LUCY AND ANN-MARGRET
S2;E20 ~ February 2, 1970
Directed by Herbert Kenwith ~ Choreography by Jack Baker ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg and Ray Singer
Synopsis
A chance meeting with Ann-Margret leads to songwriter Craig performing with her on television.
Regular Cast
Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter)
Guest Cast
Ann-Margret (Herself) is one of Hollywood's most enduring sex symbols, singers, and actors. She made her screen debut in 1961's A Pocketful of Miracles and followed up with the critically acclaimed film musicals State Fair and Bye Bye Birdie. After this episode of “Here's Lucy” she was nominated for Oscars for Carnal Knowledge (1971) and Tommy (1975). In February 1969, she appeared on “The Jack Benny Birthday Special”, which also featured Lucille Ball, although the two did not share screen time. At the end of 1969, Lucille Ball guested on her special “From Hollywood With Love.” In 2010, Ann-Margret won her first Emmy Award for her guest appearance on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
John O'Neill (Walter, Ann-Margret's Pianist)
Although billed as ‘Walter’ in the final credits, Ann-Margret calls him ‘Wally’ in the dialogue.
Gary Morton (Voice Introducing Ann-Margret) was a comedian who worked the famed ‘Borscht Belt’ in the Catskills Mountains. He met Lucille Ball shortly after her divorce from Desi Arnaz and they married in November 1961. At her request, Morton gave up his nightclub career and became a producer of “The Lucy Show.” Morton also served as a warm-up comic for the show’s studio audience. He played the Emcee in “Lucy and the Andrews Sisters” (S2;E6) and will make two more on-camera appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” Morton passed away in 1999.
Throughout the episode, Morton’s loud guffaw can be heard on the soundtrack.
Ann-Margret's back-up dancers (3 men and 3 women) perform uncredited.
The much anticipated episode was the subject of a TV Guide "Close Up”. It mentions that the singer was repaying Ball for appearing on her earlier special...
“Ann-Margret: From Hollywood With Love” in December 1969. In it, Ball played herself and an autograph hound named ‘Celebrity Lu’ (above).
The date this episode first aired (February 2, 1970) the 27th Annual Golden Globe Awards was held. Lucille Ball was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series, but lost to a tie between Carol Burnett and Julie Sommars in “The Governor and J.J.” John Wayne also won for True Grit. Both Burnett and Wayne were guest stars of Lucille Ball’s on her sitcoms. Joan Crawford (who guest-starred on “The Lucy Show”) received a life-time achievement award.
Two days later, on February 4, 1970, Lucie and Desi Jr. appeared with their father on NBC’s “Kraft Music Hall”. Vivian Vance and Bernadette Peters were also part of the cast. Desi Sr. performed "Babalu" and "Cuban Pete" and teamed with his children on "The Straw Hat Song”. Lucille Ball does not appear.
In the DVD introduction to the episode, Desi Arnaz Jr. says that he had a crush on Ann-Margret since he was ten years old. At the beginning of the episode, Kim says her brother is “barely seventeen.” This was true for Desi Jr. when the show was being filmed, but he celebrated his 17th birthday two weeks before the show first aired.
Lucy Carter describes her aspirations for her children:
KIM: “Mom wants me to be a wife and a mother.” LUCY: “Yes. And in that order.”
Lucy wants Craig to be a doctor, while he wants to be a songwriter.
LUCY: “We’ll compromise. You’ll be the only songwriter in the world to make house calls.”
In the early part of the 20th century, physicians often visited the home to treat patients, a practice that is virtually unheard of in most parts of the country today.
The ad soliciting new songs Craig finds in the newspaper gives an address of 718 North Gower. In reality, this is the address of Paramount Studios (formerly Desilu) where the show was filmed.
Lucy hopes Craig becomes as famous as Simon & Carbunkle. Kim corrects her: Simon & Garfunkle. In 1970 Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle released the album “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Lucy later says Craig sings as well as Engelbert Pumpernickle. Craig corrects her: Engelbert Humperdinck. In a previous episode, Lucy pronounced the English pop singer's name “Englebert Dumperhinck.” Lucy is turning into a regular Mrs. Malaprop!
Craig calls himself “this generation's Cole Porter.” Cole Porter (1891-1964) was a songwriter who wrote both lyrics and music. He was responsible for the score of DuBarry Was A Lady, a Broadway musical that was filmed in 1943 with Lucille Ball. The show included the Cole Porter song “Friendship,” which Lucy Ricardo later sang with Ethel Mertz in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3, above).
When Craig needs $100 for his song to be published, he wants to ask his Uncle Harry.
LUCY: “Uncle Harry wouldn't have given Francis Scott Key $100 for 'The Star Spangled Banner.'”
“The Star Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States. On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key (1779-1843) wrote a poem which was eventually set to music by John Stafford Smith. It was adopted as the anthem in 1931.
Wally, Ann-Margret’s arranger, suggest she sing Craig’s song as a duet - perhaps with Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin. Frank Sinatra’s hit single from 1969 called “My Way” re-entered the charts in 1970, spending nearly a hundred weeks in the top forty. In 1970 singer Dean Martin, who was one of Lucille Ball’s favorite performers, was still producing new episodes of “The Dean Martin Show” (above) as well as starring in the feature film Airport.
On her coffee table is a copy of the December 1966 issue of House & Garden Magazine. Ann-Margret obviously doesn’t have much time for reading!
Lucy Carter seems to have no qualms about leaving her 16 year-old son alone in the apartment of a 28 year-old woman known to the world as a ‘the original sex kitten’! Offstage, however, Lucille Ball was not quite as understanding when Desi Jr. took up with 23 year-old divorcee Patti Duke, whose onscreen reputation was considerably more wholesome. In tabloid press, Lucille Ball was quoted as saying “Leave My Son Alone...He’s Only 17″ and “Patti Duke Used My Son and Victimized Us”.
When Ann-Margret is slipping into “something more comfortable” (an age old film and TV trope intimating seduction), Craig practices his dancing alone to the strains of “I'm in the Mood for Love” written by Jimmy McHugh in 1935. Ann-Margret covered the song in 1962 on her album “On the Way Up.” While Ann-Margret’s version of the song was on RCA Records and had lyrics, the LP Craig selects has the Capital Records label (the rainbow ring) and is instrumental only. Coincidentally, Guy Lombardo included the song on his 1958 release on Capitol Records, although the version heard is not that cover.
While Ann-Margret is off changing, Craig has three wordless minutes on screen alone to imagine his evening with the noted sex symbol. Here, Desi Jr. does some very funny and charming silent acting depicting the nerves of a first romantic encounter. Until she breaks the spell by appearing in a chenille robe, fuzzy slippers, and curlers!
Craig and Ann-Margret perform the song "Country Magic" which in reality was not by Craig or Desi Arnaz Jr. but by Steve March, the son of Mel Torme and adopted son of Arnaz family friend, Hal March.
Steve March appeared onscreen as one of Craig's high school friends in “Lucy and the Bogie Affair” (S2;E13) and will appear in a future episode guest starring Sammy Davis Jr. When Craig referred to his friend Steve in past episodes, this is likely who he has in mind.
The pink paisley Fender telecaster guitar Craig plays during his number with Ann-Margret belonged to Jimmy Burton (below), Elvis Presley's number one guitar player.
Burton actually played the guitar solo on the soundtrack.
Unusually, after leaving Craig with Ann-Margret, the Lucy character is not seen again until the final fade-out. Lucille Ball is off-screen for 10 minutes of her own 24-minute show!
In December 1968, just as “Here’s Lucy” was starting, Lucille Ball and Ann-Margret shared the cover of Coronet Magazine. Lucy wrote about her teenagers while Ann-Margret modeled see-through fashions.
Lucy Carter wants Craig to be a doctor, not a musician. On “I Love Lucy” Lucy Ricardo wanted Little Ricky (Keith Thibodeaux, above) to be a doctor, not a musician!
When Ann-Margret changes into “something more comfortable” she comes out wearing the same blue chenille bathrobe that Lucy wore in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie's Fun Farm” (S1;E23, left). It looks very similar to the one that Vivian Vance wore in 1952’s “Breaking the Lease” (ILL S1;E18, center) and other episodes. It is likely that it is the same robe from the Desilu wardrobe racks!
FAST FORWARD!
A year later, Ann-Margret is mentioned as one of the wishes Craig would ask of a magic lamp in “Lucy and Aladdin’s Lamp” (S3;E21). Craig must have forgotten this lengthy encounter when he mentioned his wish.
Both Lucille Ball and Ann-Margret were on hand for “America’s Tribute to Bob Hope” on January 2, 1988.
In 2000, Lucie Arnaz and Steve March-Torme (author of “Country Magic”), both children of megastars, did a cabaret act together. This was March’s cabaret debut. As of this writing, two decades later, they are both still performing in cabaret - just not together.
Memory Lapse! Lucy tells Ann-Margret that the last time Craig sang in public it was “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Actually, Craig sang in his school musical in “Lucy and Carol Burnett” (S1;E17, above), in “Lucy and Tennessee Ernie's Fun Farm” (S1;E23), as Bing Crosby in “Lucy and the Andrews Sisters” (S2;E6), and in “Lucy and the Generation Gap” (S2;E12) – all in front of audiences!
Hey Lady! At the end of “Country Magic,” Lucy bursts from the wings and shouts to the studio audience “My son the songwriter!” If this was one of Ann-Margret’s television specials (as was earlier mentioned), a random mother bragging about her son is not something you’d expect to see!
Can I Have a Drum Roll... Please? Oddly, there is absolutely no mention of Craig’s former musical obsession - the drums! A skilled percussionist in real life, there were many episodes in which played drums and even a couple that revolved around it.
This episode is a terrific showcase for Desi Arnaz Jr. He does his best with the comedy, but really shines in the musical number, where his dancing is as his sharp as his musicianship. Ann-Margret seems to be enjoying herself and the episode is fun to watch, although not particularly funny.
