Lucy and the Loving Cup, I Love Lucy season 6, originally aired January 7, 1957
Lucy and the Loving Cup begins with Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) practicing a speech — he’s to present a trophy to the most winning jockey of all time at Club Babalu. While he’s practicing, his wife Lucy (Lucille Ball) is out buying a new hat and dress, which she shows to Ricky, Fred and Ethel Mertz (William Frawley and Vivian Vance) on her return. While demonstrating her new hat, Fred and Ricky mock it — with Ricky making an offhand joke about how she should wear the trophy instead.
Don’t put on that hat!
After chasing down Little Ricky (who has taken the trophy for a new home for his turtle), Lucy comes back out, modelling the hat that she’ll wear to the banquet — the trophy. Unfazed, Ricky kisses Lucy goodbye (on the trophy) and leaves for work.
After Ricky leaves, Lucy finds out that the trophy is now stuck! Ethel tries to help her get it off, but to no avail. Fred comes in, and suggests calling a silversmith. Ethel offers to take her to the silversmith’s shop via the subway, in order to get Lucy there on time before the shop closes. When Fred leaves to get his reading glasses, and Ethel goes to change, Lucy tries to change into her new dress — despite having the loving cup on her head. After a moment of slapstick, they give up since there’s no way of pulling the dress over the trophy.
On the subway
Soon, Lucy and Ethel are riding on the subway, with Lucy being paranoid about being stared at — but she’s soon to have a bigger problem, as she gets separated from Ethel when they’re supposed to get off at their exit — Ethel gets off, but Lucy is left behind on the train. This leads to some slapstick as the blinded Lucy gropes about the train, fails to get off again, only to eventually get off at the wrong exit. She asks some bystanders for help, eventually getting help from a policeman (after unwittingly insulting him).
At the banquet, Ricky has begun the presentation of the loving cup, even though the trophy isn’t there yet. Ricky tries to fill in the time, when the police officer arrives with Lucy — with the trophy still stuck on her head. More clowning ensues, as Ricky tries to read the inscription, and then when a photographer tries to take a photo of the two men and the trophy.
Lucy and the Loving Cup is available on the I Love Lucy DVD season 6 collection.
Funny quotes from Lucy and the Loving Cup
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): I told her to buy a new hat and a new dress:
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): In 25 years of marriage, I’ve never heard that phrase.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): [about Lucy’s new hat] It’s the end … the absolute end!
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): [laughing] The end of what?
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): [trying to help Lucy get the trophy off her head] Then that’s it! We’ll put your head in the oven!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Oven?
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Yeah! The trophy’ll get bigger and your head will be free.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Oh, great. Why don’t you put an apple in my mouth and barbecue me?
Fred Mertz(William Frawley): [sees Lucy with the trophy stuck on her head] Wait ’til I tell the boys in my old outfit that the Kaiser is still alive!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [blinded by the loving cup, unaware that she’s talking to a policeman] No, don’t get a policeman! They ask all those questions, only to louse things up!