List of I Love Lucy episodes

I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on CBS. All 180 episodes aired on Mondays.

In total 180 episodes of I Love Lucy were produced, plus a pilot episode. The pilot, which was not made for broadcast and did not air as part of the show's original run, is generally not counted as one of the episodes and therefore listed separately for reference. It is, however, available on DVD and Blu-ray releases of the first season. Following I Love Lucy, a further 13 one hour-long episodes were produced under the title of The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show (later and more commonly known in syndication as The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour) with the same cast and later packaged as seasons 7, 8 & 9 under the I Love Lucy series.

Series overview

Season		Episodes		Originally aired		Rank	Rating
				First aired	Last aired
	1	35		October 15, 1951	June 9, 1952	3	50.9
	2	31		September 15, 1952	June 29, 1953	1	67.3
	3	31		October 5, 1953	May 24, 1954	1	58.8
	4	30		October 4, 1954	May 30, 1955	1	49.3
	5	26		October 3, 1955	May 14, 1956	2	46.1
	6	27		October 1, 1956	May 6, 1957	1	43.7
	Comedy Hour 1	5		November 6, 1957	April 14, 1958	N/A	N/A
	Comedy Hour 2	5		October 6, 1958	June 5, 1959	N/A	N/A
	Comedy Hour 3	3		September 25, 1959	April 1, 1960	N/A	N/A

Episodes

Unaired pilot

• This unaired pilot was considered lost, until Pepito Pérez's widow notified CBS that she owned the sole copy. It was given to Pepito Perez by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball as a show of their gratitude for his performance, friendship and extremely humorous personalities, he acted as [sic].[1]

• I Love Lucy: The Very First Show was the first airing of the pilot on CBS television stations nationwide on Monday, April 30, 1990, 39 years after it was originally filmed.[1]

Season 1 (1951–52)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
1	1	"The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 15, 1951	October 15, 1951
The Ricardos and the Mertzes agree to celebrate the Mertzes' wedding anniversary together. The girls decide on The Copacabana, but the men want to go see the fights. An old friend helps Lucy and Ethel play a trick on their husbands, but Ricky and Fred soon see through the ruse and turn the tables.
2	2	"Be a Pal"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 21, 1951	October 22, 1951
Lucy thinks Ricky is losing interest in her. Ethel reads to Lucy a book full of advice on how to rekindle the flame, and insists that Lucy take up Ricky's hobbies. When that does not work, Lucy decorates the apartment with things to remind Ricky of his childhood in Cuba, and then she puts on a performance as Carmen Miranda.
3	3	"The Diet"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 28, 1951	October 29, 1951
Lucy is determined to lose weight, and Ricky provides an incentive by telling her she can appear in his show if she can fit into a size 12 dress.
4	4	"Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 8, 1951	November 5, 1951
Lucy cannot put down a murder mystery novel she is reading, which features a man who kills his wife to remarry. When Ethel tells Lucy's fortune with a deck of cards and predicts death in the future, Lucy fears that Ricky is planning to murder her--especially after she overhears Ricky talking about "replacing" a girl (actually one of the dancers in his show).
5	5	"The Quiz Show"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 5, 1951	November 12, 1951
Desperate to balance her household accounts, Lucy agrees to a quiz show stunt in order to win $1,000, and must introduce a stranger to Ricky as her "long lost husband." However, when Lucy mistakes a tramp for the stranger, things get confusing. Frank Nelson makes the first of eleven appearances on the show, three times as game show emcee "Freddie Fillmore". Note: William Frawley does not appear in this episode.
6	6	"The Audition"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 12, 1951	November 19, 1951
Ricky sends Lucy downtown for an errand to keep her away from his nightclub the Tropicana while he does a TV audition, but when a clown has an accident and cannot make it, Lucy shows ends up taking his place. (This is a remake of an original unaired pilot that was considered "lost" until 1990.) Note: Vivian Vance does not appear in this episode.
7	7	"The Séance"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 19, 1951	November 26, 1951
Lucy is on a superstitious kick, studying numerology and astrology. This hobby almost destroys Ricky's career, as Lucy tells an important talent agent, Mr. Merriweather, that Ricky cannot appear in a show because of his horoscope. That problem is resolved when Mr. Merriweather reveals that he is also interested in the occult. To please him, Lucy arranges a séance that evening in their apartment featuring "Madame Rhea" (Ethel). But when both Lucy and Fred pretend to be a spirit, things quickly get confusing.
8	8	"Men Are Messy"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 25, 1951	December 3, 1951
Tired of Ricky's messy behavior, Lucy divides the apartment in half. He can be messy in his half, but not hers. However, when a photographer from Look magazine is set to come the apartment to take pictures, Ricky expects Lucy to clean up the whole apartment.
9	9	"The Fur Coat"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 9, 1951	December 10, 1951
Ricky rents a mink coat for an act at the club, but Lucy thinks it is for her, and will not take it off. He arranges for Fred to pose as a burglar and "steal", it, but when a real thief sneaks into the apartment during the night, Lucy manages to hang on to it.
10	10	"Lucy Is Jealous of Girl Singer"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 16, 1951	December 17, 1951
Lucy dons a disguise and heads for the Tropicana, upset by a gossip column item that links Ricky with Rosemary, a dancer at the club; in an earlier version of the script Rosemary was a singer, not a dancer, hence the episode's title.[2] Note: William Frawley does not appear in this episode.
11	11	"Drafted"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 2, 1951	December 24, 1951
Lucy intercepts a letter for Ricky that asks him to appear at a local Army station. She becomes convinced that he has been drafted (although the station just wants Ricky to appear in a nightclub act). When Ricky asks Fred to join him, Ethel thinks the same, and they begin knitting their husbands going away presents. Ricky and Fred, however, think the girls are pregnant and decide to organize a baby shower.
12	12	"The Adagio"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 23, 1951	December 31, 1951
When Ricky needs a dancer for the Parisian Apache dance number at the club, Lucy wants to be in it. But her Parisian dance teacher has more than dancing on his mind.
13	13	"The Benefit"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 30, 1951	January 7, 1952
Ethel wants Ricky for her club's benefit show, but Lucy wants to be in it too. Note: This episode was edited together with the episodes "Breaking the Lease" and "The Ballet", along with twenty minutes of new footage to create the unreleased I Love Lucy movie in 1953.
14	14	"The Amateur Hour"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 7, 1951	January 14, 1952
Lucy ends up performing on stage when she agrees to take care of a two young twin boys who are set to appear in an amateur hour hosted by Ricky. Note: William Frawley does not appear in this episode.
15	15	"Lucy Plays Cupid"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 13, 1951	January 21, 1952
Lucy's neighbor, Miss Lewis, has her eye on Mr. Ritter, the grocer. Lucy tries her hand at playing Cupid, but Mr. Ritter thinks that her dropped hints mean that she is attracted to him. Lucy must make herself a little less desirable to scare Mr. Ritter off. Guest Stars: Bea Benaderet as Miss Lewis and Edward Everett Horton as Mr. Ritter. Benaderet was one of the original choices to play Ethel Mertz but was unavailable. Note: Neither Vivian Vance nor William Frawley appear in this episode.
16	16	"Lucy Fakes Illness"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 18, 1951	January 28, 1952
Ethel tells Ricky that if he keeps refusing to hire Lucy as part of his nightclub act, then Lucy will develop a complex. Inspired by this, Lucy pretends to suffer from the "three stages" of one--amnesia, delusions of being Tallulah Bankhead and regression to childish behavior. Ricky soon learns of the trick and quickly turns the tables by inviting a "doctor" to the house to examine Lucy. Hal March appears as himself.
17	17	"Lucy Writes a Play"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 22, 1951	February 4, 1952
Lucy writes a play set in Cuba. She has Ricky in mind for the star, but he refuses the part. So she changes her play from Cuba to England and has Fred take Ricky's spot. However, Ricky once Ricky learns that a famous producer will be in attendance, he decides to surprise Lucy and appear in the play, but he has the wrong script.
18	18	"Breaking the Lease"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 5, 1952	February 11, 1952
The Mertzes are having a fun music-filled evening with the Ricardos in their apartment, but when the Ricardos continue singing after Fred and Ethel go back downstairs to their own apartment, the Mertzes, as landlords, quickly grow tired of the noise. This leads to a feud between the couples, with the Ricardos trying to break their lease. Notes: I Love Lucy was briefly a radio program and this episode, retitled "The Lease Breakers," was broadcast on CBS Radio on February 27, 1952. This episode was edited together with the episodes "The Benefit" and "The Ballet" to create the unreleased I Love Lucy movie.
19	19	"The Ballet"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 11, 1952	February 18, 1952
Wanting to be in the new act at Ricky's club, Lucy practices as a ballerina, then has a lesson in burlesque. Included is the classic routine "Slowly I Turned". Mary Wickes appears as the ballet teacher. Notes: This episode was edited together with the episodes "The Benefit" and "Breaking the Lease" to create the unreleased I Love Lucy movie.
20	20	"The Young Fans"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 18, 1952	February 25, 1952
A teenager (Janet Waldo) has a crush on Ricky. Lucy tries pairing her up with another teenager (Richard Crenna) by attempting to teach the boy to dance--but this backfires when he falls for her. Lucy and Ricky then decide to make themselves appear very old to scare off their admirers. Note: Neither Vivian Vance nor William Frawley appear in this episode.
21	21	"New Neighbors"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 25, 1952	March 3, 1952
Lucy cannot resist snooping in the apartment of the building's newest renters. When she hides herself to avoid discovery, she overhears the couple talking about murdering her and Ricky, stealing their identities, and then blowing up the Capitol. Little does Lucy realize that the new tenants are actors and are rehearsing a scene. Lucy sneaks out of the apartment and puts the apartment on lock-down as the Ricardos and Mertzes prepare to defend themselves. Hayden Rorke and K.T. Stevens guest star as the new tenants.
22	22	"Fred and Ethel Fight"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 30, 1952	March 10, 1952
The Mertzes have a fight, and Lucy makes an attempt to patch up their marriage. In the end, it is not their marriage that is in trouble, it is her own.
23	23	"The Moustache"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 8, 1952	March 17, 1952
When Ricky grows a moustache, Lucy protests by acquiring a fake white beard and has Fred apply it to her face with spirit gum. Things go bad when the beard will not come off and a movie agent decides to visit Ricky at the apartment.
24	24	"The Gossip"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 15, 1952	March 24, 1952
Ricky and Fred make a bet with Lucy and Ethel to see who can go longer without gossiping, but they make it hard for them by planting a phony story too juicy to pass up.
25	25	"Pioneer Women"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 22, 1952	March 31, 1952
After growing tired of doing the dishes by hand, Lucy asks Ricky for an electric dishwasher, but he refuses. This leads to Ricky and Fred betting Lucy and Ethel that they cannot live the same pioneer existence as their ancestors.
26	26	"The Marriage License"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 28, 1952	April 7, 1952
After taking another look at her marriage license, Lucy notices a spelling error and is not sure if she and Ricky are legally married.
27	27	"The Kleptomaniac"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 7, 1952	April 14, 1952
Ricky finds some extra money in Lucy's purse and expensive items in the closet and jumps to the conclusion that Lucy is a kleptomaniac. What he does not know is that they are just donations for a charity and when Lucy finds out what Ricky thinks, she decides to teach him a lesson by pretending to be a thief in front of him. Joseph Kearns guest stars.
28	28	"Cuban Pals"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 14, 1952	April 21, 1952
A visiting Cuban dance troupe asks Ricky to do a number with Renita Perez, a little girl he used to dance with in Havana. Lucy is supportive, until she finds out that Renita is not little anymore. She takes Renita's place at the club, but Ricky switches numbers when Renita's real dance partner shows up, which leads to Lucy getting chased by a man in full voodoo garb.
29	29	"The Freezer"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 21, 1952	April 28, 1952
Lucy and Ethel have a meat freezer installed in the basement and celebrate by buying two sides of beef, unaware of how much a side is. Now they must try to get rid of the excess before Ricky and Fred find out. They first try by selling it to customers waiting in line at a butcher shop, but this fails when the butcher notices. Their next attempt involves hiding the beef in the apartment's furnace--but when Lucy tries to start moving the meat, she learns the hard way how cold the freezer is when she gets locked inside it and is frozen stiff.
30	30	"Lucy Does a TV Commercial"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 28, 1952	May 5, 1952
Ricky needs a girl to act in a commercial for his television debut. Lucy immediately volunteers, but Ricky denies her. Lucy goes to the set anyway, and ends up in the sponsor's "Vitameatavegamin" health tonic commercial. As the tonic is 23% alcohol, Lucy soon ends up completely drunk. Note: Vivian Vance does not appear in this episode. In the April 9, 2020 episode of Will & Grace, Debra Messing as Lucy, Matt Cook as the director and Brian Michael Jones as Joe, re-enacted the commercial scene. In 1997, TV Guide ranked this episode #2 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.[3] In 2009, it moved to #4.[4]
31	31	"The Publicity Agent"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 4, 1952	May 12, 1952
Ricky becomes depressed when he feels that his publicity is waning, so Lucy dreams up a stunt which involves her posing as the "Maharincess of Franistan" at Ricky's club.
32	32	"Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 11, 1952	May 19, 1952
Lucy is so impressed at Ricky's correct answers to a radio quiz show that she gets him on the show as a contestant. What she does not know at the time is that the show was a delayed broadcast and Ricky was at the radio station when the questions were being asked. She then schemes to get the answers from the radio station before the program airs.
33	33	"Lucy's Schedule"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 18, 1952	May 26, 1952
After being late for dinner with his new boss Mr. Littlefield (Gale Gordon), Ricky is determined to teach Lucy the importance of punctuality, so he puts her on a rigid time schedule. This eventually leads to a dinner with the Littlefields that is extremely rushed. Note: Gordon was one of the early choices to play Fred Mertz but was unavailable. He later starred with Lucille Ball in each of her later series.
34	34	"Ricky Thinks He's Getting Bald"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 25, 1952	June 2, 1952
Ricky is concerned when he feels that his hairline is receding, so to teach him a lesson, Lucy decides to give him painful scalp treatments.
35	35	"Ricky Asks for a Raise"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 2, 1952	June 9, 1952
At Lucy's insistence, Ricky attempts to pressure his boss (Gale Gordon's second and final appearance as "Mr. Littlefield") into giving him a raise, only to get Ricky fired. Determined to make things right, Lucy, with the Mertzes' help, decides to book up every table at the Tropicana to make Ricky appear popular. Fred and Ethel then point out that they need to make it clear that it is Ricky the customers want to see. With the help of Fred's old vaudeville friend and his quick-change cabinet, Lucy, Ethel, and Fred don various disguises and pose as clubgoers who become irate and storm out when they hear Ricky has been let go.

Season 2 (1952–53)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
36	1	"Job Switching"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 30, 1952	September 15, 1952
Ricky and Fred think doing housework is much easier than earning money. Lucy and Ethel feel the opposite. So the men try doing the housework while the women attempt to earn a living by getting a job at a candy factory. Ricky and Fred find that they are no good at being housewives as they cause a huge mess in the Ricardo's kitchen, while Lucy and Ethel find themselves fighting against a speedy conveyor belt of chocolates that they have to wrap. Elvia Allman guest stars. Notes: In 1996, TV Guide included this episode as part of its "100 Most Memorable Moments in TV History", ranking it # 2.[5] In the 2013 Paley Center for Media television special TV's Funniest of the Funniest, the candy factory scene was ranked first among the 30 funniest moments in TV history,[6] with only one moment eligible per TV series. In the April 9, 2020 episode of Will & Grace, Sean Hayes as Lucy, Debra Messing as Ethel, and Lucie Arnaz as their boss re-enact the chocolate factory scene.[7][8]
37	2	"The Saxophone"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	June 6, 1952	September 22, 1952
Lucy plots to join Ricky and his band on the road for a series of one-night engagements by trying to play her old saxophone. However, she can only play one song, "The Glow-Worm". Nevertheless, she gets advice from Fred on how to be a "hep cat" musician and tries to con her way into the orchestra, much to Ricky's frustration.
38	3	"The Anniversary Present"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 9, 1952	September 29, 1952
Ricky asks neighbor Grace Foster (Gloria Blondell), to help him surprise Lucy with an anniversary present of real pearls, but Lucy soon suspects that Ricky is seeing another woman.
39	4	"The Handcuffs"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 16, 1952	October 6, 1952
Lucy's practical joke backfires when she and Ricky are locked together without a key in a pair of Civil War handcuffs that Fred had, which Lucy mistook for a pair of "trick" handcuffs.
40	5	"The Operetta"	Marc Daniels	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 23, 1952	October 13, 1952
Lucy writes an operetta for her women's club, and pays for the costumes and scenery with a post-dated check. Meanwhile, Ethel persuades the chorus to join in whenever Lucy, playing "Camille, Queen of the Gypsies," starts to sing.
41	6	"Vacation from Marriage"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	August 1, 1952	October 27, 1952
Bored with married life, Lucy and Ethel decide that a few days away from their husbands would be a good way to change things up. However, Lucy and Ethel quickly grow tired of living together, and attempt to make Ricky and Fred jealous by pretending that they have dates.
42	7	"The Courtroom"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	August 8, 1952	November 10, 1952
The Ricardos buy the Mertzes a new television set for their wedding anniversary. When Ricky tries hooking it up, the TV explodes. In retaliation, Fred runs up to the Ricardos' apartment and kicks in the glass of their own TV. The whole situation ends up with both couples in court.
43	8	"Redecorating"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	August 15, 1952	November 24, 1952
Lucy enters a contest to win new furniture and is determined to stay by the phone so she does not miss receiving the call that she won. In order to get her out of the house to see the new Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Ricky decides to fool Lucy into thinking she has won, by asking Fred to call her posing as a representative from the contest. The plan backfires when Lucy sells all of their old furniture to a second-hand man (Hans Conried). However, it turns out that Fred did not make the call after all, and Lucy really did win the contest.
44	9	"Ricky Loses His Voice"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	August 22, 1952	December 1, 1952
Lucy's new furniture arrives at the apartment, and meanwhile Ricky gets sick during rehearsals for a new show. He ends up losing his voice and has to stay in bed, prompting Lucy to secretly stage the show herself. Arthur Q. Bryan appears as Ricky's new boss.
45	10	"Lucy Is Enceinte"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 3, 1952	December 8, 1952
Lucy tells Ethel that she has been experiencing health problems lately, including weight gain and having low energy. Ethel suspects that she is actually pregnant, and a visit to the doctor confirms this. Lucy tries to prepare the perfect moment to tell Ricky, but she keeps getting interrupted. Eventually, Lucy anonymously requests that Ricky perform his song "We're Having A Baby" at the club. Ricky gets quite a surprise when he finds out who requested the song.
46	11	"Pregnant Women Are Unpredictable"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 10, 1952	December 15, 1952
With the baby coming, Ricky decides that Lucy should stay in bed while he makes her breakfast. Lucy then begins to think that all the special treatment she is getting is only because of the baby.
47	12	"Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 17, 1952	December 22, 1952
Even though Lucy will soon be a mother, she still wants to be in Ricky's "Gay 90's" revue.
48	13	"Lucy Hires an English Tutor"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 24, 1952	December 29, 1952
Lucy wants her baby to be raised hearing nothing but perfect English, so she hires a tutor (Hans Conried) to teach her, Ricky, and the Mertzes proper English diction. The tutor turns out to be an aspiring entertainer, and hopes that Ricky will give him a break.
49	14	"Ricky Has Labor Pains"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 31, 1952	January 5, 1953
When Lucy's pregnancy cravings and preoccupation with a baby shower leave Ricky frustrated and overwhelmed, he begins to develop psychosomatic pregnancy symptoms of his own. A doctor advises Lucy and Ethel to give Ricky some special attention as a cure, so the women ask Fred to organize a men-only "daddy shower" for him. But curiosity gets the best of Lucy, and she and Ethel disguise themselves as male reporters to sneak into the party.
50	15	"Lucy Becomes a Sculptress"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 7, 1952	January 12, 1953
Lucy feels that her child should grow up with artistic influence, so she takes up sculpting. When Ricky arranges for an art critic to arrive and judge her work, she ends up disguising herself as a bust to fool the critic.
51	16	"Lucy Goes to the Hospital"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 14, 1952	January 19, 1953
With the baby due at any moment, Ricky and the Mertzes carefully rehearse the trip to the hospital. But when the big moment actually comes, things do not go quite so smoothly. When they eventually get there, Lucy stays in labor for quite a while, so Ricky goes to do his new show at the club. He is in full tribal face makeup when the call comes from the hospital, and he rushes over still in costume. Note: This episode aired the same day Lucille Ball's son Desi Arnaz, Jr. was born. For the five episodes following this one, any scene featuring Lucy was filmed in advance to accommodate Ball's leave, with "flashback" opening scenes featuring only the other cast members filmed closer to the actual airdate.
52	17	"Sales Resistance"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	August 29, 1952	January 26, 1953
When Lucy buys yet another new kitchen gadget called the Handy Dandy Kitchen Helper, Ricky complains that she has no sales resistance. When Lucy attempts to return it, she ups up buying a Handy Dandy vacuum cleaner. Sheldon Leonard guest stars as the salesman.
53	18	"Inferiority Complex"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 6, 1952	February 2, 1953
Lucy develops an inferiority complex, so Ricky consults with a psychologist on how to cure her. Gerald Mohr guest stars as "Dr. Molin" (aka "Chuck Stewart").
54	19	"The Club Election"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 12, 1952	February 16, 1953
Lucy and Ethel each run for President of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League.
55	20	"The Black Eye"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 19, 1952	March 9, 1953
Lucy and Ricky are both engrossed in a thrilling novel, and decide to read it aloud to enjoy it at the same time. When Ricky tosses the book across the room and accidentally hits Lucy in the face with it, Lucy gets a black eye. Trouble begins when Fred and Ethel overhear their apparently heated conversation and, seeing the black eye, fear the worst. When Ethel will not accept the truth, Lucy concocts a "juicy story" about her falling in love with another man, which only leads to further trouble.
56	21	"Lucy Changes Her Mind"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 26, 1952	March 30, 1953
Lucy seems unable to finish anything without changing her mind. Ricky loses his temper over it, so Lucy tries to play a trick on him with an old, unfinished love letter to a beau from high school. However, Fred finds out from Ethel and warns Ricky of Lucy's plot.
57	22	"No Children Allowed"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 20, 1953	April 20, 1953
The Ricardos' lease says no children allowed, and their crying new baby Little Ricky does not help, especially when their neighbor Mrs. Trumbull (Elizabeth Patterson) complains about Little Ricky's crying. This episode marked the beginning of recurring character Mrs. Trumbull.
58	23	"Lucy Hires a Maid"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 27, 1953	April 27, 1953
Ricky allows Lucy to hire a maid because she keeps falling asleep during the day from staying up nights with the new baby. However, the maid treats Lucy with disdain and eats most of the Ricardos' food, so Lucy and Ricky end up firing her. Verna Felton guest stars as the maid.
59	24	"The Indian Show"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 3, 1953	May 4, 1953
Ricky is planning an Indian number for his nightclub act, and assumes that motherhood has ended Lucy's show business ambitions. However, Lucy still wants to get in on the act, and persuades the girl singer in the number to switch places with her.
60	25	"Lucy's Last Birthday"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 10, 1953	May 11, 1953
When it seems that everyone has forgotten Lucy's birthday, she becomes depressed and wanders around town. She meets the "Friends of the Friendless" in the park, and joins them. They all march to Ricky's club to protest, where a surprise party is waiting for Lucy. This episode features Ricky singing "I Love Lucy", a version of the show's theme song with lyrics.
61	26	"The Ricardos Change Apartments"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 16, 1953	May 18, 1953
Now that they have a baby, Lucy thinks that she and Ricky need a bigger apartment, but Ricky says they cannot afford it. When Lucy learns that neighbor Mrs. Benson has an extra room now that her daughter has married, the Ricardos swap apartments with Mr. and Mrs. Benson.
62	27	"Lucy Is Matchmaker"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 25, 1953	May 25, 1953
Lucy tries to fix up her girlfriend with a bachelor friend of Fred's, but soon ends up as an unwitting party in a love triangle. Hal March guest stars.
63	28	"Lucy Wants New Furniture"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 1, 1953	June 1, 1953
When Lucy buys a new sofa and coffee table without Ricky's permission, he says she will have to pay for it out of her allowance. To save money, Lucy attempts to make her own clothes and gives herself a home perm.
64	29	"The Camping Trip"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 8, 1953	June 8, 1953
Determined to prove to her friends that she and Ricky have not grown apart, Lucy starts spending all of her time with Ricky. When she wants to join him and Fred on a camping trip, Ricky take Lucy into the wilderness for a practice trip to make her hate camping, but Lucy and Ethel team up to thwart his plan.
65	30	"Ricky and Fred Are TV Fans"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 22, 1953	June 22, 1953
Ricky and Fred are excited about watching a lengthy boxing match on TV. While Ricky and Fred stay glued to the set, Lucy and Ethel are mistaken for thieves and taken to the police station, while their husbands do not realize they are gone. Frank Nelson and Allen Jenkins guest star.
66	31	"Never Do Business With Friends"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 29, 1953	June 29, 1953
The Ricardos sell their old washing machine to the Mertzes, who find that it breaks down and demands that the Ricardos take it back, but then change their minds when they find out how much a repairman is willing to pay for it. Herb Vigran guest stars.

Season 3 (1953–54)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
67	1	"Ricky's 'Life' Story"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	May 15, 1953	October 5, 1953
Life magazine does a picture story on Ricky, but Lucy is not in it, leaving her feeling resentful of Ricky for not letting her have a career in show business. To teach Lucy a lesson that show business is not all just glamour and stardom, Ricky tells Lucy that she will be the star in his new show at the club, and works her very hard during rehearsals, with no intention of actually using her in the show. When Fred inadvertently tells Lucy about Ricky's scheme, Lucy decides to upstage Ricky during his "Lady in Spain" number.
68	2	"The Girls Go Into Business"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 11, 1953	October 12, 1953
Lucy and Ethel buy a dress shop behind their husbands' backs, and soon find that they are not making the profits that they anticipated, so they end up selling it.
69	3	"Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 17, 1953	October 19, 1953
Lucy and Ethel are going to appear on TV with their club, and choose to sing Cole Porter's "Friendship" together. In addition, Lucy manages to use reverse psychology to get Ricky to host the event. All is well, until the two women buy the same dress for the occasion.
70	4	"Equal Rights"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 24, 1953	October 26, 1953
Tired of Ricky and Fred's attitude towards them, the girls demand equal rights. Ricky and Fred turn the tables on them when, out to dinner, they call for separate checks. Since Ethel and Lucy have no money, they must wash dishes to pay for their meals.
71	5	"Baby Pictures"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 1, 1953	November 2, 1953
The Ricardos have decided they are not going to brag about their baby. That changes when Carolyn and Charlie Appleby start to brag about their own baby
72	6	"Lucy Tells the Truth"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 8, 1953	November 9, 1953
Ricky and the Mertzes bet Lucy that she cannot go twenty-four hours without telling a fib. Problems begin when Lucy starts being brutally frank with everyone.
73	7	"The French Revue"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 15, 1953	November 16, 1953
After Lucy gets French lessons from a struggling entertainer, Ricky is inspired to stage a French Revue at his club and Lucy bets him fifty dollars that she can sneak into the act.
74	8	"Redecorating the Mertzes' Apartment"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 22, 1953	November 23, 1953
The Ricardos offer to help the Mertzes redecorate their apartment. They paint the walls and reupholster the furniture, with disastrous results. Lucy and Ricky end up having to pay for everything, and donate their own furniture to the Mertzes. As a result, Lucy gets to buy new furniture for her own apartment.
75	9	"Too Many Crooks"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 29, 1953	November 30, 1953
The police are looking for "Madame X," the mysterious burglar. Due to misunderstandings, Ethel suspects that Lucy is Madame X, while Lucy suspects that Ethel is the burglar.
76	10	"Changing the Boys' Wardrobe"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 5, 1953	December 7, 1953
Ricky and Fred anger Lucy and Ethel by wearing their old clothes in public. So Lucy and Ethel secretly sell their husbands' clothes to a second-hand clothes dealer. However, Ricky and Fred are notified by the second-hand man, and buy their clothes back.
77	11	"Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 12, 1953	December 14, 1953
After a visit to the eye doctor leaves Lucy's vision hopelessly blurred for the rest of the day, she decided to go through a jitterbug number at an audition at Ricky's club.
78	12	"Ricky's Old Girlfriend"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 19, 1953	December 21, 1953
While taking a couples quiz from a magazine, Lucy wants to know about Ricky's old girlfriends, so he invents one named Carlotta Romero. Then a singer with that name shows up in town. Jerry Mathers appears (uncredited) as a child ("Dream Little Ricky") in Lucy's dream.
79	13	"The Million-Dollar Idea"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 26, 1953	January 11, 1954
Lucy has a salad dressing recipe that was given to her by her aunt Martha, and Fred tells her she should sell it. Marketing the product as "Aunt Martha's Old Fashioned Salad Dressing," Lucy and Ethel manage to receive hundreds of orders. However, they have priced the product so cheaply that it will cost them rather than make them money.
80	14	"Ricky Minds the Baby"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 3, 1953	January 18, 1954
Ricky has a week off from the club, so he decides to take care of Little Ricky, who wanders into the Mertzes' apartment while he is distracted. Finding Little Ricky, Lucy decides to give Ricky a lesson that he will never forget.
81	15	"The Charm School"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 10, 1953	January 25, 1954
After seeing Ricky and Fred give pretty girl Eve Whitney the eye during a party, Lucy and Ethel decide to go to charm school. Natalie Schafer appears as the charm school instructor.
82	16	"Sentimental Anniversary"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 17, 1953	February 1, 1954
It is the Ricardos' wedding anniversary, and they plan to spend it alone. The Mertzes however, have planned a surprise anniversary party for them.
83	17	"Fan Magazine Interview"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 7, 1954	February 8, 1954
While being interviewed and photographed throughout the day by a reporter from a magazine, Lucy and Ricky put on their best manners and clothes. However, complications arise when Lucy finds a letter in Ricky's coat pocket, and thinks that Ricky is seeing another woman. In actuality, the letter is just part of a publicity stunt concocted by Ricky's agent.
84	18	"Oil Wells"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 14, 1954	February 15, 1954
Lucy and Ethel learn that their new neighbors own stock in a Texas oil well. They decide to invest, until Lucy suspects he is a swindler.
85	19	"Ricky Loses His Temper"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 21, 1954	February 22, 1954
Ricky bets Lucy that he can control his temper longer than she can keep from buying a new hat. However, while at the hat store, Lucy cannot help herself, and orders a new hat. She then attempts to get Ricky to lose his temper before the new hat is delivered.
86	20	"Home Movies"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	January 28, 1954	March 1, 1954
Ricky's TV pilot film that he plans to show for a television producer inspires Lucy and the Mertzes to make their own, with disastrous results when Ricky's TV pilot is shown with Lucy's footage spliced in.
87	21	"Bonus Bucks"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 4, 1954	March 8, 1954
After seeing Lucy and Ethel search their dollar bills for a newspaper's "Bonus Bucks" contest, Ricky finds out that one of his dollars is the winning bill, and decides to plant it in Lucy's purse to let her find it herself. However, it slips through her fingers. Now she, Ricky, and the Mertzes have to get it back before the contest is over.
88	22	"Ricky's Hawaiian Vacation"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 11, 1954	March 22, 1954
Ricky and his band get an offer to play in Honolulu. Lucy disguises herself an elderly mother and goes on a TV game show to try to win a trip to Honolulu for her and the Mertzes.
89	23	"Lucy Is Envious"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 16, 1954	March 29, 1954
After Lucy and Ethel each inadvertently pledge a five-hundred dollar donation to a charity run by Lucy's rich high-school friend, they pose as "women from Mars" to earn the money as part of a publicity stunt. Herb Vigran guest stars.
90	24	"Lucy Writes a Novel"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 4, 1954	April 5, 1954
Lucy reads about a housewife who makes a fortune writing a novel, so she takes a crack at it by writing her first novel, "Real Gone with the Wind." However, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred do not like the way Lucy has portrayed them and try to stop the book from being published.
91	25	"Lucy's Club Dance"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 11, 1954	April 12, 1954
Lucy, Ethel, and their friends decide to raise money for their Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League by sponsoring a dance. They decide to make up their own band for the occasion, but they sound so terrible that Lucy convinces Ricky to give them some pointers.
92	26	"The Black Wig"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 25, 1954	April 19, 1954
After Ricky forbids Lucy to cut her hair short in an Italian style haircut, Lucy dons a black wig and the beauty salon to try out the look. She then decides test Ricky's marital fidelity by pretending to be another woman and flirts with him. Eve McVeagh guest stars.
93	27	"The Diner"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 18, 1954	April 26, 1954
Fed up with show business, Ricky quits the club, and the Ricardos and the Mertzes buy a diner and run it together. The Mertzes struggle with all the difficult cooking, while Ricky and Lucy only have to be the greeters. They soon decide to split the diner down the middle, with each couple running their own restaurant. After a pie-filled fight, they decide that they want out of the diner business and sell it back to the original owner.
94	28	"Tennessee Ernie Visits"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 1, 1954	May 3, 1954
Lucy's mother writes to inform Lucy and Ricky that her friend's cousin Ernie will be arriving from Tennessee to visit them in New York. To the Ricardos' surprise, Ernie decides to sleep over at the apartment and later tells them that he intends to stay for the long-term. Tennessee Ernie Ford guest stars as cousin Ernie.
95	29	"Tennessee Ernie Hangs On"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 8, 1954	May 10, 1954
Ernie is still living with the Ricardos', much to their annoyance. The Ricardos and the Mertzes are able to earn enough money to send Ernie home by appearing with him in a musical act on "Millikan's Chicken-Mash Hour."
96	30	"The Golf Game"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 15, 1954	May 17, 1954
Ricky and Fred have taken up golf; Lucy and Ethel want to join them. To scare them off, the men invent complicated and bizarre rules for the game. Professional golfer Jimmy Demaret, appearing as himself, sets the women straight and helps them turn the tables by playing a hole with Ricky and Fred, following their ridiculous system.
97	31	"The Sublease"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 22, 1954	May 24, 1954
The Ricardos are taking a summer trip to Maine after Ricky's band is booked there, so they sublet their apartment for the summer. But after the booking is canceled, the Ricardos need their apartment back. Since the new tenant was a witness in a murder trial, Lucy and Ethel decide to stage a murder in front of him to frighten him away.

Season 4 (1954–55)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
98	1	"The Business Manager"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	June 17, 1954	October 4, 1954
Tired of Lucy being unable to pay the bills, Ricky hires business manager Mr. Hickox (Charles Lane), who only gives Lucy five dollars a month as an allowance. Since Mr. Hickox arranges a line of credit for Lucy to charge her groceries, she offers to buy groceries for everyone in the apartment building, secretly charging everything on her account and keeping all of the cash for herself. Ricky and Fred arrive at the conclusion that Lucy is getting all of her money by investing in the stock market, so Ricky ends up firing Mr. Hickox, as he assumes that they do not need him anymore due to Lucy's "sixth sense" in buying stock.
99	2	"Mertz and Kurtz"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	July 1, 1954	October 11, 1954
To help Fred impress his ex-vaudeville partner, Barney Kurtz (Charles Winninger), Ethel talks Lucy into posing as their maid. Though it turns out that Barney is not as successful as he had been letting on.
100	3	"Lucy Cries Wolf"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	June 3, 1954	October 18, 1954
To find out how much Ricky loves her, Lucy calls him during a rehearsal and says there is a burglar in the apartment. After two attempts, Lucy finds herself tied and gagged by two crooks.
101	4	"The Matchmaker"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	June 10, 1954	October 25, 1954
Lucy attempts to help her friend Dorthy get married by inviting Dorthy and her beau Sam to a dinner at the Ricardos' apartment, hoping to present Sam with a positive example of married life.
102	5	"Mr. and Mrs. TV Show"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	June 24, 1954	November 1, 1954*
Ricky has a chance to do an at-home TV show, and Lucy wants to be in it. Things go well until Lucy discovers Ricky only let her do the show because the sponsor insisted. (*) This episode's original scheduled network broadcast was pre-empted. It eventually aired on Monday, April 11, 1955.
103	6	"Ricky's Movie Offer"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 16, 1954	November 8, 1954
A Hollywood talent scout (Frank Nelson) wants Ricky to audition for a movie about the life of Don Juan, and everyone wants to get into the act and audition.
104	7	"Ricky's Screen Test"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 23, 1954	November 15, 1954
Lucy appears with Ricky in his screen test, with the hope that she will get discovered by a Hollywood executive.
105	8	"Lucy's Mother-In-Law"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	September 30, 1954	November 22, 1954
When Lucy's Cuban mother-in-law visits, Lucy desperately tries to perfect her Spanish-speaking skills.
106	9	"Ethel's Birthday"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 7, 1954	November 29, 1954
Fred asks Lucy to choose something special for him to give Ethel for her birthday. Ethel opens the gift, then laughs at it, leaving Lucy feeling insulted.
107	10	"Ricky's Contract"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 14, 1954	December 6, 1954
Ricky is still waiting for the results of his screen test, and his anxious attitude is worrying Lucy and the Mertzes. To calm Ricky down, Fred leaves a note saying he got the job, while the call has still not come. In the end, Lucy and the Mertzes learn that Ricky was contacted by the talent scout and got the job after all. This episode was, according to a CBS press release of August 14, 1954, to be broadcast in color, but ultimately plans to film it in color were abandoned.
108	11	"Getting Ready"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 21, 1954	December 13, 1954
The Ricardos prepare for their trip to California and invite the Mertzes to come along. However, problems arise when Fred ends up buying an antique car for the trip.
109	12	"Lucy Learns To Drive"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	October 28, 1954	January 3, 1955
Ricky buys a brand new car for the trip to California, and makes the mistake of teaching Lucy to drive in it. Afterwards, Lucy attempts to show Ethel how the car works and they end up crashing into the antique car.
110	13	"California, Here We Come!"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 4, 1954	January 10, 1955
Lucy and Ricky are all ready to start their trip to Los Angeles with Little Ricky and the Mertzes when complications develop: Lucy's mother decides to join them on their trip. Ricky initially objects, but later reluctantly accepts. Ultimately, Lucy's mother decides to go to California by plane instead, as she gets car sick, and will take Little Ricky with her. Kathryn Card appears as Lucy's mother Mrs. McGillicuddy.
111	14	"First Stop"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 11, 1954	January 17, 1955
After a long day of non-stop driving, the Ricardos and the Mertzes pull into "One Oak Cabins and Cafe" a run-down establishment near Cincinnati that has nothing to eat but stale cheese sandwiches. The proprietor (played by Olin Howland) offers the foursome accommodation in a single-room cabin with bathroom. Lucy and Ricky's bed has a sagging mattress that scoots back and forth across the floor every time a noisy train passes.
112	15	"Tennessee Bound"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 18, 1954	January 24, 1955
While on the way to California, Ricky rushes through Bent Fork, Tennessee, the home of their friend Ernie (Tennessee Ernie Ford), and lands the Ricardos and the Mertzes in jail. Aaron Spelling has a bit role as a gas station attendant.
113	16	"Ethel's Home Town"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	November 25, 1954	January 31, 1955
The Ricardos and the Mertzes arrive in Ethel's home town: Albuquerque, New Mexico and visit her father. Lucy, Ricky, and Fred are shocked when the town-folk give Ethel a big welcome, as Ethel told her father she was the aspiring star.
114	17	"L.A., At Last"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 2, 1954	February 7, 1955
Arriving in Hollywood, Lucy and the Mertzes go star hunting at the Brown Derby restaurant. While there, Ethel has an interaction with Eve Arden, while Lucy annoys William Holden by staring at him from behind a potted plant and then accidentally getting him hit in the face with a pie. Later she disguises herself with a putty nose and glasses when Ricky brings Holden to their hotel room to meet her.
115	18	"Don Juan and the Starlets"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 9, 1954	February 14, 1955
Ricky leaves Lucy at their hotel and goes out for an evening of publicity with four gorgeous starlets. He then lands in hot water with Lucy when she thinks he was out all night.
116	19	"Lucy Gets Into Pictures"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 16, 1954	February 21, 1955
Since Lucy is longing to appear in a movie, Ricky arranges for her to appear as a murdered showgirl in an MGM film, but the costume headdress is more than she can handle.
117	20	"The Fashion Show"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	December 23, 1954	February 28, 1955
Lucy is determined to own a Don Loper gown and winds up being part of a "Hollywood Wives" fashion show, wearing a scratchy tweed suit while having a bad sunburn.
118	21	"The Hedda Hopper Story"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 3, 1955	March 14, 1955
Lucy's mother arrives in California with the baby, while Ricky's agent concocts a publicity stunt designed to land Ricky in Hedda Hopper's celebrity gossip column. They plan for Ricky to "save" Lucy from drowning in the hotel pool.
119	22	"Don Juan Is Shelved"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 10, 1955	March 21, 1955
When Lucy finds out from a Variety article that Ricky's studio MGM has shelved his film Don Juan, she schemes with her mother and the Mertzes to create public demand for Ricky's talent. However, producer Dore Schary informs Ricky that even though the studio is indeed shelving Don Juan, they want to keep Ricky on contract, and will star him in a film as soon as they can find the right one. Vivian Vance's then-husband, Philip Ober, appears as Schary.
120	23	"Bull Fight Dance"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 17, 1955	March 28, 1955
Lucy blackmails Ricky to let her appear in his "Heart Fund" show. However, when Lucy's singing skills are not up to par, Ricky arranges for her to wear a bull costume for his bull fight number.
121	24	"Hollywood Anniversary"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	February 24, 1955	April 4, 1955
Lucy and Ricky's wedding anniversary is approaching, and Ricky has forgotten the date, but he has a plan to convince Lucy that he knew it all along, telling her that he has planned an anniversary party at the Mocambo nightclub.
122	25	"The Star Upstairs"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 3, 1955	April 18, 1955
Lucy poses as a bellboy to get a glimpse of Cornel Wilde, who is staying at the hotel. When this does not work, Lucy manages to get a bellboy's help to sneak into Wilde's hotel room. However, getting out proves to be difficult as she ends up dangling down off the balcony from his room. Note: William Frawley does not appear in this episode.
123	26	"In Palm Springs"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 17, 1955	April 25, 1955
Upset by a quarrel with their husbands over annoying spouse habits, Lucy, her mother, Ethel, and Little Ricky leave for a weekend in Palm Springs. While there, Lucy and Ethel meet Rock Hudson.
124	27	"The Dancing Star"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 31, 1955	May 2, 1955
Carolyn Appleby, one of Lucy's friends from New York, is vising Lucy and wants to meet some of the movie stars that Lucy has bragged about befriending, starting with Van Johnson, who is appearing at the hotel.
125	28	"Harpo Marx"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	March 24, 1955	May 9, 1955
Before Carolyn leaves Hollywood, she wants to see all of the celebrities that Lucy claimed would show up for a get-together. Dressing up as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and other celebrities, Lucy manages to fool the near-sighted Carolyn. However, the real Harpo Marx shows up and soon discovers Lucy dressed up as him.
126	29	"Ricky Needs an Agent"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 7, 1955	May 16, 1955
Growing tired of Ricky's constant publicity appearances, Lucy fears that MGM will never give him a film, so she pretends to be his agent and tries to bluff a studio executive (Parley Baer) into starring Ricky in a movie by telling him that Ricky has an offer on Broadway, only to get Ricky released from his contract. When Lucy confesses to Ricky what she did, he trashes the hotel room in frustration. In the end, everything gets straightened out, and Ricky remains on contract with the studio.
127	30	"The Tour"	William Asher	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.	April 14, 1955	May 30, 1955
After Ricky forbids Lucy to join him for lunch with Richard Widmark at Romanoff's, Lucy and Ethel take a bus tour of movie stars' homes in Beverly Hills, and Lucy ends up picking a grapefruit from Widmark's backyard, where she gets trapped.

Season 5 (1955–56)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
128	1	"Lucy Visits Grauman's"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 9, 1955	October 3, 1955
After Ricky completes his movie for MGM, Lucy and the Mertzes convince him to let them stay in Hollywood for one more week. While sight-seeing, Lucy discovers that the cement slab with John Wayne's footprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater has become loose. Lucy talks Ethel into helping her steal the slab, and as they make their get-away, Lucy gets her foot caught in a bucket of cement.
129	2	"Lucy and John Wayne"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 15, 1955	October 10, 1955
Lucy and Ethel have accidentally destroyed the cement slab of John Wayne's footprints, and the police have been called to investigate. Ricky tries to get Wayne to help but things go awry. John Wayne guest stars.
130	3	"Lucy and the Dummy"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 22, 1955	October 17, 1955
MGM asks Ricky to help entertain executives at a studio party. Ricky has plans to go deep-sea fishing, but as far as Lucy is concerned, "the show must go on"—and she ends up being offered a contract. After giving it some thought, Lucy decides to pass on the contract, as she cannot bear to live far away from Ricky, the baby and the Mertzes.
131	4	"Ricky Sells the Car"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 29, 1955	October 24, 1955
Ricky sells the car and buys train tickets for the trip back to New York, but he forgets about Fred and Ethel. After Lucy informs him of his error, Ricky is able to buy tickets for the Mertzes, but Lucy worries when she discovers that the Mertzes' tickets are for upper berths instead of a compartment.
132	5	"The Great Train Robbery"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	October 6, 1955	October 31, 1955
Lucy gets mixed up with a jewel thief while on the train trip back to New York. In addition, Lucy keeps finding reasons to pull the emergency-brake cord. Sanka Coffee was a background image with the credits. Frank Nelson guest stars.
133	6	"Homecoming"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	October 20, 1955	November 7, 1955
Back in Manhattan, Ricky is surrounded by excited friends wanting to know about his picture. After being influenced by a reporter, even Lucy starts treating him like a star. Sanka Coffee was a background image with the credits.
134	7	"Face to Face"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	October 20, 1955	November 14, 1955
Lucy and Ricky are scheduled to appear on Ed Warren's (Elliott Reid) TV interview show, "Face to Face", from their home. But Ricky's new agent says the apartment is a "dump," and urges them to move into ritzier quarters. However, Lucy and Ricky refuse to move.
135	8	"Lucy Goes to a Rodeo"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	October 27, 1955	November 28, 1955
Ricky is upset when he learns that he signed up to do not a radio show, but a rodeo show. When there are no acts available, he has to reluctantly turn to Lucy and the Mertzes.
136	9	"Nursery School"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 3, 1955	December 5, 1955
Lucy is not happy about the idea of being separated from Little Ricky, but Ricky insists the boy must start nursery school. Lucy then becomes worried when Little Ricky gets sick and must go to the hospital.
137	10	"Ricky's European Booking"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 10, 1955	December 12, 1955
Ricky's band gets booked in Europe, and Fred is recruited as Ricky's band manager. Lucy and Ethel can only go if they can come up with enough money to pay their own way. They run a raffle benefiting a made-up charity called "Ladies Overseas Aid" and nearly get arrested for it until the president of the real charity shows up to collect the proceeds. Ricky then discovers that his band can travel for free if they play aboard ship, so he can afford to take the girls on the trip. Barney Phillips guest stars as the District Attorney. Note: Desi and The Pied Pipers take some time and sing "Forever, Darling," the theme song of the upcoming Ball-Arnaz picture of the same name
138	11	"The Passports"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 17, 1955	December 19, 1955
Lucy needs her birth certificate in order to get her passport, but Jamestown has no record of her being born there. She devises a way to sneak to Europe with the others: hide in a large steamer trunk. While trying it out, she ends up locked in the trunk with the key in her pocket. Lucy ends up receiving her birth certificate in the mail from her mother, and learns from her childhood doctor that she was actually born in West Jamestown.
139	12	"Staten Island Ferry"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 24, 1955	January 2, 1956
The Ricardos and Mertzes are all ready to leave for Europe, until Fred announces that he gets seasick, so Ricky suggests seasick pills. Charles Lane guest stars as the passport office clerk.
140	13	"Bon Voyage"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 1, 1955	January 16, 1956
After boarding the ocean liner SS Constitution, Lucy goes ashore just one more time to kiss Little Ricky goodbye, and misses the boat. As a result, she ends up hiring a helicopter to drop her off on the ship. Jack Albertson appears as a helicopter dispatcher. This episode inspired the later Desilu series Whirlybirds, with Kenneth Tobey. NOTE: Desi Arnaz claims in several interviews that this was the most expensive episode produced.
141	14	"Second Honeymoon"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 8, 1955	January 23, 1956
Lucy plans to make the ocean voyage a second honeymoon, but Ricky has previous shipboard engagements with his band. When she has had enough, she devises a plan with Ethel to spend time with him no matter what and ends up getting stuck in a porthole.
142	15	"Lucy Meets the Queen"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 15, 1955	January 30, 1956
Lucy and Ethel go looking for Queen Elizabeth II on their first day in London, Ethel manages to get a glimpse of the Queen, but Lucy misses seeing her. Eventually, Lucy finds out that she can be presented to the Queen if she is one of the performers in Ricky's show at the London Palladium. Nancy Kulp appears as a chambermaid.
143	16	"The Fox Hunt"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 22, 1955	February 6, 1956
Lucy wants to spend a weekend on a British estate. With the Mertzes' help, she manages to get an invitation from Sir Clive Richardson, with whom Ricky is scheduled to talk business. Hillary Brooke guest stars.
144	17	"Lucy Goes to Scotland"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	January 6, 1956	February 20, 1956
In this Brigadoon-inspired episode, complete with musical numbers, Lucy dreams that she visits her ancestral village in Scotland. The villagers are delighted at her arrival, as it is once again the year when they must sacrifice a McGillicuddy to a man-eating, two-headed dragon (Fred and Ethel)--and until Lucy showed up, the clan was believed to be extinct. Lucy hopes that Scotty McTavish McDougal McCardo (Ricky) will be able to fight the dragon to save her life. (Goof: McGillicuddy is an Irish surname.)
145	18	"Paris at Last"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	January 12, 1956	February 27, 1956
The Ricardos and the Mertzes arrive in Paris, and when a man outside the American Express office offers to exchange money for Lucy, she ends up in jail for passing counterfeit francs.
146	19	"Lucy Meets Charles Boyer"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	January 19, 1956	March 5, 1956
Ricky has a luncheon engagement with Charles Boyer, and he wants to keep Lucy away from him.
147	20	"Lucy Gets a Paris Gown"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	February 16, 1956	March 19, 1956
After Lucy is exposed for faking a hunger strike to get an original Paris gown from Jacques Marcel, Ricky and Fred decide to teach the girls a lesson by creating faux original gowns from potato sacks.
148	21	"Lucy in the Swiss Alps"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	February 23, 1956	March 26, 1956
The Ricardos and the Mertzes go mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps, and are stuck in a cabin with little to eat, after a sudden avalanche.
149	22	"Lucy Gets Homesick in Italy"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	March 1, 1956	April 9, 1956
Lucy, while in Florence, gets homesick for Little Ricky on his birthday, has to contend with going down a flight of stairs, makes a lengthy and expensive phone call, and then hosts an impromptu party for several Italian children who all claim it is their birthday too.
150	23	"Lucy's Italian Movie"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	March 8, 1956	April 16, 1956
En route to Rome, an Italian movie producer offers Lucy a role in a color film called Bitter Grapes. So she decides to take a job in a vineyard to absorb a little "local color." and ends up stomping grapes and picks a fight with her fellow stomper. She then misses out being selected for the role due to being stained blue from the grape vat. In 1997, TV Guide ranked this episode #18 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.[3] In the April 9, 2020 episode of Will & Grace, Megan Mullally as Lucy and Leslie Jordan as the Italian woman recreate the grape-stomping scene.[9][10][11]
151	24	"Lucy's Bicycle Trip"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	March 22, 1956	April 23, 1956
Lucy organizes a bicycle trip for her, Ricky and the Mertzes from the Italian Riviera to Nice. But when she cannot find her passport, the border guard refuses to let her through the checkpoint.
152	25	"Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	March 29, 1956	May 7, 1956
Ricky has declared the Monte Carlo Casino out-of-bounds for Lucy, but she and Ethel decide to eat dinner there. When Lucy accidentally wins a fortune, she tries to hide it from Ricky, but soon Ricky finds the cash in Ethel's suitcase and believes Fred is an embezzler.
153	26	"Return Home from Europe"	James V. Kern	Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	April 5, 1956	May 14, 1956
In order to make it home from Europe in time for Ricky and his band to perform at the Roxy Theatre, everyone must travel back to New York by plane. Lucy tries to get out of paying duties by disguising a big piece of Italian cheese as a swaddled baby, much to the frustration of Ricky. Frank Nelson and Mary Jane Croft guest star.

Season 6 (1956–57)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
154	1	"Lucy and Bob Hope"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	June 5, 1956	October 1, 1956
Sighting Bob Hope at Yankee Stadium, Lucy hopes to persuade him to appear at Ricky's club (now named Club Babalú) unaware that Hope has already agreed to appear. She ends up joining Hope and Ricky in performing at Ricky's club. Richard Keith makes his first appearance as Little Ricky.
155	2	"Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	June 28, 1956	October 8, 1956
Little Ricky's non-stop drum playing threatens the Ricardos' and Mertzes' friendship.
156	3	"Lucy Meets Orson Welles"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	June 14, 1956	October 15, 1956
Lucy wangles a job as Orson Welles's assistant when he appears at Ricky's club. He is doing a magic act, but Lucy is doing Shakespeare.
157	4	"Little Ricky Gets Stage Fright"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	June 21, 1956	October 22, 1956
Little Ricky gets stage fright before his first school music recital. Howard McNear guest stars.
158	5	"Visitor from Italy"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 24, 1956	October 29, 1956
When the Venetian gondolier (Jay Novello in his third and final appearance) the Ricardos met in Europe shows up in New York, a series of mishaps result in Lucy working at a pizza parlor.
159	6	"Off to Florida"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 13, 1956	November 12, 1956
Driving to Miami to meet their husbands, the girls share the drive with a strange lady (Elsa Lanchester) they suspect is an ax murderess. Strother Martin appears as a store clerk.
160	7	"Deep-Sea Fishing"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 27, 1956	November 19, 1956
On a deep-sea fishing trip, the boys bet the girls that they will catch bigger fish. To win the bet, the men and the women each buy large tunas to pass off as their catch. The only problem is hiding the fish from their spouses.
161	8	"Desert Island"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	October 4, 1956	November 26, 1956
Lucy and Ethel's scheme to prevent the boys from judging a bathing beauty contest leaves the Ricardos and the Mertzes marooned on a desert island. Claude Akins guest stars as himself.
162	9	"The Ricardos Visit Cuba"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	October 18, 1956	December 3, 1956
Lucy is bent on impressing Ricky's family when they visit Havana, Cuba, but she cannot seem to say or do anything right.
163	10	"Little Ricky's School Pageant"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	October 25, 1956	December 17, 1956
The Ricardos and the Mertzes sign on as extra cast members in Little Ricky's school play, "The Enchanted Forest".
164	11	"I Love Lucy Christmas Show"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Pugh Davis, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 22, 1956	December 24, 1956
Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel reminisce (via flashbacks of previous episodes) as they trim the tree on Christmas Eve. The flashbacks, all from season 2, include Lucy telling Ricky about her pregnancy in "Lucy Is Enceinte," Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel singing in a barbershop quartet in "Lucy's Showbiz Swan Song," and Ricky, Fred and Ethel frantically preparing for Lucy's impending labor in "Lucy Goes to the Hospital". Because this was a "special" episode, it is not included in the syndication package. In 1989 and 1990, CBS rebroadcast the episode in prime time during the holiday season. On Monday, December 18, 1989, it aired with the full episode in its original black and white format. On Monday, December 10, 1990, it aired with the wrap-around (non-flashback) segments in color and the flashback segments in black and white. The episode did not air again until 2013, but that year CBS started pairing it with a newly-colorized episode from the series. On Friday, December 20, 2013, it was paired with "Lucy's Italian Movie" (from Season 5). On Sunday, December 7, 2014, it was paired with "Job Switching" (from Season 2) with an encore presentation on Wednesday, December 24, 2014, exactly 58 years after the original black and white episode first aired. On Wednesday, December 23, 2015, it aired fully colorized for the first time and was paired with "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" (from Season 1). On Friday, December 23, 2016, it was paired with "Lucy Gets Into Pictures" (from Season 4). On Friday, December 22, 2017, it was paired with "The Fashion Show” (from Season 4). On Friday, December 14, 2018, it was paired with "Pioneer Women" (from Season 1). On Friday, December 20, 2019, it was paired with "Paris at Last" (from Season 5).
165	12	"Lucy and the Loving Cup"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 1, 1956	January 7, 1957
Lucy jokingly dons a loving cup on her head that Ricky is supposed to present to jockey Johnny Longden, but then she cannot get it off.
166	13	"Lucy and Superman"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 15, 1956	January 14, 1957
Lucy promises to produce Superman (George Reeves) for Little Ricky's fifth birthday party, but must make alternate plans when he is unable to attend. She hastily tries to impersonate Superman herself, but gets locked out on the ledge of the apartment. Note: George Reeves did originally receive voice-over screen credit for this episode, although it was subsequently cut from the syndicated version. After the closing credits, the disclaimer appeared on the screen that said: Superman Character, Feats and Narrative Copyrighted by National Comics Publications, Inc., 1956
167	14	"Little Ricky Gets a Dog"	James V. Kern	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 8, 1956	January 21, 1957
Little Ricky's new puppy prompts complaints by a new tenant. June Foray plays the Voice of the Dog.[12]
168	15	"Lucy Wants to Move to the Country"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 6, 1956	January 28, 1957
Fed up with city life, Lucy yearns for the suburban life. Ricky buys a house in suburban Westport, Connecticut as a surprise for their anniversary. The house is an old Colonial and sits on 2 acres of land, with a guest house and barn.
169	16	"Lucy Hates to Leave"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 13, 1956	February 4, 1957
The Ricardos find themselves, and all their belongings, boarding with the Mertzes while they wait to move into their new home.
170	17	"Lucy Misses the Mertzes"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 20, 1956	February 11, 1957
Lucy and Ricky miss the Mertzes so much that they decide to take the train to New York to surprise them. But Fred and Ethel have the same idea, and are on their way to Connecticut.
171	18	"Lucy Gets Chummy With the Neighbors"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	January 10, 1957	February 18, 1957
Lucy's new neighbor, Betty Ramsey, talks Lucy into buying all new furniture, and Ricky demands that she return it. Frank Nelson and Mary Jane Croft make their first appearance as Ralph and Betty Ramsey.
172	19	"Lucy Raises Chickens"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	January 17, 1957	March 4, 1957
Lucy and Ricky decide to raise chickens and sell their eggs to help make ends meet. They hire the Mertzes to help and let them live in the guest house. Soon the Ricardo's house is overrun with a flock of baby chicks, on the day a house magazine photographer is due to visit.
173	20	"Lucy Does the Tango"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	February 7, 1957	March 11, 1957
Lucy and Ethel try to boost egg production by buying several dozen eggs and pretending they are homegrown. But their plan to hide them in their clothing to sneak them into the hen house goes awry when Ricky asks Lucy to rehearse a tango number. This resulted in one of the longest sustained audience laughter sequences in sitcoms.
174	21	"Ragtime Band"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	February 14, 1957	March 18, 1957
Lucy promises that Ricky will play at a local benefit, but he refuses. So she and the Mertzes put together their own combo—featuring Ricky Ricardo, Jr.
175	22	"Lucy's Night in Town"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	February 21, 1957	March 25, 1957
In Manhattan for dinner and a hit Broadway show ("The Most Happy Fella"), Lucy discovers that their tickets were instead for the matinée performance. Joseph Kearns has a minor role. Desilu Productions owned a large portion of the show, and was cross-promoting in this episode.
176	23	"Housewarming"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	February 28, 1957	April 1, 1957
Ethel is jealous of Lucy's friendship with Betty Ramsey. But when Betty reveals that she is from Ethel's home town of Albuquerque, the two become fast friends, and now it is Lucy who feels left out.
177	24	"Building a B-B-Q"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	March 14, 1957	April 8, 1957
In order to keep Ricky busy while he is on vacation, Lucy and Ethel get him and Fred to start building a backyard barbecue. Things go bad when Lucy cannot find her wedding ring and decides to take apart the entire brick barbecue when she thinks that it might have fallen into the cement used to build it.
178	25	"Country Club Dance"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	March 21, 1957	April 22, 1957
At a club dance, Ricky, Fred, and Ralph Ramsey shower attention on a sultry young blonde (portrayed by Barbara Eden), much to the chagrin of their wives.
179	26	"Lucy Raises Tulips"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	March 28, 1957	April 29, 1957
Lucy is determined to beat Betty Ramsey in Westport's "best-looking garden" contest, and she accidentally runs over Betty's tulip garden with a lawn mower.
180	27	"The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue"	William Asher	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	April 4, 1957	May 6, 1957
Ricky has been chosen to dedicate a new Revolutionary War statue in the Westport Town Square. But there is a problem: Lucy has accidentally destroyed the statue. Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. appear as extras in the episode's final scene, their only appearance on their parents' series.[13]

The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour episodes

After season six, the series was renamed The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show for its original broadcast run and rather than airing as weekly half hour series, hour-long episodes were produced to run occasionally during the year. There were thirteen hour-long shows. The first five were broadcast as specials during the 1957-58 television season. The other eight episodes were broadcast as part of the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse from October 6, 1958, to April 1, 1960. The series was subsequently broadcast in syndication as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and We Love Lucy. This show had the same cast as I Love Lucy, employed many of the other same actors, and featured many famous guest stars. Of the original I Love Lucy cast, besides the principals, only Lucy's mother appeared in any Comedy Hour episode. She appears in season 3, episode 2 'The Ricardos Go To Japan' as Little Ricky's babysitter.

Season 1 (1957–58)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
1	1	"Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana"	Jerry Thorpe	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	June 28, 1957	November 6, 1957
Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper wants to know how Lucy and Ricky met. In a flashback to 1940, Lucy McGillicuddy and her best friend Susie MacNamara (Ann Sothern whose character makes a crossover appearance from her CBS show Private Secretary) are cruising Havana, where they encounter two tour guides, Ricky Ricardo and his friend, Carlos Garcia (Cesar Romero). Second honeymooners Fred and Ethel Mertz and crooner Rudy Vallee are along for the ride. Note: This was originally shown as a 75-minute episode. All repeats were edited to an hour's length, with the original opening and closing sequences (featuring Hedda Hopper) deleted, replaced by Desi's brief narration at the beginning and end. This is the only episode where the celebrity guest stars (with the exception of Hopper and Vallee) do not portray themselves.
2	2	"The Celebrity Next Door"	Jerry Thorpe	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 27, 1957	December 3, 1957
Tallulah Bankhead moves in next door to the Ricardos. Once Lucy discovers that a celebrity is in her midst, she tries to win her friendship by inviting her to an elegant dinner party—with Fred and Ethel posing as hired help. Before long Lucy has gotten Ms. Bankhead and Ricky and the Mertzes involved with a local PTA show. Bette Davis was originally booked as the next-door celebrity, but suffered a horseback riding accident. Bankhead was the producers' second choice.[14]
3	3	"Lucy Hunts Uranium"	Jerry Thorpe	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	November 15, 1957 (Studio portions)	January 3, 1958
Ricky and his band have been booked to play at the Sands Casino in Las Vegas, and Lucy hopes the trip will allow her an opportunity to go uranium hunting. Fred and Ethel are keen on the idea but Ricky forbids it, until mysterious headlines put the entire town in a uproar. Soon the Ricardos, the Mertzes, and Fred MacMurray set out together to strike it rich. It soon becomes a race to see who can get to the claims office first. (Also appearing in this show is MacMurray's wife, June Haver.) Note: This is the first episode that Lucy sports a new short haircut that she will keep for the remainder of the series.
4	4	"Lucy Wins a Race Horse"	Jerry Thorpe	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 1957	February 3, 1958
Lucy wins a race horse for Little Ricky. In order to keep the horse, Lucy enters the horse in a race at Roosevelt Raceway with the help of Betty Grable. Harry James, Betty's husband, also appears.
5	5	"Lucy Goes to Sun Valley"	Jerry Thorpe	Madelyn Martin, Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	February 1958	April 14, 1958
Lucy and Ethel go to Sun Valley without Ricky and Fred. While in Sun Valley, the girls meet Fernando Lamas and Lucy hatches a scheme to make Ricky jealous enough to join them.

Season 2 (1958–59)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
6	1	"Lucy Goes to Mexico"	Jerry Thorpe	Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf and Everett Freeman	June 16, 1958 (Completed)	October 6, 1958
Lucy and the Mertzes go with Ricky to Mexico, where he is scheduled to appear in a show with Maurice Chevalier. Meanwhile, Lucy ends up finding herself in a bullfight.
7	2	"Lucy Makes Room for Danny"	Jerry Thorpe	Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 19, 1958	December 1, 1958
The Williams family from The Danny Thomas Show (Danny Thomas, Marjorie Lord, Rusty Hamer and Angela Cartwright) rent Lucy and Ricky's house because the Ricardos are going to Hollywood. When the Hollywood trip is cancelled, the Ricardos end up staying with the Mertzes in the guest house. Gale Gordon also guest stars, as a civil court judge.
8	3	"Lucy Goes to Alaska"	Jerry Thorpe	Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	December 19, 1958 (Completed)	February 9, 1959
The Ricardos and Mertzes go to Alaska, where Lucy does a show with Red Skelton. Lucy repeatedly falls out of a hammock in their overcrowded hotel bedroom, and panics while flying a small bush airplane with Skelton.
9	4	"Lucy Wants a Career"	Jerry Thorpe	Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	March 6, 1959 (Copyrighted)	April 13, 1959
Lucy does not want to be a housewife any longer and appears on Paul Douglas' "Early Bird Show" as his "Girl Friday." Note: This episode mirrored life for the Arnazes in the 1940s, as Lucy would meet Desi at the train station as she was leaving for work at a movie studio, while Desi would be headed home after working at a nightclub.
10	5	"Lucy's Summer Vacation"	Jerry Thorpe	Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	May 5, 1959 (Copyrighted)	June 8, 1959
Lucy and Ricky go on a vacation and end up sharing their cabin with Howard Duff and Ida Lupino.

Season 3 (1959–60)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Film date	Original air date
11	1	"Milton Berle Hides Out at the Ricardos"	Desi Arnaz	Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	June 1959	September 25, 1959
Lucy tries to let Milton Berle work on his book in peace while he is at the Ricardos' house.
12	2	"The Ricardos Go to Japan"	Desi Arnaz	Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	September 1959	November 27, 1959
Lucy, Ricky, and the Mertzes visit Tokyo, Japan and meet Bob Cummings. Meanwhile, Lucy wants to buy some real pearls. When a mix-up occurs over the real pearls and some fake ones, Lucy and Ethel find themselves disguised as geisha girls.
13	3	"Lucy Meets the Mustache"	Desi Arnaz	Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf	2 March 1960 (Completed)	April 1, 1960
Ricky is depressed because he has not been getting any TV offers lately, so Lucy, Fred, and Ethel try to cheer him up. Ernie Kovacs and his wife Edie Adams guest star. Note: This is the final episode of the show due to the divorce of Ball and Arnaz, which occurred two months after this episode aired. Many people who worked on I Love Lucy said that they had a feeling this would be the last episode because of the constant fighting between the two even though more episodes were planned to be produced.

References

1. "'I Love Lucy' Pilot (TV Episode 1951) - Trivia - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
2. Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion, edited by Tom Hill, copyright 1996 by Viacom International, p. 246: "the title of the episode reflects an earlier draft of the script where Rosemary was a singer rather than a dancer."
3. "Special Collector's Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time". TV Guide (June 28-July 4). 1997.
4. "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
5. TV Guide June 29-July 5, 1996. pg. 66.
6. Hughes, Jason (2013-09-02). "Betty White Counts Down 'TV's Funniest Of The Funniest': Who Came Out On Top?". The Huffington Post.
7. Rice, Lynette (2019-11-25). "Will & Grace to air a special I Love Lucy-themed episode". ew.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
8. "Jack and Grace Reenact I Love Lucy's Chocolate Factory Scene". NBC. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
9. Rice, Lynette (2019-11-25). "Will & Grace to air a special I Love Lucy-themed episode". ew.com. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
10. "Karen Reenacts I Love Lucy's Grape Stomping Scene". NBC. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
11. "Will & Grace: Scenes From I Love Lucy". Yahoo. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
12. Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion, edited by Tom Hill, copyright 1996 by Viacom International, pp.295-296; this book numbers episodes of I Love Lucy in the order in which they were produced, not aired and this episode is therefore listed as Episode 165
13. Nick at Nite's Classic TV Companion, edited by Tom Hill, copyright 1996 by Viacom International, p. 300: "two little kids standing with Little Ricky...[a]re actually little Lucie and Desi Junior, in the only appearance the Arnaz children ever made on I Love Lucy."
14. Kanfer, Stefan (2003). Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 198. ISBN 0-375-41315-4.

Further reading

• Andrews, Bart (1985). The "I Love Lucy" Book. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-19033-6.
• Edwards, Elisabeth (2010) [2001]. I love Lucy: Celebrating 50 Years of Love and Laughter. Philadelphia: Running Press. ISBN 978-0-7624-3983-6.