Baby Pictures – I Love Lucy episode 71, season 3, originally aired 11/2/1953
Lucy and Ricky are going ga-ga over their latest batch of pictures of Little Ricky … Except for the ones that Ricky took that didn’t quite come out, of course. Ricky informs Lucy that Charlie and Carolyn Appleby are coming over to visit. It turns out that Charlie is interested in having Ricky host a television show on the station that Charlie manages. While they are there, Ricky and Lucy promise each other to not show their baby pictures, or brag about Little Ricky. Since the Applebys do nothing except brag about their child, little Stevie’s, every accomplishment. Such as waving “bye-bye” at only 13 months.
Despite their best intentions, Ricky and Lucy (and Fred and Ethel, as Little Ricky’s godparents) cannot stop responding to the Appleby’s non-stop bragging. The next day, Lucy plans an ‘impromptu’ visit to Carolyn Appleby, bringing Little Ricky along. Unfortunately, the parental one-upmanship increases, ending with Lucy insulting Little Stevie by comparing him unfavorably to a chimpanzee. This results in Charlie Appleby uninviting Ricky from his television show. And Ricky ordering Lucy to do whatever she has to to get him back on that show!
Lucy comes through, even though she has to swallow her pride, and has Ricky announce the world’s cutest baby on the TV show – little Stevie, of course.
Baby Pictures is available on the season 3 I Love Lucy DVD collection.
Funny quotes from Baby Pictures – I Love Lucy
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): What kind of show? When’s it gonna be? Who’s gonna be in it?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Variety, next Thursday, and not you.
Charlie Appleby (Doris Singleton): Did you ever see a baby who took a better picture?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): [to Lucy] Did I, honey?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): No, you didn’t.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): No, I didn’t.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): The way the Applebys act, you’d think they invented babies.
Caroline Appleby (Doris Singleton): Little Ricky, you’re going to have to go on a diet, or you’re going to look like your mommy.
Caroline Appleby (Doris Singleton): Has he ever said, ‘Morning, mommy’?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): In English or Spanish?
Caroline Appleby (Doris Singleton): He speaks Spanish?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Only when he’s angry.
Caroline Appleby (Doris Singleton): My Stevie doesn’t have any bad habits!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): I hope he doesn’t copy any of his good habits, like scratching himself or peeling bananas with his feet!
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): [realizes that she’s forgotten about the chicken in her oven] Is it very burnt?
Fred Mertz (William Frawley): Well, if we had three and twenty more, we could bake them in a pie.