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Starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley
Season 4 (CBS) (1954-55)
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 4 1954-55 ##############
##############################################
A. C. Nielsen Rank: #1
CBS, Monday Nights 9:00 ET,

4.1 [098] I Love Lucy: THE BUSINESS MANAGER
Prod. no. 100  /  04-Oct-54 CBS
Ricky hires a business expert to solve the family budget problems. The expert
places Lucy on a strict allowance. Lucy manages to find a loophole in the new
restrictions, and in her inimitable way she not only adds to the financial
dilemma but ends up tossing the financial wizard out.

4.2 [099] I Love Lucy: MERTZ AND KURTZ
Prod. no. 102: 11-Oct-54 CBS
To help her neighbors, the Mertzes, impress a guest, Lucy goes into service
as a maid. As "Bessie the Domestic," Lucy dishes out large servings of faux
pas when she forgets her duties and enters into the conversation.

4.3 [100] I Love Lucy: LUCY CRIES WOLF
Prod. no. 98 / 18-Oct-54 CBS
Lucy decides to test Ricky's love for her by feigning a crisis that sends
her husband sailing down the city streets to the side of a scheming feminine
singer. Ricky becomes impatient with Lucy's false alarms and accuses her of "yelling tiger."

4.4 [101] I Love Lucy: THE MATCHMAKER
Prod. no. 99 / 25-Oct-54 CBS
Armed with Cupid's bow and arrow, Lucy tries to bag a bachelor for a husband
-hungry girlfriend. Unfortunately, the arrow Lucy shoots behaves like a boomerang.

4.5 [102] I Love Lucy: MR. AND MRS. TV SHOW
Prod. no. 101 / 01-Nov-54 CBS
Ricky is initially reluctant to host a new TV show when he learns that the sponsor prefers
a husband-and- wife format. Nonetheless, he agrees to do the show. But when Lucy learns
he hadn't wanted her in the show at all, she decides to get even by sabotaging
the "Breakfast with Lucy and Ricky" dress rehearsal. What Lucy doesn't know is
that the so-called rehearsal is actually being broadcast to the entire city of
New York in an effort to achieve an unrehearsed, spontaneous look. Classic
Lucy quote: "Phipps is a great big bunch of gyps."

4.6 [103] I Love Lucy: RICKY'S MOVIE OFFER
Episode #103
Prod. no. 103  /  8-Nov-54 CBS
Lucy mistakes a talent scout for a masher and nearly ruins Ricky's chance at a
film career. Then she realizes who the scout is, and tries to make amends. This
episode sets the stage for the Ricardos and Mertzes' trip to California.

4.7 [104] I Love Lucy: RICKY'S SCREEN TEST
Prod. no. 104: / 15-Nov-54 CBS
The term "helpmate" takes on a new meaning when Lucy appears on a Hollywood movie
lot. The cameras roll for Ricky's screen test -- but when the big moment arrives,
Lucy takes the cue. Classic Lucy quote: "Hark! Do I hear a football? Is it you, Don Juan?"

4.8 [105] I Love Lucy: LUCY'S MOTHER IN-LAW
Prod. no. 105 / 22-Nov-54 CBS
Lucy meets her Spanish-speaking mother-in-law for the first time. Lucy's inability
to cope with a foreign tongue, and her mother-in-law's inability to understand
Lucy's pantomime, build a wall of misunderstanding between the pair. Mary Emery
makes her first and only appearance as Ricky's mother in this episode.

4.9 [106] I Love Lucy:  ETHEL'S BIRTHDAY
Prod. no.106 /  29-Nov-54  CBS
 Despite Ricky's qualms, Lucy decides to help Fred pick out a birthday present for
Ethel. The present turns out to be toreador pants, which Ethel decides are not
only unflattering but "unfitting." Relations between the two women become strained
almost to the shattering point. Classic Lucy quote: "Happy birthday, Mrs. Mertz,
and I hope you live another seventy-five years!"

4.10 [107] I Love Lucy: RICKY'S CONTRACT
Prod. no. 107: /    6-Dec-54 CBS
Ricky's Contract
As Ricky paces the floor awaiting word from Hollywood about his screen test,
Lucy enlists the Mertzes to distract him. The drastic steps taken by the trio
to alleviate Ricky's tension boomerang into a king-sized headache for them all.

4.11 [108] I Love Lucy: GETTING READY
Prod. no. 108  / 13-Dec-54 CBS
 A movie contract for Ricky necessitates a change in scenery and the hanging of a
"for rent" sign on the Ricardos' New York home. Lucy plans the most effective way
for Ricky to make a "Hollywood entrance." She envisions their arrival in a royal
chariot. The Mertzes, willing to give up tenants but not friends, sign on for
the trip. This episode features a rare glimpse of the front of the Mertzes'
apartment building.

4.12 [109] I Love Lucy:  LUCY LEARNS TO DRIVE
Prod. no. 109  /  03-Jan-55 CBS
 Preparing for their trip West, the Ricardos buy a new car, and Lucy wants to drive
it around the block. After giving her one driving lesson Ricky is a beaten man,
but Lucy is so confident that she offers to teach Ethel Mertz how to drive. The
result is a complete fiasco. (The 1955 Pontiac convertible seen in this and
following episodes was part of a product placement deal with General Motors.)

 4.13 [110] I Love Lucy: CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME !
Prod. no. 110  /   10-Jan-55 CBS
 Lucy's mother wants to join the Ricardos on their driving trip out West. Ricky
blows his stack when he hears that his mother-in-law wants to go along, and he
rages about everyone's horning in on the trip -- the Mertzes included. Kathryn
Card makes her debut as Lucy's mother in this classic episode.

4.14 [111] I Love Lucy: FIRST STOP
Prod. no. 111  /   17-Jan-55  CBS
 The Ricardos and Mertzes have a hard time finding accommodations that will please
everyone on their trip to California. They finally hit a greasy restaurant where
stale cheese sandwiches cost them a dollar apiece. Hoping to find something better
elsewhere, Ricky pays the check. The couples leave -- only to return several
hours later, fooled by some purposely misleading road signs. This episode marks
the first time the "I Love Lucy" crew ventured out of the studio for a shoot.

4.15 [112] I Love Lucy: TENNESSEE BOUND
Prod. no.112   / 24-Jan-55 CBS
The Ricardos and the Mertzes are arrested
for speeding in Bent Fork, Tennessee. Ricky decides to pay the fifty-dollar fine
and leave, but Lucy feels they have been taken advantage of. When she rebels,
the sheriff imposes a twenty-four-hour sentence and throws them in jail.
Tennessee Ernie Ford guest-stars.

4.16 [113] I Love Lucy: ETHEL'S HOME TOWN
Prod. no. 113  /  31-Jan-55 CBS
The Ricardos and the Mertzes stop at Ethel's hometown: Albuquerque, New Mexico
(Vivian Vance's real-life hometown). Under the impression that Ethel has been
called to Hollywood and not Ricky, the townsfolk accord her a monumental ovation.
When Ethel refuses to disillusion them -- and even goes so far as to put on a
"celebrity act" -- Lucy takes matters into her own hands.

4.17 [114] I Love Lucy:  L.A. AT LAST -  aka - Hollywood at Last
Prod. no. 114  /   07-Feb-55 CBS
 Lucy arrives in Hollywood with stars in her eyes. She heads for The Brown Derby,
a celebrity hangout, where she encounters Eve Arden and William Holden -- and
inadvertently presents Holden with a custard pie in the face. Hollywood legends
William Holden and Eve Arden guest-star as themselves.
(Note: Many consider this episode to be the creme-de-la-creme of the series.
William Holden guest-starred and Eve Arden made a cameo appearance.)
#
4.18 [115] I Love Lucy: DON JUAN AND THE STARLETS
Episode #115 / 14-Feb-55 CBS

4.19 [116] I Love Lucy: LUCY GETS IN PICTURES
Prod. no. 116  /  21-Feb-55 CBS
 Lucy finally gets her big break when she snares a bit part in an MGM motion picture.
Cast as a showgirl who meets death while parading down a long flight of stairs in
a glamorous nightclub setting, Lucy vows to make her death scene the most unforgettable
one ever recorded by Hollywood cameras.

4.20 [117] I Love Lucy: THE FASHION SHOW
Prod. no. 117  /  28-Feb-55  CBS
 Mrs. William Holden, Mrs. Dean Martin, Mrs. Gordon MacRae, Mrs. Richard Carlson,
Mrs. Van Heflin, Mrs. Forrest Tucker, famed couturier Don Loper, and a scarlet-skinned
Lucy Ricardo are the contributors to a dazzling fashion show. The charity benefit,
hosted by Loper and featuring the wives of motion picture stars, is a sheer burst
of good fortune for Lucy, who is eager to perform before an audience.

4.21 [118] I Love Lucy: THE HEDDA HOPPER STORY
Prod. no.118 / 14-Mar-55 CBS
Lucy takes a dive in an effort to further Ricky's career by creating a big splash
in Hedda Hopper's Hollywood column. Her scheme turns out to be "all wet" in an
adventure that could only happen to Lucy and Ethel. Hedda Hopper, the renowned
Hollywood gossip columnist, guest-stars as herself.

4.22 [119] I Love Lucy: DON JUAN IS SHELVED
Prod no. 119 /  21-Mar-55 CBS
An item in "Variety" hints at the imminent cancellation of Ricky's picture "Don Juan,"
and proves to be correct. Lucy, the Mertzes, and Mrs. McGillicuddy take matters
into their own hands by penning five hundred fan letters to Ricky and dressing as
bobby-soxer members of the Ricky Ricardo Fan Club. Phil Ober, Vivian Vance's
first husband, makes a cameo as film producer George Spelvin in this episode.

4.23 [120] I Love Lucy: BULL FIGHT DANCE
Prod. no. 120 / 28-Mar-55 CBS
Lucy literally blackmails Ricky into getting her a part in one of his guest
appearances on television. He does get her a role -- as a bull. When Lucy is
displeased with the turn of events, she transforms the bull's image from that
of a snarling beast to a mincing creature resembling Elsie, the Borden Cow.
Look for the classic scene where Lucy upstages Ricky in this episode.

4.24 [121] I Love Lucy: HOLLYWOOD ANNIVERSARY
Prod. no. 121 / 4-Apr-55 CBS
Frantic over having forgotten the date of their wedding anniversary, Ricky
tells Lucy that he has a big party planned in a famous nightclub. He doesn't
tell her when it is, desperately wiring their marriage license bureau for
the correct date. This episode is based on an actual surprise anniversary
party that Desi Arnaz threw for Lucy.

4.25 [122] I Love Lucy: THE STAR UPSTAIRS
Prod. no. 122 / 18-Apr-55 CBS
Cornel Wilde becomes the one-hundredth movie star Lucy has seen in Hollywood;
he is living in the penthouse directly above the Ricardo suite. Determined
to get a glimpse of the handsome actor, Lucy disguises herself as a bellboy,
then hides under the star's luncheon cart to gain entry into Wilde's suite.
Things go smoothly until she finds herself locked out on Cornel's terrace
and must make her way down the side of the building using a few blankets as
rope. Swashbuckler Cornel Wilde guest-stars as himself in this episode.

4.26 [123] I Love Lucy: IN PALM SPRINGS
Prod. no. 123  /  25-Apr-55 CBS
Simultaneous marital tiffs in the Ricardo and Mertz households drive Lucy and
Ethel off on a mate less vacation to one of California's desert play lands,
where they encounter Hollywood legend Rock Hudson (guest-starring as himself).

4.27 [124] I Love Lucy: THE DANCING STAR
Prod. no. 125   /  2-May-55 CBS
Lucy begs Van Johnson to let her dance a number with him at the nightclub to
impress her rival Carolyn Appleby, who is visiting from New York. Van accepts
the challenge by waltzing her across the ballroom floor as his dance partner.
Movie star Van Johnson guest-stars as himself.

4.28 [125] I Love Lucy: HARPO MARX
Prod. no. 124  /  9-May-55 CBS
Lucy decides to impersonate some Hollywood notables to impress a nearsighted
girlfriend visiting from New York. A mix-up occurs when Lucy, having introduced
her friend to "Gary Cooper," "Clark Gable," "Marlon Brando," and "Jimmy Durante,"
decides to impersonate Harpo Marx just as the real Harpo arrives at the apartment
with Ricky.  Guest Starring Harpo Marx (as himself)

4.29 [126] I Love Lucy: RICKY NEED AN AGENT
Prod. no. 126 / 16-May-55 CBS
Lucy decides that Ricky needs an agent to negotiate more money and cut down on
his fruitless personal appearances. She appoints herself to the post. Her action
results in the studio canceling Ricky's contract, and Lucy's efforts to save
the situation only make matters worse. Don't miss a classic outburst of Cuban
temper in this episode.

4.30 [127] I Love Lucy: THE TOUR
Prod. no. 127 /  30-May-55 CBS
 Guest Star:
Richard Widmark (as himself)
Lucy and Ethel are abandoned by their sightseeing bus tour when they try to get
a grapefruit from Richard Widmark's garden. When Lucy is stranded inside the
garden wall, she and Ethel, who is outside, launch plans to get Lucy out
-- but without comparing notes on how.

################# I Love Lucy ################
############### end of season 4 ##############
##############################################

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