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Lucy and Viv Open a Restaurant

S2;E20 ~ February 17, 1964

Synopsis

Lucy talks Viv buying a run-down cafe. Unable to attract even a single customer, they transform it into a gypsy tea room and then a Colonial themed restaurant – all to no avail. When Mr. Mooney learns a highway will be built nearby, he offers to become a partner. Unfortunately, blasting for the highway ruins both the café and any chance for success.

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney)

Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley) and Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael) do not appear in this episode. Jerry, however, is mentioned.

Guest Cast

Kathleen Freeman (Olga, the Cook, below left) was ‘born in a trunk’ to a family of vaudevillians. She made her stage debut at age two in her parents’ act. Equally at home on screen and stage, Freeman was appearing on Broadway in The Full Monty in 2001 when she died of lung cancer. This is the second of her five appearances in various character roles on “The Lucy Show.”

This episode was first aired on Freeman’s 45th birthday!

Jack Albertson (Herbert, the Waiter, above right) played the airport dispatcher arranging the helicopter when Lucy misses the ship in “Bon Voyage” (ILL S5;E13). He went on to win a 1969 Oscar for The Subject Was Roses. He would also play Grandpa Joe in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, but is perhaps best known as ‘the man’ on the TV series “Chico and the Man,” which won him a 1974 Emmy.

Alan Hewitt (Mr. Dutton, Society Columnist for the Danfield Tribune) was a veteran of sixteen Broadway shows, including the original production of Death of a Salesman (1949) and Call Me Madam starring Ethel Merman (1950). From 1964 to 1966 he played Detective Brennan on “My Favorite Martian.” This is his only appearance opposite Lucille Ball.

Benny Rubin (Mr. Smith, Linen Supplier, below center) played the snarky Hollywood Bus Driver in “The Tour” (ILL S4;E30). His first “Lucy Show” appearance was in “Lucy and the Runaway Butterfly” (S1;E29). The recognizable character actor is probably best remembered for his association with Jack Benny.

Jay Ose (Mr. Jones, Linen Supplier, above right) made a career combining gambling and up close magic involving cards. He was a favorite at Hollywood’s Magic Castle Club. In this episode, he demonstrates his skills by pulling the table clothes off the tables without disrupting the place settings. Ose has no dialogue; Rubin does all the talking for the pair.

Rubin and Ose are not referred to by their last names in the episode. At one point, however, Rubin does call Ose “Charley.”

Sid Gould (Mailman) made 46 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” all as background characters. He also played a Mailman in “Lucy and the Military Academy” (S2;E10). He did more than 40 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton. Gould was married to Vanda Barra, who also appeared on “The Lucy Show” starting in 1967, as well as on “Here’s Lucy.”

James Gonzales (Mr. Dutton’s Dinner Guest) was a popular Hollywood extra who first acted with Lucille Ball in the 1953 film The Long, Long Trailer. He was previously seen on the series as Stan Williams in “Lucy Digs Up a Date” (S1;E2). He was seen in more than 20 episodes of “The Lucy Show” and 3 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” In this episode, he has a line of dialogue when ordering dinner.

William Meader (Mr. Dutton’s Dinner Guest) had appeared as an airport extra in “The Ricardos Go to Japan,” a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” He made many appearances on “The Lucy Show,” most times as a clerk in Mr. Mooney’s bank. In this episode, he has a line of dialogue when ordering dinner.

Three uncredited women play Mr. Dutton’s other dinner guests.

This episode was filmed on December 19, 1963, the last before the holiday hiatus. The final draft of the script was dated December 12, 1963. It was the 50th episode of the series to be filmed. Although filmed in color, CBS originally aired it in black and white.

The night this episode originally aired (Monday, February 17, 1964) opposite “The Lucy Show” on ABC, “Wagon Train” featured Eliva Allman (left) Marjorie Bennett (center), and Amzie Strickland (right), all of whom had been seen on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show.”

Lucy responds to an ad in the Danfield Tribune.

“For Sale: Beautiful Restaurant! Great Location! Real Money-Maker! A-1 Condition!”

Viv puts down $1,000 of her ‘nest egg’ to buy the restaurant.

VIV: “If I want to spend a thousand dollars for a meal, I’ll rent a couple of togas and fly in Cary Grant for a Roman banquet.”

Viv may be referring to the 1961 romantic comedy Come September, starring Cary Grant and Gina Lollobridgida and set in Italy. The handsome actor was first mentioned on the series in “No More Double Dates” (S1;E21). He was mentioned in four episodes of “I Love Lucy,” all during the gang’s stay in Hollywood.

Lucy and Viv’s newly refurbished Four Corners Cafe brings in no customers in five days of being “Under New Management”!

Chef Olga’s Advice: “Push the lobster. In one more day he has to go bye-bye.”

Lucy and Viv apply for a GI Loan due to their service in the WAVES. Viv says 'serving their country’ consisted of typing eight hours a day in the Navy purchasing department. Lucy and Viv’s experience in the WAVES was established in “Lucy Becomes an Astronaut” (S1;E6). Unfortunately, they discover they are one week past the ten year window of eligibility. The special delivery letter from the Veteran’s Administration is signed John Foley. In real life, John Foley was the name of the series’ editor.

LUCY: “How about making it a Spanish restaurant? VIV: “Great! How about calling it El Fiasco.”

They settle on a Gypsy Tea Room serving Hungarian fare.

The Gypsy Tea Room – In “No More Double Dates” (S1;E21) Lucy wanted to go to a restaurant called Café Tambourine.

Chef Olga’s Advice: “Push the Hungarian Goulash.”

Lucy Ricardo played Camille, the snaggle-toothed Queen of the Gypsies in “The Pleasant Peasant” during the episode “The Operetta” (ILL S2'E5). This time, Lucy plays the violin while Viv has the tambourine. Lucy Carmichael first played the violin in “Lucy the Music Lover” (S1;E8). Lucille Ball learned to play violin for that episode, but only managed to muster a squeaky rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” In this episode, Lucille Ball is not actually playing.

When the Gypsy Tea Room doesn’t work out, they change to an Early American motif, complete with the George and Martha as greeters.

The Colonial Inn - This was also the name of a Colonial-themed establishment mentioned in “No More Double Dates” (S1;E21).

Chef Olga’s Advice: “Push the Yankee Pot Roast.”

Before quitting, Olga suggests that Viv (dressed as Martha Washington) close the restaurant and open a candy store. The Martha Washington Candy stores were a national chain started in the 1890s, selling ice cream and chocolates, and furnished in an early American motif. By their peak in the twenties, there were several hundred stores across the country, but the Depression and the death of their founder hit them hard and most of the stores had closed by the mid-thirties, although a few lingered into the mid-forties.

The writer of the society column for the Danfield Tribune comes to the Colonial Inn because the bridge to Ridgebury is out. In “Lucy Becomes a Reporter” (S1;E17) Lucy fills in for The Danfield Tribune’s society column editor Betty Gillis.

Mr. Mooney mentions that the new highway to New Rochelle will bypass Brewster and tunnel through Stone Mountain providing the restaurant lots of potential customers. Or so he thinks!

Genealogists say that Lucille Ball is a distant cousin of George Washington!

Lucille Ball in front of the show curtain for publicity stills. (photos by Getty Images)

Callbacks!

This story resembles “The Girls Go Into Business” (ILL S3;E2), where Lucy and Ethel buy Hanson’s Dress Shop, which becomes a potentially much bigger real estate deal when a developer wants to turn the property into a skyscraper. In “The Diner” (ILL S3;E27) the Ricardos and the Mertzes partnered to open a restaurant: A Little Bit of Cuba / A Big Hunk of America.

The bank of wooden ice box doors glimpsed in the kitchen area are the same units used on “I Love Lucy” in “The Diner”, in Tony’s during “The Black Wig”, and in the kitchen of the unnamed Italian restaurant in “Equal Rights”!

Fast Forward!

George Washington (Don Wilson) dropped by for a word with Mr. and Mrs. Paul Revere (Lucy and Jack Benny) on “The Jack Benny Program” in October 1964, eight months after “Lucy and Viv Open A Restaurant”.

The construction of a new highway through town is what galvanizes Lucy Carmichael and all of Bancroft into action in “Main Street U.S.A.” and “Lucy Puts Main Street On the Map” during season five.

Mr. Mooney briefly appeared as ‘the Father of His Country’ (in painting form) when “Lucy Gets Mooney Fired” during season six.

Blooper Alerts!

Memory Lapse! Viv says they started to live together six years ago. Just ten shows earlier, in "The Loophole in the Lease” (S2;E12), Lucy said they had lived together for 5 years.

Where There’s Smoke... When Lucy backs into the candle setting her wig on fire, the smoke is clearly emanating from the wall panel behind her, even after she moves away. Also, the 'smoke’ behaves very much like dry ice, clinging to the counter top.

“Lucy and Viv Open a Restaurant” Rates 4 Paper Hearts out of 5

#Lucy and Viv Open a Restaurant #The Lucy Show #Lucille Ball #Vivian Vance #Gale Gordon #Kathleen Freeman #Jack Albertson #George Washington #Martha Washington Candy #Sid Gould #William Meader #Benny Rubin #Alan Hewitt #Jay Ose #James Gonzales #Cary Grant #veteran's administration #john foley

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