Line #65 Funny/ILoveLucy


1	[[quoteright:300:[[OhCrap https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/I_Love_Lucy_Chocolate_Factory.jpg]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:"Speed 'er up a little!"]]
3	Given that Creator/LucilleBall is often ranked and considered the funniest comedienne in television history, and ''Series/ILoveLucy'' is still to this day lauded as one of the greatest Sitcoms of all time, expect quite a few legendary examples on this page.
4	----
5	* As the show was taped in front of an audience, those were genuine reactions whenever comedy occurred. And some of the audience members were more easily heard over the rest, or stood on their own. Two of the more famous ones was when one woman said "Uh oh" during one of Lucy's schemes backfiring (this woman was usually Lucille Ball's mother, who was a regular in the audience); and in the "Lucy Meets Harpo Marx" episode, when Harpo first spots Lucy behind the curtain and has a shocked look, one audience member is heard emitting a high-pitched "HOHOHO!"
6	* "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" is one of TV comedy's all-time classic half-hours.
7	** In the first act, Lucy, with Fred's help, tries to persuade Ricky to cast her in the commercial for his television special by pretending to be on TV... inside their TV.
8	*** Ricky isn't fooled for a moment; his suspicions are first aroused when Fred tells him the show is about to begin, even though it's only 4:23. When he gets his first look at Lucy on (or, rather, in) TV dressed in the bellhop costume of [[ProductPlacement Philip Morris cigarette ad frontman Johnny Roventini]] and holding a pack of said cigarettes while shouting Roventini's catchphrase, "CALL FOR PHILIP MORRIS!" (apparently they don't just sponsor ''I Love Lucy'', but also the ShowWithinAShow),[[note]] As with most references to Philip Morris, this part of the scene was cut in syndicated re-runs, although it appears in some home video releases.[[/note]] Ricky snarks, "I can't get over how clear the picture is." When Lucy accidentally drops the pack of cigarettes and has to lean out of the hole where the screen usually is to pick it up, he adds, "Well, what do you know? Third-dimensional television."
9	*** Fred tries to sustain the illusion by applauding Lucy as she introduces "''The Lucy Ricardo Show''", while Ricky decides to get up and change the station...
10	---->'''Lucy:''' For our first offering this evening, we— STOP THAT NOW! Go back and sit down!
11	*** As Lucy continues to ignore his insistence that she stop the charade, Ricky eventually ends the bit by ''plugging the TV in'', electrocuting Lucy (his malicious grin before he does so is hilarious). He then asks where the chassis is; turns out Lucy didn't know it all slid out as one piece, so ''she disassembled the entire TV.''
12	** Then there's the episode's timeless second act, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwkzNclZR4s Vitameatavegamin]] -- the single funniest sketch in the history of television. So funny even the other actors can't contain their laughter. If you look closely you can see Desi and the actor playing the director, Ross Elliott, biting down on the insides of their cheeks to avoid cracking smiles. Desi even went on record saying the inside of his cheeks were sore after shooting that scene.
13	*** The seeds of mayhem are sown early on when technical assistant Joe notices that Vitameatavegamin is 23% alcohol. Lucy, who uses her maiden name to avoid arousing suspicion, is more concerned with the taste; the first few times she takes a spoonful after declaring "It's so tasty, too!", Lucille Ball's disgusted face is a masterclass in FacialDialogue.
14	---->'''Lucy:''' It's so tasty, too! ''[takes a spoonful - and immediately makes a face that practically screams "[[IAteWhat WHAT did I just drink!?]]" before finally swallowing and shuddering involuntarily, then taking a few seconds to get her breath again]'' [[BlatantLies It's... just like candy!]]
15	*** Then Ricky enters to discuss the evening's performance with director Ross, not initially absorbing the presence of someone else...
16	---->'''Ricky:''' Hiya, Ross.\
17	'''Ross:''' Oh, hello, Ricky.\
18	'''Ricky:''' Hiya, Lucy. Listen, I wanna see about that number- ''[[[DelayedReaction finally notices Lucy]] and gives her a DisapprovingLook]''\
19	'''Lucy:''' ... Hi.\
20	'''Ricky:''' And what, may I ask, are you doing here?\
21	'''Ross:''' Well, she's gonna do the commercial!\
22	'''Ricky:''' ''[pointing to Lucy]'' She's gonna do the commercial??\
23	'''Ross:''' Yeah!\
24	'''Ricky:''' What did you do to the girl that was supposed to be here? ''[Lucy edges away from Ricky and avoids eye contact with him]'' Now Lucy, I told you you couldn't do the commercial. ''[Lucy doesn't answer]'' Now what's the big idea? ''[Lucy still doesn't answer]'' Lucy, what have you got to say for yourself?\
25	'''Lucy:''' ''[rapid-fire, a wide-eyed forced smile on her face]'' Hello friends, I'm your Vitameatavegamin girl, are you tired, rundown, listless, do you poop out at parties-\
26	'''Ricky:''' ''[putting his hand on her arm]'' Never mind, never mind, never mind!
27	*** Ricky is persuaded to let "Miss [=McGillicuddy=]" do the commercial when Ross points out that it's too late to find a replacement, and she goes through a flawless rendition of the sales pitch... apart from a very loud AlcoholHic a few seconds after she finishes.[[note]] Watch Desi's face throughout Lucy's performance and you can see how much self-control he is exercising to keep from doubling over in hysterics.[[/note]] Once Ricky leaves again, she attempts to re-start the pitch from when she takes a spoonful, but is struggling to concentrate and asks to start from the beginning. Things rapidly go downhill as [[IntoxicationEnsues Lucy's body starts absorbing the alcohol]]; it starts with the {{Spoonerism}} "bittle lottle", and although she corrects herself immediately, the alcohol visibly hits her ''hard'' seconds later, and her speech slows down considerably as she tries to avoid stumbling over the words, only to end by telling the audience to buy "a great big bottle of Mitameatamidgamin... remember that name! Mitavattameatymat!"
28	*** Finally, Joe tells Ross the sound man wants to get a level check on Lucy's voice (during which conversation Lucy stares vacantly at Joe, unnerving him), and another take is prepared, this one on a timer. It takes two attempts to get Lucy going - and once she does get going, well...
29	---->'''Lucy:''' ''[leaning over the table]'' Weeell, I'm your Vitaveatyvidgyvat girl. Are you tired, rundown, listless? [[{{Spoonerism}} Do you pop out at parties? Are you unpoopular?]] ''[{{Beat}}]'' Well, are you?? ''[picks up the bottle]'' The answer to all your problems is in this li'l ol' bottle. Vitameatavegamin. ''[checks the label, surprised she got it right]'' That's it. Vitameatavegamin contains... vitamins, meat, [[{{Spoonerism}} megetables, and vinerals.]] ''[she grins, then lets off an AlcoholHic]'' So why don't you join the thousands of happy, peppy people, and get a great big bottle of, uh... Vitaveataveanymeenyminymoe. ''[tilts the bottle sideways, emptying the contents onto the studio floor, then rights it again]'' I'll tell you what'cha have to do, you have to take a whole tablespoonful after every meal. ''[she picks up the spoon, but puts it under the body of the bottle instead of the neck as she pours. She tries again, but this time the spoon is over the bottle. Finally, she puts the spoon on the table and empties the bottle toward it, then sets the bottle down... before grinning, picking up the bottle, and chugging from it directly]'' It's so tasty, too! ''[picks up the spoon, downs its contents, and licks the back, then swirls her finger in the spilled liquid and licks it off as well]'' Just like candy. ''[picks up the bottle]'' So everybody get a bottle of... ''[tries to remember the name, but can't]'' this stuff.
30	** In the third act, Ricky goes out for his performance... but Lucy, who still hasn't sobered up, stumbles into the middle of it and tries to tunelessly sing along with Ricky (who gamely struggles through the rest of the number) before reciting the sales pitch as Ricky forcibly carries her backstage again.
31	* From "Lucy's Italian Movie":
32	** The classic Wine Vat scene, which is a venerable master class in both Physical Comedy and Facial expressions.
33	** This exchange, which doubles as a BrickJoke from when the group was in England and Ricky had to translate his CatchPhrase as "Blimey" for a local.
34	--->'''Lucy:''' Honey, do you like earthy women.\
35	'''Ricky:''' What's "earthy?"\
36	'''Lucy:''' ''[She opens up a magazine she'd been reading]'' That.\
37	'''Ricky:''' Oh, that's not what we say in Cuba.\
38	'''Lucy:''' What do you say?\
39	'''Ricky:''' Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!\
40	''[A bit later, when a local bellhop is giving Lucy directions, he opens the magazine to the same page and sees the woman.]''\
41	'''Bellhop:''' Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!\
42	'''Ricky:''' How about that? That's what they say in Italy, too!
43	* "Fred and Ethel Fight":
44	** Ricky is in top snarker form at the start, culminating in a legitimate spit-take in the background when Lucy refers to Ethel as a "cute young chick."
45	** Lucy and Ricky tying Fred and Ethel into the same coat until they make up. And then when they do make up.
46	--->'''Lucy''': You know this is pretty sickening.
47	--->'''Ricky''': I liked it better when they were mad!
48	** Ricky and Lucy going back and forth about their own last fight. Eventually Ricky pauses, glaring at Lucy.
49	--->'''Fred''': ''[pointing at Ricky]'' It's your serve.
50	** Ricky checking Fred's grape soda to make sure it isn't spiked after Fred [[ItMakesSenseInContext suggests burning down the apartment building.]]
51	* Possibly one of the single funniest moments on live-action television was from the very end of the show's run. In the show's final season, both couples had moved from their apartments in New York City to a farmhouse in Connecticut. This particular episode they decided to try to raise chickens. The chickens weren't maturing fast enough to suit Ricky, so Lucy and Ethel began buying eggs to plant into the chicken's nests. When Ricky came home early they hid the eggs by stuffing them into Lucy's blouse and Ethel's back pockets. Ricky then insisted Lucy practice a tango routine with him that the two of them needed to do later that week for Little Ricky's school. The end result was an egg-soaked Lucy and a live audience that laughed for over a minute and a half. It was considered a record holder for years, and may still be one. As a cherry on the sundae, Fred opens the door into Ethel's backside, crushing all the eggs in her back pockets.
52	-->'''Ricky''': Ethel! Are you carrying eggs too?
53	-->'''''CRUNCH'''''
54	-->'''Ethel''': I ''was''...
55	* King Kat Walsh's response to seeing Fred in a raccoon coat: "Dig that crazy dancing bear!"
56	* From "Lucy Wants New Furniture," Ricky says they can't afford the titular new furniture, and Lucy grabs a chair and a magazine, saying "I may have to live with that furniture, but I don't have to look at it!" before sitting down and angrily opening the magazine - and accidentally ''ripping it in half''.
57	* From "The Moustache":
58	-->'''Ethel''': My grandfather used to have a moustache -- a great, big, long handlebar one -- and Grandma got rid of it in the middle of the night.
59	-->'''Lucy''': How?
60	-->'''Ethel''': She tied it around the bedpost when he was asleep and then yelled "Fire."
61	** The ideas Ethel comes up with after Lucy accidentally cements a fake beard to her face to get rid of said beard involve ripping it off via weight and ''burning it off Lucy's face''. Keep in mind Lucy is dressed in a suit at the time so as to appear like a Southern gentleman and not look bizarre.
62	* "Job Switching," often hailed as one of the single most funniest episodes in television history.
63	** The oft-parodied sequence of Lucy and Ethel working at the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YGF5R9i53A chocolate factory.]] They admitted they were paying homage to ''Modern Times''.
64	** Before that, Lucy's attempt at chocolate dipping, in which she is able to pick up on the rhythm of the task, but fails completely in the execution.
65	** From that same episode, all of Fred and Ricky's attempts at being housewives for a day. ''Especially'' the cooking scene.
66	** There's also Ricky and Fred totally clueless about food portions:
67	---> '''Ricky''': Hey, listen, by the way, what do you know about rice?\
68	'''Fred''': Well, I had it thrown at me on one of the darkest days of my life.\
69	'''Ricky''': No, never mind that. I mean how much do you think we should use for four people?\
70	'''Fred''': Well, I don't know. People like that stuff.\
71	'''Ricky''': Well, how does one pound per person sound?\
72	'''Fred''': That sounds about right.
73	** When Ricky and Fred are cooking dinner, first the chicken flies out of the pot... and the rice boils over and creates a ''huge'' mess. The repeated attempts to clean the chicken (with ''soap'') and dispose of the rice. HilarityEnsues as does [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Reality]].
74	** Lucy and Ethel at the employment agency:
75	---> '''Temp agent''': What kind of job did you have in mind?\
76	'''Lucy''': Well what kind of jobs do you have open?\
77	'''Temp agent''': Well, what do you do?\
78	'''Lucy''': What kind of jobs do you have open?\
79	'''Temp agent''': Well what do you ''do''??\
80	'''Lucy''': ...What kind of jobs do you have open?\
81	'''Temp agent''': You go first this time.\
82	'''Lucy''': All right. What do you do?\
83	'''Temp agent''': [[GotMeDoingIt What kind of jobs do you have open]]- NOW CUT THAT OUT!
84	* The MirrorRoutine with Harpo Marx.
85	** Preceded by him chasing Ethel around the room and his look of ''utter shock'' at seeing Lucy dressed up as him hiding in the kitchen. He pinches his own face and hands for a few moments, trying to make sure that ''he's'' real.
86	** Even Harpo wasn't impervious to Lucy's overall charm as he noticably [[{{Corpsing}} breaks]] while the two recreate the classic mirror scene.
87	** And after the MirrorRoutine, Ricky and Fred enter the room - dressed as Groucho and Chico Marx. Ricky has some ''fantastic'' eyebrows.
88	* This exchange between Lucy and Ethel:
89	--> '''Lucy''': It's what every wife dreams of getting from her husband.
90	--> '''Ethel''': A divorce?
91	** For the record, Lucy meant a mink stole. Hell, the entire scene where she tried to get Ethel to guess that by miming it ([[LoopholeAbuse since Ricky prohibited her from speaking about it]]) was pretty funny.
92	* The entire episode "Sales Resistance."
93	** The funniest moment is probably a tie between Lucy trying to sell the vacuum cleaner:
94	--->'''Lucy:''' That's funny, I can't imagine why it doesn't work.\
95	'''Woman:''' I can. The electricity's turned off.\
96	'''Lucy:''' What?!\
97	'''Woman:''' We didn't pay our bill.\
98	'''Lucy:''' Why didn't you tell me?\
99	'''Woman:''' [[YouDidntAsk You didn't ask me]]. ''[puts the money from Lucy's wager with her down the front of her dress]''\
100	'''Lucy:''' Oh, dear... I'm sorry I made such a mess on your floor. I don't know how you're gonna clean it up.\
101	'''Woman:''' ''I do!''\
102	'''Lucy:''' [[CatchPhrase Eeeeew...]]
103	** ... and Lucy coming home:
104	--->'''Ethel:''' Lucy, where's your other shoe?\
105	'''Lucy:''' Stuck in the door at 310 East 69th Street. I was kicked down stairs, bitten by a dog, and chased three blocks by a policeman who wanted to see my peddler's license. One more hour, they'd have reported [[Theatre/DeathOfASalesman the death of another salesman]].
106	* "Ethel's Home Town":
107	** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1M91x-Go6c closing show]]. For context, Ethel goes into full egotist mode when they stop in Albuquerque, her hometown. Her father believes that it was ''Ethel'' that got the movie offer instead of Ricky and after a bit of ego stroking thanks to him and a few childhood friends of Ethel's, she does a one-woman-show at the local theater. By this time, Fred and Ricky are more than willing to just leave, but Lucy insists that they'll be "right behind her." Literally.
108	** During the show itself, Ethel sings "Shortnin' Bread" and "My Hero", all while Lucy, Ricky and Fred perform various vaudeville skits behind her, including playing tug-of-war with ''themselves'', the [[AmbiguousSyntax man eating tiger]], Fred carrying around a plant that continues to grow at a rapid pace, Ricky doing a scarf-pulling trick, which ends up including his socks and ''underwear'', and finishes up with Fred and Ricky sitting on a swing that Lucy is holding up by her mouth. It's at this point that Ethel finally notices the antics behind her and struggles to finish her song.
109	** The kicker? After all that, the hometown paper gushes on the "brilliance" of Ethel's act with her "comedic sidekicks." The triumphant grin on Ethel's face posing for photographs is matched only by the trio's combined YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe faces.
110	* In [[Recap/ILoveLucyS2E16LucyGoesToTheHospital Lucy Goes to the Hospital]], Ricky, Fred, and Ethel practice what they need to do when Lucy declares "The time has come!" The practice goes very smoothly of course. [[HilarityEnsues And then...]]
111	-->'''Lucy:''' Ricky, this is it.
112	** While waiting in the waiting room, Fred meets a man who is the antithesis of a PanickyExpectantFather, and asks why. The other man explains that he's had six children so far--all girls--and thus isn't all that worried any more, although he ''does'' hope that this time, he'll have a boy. A nurse comes out and tells him that it wasn't a girl, and he starts to cheer--until she corrects him: [[ExactWords she said it wasn't]] ''[[ExactWords a]]'' [[ExactWords girl]]. Cue three other nurses walking out carrying his triplet daughters!
113	--->'''Man''': ''(soul-crushed)'' ''Nine'' girls... \
114	'''Fred''': Hey, at least you can start your own girl's softball team!
115	** Ricky has several waiting room shenanigans courtesy of deciding to get ready for his show while at the hospital. He steps out in heavy makeup for a voodoo-themed number and scares the crap out of Fred and a nurse. He's still wearing the makeup when returning to the hospital after getting the call and nearly gets taken to an asylum.
116	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEKqGe5cz-M Lucy Changes Her Mind]]
117	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ivqXzmrZ0 Ricky telling his son a story]] in Spanish with phrases of English dashed in.
118	* Ethel trying in vain to wake Fred up when they're overcrowded together on a train:
119	-->'''Ethel:''' Look, there goes Gina Lollobrigida!
120	-->'''Fred:''' WHERE WHERE WHERE?!
121	** The scene ends with Ethel telling Fred he can sleep standing up. After the transition, Fred is shown sleeping across the other three on the bench.
122	* From "Lucy and Superman":
123	** Lucy gets the original idea:
124	--->'''Lucy:''' ''[as Ricky is walking by, not really paying attention]'' Honey, will you do me a favor and call Superman this afternoon?\
125	'''Ricky:''' Yeah, sure. ''[he leaves]''\
126	''[{{Beat}}]''\
127	'''Ricky:''' ''[walks back in]'' ''Superman?!''
128	** And the ending. Lucy and Ricky's shocked faces are the cherry on top of the sundae.
129	--->'''Ricky:''' Lucy, I cannot believe it! In all of the 15 years we've been married you've never done anything like this!\
130	'''Superman:''' You mean to tell me that you've been married to her for fifteen years?\
131	'''Ricky:''' Yes, fifteen years!\
132	'''Superman:''' And they call ''me'' Superman!
133	** This gets potentially even funnier given that Lois' [[GoingForTheBigScoop efforts to get her story]] likewise result in some situations; Superman might well be thinking about whether this is what he can expect if they ever marry.
134	* Lucy inadvertently splicing a skit she and the Mertzes did, along with Ricky's home movies, into Ricky's audition reel for a gig. She basically performed YouTubePoop 50 years before Website/YouTube.
135	* "Lucy is Envious":
136	** The scene where Ricky and Fred (disguised as Martians) scare the bejeezus out of Lucy and Ethel. Once the Martians leave, Ethel shouts, "Call the police!" Lucy screams in response.
137	** The whole sequence where they pretend to be Space Ladies from Mars and the ending was pretty funny too.
138	** "ITS A MUMU!"
139	* The episode where they open a diner. Ricky and Lucy end up talking to and greeting the customers, while Fred and Ethel end up slaving away in the kitchen.
140	** Lucy responding to Ricky's attempt at HashHouseLingo in "The Diner": "Next time you want a hamburger without onions, ''ask'' for a hamburger without onions! Don't just stand there yelling, "Bring the bull in the ring and laugh in his face"!
141	** After a feud, the couples agree to split the diner IN HALF. Cue the sequence where a (quite drunk) customer comes in and asks for a hamburger. The couples try to get him to buy from their side of the diner, repeatedly lowering their prices on the menu until Fred and Ethel end up going down to a one cent hamburger. Lucy then calls the customer over to her side, whispers something in his ear, gives him a dollar from the cash register, and the guy goes over to Fred and Ethel and asks "I'd like 100 hamburgers." And Fred and Ethel's response: "I'm sorry we're all out of hamburgers."
142	** The pie fight at the end. Especially where the said customer throws a pie in the face of the former owner of the diner after he hears that he cheated Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred out of their money.
143	* Lucy tries to prove herself as a "Creator/MarilynMonroe type" to a Hollywood talent scout. When greeting Fred and Ethel, she enters wearing a blonde wig, a slinky dress, and a fake beauty mark. She also practices her SupermodelStrut and seductive smile. Additionally, after Lucy asks Fred and Ethel to guess who she's supposed to be, Fred answers, "Creator/HumphreyBogart in a wig!"
144	* Lucy and Ethel get into a fight around Ethel's birthday. As Lucy storms out, she comes back in and throws in this zinger.
145	-->''Happy birthday, and I hope you live another 75 years!''
146	* Fred's moment of glory at the end of the Passport Office episode.
147	* "The Golf Game": All the crazy golf rules that Ricky and Fred make up so that Lucy and Ethel will hate golf and quit. [[http://ultimateilovelucy.wikia.com/wiki/The_Golf_Game See the list here.]] To summarize it, it's like a 50's version of a Website/ClickHole article.
148	* When Ricky goes on a long-winded rant in Spanish about Lucy and ''all'' it says as a translation at the bottom is "She's nuts."
149	* "Lucy Tells the Truth", all of it. In particular, the climax where Lucy gets in over her head by lying that she speaks Italian and inadvertently becomes the assistant to a knife thrower. Just before he throws the last knife at her, Lucy screams and confesses her lie to Ricky.
150	* "Ricky's Life Story": To discourage Lucy from wanting to be in show business, he rehearses a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQGSWBkJW84 "Challenge"]] number with her. Ricky performs some incredibly simple movements, while Lucy quickly exhausts herself with really strenuous, fast-paced moves.
151	* "Lucy Hires an English Tutor":
152	** Ricky tries reading a children's story, but repeatedly messes up the pronunciations of certain words:
153	---> '''Ricky''': Once upon a time in the woods live a peasant. He was a good man with a noble heart. He spent his time in the forest cutting down booges[[note]]boughs[[/note]] from the trees. (...) Cutting wood all day made his hands strong and row[[note]]rough[[/note]]. (...) One day he cut wood so fast that by noon, his day's work was thruff[[note]]through[[/note]]. (...) It started to rain on the way home, and he got so wet that his nose became red and he developed a hacking coo[[note]]cough[[/note]]? Well, I know it can't be ''cow''.
154	** The singing exercise that the tutor suggests the group performs as flowers in Ricky's show:
155	---> '''Ricky''': Derry down pip pip...\
156	'''Lucy''': Dilly dilly day!\
157	'''Ethel''': Hey nonny nonny...\
158	'''Fred''': ...Rippity pippity ayyyy.\
159	(moments later...)\
160	'''Fred''': Derry down ding dong...\
161	'''Ethel''': Dilly dilly do!\
162	'''Lucy''': Hey nonny nonny...\
163	'''Ricky''': ...Rippity pippity poo.
164	* In "Tennessee Bound":
165	** The group gets lost and asks someone where they are. Turns out they're in Tennessee, leading to this:
166	---> '''Lucy''': Tennessee?!\
167	'''Ethel''': Tennessee?!\
168	'''Ricky''': Tennessee?!\
169	'''Fred''': Tennessee?!\
170	'''Local''':[[note]] Played by a pre-fame Creator/AaronSpelling.[[/note]] You got a real bad echo in that car!
171	** Then moments later, they learn the name of the town, Bent Fork:
172	---> '''Lucy''': Bent Fork?!\
173	'''Ethel''': Bent Fork?!\
174	'''Ricky''': Bent Fork?!\
175	'''Fred''': Bent Fork?!\
176	'''Local''': There's that echo again!
177	** The Bent Fork sheriff warns Lucy that if she so much as says "boo", he's going to lock her up in jail for the night. Lucy bites her tongue and ''almost'' makes it out the door but can't help herself: "Boo." Cue the sheriff hauling her off to the cell.
178	* "Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio": A joke that's lost on some modern audiences has the group of four confusing who is on their TV screen (due to bad TV reception):
179	--> '''Lucy''': That little girl is Margaret O'Brien, isn't it? (Born 1937, would be 15 that year.)\
180	'''Ricky''': Look again. It's Shirley Temple. (Born 1928, would be 24 that year.)\
181	'''Fred''': Look again. It's Mary Pickford. (Born 1892, would be '''60''' that year.)
182	* Some moments in "Ricardos Visit Cuba" double as heartwarming and funny. In spite of her best efforts, Lucy has messed up in front of Ricky's family and is near tears.
183	-->'''Lucy''': What would you do if the first time I met you, I said awful things, spilled stuff all over you, and acted like a first-class nincompoop, what would you do?
184	-->'''Ricky''': ''[completely serious]'' Just what I did! Wait for my clothes to come back from the cleaners and then marry you!
185	** Later on, Lucy tries to get a box of cigars for Alberto, having sat on the last ones. Of course, HilarityEnsues, and things only get worse when Alberto walks into the cigar shop. Lucy hides as one of the cigar rollers, and winds up accidentally rolling a cigar that's about two feet long. ''[[FromBadToWorse Then Ricky walks in.]]''
186	* "Lucy Gets Chummy With the Neighbors":
187	** Ricky gets in a fight with Ralph Ramsey. Fred and Ethel come to visit from the city, and Ricky isn't in the house at the moment.
188	---> '''Ethel''': [[ItsQuietTooQuiet It's too quiet in here.]] I don't like it.\
189	''(Ricky storms in the door shouting Spanish and looking disheveled)''\
190	'''Ethel''': Oh, my goodness!\
191	'''Fred''': If he looks like that, what must ''Lucy'' look like?\
192	''(she's fine)''
193	** Moments later, this great dry line from Fred:
194	---> '''Fred''': I thought people moved to the country for peace and quiet.
195	* When in Switzerland, the group gets stuck inside a cabin that's been sealed shut by an avalanche. Lucy, Ethel, and Fred start making confessions, trying to clear their consciences because they're convinced they're going to die.
196	-->'''Lucy''': Ricky? Don't you have anything to confess?
197	-->'''Ricky''': ''[who has been silent thus far]'' I'm no fool. We might be saved!
198	* "Return Home from Europe": On the plane ride home, Lucy trying to pass off a giant piece of cheese as a baby.
199	** The aftermath scene counts too. Lucy is interrogated by a customs officer (played by Frank Nelson), but Ricky has a photo op that's taking place at the same time. When his band goes to play a welcome home number, none of their instruments make a sound. It turns out Lucy shoved the remaining cheese in all their instruments. Lucy remarked that the piccolo was the hardest to do that to. Ricky looks like he's going to chew her out at first but instead he just starts laughing at how ridiculous this situation is.
200	* When they're in Hollywood, Fred meets Creator/JohnWayne, who has been warned by Ricky that Fred is going to see how strong his handshake is. The Duke plays along, and Fred thinks that he's got a stronger handshake than Wayne...until Ethel comes in, shakes Fred's hand, and sends him to his knees without visible effort. Then there's Wayne's disbelieving reaction when Fred comes in doing a ''very'' bad imitation of the Duke.
201	* When [[DoomMagnet Lucy]] wants to go to lunch with Ricky and Creator/RichardWidmark, Ricky obviously says no after all the wacky hijinks that have happened around her. She eventually intimates she's just going to go to the same restaurant and maybe just drop by their table.
202	-->'''Ricky''': And if I so much as see you there, I'm going to wrap you up in a brown paper bag and ship you back to New York! ''[goes to leave]'' And that's an ultimatum!
203	** Lucy is more surprised that he could pronounce the word ultimatum than by his threat.
204	** From the same episode, Lucy's exploits around Hollywood have apparently already become the stuff of legend to the point where, upon coming across Lucy [[ItMakesSenseInContext hiding out in his house after trying to take a grapefruit from his garden]], Richard Widmark claims that it would be a "public service to Hollywood" to use his hunting rifle on her, and Ricky -- annoyed that Lucy has got herself into a mess once again -- even chimes in that it might get him a special Oscar. In fact, the only one who objects to the idea (apart from Lucy) is Widmark's Saint Bernard dog, who gives the most glorious DoubleTake at the suggestion.
205	* When they're in France, Lucy has been seeing Creator/CharlesBoyer everywhere, and when she sees the ''actual'' one, Ricky [[PrivacyByDistraction sends her to go powder her nose before she talks to him]] so he can warn Charles. Charles is - understandably - shocked to find out that [[CloudCuckooLander Lucy]] really did all those things that he believes are publicity stories.
206	-->'''Charles Boyer''': In French, I think we have a word for her. ''Balle du vis.''\
207	'''Ricky''': What's that mean?\
208	'''Charles''': ''Screwball.''
209	** Later on, Ricky pretends to be jealous to keep Lucy away, planting a kiss on her that leaves her halfway into PostKissCatatonia and going "Wow, who needs Boyer?" Lucy decides to enlist the help of "Maurice Dubois" - actually the real Charles Boyer - to prove to Ricky that she doesn't care about Boyer. She asks him if he can handle the romantic lead, and he replies that he's never tried that before.
210	--->'''Lucy''': Well what acting experience do you have?\
211	'''Charles''': ''[straightfaced]'' Mostly Westerns.
212	** This line, from Charles (posing as Dubois): "Lucy, I am drawn to you like a moth to a flame. I cannot HELP myself!"
213	* "Lucy Raises Tulips" has several, starting with Fred and Ricky fighting over who gets to use the Ramseys' power mower:
214	--> '''Ethel''': You sure we should leave them alone? They may get to fighting over that toy.
215	--> '''Lucy''': I'll send Little Ricky to keep an eye on them.
216	** Later, with Ricky gone, Lucy decides to finish mowing the lawn herself. She has no idea how to drive the power mower but says, "I know how to drive a car -- how hard can it be?" At least one person in the audience remembers the events of [[DrivesLikeCrazy "Lucy Learns To Drive"]] because she can clearly be heard saying "Uh-oh!" even over the laughter that ensues.
217	** It goes without saying that events prove her right, with Lucy accidentally ruining Betty Ramsey's tulip bed. She decides she can replace them with wax tulips, punching Ethel repeatedly on the shoulder in her excitement before they leave for the store.
218	--->'''Ethel''': While we're there, can I get some linament for my shoulder?
219	** The episode ends in an ''excellent'' role reversal, where Ricky accidentally ruins ''Lucy's'' tulips and tries secretly replacing them with wax ones, leading to...
220	--->'''Ricky''': Listen, honey, Betty didn't have anything to do with this -- I can 'splain.
221	--->'''Lucy''': ''(backing him against the wall, causing everyone else to back up out of her way in unison [[ThisIsGonnaSuck with terrified looks on their faces]])'' Well, [[BorrowedCatchPhrase start splainin!]]
222	** The priceless line "Oooh, it was darker than the inside of your sombrero!"
223	* "The Quiz Show": With Ricky cutting off her finances, Lucy tries to win a thousand dollars on a game show. To qualify, she has to don a rain slicker and sing "My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean" for the audience. The catch is that every time she says a word relating to water, host Freddie Fillmore (played by Frank Nelson) sprays her in the face with water. That's funny enough, but the gold is how he messes with her after she's done singing.
224	-->'''Freddie''': Now, do you see the get the idea of our little game?\
225	'''Lucy''': Yes, I see.\
226	'''Freddie''': Sea! ''[sprays her]''\
227	'''Lucy''': Listen, I've got a notion--!\
228	'''Freddie''': An ocean! ''[sprays her again]'' Oh, that was wonderful, Mrs. Ricardo. Yes, yes! How 'bout giving her a big hand?\
229	''[Lucy picks up the spray bottle to get him, but she accidentally blasts herself in the face]''
230	* "L.A. at Last":
231	** Of course, the scene where Lucy, sporting a fake nose to disguise herself from Creator/WilliamHolden (whom she had an embarrassing moment with in the Brown Derby restaurant earlier), accidentally sets the fake nose on fire when trying to light a cigarette. While the script had her removing the nose and dunking it in her coffe, Lucy ad-libbed, resulting in her extinguishing the fake nose in her coffee while it was still attached.
232	** Earlier, in the Brown Derby restaurant scene, Fred derides Ethel and Lucy for standing up and asking "Where?" every time a male celebrity is announced over the intercom, but when "Phone call for Creator/AvaGardner" is said, Fred stands up and says, "Where?" When Ethel calls him on his hypocrisy:
233	---> '''Ethel''': Fred, sit down. Remember? "She's just people, like you and me."\
234	'''Fred''': She might be people, but she's ''not'' like you and me!
235	** While Lucy, Fred and Ethel are eating lunch at the Brown Derby, Lucy can't stop gawking at William Holden who decides to get his own back by gawking back at her, which naturally results in Lucy getting so flustered that she ends up repeatedly trying to eat more spaghetti than she can take. At one point, she's got so much pasta dangling from her mouth that Ethel decides to help her out by ''using her nail scissors to cut the excess off''. And throughout all of it, Holden just keeps staring silently at Lucy with the most butter-wouldn't-melt expression imaginable.
236	* "The Kleptomaniac": Lucy secretly runs the annual bazaar after being forbidden by Ricky due to issues with her management previously. He finds money from the bazaar in her purse and sees her carting away Fred's cuckoo clock and comes to the conclusion that she's a kleptomaniac. Hoping to deter her, he brings in an expert psychiatrist, Dr. Robinson, to meet with her. Lucy, having caught on, goes along with it; she outright pretends to be a gangster-- complete with tommy gun, gangster name and Ethel as her lackey-- plants "stolen goods" around the room, makes up phony stories about them and her secret history of theft and even manages to snatch Dr. Robinson's watch. At the end of the interview, she says that she's done with stealing. When Dr. Robinson expresses doubt that she could give it up so easily, she explains that she hit her peak as a thief when she went to the circus earlier that day... and proceeds to lead ''a baby elephant'' out of the bedroom.
237	** It also deserves honorable mention that Ricky pronounces "psychiatrist" as "pees-a-kea-trist".
238	* "Ricky's Screen Test": [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x186ikt_i-love-lucy-close-up_tv The entire last act]] has many funny bits: The loud assistant director that rattles Lucy ("QUIET ON THE SET!" "ROLL 'EM!" "RICARDO SCREEN TEST, TAKE FOUR!"), Lucy constantly trying to face the camera to be "discovered" (she's supposed to be shot only from the back), the director getting increasingly fed up and finally snapping, putting the AD to shame ("All right, now this is it: Good, bad, or indifferent! ROLL 'EM!!! ROLL 'EM, I SAID!!!"), and Ricky eventually resorting to using his belt to ''tie Lucy to the bench'', which causes him to lose his pants by the end of the scene.
239	* "Ricky Needs an Agent": When Lucy spills the beans that she pretended to be an agent at a movie studio but accidentally got Ricky released from his contract, Ricky can barely talk so [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x186ikl_i-love-lucy-smashing-glass_tv Lucy gives him things to smash.]] After smashing numerous glass items on the carpet and leaving, Lucy starts cleaning up and checks underneath the couch. Cue Fred and Ethel walking in, getting the wrong idea:
240	--> '''Ethel''': He killed her and tried to hide her body underneath the couch!
241	* "Lucy Gets In Pictures":
242	** Lucy having to battle the world's heaviest headdress while shooting her big Hollywood debut role. The poor director is nearly driven insane by her antics.
243	** The director eventually rewrites Lucy's introduction to her lying dead on a hospital stretcher, with her face covered by a sheet. Lucy becomes so worried that her friends won't recognize her, that she goes to "powder" her feet, and comes back with her name written on the soles of her shoes.
244	* Ethel performing a séance [[ItMakesSenseInContext giving AT&T operators]] a run for their money.
245	-->'''Ethel''': ''(dramatically robust)'' I shall now reach out to the spirits.\
246	''(Nasally and deadpan)''\
247	Ethel to Tilly, Ethel to Tilly! Come in Tilly! Over!
248	* One of Lucille Ball's personal favorites, Lucy performing as Camille, the snaggle-toothed Queen of the Gypsies in "The Operetta." The lyrics for the operetta in general, as written by Lucy, are cheesy, clunky and yet [[SoBadItsGood stupidly funny in a charming way]].
249	-->'''Ricky''': ''(singing)'' I am the good prince Lancelot\
250	I love to sing and dance-a-lot!
251	** This song. For those who do not understand the context, basically Lucy gave the people she rented the costumes and scenery from a check that was postdated, in other words, they would not receive their compensation until the date on the check. Naturally, this did not sit well with the organization in question, so they took back all their stuff and caused a commotion backstage. In an attempt to salvage what remains of the show, they immediately skip to the wedding between Lily and Lancelot.
252	--->'''Lady''': Queen! I'd like a word with you!\
253	'''Gypsy Queen''': Uh, go away, this is not your cue!\
254	'''Lady''': I know. But there's trouble backstage!\
255	'''Gypsy Queen''': What seems to be the trouble?\
256	'''Lady''': There are some men backstage who are taking away the costumes and the scenery.\
257	'''Gypsy Queen''': Well I gave them a check.\
258	'''Lady''': It bounced! It bounced! It bounced! It bou-bou-bou-bou-bounced!\
259	'''Gypsy Queen'''(spoken): It came back?\
260	'''Lady''': It was postdated.\
261	'''Gypsy Queen''': I knoowww that.\
262	'''Lady''': Well, what do we do??!\
263	'''Gypsy Queen''': Tell them to wait a minute.\
264	'''Lady''': But they won't do it!\
265	'''Gypsy Queen''': Well take a stab at it!
266	* "Ricky Asks for a Raise": The sequence of Lucy, Ethel, and Fred posing as different customers, all asking for Ricky Ricardo (who was fired from the Tropicana). Of note is Fred in drag.
267	* "The Great Train Robbery": The RunningGag of Lucy stopping the train with the emergency brake, which causes Fred and Ethel to land in some food, ruining their shirts. By the third time, they've learned their lesson and emerge wearing protective raincoats.
268	* "The Freezer": While Ethel is distracting a hammy Ricky and annoyed Fred so that Lucy can move the 700lb of beef, the result of ordering two sides of beef for $0.69 a pound, out of the freezer, she ends up knocking the door shut, locking herself in. When the boys and Ethel come down a couple hours later [[https://umwtflucy.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/s01-e29-lucy-stuck-in-freezer.png find Lucy alright]].
269	** Followed by one of the most dumbfounded questions/demands from Ricky.
270	--->'''Ricky''': Lucy, come on out of there!\
271	''(Lucy gives Ricky an "Are you kidding me!?" look)''
272	** Before that Lucy proving herself a shrewd saleswoman by selling the meat much cheaper at the butcher.
273	--->'''Lucy''': ''(snidely)'' Psst. Hey kid, are you tired of paying high prices, do you want high class beef? Tell ya what I'm gonna do...?
274	** Even before that her deciding to sell the meat for $0.79 a pound.
275	--->'''Ethel''': But it only cost $0.69.\
276	'''Lucy''': Well, we might as well make a little something on it.
277	* Lucy's attempt to pick a grapefruit from Creator/RichardWidmark's backyard in "The Tour" leads to two particularly hilarious moments:
278	** After she falls over the wall, Lucy keeps jumping up to tell Ethel (on the other side) what's back there.
279	--->'''Lucy:''' Oh, Ethel. You should see it back here. Gee, is it beautiful. There's a swimming pool... and a tennis court... and a barbecue pit... and a doghouse... ''(growling)'' [[ExplainExplainOhCrap AND A DOG!]]
280	** Later, Ethel calls home for help.
281	--->'''Ethel:''' Oh, Fred, thank goodness you're home. Listen, I'm in Beverly Hills, and Lucy's in an awful mess. ''(pause)'' Never mind "what else is new!"
282	*** And after that:
283	---->'''Ethel:''' ...and I've been standing out here for hours, and she hasn't come out, AND STOP SAYING MADAM YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG NUMBER!
284	* "Equal Rights":
285	** Lucy and Ethel demand equal rights from Ricky and Fred. This backfires on them immediately when they get separate checks at dinner and aren't able to pay. As a result, they're put to work in the kitchen.
286	---> '''Fred''': This is a little embarrassing, Rick. I didn't know we came to dinner with a couple of deadbeats.
287	** While washing dishes, they realize they don't have any money for cab fare home, and will have to walk the dark streets alone:
288	---> '''Lucy''': Yeah, and I wouldn't be surprised if a thug jumped out from behind a dark building and pounced on us and said, "Your money or your life." And you know where ''that'll'' leave us.
289	** After Lucy comes up with a plan for revenge, Ethel tells her, "Promise me when you die, you'll leave your brain to science." Lucy considers it, shrugs, and nods.
290	* "The Handcuffs":
291	** Lucy and Ricky and cuffed together as a result of Lucy botching a joke. When the two retire for the night, they struggle to figure out how to sleep in their usual beds [[note]](this is back before couples on TV slept in one bed)[[/note]].
292	** The finale, where Ricky has to perform a song live on TV and since the two are still cuffed together, Lucy hides behind the curtain and masquerades one of her own arms as Ricky's.
293	* "Paris at Last": Lucy exchanges her money at what she thinks is a bargain price, only to discover that she's been sold counterfeit francs when she tries to pay for her lunch with them. The café proprietor summons the local ''gendarmes'', who promptly arrest her; Lucy doesn't speak French, and the ''gendarmes'' don't speak English, but one of them speaks German, and they've just brought in a Spanish drunk who also speaks German. Ricky's arrival thus sets up a translation chain of one ''gendarme'' translating the other's questions into German, the drunk translating them into Spanish, and Ricky translating them into English; the translations of Lucy's answers thus go from English to Spanish to German to French. Hilarity flows thick and fast, especially when the chain translates Lucy's [[CatchPhrase "Eew."]] and the ''gendarme''[='=]s dismissive "HA!" by just repeating them.
294	* After one of the many times Ricky says "We can't afford it", Lucy snarks those must've been the first words he learned in English.
295	* When Little Ricky's dog, Fred, runs away and a lot of confusion arises between everyone calling for the dog or for Fred Mertz, he and Ethel have this little exchange.
296	-->'''Fred:''' I thought you were calling for the dog!\
297	'''Ethel:''' Well, maybe you ought to just change your name.\
298	'''Fred:''' To what?\
299	'''Ethel:''' Rover.
300	* From "Be A Pal" Lucy dressing as Carmen Miranda, while trying to remind him of his childhood in Cuba.
301	** Before that Lucy joining in Ricky and Fred's Poker Game, and inadvertently winning the game.
302	* Lucy and Ethel disguising themselves as Ricky and Fred's blind dates in "The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub."
303	-->''(Lucy dressed as a Hick and Ethel as an elderly lady)''\
304	'''Lucy''': ''(with a heavy drawl)'' I'm Euncie and this her's my Ma!
305	** Before that Ricky answering the door to the two...
306	--->'''Lucy/Euncie''': Hello there, would you be Ricky Ricardo and Fred Mertz?\
307	'''Ricky''': No, we be Sam and Elmer!\
308	''(Tries to slam the door shut, but Lucy/Euncie catches it with her foot)''
309	* Lucy, while trying to prove to Ricky that she can go without gossiping, tapes her mouth shut, but when the gossip proves too juicy she acts out the entire situation to Ethel, Fred and Ricky.
310	** Ricky's InsaneTrollLogic when Lucy thinks she won the bet after sharing some fake gossip with Ethel that Ricky and Fred shared:
311	---> '''Ricky''': Now wait a minute, girls, wait a minute, you have misconstrued the entire point of this situation. Now you see, if the story were true, then we would have been gossiping. But the story was ''not'' true. We made it up. The whole thing was friction. So ''we'' were not gossiping. Now, you girls ''believed'' that the story was true so you ''were'' gossiping. Now, that's the whole thing.
312	** Lucy and Ethel getting the last laugh, as the above situation proves to be real, and played out in front of them. Cue a stunned Ricky and Fred switching spots with Lucy and Ethel, [[GuileHeroine and Lucy paying off the men involved in the skit, commending them both for how great a performance they gave]].
313	* In "The Trip to Alaska", the gang end up in an overbooked hotel on a frigid Alaskan night; fortunately, Creator/RedSkelton is booked to perform in Nome on the same bill as Ricky and lets them have one of the rooms in his suite. The room contains only one bed, and the best the hotel can provide for the other three is a sleeping bag, an army cot, and a ''hammock''. They draw straws to see who gets the bed, and while Ethel wins, Fred raises such a stink that she gives in and takes the sleeping bag instead. (At this point, Fred grumbles, "If Hawaii wants to be a state, they'd better make sure they have enough beds to go around first!") Ricky takes the cot (which keeps collapsing under his weight), and Lucy [[ButtMonkey (of course!)]] is stuck with the hammock. The only way she can hang it is by tying one end to a hook on the back of the connecting door between their room and Skelton's room. Finally, everybody is settled - and then Skelton opens the door to check on them, spilling Lucy flat on the floor. She hooks the hammock over the door to the hallway instead - and then Skelton enters through ''that'' door, spilling her on the floor again.
314	* "Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums": Little Ricky can only play a basic rhythm over and over. And ''over''. It gets to the point where an exhausted Lucy and Ricky unconsciously do their morning routine to the beat.
315	* "First Stop": A restaurant the group stops at has nothing in stock except for cheese sandwiches.
316	** The scene where the bed slides to the other side of the room due to being right next to the train tracks.
317	* "Lucy Learns to Drive": The scene at the end where Ricky tells Lucy what he thinks about her latest screw-up, in Spanish of course. Towards the end of his rant, he throws in some English: "Grrrrrind grind grind grind!" and makes a twisting motion with his hands.
318	* "The Courtroom": Lucy and Ricky lugging an old-fashioned TV down the stairs. At one point Ricky has the TV on his back, sitting on the steps, and drops down one step at a time.
319	** All the overly-long and exaggerated grimaces Lucy gives Ethel and Fred in court.
320	** Ricky suggests Lucy show a little leg to the judge to get him on their side. Ethel tries the same thing but Fred warns her: "What are you trying to do? Lose the case for us?"
321	* Lucy has been wanting to get a new, Italian-style haircut--basically very, very short--but Ricky thinks she'd look ridiculous. At her salon, she sees a mannequin with a wig on it, and convinces the hair stylist to try it on and then decides to prank Rick with it. When Ricky walks in, he sees the (still bald) mannequin head with a sign reading "How would you like to look like this?" and give a ''magnificent'' DoubleTake.
322	-->'''Ricky:''' [''to the stylist''] Is this what we have to look forward to?
323	* In a mixture of funny and heartwarming, Lucy learns she's pregnant and informs Ethel. HilarityEnsues:
324	--> '''Lucy:''' ''[Dreamily]'' Ethel... we're having a baby...\
325	'''Ethel:''' ''[[SincerityMode We are?!]]''\
326	...\
327	'''Lucy:''' Well, of course, you and Fred will be the godparents.\
328	'''Ethel:''' Oh, I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl! That way I'll know I'm becoming a godmother or a godfather!

Context Funny / ILoveLucy