Lucy is Envious - I Love Lucy season 3, episode 89, originally aired March 29, 1954
In Lucy is Envious, Lucy’s bragging causes her trouble again, as she tries to put on airs when an old school friend (Mary Jane Kroft) comes to visit. Her old friend is quite wealthy, and when she asks for a donation to help their old school and Lucy offers to donate ‘five’, her friend assumes that she means “five hundred”. And Lucy’s pride prevents her from correcting the mistake. Instead, she and Ethel (who also pledged ‘five’) try to find a way to make the money. And after consulting the want ads, they find a job that pays well as part of a publicity stunt — at the Empire State Building.
Dressed as Martians, Lucy and Ethel climb to the observatory of the Empire State Building, where the publicity agent is pretending to be part of the crowd. The agent is stoking the peoples’ fears before the appearance of the ‘Martians’, and even becomes the ‘captive’ of the ‘Martians’. Lucy and Ethel have a good time masquerading as Martians, until they realize that they have started a minor War of the Worlds-style panic. They return home to the Ricardos apartment, where later Ricky and Fred realize what happened, and tease the girls over it.
A very cute episode, available on the Season 3 DVD collection of I Love Lucy.
Funny quotes from Lucy is Envious – I Love Lucy
Cynthia (Mary Jane Croft): How many [servants] do you have?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [now that Ricky left] Eight!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): She’s going with me to see an old friend who put the bite on me.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): How much did she bit you for?
[Ricky is taking Little Ricky out]
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Now honey, remember, no hot dogs, no peanuts, no popcorn.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): How about a beer?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [digging through the couch cushions for loose change] I’m checking the local branch of the First National Couch.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Not even for sweet charity am I gonna box three rounds with a kangaroo!