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Plot[]
Lucy has to dance the jitterbug in a number at the Tropicana, but she unexpectedly gets drops in her eyes that drastically blur her vision.
Trivia[]
- Ricky's eyesight turns out to be fine, and the optometrist thinks that his headaches are just a result of stress.
- Rather than going to the market for vanilla ice cream, Ricky simply borrows some from neighbor Mrs. Benson who lives upsairs in the Ricardo's old apartment 4-A.
- Lucy and the Mertzes sing a rousing rendition of "There's No Business Like Show Business" for Billy Parker.
- Arthur "King Cat" Walsh was a professional jitterbugger in real life.
- The song that Lucy and Arthur "King Cat" Walsh jitterbug to is called "Stompin' at the Savoy."
- Lucy's pupils immediately dilate once the optometrist puts the drops in her eyes. The doctor says that he has never seen anyone's eyes react so quickly to the medication before. This may have been a way for the writers to emphasize Lucy's naturally large eyes.
- Desi Arnaz also got to emphasize one of his eye talents when the optometrist asks Ricky to open his eyes as wide as he can.
- Ricky's poor pronunciation of "homecoming" was not scripted. Desi really did have trouble saying that word.
- Lucy and Ethel mention that the flapper cloche hat Lucy lends to Ethel for the Mertzes' "Varsity Drag" routine is the same flapper hat Lucy wore in episode #44. This is not true. The flapper hat Lucy wore for the Flapper Follies had different beading on it. The flapper hat from this episode resembles the one Lucy as Hazel wore in episode #35 more than the hat from the Flapper Follies.
- The full show biz-filled slang headline about Bill Parker in Variety was "Parker preps prod for Pitt preme."
- Ricky correctly read the lines P-E-C-F-D and F-E-O-P-B off of the Snellen chart at the optometrist's. Lucy incorrectly thought the lines read L-P-E-D and L-P-B-D, respectively.
- In reality, dilating drops do not ruin somebody's vision to the extreme extent that happened to Lucy. The drops merely make things fuzzy and a bit blurry, where you're unable to pick out fine details. But not being able to tell people apart and running into things won't happen unless a person with really bad eyesight doesn't wear their glasses.
- The only part of this episode that is ambiguous and poorly explained is what was wrong with Lucy's eyesight to begin with. Her vision problems are never mentioned after this episode, so it can be assumed that the optometrist told her she was fine. But if this is the case, why did she perform so poorly on the Snellen test to begin with?! People without some sort of vision problem don't usually read the wrong letters!
Quotes[]
- Bill Parker: You're not exactly the type for an English professor.
Ricky: Oh, you mean my accent? Oh, that's a phony! Sure! You know, people think that I really talk this way, but I dunt!
- Bill Parker: Has your wife got aspirations [for show biz]?
Ricky: No, no, she's feeling alright.
- Ethel: I wanted to tell you to be sure and sandpaper that new banister you put in before some idiot runs his hand down it and picks up a splinter. What'd you want?
Fred: I was wondering if you'd help me get this splinter out of my hand.
- Ricky: I suppose you call it "fair" to send me out on a wild duck chase for some ice cream you don't need, just so you can audition behind my back? Is that what you call "fair"?
Lucy: GOOSE!
- Bill Parker: Can you dance?
Lucy: Can I dance!
Bill Parker: Can you jitterbug?
Lucy: Can I jitterbug!
Ricky: Can you put dinner on the table?
Lucy: Can I put dinner on the...! OH! Yes!
- You can't learn jitterbugging from a teacher. It's something you pick up in school, like measles!
- Lucy: (after putting on flapper cloche-style hat) A'int I the cat's pajamas?
Ethel: Oh, you're the snake's hips!
- Ethel: (after putting on flapper hat) Oh, I feel just like a flapper again! Well, call me a taxi!
- "King Cat" Walsh: (sees Fred in raccoon coat) Dig the crazy dancin' bear!
- "King Cat" Walsh: (about raccoon coat) Man, that's the coolest!
Fred: "The coolest"? Man, it's the hottest!
- Lucy: (explaining joke) The eye doctor said to the patient, "Do you see that chart?" And the patient said, "What chart?" And the eye dotor said, "The chart on the wall." And the patient said, "What wall?"
- Ricky: Do what the doctor says. Come here. What's the matter? Can't you see the chair?
- Ethel: I'm over here, Miss Magoo!