MovieChat Forums > I Love Lucy (1951) Discussion > Lucy before Ricky, What Did She Do?

Lucy before Ricky, What Did She Do?

posted 2 months ago by [email protected] (6243)
4 replies | jump to latest

We will never know, but I often wonder what Lucy MacGillicuddy did before she met Ricky.

In “Lucy is Envious”, Cynthia Harcourt is Lucy’s “old school chum”. Did she mean high school or college? I vaguely recall Lucy mentioning that she went to college.

She must have worked somewhere because she didn’t marry Ricky until she was twenty or so.

I wonder if she tried her hand at something in show biz. I could imagine Lucy hanging out backstage at one of the many theaters in New York, just trying to get a foot in the door. I think she would’ve taken any job just to be around show business.

[–] liscarkat (19396) 2 months ago

She lived in a tent near an oil field, and offered drinks and comfort to lonely riggers in exchange for a few bucks.

[–] ewd76 (1576) 2 months ago

She was putting herself through Jamestown Junior College by working in a cheap diner, but quit and joined up as a girl singer when Ricky's band came into town. This is why Ricky understands that Lucy should be nowhere near show business.

[–] [email protected] (6243) 2 months ago

Interesting ideas about what Lucy did before marriage. But I doubt she worked in a diner. You remember the diner episode? Lucy loused up every order according to Ricky. She defended herself by saying she had no experience in that area.

Of course she could have been a waitress in a diner and not a short order cook.

In another episode Lucy says that Marion Strong set her up on a blind date with a Cuban bandleader. So she didn’t meet Ricky professionally. Although knowing how Lucy wanted to get into show business, she probably looked at the date as a chance to audition for a band. She never expected to fall in love.

[–] ewd76 (1576) 2 months ago

Of course she could have been a waitress in a diner and not a short order cook.

That was my assumption. Lucy's never been able to get coffee or bread quite right.