LUCY AND THE ASTRONAUTS
S4;E5 ~ October 11, 1971
Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Lou Derman and Larry Rhine
Synopsis
Harry takes Lucy along to a NASA splash-down, but before the astronauts can be medically cleared, Lucy has kissed them forcing Lucy and Harry to join the space travelers in isolation.
Regular Cast
Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter)
Guest Cast
Roy Roberts (Dr. Jamison) 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” (TLS S5;E2) before creating the role of Mr. Cheever, a recurring character he played through the end of the series. On “Here's Lucy” he played the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy in season two's two-part opener. He will play two more characters on the series.
Hal England (Major Jim Dunlap) made his Broadway debut in 1958 in Love Me Little. He followed this with a success in Say, Darling written and directed by Abe Burrows. He understudied Robert Morse in the lead of How to Succeed in Business...Without Really Trying. He starred in Edna St. Vincent Millay's Conversations at Midnight in 1964 and appeared in three plays in the inaugural season of the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park in New York. He began screen acting in 1960. He will do one more episode of “Here's Lucy.” England died in 2003.
Robert Hogan (Captain Frank Perry) was the inspiration for the naming of the title character on “Hogan's Heroes” (1965-71). His screen career began in 1961. He will do one more episode of “Here's Lucy.” As of this writing Hogan has two projects in post-production.
Hank Brandt (Flight Commander Colonel Dick Matthews) was born in 1934 in New Jersey. He began his screen acting career in 1961. He will make two more appearances on the series. He died in 2004.
Byron Morrow (Admiral Haines, left) was a character actor whose early career was as an announcer. He performed during World War II and often was cast on television as a judge. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.
Paul Picerni (NASA Official James Duncan, right) makes the third of his four appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” He also appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1975 TV movie “Lucy Gets Lucky.” Picerni was a cast member of Desilu’s “The Untouchables” from 1959 to 1963.
All the first names stated above are never spoken in the dialogue, but are listed in the final credits.
Sid Gould (TV Cameraman) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” and nearly as many on “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton.
The cameraman does not have any lines.
Roy Rowan (Voice, uncredited) was the off-camera announcer for all of Lucille Ball’s television shows. He would also do voice-over announcers of radio and TV voices heard on screen, as he does here. In rare instances, Rowan would sometimes appear on camera as well.
Bob Harks (Spectator, uncredited) Extra, stand-in, and double Bob Harks was born on September 20, 1927. Harks appeared in his first film in 1968 and was seen in the background of Mame (1974). In 1970 he popped up on his first television show and was seen in more than a dozen episodes of “Here's Lucy,” starting with this one. He died at age 83 in 2010.
The other sailors and officers are played by uncredited background performers.
The date this episode first aired (Monday, October 11, 1971) actor Chester Conklin died at age 85. Conklin had played uncredited roles in the Lucille Ball films Valley of the Sun (1942) and Fancy Pants (1950).
This episode is framed with a voice-over (Roy Rowan) telling us about a moon shot known in the secret files of our government as Operation Redhead. It incorporates stock footage of a previous rocket launch, the recovery ship, and a splash-down.
This episode was featured in a set of View-Master reels. View-Master is the trademark name of a line of special-format stereoscopes and corresponding photo reels, which are thin cardboard disks containing seven stereoscopic 3-D pairs of small color photographs on film. The View-Master system was introduced in 1939 by GAF, four years after the advent of Kodachrome color film.
During his introduction to the episode on the series DVD, Paul Picerni recalls that he had acted alongside Roy Roberts (Dr. Jamison) in 1953's House of Wax starring former “Lucy” guest star Vincent Price.
To lure Lucy out of the bathroom, Harry pretends to welcome Steve McQueen to the isolation tank. Ruggedly handsome actor Steve McQueen (1930-80) was often mentioned on “The Lucy Show” and “Here's Lucy.”
Lucy gives her phone number as (213) 555-8231.
On the telephone, Kim tells her mother that she is going out with Willy “The Grabber” Heller. Lucy does not approve!
Lucy says that the three astronauts are a combination of Columbus, Magellan, and John Wayne. Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) and Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) were explorers who sailed the seas in search of new lands. John Wayne (1907-79) was an actor who specialized in Western films. Although not an explorer, Lucy probably includes him for his bravery, strength, and American frontier image. Wayne guest-starred on both “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.”
In a daring bit of word play by writers Derman and Rhine, Dunlap shuts down some ribbing by his fellow flyers by saying “Cut it out, fellas! Nobody likes a smart astronaut!”
About her over-sized sleepwear, Lucy says “Who'd they make these pajamas for? The Jolly Green Giant?” The Jolly Green Giant was the advertising character used to promote Green Giant Frozen Vegetables. The character was previously mentioned in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie’s Fun Farm” (S1;E23) and “Lucy and the Raffle” (S3;E19). All the men wear light blue pajamas, but Lucy's are green to add to the humor of the line.
Lucy says that all her favorite songs are 'moon' songs: “Moon River,” “Moon Over Miami,” and “Shine On, Harvest Moon,” which Lucy starts singing. Soon the astronauts are joining in – when they are supposed to be sleeping! “Shine On, Harvest Moon” is credited to the married vaudeville team Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth introduced in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1908 to great acclaim. It was previously sung by the Ricardos and the Mertzes in “The Benefit” (ILL S1;E13) in 1952.
Barely tolerating Lucy in the isolation unit, Dr. Jamison grumbles “We never had this trouble with Neil Armstrong.” Neil Armstrong was the first American astronaut to set foot on the moon on July 21, 1969. Armstrong traveled with Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11. His famous quote when he stepped onto the moon's surface was "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
Harry tells the astronauts that if they survive being quarantined with Lucy, people will say about them: “This was their finest hour!” Harry does a vocal impression of Winston Churchill while quoting from Churchill's speech to Parliament on June 18, 1940. Churchill is referring to the British people surviving the horrors of World War II.
Although NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Association) is not mentioned by name, the astronauts do wear NASA patches on their jumpsuits. President Eisenhower established NASA in 1958. Alan Shepard became the first American in space in May 1961. Similarly, the name Apollo (the name given to NASA's manned moon exploration program) is never spoken aloud, but there is an Apollo banner at the end of the red carpet on the aircraft carrier. Apollo 15 was launched on July 30, 1971, just a few months before this episode aired. The two-day mission sent astronauts David Scott and James Irwin to the moon.
Although the astronauts speak to the President of the United States, his proper name is never spoken aloud. Lucy does, however, ask about his daughters. Richard Nixon had two daughters, Tricia and Julie. Cape Kennedy and the Kennedy Space Center are never mentioned but Houston (the Texas home of NASA operations) is mentioned when they get health clearance for the astronauts.
While briefly on the phone with the President, Harry tells him that he runs a small employment agency and the time may come when he might need his services. Harry was right! In 1974, amidst a scandal called Watergate, President Richard Nixon resigned from office, putting himself out of work!
In “Lucy Becomes an Astronaut” (TLS S1;E6) Lucy Carmichael and Vivian Bagley successfully spend 24 hours in a simulated space ship as part of a 'Women in Space' experiment.
In February 1962 Colonel John Glenn made three orbits around the Earth. In this “Lucy Show” episode, Viv sarcastically calls Lucy ‘Colonel Glenn’ Carmichael.
While in the isolation unit, Lucy talks to the President of the United States on the telephone. In 1971, the President was Richard M. Nixon. In 1963, Lucy Carmichael went to the White House with her son's cub scout troupe and met the president – John F. Kennedy.
In a 1977 TV movie “Lucy Calls the President” Lucy Whitaker and her husband (Gale Gordon) talked to the president on the telephone – Jimmy Carter. Although no president ever appeared on a Lucille Ball sitcom, President Cater's mother Lillian did a cameo on the 1977 television film.
Lucille Ball herself was given the Kennedy Center Honor by Ronald Reagan.
Character Consistency! Here, Harry Carter is a Naval Reservist who was a photographer in the Pacific Theatre, but in “Lucy and Harry's Italian Bombshell” (just two episodes previously) he said he was stationed in Italy for the Army during World War II.
I’ll Be In My Trailer! The mobile isolation unit is actually an air stream trailer. It has the Presidential seal on the side, supposedly because the President has a hot line into the unit to talk with the astronauts. Generally, however, a seal is only used to denote the presence or a designated area intended for the use of the President of the United States.
ON THIS DATE >>> FAST FORWARD >>>
October 11, 1998 ~ actor Richard Denning dies at age 84. On radio, Denning starred with Lucille Ball on CBS's “My Favorite Husband”, which led to a role on CBS television's “Mr. and Mrs. North”.
October 11, 2008 ~ actor and sportscaster Gil Stratton Jr. dies at age 86. He appeared in the stage and screen adaptation of Best Foot Forward (1943), the latter with Lucille Ball. He was also heard on a 1948 episode of “My Favorite Husband.”
“Lucy and the Astronauts” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5
Nothing about this episode makes sense – starting with the premise that Harry would be invited to a splash-down. The actors make it work, but it is a pretty unfocused script. Now that Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll have returned to the writing staff, their work side by side with others (like Derman and Rhine) shows just how good (and valuable) they were.