Lucy is bound and determined to break into show business.
Boy, was she bound and determined to break into show business.
Well, fans who were watching I Love Lucy in its months years by know already this, and they always knew Ricky would invariably tell her, "No, Lucy ... you cannot be in the show." Lucy goes "WHAA!" and Ricky would relent, and the results were often humorous as the two-left-footed Lucy tried her hand at the show.
But what happened when she went directly behind Ricky's back to get her first big break in a TV commercial?
Yep, she gets to do the commercial ... but it also gives us a legendary episode that has become one of Lucille Ball's crowning moments and the standard by which everything in television comedy has been judged.
And to think, it all started when "Lucy Does a TV Commercial."
It all starts when Lucy once again complains to Ricky that she doesn't get to be in his show. Ricky ends the argument then takes a call from his manager, who is finalizing details for a live TV commercial about the new health tonic Vitametavegamin. Lucy eavesdrops on the commercial and learns that Ricky already has hired a local actress to pitch the tonic, a stimulant-type elixir and nutritional supplement that promises to people who use it vim and vigor, pep and popularity ... everything that is good.
Lucy, of course, begs Ricky to let her be the Vitameatavegamin girl, but Ricky has made up his mind and ends the argument. After pouting some more – Ricky ignores her as he leaves – Lucy decides she'll show her husband a thing or two and that a Lucy scorned isn't a Lucy you want to be around.
First, she takes apart the TV set and does a pretend commercial, but all she ends up doing is irritating, then upsetting Ricky. (It turned out she took apart the TV set piece by piece, rather than slide the chassis out ... likely meaning they'll have to buy a new TV set, an expensive luxury in 1952.) Ricky then announces he's waiting for a phone call from the actress to finalize plans for the TV commercial, but Lucy sweet talks him into going down to the studio to prepare for his show ... she'll wait for the phone call. Ricky – perhaps knowing what's to come – is wise but stupidly leaves anyway.
And just as one can guess ... Lucy takes the call from the actress wanting to confirm what time she needs to be at the studio. "Oh, never mind," says Lucy. "Ricky's gone ahead and hired another actress instead."
Uh-oh!
And then she shows up at the studio, where the producer and Ricky are going over the night's program and the live commercial. Lucy explains to the producer that the actress Ricky hired had to back out. Ricky knows the truth but, taking a cue from his producer, knows there is no time to call her back and clear things up in time. They're going to go live in a few minutes.
So Lucy gets her way. She's given the script and a prop bottle of Vitameatavegamin with water inside. Lucy complains that she wants the real thing, not knowing that it contains 23% alcohol. The producer, knowing there's no time to argue, gives in.
And then ... comedy gold.
On the first rehersal, Lucy recites the script as written, then, on cue, is directed to pour a spoonful of the liquid – remember, it was supposed to be water, but Lucy wanted the real thing – and sample it. To Lucy, it is absolutely terrible tasting and gives a look of disgust on her face only Lucy (and Lucille Ball) could. The director has her redo the commercial from the beginning ... and then ...
... a legendary performance.
Lucy takes bigger samples of the product when the script comes to the part of sampling the product, as she's developed a taste for the tonic. Her voice ... and ability to recite the script correctly becomes comically slurred, mixing up words, complete ad libs and fumbling on pronouncing the word Vitameatavegamin. Yep, she's drunk and we mean drunk.
The director has no choice but to take her to Ricky's dressing room to sober up. But when the TV show begins, she's still well past the point of legal intoxication, and she wanders out of her dressing room in the middle of Ricky's number "El Relicario." Lucy is dead drunk, staggers around and makes a complete fool out of herself as she attempts to duet with Ricky before babbling out the words to the Vitameatavegamin commercial. An embarrassed and humiliated Ricky manages to drag her offstage as she waves bye-bye!
In the years since, "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" has become a celebrated cornerstone of American pop culture, an iconic part of the Golden Age of Television and often tops (or is near the top) of every "Top I Love Lucy Episodes" list. In 2011, on the 100th birthday of Lucille Ball, more than 900 lookalikes gathered under a "Vitameatavegamin" sign to honor her; that same year, a talking Lucy doll was produced with the original soundtrack from this episode used.
Tropes for this episode include:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Lucy and Ricky have this when she realizes she sewed his socks shut. Ricky bursts out laughing and jokingly says he can use them for blackjack. Lucy can't help but smile as she takes them and prepares to cut the stitches open.
- All-Natural Snake Oil: Vitameatavegamin allegedly has vitamins, meat, vegetables and minerals. It is instead made mostly with hard liquor (23%, according to a line late in the episode), and the resulting concoction surely does not "tastes like candy".
- Cruel to Be Kind: Ricky tells Lucy she can't be in the commercial because it's an intense gig. He ends up being right.
- Enforced Method Acting: In-Universe, Lucy thinks she's good enough to be on a commercial because she's seen enough of them. While her acting is decent, she apparently didn't consider miming or pretending to drink from the bottle, which most actors do with a food scene. The end result is she's sloshed by filming time.
- Facial Dialogue: When Lucy takes her first spoonful of Vitameatavegamin, her expression makes it clear that the stuff tastes horrible. Her attempt to stick to the script and say it tastes "just like candy" is... unconvincing.
- Jerkass Has a Point: More like Cruel to Be Kind has a point. Ricky is gentle when telling Lucy he doesn't want her in the commercial because this gig is important to him and he needs a commercial actress with experience. The ending proves him right when she starts drunkenly rambling on live television.
- Very False Advertising: According to the TV commercial, Vitameatavegamin contains vitamins, meat, vegetables, and minerals, and it tastes "just like candy." What the commercial doesn't mention is that it contains 23% alcohol and really tastes terrible.
- We Are Not Going Through That Again: Ricky evidently remembers what happened last time he had Lucy audition for a role with him in "The Diet" which was Cringe Comedy. He bluntly tells her he wants someone with experience so that this new gig won't get ruined for him.
