New Neighbors – I Love Lucy episode 21, season 3, originally aired 3/3/52
When new neighbors are moving into the Mertz’ apartment building, Ethel Mertz and Lucy Ricardo are spying on them — only for Ricky Ricardo and Fred Mertz to mock them for it; until the ladies mention the beautiful wife moving in. The scene changes to the new neighbors in their apartment — where it turns out that they’re actors, who are trying to memorize their lines for a TV show being recorded later that week.
Lucy and Ethel decide to snoop on the neighbors to find out more about them. Lucy has promised to not step a foot into the new apartment — and after some clowning around, Lucy breaks her promise and joins Ethel inside. Hearing Ricky approaching, Lucy hides in the closet so he doesn’t find out that she’s broken her word. While stuck in their closet, Lucy overhears them rehearsing their lines, and jumps to the conclusion that they must be foreign spies!
It’s a funny scene as she pantomimes at they talk about killing ‘the red-headed neighbor, eventually sneaking out while disguised as … a chair. It’s a funny scene, as she gets ‘stuck’ on the way out, and pretends to be a chair that the neighbors try to use.
Lucy now thinks that they plan to murder herself and Ricky, they call the police and the Ricardos and the Mertzes “protect” themselves with loaded guns. When the police show up, the situation almost turns into an armed confrontation. When the entire mess is sorted out, the new neighbors move out, and the Mertzes and Ricardos are escorted to the police station, giving Ricky the kind of publicity that he doesn’t want.
I Love Lucy Quotes
Ricky (Desi Arnaz): I’m surprised they’re not using binoculars.
Lucy (Lucille Ball): I forgot I had ’em! [pulls out her binoculars]
Mrs. O’Brien (K. T. Stevens): That’s pretty corny dialog.
Mr. O’Brien (Hayden Rorke): Even for television.
Ethel (Vivian Vance): What happened to your promise?
Lucy (Lucille Ball): I promised Ricky I wouldn’t step a foot into this apartment — that doesn’t mean that I can’t stay here in the hallway and do some long-distance snooping.
Ricky (Desi Arnaz): You seen Lucy?
Ethel (Vivian Vance): Lucy who?
Ricky (Desi Arnaz): Lucy Ricardo, my wife.
Ethel (Vivian Vance): Oh, that Lucy.
Ricky (Desi Arnaz): Why would those people want to give us a rub down?
Lucy (Lucille Ball): Rub-out!
Ethel (Vivian Vance): Are you sure you heard right?
Lucy (Lucille Ball): Cross my heart and hope to … [realizes] Oh!
Lucy (Lucille Ball): They’re agents of some foreign government!
Police officer: What’s their name?
Lucy (Lucille Ball): O’Brien!
I Love Lucy Trivia
- Hayden Rorke, who was the male new neighbor, went on to play Dr. Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie
- Allen Jenkins appears as a police officer, a role he repeated in Too Many Crooks, Ricky and Fred are TV Fans