Nursery School – I Love Lucy season 5, episode 136, originally aired 12/5/1955
This episode begins with Lucy, exhausted after a morning out with Little Ricky. Her husband comes home and suggests that Little Ricky is ready to go to nursery school. Lucy, however, still has her apron strings tied tightly to her little boy, and even tries to prove her case by quoting from a book by noted baby expert Dr. Spock. Ricky turns the tables on her by reading the remainder of the quote, demonstrating that it is a positive experience for an only child, especially one that lives in an apartment building. Lucy drags her feet, going as far as lying to Ricky about taking Little Ricky to nursery school. Ethel unintentionally reveals the truth, however, and Ricky vows to take the boy to nursery school the next day. Despite Lucy’s attempt at hiding their son, Ricky takes him to school, where he has a wonderful time.
However, that same night Little Ricky is taken sick. Lucy starts to blame Ricky, even though the doctor points out that this is the third time this year that Little Ricky’s tonsils have been bothering him, and schedules a hospital visit to have them removed. When Little Ricky is in the hospital, mama Lucy promises to spend the night with him, not knowing that this is prohibited by the hospital.
Nothing, however, is going to come between Lucy’s maternal instincts and her little boy. She takes along Little Ricky’s teddy bear, and puts it under her robe, allowing her to get by the night nurse by pretending to be pregnant. This only lasts for a few seconds, however, and soon Lucy is disguising herself as a nurse, with the bear under a blanket on a hospital gurney, where they are wheeled into an operating room by mistake. More chaos ensues, and Ricky finally shows up at the hospital looking for Lucy, finding her snuggled up in Little Ricky’s bed. A touching scene follows, where Ricky tucks both Little Ricky and Lucy into bed, and lets them sleep until morning.
She takes along Little Ricky’s teddy bear, and puts it under her robe, allowing her to get by the night nurse by pretending to be pregnant. This only lasts for a few seconds, however, and soon Lucy is disguising herself as a nurse, with the bear under a blanket on a hospital gurney, where they are wheeled into an operating room by mistake. More chaos ensues, and Ricky finally shows up at the hospital looking for Lucy, finding her snuggled up in Little Ricky’s bed. A touching scene follows, where Ricky tucks both Little Ricky and Lucy into bed, and lets them sleep until morning.
Nursery School is available on the season 5 DVD of I Love Lucy.
Funny quotes from I Love Lucy – Nursery School
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): He inherited his weak tonsils from you.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): What are you talking about?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Everybody knows Cubans have weak tonsils.
Fred Mertz (William Frawley): Men aren’t cut out to be mothers.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): He’s half my child, you know.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Well he’s half mine too and unfortunately, when I hid my half, your half went right along with it.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): [to Ethel] I never know anything around here if you don’t come up once in a while and spin the beans out of the cat bag.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): It’s not spin the beans out of the cat bag. It’s spill the beans or let the cat out of the bag.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): You went to nursery school in Cuba, didn’t you?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Yeah.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Well, they do the same things over here only in English.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [about Ricky] I promised him I would enroll the baby in nursery school, and I did enroll him. I didn’t promise he would attend.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [about Dr. Spock] Well, was he ever a mother?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [her day with Little Ricky] After breakfast I put on his snowsuit. I pull on his galoshes. I slip on his mittens. I walk him to the park. He chases pigeons. I chase after him. He runs after the squirrels. I run after him. He gets on the swing. I push the swing. We go on the teeter totter. He teeters. I totter. Then we leave the park and we walk home. I pull off his galoshes. I pull off his mittens. I pull off his snowsuit. I fix his lunch. I put him down for his nap and he sleeps for a whole half hour.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Well that sounds very¦
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): After his nap, I put on his snowsuit. I pull on his galoshes. I put on his mittens. We walk back to the park. He chases the pigeons. I chase after him. He runs after the squirrels. I run after him. He gets on the swing. I push the swing. We get on the teeter totter. He teeters and by now I’m really tottering. We leave the park and walk home. I pull off his galoshes. I pull off his mittens. I pull off his snowsuit. I tell him to go in his room and play with his teddy bear. And that is why you find my sitting here with my coat and my boots on.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Wow.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): What’s the matter with you?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): I’m worn out from just listening.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): What are you doing lying there with your coat and your boots on?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Motherhood.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Lucy!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Relax dear, I mean motherhood of a three-year-old child.
Nurse: You evidently don’t know our rules.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): You evidently don’t know my wife.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Well, let me put it this way. I’m searching for my screwball redheaded wife who has been going berserk for 15 years.