I Love Lucy – Lucy’s Bicycle Trip – season 5, originally aired April 23, 1956
Lucy’s Bicycle Trip is an entertaining I Love Lucy episode, part of the Ricardos European tour. The next stop on the tour is Nice, France, and Lucy decides that she wants to bicycle there. Fred wants to take the bus, since it’s the cheapest (and so is he), and the others want to take the bus. Lucy insists that she’ll go by herself, since she wants to see the countryside, and Ricky shows his weak spot for his wife by asking Fred to rent him a bike as well. Eventually, the entire group decides to go by bicycle, and send their luggage on ahead.
Off the troupe goes, only to discover that the trip is a lot further than they thought. They decide to stay overnight at a farm, and after a hilarious turn at attempting to communicate with the Italian farmer, they end up staying overnight in the barn, since the farmer’s house is full with his 9 children. The next morning, the farmer generously offers them fresh milk – fresh from the cow. However, nobody knows how, and the audience is treated to the site of Lucy trying to milk a cow. The physical comedy is priceless, such as Lucy placing a canteen beneath the cow and waiting for something to happen – and then the farmer comes back, and shows her the proper way to milk a cow, which she uses to impress Ricky, Fred and Ethel when they return.
The group makes their way to the border, and then run into their first snag – Lucy left her passport in her purse, which was sent ahead in the luggage. A farce ensues, with Lucy needing her passport, not being able to cross the border without it, Ricky not finding it, Lucy finding it, going back across the border to get her bicycle, needing (and not having) her passport again, etc.
Lucy’s Bicycle Trip is available as part of the I Love Lucy season 5 DVD collection.
Funny quotes from I Love Lucy – Lucy’s Bicycle Trip
Fred Mertz (William Frawley): You know me!
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Boy, do we know you.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [referring to Ricky, Fred and Ethel] Three wet blankets.
Fred Mertz (William Frawley): What a group – three wet blankets and a crazy quilt.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Fred, let’s go along. We could get a bicycle built for two.
Fred Mertz (William Frawley): That’s fine for you, but what will I ride?
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): How’d you sleep?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Oh, pretty good, but when I woke up there was an old goat next to me.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): So what? That happens to me every morning of my life.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [wanting Ricky to milk a cow] How about you? You said you were raised on a farm in Cuba.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): I was, but you don’t milk cigars.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [to cow] Hey how about giving me a quart? Or a pint? Well make it easier on yourself a half a pint.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [to Ethel on the other side of the border] It’s nice to know I have a friend in the next country.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Hello, I’d like Ricky Ricardo’s room please…..He’s not in? Well, I’d like to leave him this message …HELP! ….No, no name, he’ll know who it’s from.