The Marriage License – I Love Lucy episode 26, originally aired 4/7/1952
The Marriage License is a very funny, and very sweet, episode. Lucy runs across her marriage certificate while cleaning, and realizes that her husband’s name (Ricky Ricardo) is misspelled. She fears that this means that they are not legally married after all. Ricky thinks that she is overreacting, and suggests that she calls City Hall so that they can tell her it doesn’t matter. She does, and the bureaucrats at City Hall need to actually see the typo, so off she goes.
When a prank goes wrong
In the meanwhile, Fred drops in, and mentions to Ricky that he has a friend who works at the license bureau. For a joke, Fred calls him and has him tell Lucy that the marriage license is invalid due to the typo. This results in Lucy thinking that she and Ricky are not married, and Lucy insists that they return to the town in Connecticut where Ricky first proposed to her,
Road Trip – where anything that can go wrong …
Not only do the Ricardos have to return to Connecticut, Lucy wants them to re-enact everything. Ricky leaves his wallet at home (since he accidentally left it behind when they first got married), Lucy insists on re-enacting the proposal – only to find that the two slightly older lovebirds don’t fit in the small park bench the way they did fifteen years before. On the way, the run out of gas, and have to stay overnight in a very small town, where virtually everything is owned by one couple, the Willoughbys. After Ricky being nearly shot by Sheriff Willoughby, the next day Ricky proposes, and Lucy (in her wedding dress) and Ricky renew their vows.
The Marriage License is available as part of the season 1 I Love Lucy DVD collection.
I Love Lucy Quotes
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): [confused]: What happened, honey?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [weepy]: I was cleaning out the desk and I found this.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): It’s our marriage license.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Yeah.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Well, what’s the matter? Don’t tell me it’s expired?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): I need a copy of the marriage license for Lucille MacGillicudy; what? M-A-C, ah Gillicudy. Right and Ricardo Ricardo y Acha. Acha, Acha; thank you, but I wasn’t sneezing.
[Mother Willoughby lets Lucy and Ricky leave with free gas]
Bert Willoughby (Irving Bacon): But I’m the sheriff!
Mother Willoughby (Elizabeth Patterson): Well, you’re forgetting that I’m the mayor!
[She puts on a mayor’s sash, Bert salutes her as Lucy and Ricky leave]
[Ricky is speaking in Spanish]
Bert Willoughby (Irving Bacon): Aha a spy! [shoves Ricky toward the door.]
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Just a minute, Mr. Willoughby. He isn’t a spy.
Bert Willoughby (Irving Bacon): You don’t kid me. I know Russian when I hear it.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): That wasn’t Russian. That was Spanish.
Bert Willoughby (Irving Bacon): Spanish. Well, we licked then in ‘98 and by golly we can do ‘er again.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Look you better give this character his money or he’s going to have me shot.
Bert Willoughby (Irving Bacon): Where’s the fire?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): There is no fire.
Bert Willoughby (Irving Bacon): I heard the bell. I saw the flame. [pause] Your hair!
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Gee, I don’t remember this seat being so small. Do you? I guess the trees grew in a little from each side.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Let’s face it, we’ve grown out a little on each side.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): I didn’t know what to do so I’ve just been walking.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): You’ve been walking all this time.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Well, the last hour I’ve been on a train coming home.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): On a train? Where did you walk to?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): East Orange, New Jersey. How I ever got through the Holland Tunnel I don’t know.
Fred Mertz (William Frawley): Ethel just told me about the mistake on your marriage license.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Isn’t that silly?
Fred Mertz (William Frawley): Yeah and I just got ours out and took a look at it. Some darn fool spelled my name right.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): It wouldn’t make a difference anyway.
Fred Mertz (William Frawley): I know. I thought I could worm out on a technicality.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Suppose there is a Ricky Bicardi. For all I know, I could be married to a rum factory.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Lucy, you’re an incurable sentimentalist.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Yeah, I’m sticky over Ricky.
I Love Lucy Trivia
- Ricky’s last name on the original marriage license is spelled Bicardi. In real life, one of Desi Arnaz’ grandfathers was one of the founders of Bacardi Rum.
- Ricky and Lucy Ricardo’s second wedding takes place at the Byram River Beagle Club, where Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s own wedding ceremony took place.