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Previous episode: Ricky Loses His Temper            Next episode: Bonus Bucks

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Plot[]

Ricky is very proud of the home movies he has taken of Little Ricky. But nobody else enjoys them like Ricky. Lucy and the Mertzes find watching the home movies as boring as watching paint dry. One night when the Mertzes go over to the Ricardos' for a visit, they are once again roped into sitting through the boredom of the home movies. Lucy ends up falling asleep, and the Mertzes sneak out after the lights are turned out. When Ricky finds only one sleeping audience member at the end, he is furious.

The next morning, Ricky still gives the other three the cold shoulder. He does mention that he has to make an audition film, but that the Mertzes and Lucy aren't allowed to be in it, after their poor behavior at the home movies showing the night before. Naturally, this doesn't deter Lucy. She suggests that they make their own film pilot to show the producer. So, Lucy and Ethel star as two wild cowboys in the Old West. Fred enters the "saloon" at the end and arrests them both.

When Ricky finds out about the other film pilot, he forbids Lucy to show her version. He says that the producer is a very busy man, and that there will only be time to show the audition reel Ricky made. Lucy goes behind Ricky's back and quickly and shoddily edits together both films, using the best parts of both. When the movie is shown, it starts out with normal shots of Ricky singing, but soon, there are parts from the western, Ricky's number, and even Little Ricky's home movies. And what's worse- all the clips are either sped-up, backwards, or upside-down. The end product is hilarious, but everyone naturally thinks that Ricky's big chance has been blown. Surprisingly, however, the producer loves the film. He was expecting to watch yet another boring musical film, but what he saw had all those "delightful touches of comedy." When asked how he came up with the idea, Ricky sheepishly looks at a disapproving Lucy and mumbles, "It just came to me?"

Trivia[]

  • Parts of both home movie reels, Ricky's original baby clips and the messed-up end product for Ricky's audition, were cut short for syndication. The DVDs show the full scenes.
  • The clips of Ricky singing "Vaya con Dios" in the audition film are most certainly from when he sang the song prior to Lucy and Ethel singing "Friendship" in episode #69. He is wearing the same outfit and also strumming a guitar in episode #69.
  • We will never know if Ricky was serious about using Lucy and the Mertzes in his audition film, or if he just said that to make them upset that they treated him so badly.
  • In the western skit, Lucy is named "Tex" and Ethel is named "Nevada."
  • The pocket of the one cowboy painting's jeans clearly is made of some sort of rough material, so that Lucy could easily strike her match on it.
  • Lucy says that she's visited a movie studio in Hollywood before, but next season, when the Hollywood trip is planned, she says she's never been there before!
  • The name of the producer who comes to watch Ricky's film is Bennett Green, named for Desi's on-set stand-in.
  • One part of the episode that doesn't translate to modern day is the technology of the cameras and projectors. For example, when Fred asks about the different numbers on the camera, most likely, it dealt with frames per second (and why parts of the western skit were super sped up or backwards), but nobody ever outright explains what happened from playing with the dials. Also, it is just common knowledge nowadays that sound will be present when you record something. But apparently, back in 1954, getting a camera that recorded sound with picture was a novel thing.
  • The night that Ricky showed the Mertzes and Lucy the home movies, he had just bought a brand-new projector screen to use instead of using an old bedsheet.
  • Fred and Ethel tried their best to prevent Ricky from bringing up the idea of watching the home movies by talking nonstop and never letting Ricky take control of the conversation. Fred even starts babbling about how he recently bought an "all-around strawberry soda," meaning the sweet treat contained both strawberry flavoring and strawberry ice cream. Sadly, the Mertzes' efforts failed when they ate chewy caramels that made their teeth stick together.
  • This is another episode that is filmed without an audience. Once the gag reel of Ricky's audition has been made by the film editors, the entire filmed episode, including the gag reel, is shown to an audience, and their laughter is put on the episode.

Quotes[]

  • Ethel: Suppose Ricky wants to show us his home movies again.

Fred: He wouldn't dare! He's been showin' 'em to us every night!

  • Fred: Just keep talkin' and talkin' and talkin' and talkin'- you know, act normal.
  • Ethel: (trying to keep up continuous conversation) Fred, Fred- there's something I've been wanting to ask you.

Fred: What is it, Ethel?

Ethel: Eh, how are you, Fred?

  • Ethel: Go get your glasses, Fred.

Fred: I'll watch without 'em.

Ethel: You can't see without 'em!

Fred: I know what I'm doin'!

  • Ricky: Fred, get rid of your head, will you?

Fred: What do you want me to do? Take it off?

  • Ethel: We're sorry. We really liked your movies. We want to see 'em again tonight, don't we, Fred?

(Ethel nudges Fred in ribs)

Fred: Yeah, yeah!

Ricky: My, but you sound sincere!

Fred: Well, I mean it!

Ricky: Oh, sure!

Fred: I do! I'm dyin' to see those lousy movies again!

Lucy: Fred, that's a terrible thing to say! Ricky put a lot of time and effort into those lousy movies... Those movies!

  • Ricky: You have fixed the sheets and blankets. Now, go take a nap!

Ethel: What'd he mean by that?

Fred: Yeah.

Lucy: He was trying to say, "You have made your bed. Now, lie in it."

  • Lucy: You were the ones who tiptoed out in the middle of our home movie.

Ethel: YOU should talk, Sleepytime Gal!

Fred: That's tellin' her, Ethel!

Lucy: Now, don't be smart, Fred. You're the one who really clinched the whole thing with your diplomatic remark, "Sure, I'm just dying to see those lousy movies again."

  • Fred: Hey, just a minute- we forgot Miss Never-Say-Die!
  • Cowgirl Ethel: How 'bout a game of draw poker, Tex?

Cowgirl Lucy: Don't mind if I do, Nevada!

  • Cowgirl Ethel: Hold it! I didn't cut them cards!

Cowgirl Lucy: Are you accusin' me of cheatin'?

Cowgirl Ethel: Yup, I'm accusin' you of cheatin'!

Cowgirl Lucy: Smile when you say that!

Cowgirl Ethel: (smiling) Yup, I'm accusin' you of cheatin'!

Cowgirl Lucy: No man can say that to me!

Cowgirl Ethel: Smile when you say that!

Cowgirl Lucy: (smiling) No man can say that to me!

  • Ricky: Go on, go on.

Lucy: I can't. I don't even believe it myself!

  • Lucy and Ethel: (in sped-up chipmunk style) I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grande! And I learned to ride 'fore I learned to stand!
  • Ricky: (from film) This is a Ricky Ricardo production!

Sheriff Fred: I got wind of it! 

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