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papermoonloveslucy · 6 months

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Lucy in Beverly Hills

Part 2 ~ The Episodes

'Thank God I'm doing "Lucy" and thanks for "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Dick Van Dyke", and the rest.' ~ Lucille Ball, November 4, 1963

~ Parallel Universes ~

Sometimes hillbillies turned up on Lucycoms - just not necessarily Beverly Hillbillies. Lucille Ball often blacked out her teeth and deepened her voice to play backwoods type characters.

In "Lucy and Tennessee Ernie Ford" Homer (Ernie Ford) and his family walk into a palatial penthouse and “The Lucy Show” suddenly feels very much like an episode of “The Beverly Hillbillies”. It is very likely that “The Lucy Show” cast Roy Roberts as the much-anticipated Mr. Cheever after seeing him play banker Mr. Cushing on "The Beverly Hillbillies". Robert Easton (who plays Iffie on "The Lucy Show") appeared in both the TV series and the 1993 film adaptation of “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

"Turkey Day" (S2;E4) presents what appears to be stereotypical Native American characters (aka "Indians") who are really just actors on a gig. On "Hillbillies" the faux 'Indians' are played by Benny Rubin and George Suwaya, two performers who were also seen on "I Love Lucy." Lucy's "The Indian Show" (1953) featured Ray Kellogg and Frank Gerstle as the pair. in both cases, the 'white' characters (Mrs. Drysdale / Lucy Ricardo) indulge in broken English and use now-offensive terms in a humorous context.

"Pygmalion and Elly" (S1;E10) riffs on the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion (filmed in 1938), which was the basis for the 1956 musical My Fair Lady (filmed in 1964). Both play and musical deal with the transformation of a lowly woman into the epitome of beauty and class. In 1962 Sonny Drysdale sets to remake Elly from a hillbilly into a woman of society. In 1972, Lucy transformed wallflower Annie Whipple (Ruth Buzzi) into a brazen showgirl on "Here's Lucy." This was Ball's second take on the story, having previously produced "My Fair Lucy" (1965) on "The Lucy Show."

In 1964, the Hillbillies went on location to Marineland of the Pacific. But they weren't the only only ones. A year later, "The Lucy Show" also shot on location at the marine park, kicking off the show's 'move' to California. CBS had previously shoots at Marineland for “The Munsters”. Coincidentally, Sid Gould, Gary Morton's cousin and a bit player in 45 episodes of “The Lucy Show,” played the Munsters' Marineland tour guide.

"Dog Days" (S6;E27) trots out most all of Frank Inn's canine cast - and then some. Dozens of dogs were also involved in "Lucy and Viv Learn Judo" (1963). Prominent among Elly's pooches is Lord Nelson, the sheep dog who played Mr. Mooney's pet on "The Lucy Show."

1963's "The Clampetts in Court" (S1;E32) finds the family being sued by the Johnsons (Murvyn Vye & Kathleen Freeman) who claim to have been injured in an auto accident caused by Jed. They are faking, of course. In addition to Vye and Freeman, the episode features "Lucy" regulars Roy Roberts and Bert Stevens. Similarly, in a 1972 episode of "Here's Lucy," the Carters find themselves in court when a dancer and his unscrupulous agent (Jim Bates & Jesse White) claim injuries from Lucy's negligence - until Lucy and Harry spy him dancing up a storm with an undercover Kim.

Elly Mae's affection for her 'critters' is not unlike Wayne Newton's on "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy". In both episodes that the singer appears in (as himself), he is surrounded by a variety of barnyard animals. Lucy and Donna Douglas ignored the old show-business axiom: "Never work with children or animals."

"Jed and the Countess" (S3;E26) introduced Jean Willes as the Countess Maria. While she made only one appearance, Countess Henri Gaston Armand Jean-Louis Philippe Framboise Le Cul-de-Sac (aka Rosie Hannigan) played by Ann Sothern made seven appearances on "The Lucy Show" in 1965. Burt Mustin played Countess Maria's chauffeur. Mustin played Old Uncle Joe on two episodes of "The Lucy Show." Countess Framboise flirted with Mr. Mooney the same way Countess Maria flirted with Jed. Willes was seen in two films with Lucille Ball as well as an episode of "Here's Lucy."

The Commerce Bank of Beverly Hills and The Westland Bank were the banks featured (respectively) on "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "The Lucy Show."

When "Elly Becomes a Secretary" (S1;E35), Millburn Drysdale is guest speaker at the National Bankers Convention. Two years later, in 1964, Vinnie Meyers (Max Showalter) takes over for Mr. Mooney while he is away at a banker's convention in Bridgeport on "The Lucy Show." Meyers is said to be from the Jamestown (NY) branch of Mr. Mooney's bank.

In a 1967 episode of "Here's Lucy," Mrs. Carmichael is volunteered as a date for the 90 year-old president of the bank (Dennis Day) so he can attend the Annual Bankers Banquet. Naturally, she disguises herself as a little old lady and finds that although he is old, he is still very interested in the opposite sex!

"The Clampetts Play the Rams" (S4;E7) tackles two hot topics of the day: Football and Color Television. Lucycoms were no stranger to pigskin plots, the LA Rams in particular. The entire team was featured in the 1949 Lucille Ball film Easy Living. Other mentions include: "The Football Game" (1950), Lucy is a Referee" (1962), "Lucy The Skydiver" (1970), and "Lucy and Aladdin's Lamp" (1971).

Although not played by Stretch (aka Duke), Lucy Ricardo briefly encountered a Basset Hound named Rocky aboard the S.S. Constitution in 1956. Lonely, she briefly considers the dog as a ping pong partner!

"The Little Monster" (S5;E29) introduces banker Drysdale's obnoxious nephew, Little Millby, played by Teddy Eccles. A year earlier on "The Lucy Show," banker Mooney's unruly nephew Wendell, played by Jay North, visits his uncle Theodore in "Lucy The Robot" (1965). North is best remembered for playing cherubic menace named Dennis on his own sitcom. Coincidentally, Eccles played Arnold Mooney, banker Mooney's youngest son, on a 1964 episode of "The Lucy Show."

The Clampetts found themselves in England on several occasions. Most of their adventures were filmed in Hollywood, but the shows did include some location shooting with the principal cast, including of Buckingham Palace, a location visited by Lucy and Ethel in 1955. On "I Love Lucy," however, the Palace was recreated at Desilu. In 1966, Lucy Carmichael went to London in a special titled "Lucy in London." This time Ball and company actually visited England. Both the Clampetts and Mrs. Carmichael flew Pan American Airlines. Lucy Carter went to London in 1971 as traveling companion to talk show host David Frost. Once again Pan Am carried the characters across the pond. In return, stock footage of one of their jets was used, but viewers never saw anything more than Hollywood recreations of the interior of the jet and Frost's London TV studio. Faversham!

In "Race for the Queen" (S2;19) in 1964, Miss Jane competed with Elly Mae (and Granny!) for the titled Queen of Beverly Hills. In 1970, Lucy Carter competed with Carol Krausmeyer for the title of Secretary Beautiful. Both pageants featured celebrity judges: Bob Cummings on "Hillbillies" and Robert Alda on "Lucy". Naturally, and somewhat regrettably, both contests included swimsuit competitions!

In "Clampett City General Store" (S3;E3) Granny gets cast as Cleopatra in Mammoth Pictures' new epic. A year earlier, in 1963, Lucy Carmichael played Cleopatra for the Danfield Community Players. In both scripts, Theda Bara, who played Cleopatra in 1917, and the 1963 Liz Taylor epic are mentioned. Neither scripts acknowledge the 1934 Cecil B. DeMille epic starring Claudette Colbert.

A bus tour of Beverly Hills is part of "Dr. Jed Clampett" (S3;E5) and a 1955 episode of "I Love Lucy" titled "The Tour". Both feature second unit film footage of a tour bus driving through the palm-lined streets. On the bus, an obnoxious woman is aching to get off, despite the warnings of the bus driver. In "Dr. Jed Clampett", that woman is the mother of a tap dancing prodigy and the home is that of movie studio owner Jed Clampett. In "The Tour," that woman is Lucy Ricardo, and the home is that of movie star Richard Widmark.

In "Jed the Movie Mogul" (S3;E1), TV viewers (and the Clampetts) get a preview of a scene from the upcoming Universal film Send Me No Flowers. The scene features Rock Hudson and Doris Day and is shown to the Clampetts as dailies from a film being shot at Jed's Mammoth Studios. On a 1955 episode of "I Love Lucy" titled "Lucy and the Dummy" the host of the MGM executive show introduces a clip from their upcoming movie musical Guys and Dolls. After the first airing, the clip was removed from the syndicated print, while Send Me No Flowers remains part of "The Beverly Hillbillies" to this day. That same season, Lucy Ricardo met Rock Hudson on "In Palm Springs." BTW, both films were released in color, but seen on television shows filmed and aired in black and white.

Double Trouble

With so many episodes and so many seasons, it was inevitable that "Hillbillies" and "I Love Lucy" shared the same titles.

"The Ballet" (S3;E10) of the "Beverly Hillbillies" concerns Jed financially rescuing the Los Angeles ballet. Leon Belasco played the ballet master. He was seen on several episodes of "The Lucy Show," often in the context of classical music. "The Ballet" (S1;E10) of "I Love Lucy" has Lucy learning ballet to get into Ricky's act. Mary Wickes played the ballet mistress. Wickes played social climber Adaline Ashley on a 1967 episode of "Hillbillies."

"The Diner" (S6;E19) of "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "The Diner" (S3;E27) of "I Love Lucy" have more than titles in common. They both concern the main characters purchasing a diner. Jethro named his eatery The Happy Gizzard. The feuding Ricardos and Mertzes divide their diner. One half is named A Little Bit of Cuba, and the other side is named A Big Hunk of America.

~ Epilogue: Y'all Come Back Now!

When the Clampetts made the cover of TV Guide in November 1962, it was Lucille Ball who got top billing - with a line over the masthead promoting her TV special with Danny Kaye. "The Beverly Hillbillies" made the cover nine times - while Lucille Ball reigned as queen of the Guide with 39 covers.

"Return of the Beverly Hillbillies" (1981) featured Lucy regulars Lurene Tuttle as Mollie Heller as Charles Lane as Chief, both of whom were in the original series. Lucille Ball never presented a 'reunion' show as such, she simply reinvented her Lucy character with a new last name, just as she did in 1986's short-lived "Life With Lucy."