“Lucy Fakes Illness”, Season 1, Episode 16, Filmed 12/18/51, Aired 1/28/52

ALRIGHT! back on track, back to season 1. I’m happy to watch this episode, one I love, after the lameness of yesterday. A long time ago for one of my birthdays my friend from college Audrey Flegel, bought me “Bill Cosby, Himself” on DVD. I still put it in every now and then and laugh just as hard as I did the first time. If you have never seen it GO GET IT! Good clean laughter therapy. Thank you Audrey for the laughs, not just Bill Cosby.
Ricky is looking for new acts for his nightclub show. Lucy is begging and pleading again to at least audition, Ricky says no. Ethel tells Ricky if he keeps telling Lucy “no” she’ll get some kind of a complex. Lucy likes this idea and decides to pretend to have a few complexes. First she pretends that she’s Tallulah Bankhead, next she pretends she has amnesia, then finally she pretends that she has gone back to a childlike state of mind. With the help of nosey neighbor Fred, Ricky finds out Lucy’s faking. Ricky decides, two can play at this game and hires an actor friend to come play the Doctor. When the “Doctor” comes over, he says Lucy has a case of the “Golbloots” and they will have to get rid of her “Zorch” before she turns green. While she is sleeping Ricky puts a green lightbulb in and Lucy wakes up thinking she’s dyeing of “Golbloots”. When Ricky’s band comes in to play a very uptempo farewell dirge. That is the cue when Ricky comes clean with Lucy.
I loved this episode. It’s a very good performance on Lucy’s part, not just her comedic acting, but her ability to morph into Tallulah Bankhead is amazing. We will come across an episode later on with Orson Wells. Orson Wells who at the time was the most well respected actor of that time and Desi Arnaz couldn’t believe he did their show. Their is a story saying Orson Wells was watching the rehearsal and someone working on the show came up to him and said “is there something I can do for you?” and he said “I’m watching the greatest actor of all time”, meaning Lucille Ball. I believe she really was.