, accentuating her "baby bump" (geez, I hate that expression, why did I use it?).
She says, "Well that should be FAIRLY obvious!"

In "Face to Face", both couples jump to silly conclusions about each other. It would have been wiser if they had cleared the air before they went on live TV. They were all so stubborn and had a lot of pride.

Fred and Ethel did overreact when she heard Ricky yelling about "everyone in the world" is going on their Hollywood trip. The Mertzes come over with their noses out of joint and say that they don't feel like going on the trip.

It could've been a nasty fight, but cooler heads prevailed when they realized that Ricky was only annoyed at the idea of driving to California with his mother-in-law.

Fred even says something like, "We realized Ricky only said what he did because of your..." Then he gets a shot in the ribs from Ethel. lol

That seems to be one of the only times when one of the couples rethinks their anger and calms down before there's a fight.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

Fred and Ethel must ALSO realize that if they stay mad, they'll miss out on a great tip to California.
But Lucy out and out LIES when Ethel overhears her say that "tagging along" was "their OWN idea!"
No, it wasn't!!! It was Lucy's. Never certain if that's a writer's blip, or the writers just having Lucy
change the facts again to suit her own agenda.

Let's not forget, too, that at the end of "Oil Wells", the three get MAD at Lucy for getting their money
back, even though all four were equally convinced they were swindled and WANTED it back!!

I, too, LOATHE the term "baby bump." An obnoxious expression if I've ever heard one.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 5 years ago

At the end of "Oil Wells", Lucy would have been the hero if it turned out that they actually were being swindled. But they went along with Lucy and lost all that money. They trusted HER judgment? Served them right, ha.

Along with "baby bump", I really can't stand when men say, "We're pregnant." REALLY? When your wife goes to the hospital, are you going to give birth too? Yikes!
I liked it much better when husbands like Ricky just said, "She's going to have a baby."
Yes we know you were an integral part of the conception, but you're NOT pregnant!

Not only did the two women get into quick arguments, the fellas did too. In Europe, Ricky was quick to think that Fred was embezzling the money from the tour. How could Ricky think that his dearest friend would steal from him? Sure Fred was cheap, but he wasn't a crook.

Ricky also thought that Fred was stealing their chickens when they disappeared from the hen house.

He called him a chicken thief. Ricky could jump to some pretty fast conclusions himself.

Ethel's response was so funny. "If there's one thing that Fred isn't and there's only one thing that Fred isn't, it's a chicken thief."

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

In Europe, we can clearly see how tough Ricky was to work for. Just last night, I watched "Return
Home From Europe" (one of my faves). Even though Ricky is annoyed at Lucy's mother, sending
a telegram via regular mail, he takes it out on Lucy ("she inherited it from YOU!"). And when Fred
suggests they can make the performance if they fly, Ricky leaves, barking at Fred, "Come ON, we
have a lot to do today." Sure, Fred botched things up - screwing up the amount of profits; putting
the four in a SINGE-seat train compartment, etc., but Ricky was really tough on Fred.

Yes, a couple stating "We're pregnant" is extremely obnoxious. In the late '60's, during the
hippie era, guys used to say to their wives (or just girlfriends), "Let's make a baby." YUCK!
You "make" cookies, not children, for heaven's sake.

Two current forms of expression drive me nuts, even though one is totally harmless, and the
other is technically correct.

The harmless one is "Mac and cheese." I'm sorry, but if you're too lazy to say the word
"macaroni", you're hopeless. When I first heard this overly-cute expression some twenty
years ago, I thought it was an advertisement for a new McDonald's menu item (like "Big Mac").
I had no idea they were talking about macaroni and cheese.

The other one is "I received your invite to the party." The classy way is "Invitation", not "invite."
However, I recently learned that phrasing "invite" in this manner goes back to the 17th century,
and is not technically slang. Nevertheless, I can't stand "invite" used in place of "invitation." To
me, it's no better than "I ain't got it."

[–] [email protected] (5497) 5 years ago

Now that you've brought it up, Ricky WAS a tough taskmaster. His bad temper probably wasn't limited to his home life. If he yelled that much at Lucy, he probably yelled at the band too.

In "Ricky Loses His Temper", he really lost it with the manager of the ventriloquist act when the guy wanted a larger fee than Ricky was willing to pay.

He was probably known around town as that "hot tempered Cuban band leader."

Getting an "invite" does sound very casual.

...too lazy to say the word macaroni...LOL I think it even says "mac and cheese" on the boxes.

I don't like the cutesy euphemism that women use like, "I got a visit from my friend". I prefer what it says on a key chain I bought, "I have PMS and a Gun".

I really hate when the word "reveal" is used as a noun. I used to watch a few of the daytime soaps and I read Soap Opera Digest. There were always big secrets and sometimes one of the character's would reveal something. The magazine would write something like, "Next week there's a big reveal."
No, it's a revelation! To reveal is a verb. That word caught on and it annoyed me. It was as though the writer was trying to sound clever or smarter.

Some people use some really old words that should be retired. Years ago, one of the guys I worked with who was black, had a white wife. One of my co-workers referred to their daughter as a mulatto.
Whoa! Didn't that word go out with Gone with the Wind??

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

Never thought "mulatto" was outdated. But then I don't think of it.

The expression I cannot stand (but have learned to accept) is the overly uttered "Awe-some."
I remember when this highly obnoxious expression first came into vogue in the late '90's.
I was dating a VERY cute guy, who used it incessantly. I believe the expression became
popular with "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." I think "awesome" describes the galaxy
or the grand canyon, not getting extra cheese on your nachos.

At work, nobody would ever utter "marvelous", the easily more classy version of "awesome."
But I've actually run into young work associates who don't even relate to "terrific." One person
told me, "it's TOO Mary Tyler Moore." (Mary Richards used to say this a lot).

[–] [email protected] (5497) 5 years ago

Interesting coincidence, On MTM Rhoda often complained about something, saying, "It's the pits". My best friend in college would say that all the time.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

In the series' first big foursome spat, "Breaking the Lease", certainly all four of them
acted like babies.

Yes, Lucy and Ricky continued singing "Sweet Sue", but Ethel didn't have to be so
nasty ("Well, I'm down here now, and it sounds LOUSY!").

I wouldn't think opening and closing a window door - even harshly - would rob Fred
and Ethel of their sleep!

This fight was indeed a doozy. The fact that Lucy and Ricky were all packed to leave,
must've meant Ricky had put a first and last in a different building. Did he suddenly
get a refund when he and Lucy changed their minds and the four made up?

[–] [email protected] (5497) 5 years ago

I didn't think of that. Did he get a refund? Was it the usual practice back then for landlords to ask for a first and last month's rent? And what about the security deposit? Would Ricky have to put down one of those too?

I thought the Mertzes really lost their tempers too quickly and jumped to some pretty wild conclusions when Ricky sold the car in Hollywood.

He obviously wouldn't have left them stranded there. He was just wrapping things up and saying good-bye at the studio. It was an honest mistake. Ethel made it sound like Ricky had a deliberate, nefarious plan to "dump" them in California. Why would he do that? Did Ethel really think Lucy would stand for that? She was her best friend.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

Yes, "Ricky Sells the Car" is an odd offering that doesn't quite gel. First, there's
really no story. It doesn't go anywhere. it's just a series of scenes.

However, that motorcycle scene gets my vote as THE funniest (bar none)
Mertz moment. They are RIDICULOUS in their childish decision to go back
home THAT route. And they certainly couldn't have known Lucy and Ricky
would stop them before, so would they really head off on the freeway on THAT
rickety piece of junk - with all their belongings hanging off the handlebars??
Surely, they would've broken down. And Ethel would've had to have called
Lucy via a pay phone...her tail between her legs.

When Ethel and Fred got offended, they didn't kid around. Or rather, they
they did KID around.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 5 years ago

Of all ways to travel, by motorcycle was the silliest. I think I mentioned it before, but they would have had to stop and sleep sometime. Fred would've had to rent a motel room for them. Or was he planning on them sleeping on the side of the road?

He'd also have to pay for gas and some meals. A cheaper way would have been to take the bus. They could have slept on the bus on the way home.

Also it didn't really look like they had ALL of their luggage on the bike. Fred would have had to pay to ship all their suitcases home.

But Fred was totally irrational when it came to spending a buck!