MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Oh Come Now...

Oh Come Now...

posted 2 years ago by Garyandfilm (556)
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As Lucy would say, "oh come now...they aren't THAT dumb!"

As evidenced in "Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio", the foursome weren't intellectuals. Aside from being unable to discuss the recent results of an election, none of them could correctly answer the radio quiz, except Ricky, of course, who attended the taping.

That being said, sometimes the writers dumbed down the characters for the sake of plot convenience or even a gag.

Example: Even though Fred was in show business, and John Wayne was already a screen legend, we're supposed to buy that Fred actually thought the Duke's name was spelled "W a i n" when he forged his signature. The act of Fred doing this (and using Ethel's shoes) was funny enough. The misspelling wasn't enough of a laugh to sacrifice Fred's normal intelligence.

Any other examples?

[–] [email protected] (6247) 2 years ago

That's funny, I was just thinking about that when I viewed "The Camping Trip" the other day.

Lucy insists on reading the sports page with Ricky and she pronounces a TKO as a "ti ko". I'm not a boxing fan but even I know a TKO is short for technical knockout. Then she is up in arms because they are racing "little girls" at Churchill Downs because a two year old maiden won a race. They're HORSES!

I know Lucy wasn't a big sports fan but how could she be so unaware of these things?

Earlier in "Job Switching" the whole dinner is a disaster when Ricky cooks four pounds of rice for them. Couldn't he read the instructions on the box? And why was he making rice before the girls even got home? Rice is ready in twenty minutes.

And Fred, spelling Wayne as "Wain" was dumb enough. But he even thought John Wayne's nickname was the Count!

[–] Garyandfilm (556) 2 years ago

Great examples, PJ.

Day before yesterday, I watched the Bob Hope ep, as I'm now watching rarities from season six. At the Yankees game, Ethel doesn't know a single thing about baseball. Give me a break! Even people who aren't sports fans know HOW baseball is played!

Back to Fred and the Duke: Even if Fred didn't know how to spell "Wayne", wouldn't staring at his footprints all afternoon and evening clued him in???

[–] [email protected] (6247) 2 years ago

Yeah true, Fred must've seen John Wayne's signature when they carried out the footprints. It's just hard to believe that Fred was unfamiliar with the spelling of a huge screen star's name.

Also when Lucy mentions "The High and the Mighty", I figured that the Mertzes went to see that movie with the Ricardos. The two couples were often seen going to the movies together.

But for a second, I had my own "oh come on" moment. I thought that maybe they didn't see the film together, the Ricardos just rented the video. Yikes! I'm losing it.

Another "oh come on" moment is one I recently thought about again in one of the Europe episodes. While in France, Lucy goes off by herself to explore Paris. She orders in a restaurant.

"There are SNAILS in this food!"

Really? Lucy never heard of escargot? I knew what that was when I was a kid. You couldn't pay me to eat it, but I know what it is.

And didn't Lucy and Ethel hire that waiter in the French restaurant to teach them how to order food? We only saw the first lesson when they learned to order pens and pencils (la plume, le crayon). lol But since Lucy kept her part of the bargain, I think the waiter would've given them a few more lessons even though we didn't see it in the episode. Surely he covered escargot!

Another moment that stretches believability is Ricky's forgetting their anniversary in Hollywood. Ricky may have forgotten ABOUT their anniversary because he was busy making a movie. But surely he wouldn't have forgotten the DATE. He remembered it without any hints from Lucy when he bought her the pearls. He remembered when he bought her the furs. So all of a sudden, he forgets the date completely?

[–] [email protected] (6247) 2 years ago

Another "Oh come now" moment is one I hesitate to mention because the character was an established ditz. I am referring to Mrs. MacGillicuddy's letter to Lucy telling her that she would be going on the Hollywood trip.

It's a very funny scene, but would she REALLY not have known her daughter's address? Lucy was married for over a decade! She wrote that there were "so many" Richardsons in the phone book. Why did she have a New York City phone book anyway?

Anyway, she knew Ethel's address. So... Lucy lived in the SAME building. She had the same address. In this instance, her mother looked more brain damaged than ditzy!

[–] Corryveckan45 (181) a year ago

How about when Lucy and Betty Ramsey go to the furniture store and Lucy believes that the load of furniture they purchase is under $500 because she mistakes the stock numbers on the furniture for prices? I don't care if she did make the mistake, how could she believe that all the furniture she'd bought up to that point would be under $500?

Also, when the Ricardos and Mertzes return from Europe, Lucy believes that babies travel for free, but in the preparing for the trip for Hollywood episode, when Lucy's mother, "Gorgon McGillicuddy," suggests that she come out to Hollywood later by plane and that she bring Little Ricky, Lucy tells Ricky it doesn't cost much for the baby to travel by plane.

[–] Garyandfilm (556) a year ago

Can't say I share your opinions. She did get confused by the stock numbers, and she WANTED that furniture, so she was in a lot of denial about its price. The situation is a bit unlikely, but not implausible.

As for the plane fair, there's a big difference between flying from New York to California and flying from New York to EUROPE. It's easily believable that Lucy overheard a mistaken traveler mention babies flew free instead of at a discount. Neither of these situations dumb Lucy down.

[–] Corryveckan45 (181) a year ago

To each his own, Gary. I appreciate your insights, but I stand by my opinions. Lucy already knew that babies didn't travel for free in the U.S. at least on flights from New York to California, and I don't think there's any reason she should expect that a flight from Europe to the U.S. would be any different.

As for the furniture, no matter how badly Lucy wanted it, it's clear this was a top-line, elegant furniture store with expensive products. Before Lucy discovers her mistake, Betty Ramsey comments that they've already purchased: a couch, an entire buffet, 2 end chairs and a bench, and for Lucy to believe, no matter how badly she wanted the furniture, and even accounting for the trade in on her old furniture and the discount, that she could get all of that for $500 seems impossible to me. It's just as impossible as when Ethel reprimands Lucy for purchasing the "Don Loper original" without looking at the price tag first.

Even if I empathize with Lucy and Ethel's disbelief that that "plain simple dress" could cost $500! lol

[–] Garyandfilm (556) a year ago

Lucy allowed Betty to control the situation - Lucy was ALWAYS concerned about appearances. This was established in the character from the beginning. It's not that Lucy didn't "know" how much the furniture was, it's that she didn't want to lose face in front of a snooty new neighbor. She may not have known it was exactly $3,500, but she knew it was much more than $500. Look at her anxiety in the furniture store!

As for babies traveling free from Europe, it is entirely conceivable that Lucy was simply mistaken. And anyway, in New York, the cost was sending a TODDLER (not infant) Little Ricky WITH Lucy's mother AND his belongings. Big difference. Again, neither of these situations are so illogical that they dumb Lucy's - or any other character's - intelligence. ..the very point of this thread.

That being said, I thank you for not pointing out that I spelled the word "fare" as "fair." Talk about dumb!

[–] [email protected] (6247) a year ago

Yes, in the New York to LA flight, Little Ricky would have been occupying a seat. I think Lucy figured that since she'd be carrying "Chester", he would fly free.

[–] Garyandfilm (556) a year ago

At last somebody gets it.

[–] Corryveckan45 (181) a year ago

True PJ and Gary,

But I still maintain that any "normal" person would not have taken it for granted that "babies" traveled for free. It would only have taken a phone call, which she could have done anonymously, and Lucy just assumed there wouldn't be any trouble.

Just as she assumed that she wasn't doing anything wrong in creating and promoting the fraudulent "Ladies Overseas Aid" charity and that it was okay to kidnap and tie up that girl so she could do the "Cuban Pete" number with Ricky, stealing John Wayne's footprints, etc.

It would be an insult to the post to say that Lucy is as dumb as a post.

[–] [email protected] (6247) a year ago

But has it ever been established that Lucy was "normal"? LOL I mean, would a normal person put a baby bonnet on a piece of cheese and wrap it in a blanket?

Remember when they got to New York and Ricky explained to the Customs Official what Lucy did and he asked Ricky if he thought that was strange behavior.

Ricky's reply was, "For Lucy, no."

She lived in her Lucy-centric world where the rules of normal society just didn't apply to her.

[–] Corryveckan45 (181) a year ago

Very true, PJ!