MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Ricky and Fred-the Friendship

Ricky and Fred-the Friendship

posted 4 years ago by [email protected] (5497)
5 replies | jump to latest

The friendship of the two couples has been discussed before. But this time I want to focus more on Ricky and Fred.

When Lucy wrote her novel, she referred to Ethel as a "mother figure". Ethel was rightly insulted as she was probably only about a decade older than Lucy. But in Ricky's case, Fred was old enough to be his father.

I can understand how the two couples grew close. They lived in the same building and Lucy and Ethel became very good friends. In many instances, two good friends will socialize with their spouses along and become a foursome.

But I wonder how Fred became Ricky's seemingly best friend. When they first moved into the brownstone, Ricky probably enjoyed Fred's company as he was an ex-vaudevillian with a lot of show biz stories to tell. He was young and starting his show biz career in New York.

However during ILL, Ricky is the headliner in a big night club. He was among show biz people all day. He had the opportunity to meet all kinds of people. Didn't he ever find anyone closer to his own age to be friends with?

Don't get me wrong, Ricky and Fred had a wonderful relationship. The actors had great chemistry. I just don't know many guys in their mid-thirties who have a best friend who is over sixty. And when the Ricardos moved into the brownstone, Ricky would've been about twenty five. I don't see a guy that age hanging around with someone in his fifties. And by the same token, Fred had his lodge buddies and other pals. What did he really have in common with Ricky?

I wonder, what was it that made them best friends? Proximity? Their wives friendship? Would Ricky and Fred have formed such a close bond if their wives hadn't? I mean, if Lucy was merely friendly with Ethel instead of her best friend, would Ricky have sought out Fred's company for himself? In the evening, the couples ate dinner, went out to the movies and played bridge together. But like in a lot of marriages, the wives seemed to manage their social lives.
I just wonder if Ricky and Fred would've hung out if their wives hadn't brought them together.

[–] AndrewHNPX2 (119) 4 years ago

Funny I was just thinking about this the other day and how it strange it was. I'm 31 and my father is 29 years older than me, so it would be basically be like me becoming best buds with someone my father's age, which is weird.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 4 years ago

In my experience (I'm an over 50 male), I think it's more common (if not super common) for older men to be social
with younger men, than older women with younger women.

But I digress.

The foursome had been friends for ten years or so when the show began. This was smart, as it had US getting to know
them, rather than having the four get to know each other.

I think that Ricky's career kept him so busy, that Fred was a convenient friend. Again, Fred had been a show
biz professional. And since Lucy really had only Fred and Ethel as friends around the apartment, the glue sort of
spread to Ricky.

Plus, Ricky had his poker pals (with Fred joining in, too). And Ricky was friends with Charlie Appleby, Bill Parker,
and several others.

My friends are three women eight to 15 years older than myself, as well as one high school friend, a male, I've know
for nearly 40 years The chemistry of friendship is indeed unique.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 4 years ago

I knew you'd come up with some aspect of the friendship that I missed- convenience! Fred was right there and he and Ricky got along well. They had similar interests like playing bridge and watching the fights on TV. And there was one thing that really bonded them, namely getting even with Lucy and Ethel when they pulled their stunts!

When Ricky took up golf, Fred was his golfing partner. In the camping trip episode, Fred and Ricky discuss their upcoming plans for a camping trip. The two guys spent a lot of time socializing without their wives, so there must've been something that held them together.

Ricky seemed to be friends with Charlie Appleby. But that also seemed convenient. Or at least it was convenient for his career. Charlie had his own TV station.

Ricky always picked Fred as a travelling companion. When Ricky needed a band manager in Europe, he asked Fred.When he went to Florida, Fred went along and they went deep sea fishing (I guess Fred got over his seasickness!).

Fred was able to take those long trips with the Ricardos because he was basically retired. He was the landlord of the brownstone. But he was always able to find someone to collect the rent and manage the building (The elderly Mrs Trumbull, of all people!). So the convenience factor plays there too. Ricky could hardly ask Charlie Appleby to leave his station and be his European band manager for several months.

Yes, the age gap matters less the older you get. When I was ten I had some friends who were a year or two older or younger. But that was it. Now I have a friend who is ten years younger. The age difference does not matter. But when I was twenty, I didn't have friends who were ten years old!

[–] [email protected] (1732) 4 years ago

"I guess Fred got over his seasickness!" Yes, he did, in an episode covered just before they all sailed to Europe.
That's HOW he managed to sail to Europe, and how he apparently could go deep sea fishing (we didn't need to
have the writers show us Fred took a couple of pills before he went fishing. We just assume that he did).

The writers left some big holes in the writing, but this wasn't one of them.

Two of my older women friends are 70 and 73, and in many ways, are hipper than I am! (one had to teach me
how to use my first Smartphone, as she got one years before I did). I have also dated younger men on occasion.
I certainly wouldn't date a man younger than 40 now, but those were very pleasant times, especially the last guy.

Now, I am happily single. Not sure if I'll ever date again, but you never know. Right now, I'm just focusing on
hunkering down, like everyone else.

[–] [email protected] (5497) 4 years ago

Oh I didn't mean to imply that Fred's seasickness was a plot hole. He did manage to sail to Europe. It was just a big contrast between how Fred reacted to Ricky's "dipsy" fishing in Hollywood and the Florida trip.

I suppose Fred took seasick pills. But I don't think it's something you get over, at least not from my experience. I never got carsick and thankfully, since I was a flight attendant, I never got airsick. But put me on a boat, even in calm water, and I'm instantly queasy!

I dated a few younger guys. But they turned out to be so flaky. Of course that may just have been their personalities.