Original subtitles

How you doing, Fred?

Well, I got the unit installed over at our house. Now it's just a matter of

connecting this and the one up in little Ricky's room and the intercom's all

set. Fred, are you sure you know what you're doing with all those little wires

and things?

Do I know what I'm doing?

I'll have you know I'm the Thomas A. Edison of today.

Yeah, but do you know what you're doing?

Look, name one time when I ever bought an electrical job.

All right, how about the time you tried to rewire your kitchen and the whole

east side of New York was dark for 48 hours?

Was it my fault that all that wiring was 20 years old?

I'll bet you can't name another one. All right, how about the time you tried to

fix our TV set and the picture tube exploded and burned a hole in the rug?

Do you want this thing set up or not? Yes, Fred, I'd love to have it set up. I

just want to make sure you know what you're doing. I know what I'm doing.

Okay. All right.

Hi, sweetheart.

Hi, Mommy.

Oh,

he's setting up an intercom system.

Intercom system?

Well, it's kind of like a telephone. See, Aunt Ethel has another gadget like

that in her place, and she and Mommy can talk to each other. Is it better than a

telephone? It's cheaper.

Oh, is that good?

Is that good?

I'll have to have a talk with this lad.

What's that one for?

Well, that's for your room, honey, so that we can talk to you when you're

upstairs. All right, this is ready.

Oh, good. I want to talk to Ethel.

Hi, Ethel. How are you, girl?

Wait a minute. What? When you want to talk to Ethel, just turn that down. Oh.

Hello, Ethel. How are you? Hi, Ethel.

Testing, one, two, three. Testing, one, two, three.

Oh, Lucy, is that you? Yeah.

Isn't this exciting?

Yeah. It's just like a telephone. Only we can talk to each other whenever we

want to at all.

That's the way to turn it off.

That's the best part of it.

Do me something. You want to go to the hen house and get a dozen fresh eggs and

bring them over right away?

Sure. Thank you.

Now, when you get through talking, don't forget to turn it off. Oh, okay.

Ricky, you almost ready for breakfast?

In a few minutes, dear. I just got out of the shower.

Okay. Where do you want to put the speaker in little Ricky's room? Well, on

nightstand, I guess it'd be fine. Okay. Can I help, Uncle Fred?

Sure you can help, partner. Come on.

Can I talk to outer space with this?

Outer space?

Well, I guess you can, but they may not answer.

Oh, boy, I'm going to say hello to the moon.

Say hello to the moon?

All right, come on. We'll try it.

We'll say hello to everybody. Get up there.

Hi. Hi, dear.

I'll just put your eggs in the fridge, dear. Oh, don't bother, honey. I have to

take them over to Betty Ramsey's right away.

She's making a cake for the dinner tonight.

What dinner? Oh, she's having the neighbors over.

Jess is at the cleaners, but I think if I called them up, they'd deliver it in

time for the dinner party. Uh, Ethel? Huh?

She's just having the Munsons and the Baileys and Ricky and me.

Oh?

Well, you know, it's just the neighbors that live real close.

Oh, just the close ones, huh? Yeah.

The Baileys live four miles away, and we live four feet away.

Now, honey, there's no reason to feel funny about it.

She just doesn't know you very well.

Well, that's true.

People like the Ramseys don't hobnob much with us chicken pluckers.

Chicken pluckers? Oh, Ethel, for heaven's sake, what a thing to say.

Now, look, we're all in the egg business together. If you're chicken pluckers,

we're chicken pluckers.

Then how come us chicken pluckers weren't invited to the dinner party?

just doesn't know you chicken pluckers. I mean, she doesn't know...

when she gets to know you a little better, she'll ask you to one of her

I couldn't care less.

I wouldn't go to a party given by that snob if she begged me. Oh, honey, now

got Betty all wrong. Here are the eggs for your friend.

And I hope her cake falls.

Oh, Ethel, for heaven's sake.

Oh.

Hi, honey.

Good morning, dear.

Oh, I see. Back connected intercom, huh? Yeah.

How do you work it?

Like this.

Oh.

He's putting one in little Ricky's room now.

What's the matter with you?

Oh.

Ethel's all upset because they weren't asked to the Ramsey's dinner party

tonight. Well, that's nothing to be upset about. Well, that's what I told

but it didn't do any good. She still feels left out.

If I didn't know better, I'd think she was jealous of my friendship with Betty

Ramsey. Oh, honey, that's ridiculous.

Well, I don't know. You know what the trouble is.

It's hard for the Mertzes to meet people out here. You know, you have your work,

I have my PTA, club activities.

But the Mertzes don't have any friends in the country.

We didn't have any friends in the city either.

Now turn off your switch.

Yeah.

What is it? He just connected the speaker and little Ricky.

You know, with that thing around, you gotta be careful what you say.

Yeah, that's right.

Honey, I feel so guilty about the Mertzes.

Well, it's not your fault, dear. Well, yes, honey, in a way it is. You know,

they wouldn't be living out here at all if it wasn't for us.

Well, everything will work out all right. I don't know. I have never seen

so upset. She acted like she'd lost her best friend.

Good grief.

I guess she thinks she has.

Oh, now, honey, you're exaggerating. No, I'm not.

You know, Betty and Ethel have only met once.

I'll bet if they got to know each other, they'd be good friends.

Well, why don't you bring them together?

That's a good idea. I'm going to have the two of them over here for lunch

tomorrow. Fine, then it's all settled.

Now, what do I serve for lunch?

How about breakfast?

Whoever heard of serving breakfast for lunch?

Oh, your breakfast!

inviting me to luncheon.

Well, I thought it'd be fun to have a fancy girl -type luncheon, you know,

we used to have at Schraff's in New York.

Who else is coming?

Lucy, what are you up to?

What do you mean, what am I up to?

Now, don't tell me you've invited Betty Ramsey, the Elsa Maxwell of Westport, to

lunch, too.

I've got to get the mints.

She's in the kitchen.

Hi, darling. Hi, dear.

How are you, dear? Wonderful. How's Ralph? Fine. Still away on the trip. Oh,

he really? I didn't know that. Listen, lunch is all ready, so why don't we sit

down? Oh, good. I'm starved. You sit right here, dear. Thank you.

Right there, dear.

Oh, it looks wonderful, Lucy.

Good.

Lucy, I must tell you, I love that dinner dress. you had on last night. Oh,

well, thank you.

It's real old, but it's my favorite, so I just keep on wearing it and wearing

it. Oh, yes, I know. I do the same thing. I get a dinner dress I like, and

wear it to death, too.

You're the same way, aren't you, dear?

Oh, yes. Every night when Fred and I have dinner in front of our TV set, I

the same old flannel bathrobe.

You know, when you get to know Ethel better, you'll find that she's more fun

than a barrel of monkeys.

Monkeys that seldom get invited out of their barrel.

There she goes again.

Oh, Lucy, I was so flattered. Kay Bailey asked me for the recipe for my cake

last night. Did she?

Yes, she did. I told her the secret were your fresh eggs.

business together, so half of those belong to Ethel. Isn't that right, dear?

Yes, the shells.

That reminds me, did you notice my new eggshell -colored cushions? Yes, I saw

them yesterday.

They're just right for that couch. Oh, I'm glad you like them. As a matter of

fact, your house really looks lovely.

Just lovely. Thanks to you.

Now that you've got it all fixed up, we'll have to have a housewarming party.

Oh, I would love that. Oh, yeah, let's see, we'll have, um...

The Baileys, Bill and June Spear, the Munsters, the Parkers, and the Mertzes.

Oh, yes, and the Mertzes.

I'm afraid we can't make it.

Oh, that's a shame.

Now, dear, we haven't even set the date yet.

Oh, but we're booked up months ahead.

There's the Hired Hands Convention.

The poultry grower's annual ball.

And the babysitter's amalgamate for people who go.

Why don't we wait till we set the date? I'm sure you'll be able to work

something out.

Oh, yes, it'd be such fun.

I love parties.

I've loved parties since I was a little girl.

So have I.

And so have you, haven't you, dear?

I haven't been to a party since I was a little girl.

Speaking of being a little girl, you should hear about the fascinating

that Ethel has had. You know, she was raised on a ranch outside of

and I want to tell you... Albuquerque? Is that where you're from?

Uh -huh.

For heaven's sake, that's my hometown.

for it was Mertz. Potter. What was yours? Foster.

Not the Leslie Foster.

Leslie's my father.

This little girl. Yes, that's right. I was just nine years old. Just nine years

old. I lived in Jamestown until I was 17.

Why didn't you tell me you were from Albuquerque? Me? Why didn't you mention

were from Albuquerque?

Ethel Potter.

Betty Foster.

Lucy. What?

Why don't you get little Ethel Potter and me another cup of coffee?

Albuquerque, you're so warm and friendly.

Betty, dear, I just love the way you did Lucy's house over for her.

Would you mind doing the same thing for me, do my house over? Oh, I, you know

I'd love it.

Where'd you go to school?

Albuquerque Elementary.

So did I.

Listen, I thought I'd like to browse around some of the local antique shops

today. Want to go with me?

Oh.

Uh -huh.

Well, maybe some other time then, dear.

Okay, bye.

Samara, can she go? No, she's going into New York today.

What do you mean you want $40 for a lamp? That's what I said. We don't have

decent lamp to read by.

and Ethel are going into New York together.

So what?

So yesterday they went to New Canaan to visit a mutual friend from Albuquerque.

Yeah. The day before that, Ethel took Betty to the market with her.

Ever since they had lunch here, they've been thick as thieves.

You wanted them to be friends.

Yeah, I wanted them to be friends.

So everything is working out fine.

Yeah, everything is working out fine.

What's so hot all of a sudden about being born in Albuquerque?

What? I could have been born there myself if my family hadn't lived in

Jamestown.

Why, Lucy, I think you're jealous.

Jealous?

You're acting jealous. Not in the least.

Look, if a person brings her two best friends together so that they can become

friends, and those two friends become friends, and then they choose to ignore

the friend who brought them together in the first place, then those friends are

no longer friends.

Why, honey, you don't mean that.

Would you tell me if you think I should wallpaper the whole?

Sure, let's go look at it.

That isn't the moon. That's my mommy.

Maybe your mommy's on the moon.

No, she's with your Aunt Ethel. I've got some cookies. I'm hungry. Yeah, come

on.

Glad you like the idea of the wallpaper.

But maybe I ought to ask Lucy what she thinks. After all, she owns this house.

By the way, Ethel, Lucy's been acting so strange lately.

If I didn't know better, I'd think she was jealous of our friendship.

Oh, why should she be jealous? She's the one who brought us together. Well, I

just can't figure her out. But you've known Lucy as long as I have. You won't

try to figure her out.

Ethel, I have a little housewarming gift for you.

A housewarming gift?

Why, thanks.

But since Lucy's been acting so funny, I don't think you ought to tell her I

bought it for you.

Okay. Well, go ahead, open it.

What's that, Ethel?

It's a housewarming gift. But whatever you do, don't tell Lucy.

Oh, you know, I was kind of upset about Betty and Ethel seeing so much of each

other, but do you know what those two little dears have been up to?

What? They're giving us a surprise housewarming party tonight.

They are?

Yeah. How do you know? I just heard it on the intercom.

And, you know, they were looking at a housewarming gift for us, and Ethel told

Fred not to tell me about it.

You see, honey, and you were jealous.

Jealous? Oh, what in the world are you talking about? How could I possibly be

jealous of my two very best friends?

Honey, I

still

say that we're too dressed up.

They'll know that we're expecting them. Now, honey, if I'm going to be

surprised, I want to be surprised in my best dress.

Suspicious?

We never dress like this when we spend an evening alone.

Well, how do they know? They're never with us when we spend an evening alone.

Well, there you got me.

Well, I don't know. It's after nine o 'clock.

Are you sure the party's tonight?

Of course, dear.

Well, where are they?

Well, they're probably gathering over at the Mertz's, you know, and they all

want to come over together.

Oh.

They're fun. And you ought to do it, too. You ought to try it. Go ahead. Try

what? Try looking surprised.

Honey, it's a surprise party, not a hold -up.

Don't pop your eyes out like that.

I can't help it. When I'm surprised, my eyes pop out.

Well, not so far, then. You look like you just stuck your finger in a light

socket.

Come on, let's have a dress rehearsal at the door.

A dress rehearsal? Yeah, we're going to practice looking surprised, see? I'll go

outside and rap.

And when I come in, you look surprised, Keith. All right, let's go.

Surprise!

Honey, that is not a look of surprise.

Yes, it is.

You'll be surprised at my grips I'm broken.

Come on now, you go out.

Go ahead, honey.

and they jump out and surprise them.

I'll bet that's why they're not here. They're waiting for us to go out so that

they can come in here and hide. Hey, you get our coats.

Where are you going? Just get our coats.

Ethel? Yeah?

Ethel, dear, we're going into town for about 20 minutes. Would you leave the

intercom open so you can hear little Ricky?

Okay.

Okay, dear.

Remember, we'll be back in 20 minutes.

I don't think anybody's giving us a party tonight.

Yes, they are, dear. I heard them on the intercom.

Well, you must have misunderstood, honey. They wouldn't wait this long if

were going to give us a party. Oh, no, they might, you know, just to throw us

off the track.

Now, that Ethel's a sly one, you know. She just might wait this long so it'd be

so late that we just...

talking on the intercom, and they think we're having a surprise housewarming

party for them tonight.

Where'd they get that idea? I don't know, but we gotta do something.

Well, I don't know what you're gonna do, but I'm going back to bed.

Oh, now, Fred, those poor little things are sitting over there thinking they

haven't got a friend in the world.

What time is it? Ten o 'clock. They haven't.

Fred, we've got to do something.

Uh, here, wrap that as a gift. Wrap it as a gift. I'll call Betty Ramsey and

have her round up a lot of... of the neighbors and we'll give them a party.

brother, there goes my beauty sleep.

slumber party.

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starring Lucille Ball and Bessie Arnaz has been presented for your pleasure by

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I Love Lucy is a Desilu production.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz will be back next week at this same time.