History Trivia / TheLucyShow

* Around the time Vivian Vance returned for "Viv Visits Lucy" in season five, Hilda Josefsberg (wife of head writer Milt Josefsberg) suggested Lucy and Viv do a clip show reminiscing about their past adventures. Though everyone like the idea, it was decided to hold it in reserve for the following season, which ultimately turned into "Lucy & Viv Reminisce."

** A few plot ideas considered for the final season would later be reworked into early ''Here's Lucy'' episodes.

* OldShame:
** Candy Moore's least favorite episode was "Lucy is a Chaperone," as she felt it was a poor imitation of a corny beach movie.
** Director Maury Thompson hated the "Lucy & Pat Collins" episode, where Lucy and Mr. Mooney become hypnotized during Miss Pat's nightclub act. Thompson felt the premise was a flimsy excuse for Ball and Gordon to do shtick.

** It’s been written that Vivian Vance and Gary Morton didn’t see eye to eye, as Vance was extremely loyal to Desi Arnaz. This has been cited as a contributing factor in Vance’s decision to leave the series.

* UnderageCasting: An interesting child example. 11-year-old Lucie Arnaz played Chris’s best friend Cynthia, even though Candy Moore was 15 at the time. Arnaz later joked about how she thought her ponytail made her look more grown up, but now feels it made her look even younger than she was.

** According to ''The Lucy Book'', the series was initially planned to last only a single season, and was created as a "stop-gap" measure to help leverage the sale of other Desilu shows to the networks, as the studio was floundering at the time. However, Ball so enjoyed working steadily on television again that it was soon decided to continue the show.

** This could apply to Mr. Mooney's older son, Bob Mooney, played by Eddie Applegate. When Applegate was unavailable to reprise the role, Michael J. Pollard was brought on as Ted Mooney, essentially replacing Bob in the series continuity. Whether Ted was a replacement or simply another of Mooney's sons is a matter of contention.

** The character of Mr. Mooney was conceived for Gale Gordon during development of the first season, but Gordon had already committed to replacing the late Joseph Kearns on ''Series/DennisTheMenace''. Charles Lane was brought on as Mr. Barnsdahl in his place. Come season two, Gordon was available and the Mr. Mooney character written into the show.

** A subtle example: In "No More Double Dates," Lucy, Viv, Harry and Eddie each want to see a different movie. Two of the movies under consideration are ''Film/WhateverHappenedToBabyJane'' and ''Two for the Seesaw''. Ralph Hart, who played Sherman, had bit parts in both films.

** Ball also clashed with Creator/JoanCrawford during the filming of "Lucy & The Lost Star." Not being used to the sitcom format, Crawford was filled with trepidation and allegedly turned to alcohol to calm her nerves, which greatly displeased the notoriously demanding and perfectionist Ball. After Crawford failed to perform a Charleston dance routine to Ball's satisfaction, Ball loudly threatened to fire her in front of the entire cast and crew, causing Crawford to flee to her dressing room in tears. There, she uttered the infamous quote: "And they call ME a bitch!" It is said that Desi Arnaz and Vanda Barra gave Crawford pep talks which helped get her through the shoot, and the episode became one of the biggest hits of the season when aired.

** Candy Moore's least favorite episode was "Lucy is a Chaperone," as she felt it was a poor imitation of a corny beach movie.

** Director Maury Thompson hated the "Lucy & Pat Collins" episode, where Lucy and Mr. Mooney become hypnotized during Miss Pat's nightclub act. Thompson felt the premise was a flimsy excuse for Ball and Gordon to do shtick.

** Per Hedda Hopper’s column, Ann Sothern was first considered as Lucy’s co-star before Vivian Vance was persuaded to join the cast. Gale Storm was also said to be under consideration.

** It’s widely reported that Mr. Barnsdahl was meant to make more appearances during the first season, but Charles Lane allegedly had trouble remembering his lines in front of the audience and was subsequently dropped earlier than intended. Lane primarily stuck to single-camera shows afterwards.

** It’s widely reported that Charles Lane was meant to make more appearances during the first season, but Charles Lane allegedly had trouble remembering his lines in front of the audience and was subsequently dropped earlier than intended. Lane primarily stuck to single-camera shows afterwards.

** Jimmy Garrett and Candy Moore filmed a scene for “Lucy & Danny Kaye” which would up cut. Neither of them appear in the completed episode as a result.

* EditedForSyndication: The kaleidoscope opening was used for every episode in one syndication package, with Vivian Vance's name spoken instead of Gale Gordon's on episodes from the first three seasons.

** Jimmy Garrett and Candy Moore filmed a scene for “Lucy & Danny Kaye” that would up cut.

** Original writers Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf didn't much care for the direction the series took after they departed, and openly felt that the new writers, though talented in their own right, were not up to crafting appropriate material for Lucille Ball. (Apparently, Ball herself wasn't always happy with the material her later writers gave her, and reportedly uttered "who WROTE this?" on more than one occasion.)
** Dick Martin did not appreciate Gale Gordon's contribution to the show, feeling the addition of his character was a mistake. Martin felt the writers would've been better off creating a new love interest for Lucy, similar to Harry Connors, the part he played.

** According to Carole Cook, "Lucy & Viv Are Volunteer Firemen" was meant to show both Lucy and Viv sliding down the fireman's pole along with Cook's character, Thelma Green. During rehearsals, both Ball and Vance got cold feet and refused to do it, leaving Cook to perform the stunt by herself. (Ball only did stunts she was comfortable with, and feared the possibility of injuring herself if she fell off the pole, thus putting the whole cast and crew out of work.)

** Kathleen Freeman, besides a few appearances as one of Lucy and Viv's girlfriends, played three other characters at various times, including Miss Putnam, their maid.
** Carole Cook, best remembered as Lucy's friend Thelma Green, also appeared as a variety of other characters during both the Danfield and Los Angeles years, most notably society columnist Mrs. Valance.

** Roy Roberts first played an Admiral in "Lucy & The Submarine" before assuming the recurring role of Mr. Cheever during the final season.

** In "Lucy's Barbershop Quartet," Lucy tells Chris that Thelma Green was once in the third road company of a musical called "Rio Rita." Creator/LucilleBall herself actually was in the chorus of the same musical at the start of her career, but was fired three weeks into rehearsal.