The Mustache – I Love Lucy episode 23, season one, originally aired 3/17/1952
After Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) grows a mustache for a movie audition, he teases his wife Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) with the idea of keeping the mustache – which Lucy hates. Giving Ricky a taste of his own medicine, she borrows a false beard from Fred Mertz’s (William Frawley) old vaudeville trunk and glues it on her own face. But since the old theatrical glue that she used is no longer made, and neither is the lotion needed to remove it!
And now that the talent scout is coming over for a visit, how will Lucy hide her beard and mustache? Lucy decides to make the best of it, by combining her need to disguise her face with her desire to audition and wears an Arabian dancing girl costume, wearing a veil over her face. The agent is impressed, but he becomes obsessed with seeing the hidden face. After Ricky, who realizes the situation, milks Lucy’s unhappiness for all it’s worth has her unveil – to the shock of the poor agent.
A very funny episode, with Lucy being on the receiving end of one of her schemes, ending with a very funny ‘harem dance’ – with Lucy’s beard hidden behind a veil, which Ricky is determined to remove in front of the talent scout.
The Moustache is available on the season 1 I Love Lucy DVD collection.
I Love Lucy Quotes
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) [discussing Bulldog Cement Remover #3]: They don’t make it anymore.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): You mean, you mean I’ll have to keep this on forever?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Well, honey, I guess it’ll wear off eventually.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Well, what happens in the meantime?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Well, honey, I really should let you suffer, but I don’t have the heart to do it. There’s one simple solution. And I’ll do it for you.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): What?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): I’ll get you a job as the bearded lady in the circus.
I Love Lucy Trivia
- Ricky Ricardo shows one of Desi Arnaz’s actual scrapbooks to the talent scout. The scrapbooks were very large (3 feet x 2 feet), and Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz created over 100 scrapbooks in their years together.
- Ricky performs I’ll See You In C-U-B-A