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Autoharpist Robert Easton of Greenwich Village is arrested by police for defying a ban against singing folk songs in Washington Square Park. (April 9, 1961). Source

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Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford

S5;E21 ~ February 27, 1967

Synopsis

Mr. Mooney is in danger of losing his job if he doesn't bring in some big depositors. When Lucy hears that wealthy country music star Homer Higgins (Tennessee Ernie Ford) is in town, she gives him a ‘down home’ welcome in order to get his business.

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore ‘Josh’ Mooney), Roy Roberts (Mr. Cheever)

Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis) does not appear in this episode.

Guest Cast

Tennessee Ernie Ford (Homer Higgins) was the first and only celebrity to make three guest star appearances (playing a variation on himself) on “I Love Lucy.” A popular country singer of the 1950s, this was his first credited ‘acting’ job, before his big hit with the song “Sixteen Tons” in 1955. Ford was first mentioned on season 1 of "I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Writes a Play” (ILL S1;E17), when playwright Lucy mistakenly dubs herself the next Tennessee Ernie, instead of Tennessee Williams.

Ford went on to make alliterative appearances on "Here’s Lucy” (as Ernie Epperson), on "The Red Skelton Show” (as Loser Lumpkin), and the Desilu-produced "Make Room For Daddy” (as Kentucky Cal). He died in 1991.

Homer Higgins is said to be the nation's number one country singer. He has moved to California and is staying at the Palm Garden Hotel. His annual income exceeds five million dollars.

Carole Cook (Effie Higgins) played Thelma Green on the series when it was set in Danfield. She was a protege of Lucille Ball’s during the Desilu Playhouse years. Although 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.”

Effie is married to Homer.

Robert Easton (Iffie) was usually cast as the dopey country bumpkin. He was a popular actor and dialogue coach in over 200 film and TV projects. This is his only appearance with Lucille Ball.

Iffie is Effie's older brother, so named because “if he” was a girl, they would have named him Effie.

William O'Connell (Hotel Manager) makes his only appearance with Lucille Ball.

Joan Swift (Dottie) makes the third of her six appearances on the series. Swift also did two episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Her final screen credit was 1975’s “Lucy Gets Lucky” with Lucille Ball and Dean Martin.

Like Lucy, Dottie is a secretary at the Westland Bank.

The Back Porch Majority (Themselves) was a folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1963. It was intended to be a rehearsal space for The New Christy Minstrels, another group Sparks had established in 1961, but it ended up becoming successful on its own. The group released six albums and was chosen to provide entertainment at the White House in 1965. The group returned to back up Ernie Ford on a 1969 episode of “Here's Lucy.”

Bert May (Solo Dancer) made his screen debut in Ziegfeld Follies (1945) which also starred Lucille Ball. He danced in such film musicals as Kismet (1955), Li'l Abner (1959), The Music Man (1962), Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Finian's Rainbow (1968), and Hello Dolly (1969).

May makes a big entrance into the square dance through the bank's double doors.

Sid Gould (Bellboy, uncredited) 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.

Roy Rowan (Radio Announcer, uncredited) was the off-camera announcer for every episode of “I Love Lucy” as well as “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.” He was also the voice heard when TV or radio programs were featured on the plot of all three shows. He made a couple of on screen appearances as well.

The other square dancers at the bank hoedown are uncredited.

The episode was filmed on January 26, 1967.

This is director Maury Thompson's last time working with Lucille Ball, and the final episode filmed for season five. Thompson wanted a raise and when the word leaked out while he was on vacation, Lucille Ball decided to fire him. The season finale, “Lucy Meets Sheldon Leonard” (S5;E22) was filmed before this episode and aired out of sequence.

The very athletic dance sequence that ends the episode was staged by choreographer Jack Baker. Marl Young, who worked on both this series as well as “Here’s Lucy” wrote original square dance music especially for the show.

This episode, like all but one from season five, and eight others from other seasons, have fallen out of copyright protection and into public domain. The result is that they have been sold on low-cost and low-quality home videos.

On the evening this episode first aired (February 27, 1967) Keith Andes, who had played Lucy's boyfriend Bill King as well as appearing opposite Lucille Ball on Broadway in Wildcat, appeared on “The Andy Griffith Show” which followed “The Lucy Show” on CBS and was filmed at Desilu Studios. This same night, “Lucy's” lead in “Mr. Terrific” aired an episode about boxing, which was the subject of the previous week's “Lucy Show.”

Lucy passes Mr. Mooney off as 'Josh' a good old country boy and says that back in Cedar Creek County, Mrs. Mooney was a champion hog caller, which is how she 'won' Mr. Mooney.

Homer and his family are staying at the (fictional) Palm Garden Hotel penthouse. The Manager says “On a clear day you can see Catalina.” This same claim was made about the Cucamonga high rise apartment in “Lucy Helps the Countess” (S4;E8). It is highly unlikely (even on a smog-free day) to be able to see Catalina from Hollywood, which is nearly sixty miles away. Although there is currently a Palm Garden Hotel in Thousand Oaks, California, it was not built until the 1970s. The writers created the name to sound upscale.

Homer describes Lucy (in song) as “a pink haired gal.” His brother-in-law Iffie says she has hair the color of orange juice!

When Homer and his family walk into the palatial penthouse, “The Lucy Show” feels very much like an episode of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” also seen on CBS.

Roy Roberts (Bank President Mr. Cheever) did six episodes of "The Beverly Hillbillies” as Bank President John Cushing, a rival of banker Mr. Drysdale. It is very likely that “The Lucy Show” cast Roberts as the much-anticipated Mr. Cheever after seeing him play Cushing. Robert Easton (Iffie) appeared in both the TV series and the 1993 film adaptation of “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

Homer says “a clear day in Los Angeles” is a pretty rare sight! This gets a loud round of applause from the studio audience. The remarks refers to LA's smog problem. In January 1967, around the time this episode was filmed, Time Magazine devoted its cover story to air pollution with a photo of a smoggy Los Angeles front and center.

The song Homer sings at the bank hoe-down is titled “Ladies Auxiliary Barn Dance Saturday Night” which was released on the 1965 album “Meet the Back Porch Majority”.

Callbacks!

Lucy's trusty transistor radio, seen in several previous episodes, makes yet another appearance.

Passing herself off as Mrs. Mooney, Lucy dresses as a ‘kissin’ cousin’ of the gap-toothed hillbilly she played in the very first-aired episode of “I Love Lucy,” “The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub” (ILL S1;E1) back in 1951.

“Tennessee Bound” (ILL S4;E14), the third appearance of 'Cousin' Ernie on “I Love Lucy” also features a square dance with Ernie Ford as the caller. This time around, Lucy is the caller.

Fast Forward!

In November 1968, Lucille Ball appeared on “The Tennessee Ernie Ford Special” where she also blacked out her teeth for comic effect.

Ernie Ford and The Back Porch Majority will also appear on “Here’s Lucy” in 1969.

An image from this episode was used in the photo montage on the restored DVD Season 5 box cover.

Blooper Alerts!

Ground Plan! Lucy's desk now seems to be in the bank lobby instead of in Mr. Mooney's office. The lobby has been remodeled once again, doubtless to accommodate the hoedown scene.

Where the Floor Ends / Shut the Door! In a long shot of the penthouse, the camera reveals where the edge of the wall-to-wall carpeting meets the cement soundstage floor. Ernie forgets to shut the front door completely after admitting Lucy and ‘Josh’ (Mr. Mooney). After the scene is over and Lucy and ‘Josh’ are about to leave, perfectionist Lucille Ball actually shuts the door first, before opening it to leave!

“Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5