History Trivia / ILoveLucy

** "Ricky's Life Story" was produced for the second season, and was supposed to air on June 15th, 1953 (in-between "The Camping Trip" and "Ricky and Fred Are TV Fans"). However, it was preempted by "The Ford 50th Anniversary Show" and was held back for the third season premiere.

** "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" was originally written to feature Ethel but not Fred; this was later swapped. There was also an unfilmed tag scene taking place the following day, showing Lucy with a massive hangover. To help cure her symptoms, Ethel would've brought her a bottle of...you guessed it...Vitametavegamin! Also, Vitametavegamin was supposed to only have 11 percent alcohol before it got bumped up to 23 percent.

* RefittedForSequel: Pepito the clown and his respective act were featured in the pilot episode as the performance Lucy replaced as "the Professor" clown character, with Pepito being injured and Lucy taking his place. When the pilot was adapted into the produced show as the episode "The Audition", the real clown Pepito was replaced with a character named Buffo who had much less screentime, serving more as a pure plot device than a guest star. Pepito's appearance from the unaired pilot would be re-performed with added new material, all unrelated to the episode's plot and purely as a guest feature, in the Season 2 episode "Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song".

* CreatorBacklash: Vivian Vance greatly disliked the Ethel Mertz character, who was the antithesis of what she aspired to be in real life. Though she appreciated that Desi Arnaz thought her a talented enough actress to bring Ethel to life, Vance later said that Ethel was made up of bits and pieces of many women she'd known, but none of whom she admired.

* OldShame:
** In later years, Lucille Ball admitted that she wasn't especially fond of the series' early episodes, feeling they were too silly. She felt the show improved with each passing year.
** "Lucy is Envious" was Jess Oppenheimer's least favorite episode, as he felt it was unrealistic for Lucy and Ethel to scale the Empire State Building no matter how much money was at stake.
** Desi Arnaz and his band were not fond of "Lucy's Club Dance," due to the final sight gag of the band in drag, posing as Ricky's "all-girl" orchestra.
** Lucille Ball did not like the Christmas episode, finding it "eerie and spooky."
** Writer Bob Schiller was quite disappointed that "The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue" ended up being the last of the half-hour episodes, as he did not feel it was their best work.[[note]]Season six wasn't originally planned to be the final season, but Desi's ever increasing workload as Desilu president ultimately meant he no longer had time to play Ricky each and every week, hence the transition to the sporadic hour shows.[[/note]]

** "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" was originally written to feature Ethel but not Fred; this was later swapped. There was also an unfilmed tag scene taking place the following day, showing Lucy with a massive hangover. To help cure her symptoms, Ethel would’ve brought her a bottle of…you guessed it…Vitametavegamin! Also, the Vitametavegamin was supposed to only have 11 percent alcohol before it got bumped up to 23 percent.

** Jerry Hausner, who played Ricky’s agent, ended up on the receiving end of an explosive tirade by Desi Arnaz, in front of the crew and audience, for missing his cue during a phone call scene. Hausner was so humiliated and angry that he refused to ever appear on the show again.

** Cousin Ernie, played by Tennessee Ernie Ford.

** Likewise, as the marriage between the two deteriorated, so did the working relationship betweeen Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. By the final episodes the two wouldn't even speak to one another, having to communicate through producers and crew members. According to Lucille Ball, however, their personal relationship did improve some time after the show ended, as co-parents and friends, and Desi would always send her favorite flowers to her during major events in her life.

* TheCastShowOff: All of them to some extent, as Creator/DesiArnaz's singing and his band featured heavily as the Tropicana/Club Babalu house band, while Vivian Vance and William Frawley's extensive backgrounds in vaudeville played into The Mertz sharing a similar history. Lucille Ball, aside from the obvious showcases of her impressions and physical comedy chops, often got to show off her honed talents as a dancer, having had a long history as former showgirl.

** Charly Appleby, Carolyn’s husband, was first played by Hy Averback in season 3's "Baby Pictures," then by George O'Hanlon for season 6's "Lucy & Superman."

** "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" was originally written to feature Ethel but not Fred; this was later swapped. There was also an unfilmed tag scene taking place the following day, showing Lucy with a massive hangover. To help cure her symptoms, Ethel would’ve brought her a bottle of…you guessed it…Vitametavegamin!

* {{Corpsing}}: An occupational hazard of working with Lucille Ball, with Arnaz probably being the most frequent victim. Just look at him in the Vitameatavegamin scene.

* TheWikiRule: The [[http://ilovelucyandricky.wikia.com/wiki/I_Love_Lucy_Wiki I Love Lucy Wiki]], [[http://ultimateilovelucy.wikia.com/wiki/Ultimate_I_Love_Lucy_Wiki Ultimate I Love Lucy Wiki]], and [[http://lucilleball.wikia.com/wiki/I_Love_Lucy Lucille Ball Wiki]].

** Famously averted with her second pregnancy: the MoralGuardians wanted her to do this, as pregnancy was a taboo subject in media at the time, but she refused, and the episode where Lucy gave birth wound up setting a new Nielson record. Since the word 'pregnant' could not be used on TV at the time, the show coined (or at least popularized) the term 'expecting'. Also an inversion because Ball started showing before Lucy Ricardo learned she was pregnant, leading to baggier clothing before the reveal. As well, several flashback episodes set before Lucy learned of the pregnancy show her in obvious maternity wear.

** Charlie Appleby, Caroline's husband, was first played by Hy Averback in season 3's "Baby Pictures," then by George O'Hanlon for season 6's "Lucy & Superman."

** Teitelbaum was considered for Lucy’s maiden name but was eventually considered too Jewish for the era. They opted for [=McGillicuddy=] instead.

** Famously averted with her second pregnancy: the Moral Guardians wanted her to do this, as pregnancy was a taboo subject in media at the time, but she refused, and the episode where Lucy gave birth wound up setting a new Nielson record. Since the word 'pregnant' could not be used on TV at the time, the show coined (or at least popularized) the term 'expecting'. Also an inversion because Ball started showing before Lucy Ricardo learned she was pregnant, leading to baggier clothing before the reveal. As well, several flashback episodes set before Lucy learned of the pregnancy show her in obvious maternity wear.

** Teitelbaum was considered for Lucy’s maiden name but was eventually considered too Jewish for the era. They opted for McGillicuddy instead.

** Writer Bob Schiller was quite disappointed that "The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue" ended up being the last of the half-hour episodes to air, as he did not feel it was their best work.[[note]]Season six wasn't originally planned to be the final season, but Desi's ever increasing workload as Desilu president ultimately meant he no longer had time to play Ricky each and every week, hence the transition to the sporadic hour shows.[[/note]]