I Love Lucy (1951–1957): Season 4, Episode 15 - Ethel's Hometown - full transcript
The gang arrives in Ethel's hometown of Albequerque, New Mexico, where the locals are under the impression that she, and not Ricky, has been hired to star in a Hollywood movie.
("I Love Lucy" theme song playing)
Listen, where's Fred and Ethel?
I want to get going.
Well, Ethel went down to call her
father in Albuquerque
to tell him that we're arriving late
this afternoon.
Hi. Oh.
Oh, there they are.
Oh, here they are.
Hi, Rick.
I'll go get the car.
Okay.
Well, Ethel, did you talk to your
father?
For 20 minutes.
Oh, he was so thrilled.
Gee, I haven't talked to Daddy for so
long,
hearing his voice made me cry.
Hearing the amount of that phone
bill's gonna make me cry.
Now, Fred.
Gee, I'm anxious to meet him.
Oh... What's he like?
Well, let me put it this way.
With him in Albuquerque,
I'm surprised they don't have another
Indian uprising.
Now, Fred!
Fred and Daddy never did see eye to
eye.
Daddy didn't want us to get married.
Oh?
Fred, he's all over that by now.
He's forgiven us for eloping.
I haven't forgiven him for not
stopping us.
Now, listen, smart aleck,
you've forgotten that while we're
visiting Daddy,
the room and the meals will be free.
Oh, on to Albuquerque.
Okay, the car's ready.
FRED: Great.
Long-distance, please.
What are you doing?
I'm calling Mother.
But you called her yesterday.
Well, yesterday was a whole day ago.
I want to find out how the baby is.
Operator, would you give me New York
City?
This is long-distance.
It costs a lot of money to call
long-distance.
Yes, dear, I will.
She calls every day like we was
in the next-corner drugstore or
something.
Hello, Mother.
Hello. This is Lucy.
Lucy!
Lucy Ricardo.
We have a bad connection.
With your mother, it's always a bad
connection.
Mother, Mother, this is Lucy, your
daughter.
Lucy Ricardo!
No, no, dear, no message.
I know she's on her way to
California. This is me!
Mother, it's your daughter, Lucille
McGillicuddy.
Hello, mother. How are you?
Now that she knows who you are, hang
up.
Uh, how's the baby, dear?
Oh, I'm fine.
Yeah, well, give the baby my love,
will you?
And Ricky's love.
Well, all right, Mickey's love.
Yeah, and, uh, Aunt Ethel's love and
Uncle Fred's love.
Now that everybody loves everybody,
hang up.
All right, all right.
Mother, I have to g...
Mother?
Mother!
What happened?
Were you cut off?
Well, what's going on, honey?
This is long-distance.
Well, she went to get the baby so I
could tell him myself.
Ay-ay-ay.
Well, I want to hear the baby's
voice.
Hello?
Hello, darling.
He said "hello"!
Good. You say good-bye.
No, look, see if he'll say "hello" to
you.
Hello, son.
He said it!
Ethel, Fred, come here!
Listen to this!
He said "hello"!
At these prices, you're going broke.
Oh, never mind that.
He said it clear as a bell.
Little Ricky, say hello to, to Uncle
Fred and Aunt Ethel now.
Say hello.
Hello, Ricky.
Hi, Ricky.
LITTLE RICKY: Hello.
He said it!
Yeah, I heard it!
You hear him?
Yeah.
How do you like that?
What a kid.
What a conversationalist.
Only two years old,
he's talking halfway across country.
Halfway across country!
Good-bye, son!
Come on, now. Let's hit the road,
huh?
On to Albuquerque.
Come on, let's go.
I'll take that big case.
(doorbell buzzing insistently)
(knocking at door)
Ah! Oh!
Daddy, oh!
My little Ethel Mae!
I'm so glad to see you!
I can't believe it's you!
I thought we'd never get here.
My, my, you're a sight for sore eyes.
Oh... Daddy...
you remember Fred.
Huh? Oh, yeah.
Hiya, curly.
And, uh, these are my best friends,
the Ricardos.
How do you do, Mr. Potter?
How do you do?
You must be Lucy.
Now, there's a shrewd piece of
deduction.
And Ricky!
Yes, sir.
?Como esa?
?Como esta? Very good.
Oh, I've heard a lot about you.
Really?
Yes.
Well...
Thank you.
Well, let's all sit down, get the
load off our feet.
Okay, sure.
You sit there, Fred. You sit anyplace
you want to
and you sit right by me.
All right, honey.
Oh, I thought we'd never get here
from Amarillo.
Oh, it's been such a long day.
Ethel, is this you?
Yep. That's my baby
when she was the flower of
Albuquerque--
the most popular girl in town.
Why, they even elected her Miss
Albuquerque of 19...
Daddy. Huh?
She was pretty popular, huh, Mr.
Potter?
Popular? Ha!
She was so popular,
the boys used to buzz around her like
bees around honey.
(Lucy laughing)
She could have had her pick of any
fella in town.
And when I stop to think how she...
Oh, what's the use of going back?
Well, how come, with all the bees
around her,
I was the one that get stung?
Stung? Now, look here, you...
Daddy, Daddy...
Fred, please don't..
Mr. Potter, uh, uh, this is the first
time
that we've been around this part of
the country, you know.
Yes. We've never been down--
even around Albuquerque at all.
Really?
Yeah.
You know very well she was popular.
Why, she could have married the best
of them.
There was that Deke, Deke...
What's his name?
Deke Arledge.
Yeah, and Hank Spear and Bill
Hackett.
Oh, say, he's the editor of the paper
now.
He is?!
Oh, I almost forgot.
He's coming over.
He'll be here in a few minutes.
Billy Hackett?
Yeah, Billy Hackett.
Oh...
Yes, sir.
When I told him that you were coming
through town
with the Ricardos, nothing would do
but that he'd come over and get an
interview.
(laughing): Really?
Yeah. Oh, the whole town's in an
uproar over this visit.
Is that so?
I even got so excited, I didn't go to
the store this morning.
I run a little sweetshop and soda
fountain.
Yeah, our slogan is,
"You can lick our cones, but you
can't beat our sodas."
(all guffawing)
Yeah, it isn't every day
when we get a celebrity that comes to
our town.
(chuckling): Oh, well...
I hope that they're not gonna make,
uh,
too much of a fuss about it.
I hope they don't go overboard.
Yeah.
POTTER: Oh, yes, they...
but they're all going all out.
Oh, they, Really?
they're going all out.
How about that?
Sure. They even wanted to know if
you'd put on a show.
A show?!
Sure.
How about it, Ricky?
Oh, that would be fun. Let's do it.
All right.
Ha, ha, ha!
I already told them you would.
(laughing)
It's all set up for tomorrow night.
Oh.
Oh, you ought to see the marquee on
the little theater.
You haven't any idea what it says.
What does it say?
"Ethel Mae Potter: We never forgot
her."
"Ethel Mae Potter"?
That's, uh...
that's all it says?
Yeah. Why?
Oh, nothing. It's just, you know,
when you said, uh, "celebrity," you
know,
I figured that maybe...
Oh, well, Ethel Mae is very big here
in Albuquerque.
She's big everywhere.
Now, Daddy, you're exaggerating.
Why, I haven't done anything to speak
of
since I was in vaudeville.
Oh, yeah? Well, how come you're on
your way to Hollywood
to star in a movie?
Uh...
Star in a movie?
Uh, Daddy, you misunderstood.
Ricky's going to be in the picture.
Oh, you're gonna be in it, too?
Well, I wouldn't exactly put it that
way.
Aw, now, don't you worry.
If Ethel says that you're gonna be in
her picture,
you're gonna be in her picture.
That's nice.
Oh, Daddy, you got it all wrong.
Well, that's what you wrote.
No, what I meant was, Ricky is the
star.
I'm just a... oh, a...
There's my daughter for you: modesty
personified.
She hasn't changed a bit.
No, sir, she always was a shrinking
violet.
(coughs)
Now, honey, never mind the false
modesty.
Go ahead, tell us about your picture.
Yeah, Ethel, tell us about your
picture.
Yeah.
Um...
If Billy Hackett's coming over,
I want to freshen up just a little.
I'll fix my hair up a little...
Uh... Oh, Ethel Mae, take your old
room.
We haven't touched it since you left.
It must be a nice dusty mess by now.
Say, if you folks will just make
yourselves at home
I'm going to run to the candy store
and tell everybody how wonderful
Ethel Mae looks.
Okay.
(door closes)
Hmm.
Ethel Mae's picture.
How do you like that?
Oh, come now, what difference does it
make
if her father thinks it's her
picture?
Why, she didn't even try to deny it.
Well, she didn't want to make her
father look bad.
Why not? Everybody knows he's full of
baloney.
Oh, come on now.
Promise me one thing.
When the man from the newspaper gets
here
to interview you, you make Ethel look
good.
You tell him that she's gonna be in
the picture, too.
Well...
(doorbell buzzing)
There he is.
Now, remember,
mention Ethel as much as you can.
All right.
And, honey, when he takes your
picture,
you insist that Ethel be in it, too.
Okay, dear. Okay.
Hello.
Hello. I'm Billy Hackett of the
Chronicle.
How do you do?
I'm Lucy Ricardo.
How do you do?
This is Ricky Ricardo and Fred Mertz.
How do you do?
How are you?
Well, I've wanted to know you for a
long time.
Thank you.
Yes, sir, I've always wanted to shake
the hand of the man
who married Ethel Mae.
Well, you, uh... you got the wrong
fella.
That's him over there.
Oh, you're the winner!
Yeah, I'm the winner.
And you're Ricky Ricardo!
That's right.
Well, I've got a lot of questions I
want to ask you.
Oh, certainly. Sit down.
Anything you want to know.
All right. How long have you known
Ethel Mae?
Well, now, let me see, um...
ETHEL: Billy Hackett!
Ethel Mae!
Oh, I'm so glad to see you.
Oh, this is wonderful.
My daddy told me you were coming
over.
Oh, it's been so long.
Ethel Mae, you were never prettier.
I can't argue with that.
I'd like to get a few pictures.
Oh, fine.
Would you stand right over there?
Right over there where, uh, Mr.
Ricardo is.
Yes.
Get a nice informal shot of you.
Now, just relax there and let me have
a little...
Mr. Ricardo, would you mind moving
just a little bit to your right,
please?
Sure.
BILLY: Yeah. Thank you.
Now, sm...
I'm sorry, Mr. Ricardo, but you're
still in the picture.
All right, now smile.
Got it! Oh, good.
Hey, how about getting that group of
us?
I've always wanted a good picture of
all of us together.
Oh, that's fine.
Right here.
Here?
Everybody gather around Ethel Mae,
huh?
You just stand where Billy tells you
to.
Now, just get... Put your arms around
her.
Get all close together, you know.
You fix 'em.
Very informal.
Right around me.
Put your arms around Ethel Mae,
please.
Right there.
Thank you very much.
There we are.
Now...
(shutters clicking)
BILLY: Got it!
Oh, that ought to be a good one.
Now, for the big story.
Sit down, Ethel Mae.
Local girl makes good.
Ethel Mae Potter reaches stardom in
Hollywood.
Now, I want to know the story, the
human story in back of this.
How did you get there?
How did it happen?
Uh, was it a tough road and was it
worth it?
Now, those are the things that your
friends
from Albuquerque are waiting to hear.
Yeah, your friends from New York
are waiting to hear it, too.
Yeah.
Well, tell me, Ethel Mae,
and I'll put your story on the front
page tomorrow.
Um...
Go ahead, Ethel Mae, tell him your
story.
FRED: Yeah.
Well, uh...
Oh...
Um...
"My Story," by Ethel Mae Potter.
You people who remain here
in this lovely, quiet, peaceful town
of Albuquerque
leading your dreary, uneventful
lives,
little do you know
the heartache, the heartbreak, the
hard work, the frustration
that I went through to get where I am
today.
(coughing)
When I was a small tot playing around
the yard
of the Albuquerque Grammar School,
little did I know that I was destined
to become the star of three
continents.
That's wonderful!
And it gives me a great idea.
I am gonna make a series of pictures
of you all over town.
We'll take them in the, in the
schoolyard
where you once played
and one in back of the counter
of your, of your father's
sweetshop...
Oh, that's wonderful.
And then we'll top it off with a,
with a big close-up shot
of the little theater marquee.
Oh, that'll just be great!
Well, come on, let's do it!
Right now?
Why, certainly.
Oh, fine.
(laughing)
See you later, dears.
Isn't she something?
I think she's blown her top.
What do you suppose got into her?
I don't know, but somewhere along the
line,
shrinking violet got sanforized.
Why, she's raving mad.
We'd better get out of this joint
before she starts foaming at the
mouth and bites somebody.
Yeah, we'll leave tomorrow night
right after the show.
You mean we're still gonna do the
show?
You're darn right we're gonna the
show.
I'm not gonna leave this town
with everybody thinking that I'm
Ethel Mae's chauffeur.
Now, I tell you what we're gonna do
What?
I'll do an opening number, and then
you do something.
Then I'll sing "Babalu," then you do
something.
Then I'll sing "Grenada," then you
and Fred...
(playing "Chopsticks")
Hey, Liberace.
Where is Ethel?
I want to start rehearsing.
Oh, she went out with the mayor to
cut the tape on a new road
into the Indian Reservation.
Ay-ay-ay.
LUCY: Ricky!
Yeah, honey?
Fred!
Yeah?
Listen to this.
What?
"Glamorous star visits here on way to
film capital."
Well, what did you expect after
yesterday's interview?
I'll bet she doesn't even mention us.
Oh, yes, she does.
"Ethel Mae Potter who has been called
to Hollywood to star
"in a wide-screen color spectacle
is motoring to the coast with
friends." That's us.
How do you like that?
Oh, that's nothing.
Try this on for size.
"This evening Miss Potter will appear
at the little theater
in a solo recital of songs and
readings."
Solo?!
Boy, she's really flipped.
Yeah, well, there's more.
Remember the picture taken of all of
us,
the one with our arms around Ethel?
Yeah.
Hello.
We were cut out!
Yeah. Either that, or Ethel's grown
five more hands.
ETHEL: ...see you tonight at the
show!
Oh, here comes our shrinking violet
now.
Yeah, the little shrinker.
How.
(bass notes sounding)
They made her an Indian chief.
What's your name, Big Chief
Hog-It-All?
What do you mean?
"What do you mean?"
We read the paper, dear.
Wasn't that write-up a lulu?
And what a lulu.
Yeah. I especially liked the picture:
"Ethel and her trained hands."
Yeah, thanks a lot for mentioning my
name.
Now, just a minute.
I can't help what Billy Hackett put
in the paper.
Freedom of the press, you know.
Freedom of the press, yes,
but there wasn't a word of truth in
it.
I beg your pardon.
There might have been a slight
exaggeration here and there.
Oh, Ethel!
Ethel, what's come over you?
"Solo performance."
Are you crazy or something?
Now, I can explain.
Everybody wanted me to do something
special--
something that I became famous for.
So, what with one thing and another,
(ostentatiously): there just wasn't
room for all of you.
(mimicking Ethel)
You know, you might have insisted
that we be in the show.
Yes, I might have...
but I didn't want to.
That's it!
All right, come on.
We're leaving for California right
now.
That suits me.
Now, just a minute!
I can't leave now.
Oh, that's right.
You have a show to do, haven't you?
Well, we'll see you on the coast.
Yeah.
How do I get out there?
Well, call your studio.
Maybe they'll send a special train
for a big star like you.
Oh, I think you're all horrid!
Now, just a second, folks.
I'm sorry if Ethel Mae is so popular,
there's no room for you,
but, gosh, there must be something
we can figure out you can do.
Yeah, maybe we could be ushers in the
theater.
Maybe we can put on aprons
and sell your candy in the lobby.
Say...
Oh, no.
Come on, let's get out of here.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
I think we should stay.
What?! What?!
Well, now, after all, this is Ethel's
hometown,
and we should help her make a good
impression.
Now, just a minute.
What's the matter...
We'll stay, Ethel, and when you're on
that stage tonight,
remember, you've got us right behind
you.
Well, now, that's very nice of you.
Thanks, Lucy.
Yeah, thanks.
Ethel Mae, get up and change your
clothes.
We've got to go over to the
sweetshop.
I'm naming a sundae after her.
Yeah, well...
What's the matter with you?
Have you lost your mind?
What did you want to say that for?
Now, fellas, I just got to thinking
about our dear Ethel Mae.
Now, You know, it's very hard
to carry a whole show all by yourself
even if you're as big a star as she
is.
She really needs somebody to back her
up,
and that's where we come in.
We'll be right behind her, on the
stage.
(applause)
Ladies and gentlemen, my friends,
you don't know what a thrill it is
for me to be on this stage tonight--
this stage where I got my start--
and I want you all to know
that no matter how famous I become,
I will never forget you or
Albuquerque.
(sniffling)
But enough of the sentiment.
On with the show.
For my first number tonight, I have
chosen a number
that all of you love to hear me sing.
I had many requests for your favorite
and mine:
"Short'nin' Bread."
(lilting piano intro playing)
Put on the skillet
Put on the lid
Mammy's gonna make a little
short'nin' bread
That ain't all she's gonna do
Mammy's gonna make a little coffee,
too
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Two little babies lyin' in bed
Two of 'em sick and the other 'most
dead
Sent for the doctor
The doctor said
Feed those babies on short'nin' bread
Oh, mammy's little baby loves
short'nin', short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
I slipped to the kitchen
I slipped up the lid
I slipped to the kitchen for
short'nin' bread
I stole the skillet
I stole the lid
I stole the gal that makes the
short'nin' bread
Oh, mammy's little baby loves
short'nin', short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
They caught me with the skillet
They caught me with the lid
They caught me with the gal makin'
short'nin' bread
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Mammy's little baby
Loves short'nin', short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves
Short'nin' bread.
(applause)
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
(applause continuing)
Would you like for me to sing another
song?
(applause)
Oh!
Thank you.
I'll be very happy to.
Now, I think we should have a change
of pace, don't you?
So, I'd like to sing an operatic song
that I used to do:
"My Hero," from The Chocolate
Soldier.
(slow piano intro playing)
Come, come
I love you only
My heart is true
Come, come, my life is lonely
I long for you...
(audience laughing)
Come, come
(singing muffled by laughter)
Look at me face you
My arms are aching
(raucous laughter)
Long to embrace you
My heart is thine
Come, come, I love you only
My hero...
(audience laughing)
(off-key): Come...
Come...
I love you only
My...
(screeching): He...ro.
(applause)
Ethel Mae! Ethel Mae, you were
wonderful.
And that comedy routine is
sensational.
Ethel Mae, that's the funniest show
I've ever seen
on or off Broadway.
I want to get a picture.
Lucy, Fred, Ricky,
come on out here!
I want to get a picture.
Get the stool, will you?
Ricky, you stand in the middle.
You here. Just a little bit over
here, honey.
That's it. That's it.
That's fine.
Now let me see.
Here, give me the stool.
See if that looks all right.
Yes, that's fine.
Now come on. You sit down here, right
in the middle.
That's it.
That's the picture I want.
Ethel Mae Potter and Company.
("I Love Lucy" theme song playing)
ANNOUNCER: Mr. Potter was played by
Irving Bacon
and Bill Hackett was played by Chick
Chandler.
I Love Lucy is a Desilu Production.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
will be back next week at this same
time.
Listen, where's Fred and Ethel?
I want to get going.
Well, Ethel went down to call her
father in Albuquerque
to tell him that we're arriving late
this afternoon.
Hi. Oh.
Oh, there they are.
Oh, here they are.
Hi, Rick.
I'll go get the car.
Okay.
Well, Ethel, did you talk to your
father?
For 20 minutes.
Oh, he was so thrilled.
Gee, I haven't talked to Daddy for so
long,
hearing his voice made me cry.
Hearing the amount of that phone
bill's gonna make me cry.
Now, Fred.
Gee, I'm anxious to meet him.
Oh... What's he like?
Well, let me put it this way.
With him in Albuquerque,
I'm surprised they don't have another
Indian uprising.
Now, Fred!
Fred and Daddy never did see eye to
eye.
Daddy didn't want us to get married.
Oh?
Fred, he's all over that by now.
He's forgiven us for eloping.
I haven't forgiven him for not
stopping us.
Now, listen, smart aleck,
you've forgotten that while we're
visiting Daddy,
the room and the meals will be free.
Oh, on to Albuquerque.
Okay, the car's ready.
FRED: Great.
Long-distance, please.
What are you doing?
I'm calling Mother.
But you called her yesterday.
Well, yesterday was a whole day ago.
I want to find out how the baby is.
Operator, would you give me New York
City?
This is long-distance.
It costs a lot of money to call
long-distance.
Yes, dear, I will.
She calls every day like we was
in the next-corner drugstore or
something.
Hello, Mother.
Hello. This is Lucy.
Lucy!
Lucy Ricardo.
We have a bad connection.
With your mother, it's always a bad
connection.
Mother, Mother, this is Lucy, your
daughter.
Lucy Ricardo!
No, no, dear, no message.
I know she's on her way to
California. This is me!
Mother, it's your daughter, Lucille
McGillicuddy.
Hello, mother. How are you?
Now that she knows who you are, hang
up.
Uh, how's the baby, dear?
Oh, I'm fine.
Yeah, well, give the baby my love,
will you?
And Ricky's love.
Well, all right, Mickey's love.
Yeah, and, uh, Aunt Ethel's love and
Uncle Fred's love.
Now that everybody loves everybody,
hang up.
All right, all right.
Mother, I have to g...
Mother?
Mother!
What happened?
Were you cut off?
Well, what's going on, honey?
This is long-distance.
Well, she went to get the baby so I
could tell him myself.
Ay-ay-ay.
Well, I want to hear the baby's
voice.
Hello?
Hello, darling.
He said "hello"!
Good. You say good-bye.
No, look, see if he'll say "hello" to
you.
Hello, son.
He said it!
Ethel, Fred, come here!
Listen to this!
He said "hello"!
At these prices, you're going broke.
Oh, never mind that.
He said it clear as a bell.
Little Ricky, say hello to, to Uncle
Fred and Aunt Ethel now.
Say hello.
Hello, Ricky.
Hi, Ricky.
LITTLE RICKY: Hello.
He said it!
Yeah, I heard it!
You hear him?
Yeah.
How do you like that?
What a kid.
What a conversationalist.
Only two years old,
he's talking halfway across country.
Halfway across country!
Good-bye, son!
Come on, now. Let's hit the road,
huh?
On to Albuquerque.
Come on, let's go.
I'll take that big case.
(doorbell buzzing insistently)
(knocking at door)
Ah! Oh!
Daddy, oh!
My little Ethel Mae!
I'm so glad to see you!
I can't believe it's you!
I thought we'd never get here.
My, my, you're a sight for sore eyes.
Oh... Daddy...
you remember Fred.
Huh? Oh, yeah.
Hiya, curly.
And, uh, these are my best friends,
the Ricardos.
How do you do, Mr. Potter?
How do you do?
You must be Lucy.
Now, there's a shrewd piece of
deduction.
And Ricky!
Yes, sir.
?Como esa?
?Como esta? Very good.
Oh, I've heard a lot about you.
Really?
Yes.
Well...
Thank you.
Well, let's all sit down, get the
load off our feet.
Okay, sure.
You sit there, Fred. You sit anyplace
you want to
and you sit right by me.
All right, honey.
Oh, I thought we'd never get here
from Amarillo.
Oh, it's been such a long day.
Ethel, is this you?
Yep. That's my baby
when she was the flower of
Albuquerque--
the most popular girl in town.
Why, they even elected her Miss
Albuquerque of 19...
Daddy. Huh?
She was pretty popular, huh, Mr.
Potter?
Popular? Ha!
She was so popular,
the boys used to buzz around her like
bees around honey.
(Lucy laughing)
She could have had her pick of any
fella in town.
And when I stop to think how she...
Oh, what's the use of going back?
Well, how come, with all the bees
around her,
I was the one that get stung?
Stung? Now, look here, you...
Daddy, Daddy...
Fred, please don't..
Mr. Potter, uh, uh, this is the first
time
that we've been around this part of
the country, you know.
Yes. We've never been down--
even around Albuquerque at all.
Really?
Yeah.
You know very well she was popular.
Why, she could have married the best
of them.
There was that Deke, Deke...
What's his name?
Deke Arledge.
Yeah, and Hank Spear and Bill
Hackett.
Oh, say, he's the editor of the paper
now.
He is?!
Oh, I almost forgot.
He's coming over.
He'll be here in a few minutes.
Billy Hackett?
Yeah, Billy Hackett.
Oh...
Yes, sir.
When I told him that you were coming
through town
with the Ricardos, nothing would do
but that he'd come over and get an
interview.
(laughing): Really?
Yeah. Oh, the whole town's in an
uproar over this visit.
Is that so?
I even got so excited, I didn't go to
the store this morning.
I run a little sweetshop and soda
fountain.
Yeah, our slogan is,
"You can lick our cones, but you
can't beat our sodas."
(all guffawing)
Yeah, it isn't every day
when we get a celebrity that comes to
our town.
(chuckling): Oh, well...
I hope that they're not gonna make,
uh,
too much of a fuss about it.
I hope they don't go overboard.
Yeah.
POTTER: Oh, yes, they...
but they're all going all out.
Oh, they, Really?
they're going all out.
How about that?
Sure. They even wanted to know if
you'd put on a show.
A show?!
Sure.
How about it, Ricky?
Oh, that would be fun. Let's do it.
All right.
Ha, ha, ha!
I already told them you would.
(laughing)
It's all set up for tomorrow night.
Oh.
Oh, you ought to see the marquee on
the little theater.
You haven't any idea what it says.
What does it say?
"Ethel Mae Potter: We never forgot
her."
"Ethel Mae Potter"?
That's, uh...
that's all it says?
Yeah. Why?
Oh, nothing. It's just, you know,
when you said, uh, "celebrity," you
know,
I figured that maybe...
Oh, well, Ethel Mae is very big here
in Albuquerque.
She's big everywhere.
Now, Daddy, you're exaggerating.
Why, I haven't done anything to speak
of
since I was in vaudeville.
Oh, yeah? Well, how come you're on
your way to Hollywood
to star in a movie?
Uh...
Star in a movie?
Uh, Daddy, you misunderstood.
Ricky's going to be in the picture.
Oh, you're gonna be in it, too?
Well, I wouldn't exactly put it that
way.
Aw, now, don't you worry.
If Ethel says that you're gonna be in
her picture,
you're gonna be in her picture.
That's nice.
Oh, Daddy, you got it all wrong.
Well, that's what you wrote.
No, what I meant was, Ricky is the
star.
I'm just a... oh, a...
There's my daughter for you: modesty
personified.
She hasn't changed a bit.
No, sir, she always was a shrinking
violet.
(coughs)
Now, honey, never mind the false
modesty.
Go ahead, tell us about your picture.
Yeah, Ethel, tell us about your
picture.
Yeah.
Um...
If Billy Hackett's coming over,
I want to freshen up just a little.
I'll fix my hair up a little...
Uh... Oh, Ethel Mae, take your old
room.
We haven't touched it since you left.
It must be a nice dusty mess by now.
Say, if you folks will just make
yourselves at home
I'm going to run to the candy store
and tell everybody how wonderful
Ethel Mae looks.
Okay.
(door closes)
Hmm.
Ethel Mae's picture.
How do you like that?
Oh, come now, what difference does it
make
if her father thinks it's her
picture?
Why, she didn't even try to deny it.
Well, she didn't want to make her
father look bad.
Why not? Everybody knows he's full of
baloney.
Oh, come on now.
Promise me one thing.
When the man from the newspaper gets
here
to interview you, you make Ethel look
good.
You tell him that she's gonna be in
the picture, too.
Well...
(doorbell buzzing)
There he is.
Now, remember,
mention Ethel as much as you can.
All right.
And, honey, when he takes your
picture,
you insist that Ethel be in it, too.
Okay, dear. Okay.
Hello.
Hello. I'm Billy Hackett of the
Chronicle.
How do you do?
I'm Lucy Ricardo.
How do you do?
This is Ricky Ricardo and Fred Mertz.
How do you do?
How are you?
Well, I've wanted to know you for a
long time.
Thank you.
Yes, sir, I've always wanted to shake
the hand of the man
who married Ethel Mae.
Well, you, uh... you got the wrong
fella.
That's him over there.
Oh, you're the winner!
Yeah, I'm the winner.
And you're Ricky Ricardo!
That's right.
Well, I've got a lot of questions I
want to ask you.
Oh, certainly. Sit down.
Anything you want to know.
All right. How long have you known
Ethel Mae?
Well, now, let me see, um...
ETHEL: Billy Hackett!
Ethel Mae!
Oh, I'm so glad to see you.
Oh, this is wonderful.
My daddy told me you were coming
over.
Oh, it's been so long.
Ethel Mae, you were never prettier.
I can't argue with that.
I'd like to get a few pictures.
Oh, fine.
Would you stand right over there?
Right over there where, uh, Mr.
Ricardo is.
Yes.
Get a nice informal shot of you.
Now, just relax there and let me have
a little...
Mr. Ricardo, would you mind moving
just a little bit to your right,
please?
Sure.
BILLY: Yeah. Thank you.
Now, sm...
I'm sorry, Mr. Ricardo, but you're
still in the picture.
All right, now smile.
Got it! Oh, good.
Hey, how about getting that group of
us?
I've always wanted a good picture of
all of us together.
Oh, that's fine.
Right here.
Here?
Everybody gather around Ethel Mae,
huh?
You just stand where Billy tells you
to.
Now, just get... Put your arms around
her.
Get all close together, you know.
You fix 'em.
Very informal.
Right around me.
Put your arms around Ethel Mae,
please.
Right there.
Thank you very much.
There we are.
Now...
(shutters clicking)
BILLY: Got it!
Oh, that ought to be a good one.
Now, for the big story.
Sit down, Ethel Mae.
Local girl makes good.
Ethel Mae Potter reaches stardom in
Hollywood.
Now, I want to know the story, the
human story in back of this.
How did you get there?
How did it happen?
Uh, was it a tough road and was it
worth it?
Now, those are the things that your
friends
from Albuquerque are waiting to hear.
Yeah, your friends from New York
are waiting to hear it, too.
Yeah.
Well, tell me, Ethel Mae,
and I'll put your story on the front
page tomorrow.
Um...
Go ahead, Ethel Mae, tell him your
story.
FRED: Yeah.
Well, uh...
Oh...
Um...
"My Story," by Ethel Mae Potter.
You people who remain here
in this lovely, quiet, peaceful town
of Albuquerque
leading your dreary, uneventful
lives,
little do you know
the heartache, the heartbreak, the
hard work, the frustration
that I went through to get where I am
today.
(coughing)
When I was a small tot playing around
the yard
of the Albuquerque Grammar School,
little did I know that I was destined
to become the star of three
continents.
That's wonderful!
And it gives me a great idea.
I am gonna make a series of pictures
of you all over town.
We'll take them in the, in the
schoolyard
where you once played
and one in back of the counter
of your, of your father's
sweetshop...
Oh, that's wonderful.
And then we'll top it off with a,
with a big close-up shot
of the little theater marquee.
Oh, that'll just be great!
Well, come on, let's do it!
Right now?
Why, certainly.
Oh, fine.
(laughing)
See you later, dears.
Isn't she something?
I think she's blown her top.
What do you suppose got into her?
I don't know, but somewhere along the
line,
shrinking violet got sanforized.
Why, she's raving mad.
We'd better get out of this joint
before she starts foaming at the
mouth and bites somebody.
Yeah, we'll leave tomorrow night
right after the show.
You mean we're still gonna do the
show?
You're darn right we're gonna the
show.
I'm not gonna leave this town
with everybody thinking that I'm
Ethel Mae's chauffeur.
Now, I tell you what we're gonna do
What?
I'll do an opening number, and then
you do something.
Then I'll sing "Babalu," then you do
something.
Then I'll sing "Grenada," then you
and Fred...
(playing "Chopsticks")
Hey, Liberace.
Where is Ethel?
I want to start rehearsing.
Oh, she went out with the mayor to
cut the tape on a new road
into the Indian Reservation.
Ay-ay-ay.
LUCY: Ricky!
Yeah, honey?
Fred!
Yeah?
Listen to this.
What?
"Glamorous star visits here on way to
film capital."
Well, what did you expect after
yesterday's interview?
I'll bet she doesn't even mention us.
Oh, yes, she does.
"Ethel Mae Potter who has been called
to Hollywood to star
"in a wide-screen color spectacle
is motoring to the coast with
friends." That's us.
How do you like that?
Oh, that's nothing.
Try this on for size.
"This evening Miss Potter will appear
at the little theater
in a solo recital of songs and
readings."
Solo?!
Boy, she's really flipped.
Yeah, well, there's more.
Remember the picture taken of all of
us,
the one with our arms around Ethel?
Yeah.
Hello.
We were cut out!
Yeah. Either that, or Ethel's grown
five more hands.
ETHEL: ...see you tonight at the
show!
Oh, here comes our shrinking violet
now.
Yeah, the little shrinker.
How.
(bass notes sounding)
They made her an Indian chief.
What's your name, Big Chief
Hog-It-All?
What do you mean?
"What do you mean?"
We read the paper, dear.
Wasn't that write-up a lulu?
And what a lulu.
Yeah. I especially liked the picture:
"Ethel and her trained hands."
Yeah, thanks a lot for mentioning my
name.
Now, just a minute.
I can't help what Billy Hackett put
in the paper.
Freedom of the press, you know.
Freedom of the press, yes,
but there wasn't a word of truth in
it.
I beg your pardon.
There might have been a slight
exaggeration here and there.
Oh, Ethel!
Ethel, what's come over you?
"Solo performance."
Are you crazy or something?
Now, I can explain.
Everybody wanted me to do something
special--
something that I became famous for.
So, what with one thing and another,
(ostentatiously): there just wasn't
room for all of you.
(mimicking Ethel)
You know, you might have insisted
that we be in the show.
Yes, I might have...
but I didn't want to.
That's it!
All right, come on.
We're leaving for California right
now.
That suits me.
Now, just a minute!
I can't leave now.
Oh, that's right.
You have a show to do, haven't you?
Well, we'll see you on the coast.
Yeah.
How do I get out there?
Well, call your studio.
Maybe they'll send a special train
for a big star like you.
Oh, I think you're all horrid!
Now, just a second, folks.
I'm sorry if Ethel Mae is so popular,
there's no room for you,
but, gosh, there must be something
we can figure out you can do.
Yeah, maybe we could be ushers in the
theater.
Maybe we can put on aprons
and sell your candy in the lobby.
Say...
Oh, no.
Come on, let's get out of here.
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
I think we should stay.
What?! What?!
Well, now, after all, this is Ethel's
hometown,
and we should help her make a good
impression.
Now, just a minute.
What's the matter...
We'll stay, Ethel, and when you're on
that stage tonight,
remember, you've got us right behind
you.
Well, now, that's very nice of you.
Thanks, Lucy.
Yeah, thanks.
Ethel Mae, get up and change your
clothes.
We've got to go over to the
sweetshop.
I'm naming a sundae after her.
Yeah, well...
What's the matter with you?
Have you lost your mind?
What did you want to say that for?
Now, fellas, I just got to thinking
about our dear Ethel Mae.
Now, You know, it's very hard
to carry a whole show all by yourself
even if you're as big a star as she
is.
She really needs somebody to back her
up,
and that's where we come in.
We'll be right behind her, on the
stage.
(applause)
Ladies and gentlemen, my friends,
you don't know what a thrill it is
for me to be on this stage tonight--
this stage where I got my start--
and I want you all to know
that no matter how famous I become,
I will never forget you or
Albuquerque.
(sniffling)
But enough of the sentiment.
On with the show.
For my first number tonight, I have
chosen a number
that all of you love to hear me sing.
I had many requests for your favorite
and mine:
"Short'nin' Bread."
(lilting piano intro playing)
Put on the skillet
Put on the lid
Mammy's gonna make a little
short'nin' bread
That ain't all she's gonna do
Mammy's gonna make a little coffee,
too
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Two little babies lyin' in bed
Two of 'em sick and the other 'most
dead
Sent for the doctor
The doctor said
Feed those babies on short'nin' bread
Oh, mammy's little baby loves
short'nin', short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
I slipped to the kitchen
I slipped up the lid
I slipped to the kitchen for
short'nin' bread
I stole the skillet
I stole the lid
I stole the gal that makes the
short'nin' bread
Oh, mammy's little baby loves
short'nin', short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
They caught me with the skillet
They caught me with the lid
They caught me with the gal makin'
short'nin' bread
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin',
short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves short'nin'
bread
Mammy's little baby
Loves short'nin', short'nin'
Mammy's little baby loves
Short'nin' bread.
(applause)
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
(applause continuing)
Would you like for me to sing another
song?
(applause)
Oh!
Thank you.
I'll be very happy to.
Now, I think we should have a change
of pace, don't you?
So, I'd like to sing an operatic song
that I used to do:
"My Hero," from The Chocolate
Soldier.
(slow piano intro playing)
Come, come
I love you only
My heart is true
Come, come, my life is lonely
I long for you...
(audience laughing)
Come, come
(singing muffled by laughter)
Look at me face you
My arms are aching
(raucous laughter)
Long to embrace you
My heart is thine
Come, come, I love you only
My hero...
(audience laughing)
(off-key): Come...
Come...
I love you only
My...
(screeching): He...ro.
(applause)
Ethel Mae! Ethel Mae, you were
wonderful.
And that comedy routine is
sensational.
Ethel Mae, that's the funniest show
I've ever seen
on or off Broadway.
I want to get a picture.
Lucy, Fred, Ricky,
come on out here!
I want to get a picture.
Get the stool, will you?
Ricky, you stand in the middle.
You here. Just a little bit over
here, honey.
That's it. That's it.
That's fine.
Now let me see.
Here, give me the stool.
See if that looks all right.
Yes, that's fine.
Now come on. You sit down here, right
in the middle.
That's it.
That's the picture I want.
Ethel Mae Potter and Company.
("I Love Lucy" theme song playing)
ANNOUNCER: Mr. Potter was played by
Irving Bacon
and Bill Hackett was played by Chick
Chandler.
I Love Lucy is a Desilu Production.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
will be back next week at this same
time.