The Diner


Since we've posted recently on "Lucy and Ethel Go Into Business", I thought it would be fun
to discuss its "sister" ep, "The Diner." Certainly casual viewers, watching the opening scenes
in these might easily confuse what happens next. After Ricky complains about putting up
with "crazy, temperamental people" in "Business", I could see them thinking, 'oh, this is the
one where they buy a diner;' in "The Diner", where Fred and Ricky are looking in the paper for
a business to go into, I could see viewers saying, "Oh, this is the one where Lucy and Ethel
buy that dress shop."

But I digress. In "Business", PJ and I were talking about how unlikely it would be for Lucy
and Ethel to get that big down payment without the boys' knowledge. Here, Ricky and Fred
buy the diner that very day, but clearly spend at least several days remodeling it for "A Little
Bit of Cuba" (great name for a restaurant, btw). So...did Ricky QUIT the Tropicana without
notice, then talk his way back into his old job after the diner flops?? I always figured the
then owner of the club got in a temporary replacement. But if Ricky's band members knew he
was in business, as well as some steady club regulars, so would the owner! Can't imagine
him taking lightly to THIS.

Any thoughts?

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I always considered the Diner as an investment for Ricky. It was not that he was giving up show biz.

After all, it would have been a very "iffy' financial decision to give up his job at The Tropicana to open a diner.

How often could Ricky have been a "host" at the diner? In many episodes we see Ricky going off to rehearsals. He couldn't have spent every day at the diner. He had to rehearse his band. There were also episodes where they were rehearsing a whole new show.

So I was thinking that Ricky was just lending a hand at the start up of the diner. After all, he said he had "the name" and not "the know how"! He probably thought he could pull in a lot of customers based on his following at The Tropicana. I don't think he ever intended to actually WORK behind the counter.

That brings us back to the unfairness of the Mertzes doing the work and the Ricardos standing at the door greeting customers. If Lucy and Ricky had been playing fair, they would've taken a turn behind the counter. If and when the diner was a success, the two couples could have hired other help such as a short order cook and a waitress or two.

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You're probably right, but it's hard to believe Ricky wouldn't be needed most of the day in preparation of the diner, and
then running it (even if running it, meant just greeting people). He'd still need to rehearse, do his show, then come home
at 3:00 A.M. to sleep.

In "The Indian Show", Ethel mentions that the club is "miles from here" (home). I sense the diner must've been
very close to the club, otherwise all of Ricky's band members wouldn't be able to get back to work soon enough. Same
thing with Ricky.

They don't say what hours the diner is open, but it must've been open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Mrs. Trumbull
must've ADOPTED Little Ricky that week!

A fun show...and another that's got its shares of holes.

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Gee, I never took into account the distance from the club. I forget just how big New York City is!

I've been a small town girl most of my life and folks like us could walk just about anywhere we needed to go in town. During summer vacation when I was in college, I worked at a lunch counter in town. I walked there from home. It took me about ten to fifteen minutes depending on how fast I walked.

The Diner in the episode would've been close enough to The Tropicana for the band to have lunch there. There were times when Ricky went all the way home for lunch, but he was the boss and probably could take a longer lunch hour.

Aside from Ricky's job, Fred had a job too. He did all the upkeep on the apartment building himself. He fixed things, painted, tended the furnace, etc. He would've been awfully busy nights and weekends at home. I don't think it was ever mentioned that Fred paid a janitor.

Yes a fun show with some holes.

Actually if the Ricardos and the Mertzes wanted to invest in a business, they probably could've invested in a diner (or some other business) that was already up and running. You know, something like "silent partners".

And good thing Mrs. Trumbull was always available.

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Also, Ricky was never a particularly great cook, or so we're led to believe, depending upon the episode. And since
Lucy was just going to dress up and co-host, that left Fred and Ethel. Ethel could cook, Fred far less so. But
THESE two were going to serve up Cuban dishes?

The band members seemed only interested in hamburgers, hot dogs, and hot cakes. I guess Ricky's concoction
of a squashed banana tortilla (YUCK!) didn't catch on.

Eggs: I like scrambled eggs, hardboiled eggs and even a good fried egg sandwich. It's runny yolks that gross me
out. Remember that scene in the original "Rocky" where he drinks raw eggs every morning? NO AMOUNT of
money would suffice my playing such a scene, as it would be impossible for me to keep them down!

Today, I treated myself to some Cupid's hotdogs and some fries, a real treat when I was a kid. Well, after eating
THAT as an adult, I had the worst heartburn I've had in a long time. Serves me right, I suppose.

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I know you're not a fan of the "runny yolk"! I can't stand it when the whites are undercooked and runny.

Believe it or not, I've never seen "Rocky" in its entirety. But I am familiar with the raw egg concoction that bodybuilders drink. Yes, too gross for words.

Getting back to The Diner, I don't seriously understand how Lucy could've messed up ALL those orders. She wasn't stupid. Maybe she was just nervous.

Like I wrote, I worked at a lunch counter and we all cooked on the grill. I was just out of my teens and I could get the orders straight! I certainly could make the basics like eggs, grilled cheese, etc. I had been doing it since I was twelve.

Lunch counter cooking is hardly haute cuisine.

Ricky did have some ambitious plans for the menu. But if they did follow through and make them, I'm sure Ethel could've put a mashed banana on a tortilla! lol

Getting back to you, what is a "Cupid's Hot Dog"? Never heard of it. Is it a California thing? Some food gives me heartburn these days. I love spaghetti and meatballs. But sometimes it lights a fire in my stomach.

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Cupid's Hotdogs must be an L.A. thing, I guess. My mom worked close to one, and used to bring us
Cupid's when we were kids and home sick. Their menu is pretty simple - just mustard and onions, or
chili dogs. And they're basically just a stand, with some outdoor seating. We thought it was a real
treat as kids.

Yesterday, however, against my better judgment, I ordered a couple of mustard dogs and some fries
to go (of-COVID-course). I enjoyed them, but had to throw out the rest of the fries, as I got
a gnarly attack of heart burn. Pretty painful, but that's what I get for eating such fare at my age.

As for spaghetti and meatballs, I've always found that a rather bland dish. I prefer lasagna!

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Spaghetti and meatballs...bland? Not the way I make it! ha ha I use a lot of seasoning especially oregano. I usually make the sauce the day before and allow all the seasonings to blend in.

So you have "Cupid's" and we have "Coney Island". I guess that comes from Coney Island in New York. The lunch counter I worked at served hamburgers and hot dogs with Coney Island sauce.

Sometimes it was funny. We would get customers who were just visiting or passing through. We'd ask, "Do you want sauce on your hamburger?" They'd look at you with such a puzzled face! Like, WHAT sauce?

I wonder how we would deal with some of Ricky's Cuban menu.

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I prefer Alfredo sauce over marinara, which has always seemed ho-hum to me.

One simple dish I like to make is pasta with broccoli and olive oil...with just a touch of parmesan
cheese. Simple, but delicious, and easy to make. But I'm trying to lay off of carbs right now (which
is why I rebelled yesterday and ate TWO hotdogs and (most of) of the fries).

Maybe your spaghetti would do the trick. My mom always made a decent homemade spaghetti, but
the only few times I raved about the dish was when it was made by REAL Italian cooks.

Must admit that the spaghetti Lucy eats in "L.A. at Last" looks very good. Lucy was known to hate
commissary food, and insisted that all dishes to Desilu be catered in, although I doubt that was
her concern when eating during filming. I always wonder if they made that one spaghetti noodle
extra long so Ethel could cut into it!!

I don't think I've ever had Cuban food, but being from L.A., I LOVE Mexican food, and consider it
my all-time favorite. (and not to brag, but you haven't lived until you've tasted my homemade
tacos. My one specialty).

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I love Mexican food too! So Fed-ex me a taco! I have a cookbook with a lot of Mexican recipes. I love hot peppers, chili peppers, the hotter the better.

Even though it's been very hot the last few days, I made chili yesterday. The boyfriend that I told you about ( a few years ago) loved my chili. He used to pester me to make it all the time. Do you get requests for your specialties?


You brought up a great moment from "L.A. at Last"...Ethel using manicure scissors to cut Lucy's spaghetti. LOL I still can't believe that Lucy didn't ask for a doggie bag!


P.S.-I also love broccoli. What's your recipe?

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Recipe??? You're kidding, right? I've never even owned a cookbook! I'm not a great cook, but
I play around with things.

A dear friend of mine told me how simple it was to make the broccoli dish. She said boil angel
hair pasta, carefully steam the broccoli, so it isn't too soft. Mix in the angel hair, then sprinkle
with GOOD quality parmesan cheese. (Now, be sure and grab a pencil for this complex recipe;
you don't want to FORGET it).

My taco one involves frying corn tortillas (I much prefer these to "soft" tacos), then frying a
pound of ground beef (again, I prefer this to chicken or beef) in the standard Mexican packaged
powder with a fourth cup of water. I simmer for about 30 minutes (at least), then stir in two
kinds of hot salsas I purchase at Vallarta's. Next, I add finely cut cherry tomatoes, finely
chopped onions, then add the four-cheese Mexican shredded cheese and finely cut iceburg
lettuce.

I usually make a plate of four, so heaping, I use a fork for the filling that inevitably falls out
onto the plate. NO sour cream, as it only adds more calories, and I'm not crazy about it.

Since I live alone, this lasts for three meals.

New Yorkers are known to NOT love Mexican food (in 1998, I dated a guy who had just moved
to L.A. from Buffalo, and he had never HEARD of Taco Bell!). Two of my friends from the big apple
STILL dislike it even though they've lived her 40-plus years!

I highly doubt Lucy, Ethel and (especially) Fred didn't like Mexican. But then Ethel was a proud
Midwesterner, so who knows?

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Your recipes are making me hungry! I like broccoli a lot. But when I was a child, I didn't like much more than peas and corn. Oh I'd eat my veggies, our mom insisted! But I didn't like them.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized vegetables have FLAVOR. My mom's way of cooking was like everyone else's method where we lived. You boiled the hell out of veggies (and all the flavor too) and served them plain.

Your taco recipe is similar to mine. But I use the soft tacos. The corn tortillas just crumble and fall apart. I've never used sour cream on tacos. But I do use sour cream on another simple dish. It's rice and beans, And I add chopped tomatoes. A big dollop of sour cream goes on top. I figure since I'm not using meat, well... I can add sour cream.

How can you have never heard of Taco Bell? Was this guy living under water? ha!

I never knew that New Yorkers don't like Mexican food. I do know that they have their preferences. I've heard people from New York say that you can't get a decent bagel south of the Mason/Dixon line.

In the diner episode, doesn't Ricky read an ad for a delicatessen?
Lucy is skeptical. "Yeah, Cuban style blintzes."

Actually that business would probably have been a successful moneymaker, more so than the diner. Just because Ricky was a co-owner, it didn't mean that they would be serving Cuban food.

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