Lucy and Harpo Marx

"" episode
"Lucy and Harpo Marx"
	Season 4, Episode #28 ; #125 in Series
Series:
Network:
Air date:	May 9, 1955
Written by:	Bob Carroll Jr.; Madelyn Pugh; Jess Oppenheimer
Directed by:	William Asher
Production code:	4-27 / 125
	Episode guide
IMDB	Lucy and Harpo Marx
Episode chronology
"In Palm Springs"	"Dancing Star"

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/DosHarpos.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/MarxMertz.jpg

Lucy and Harpo Marx was the 124th overall episode of I Love Lucy, also the 27th episode in Season four of the series. The episode, was directed by William Asher, originally aired on CBS-TV on May 9, 1955.

Synopsis[]

Lucy promised Carolyn Appleby she'd produce some real Hollywood celebrities. Now she's got to deliver. Dressing up as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and other celebrities, she manages to fool the near-sighted Carolyn. However, the real Harpo Marx shows up only to discover Lucy dressed up as him.

Plot summary[]

Lucy panics to figure out a way to get Carolyn to believe that there's going to be a party of movie stars. Ethel cuts the strap on Carolyn's glasses and hides them, so Lucy can appear at the front door in movie star masks. But when it's time for her to play Harpo Marx, she discovers that the real Harpo is already in the hotel room, causing mischief.

Trivia[]

This episode's order is very strange. This episode was filmed first, but its plot and its broadcast date both place it after "The Dancing Star." Lucy has to make the party of movie stars that Carolyn announces she can stay for at the end of "The Dancing Star." There is no given reason why "Harpo Marx" was filmed first, and it was silly to have been done this way.
The mirror scene Lucy and Harpo do is from Duck Soup.
Lucy was in a movie with the Marx Brothers in 1938, called Room Service. Harpo was her favorite, naturally.
Harpo plays "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on his harp. Watch Vivian Vance's expression during the performance. It is clear that she is bored out of her mind, and it's no wonder. The song just drones on and on.
Since Harpo never did anything the same way twice, he was very difficult for perfectionist Lucy to work with on the mirror scene. They filmed it over and over again after the audience went home.
The full "celebrity guest list" for Lucy's fake party consists of Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Walter Pidgeon, Jimmy Durante, and Harpo Marx. We don't see Lucy's impersonation of Bing Crosby or Walter Pidgeon. Furthermore, according to "The Dancing Star," Cary Grant and Marlon Brando were also supposed to appear, but since that episode was filmed after this one, it's understandable why the guest list had discrepancies between the two episodes.
Harpo pantomimes the word "benefit" by acting out the words "bend," "knee," and "feet."
Shortly before this episode was filmed, Harpo Marx had a heart attack. His doctor didn't think he should be on the show, due to his weak heart, but Harpo wanted to do the episode. And he did and had fun. But he ended up having another heart attack shortly after doing the episode.
At episode's end, Ricky dresses up like Groucho, and Fred dresses up like Chico.

Starring[]

Guest starring[]

Doris Singleton ... as Caroline Appleby
Harpo Marx ... as Himself