Lucy and the Countess
S3;E19~ February 1, 1965
Synopsis
Lucy's old school chum Rosie is back in town and she's now a countess. Rosie boards with Lucy and is immediately invited to a wine tasting by Mr. Mooney where they she and Lucy drink each other under the table – literally!
Regular Cast
Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael)
Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley) does not appear in this episode, but she is mentioned.
Guest Cast
Ann Sothern (Rosita ‘Rosie’ Harrigan, the Countess Framboise) makes the first of her seven appearances as a countess down on her luck.
Sothern had appeared in the first “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" (1957) as Susie MacNamara, the same character she played on her show “Private Secretary” from 1953 to 1957. In return Lucille Ball played Lucy Ricardo on her new show in 1959. Sothern appeared with Ball in five films between 1933 and 1943. She was nominated for an Oscar for her final screen appearance in The Whales of August in 1987. She is buried near her home in Sun Valley, Idaho, a place also dear to Lucy and Desi.
Carole Cook (Mrs. Valance, Society Editor) was seen as Thelma Green in four episodes and now is cast as a variety of characters. She was a protégé of Lucille Ball’s during the Desilu Playhouse years. Although she was born as Mildred Cook, Ball suggested she take the name Carole, in honor of Lucy’s great friend, Carole Lombard. Cook also went on to appear in five episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Sid Gould (Sam, Delivery Man) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” all as background characters. He also did 40 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton. Gould was married to Vanda Barra, who also appeared on “The Lucy Show” starting in 1967, as well as on “Here’s Lucy.”
Monty O'Grady (Waiter) was first seen with Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer (1953), and played a passenger on the S.S. Constitution in “Second Honeymoon” (ILL S5;E14). He was at the airport when “The Ricardos Go to Japan” (1959). He made a dozen appearances on the series and a half dozen more on “Here’s Lucy.”
The members of the Danfield Wine Tasting Society are played by:
Leon Alton appeared with Lucille Ball in The Facts of Life (1960) and Critics Choice (1963). This is the first of his two appearances on “The Lucy Show.” He also was seen in three episodes of “Here's Lucy.”
Paul Bradley makes the fourth of his six appearances on “The Lucy Show” in various roles. He will also be seen in two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Steve Carruthers was one of the passengers on the S.S. Constitution in “Second Honeymoon” (ILL S5;E14). He was seen in the Lucille Ball / Bob Hope film The Facts of Life. This is second of his two appearances on “The Lucy Show.”
George DeNormand had appeared in three films with Lucille Ball from 1937 to 1963. This is the third of his many appearances on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.”
James Gonzales was a popular Hollywood extra who first acted with Lucille Ball in the 1953 film The Long, Long Trailer. He was previously seen on the series as Stan Williams in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2). He was seen in more than 20 episodes of “The Lucy Show” and 3 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Georgia Holt, mother of superstar Cher, appeared as a fashion model in “Lucy Gets a Paris Gown” (ILL S5;E20). A frequent background player on “The Lucy Show,” she will also be seen as a fur model in “Lucy and Pat Collins” (S5;E11). In the above photo, she is in red.
Bert Stevens and Caryl Lincoln were a real-life husband and wife who made many appearances as background players on the series. Lincoln was one of Lucy’s friends from her Goldwyn Girl days. Stevens was the brother of actress Barbara Stanwyck, whose given name was Ruby Stevens. He was seen in the Tropicana audience for the Flapper Follies when “Ricky Loses His Voice” (ILL S2;E9) but along with Lincoln, probably appeared on other episodes as well.
Ervin Richardson makes the third of four uncredited appearances on “The Lucy Show.” He also did two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.”
Jean Vachon makes the last of her six appearances on “The Lucy Show,” all but one uncredited.
Five uncredited actors play the delivery men who bring on the luggage.
This episode was filmed on November 19, 1964.
Lucy says Viv's been out of town for a week and will be gone for two more. As Vivian Vance started to phase out her involvement on “The Lucy Show” in order to spend more time with her husband on the East Coast, Lucille Ball was looking to introduce a new character to fill the 'second banana' role. The Countess will appear in seven episodes through November 1965, the start of season 4.
For episodes featuring Ann Sothern, Vivian Vance’s opening title sequence credit is eliminated. Instead of the freeze frame of Viv as the flapper in the silent movie sketch (and the screen title “co-starring Vivian Vance”), the freeze frame is on Lucy as Charlie Chaplin.
Rosie Harrigan and Lucy Carmichael were school chums and on the basketball team together. Rosie met her late husband the Count when she went to Paris. She invited Lucy to go along, but Lucy went to Poughkeepsie instead.
As soon as the audience hears Ann Sothern's voice, she receives a warm round of entrance applause from the studio audience, even before she appears from behind the piles of luggage.
Rosie's deceased husband was named The Count Henry Gaston Armand Jean-Louis Philippe Framboise Le Cul de Sac (aka Saxy).
Mr. Mooney has just been elected president of the Danfield Wine Tasting Society. They are hosting an event at the Gourmet Room of the Danfield Hotel. We previously visited a suite in the hotel in “Lucy Becomes a Reporter” (S1;E17).
Mrs. Valance (Carole Cook) is said to be the Society Editor. She is the fourth person to hold that position since the show began. In “Lucy Becomes a Reporter” (S1;E17), Lucy temporarily fills in for (unseen) society column editor Betty Gillis. In “Lucy and Viv Open a Restaurant” (S2;E20) the editor's name was Mr. Dutton (Alan Hewitt).
A drunken Lucy and Rosie sing “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” is a song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864) first published in 1854. Foster wrote the song with his estranged wife Jane in mind. They later burst into an inebriated chorus of “I Love Paris” written by Cole Porter in 1953 for the Broadway musical Can-Can. In the 1960 film version of Can-Can it was sung by Frank Sinatra and Maurice Chevalier. Between 1960 and 1961 it was covered by Andy Williams, Etta Jones, Al Hirt, and Jack Jones.
Under the influence of nine different wines, Lucy says that 1939 was one of the worst years of her life because she got the mumps and couldn't go to the seashore. In real life, 1939 was the year 28 year-old Lucille Ball lost out on the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. She did, however, make five other films that year.
Lucy and Rosie's posh hats and candid talk are vaguely reminiscent of Mame Dennis and Vera Charles in the movie musical Mame (1974).
Callbacks!
Lucille Ball and Ann Sothern use the same drunk bit they had done on both the first “Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" (1957) and on “The Ann Sothern Show” (1959), above.
Lucy and Viv previously got intoxicated in “Lucy's Sister Pays a Visit” (S1;E15) on spiked punch.
Lucy Ricardo was famously drunk on Vitameatavegamin (which had an alcohol content of 23 percent) in “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (ILL S2;E1).
Lucy Ricardo often had to contend with Ricky reading the morning newspaper during breakfast.
Blooper Alerts!
Repeating Myself! While the masses of luggage are being brought through the front door, Lucy and Sid Gould ad lib, but repeatedly use the phrase “Stay out of the way” to their kids - ten times!
“Lucy and the Countess” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5
