623 ~ Part 1
623 East 68th Street: The Most Iconic Address on Television
THE PEOPLE of 623
~ THE LANDLORDS ~
#1) Fred & Ethel Mertz, 3C
In 1948, former vaudevillians Fred and Ethel Mertz (played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance), bought a four-floor New York City brownstone at 623 East 68th Street. They operate it as an apartment building. The building is in Ethel’s name only! The childless couple resides in apartment 3C.
Coincidentally, the year after Fred and Ethel bought the building, in real life an unrelated new TV show was airing titled “Apartment 3C”. It dealt with a married couple living in a Manhattan apartment building. Just like Lucy and Desi, the actors were married in real life. Writing about the show in 2022, their daughter said:
“Apartment 3C” was no “I Love Lucy” ~ J.G. Summers
In “Lucy Wants New Furniture” (1953), there is a door in that wall that leads to the Mertz kitchen and back door, although every other time we see the Mertz living room, the kitchen door is on the right, not the left, and there is a window where the door was! This was to accommodate the gag of Lucy running from her kitchen to the Mertz’s.
At the end of the episode, the redecoration is such a disaster that the Ricardos end up giving the Mertzes their furniture and buying all new for themselves.
The only time we see the Mertz kitchen is in “Never Do Business with Friends” (1953).
The only time we see the Mertz bedroom is in “Vacation for Marriage” (1952). Naturally they have single beds! [There’s a reason why they are childless!]
When the Mertzes move to Westport to live in the Ricardo’s guest cottage, the Mertzes retain ownership of the building, although they put the day-to-day running of the building (except for the collection of rents, that is Fred’s domain) in the hands of Mrs. Trumbull’s sister, a character we never see or even learn her name.
~ THE TENANTS ~
#2) Lucy & Ricky Ricardo, 4A
Lucy McGillicuddy and Ricky Ricardo (Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) moved to 623 shortly after they were married. He was a bandleader and she was a housewife with showbusiness aspirations.
On August 6, 1948 (Lucille Ball’s real-life birthday), they moved to an apartment building recently purchased by the Mertzes. Their first apartment was 4A. The rent was $105 a month.
Viewers typically remember 4A as ‘the apartment without the window’. The Ricardos are given a 99-year lease and become fast friends with their landlords.
Ethel luxuriates in Lucy’s brand-new living room furniture won at the Home Show.
In “New Neighbors” (1952) there is a window in the living room where Lucy and Ethel watch the moving vans unload. This window is technically in the set’s “fourth wall” and is never seen again.
The kitchen had a breakfast bar that serves as a chalk board for one of the unruly Hudson twins in “The Amateur Hour” (1952). Sometimes this breakfast bar was skirted and the folk rooster pattern could not be seen.
In “The Fur Coat” (1951) the view of the city outside the kitchen window suddenly disappeared!
The bedroom during rehearsals for the first episode filmed “Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her” (1951) - as yet undecorated! The first scene of the first episode filmed takes place in the Ricardo bedroom. The bathroom was located directly behind the bed, and was accessible through Lucy and Ricky’s closets, on each side of their bed. During this period, the couple’s single beds were generally pushed together. After they had a child, it was thought unseemly so the beds were separated.
We see the bathroom of 4A only once - in “The Audition” (1951). The un-aired pilot also had a scene set in the bathroom, so this episode followed suit. Part of the scene in the bathroom was deleted for syndication because Lucy holds up a pack of Philip Morris cigarettes when talking about how a girl can even smoke a sponsor’s product. The DVD restores the scene. Although the bathroom was referenced in “Breaking the Lease” (1952) it was not seen.
#2) Lucy, Ricky & Little Ricky Ricardo, 3B / 3D
With the birth of Little Ricky, Lucy convinced Ricky they needed to move to a larger (and more expensive) apartment. In “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (1953), Lucy convinces Mrs. Benson, who just married off her daughter to a nincompoop, to switch apartments with them.
The Benson (soon to be Ricardo) apartment is 3B. It has a picture window and space for a nursery!
The change was because in “Lucy Tells the Truth” (1953) Lucy feels the need to embroider her show-business resume. She tells the casting director that she appeared in 3D. When he asks is that is short for “third dimension” (a film trend that was popular at the time), Lucy reluctantly admits that it is merely her apartment number. For the sake of this gag, the Ricardo apartment was re-numbered 3D. It stayed 3D for the rest of the series. Above, Ethel poses in the doorway of 3D in “The Charm School” (1954).
The apartment has been faithfully recreated at The Lucy-Desi Museum in Jamestown NY.
They even decorate it for the holidays, just as it was seen in the “I Love Lucy” Christmas Special (1956).
The bedroom as seen in “Lucy is Envious” (1954). After the birth of Little Ricky, it was deemed inappropriate for the Ricardos to sleep in the same bed, lest viewers make they unseemly connection of how the child was created!
Ricky likes to sing in the shower. We see the Ricardo’s 3D bathroom twice - in “Bonus Bucks” (1954) and “Little Ricky Plays the Drums” (1956). Interestingly, the entire layout of the bathroom changed in those two years. Naturally, the only thing we don’t see is the toilet!
In “Lucy Hates to Leave” (1956), Lucy says goodbye to 623 before moving to Connecticut. Curiously, of the memories she shares about the apartment, a couple are of apartment 4A.
#3) Mrs. Matilda Trumbull
Mrs. Trumbull (played by Elizabeth Patterson) lives with her cat on the 5th floor, although her exact apartment number is never stated. The character appeared in 10 episodes from seasons 2 through 6. Presumably a widow, we meet her nephew Joe (a washing machine repairman) and hear about her sister.
At first, she is adversarial with the Ricardos, but soon warms up to them, becoming their de-facto babysitter. Her favorite expression is “Oh, nuts!” Her favorite perfume is My Sin.
While the Mertzes were in Hollywood and Europe, Mrs. Trumbull managed the building for them. Much to Fred’s chagrin, she kept the building “nice and warm.” A Rudolph Valentino fan, she has some hidden show business aspirations.
#4) Mrs. Benson, 3B / 4A
Mrs. Benson (played by Norma Varden) lives with unseen Mr. Benson (”Meh!”) and has just married off her daughter to a nincompoop. Because of this, Lucy reasons that she has no need for such a large apartment and convinces her to change switch with her.
When “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (1953) we get our first glimpse of the living space that the Ricardos will inhabit until they move to Connecticut. Noticeably different than how it looks after the ‘swish’ (as Ricky calls it), the Bensons keep the drapes drawn and have a lot of furniture crowded onto an area rug.
Although Mrs. Benson only appears in one episode, she is mentioned in “Lucy Gets Her Eyes Examined” (1953). Lucy sends Ricky to the drug store for some ice cream, but he returns quicker than Lucy expected after borrowing some from Mrs. Benson. He catches Lucy and the Mertzes ‘auditioning’ for their guest, producer Bill Parker and is not happy about it!
In “The Business Manager” Lucy takes on the marketing for the entire building to pay her bills. She rattles off a list of her ‘clients’: “Benson, Williams, Trumbull.” Interestingly, no tenant named Williams ever appeared on the series. If the writers had longer memories, they might have mentioned Miss Lewis, who lived at 623 (see #8 below).
#5) The Johnsons, 4B
In “Oil Wells” (1954), Sam and Nancy Johnson (played by Sam Cheshire and Sandra Gould) move to 623 from Texas and they are in oil. (LUCY: “Hair, suntan, cod liver, or castor?”). Ricky is suspicious, thinking they may be frauds.
RICKY: “If he’s a millionaire, what’s he doing living in a dump like this?” FRED & ETHEL: “Dump!?!” RICKY: “Yeah, to a millionaire, this is a dump!” FRED: “I accept that.”
#6) The O’Briens, 4B
Tom O’Brien (Hayden Rorke) and his wife (K.T. Stevens) are actors who move into 4B, the same apartment that will be rented by the Johnsons two years later. In “New Neighbors” (1952), they are renting the apartment while making a spy television show.
Nosy Lucy and Ethel enter their apartment while they are away to ogle their belongings. Lucy gets trapped in their closet when they come back unexpectedly. They promptly move out!
#7) The Taylors, 3D
When Lucy and Ricky are about to move to Connecticut, “Lucy Hates to Leave” (1957), but Fred wastes no time in showing their apartment. The new tenants are a young couple named the Taylors (played by Gene Reynolds and Mary Ellen Kay). Selling their furniture to the new tenants, Lucy is horrified to learn that Mrs. Taylor wants to use her own lampshade, paint the coffee table black, and saw the legs off the sofa. Lucy ends up buying most of her furniture back, rather than see it ruined.
If Desilu made a spin-off...
#8) Miss Lewis, 1A
In “Lucy Plays Cupid” (1952) an elderly spinster (played by Bea Benadaret) is enamored of the local butcher, Mr. Ritter. Lucy plays matchmaker, only to discover that the amorous butcher is sweet on her instead! Miss Lewis enjoys elderberry wine, lace doilies, and gumdrops.
Although this was the only appearance of Miss Lewis, she was mentioned twice in “The Courtroom” (1952). A process server pretends to be looking for “the Lewis apartment” and it is also mentioned that Miss Lewis has baked the Mertzes an anniversary cake.
Bill & Grace Foster
Uniquely, husband and wife Bill and Grace Foster are tenants of 623, although both are seen in different episodes! Bill Foster (played by Richard Reeves) is seen in “The Gossip” (1952) and “The Publicity Agent” (1952).
Grace Foster (played by Gloria Blondell) is seen in “The Anniversary Present” (1952). Grace works for a Josef Jewelry and Ricky wants to by wholesale pearls for Lucy. Lucy thinks Ricky is cheating with Grace and disguises herself as a painter to spy on them. Trouble is - brownstones like 623 were rarely painted - let alone white!
Mr. Stewart
When “Little Ricky Gets a Dog” (1957), the barking upsets grouchy new tenant Mr. Stewart (played by John Emery). Forced to choose between his namesake pooch and surly Stewart, Fred the landlord returns Stewart’s deposit - $200 - then promptly faints!
Herbert & Martha
In “Lucy and Superman” (1957) Fred is anxious to rent apartment 3B next door to the Ricardos. They show it to a nice couple named Herbert and Martha (Madge Blake and Ralph Dumke). Martha is prone to dizzy spells. When she sees something on the ledge, Herbert decides they should look at some basement apartments instead!
HERBERT: “Was it a bird?” MARTHA: “No.” HERBERT: “Was it a plane?” MARTHA: “No.” HERBERT: “Well, what was it, dear?” MARTHA: “It was Superman!”
3B has the same view out the window as the Mertz kitchen (3C) in “Never Do Business with Friends” (1953).
~ VISITORS, GUESTS & SUBLETS ~
“Tennessee Ernie Visits” (1954) features country music singer and comedian Ernie Ford as a friend (of a friend) of Lucy’s mother’s best friend, who stays.... and stays. After hearing that ‘Cousin’ Ernie is headed to NYC, Ricky moans that they have already had three visitors this month but doesn’t say who they were.
Their extended houseguest eats them out of house and home in “Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (1954).
When Ricky gets a summer booking in Maine in “The Sublease” (1954), he decides to sublet their apartment. When the job falls through, they must figure out a way to get rid of their nervous new tenant, Mr. Beecher (Jay Novello), a witness at a recent murder trial. The rent on the Ricardo apartment is just $125, but real estate agent Mrs. Hammond knows she can get $300.
When burglar Madame X strikes in “Too Many Crooks” (1953), a policeman is accompanied by other tenants of 623, all in their nightgowns and pajamas, including Mrs. Trumbull (Elizabeth Patterson). Lucy and Desi’s camera and lighting stand-ins Hazel Pierce (second from left) and Bennett Green (behind Lucy and Fred) are also there, along with Vivian Vance’s camera and lighting stand-in Renita Reachi (3rd from left).
~ NEIGHBORS ~
In “Breaking the Lease” (1952) Ricky’s impromptu jam session attracts neighbors like Hazel Pierce and Bennett Green, who were Lucy and Desi’s camera and lighting stand-ins.
Also (getting the last ticket) is Ball’s Goldwyn Girl pal Barbara Pepper, as well as Ball’s future “Lucy Show” stand-in Joan Carey.
Lucy and Ricky’s “Homecoming” (1955) from Hollywood brings out many of the neighbors for a block party. Those waiting at the stoop of 623 include Lucille Ball’s friend and frequent extra Barbara Pepper, Desi’s camera and lighting stand-in Bennett Green, Lucille Ball’s future stand-in Joan Carey, as well as Roy Schallert, Dick Cherney, and mother of the twins playing Little Ricky, Eva Jean Mayer.
A select group of friends and neighbors are invited inside, including Hazel Pierce (left), and Madge (played by Charlotte Lawrence).
When “Lucy Cries Wolf” (1954), across the street neighbor Mrs. Devries (played by Beppie Devries), telephones Ricky to report that his missing wife is on the ledge!
If Desilu did a spin-off...
In “Redecorating” (1952), the Party Line Gossips are played by Florence Halop and Margie Liszt, whose character is referred to as Agnes. Party lines depended upon the users living in the same telephone exchange.
Some unseen tenants and neighbors:
Mr. Benson in “The Ricardos Change Apartments” (1953).
Mrs. Trumbull’s Sister, who takes over the running of 623 when Fred and Ethel move to Connecticut.
In “The Anniversary Present” (1952), Lucy and Ethel go to the basement to listen at the furnace pipe (”the snooper’s friend”) and hear the voices of the couple in 4B (“Albert!”) are not credited but sound like Barbara Pepper and Richard Reeves, two character actors that appeared in many episodes during the series.
In “The Business Manager” (1954), Lucy rattles off the names of several tenants she shops for, including “Williams”.