MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Lucy THREW a pie at Bill Holden

Lucy THREW a pie at Bill Holden

posted 7 years ago by AndrewHNPX (42)
13 replies | jump to latest

Why do you think this basically became the truth about Lucy's encounter with Holden at the Brown Derby? It clearly wasn't what happened; she accidentally tripped the waiter and he lost the pie and it ended up on Holden. It wasn't her fault, but the way it's talked about after makes it sound like she literally took a pie and threw it at him. I think in The Tour, Lucy even calls Ricky out on this but he basically just brushes her off.

Also come to think of it, how did Ricky even know that this took place? Holden implied at the end of LA at Last that he wouldn't tell Ricky about this.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 7 years ago

I think if a big star like Bill Holden ended up with a pie all over his face at The Brown Derby, rumors, not just pies, would fly!! LOL

It's just natural that people would have noticed and there would be rumors and stories flying fast and furious. Stories take on a life of their own and just grow bigger and bigger.

I suppose it just sounded better and funnier to say that Lucy threw a pie. If it was just the case of a waiter tripping, it wouldn't be so funny or shocking. The rumor just spread and Lucy was stuck with it.

[–] AndrewHNPX (42) 7 years ago

Yes, you're right. This was one case where I felt sorry for Lucy. Like I said, the whole ordeal wasn't her fault and she got stuck with the blame for it.

[–] Ken12602 (498) 7 years ago

But it was her fault because she rushed out of the booth so fast that she didn't make sure that she wasn't going to hit anyone when she ran off.

[–] AndrewHNPX (42) 7 years ago

True, although it still wasn't deliberate.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Here we go again. "How did Ricky even know this took place."

I'm not even going to bother explaining it. Just think about it.

As for the "threw the pie", that was Ricky just being sarcastic (again, pretty obvious).

Also, Lucy could be fairly terrible at taking responsibility for her actions. When they're in Europe in "Lucy
Meets Charles Boyer", Ricky brings up all the terrible things that happen with her and celebrities. When he
brings up John Wayne, Lucy says, "That was not my fault." It WASN'T? She engineered the whole stealing
of the footprints in the first place!

[–] AndrewHNPX (42) 7 years ago

Ok, there's no need to get excited.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

I'm not excited, actually (it takes a lot more than that to get me excited!)

I just mean that one of the bizarre things to me is that people always assume that if something didn't
happen on camera, it didn't happen at all.

I don't mean to be sarcastic, but you say how did Ricky find out about the pie incident. Well, how
WOULDN'T he?? Fred and Ethel knew, the onlookers knew (Gregory Peck was at the Derby, remember?).
After Holden left, don't you think Ricky would've asked Lucy WHY she put putty on her nose, and what
led up to this? Of course, Lucy would've confessed. I don't see how this qualities as a question
when it's so obvious (and understandable) that Ricky would've found out.

Again, I'll use the analogy I've always used here. We never SAW Ricky urinate on camera. We just
assume he did.

[–] AndrewHNPX (42) 7 years ago

After Holden left, don't you think Ricky would've asked Lucy WHY she put putty on her nose, and what
led up to this? Of course, Lucy would've confessed. I don't see how this qualities as a question
when it's so obvious (and understandable) that Ricky would've found out.

Well if I recall, Holden made up some harmless story about him (as not to embarrass her) and Lucy merely encountering each other at the Brown Derby. So I don't think it's out of the question that Ricky could have just accepted this as the reason as to why she was apprehensive about seeing Holden again, hence the putty.

But you're right, given the fact that it happened in a public setting, I guess it's not surprising that word of the incident eventually would reach Ricky.

[–] [email protected] (5854) 7 years ago

gb- you mean to say that Ricky peed? TV characters don't go to the bathroom. LOL

Ha, but yes I know what you mean. The incident happened in a public setting. A lot of people would have talked about it. And what bit of gossip doesn't grow and grow?

Ricky was employed at the same studio as Bill Holden. It would not have been long before everyone was talking about the wife of the studio's newest actor. "What a screwball!"

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

Sorry to all if I came across sarcastic. But in so many instances, Lucy has a line such as:

LUCY: "Oh, I might as well tell you the whole ugly story..."

To me, this would've happened here. HOWEVER, Andrew, you raise an interesting question about
what characters did and didn't know.

Two examples to me that follow your train of logic.

I don't think Fred and Ethel, and all those party guests EVER found out that Lucy and Ricky
were in the closet. They wanted to keep that their secret.

I don't think Ethel, Fred, OR Lucy managed to untangle that bizarre ending to "Ricky Minds the
Baby", when Little Ricky winds up in his crib (Fred brought him there).

Any other incidents?

[–] AndrewHNPX (42) 7 years ago

To me, this would've happened here. HOWEVER, Andrew, you raise an interesting question about
what characters did and didn't know.

Two examples to me that follow your train of logic.

I don't think Fred and Ethel, and all those party guests EVER found out that Lucy and Ricky
were in the closet. They wanted to keep that their secret.

I don't think Ethel, Fred, OR Lucy managed to untangle that bizarre ending to "Ricky Minds the
Baby", when Little Ricky winds up in his crib (Fred brought him there).

Any other incidents?

Well one that comes to mind is that final episode of season 1, Ricky Asks For a Raise. It ends of course with Ricky turning down the offer to be rehired at the Tropicana after Lucy's scheme works better than it should have, since it appeared that Ricky had a huge following. Of course Ricky ends up back at the Tropicana with the events of that episode conveniently forgotten. But it's fun to think about what may have happened. Did Ricky ever find out about what the three of them did? Did he figure it out beforehand and was he just toying with them about not taking the job? Or maybe Lucy admitted to it and told Ricky to just take the job back while he still could.

Curiously though, we never see or hear from Mr. Littlefield (Gale Gordon) again. And later on Ricky owns the Tropicana himself.

[–] [email protected] (1732) 7 years ago

I don't think Mr. Littlefield was long-term stuff. He was waaaaaay too stuffy for a nightclub (as
if he would initially deny Ricky's being promoted because Lucy made them late..."If a
man can't run his own household...").

Mr. Littlefield is gone by early the next season, when Lucy, Fred and Ethel stage that roaring
'20's show for the new owner.

But you're right, Ricky could've been toying with them. After all, he does this exact thing
at the end of "Ricky Needs an Agent."

[–] captainbucky (15252) 7 years ago

Great material