http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/HeddaHopper.jpg
| "" episode | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Season 4, Episode #21 #118 in Series | ||||
| Series: | ||||
| Network: | ||||
| Air date: | March 14, 1955 | |||
| Written by: | Bob Carroll Jr. Madelyn Pugh Jess Oppenheimer | |||
| Directed by: | William Asher | |||
| Production code: | 4-21 / 118 | |||
| Episode guide | ||||
 IMDB
|
The Hedda Hopper Story | |||
| Episode chronology | ||||
| ← Previous | Next → | |||
| "The Fashion Show" | "Don Juan Is Shelved" | |||
The Hedda Hopper Story was the 118th overall episode of I Love Lucy, also the 21st episode in Season four of the series. The episode, was directed by William Asher, originally aired on CBS-TV on March 14, 1955.
Synopsis[]
Ricky's agent concocts a publicity stunt designed to land Ricky in Hedda Hopper's celebrity gossip column...save Lucy from drowning in the hotel pool.
Plot summary[]
Lucy pretends she's drowning in the hotel pool so Ricky can "save" her and get in Hedda Hopper's column. But the couple get wet for nothing, as Mrs. McGillicuddy became friends with Hedda on the plane ride out to Hollywood.
Trivia[]
- The pretty dress that Lucy wears in the fake drowning scene is one that she wore in The Long, Long Trailer, during the scene where she messily tries to cook dinner in the trailer while it's moving. The dress was made up of checkered green and teal squares, and the lace around the bodice was white.
- When Ricky argues with Mrs. McGillicuddy regarding Pacific vs. Eastern Standard Time, neither one of their arguments makes sense. First of all, plane tickets always give the estimated arrival time in the time zone where the trip will land. So, Mrs. McGillicuddy should have just said what time the ticket said. She arrived in LA at 12:30, NOT 9:30, which is the time she put after subtracting three hours. Secondly, even if Mrs. McGillicuddy did have to change from Eastern to Pacific time for the plane's arrival time, you just simply subtract three hours. So, in theory, Mrs. McGillicuddy IS right about how to add/subtract the hours. If she thought the 12:30 arrival time was in Eastern time, subtracting three hours to make 9:30 for Pacific time would have been the right way to go about it. Ricky is totally confused.
- Mrs. McGillicuddy sent the telegram to Micky Mikado. Bobby the bellboy thought it might have been for a Japanese client.
- In this episode, it is said that the gang has been in California for five weeks already. They were originally going to be there only four weeks! We also learn in this episode that it's supposedly the middle of winter.
- Hedda Hopper was very strongly anti-Communist in real-life, but she clearly made an exception when it came to Lucille Ball's false Communist ties. Hopper even returned to make a guest appearance on the first episode of the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.
- When it comes to movie stars, while Mrs. McGillicuddy is a fan of Ramon Novarro and Francis X. Bushman, nobody can beat Rudolph Valentino in her eyes. She simply adored him in The Sheik, and she says that she wants to see the house where Valentino lived while out in Hollywood.
Starring[]
- Lucille Ball ... as Lucy Ricardo
- Desi Arnaz ... as Ricky Ricardo
- Vivian Vance ... as Ethel Mertz
- William Frawley ... as Fred Mertz
Guest starring[]
- Hy Averback ... Charlie Pomerantz
- Kathryn Card ... as Mrs. McGillicuddy (Lucy's Mother)
- John Hart ... as Lifeguard
- Hedda Hopper ... as Herself
- Bob Jellison ... as Bobby the Bellboy
- Brenda Marshall ... as Herself (as Mrs. William Holden)
- Joseph and Michael Mayer ... as Little Ricky