TV Tuesday: Lucy Calls The President (1977)

 

Lucy Calls The President - 1977

Coming up on this edition of TV Tuesday is a Lucille Ball television special from 1977 entitled "Lucy Calls The President".  Here, Lucy plays an Indiana housewife who gets the news that President Jimmy Carter is coming to dinner at her house.  All kinds of chaos ensues.

The show's cast includes Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance, Gale Gordon, Ed McMahon, Mary Wickes, Mary Jane Croft, James Brodhead, Steve Allen, and Lillian Carter.

Lucy Carter calls the office of President Jimmy Carter on one of his phone-in days.  She wants to advocate for a camp for underprivileged children that is being threatened by developers.  She's in for a shock when she actually gets put through to the president.

She's in for an even greater shock when President Carter announces that he will be driving through the area the next day and wants to discuss the matter further with her in person.

Lucy and her best friend and neighbor Viv get busy making plans for the president's arrival, which now includes a dinner.  Lucy's husband Floyd and his father Omar just stand back helpless in the wake of these two powerhouses.

Naturally, everyone in town wants a chance to meet the president, including Aunt Millie and the Mayor and his wife.

Lucy wants to greet the president properly, so she has those who can play an instrument rehearse "Hail To The Chief".  It doesn't exactly sound very nice.

"We're practicing Hail To The Chief so we can play it when President Carter gets here.  How does it sound?" she asks her father-in-law.  Omar smirks and says, "Like you voted for Ford."

On the day of the president's visit, Lucy is even interviewed by Steve Allen for his program "The People Watchers".  She has a really hard time adjusting to the equipment and the television cameras.

There's also a really fun conversation that was held earlier in relation to Steve Allen between Lucy and Viv.

Viv: Oh, I just love Steve Allen.  He reminds me so much of my husband.

Lucy: Leonard is like Steve Allen?

Viv: Yeah.  They both wear glasses.  As a matter of fact, they could be twins if Leonard was taller, and thinner, and younger, and cuter.

The interview ends in disaster when Lucy's father-law accidentally turns on the sprinklers.

Things get crazier when the Secret Service shows up to perform a security inspection.  Lucy's husband Floyd accidentally thinks one of them is a prowler and hits them on the head with a skillet!

Lucy and Viv get busy preparing the courses for the dinner.  Viv proudly shows Lucy the cake she made bearing a likeness of President Carter.

Of course (in classic Lucy and Viv style), things get a little out of hand when the two ladies start cake decorating.  "This kitchen isn't big enough for both of us!" exclaims Viv.  "Well, you're certainly big enough for both of us!" says Lucy in reply.

The Secret Service even gets in on the action!  They were outside the kitchen and thought a shootout was going down!

Tragedy strikes when Lucy tastes some peanut brittle and breaks her two front teeth.  She's terribly upset.

But not as upset as she is when she accidentally steps in the potato salad and then proceeds to sit on Viv's cake!

An emergency in Washington means that President Carter can't come to dinner.  However, his mother, Miss Lillian, phones Lucy and tells her that she would still be very happy to come.

Lucy forgets all of the bad things that have happened once the call is ended.  She picks up Viv's cake and says, "Quick, Viv, get some more icing.  You know, we got to put Jimmy back together again before his momma sees him."

Cast rundown:

   Lucille Ball..................................Lucy Whittaker

   Vivian Vance...............................Viv

   Gale Gordon................................Omar Whittaker

   Ed McMahon................................Floyd Whittaker

   Mary Wickes................................Millie Baker

   Mary Jane Croft...........................Midge Bowser

   James Brodhead..........................Mayor Wally Bowser

   Steve Allen.................................Himself

   Lillian Carter................................Herself

And that's it for Lucy Calles The President.  This was the final time that Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance appeared together onscreen.  Vivian was suffering from cancer at the time of filming, and the disease would take her life two years later.  This was also the final performance of Mary Jane Croft.

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The Long, Long Trailer (1954)

 

The Long, Long Trailer - 1954

Coming up next we have 1954's "The Long, Long Trailer", a comedy about a young couple who starts their married life in a trailer.  The adventure tests them beyond anything they think possible.

The film's cast includes Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Marjorie Main, Keenan Wynn, Gladys Hurlbut, Moroni Olsen, Madge Blake, and Walter Baldwin.

Nicky and Tacy are an engaged couple who are looking at options for a home.  Since Nicky's job requires him to be on the road a lot, Tacy suggests that they buy a trailer so that she can provide a home for him wherever he is required to be.

At a trailer show, Tacy finds the biggest and most expensive model and decides that it's the one for them.  Nicky goes along with the idea.  Both have them have no idea what they're in for.

To begin with, it necessitates their getting a new car that is heavy enough to pull a trailer.  In addition to the expense of this purchase, they must also outfit it with the equipment necessary to haul their new home.

Nicky's worries about all of it fade away on their wedding day.  After a ceremony and reception surrounded by all of their friends and family, the two hit the road.  Their ultimate destination is Denver, and they've decided to take their time in getting their in order to have a honeymoon.

As they hit the open road, Nicky nervously navigates the highways.  Quite a line of traffic forms behind them.

They are all smiles once Nicky gets accustomed to handling the rig.  Their drive up the California coastline is beautiful.

At their first overnight stop, Nicky plans to carry Tacy over the threshold.  However, a well-meaning fellow "trailerite", Mrs. Hittaway, mistakes this for a busted-up ankle.  She and her neighbors bundle Tacy off to the bedroom and give her a sleeping pill so that she'll rest easy.

It seems like the entire trailer court shows up to call on Nicky while Tacy is being attended to.  Near midnight, Mrs. Hittaway tells everyone it's late and they should be going home.  Leaving Nicky with the dishes, she says, "I’d like to know what a trailerite is good for if it’s not to help another trailerite!"

The next morning Nicky has quite an experience as he gets used to the shower in the trailer.  It's quite a fight, and I think the shower wins.

After the effects of the sleeping pill wear off, Tacy tells Nicky they should find a place that night where it will be just the two of them.

Well, that turns out to be a disaster.  On an old logging road in the woods, the trailer gets stuck at an angle.  Tacy has to cook dinner for the both of them (eggs running everywhere), and she gets covered in mud when she loses her balance and flies out of the trailer because of the steep angle it's resting at.

Things don't improve when they visit some of Tacy's family.  Trying to back the trailer onto the family property, Nicky ruins some prize roses and destroys their carport.

They forget their worries and sing along with the car radio as they drive through beautiful Yosemite National Park.

During the trip, Tacy begs Nicky to let her drive.  Reluctantly, he agrees.  Soon, he realizes that he's made a mistake.  When he tells her that she's driving to fast, she brushes him off by saying it's alright because she's only driving thirty-five miles per hour.  With eyes wide on the road, Nicky says, "It's alright for you, but I am sitting on the suicide seat!"

Wanting to save time and have food ready when they stop for the night, Tacy decides to cook while the trailer on the road.  This turns out to be a colossal mistake.  Once it's on the road, the trailer moves all over the place, and so does she!  Food flies everywhere, and poor Tacy is shaken by the time the trailer comes to a stop.

Once they hit the mountainous road to Denver, it's Nicky's turn to be upset.  Tacy has loaded down the trailer with rocks she's collected and jars of preserves she's put up.  It's the final straw for Nicky, and once he's parked the trailer for the night, he takes the car and drives off.

A well-meaning older married man talks some sense into Nicky, and he and Tacy make up in the middle of a rain storm.

Cast rundown:

   Lucille Ball...................................Tacy Bolton

   Desi Arnaz...................................Nicky Collini

   Marjorie Main...............................Mrs. Emma Hittaway

   Keenan Wynn...............................Policeman

   Gladys Hurlbut.............................Mrs. Bolton

   Moroni Olsen................................Mr. Tewitt

   Madge Blake................................Aunt Anastacia

   Walter Baldwin.............................Uncle Edgar

And that's it for The Long, Long Trailer.  It first the movie studio wasn't sure that this film would be a hit.  Desi Arnaz bet the studio $25,000 that it would be.  He was right and eventually won the bet.  Audiences loved being able to see "Ricky and Lucy" in color.  In fact, the characters of Nicky and Tacy are remarkably like their television counterparts.

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