The Operetta – I Love Lucy episode 38, season 2, originally aired 10/13/1952
One of the best loved, best known and most popular of all of the I Love Lucy series. It has resulted in everything from Barbie Dolls to signs, posters, costumes, etc. The basic story is that Lucy has run the finances of her woman’s club the same way that she runs the family finances — needless to say, the club is bankrupt. And, the club wants to put on a play, complete with rented costumes. Which they can’t afford, thanks to Lucy’s financial mismanagement. What to do?
Lucy and Ethel write the play themselves and pay for the rented costumes with a postdated check. All is going well at the actual performance until the rental company starts repossessing props and costumes in the middle of the performance! The check, apparently, has bounced. This makes for hilarious comedy, as they attempt to continue the performance despite everything.
The Operetta is available as part of the season 2 I Love Lucy DVD collection.
Quotes from The Operetta I Love Lucy season 2
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Well, look, honey, you know I love Lucy, and she’s a wonderful girl and she’s got wonderful qualities but, confidentially, when she sings she hits a bad note once in a while.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): Once in a while?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): [in charge of operetta to benefit the club she and Ethel are in, which doesn’t know that there is no money in its account because Lucy has been borrowing from it] Well, we could save money by writing the operetta ourselves.
Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance): We? Who’s we?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): We is Ethel Romberg and Lucy Friml, that’s who we is.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): [discussing operetta Lucy wrote but does not know she wrote it] Who wrote this thing, anyway?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Who wrote it? Have you ever heard of George Gershwin?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Yeah.
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Well alright then.