Lucy Visits Jack Benny – Here’s Lucy, season 1 – originally aired
Lucy and her family vacation at a “private residence” in Palm Springs. And Uncle Harry invites himself along. But they all find out that its Jack Benny‘s mansion! And he charges extra for everything imaginable! With a cameo at the ending by Jackie Gleason.
Review
Lucy Visits Jack Benny is an absolutely hilarious, laugh-out-loud episode of Here’s Lucy. The premise has Lucy taking her family away for a weekend vacation in Palm Springs. As her boss & brother-in-law Harry points out, she can’t afford it. Except that there’s a person renting out rooms in his mansion for a pittance! That being the case, Harry invites himself along!
So when they get there, the person renting the rooms is Jack Benny! And he’s completely in his tight-fisted clown character, charging extra for everything imaginable. And the end is absolutely hilarious. Since a celebrity bus tour comes by nightly, he sets up a buffet meal — to sell to them! And the Carter family has to help run the buffet! It’s part of why the rent is so cheap. And so, everyone on the tour bus comes through …. And the last person is the bus driver, Ralph Kramden!
Cast of characters
- Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy, The Long Long Trailer) … Lucy Carter
- Gale Gordon (Visit to a Small Planet, The Lucy Show) … Harrison Otis ‘Harry’ Carter
- Lucie Arnaz (The Lucy Show) … Kim Carter
- Desi Arnaz Jr. (House of the Long Shadows) … Craig Carter
- Jack Benny (The Jack Benny Show) … Jack Benny
- Sid Gould (The Lucy Show; Advise and Consent) … Tour Guide Sam
- Jackie Gleason (The Honeymooners, Gigot) … Ralph Kramden. A very funny cameo, at the end of the episode, when Jack Benny’s offering a buffet meal to the people on the celebrity tour bus. And Ralph Kramden is the bus driver!
Funny quotes
Jack Benny: [Assigning rooms, turns to Harry] And you’ll have Room 19 in that wing over there. It’s a little more expensive, but it’s worth it.
Harry Carter (Gale Gordon): Well, uh, if it’s more expensive I don’t think…
Jack Benny: It overlooks Raquel Welch’s patio. She takes sunbaths every day.
Harry Carter (Gale Gordon): I’ll take it!
Jack Benny: It used to be my room, but I had to give it up. Doctor’s orders.
Kim Carter (Lucie Arnaz): After all, girls are different than boys.
Craig Carter (Desi Arnaz Jr.): Yeah, I’ve been noticing that since I was 13.
Lucy Carter (Lucille Ball): [Looking over the hotel register] Gee, Mr. Benny, you certainly had a lot of celebrities staying here. Mr. and Mrs. Steve McQueen, and Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Douglas, and oh! Sheik Ben Abdul Fouad and wife and wife and wife and wife and wife.
Jack Benny: That was such a busy week! And those camels walking around the pool drove me nuts.
Lucy Carter (Lucille Ball): I think I’ll join the children in the pool. Oh, there’s no charge for swimming is there?
Jack Benny: Oh, of course not.
Lucy Carter (Lucille Ball): Good.
Jack Benny: However, the towels are 11 cents each.
Trivia
- Jack Benny was Lucille Ball’s real life next door neighbor in Beverly Hills.