CTVA US Comedy - "I Love Lucy" (Desilu/CBS) Season 2 (1952-53)

CTVA
The Classic TV Archive - US Comedy Series

<Previous          "I Love Lucy"                     Next>
Starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley
Season 2 (CBS) (1952-53)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
references:
TV Guide /   Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive


################# I Love Lucy ################
############## season 2 1952-53 ##############
##############################################
A. C. Nielsen Rank: #1
Monday Nights 9:00 ET, CBS

2.1 [36] I Love Lucy: JOB SWITCHING
Prod. no.39 / 15Sep52
 Convinced that they need to do something more lucrative than keep house,
Lucy and Ethel get jobs in a candy factory. The girls are forced to work at
a conveyer belt that brings the sweets to them faster than their unskilled
hands can pack them. This episode is a classic among classics.
(Note: This is the classic chocolate factory episode and the first episode directed by William Asher.)

2.2 [--] I Love Lucy: THE SAXOPHONE
Prod. no. 40   / 22-Sep-52 CBS
Determined to accompany her husband on a tour with his band, Lucy represents
herself as a skilled performer on the saxophone. Unfortunately, Lucy blows
another chance to be in the show with an off-key rendition of "Glow Worm."

2.3 [--] I Love Lucy: THE ANNIVERSARY PRESENT
Prod. no.36  / 29-Sep-52 CBS
Believing that Ricky has forgotten their anniversary, Lucy fears his
attentions are wandering. Her suspicions are further aroused when she sees
him fastening a pearl necklace around the neck of one of their neighbors.

  2.4 [--] I Love Lucy: THE HANDCUFFS
Prod. no.37  / 06-Oct-52 CBS
Inspired by a magic trick she saw, Lucy handcuffs herself to her sleeping
husband. To their mutual horror, they discover that the handcuffs are of
Civil War vintage and a key cannot be found to unlock them.

2.5 [--] I Love Lucy: THE OPERETTA
Prod. no. 38  / 13-Oct-52 CBS
 Lucy persuades members of her women's club to stage her original operetta
with "John Charles Ricardo" as the leading man. Lucy plays a witchlike
gypsy in the show, and Ricky plays the hero "good Prince Lancelot." In the
midst of the performance, men from the costume and scenery rental company
arrive and proceed to repossess the items.
(Note: This was the last episode directed by Marc Daniels.)

2.6 [--] I Love Lucy: VACATION FROM MARRIAGE
Prod. no.41  /  27-Oct-52 CBS
The Ricardos and Mertzes decide that their marriages are in a rut. A library
book suggests a "week's vacation from marriage" as the solution. Lucy moves
in with Ethel, and Fred with Ricky. Their newfound freedom creates a  difficult situation.

2.7 [--] I Love Lucy: THE COURTROOM
Prod. no. 42  /  10-Nov-52 CBS
 On the occasion of the Mertzes' 25th wedding anniversary, Lucy and Ricky
present them with a television set that doesn't work. This generates a
feud between the two families -- and an explosive courtroom scene. Watch
the landmark case of Mertz vs. Ricardo in this episode.

2.8 [--] I Love Lucy: REDECORATING
Prod. no. 43  / 24-Nov-52 CBS
A visit to the "Home Show" prompts
Lucy and Ethel to enter a contest where the winner gets five rooms of new
furnishings. All the wives have to do is sit by the phone and wait to see
if they won. Fred makes a phony phone call to Lucy and tells her that
she's won so she won't sit by the phone anymore. This causes Lucy to sell
all her furniture and then demonstrate how not to put up wallpaper.

2.9 [--] I Love Lucy: RICKY LOSES HIS VOICE
Prod. no. 44 /  01-Dec-52 CBS
When Ricky arrives home with a bad case of laryngitis, Lucy banishes him
to bed. However, Ricky is concerned about the imminent reopening of the
Tropicana; Mr. Chambers, his new boss, is counting on him to stage a good
show. Lucy decides to stage the show herself and let Ricky rest. This
episode finds Fred and Ethel in harmony for once, singing "Carolina in the Morning."

#################################
Prod nos. 50-56 brought forward to show birth earlier in the season
#################################

2.10 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY IS "ENCEINTE"
Prod. no. 50  /  08-Dec-52 CBS
Constant interruptions -- the telephone, neighbors, and Ricky's nightclub
co-workers -- frustrate Lucy's every attempt to talk quietly with her husband.
Finally she is forced to go to the nightclub to tell him she's going to have
a baby. This episode is a Classic TV milestone.

2.11 [--] I Love Lucy: PREGNANT WOMAN ARE UNPREDICTABLE
Prod. no. 51  /  15-Dec-52 CBS
Expectant Lucy creates a pandemonium in the Ricardo household with the
unpredictable demands she makes on her adoring husband. Lucy is overwhelmed
by Ricky's considerate treatment of her, but confuses him when she becomes
suspicious of his attentions.

2.12 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY'S SHOWBIZ SWAN SONG
Prod. no. 52 / 22-Dec-52 CBS
Despite her "condition," Lucy is determined to participate in a Gay Nineties
Revue. Enlisting Ethel's aid, Lucy tries to contrive an appropriate costume
and finally comes up with a barrel. Pepito the Spanish Clown, a longtime
Arnaz family friend, makes a special appearance.

2.13 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY HIRES AN ENGLISH TUTOR
Prod. no. 53  / 29-Dec-52 CBS
Determined to have a well-spoken offspring -- though its arrival is several
months away -- Lucy hires a tutor, Mr. Livermore. In return for his services,
she lets him sing a song of his own writing at Ricky's nightclub.
This is the episode with the ridiculous "Tippy Tippy Toe" song.

2.14 [--] I Love Lucy: RICKY HAS LABOR PAINS
Prod. no. 54  / 05-Jan-53 CBS
When Ricky feels jealous of all the attention Lucy is getting, she decides
to throw Ricky a "daddy shower" -- but Fred turns it into a stag party.
A little apprehensive about the turn of events, Lucy decides to crash the
daddy shower disguised as a newspaper reporter with Ethel posing as her
photographer-partner.

2.15 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY BECOMES A SCULPTRESS
 Prod. no. 55 / 12-Jan-53 CBS
Lucy decides that their unborn child should have artistic leanings. Salesmen
in an art supply store put her to work on a lump of clay, and she uses the
Mertzes as models for a modernistic creation. Art critics laud her weird
effort as a masterpiece.

2.16 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY GOES TO THE HOSPITAL
Prod. no. 56 /  19-Jan-53 CBS
Lucy approaches the zero hour and is rushed to the hospital to have her
baby. Ricky carefully works out an elaborate plan with his neighbors, Ethel
and Fred, whereby each is supposed to know exactly what to do "at the
psychological moment." When the big moment arrives, bedlam breaks loose.
Little Ricky and Classic TV history are born in this episode.

###################################
Prod. nos 45-49 delayed and slotted in here
####################################

2.17 [--] I Love Lucy: SALES RESISTANCE
Prod. no. 45 /    26-Jan-53 CBS
Guest star: Sheldon Leonard.
Lucy buys a tricky kitchen gadget in response to a TV pitch. Ricky accuses
all women of having no sales resistance. Lucy retaliates by demanding to
know why Ricky bought a 20-foot rubber life raft.
The song "There's a Brand New Baby at Our House," from this episode, was
originally written by Desi Arnaz for daughter Lucie's birth.

2.18 [--] I Love Lucy: THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX
Prod. no. 46 /  2-Feb-53 CBS
The Inferiority Complex Lucy pulls one faux pas after
another, with the result that she develops a devastating inferiority complex.
Ricky tries to flatter his wife out of her complex, but he must finally
consult a "physio-chiatrist."

2.19 [--] I Love Lucy: THE CLUB ELECTION
Prod. no. 47 /   16-Feb-53 CBS
Pitted against each other in the race for the presidency of their women's
club, Lucy and Ethel try to wangle the deciding vote by devious means.
Meanwhile, their husbands map a campaign to have them both defeated.
In this episode Lillian Appleby, later Carolyn Appleby, appears for the
first time as Lucy's rival.

2.20 [--] I Love Lucy: THE BLACK EYE
Prod. no. 48  /  9-Mar-53 CBS
When a book accidentally tossed by Ricky hits Lucy in the eye, she winds
up with a shiner. Neighbors Fred and Ethel jump to the conclusion that
the Ricardos are having a family tiff. They intercede -- with black-eyed results.

2.21 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY CHANGES HER MIND
Prod. no. 49 /  30-Mar-53 CBS
When Ricky complains that Lucy is constantly changing her mind and never
completing things, she decides to complete an old high-school romance by
finishing a love letter she started when she was in high school. Rather
than being jealous, Ricky offers to mail it for her. Lucy must intercept
the letter, or her ex-boyfriend will think she's out of her mind.
"I Love Lucy" regular Frank Nelson returns, this time as a myopic waiter.

#########################

2.22 [--] I Love Lucy: NO CHILDREN ALLOWED
Prod. no. 57  /  20-Apr-53 CBS
The Ricardos' infant prompts the neighbors to point out that there is a
clause in the lease saying "no children." The Ricardos' landlords are
also their friends the Mertzes, who loyally stand by them and refuse
to evict them. Ethel Mertz takes such pride in her generous action that
she brags about it at a bridge luncheon. Hearing Ethel's story for the
umpteenth time, Lucy blows her top. Mrs. Trumbull, the Ricardos' reliable
babysitter, makes her first appearance in this episode.

2.23 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY HIRES A MAID
Prod. no. 58  / 27-Apr-53 CBS
 Exhausted from walking the baby all night, Lucy and Ricky hire a maid.
Lucy has never had anyone work for her before. She practices interviewing
Ethel, using a businesslike, tough attitude as Ricky has instructed.
But the woman she hires, Mrs. Porter, completely overpowers Lucy. Ethel
talks Lucy into firing Mrs. Porter, but this is easier said than done.
Classic character actress Verna Felton guest-stars and cleans house in this episode.

2.24 [--] I Love Lucy: THE INDIAN SHOW
Prod. no. 59  / 4-May-53 CBS 
Lucy wants to get into the act when Ricky is producing an Indian show and
boning up on Indian lore. Trying to avoid a renewal of Lucy's desire to
get into show business, Ricky doesn't tell her he is producing an Indian
show. Lucy reads Ricky's book, "Bloodcurdling Indian Tales," and is
horrified by the stories. When two Indians in full regalia turn up for
an audition, Lucy stages an ambush for them. Eventually Lucy steals the
show with her classic rendition of "By the Waters of the Minnetonka."

2.25 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY'S LAST BIRTHDAY
Prod. no. 60 /  11-May-53 CBS
Ricky has planned a surprise party for Lucy's birthday. He swears the
Mertzes and all their friends to secrecy. Lucy, however, only knows that
everyone has forgotten her birthday and works very hard at being gay,
denying that she wanted anyone to remember. Taking a walk to forget
her troubles, Lucy runs across a rescue mission band called "Friends
of the Friendless," tearfully tells them her troubles, and marches off
with them. Meanwhile the party guests are assembled at Ricky's nightclub,
waiting for the guest of honor. Ricky sings the lyrics to "I Love Lucy"
for the first and only time in this Classic TV episode.

2.26 [--] I Love Lucy: THE RICARDOS CHANGE APARTMENTS
Prod.no. 61 /  18-May-53 CBS
Lucy thinks the Ricardos need a larger apartment now that they have the baby.
She tries all her tricks to cajole Ricky into switching apartments with Mr.
and Mrs. Benson, who have recently married off their daughter and don't
need the extra bedroom. Lucy fills her apartment with junk, including a
sliding pond and teeter-totter, to give it a "cramped" appearance. This is
the episode when the Ricardos move up in the world. . .to apartment 3-B.

2.27 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY IS MATCHMAKER
Prod. no. 62  /  25-May-53 CBS
When Eddie Grant, a friend of the Mertzes, stops by for an unexpected visit
and finds they are not at home, he leaves them a message with Lucy. When
Lucy learns that the lingerie salesman is an eligible bachelor, she
immediately begins brewing plans to fix him up with her girlfriend Sylvia Collins.

2.28 [--] I Love Lucy: LUCY WANTS NEW FURNITURE
Prod. no.63  / 01-Jun-53 CBS
 A frantic economy wave engulfs the Ricardo household. Lucy buys some
furniture against Ricky's orders and is forced to pay for it out of her
own allowance. Ricky confiscates the furniture and takes it to the club
until it's paid off. Lucy also needs a new dress and a new hairstyle for
the Carrolls' party at the Tropicana on Saturday night. She tries to
make her own dress and then does some "permanent damage" in this episode.

2.29 [--] I Love Lucy: THE CAMPING TRIP
Prod. no. 64  /   8-Jun-53 CBS
When Lucy and Ethel come to the conclusion that good marriages are based on
mutual interests, they invite themselves on a rugged camping trip with their
spouses. Ricky submits to the proposal, assuming that the sound of the first
coyote's howl will send the girls dashing back to the city. Watch as Lucy
conquers the great outdoors (with a little help from Ethel).

2.30 [--] I Love Lucy: RICKY AND FRED ARE TV FANS
Prod. no. 66  /  22-Jun-53 CBS
Ricky and Fred are TV Fans
When Lucy and Ethel become TV boxing-match widows, they decide to go out for
a bite to eat, leaving their husbands in front of the Ricardo TV set.
Everyone at the local cafe is also glued to the TV set, so Lucy decides to
help herself and gets caught with her hand in the cash register. She manages
to escape the cop's clutches by yelling, "Look -- a knockout!" With Ethel,
she takes refuge on the roof of their apartment building. Guest star Frank
Nelson is back and in uniform as Sergeant Nelson in episode 66.

2.31 [--] I Love Lucy: NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH FRIENDS
Prod. no.67 / 29-Jun-53 CBS
 The Ricardos get a new washing machine. Despite Ricky's apprehensions, they
sell their old one to the Mertzes for thirty-five dollars. The next day,
the old machine erupts like a volcano. The Mertzes call the machine a
"lemon" and take the stance that since no money has changed hands yet, the
deal is invalid. This causes a tremendous fight between the couples.
This episode offers a rare glimpse of the back of the Mertzes' apartment building.

################# I Love Lucy ################
############### end of season 2 ##############
##############################################

 Have you any comments, corrections, episode titles, air dates, production numbers, directors, writers, story/synopsis, guest stars, cast lists, etc?
Have you any old videos, or tv guides? Dust them off and let us know if you have any information on this series or any other tv series from the
Golden Age of TV, which is missing from any episode guides on the web. Perhaps a certain episode of a particular series coincided with a key
moment in your life, or in world events - and or has left a vivid memory of when it was shown. Let us know. Would you like to see any other
tv series guides on this site? If so please e-mail The Classic TV Archive - see Feedback below.
This guide may be distributed and copied freely, in its entirety, for personal use. All original author and copyright information must
remain intact. Any sales or other uses of this document are expressly forbidden, without the specific consent of the author(s).
Copyright © The Classic TV Archive. All rights reserved.
 

Return to The Classic TV Archive Home Page
Feedback  -  Comedy Forum