The Black Eye [I Love Lucy]

The Black Eye - Lucy gives Ethel the story that she's begging for

The Black Eye – I Love Lucy episode 48, season 2, originally aired 3/9/1953

The Black Eye - Fred and Ethel talk to Lucy over the phone

Fred and Ethel Mertz overhear Lucy reading a mystery novel to Ricky, and they mistake it for an actual fight between the Ricardos. Later, when Ricky throws a book to Lucy and accidentally hits her in the eye, Fred and Ethel assume that Lucy is being abused!

To add insult to injury, Ricky has Fred order some flowers to be delivered to Lucy — but the florist makes the mistake of signing Fred’s name to the card! In a very funny moment, snoopy Ethel actually sees them arrive when Lucy is out, and then has to hide behind the door and sneak out of the apartment when Lucy comes in, so that she can “accidentally” wander by when Lucy sees the flowers! The surprise is on her when she reads the card, signed “Fred” — leading to a fight between herself and Lucy!

The Black Eye - Lucy gets flowers from ... Fred?

The mistake is rectified with a wonderful conclusion. Demonstrating how this could possibly have happened from tossing someone a book. With all four sporting accidental black eyes!

The Black Eye is available as part of the season 2 I Love Lucy DVD collection.

Quotes from I Love Lucy – The Black Eye

Fred was hiding in the closet - and now Ethel's leaping to the wrong conclusion

Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): [does not believe that Lucy got her black eye when Ricky accidentally tossed her a book with poor aim, and suspects abuse instead] This is Ethel, your friend, to whom you may turn in time of crisis.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Ethel, have you been drinking?

Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): [to Lucy] So can I get you anything, honey? Cookies? Candy? Iodine?

Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): You’re not going to be satisfied until you get a real juicy story out of me, are you?
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): No! Come on!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Okay, well last night Ricky and I were sitting around after dinner, we got into a little argument. [to Ethel] Close your mouth! Where was I?
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): You were sitting around after dinner when suddenly Ricky grabbed you by the hair and slugged you!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Yeah. [pauses] Well, like you say he grabbed me by the hair and he slugged me!
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): No!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Yeah! And then he slugged me again [pantomiming] Pow! Ow! Pow! Ow! Pow! Ow!
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): And then what?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): He came at me – you know how wild those Cubans are when they get mad. He grabbed me by the throat! I gasped for air! [choking sounds] I cried for mercy! Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): And then he said he hated you!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [reacts] Okay. [choking sounds] Finally, who knows why, he let go. And I lay there, cowering and whimpering, please, no … [whimpering sounds] He just looked down at me and he laughed, “Ha, ha ha ha ha” and then he kicked me. He was just about to kick me again, when the phone rang …
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): This is even better than I expected! Uh, what started it all? What made him so mad?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): I don’t know.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): You don’t know?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): No, we were just sitting around, talking about the weather, his new show at the club, I told him I was in love with another man, and all of a sudden for no reason he …
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Wait a minute!

Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): [reading the card that came with Lucy’s flowers] Darling, I love you, I love you, I love you, eternally yours – Fred.
Lucy and Ethel: [together] Fred?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Fred who?
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): You know Fred who!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Oh, now Ethel, you certainly don’t think that these are from Fred Mertz, do you?
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Well this card certainly wasn’t written by Fred MacMurray!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Now, Ethel …
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Fred, my beautiful fat old goat your mystery lover.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): This is just ridiculous. How could I fall for a fat old goat like him?
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): [offended] Don’t you talk like that about Fred!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Well, you said it first!
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Well I can say it, he’s my old goat!