| "" episode | ||||
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| Season 5, Episode #25 #152 in Series | ||||
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| Air date: | May 7, 1956 | |||
| Written by: | Bob Carroll Jr. Madelyn Pugh Bob Schiller Bob Weiskopf | |||
| Directed by: | James V. Kern | |||
| Production code: | 5-25 / 152 | |||
| Episode guide | ||||
 IMDB
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Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo | |||
| Episode chronology | ||||
| ← Previous | Next → | |||
| "Lucy's Bicycle Trip" | "Return Home from Europe" (Season 5 finale) | |||
The Ricardos and Mertzes at the craps table at a Monte Carlo casino.
Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo was the 152nd overall episode of I Love Lucy, also the 25th episode of season 5 of the series. The episode, was directed by James V. Kern, originally aired on CBS-TV on May 7, 1956.
Synopsis[]
Lucy organizes the Ricardos and the Mertzes for a bicycle trip from Italy to the French Riviera. But she doesn't know about the rough terrain, the aches and pains—or where she put her passport. The border guard refuses to let her through the checkpoint.
Plot summary[]
Lucy and Ethel are bored of going to see Ricky's show every night. Lucy wants to do something different tonight. She wants to check out the famous Monte Carlo casino. Ricky overhears her plans and orders her to stay far from the casino. He says that, once in a casino, the temptation to gamble is too great. He once went to a casino in Havana and gambled against his father's wishes, so he knows from experience. Ricky says that Lucy and Ethel are more than welcome to eat at any restaurant. They just aren't allowed to go to the casino. While looking for restaurants, Lucy finds one that is IN the casino, and she persuades Ethel to eat there. When the women arrive at the casino and are walking through to the restaurant, Lucy finds a spare chip next to the roulette table. She asks whose chip it is, but nobody claims it. So, Lucy tosses the chip on the roulette table. Her chip ends up winning. She keeps trying to push away the chips that she's earned, and soon, she's won 875,000 francs! Lucy is scared to tell Ricky about the money, so she and Ethel hide the money in Ethel's lingerie suitcase.
Ricky is discussing the band's finances with manager Fred, because Fred recently revealed that he thought they had $3000, but really only have $300. Fred asks Ricky to get something out of his suitcase, and as luck would have it, Ricky accidentally opens Ethel's lingerie suitcase and finds the stash of money. Ricky thinks that Fred is embezzling, and that's where the money came from.
When Lucy finds out that Ricky thinks the money is a result of Fred juggling the books, she makes up a story to get Fred off the hook. She said that the money is Ethel's, and that Ethel's French aunt recently died and gave all the money to Ethel in the will. When Fred finds out this story about Ethel's French aunt, he smiles from ear to ear, saying, "You mean my little honeybun is LOADED?!" Ethel doesn't understand Fred's sudden overly affectionate treatment to her, but she's not complaining by any means!
Ethel and Fred go in their room, and Fred asks Ethel to sit on her lap. The phone rings, and Ethel answers it. Lucy's on the other end. She explains to Ethel about making up the French aunt story. Ethel is furious at Lucy, and she also is furious to find out the real reason behind Fred's affection. Lucy rushes into the Mertzes' bedroom, declares that she can't take the evil money anymore, and she rushes off to the casino to get rid of all of her winnings.
When Ricky arrives, Ethel tells him the truth, about how the money was really Lucy's, that Lucy won it at roulette, and that Lucy was going to the casino right now to get rid of the money. Ricky naturally thinks that Lucy winning all the money by chance is wonderful, and he hurries to the casino to stop Lucy from giving all the money away.
At the casino, the first time Lucy attempts to rid herself of her "ill-gotten" riches, she ends up winning roulette again. She doesn't understand how this is possible, since she didn't even put her chips on a number! But she had placed the chips on red, and the last number that won was a red one. Just then, Ricky runs in the casino and over to Lucy. He tells her that she's more than welcome to keep the money. But Lucy took too long to talk to Ricky, and she had left all of her chips on red. Sadly, the next number to come up is a black one, and she loses everything..
Trivia
Lucy won 875,000 francs at the Monte Carlo. In 1955, that would be 2,500 U.S. dollars.
Starring[]
- Lucille Ball ... as Lucy Ricardo
- Desi Arnaz ... as Ricky Ricardo
- Vivian Vance ... as Ethel Mertz
- William Frawley ... as Fred Mertz
Guest starring[]
- Gordon B. Clarke ... as Gambler
- John Mylong ... as Casino Manager