Love and True Friendship
For all of Lucy's irritating and selfish ways, her worth to the CORE of the foursome really
shows through in many episodes.
Just last night, I watched a very funny fave, "Lucy Writes a Novel." Ricky, Ethel and Fred
are extremely concerned, then insulted, then ready for legal action, when Lucy's book
is supposedly published. Yet, once they realize the (obvious) truth, that "Real (!) Gone
With the Wind" was accepted by Dorance Publishing by mistake, they melt into support
for her. Understandable - Lucy's no longer a threat.
HOWEVER, once a depressed Lucy learns another publisher might be interested, Ricky,
Ethel, and Fred rush to help Lucy put all those torn pieces of manuscript together. Sure,
Fred is motivated by greed, but certainly Ethel and Fred are thinking with their hearts.
Curiously, the timeline is never revealed for this episode, but certainly, Lucy would've needed
at least a month to finish even a cruddy first draft of "Real Gone with The Wind." I
think it might've been effective to open the second scene (with the three searching the
apartment) with "One Month Later" on the screen. It would've shown a touch of reality,
and also a sense of tension (the three wondering what Lucy had written about them).
I also think "two weeks later" over the opening scene before Lucy gets her "acceptance"
letter would've also been effective.
My only complaint about this episode is the silly bit of Ricky EATING his hat. Way too
first-season broad for this (fairly) realistic time of the series.