I Love Lucy (1951–1957): Season 1, Episode 34 - Ricky Thinks He's Going Bald - full transcript

Lucy tries to convince Ricky that he is not losing his hair.

Lucy, what are you doing?

Honey, remember what you said
to me the first time you met me?

I sure do.

I said you were a
cute little chicken.

Well, I got
something to tell you

about this cute
little "shicken"...

She has crow's-feet.

You do not.

You don't even know
what crow's-feet are.

I do, too.

They're like pigeon toes.



No, they're little
lines around the eyes.

Come here, look.

See?

Oh, honey, are you kidding?

You're beautiful.

Aw, you're just
being nice, Ricky.

I am not.

Well, it doesn't
really bother me.

I knew the day would come
when I'd have crow's-feet,

and your hairline
started to recede,

but I just didn't expect
it so soon, that's all.

But if you say I'm beautiful,
I'll take your word for it.

Because after all, you're
the only one I have to please.

All you have to do
to make me happy



is say that you still
love me... do you?

My hairline is starting
to recede, huh?

Oh, honey, that's
just a figure of speech.

You haven't got
anything to worry about.

Oh, I have, too.

I'm starting to lose my hair.

Ricky, don't be ridiculous.

My hairline is receding.

Look, honey, look.

Are you crazy? You should have
as much money as you have hair.

Well, I'm sure this much of
my forehead didn't show before.

You're not serious.

If your hairline was any lower,

they'd have to bill you

as "Ricky Ricardo,
Boy Sheepdog."

Well, it's thick enough on top,

but gee, that hairline.

Oh, so your hairline has receded

a quarter of an inch.

So what?

Quarter of an inch?

Do you think it's that much?

And they say women are vain.

Vanity has nothing
to do with this.

I'm only thinking of my career.

Oh.

Well, you'd make
a nice fountain.

What are you doing?

I think it's getting thin
in the back, right here.

It's getting thin back
here in the back.

Oh, for heaven's sake.

Come on to bed, Baldy.

"Baldy."

Ay, que barbaridad. Tiene razon.

Se me va a caer el pelo
y me va a llamar "Baldy".

Como la aguila americana.

Stop muttering in Spanish.

I refuse.

I won't do it.

I will not get bald!

Well, don't talk to me.

Speak to your scalp.

Look, you're not
losing your hair,

and even if you were,

there's nothing
you can do about it.

Yeah, I guess you're right.

Worrying won't do it any good.

Certainly not.

Yeah.

Good night, darling.

I wonder how I'd
look without any hair.

Ricky, good night.

Oh... oh.

Good night.

Good night, honey.

No, no, no.

Ricky, breakfast is ready, dear!

Coming!

Well, you are in a hurry.

What are you wearing your...

What's the matter?

You're afraid I'll steal it?

No.

Well, what are you
wearing your hat for?

I thought it might rain.

Well, now that you mention it,

the ceiling does
look pretty cloudy.

My head was cold.

Oh.

Besides, you never can tell

when the plaster
might fall down.

All right, all right,
I'm not asking you.

You got any jam?

Yep.

Lucy, I want...

And what's the big idea of that?

You're right,

the ceiling doesn't
look any too safe.

Is my toast ready?

Coming up.

Honey, take off your hat.

I feel like I'm having
breakfast in a beanery.

Well, what are you wearing
your hat for, anyway?

Well, so I won't get embarrassed

with everybody staring
at my receding hairline.

Oh, I give up.

And please, no
more jokes about it.

This is a serious matter.

All right, who's making jokes?

I'll see you later.

Hi.

Hi, Luc.

Hi.

What's the matter with you?

Oh, I was just
thinking about Ricky.

He's off on a new kick.

He thinks he's getting bald.

Ricky?

Bald?

Yeah, he actually thinks
his hairline is receding.

He wore a hat at breakfast.

Wait a minute.

It's no laughing matter, Ethel.

I can understand how he feels

now that my hairline
has started to recede.

Aw, honey, your hairline
isn't starting to recede.

Let me see.

Turn around.

Never mind, I got plenty hair.

It comes way down over my eyes.

Yeah, you'd better cut it.

People will think you're a girl.

Very comical.

Oh, Lucy, you're
kidding about Ricky.

Why, he's got lots of hair.

I know it, but he's
got this crazy idea

and he believes it.

I got to snap him
out of it somehow.

How?

Well, I thought maybe
I'd invite someone over

that was really bald

just to point up
the comparisons.

Mmm... that's a good idea.

Yeah.

Now, who do we know that's bald?

Yeah.

Fred, would you, uh...

Would I what?

Would you like a cup of coffee?

No, thanks.

What are you laughing at, Curly?

I was just thinking
of what Lucy's in for.

What?

Well, Ricky will start trying

one hair-restoring
treatment after another

just like every other man

when he thinks
he's getting bald.

What kind of treatments?

Well, you wouldn't
believe some of them.

Massagers, tonics, poultices,

scalp scrapers, suction devices,

freezing the scalp,
burning the scalp.

Why, a man will try anything
if he thinks he's losing his hair.

Fred, you've given me an idea.

I'm going to give
Ricky scalp treatments.

And they're going
to be so drastic

that he'd be glad to
forget the whole thing.

It won't work. Why not?

Nothing has ever been
invented that a man won't try

if he thinks he can
get his hair back.

Oh, yeah?

Well, you haven't heard

of the Lucy Ricardo torture
system of hair restoring.

Oh.

How do you do?

How do you do?

I'm Mr. Thurlough,
may I help you?

Yes, I'd like to get
some preparations

that will grow hair.

I see. Won't you sit down?

Thank you.

What are you looking
at me like that for?

Oh, it's nothing, nothing.

Now, what did you have in mind?

Well, my husband thinks
that he's losing his hair,

and I'd like to get several
kinds of preparations.

I see, Mrs...?

Ricardo.

Mrs. Ricardo, every case
that comes to my attention

requires its own
special treatment.

Now, I can't do anything Mm-hmm.

Unless you're willing
to be frank with me.

Just how bald are you?

Well...

Me?!

It isn't me.

It's my husband.

Oh, your husband, yes.

Of course.

Of all the nerve.

You think I actually
came in here

to buy all these
things for myself?

Oh, no, no, no.

Farthest thought from my mind.

Well, that's better.

But, uh...

But what?

Well, uh...

You could at least
let me show you

a more realistic-
looking wig than that.

Wig?

This is my own hair.

Oh, come now.

Well, it is... see?

I beg your pardon.

My goodness, so it is.

Now, if you don't mind,
would you please show me

some of those
hair-growing things?

What would you like?

We have ointments, salves,
creams, tonics, scrapers,

vibrators, suction
devices and agitators.

Would you like me
to demonstrate them?

No. You just pick
out some for me.

Yes, madam.

Um...

Pick out the ones that smell
the worst and hurt the most.

Yes, madam.

Well, I've been waiting
for you to call me.

How did the torture
treatment work?

Ethel, I just didn't have
the nerve to do it to him.

You should have seen some
of the things I was going to use.

Awful, huh?

Yeah. There must be
some less drastic way

to snap him out of it.

Well, I still say your
original idea was a good one.

What was that?

Surround him with
people who are really bald

and make him realize
how much hair he has.

Bald people... a lot of them.

Yeah, that might work.

I'm going to give a party

and everybody there is going
to be as bald as a billiard ball.

Will you help me?

You don't expect me to
shave my head, do you?

No.

I wonder how many
bald-headed men we know?

I want this place looking like
a sea of honeydew melons.

Well, I can ask Fred and...

Wait a minute.

Why didn't I think
of this before?

I know a man who
can put his finger

on a hundred bald heads.

Who?

Mr. Thurlough, the
hair-restorer man.

Hi.

Hi.

Lucy, don't count on Fred.

He's not coming to
your bald-headed party.

Why not?

When I asked him,
he got highly insulted

and stalked out of the room

and I haven't seen him since.

Aw, too bad.

Well, I guess we'll have
enough without him.

Can I help you with anything?

Yeah, honey, put some of
those around for me, will you?

Okay.

How did Mr. Thurlough
get all those men

to come here tonight, anyway?

Well, it seems that
they all took treatments

at the same time,

and he told them it
was a class reunion.

Ah, bless their
little bald heads.

There they are.

Oh, good evening, Mr. Thurlough.

Good evening, Mrs. Ricardo.

Come in, gentlemen.

May I present Mr. Johnson,

Mr. Miller and Mr. Davis.

How do you do?

And this is Mrs.
Mertz, Mr. Thurlough.

How do you do?

How do you do?

Mr. Johnson, Mr., uh,
Miller and Mr. Davis.

How do you do?

There are six more coming.

Oh, fine, fine.

May I take your hats, gentlemen?

Mrs. Ricardo...

I had a tough time

getting the boys to come.

I had to promise
you'd give them dinner.

Dinner?

Oh, uh, well, I guess we
can take them out somewhere.

And I had to promise

you'd give them
each ten dollars.

Ten dollars?

And there are six more coming?

$90?

Gee-whiz.

Well, we do have $100

that we keep for emergencies.

Well, I guess this
is an emergency.

Pardon me.

There you are, $90.

Thank you, Mrs. Ricardo.

Okay, boys, let
me have your hats.

There you are.

Mr. Thurlough!

Well, business hasn't
been so good lately.

I need the ten bucks.

Thank you.

Sit down, gentlemen.

All I can say is,
this'd better work.

Oh, Fred.

Come on in.

Hello, Lucy.

Gee, I'm so glad you could come.

Good old Fred.

He always comes
through in a pinch.

Aw, shucks.

Could I have your hat, Fred?

Yes, ma'am.

Well, I guess that
evens things up.

Excuse me.

Hello.

Hi, honey.

Hi.

I won't be able to get home.

I got a lot of work to do.

Oh, honey.

Can't you just get
home for a minute?

What for?

Well, I have a new treatment

I want to try on
you for baldness.

Well, it'll just have to wait.

But it can't wait.

It's a very expensive treatment.

Well, I'm sorry, sweetheart,
but I got a lot of work to do.

I'll see you later. Good-bye.

Is he coming home?

No, darn it.

This is what I get for
being so softhearted.

It cost me a hundred bucks.

What now?

Torture system, here I come.

Lucy!

I'm in here, dear,
in the kitchen.

Hi, honey.

Hi.

Oh, a beret.

Say, you look very continental.

Yeah.

What's all this stuff?

Well, I went down
to one of those

hair-restoring places today,

and I am going to give
you scalp treatments

to make your hair grow back.

Scalp treatments?

Yeah.

Do you think these
things really work?

They're guaranteed.

Yeah?

Yeah. Come on, sit down.

Let's get started.

All right.

Your roots won't
know what hit them.

There we are.

Now, you just relax.

There, now...

First we're going to
wake up your scalp

with a stimulating vibration.

Honey... cut it out, will you?

Now, honey, you want
to grow hair, don't you?

Yeah, yeah.

Makes your whole
scalp tingle, doesn't it?

Yeah. My head
feels like it's on fire.

Good. That means we
got your scalp on the run.

Now for a little brush job.

Are you sure you
know what you're doing?

Yes. I read all
the instructions.

Now, this is the one
that really does the trick.

Honey, my eyes.

I don't...

My eyebrows are all right.

I don't need any hair there.

There, I think we're
making progress.

Your scalp has a nice,
red, healthy-looking glow.

You sure it isn't blood?

Oh.

Here, try this on for size.

What's this for?

To cover the mustard plaster.

The mustard plaster?

Yeah, after you get
the mustard plaster on,

you wear the stocking to bed.

I wear the stocking to bed?

Yep.

Well, I don't get
it, but I'll do it.

Oh, honey!

Not on your foot, on your head.

On my head?

Yes.

The next part of this
treatment is very gooey.

After I get the mustard
plaster on your head,

you wear a stocking
over it all night.

Oh... oh, I didn't know.

Honey, it's awfully tight.

Well, I'm sorry, that's the
biggest stocking I could find.

Honey, take it off!

Take it off!

I'm only doing what
you told me to do.

Now, never mind.

You wear it on top like a cap.

I'll fix it later.

Here, now, you hold on to that.

Leave that right there now.

Put your neck in here
and hold on to the bowl.

Put your head over.

What are you putting on now?

Oil, to lubricate your scalp.

Oh.

What's that?

Vinegar, to marinate your scalp.

Eggs?

Honey...

What are you doing now?

Mixing in the egg.

Oil, vinegar, eggs...

Why don't you put some
anchovies, make a Caesar salad?

What is that?

What are you doing?

What is that?

Hey!

What is that?

What are you doing?

What's that you're doing now?

What's that for?

That's a heat cap.

What's that you put on now?

It's a heat cap... you have
to bake for 20 minutes.

Is that the end
of the treatment?

Yeah, that's it, but
we have to do that

every other night
for six months.

Six months, huh?

Yeah, how about that?

Well... you know something?

What?

My scalp is tingling.

I can feel something
happening already.

Yeah? Well, you have to do
it every other night, you know.

I think we ought
to do it every night.

What?

Then my hair
will grow in faster.

Oh, no.

ANNOUNCER Mr. Thurlough
was played by Milton Parsons.

"I Love Lucy" is a
Desilu Production.