| Lucy Does a TV commercial Episode #30 Vitameatavegamin Desi Arnaz ------------------------------ "The scence where Ross Elliott and I had to watch her rehearse the commercial was so funny that both of us got sores from having to chew the inside of our cheeks to keep from laughing." Jess Oppenheimer (PRODUCER/WRITER) ------------------------------ "I don't know of anyone who could have carried this scene off besides Lucille Ball. She had a huge amount of memorization, both lines and business. There were no cue cards back then. Probably only I would notice, but Lucille went up in her lines doing the Vitameatavegamin bit. She had to go back and change the lines around to make them come out right, but that only added to the humor." Lucille Ball ------------------------------ "While this may not be my favorite episode per se, I think that Vitameatavegamin bit is the best thing I ever did. And one of the hardest. God, I was nervous! It really gratifies me to know the audience loves it so much, generation after generation. Maury Thompson (SCRPIT CLERK) ------------------------------ Lucille insisted that I be made up and put in the scene, right in front of her. She was aftaid she might blow her lines during the long bit, and so she had me right there with the script opened to subtly cue her in case she stumbled. It was worked out that if she fudged, I could cue her right on camera and it would seem reasonable that Lucy Ricardo might forget a line or two. That way, we wouldn't have to stop rolling and waste time and film. The living room furniture is rearranged for this episode to film the scence with Lucille inside the television set. In the orginal show, there is extra footage of Lucille spoofing Johnny the Bellboy doing "a call for Philip Morris" commercial that is cut out of all rerun versions. Ross Elliott makes the first several appearances with Lucille in this show; that last will be in 1974. Script clerk, Marury Thompson plays himself in this episode. (Some information obtained from "The Lucy Book") |
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