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Previous episode: Deep Sea Fishing           Next episode: The Ricardos Visit Cuba

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Plot[]

Ricky and Fred are set to judge a bathing beauty contest, and Lucy and Ethel don't want them anywhere near the gorgeous girls. So, they plan to make their husbands late for the contest. Lucy puts gas in a thermos container and makes sure the boat's gas tank is only half full. This way, they'll run out of gas. She plans to hide the thermos with the gas on the boat, only to "discover" the gas container when it's far past the time to judge the contest. But Fred finds the "hidden" gas container before they set off mistaking it for lemonade, and he and Ricky leave it behind, knowing it's dangerous to have gas in anything but a safety can. So, when the men figure out that the boat stalled from an empty gas tank, Lucy's plan is foiled and they're stranded in the ocean. They find a deserted island to take refuge on, but Lucy and Ethel are spooked by what looks like giant island natives. The "natives" are really just actors on set, and guess who else is there? Bathing beauties Joi Lansing and Jill Jarmyn. The girls were brought to the island as movie extras. Turns out that the contest has been postponed until the next day, so the men didn't miss the judging after all!

Trivia[]

  • Claude Akins, Jill Jarmyn, and Joi Lansing all go by their real names in the episode.
  • Claude Akins, the "giant native," supposedly made a film with Ricky when the Ricardos were in Hollywood. Actor Keith Thibodeaux remembers that Akins had really, really bad breath.
  • Ricky is set to be a part of a documentary film about Florida.
  • Little Ricky is the first one to spot the deserted island.
  • There was reportedly lots of sexual tension on the set because of Joi Lansing, who played one of the bathing beauties. Keith Thibodeaux said, "I also remember watching the chemistry between Joi Lansing and Desi, and Lucy's reaction. Even at my [young] age, I knew this couldn't be good." All seemed to be forgiven by 1959, though, because Joi appeared in the ninth episode of the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.
  • In this episode, Ricky finds out that he's going to be filming a documentary about the history of Florida. Ricky's going to be doing the present-day view of Florida, highlighting his band performing in Miami.
  • We learn that Claude Akins was in "a picture" made while in LA. So, did Ricky make more than one movie out in Hollywood?
  • We also lean that luau-type food is Ethel's favorite.
  • When Lucy needs to figure out if the thermos she brought out is the one filled with lemonade or gasoline, she LICKS some of the liquid off of her fingers! What if that had been the gasoline thermos and Ricky had been wrong about it being lemonade?!
  • Ricky says that he's been on boats since he was younger than Little Ricky.

Quotes[]

  • Ethel: How are we gonna stop 'em [from judging the bathing beauty] contest?

Lucy: We're not. We're gonna let 'em do it.

Ethel: Honey, you've been in Florida too long. Your poor little brain is sunburned!

  • Lucy: This is the new, understanding me.

Ethel: Oh, this is quite a blow. I was counting heavily on the old, conniving you!

  • Ethel: Eau de cologne yet! [Fred] hasn't used eau de cologne since Lillian Russell came to town!
  • Ethel: Well, that was a nauseating scene!

Lucy: (imitating Joi) "Tell me, Mr. Ricardo, is your accent real?"

Ethel: (imitating Jill) "Oh, Joi, look- he's a regular little Kewpie doll, he is!"

Lucy: (imitating Joi) "I get such a boot out of it when you sing 'Babalu'!" I'd sure like to give HER a boot!

  • Lucy: [Ricky's] nose looked like it was balancing two ping-pong balls [at the sight of Joi and Jill].
  • Ethel: Where is the "new you"?

Lucy: When I saw those two mincing mermaids, the "old me" came right out of retirement!

  • Lucy: Ethel, how many times have I let you down?

Ethel: Well, uh... (counts on fingers)

Lucy: Never mind!

  • Lucy: This [thermos] is filled with gasoline. And this thermos is filled with lemonade.

Ethel: (taps Lucy's head) And THIS is filled with sawdust!

  • Ethel: I know [Fred]'s an old goat, but an old goat's better than no goat at all!
  • Fred: This smells like gasoline.

Ricky: It does? It's supposed to be lemonade!

Fred: Well, if it's lemonade, it's made from high-octane lemons!

  • Ricky: What time is it, Fred?

Fred: It's half-past bathing beauty!

  • Fred: Now what are we supposed to do [after running out of gas]? Thumb a ride on a passing halibut?
  • Fred: (after finding out Lucy made them run out of gas) If I were a captain of this tub, I'd make her walk the plank!
  • Lucy: Try [calling for help] in Spanish!

Ricky: Huh?

Lucy: This might be part of Cuba!

  • Ethel: Fred, you'd better be nice to me. We may be here [on this desert island] so long that I'll start lookin' good to you!
  • Ricky: All [that boat driver] did was wave back [at our calls for help]!

Lucy: Well, at least he was friendly.

  • Lucy: You're always complaining about something.

Ethel: Well, that's because, when I'm around you, I always have something to complain about!

  • Fred: Well, there's one good thing about [Lucy].

Ricky: What's that?

Fred: She makes me glad I'm married to Ethel!

  • Lucy: We kept 'em from the contest. You gotta give me credit for that.

Ethel: Listen- one credit hardly balances 15 years of debit!

  • Ethel: Do you think you can understand [the natives'] language?

Lucy: If I can understand Ricky, I can understand anybody!

  • Ethel: (seeing Claude Akins dressed as native) Hey, Lucy, he's friendly. He wants us to have dinner.

Lucy: HAVE dinner?! He wants us to BE dinner!

  • Fred: (calling to Claud Akins carrying Lucy away) Hey, you! Stop!

Ethel: Atta boy, Fred!

Fred: You forgot one!

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