S2;E14 ~ December 22, 1969
Directed by Danny Dayton ~ Written by Sam Perrin and Ralph Goodman
When Lucy fears her job is in danger, Kim pretends to be an bumbling secretary to make Harry appreciate Lucy even more!
Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter)
Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter) does not appear in this episode.
Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane) makes her third series appearance as Mary Jane. Croft played Betty Ramsey during season six of “I Love Lucy. ” She also played Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and Evelyn Bigsby in “Return Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26). She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in 1999 at the age of 83.
Robert Carson (Mr. Morgan, Harry's Golf Partner) was a busy Canadian-born character actor who appeared on six episodes of “The Lucy Show.” This is the second of his five appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”
Although Carson is credited as Mr. Morgan, his name is never spoken in the dialogue.
Wanda Clark (Secretary) was Lucille Ball's real-life secretary for 27 years. She was also maid of honor at Lucie Arnaz's wedding to Phil Vandervort in 1971. This is Clark's only screen appearance.
This is the first of four episodes written by Ralph Goodman, two of which were with Sam Perrin, who previously wrote “Lucy, the Cement Worker” (S2;E10) with George Balzer. This is the first of two episodes directed by Danny Dayton. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Dayton was primarily an actor who had appeared on Broadway in Guys and Dolls and was also in the 1955 film version.
Wanda Clark introduces this episode on the series DVD. She says that she got the role because Lucy admired how fast she could type, something Lucy thought was important to the character. But the typewriter on the set was a manual and Clark had been using an electric for many years - so she had to fake it.
This is the final episode before Christmas 1969. Fans have noted that “Here's Lucy” is the only “Lucy” sitcom not to feature a holiday-themed episode.
When Mary Jane tells Lucy her nail polish color is Abalone Pink, Lucy replies “Good! Then I can bite my nails on Friday.” This may be a reference to the fact that Catholics were not supposed to eat meat on Fridays, abalone being shellfish popular in the waters off Southern California. Although this rule was relaxed and limited to Lent in 1966, many Catholics hung on to the practice for many years. While Lucy was not a Catholic by birth, she converted for her marriage to Desi Arnaz. Her husband at the time, Gary Morton, was Jewish.
Harry asks for the file on the Dawson account. The surname was used in the previous episode to refer to one of Kim's dates.
Harry gives Lucy roses, despite saying he was allergic to them in “Lucy and Harry's Tonsils” (S2;E5). He says they cost $12.50 a dozen. Today the cost of roses varies widely; anything from $10 or under for a dozen red roses at the local corner store, to $20 at the supermarket, to more than $90 at a high-end florist.
In her second scene Mary Jane wears the same black dress with white collar and cuffs that she has worn on two of her previous appearances. On this series, her wardrobe choices seem to be limited.
Harry Gives Lucy a framed photograph of himself as a gift. This is the same photo that hangs over Harry's mantle at home. It is actually a colorized black and white photo of Gale Gordon as Mr. Mooney that was seen several times on “The Lucy Show.”
At first glance, the photo is curiously cropped, with lots of 'head room'. This is to later facilitate Lucy impaling it on the ram's horns on the wall.
This is the episode where Lucie Arnaz appears to want to follow in her mother's footsteps and is given the material to shine as a comic actress. The script has Kim cast in a theatre production where she plays an incompetent secretary who messes everything up (not unlike Lucys Carter and Carmichael). Kim even imitates Lucy Ricardo's famously inflected “Well...” when thing don't go her way.
As Shirley Shoppenhauer, the new secretary, Kim says Harry is “so Cary Grant-ish”! Harry says people compare him more with Jack Lemmon. Later, Kim/Shirley calls him “a regular Milton Boil.”
Harry dictates a letter to Robert Carlton Enterprises.
With her broad New York accent, Kim/Shirley answers the phone “Carter's Eunuch Employment Agency.”
Whenever viewers see a fan next to a stack of papers, they can be assured those papers are headed for the floor!
Similarly, at the end of the episode, Harry notices that the water cooler jug is empty. Any regular viewer knows that where there's water, Harry will end up wet! Sharp eyes may notice both the fan and the water cooler before they have even been used for their comic purposes.
This episode is thematically similar to “Lucy's Substitute Secretary” (TLS S5;E14) where Lucy Carmichael fears for her job and dons a variety of outrageous disguises.
Sitcom Logic Alert! Harry does not recognize his own niece even face to face!
Props! When Harry opens the file cabinet drawer to show Kim/Shirley the “old accounts” the drawer is completely empty! In an earlier scene, Lucy opened the drawer above it to find the Dawson file and the file drawer was clearly labeled “new accounts.” Amazingly, Harry opens the same drawer to show Kim/Shirley the “new accounts.” The acute attention to detail here is probably just happenstance.
Let It Fall! When Kim/Shirley purposely opens the file cabinet drawer so that Harry will bump his head, a metal vase atop the filing cabinet falls to the floor. Lucie notices it but, like the stamps that litter the office floor, no one picks it up.
“Lucy Protects Her Job” rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5
The highlight of this episode is clearly Lucie Arnaz's bravura performance as Shirley Shoppenhauer. For the first time in her career, it is apparent that Lucie Arnaz shares her mother's sense of comedy and ability to create characters. It is delightful to watch Lucille Ball/Lucy Carter react on screen to her daughter's amazingly funny performance. For die-hard Lucy fans, the cameo by Lucille Ball's real-life secretary Wanda Clark is a treat.
