The Lost Adventures of the I Love Lucy Cast
If I Love Lucy beating Mad Men in the ratings a few years back proves anything, it’s that the Ricardos and Mertzes still have the magic to captivate audiences—well into a century they never lived to see. It also suggests that viewers might prefer real ’50s icons over modern actors dressed in retro clothes, puffing on fake cigarettes.
But perhaps there’s never been a better time to be a Lucy fan than right now. Thanks to today’s technology, we can revisit nearly every one of the cast’s televised adventures anytime we want. The complete series DVD set (as the ad cheekily puts it) offers “the whole McGillicuddy.” Still, many fans don’t realize there are even more appearances by the beloved cast—some in character—that didn’t make it into that collection.
Ahead of CBS’s airing of the I Love Lucy Funny Money Special on April 19, we’ve rounded up ten rare cast appearances that have been quietly hiding online—just waiting to be rediscovered.
This rare television special celebrating the opening of CBS’s Television City features comedy legend Jack Benny—and, in a roundabout way, the entire I Love Lucy cast. Desi Arnaz appears live as himself and humorously threatens to sue Benny for interrupting the filming of I Love Lucy.
Lucille Ball, along with Vivian Vance and William Frawley, doesn’t appear live—in part because Ball was in the middle of a very real pregnancy CBS wouldn’t let her openly acknowledge on air. Instead, the trio shows up in cleverly staged “outtakes” that Desi screens for Jack during their segment. What follows is a series of classic Benny antics, as he tries to persuade the Lucy cast to appear on his special. His methods? Disguising himself as a waiter, breaking up a romantic moment between Lucy and Ricky, and even popping out of their shower. Subtle? Not quite. Hilarious? Absolutely.
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Anti-Defamation League, an ambitious hour-long variety special aired across all three television networks—which, back then, meant all of television. According to the Paley Center’s listing, the star-studded lineup included everyone from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Broadway icon Ethel Merman to baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
As for the I Love Lucy gang? The show vaguely promises “comedy with Vivian Vance, William Frawley, Lucille Ball, and Desi Arnaz.” Unfortunately, most of that segment seems lost to time—at least for now. The only surviving footage online is a brief clip of Vance and Frawley, in character as Fred and Ethel, performing “Carolina in the Morning.” What that song has to do with defamation—or fighting it—is anyone’s guess. But in true Lucy fashion, it’s charming, unexpected, and a little bit mysterious.