Hollywood Anniversary


Not a huge fan of this fairly nasty Hollywood offering. First, it's both cliche and unconvincing that Ricky would actually forget the date he was married. Secondly, surely Ethel would also recall the date, given how many times Lucy involved her in anniversary plots. And HOW are the Ricardos married FIFTEEN years when the anniversary party Ricky is referring to "last year" had them celebrating THIRTEEN years??

This is by no means a terrible episode, but rather a chilly one. And Fred and Ethel aren't given enough to do.

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You forgot repetitious! Since the Ricardos already had two anniversary episodes, a third one wasn't necessary.

Also, it didn't make sense. In the first season anniversary episode, Lucy thinks she has to give Ricky a bunch of hints (rice for breakfast, etc. ) to jog his memory. But Ricky already remembered and was planning to buy a string of pearls for Lucy.

In the "last year" episode you referred to, Ricky had also remembered their anniversary without any prompting from Lucy. He had already bought her furs. Ethel told Lucy that he bought her gift "weeks ago". Although WHY Ricky would tell blabbermouth Ethel what Lucy's gift was and where he hid it in the apartment, I have NO idea! ha!

So, in Hollywood, Ricky suddenly develops amnesia? I could understand him forgetting ABOUT their anniversary since he was busy making a movie. But I can't believe he'd forget the actual date.

Maybe the writers were just looking for some Hollywood theme. Ricky supposedly had an all star gala planned for Lucy's party at the Mocambo. But there were no actual stars in the episode. It was just a story Ricky's agent planted to make Ricky look as though he hadn't forgotten the date.

It was a waste of an episode, that's for sure. The only little scene that was really funny was Bobby the Bellboy in his tuxedo as he strolled into the Mocambo as the women's escort.

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It's not a total washout. Lucy's mother always added some laughs, and I love the "evil eye" look Lucy gives Bobby when she decides HE'LL be her escort!

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Yes I forgot how funny Lucy's mom was too. But the Mertzes were wasted in the episode. Also, maybe I'm wrong, but hard to believe that Ethel would side with Ricky and go the party without Lucy. She must've known how angry Lucy was!

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Especially when Ethel says (off camera) that the party couldn't be real, as Ricky is supposedly "like all husbands" (!) and wouldn't remember his anniversary (of course Ethel is oddly correct about Ricky. As for Fred's not remembering HIS anniversary, I think he was just being his usual passive-aggressive self).

As for Lucy, her initial shock of finding out Ricky didn't remember their wedding date, combined with the shock that none of those stars would be present is totally understandable. But to hold such a grudge and ruin their anniversary dinner was childish. Yes, the episode ends happily, but an overall chill remains for me. Perhaps the real life crumbling of the Ball/Arnaz marriage somehow bleeds into the proceedings.

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I had to laugh at your comment about Fred being "passive aggressive". He was great at making digs about his marriage. Recall (in an earlier episode) what he said about rice when Ricky asked him what he knew about it.

"I remember it being thrown at me at me on of the darkest days of my life."

I often wondered if Ricky (or another friend) ever pointed out to Fred that he wasn't the greatest catch in the world! lol

Lucy was mean to Ricky in this episode until the end when his anniversary song really softened her up.

I've never understood why wives go all ballistic when their husbands don't remember anniversaries. Probably because I always forgot mine! HA! But I'm serious. I almost always forgot it and it didn't bother me that he did too. Maybe that's why I am divorced. hmmmmm....

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