Lucy's Mother in Law was a Real Sweetheart...but Ricky's Mother in Law...Ay-Yi-Yi-Yi-Yi!

I know many people find the character hilarious, and, as I said, I think Katherine Card did a really good job of playing the character as written. I just don't find her very funny because she's so awful to Ricky, and without provocation.

I might feel differently if Ricky fought back when she insulted him, like Darrin Stephens and Endora on "Bewitched," but he usually doesn't.

I've always wondered just what Lucy's mother had against Ricky. He was a good husband and a good provider. Lucy was very happy with him and I'm sure her mother knew it. Maybe it was a deep down buried envy that her own husband wasn't so great and Lucy managed to land a great guy.

Mrs. MacGillicuddy was just a dippy woman, always calling him "Mickey". On Bewitched, Endora always messed up Darrin's name, but she did that on purpose. Lucy's mother just seemed "out there" and confused.

True, Mrs. MacGillicuddy wasn't as outright hostile to Ricky like Alice's mother was to Ralph, but she was pretty contemptuous toward him: shrieking with laughter when Lucy tells her Ricky is being groomed by MGM as another "Rudolph Valentino," never addressing him by his correct name and badmouthing him at just about every opportunity. Of course, she doesn't in any way appreciate that she wouldn't be in Hollywood at all if it weren't for Ricky and his successful career.

Incidentally, in the episode where Lucy and Ethel steal John Wayne's footprints from the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, it begins with Lucy and the Mertzes throwing a party for Ricky to celebrate the completion of his picture. Where is Mrs. MacGillicuddy during the celebration? I caught this scene a few days ago, and I don't recall seeing her or anyone mentioning her or explaining her absence. Usually, she's the one who tends to Little Ricky, but even though he makes an appearance, she doesn't.

Yes, Uncle Alberto definitely had a chip on his shoulder when it came to Lucy since he had wanted Ricky to marry "a Cuban girl," and apparently thought Cuban women generally superior to American women. Still, I didn't get the impression that he would continue to resent Lucy after he saw not only how talented Little Ricky was, but how steeped Little Ricky was in Cuban music and culture.While much of this would have come from Ricky, Lucy was Little Ricky's primary parental caretaker, and Little Ricky's demeanor and talent obviously were a refection of her wanting him to be proud of his Dad's Cuban roots.

In any case, despite Ricky's increasingly successful career, which included starring in a Hollywood film and becoming such a successful international celebrity that he made a successful tour of Europe, NOTHING he ever did impressed the vituperative "Mrs. MacGillicoody!" lol

Watching this episode makes me wonder when Ricky's dad passed away because Ricky mentions that Uncle Alberto practically raised him.

Another interesting aspect of this episode for me, and other viewers like me who often find the "Lucy Ricardo" character selfish and unlikable, is how sympathetically Lucy is portrayed here. Unlike most episodes in which her "wacky" behavior arises from her ruthless, single-minded ambition to prove that she can be a star no matter what the cost to Ricky or to get back at Ricky for some slight ("The Mr. and Mrs. TV Show" episode), etc., here we get to see how much Lucy's marriage means to her. The only reason she keeps making the wrong impression on Uncle Alberto is because she's so nervous about making a good impression on him (and Ricky's many other relatives) that she just can't be herself.