LUCY GOES TO THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY: PART 1
S2;E1 ~ September 22, 1969
Directed by George Marshall ~ Written by Gene Thompson
Delivering a camper from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Lucy decides to take a detour to Colorado to show Craig the Air Force Academy.
Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter)
Roy Roberts (Superintendent) was born Roy Barnes Jones in Tampa, Florida in 1906. His early career was on the Broadway stage, gracing such plays as Old Man Murphy (1931), Twentieth Century (1932), The Body Beautiful (1935) and My Sister Eileen (1942). In Hollywood, the veteran character actor clocked over 900 screen performances in his 40 year career, most of which were authority figures. He and Lucille Ball appeared together in Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949). On “The Lucy Show” he first appeared as a Navy Admiral in “Lucy and the Submarine” (S5;E2) before creating the role of Mr. Cheever, a recurring character he played through the end of the series. This is the first of his 5 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Roberts died in 1975 at age 69.
Roy Roberts will play the same character in “Lucy Goes to the Air Force Academy: Part 2” (S2;E2).
Frank Marth (Registrar) was a regular on “The Honeymooners” (1955) playing police officers, photographers, newsmen, and various neighbors and passersby. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.
John Erwin (Narrator, uncredited) was a voice-over artist primarily known for voicing Reggie on the “Archie” cartoons. Erwin's voice over comes at the end of the episode to tell the audience to tune in next week for part two.
Actual Air Force Academy students and staff play themselves.
This is the first episode to be directed by George Marshall, who directed Lucille Ball in the films Valley of the Sun (1942) and Fancy Pants (1950). He will direct the first eleven episodes of season two of the “Here's Lucy.” According to DVD extras, Marshall was quite a drinker. This is the first of four episodes to be written by Gene Thompson.
A few weeks before this episode aired, CBS staged a press event at the Air Force Academy which Lucy attended. It resulted in publicity (like the above article) for the new season.
Oops! Interestingly, the Chicago area CBS affiliate took out ad space adjacent to their feature article on the event. Unfortunately, they mis-identified Craig as Ricky, continuing the confusion that Desi Arnaz Jr. and Little Ricky Ricardo were one and the same person. This confusion was further compounded by the fact that Lucy Ricardo gave birth on TV on the very same day (January 19, 1953) that Lucille Ball gave birth to Desi Jr.
This episode is the first of a four-part on-location story arc that came about due to the success of location filming at LAX during the first season. Created with the cooperation of the Air Force and the states of Colorado and Arizona, practically the entire Air Force Academy appears as extras. Filming was done right in the dormitories and administrative buildings. The Air Force viewed this as a sort of TV commercial at a time when the public was very down on the military due to its involvement in the Vietnam War.
The episode uses a Travco motor home. The company's RV's were originally built on a Dodge chassis. Travco was in business from 1964 until the late 1980s.
The US Air Force Academy was founded in 1954. The most controversial aspect of the Academy was its chapel, designed by architect Walter Netsch, who at one point was prepared to abandon the design; but the accordion-like structure is now acknowledged as an iconic symbol of the Academy campus.
Like previous location shoots, the episode was supplemented with studio shots using rear projection for driving scenes. Unlike studio filming, only one camera was used on location, although Lucille Ball was insistent on her studio lighting instruments, despite their weight and bulk.
Seeing Lucy in an RV (camper) recalls the 1953 film she made with Desi Arnaz Sr. The Long, Long Trailer. The episode even opens with the same theme music, “Breezin' Along With the Breeze” written by Haven Gillespie, Seymour Simons, and Richard A. Whiting. At one point, due to the sudden movement of the vehicle, Craig gets covered in food, just the way Lucy was in the film.
This is not the first time a Lucy character enrolled her son in a military academy. On “The Lucy Show” Lucy Carmichael shipped her son Jerry (Jimmy Garrett) off to military school not once, but twice!
As noted on the DVD, continuity was affected by the weather. An early snow covered the ground overnight and it became impossible to match exterior shots of the Academy campus.
Lucy Goes to the Air Force Academy: Part 1 rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5
More location shooting shows that Lucy is feeling the show’s keen identity crisis and trying to keep things fresh and interesting for herself and viewers. Who is running the Unique Employment Agency while they are all out on their adventure? This two-parter might have worked better as an hour-long special. The negotiation scene with the Registrar feels a bit static and too long. Although Lucy in a shortie nightgown running through the Air Force Academy is a treat!
