College of How To Be Tricked By Your Best Friend

If you were to analyze the Lucy-Ethel relationship, one would have to say that it was codependent in nature. We have all witnessed that those two could not live without each other. Friendship runs deep for those two. They learn from each other, love each other, and for brief moments, dislike it each other terribly.

Take for instance, in "The Camping Trip," Ethel ran right to Lucy to tell her of Ricky's plan on deceiving her on the trip. Lucy, therefore needing Ethel's help, persuaded her to help her. Ethel was reluctant, but Lucy intimidated her by saying, "What kind of friend are you?" We all know that Ethel always gives in to Lucy's ways.

Another example of their codependent relationship was in "Lucy is Envious" when Lucy needed $500 for a charity. Lucy had to persuade Ethel to be a woman from Mars. Ethel tried to put up a fight, but as usual Lucy won.

When Lucy wanted John Wayne's footprints, she told Ethel that she would be the best friend of the person who had John Wayne's footprints under her bed. Then Lucy had to persuade even more by sharing the footprints with Ethel.

These are a few examples of the ways that Lucy has tricked Ethel into doing things her way. Ethel doesn't like it at first, but in the end, friendship plays the big role. Anything for your best friend.

By Sandy Anderson

College of Lucy As An Educational Tool

The Effect of Using Lucy in the Classroom on the Educational Achievments of Students


Statement of the Problem: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using Lucy in the classroom.

Using Lucille Ball in a classroom is an effective way of teaching students. Language Arts and Math has never been the same. Lucy had many talented writers on her shows, and they did not even know that they were teaching the children of America and other countries. There are so many educational things that are used on Lucy's shows.

Research has shown that using humor in a classroom can produce many positive results. The reserach has also shown that using Lucy in the classroom can increase knowledge and comprehension skills, as well as recall and creativity. Many children will want to do scenes from various episodes. Dramatic play is an important part of a child's life.

Any theme that is used in the class can be backed up by a Lucy episode. For instance, when doing the Transportation Theme, show episodes of Lucy on the ferry, Lucy on an airplane, Lucy on a boat, Lucy riding a lawn mower, or Lucy driving a car. For Community Helpers, show Lucy working in a candy factory, Lucy talking to a policeman, Lucy putting out fires, or Lucy working in a bank.

There are many more aspects of Lucy that can be used in a classroom. The experts will fully agree that using Lucy as an educational tool is quite beneficial.


Eva, PhD in Lucy As An Educational Tool


For comments from students go to Comments

College of How to Break Into Show Business
by Missy S.

There are many ways to break into show business according to Lucy Ricardo. She is the master on how to get into the act. According to her, she has more talent in her little finger, than most people have in their whole body. This is very understandable.

A good example of how to break into show business, is try to do it while nobody is looking. For instance, in "The French Revue," Lucy bet Ricky that she could get into the show. He should have known his wife better. Only a fool would take that bet! Lucy attempted many times to try to hide from Ricky watching her. She pretended to be a painter carrying a painting, and even pretendend to be a cello. Would she give up? NO WAY! Her last attempt was very successful. She dressed up as a society lady and wormed her way into the show. That is a priceless scene and so classic Lucy.

Another way that Lucy tried to get into the act was in "Ricky's Screen Test." She was to only show her back and feed Ricky his lines, but being Lucy, she HAD to have her face in the picture, just knowing that a director would yell, "That face! That face! Get me that face!"

In "Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song," at the end of the song, there is Lucy, who took George Watson's place. Ha! What a laugh, she showed them.

One of the best examples of breaking into show business, has to come from "The Diet." Ricky offered her the part if she could fit into the dress. With Lucy's determination and hard work, she succeeded, even though it cost her dearly. But it was well worth it, to see Ricky's face and proving once again, in the "Cuban Pete/Sally Sweet" number, that Lucy is really the star.

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College of How to Trick A Husband

"Studies in Tricking a Husband"


Lucy Ricardo has become a pop culture icon - everyone can remember on at least one occasion watching her pull one over on husband Ricky, often with the help of best friend/landlady/co-conspirator, Ethel Mertz.

Ricky Ricardo, as we well know, is the type of man who wants to keep his wife at home, "behaving" herself. This is mainly a result of his traditional Cuban upbringing - "I just want a wife who will cook for me, clean my house, bring me my slippers whenI come home, and be the mamma for my children" ("The Audition").

Although he loves his wife very much, Ricky does not give her any freedom to express herself creatively (ie: not allowing her to become a performer, develop art skills, or work outside of the home). He even insists on approving any and all of her purchases. Because of his approach to what he thinks gender roles in a marriage should be like, Lucy must persue her wants, needs, and dreams secretly, on her own. If and when Ricky finds her out, she could get bawled out, or even spanked!

Take, for example, the episode "The Girls Go Into Business." Lucy and Ethel want to buy Hanson's Dress Shop. Ricky is the first to veto the idea, claiming that he "already owns a dress shop" (Lucy's closet), and then he and Fred (Ethel's husband) laugh hysterically at the very idea of Lucy and Ethel running a business. The two conspirators buy the shop anyway, and wind up selling it at a profit. True, at the end of the episode we find out that the man who bought it sold it to a developer for $50,000. But the small profit that they did make from selling the store was more money than they would have made at all, had they listened to their chauvenistic, penny-pinching husbands and not bought the shop at all.

Another example of Lucy's truly good intentions is the scene that took place ("Lucy's Mother-In-Law") in the Ricardo's apartment when Ricky's non-English-speaking mother and some of her friends arrive from Cuba. In order communicate with her guests, Lucy hides a wireless speaker in her ear while a Spanish-speaking gentleman hides in the kitchen with a microphone, prompting her with the proper responses. She explains to Ricky that she had taken a Spanish lesson that day, and proceeds to impress everyone by keeping up with the conversation, and answering all of their questions. Eventually, Lucy's trick is dicovered. Ricky appears angry, but his mother is flattered that her daughter-in-law would go to such measures to please her. Had Ricky known in advance that Lucy was going to pull a stunt like this, he would have never allowed it, but she did it anyway, thus, endearing herself to her mother-in-law.

Women everywhere have and are still learning from Lucy Ricardo how to break away from the traditional gender stereotypes, and do what makes them happy. Lucy did not allow herself to be stuck at home, chained to the stove, or answer to her husband's every beck and call. She did what every other woman in that situation either does or wants to do - she used her brain and followed her heart.

By Terra, PhD in How To Trick A Husband

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College of How Lucy Touched My Life

I am 16 years old and began to watch Lucy when I was about six or seven. I was always a very shy, sad and angry child. Not because of my life or not because of my family, there was just something missing something that no one knew. I was also a couch potato always watching
T.V. not playing outside or having much social interaction with my peers.

One day I tuned to Lucy I was puzzled that the screen didn't
have any color on it, suprisingly that is what first attracted me to the show. The first "I Love Lucy" show I saw was "Vitameatavegamin" I could not believe how funny it was I was rolling on the floor, most people say
this but seriously, I was. I began to laugh something that I had not done for a long time. I was happy. And I began to wonder who exactly this insane, funny, beautiful woman was. Lucille Ball was the one who took be out of my shell and somehow through her personality brought me to where I am today a strong woman with strong moral values and someone
who laughs every chance that she gets. Thank you Lucy.

By Shauna Carlson, MS
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College of Lucy Touched My Life

Lucille Ball has touched many hearts with the gift of laughter. But her perseverance and gifts have touched me in a special way. Sometimes I think that I can't get anywhere in this small town--but then I look at Lucille's
life. Born and raised in the small town of Jamestown, New York, she rose to stardom in both movies and television. No matter what others told her, she kept on striving toward her goal. Told bluntly at the age of 15 that she had no acting talent, Lucille ball persevered into Hollywood.

Lucille Ball possessed a very important gift--the gift of laughter. She brought humor and light into many lives, mine included. She is truly the best commedienne who ever lived--and ever will live. I am grateful for all the hard work she did in her lifetime with the I Love Lucy series--not even stopping with most of her pregnancy-- and with all her other television shows and movies. She was Lucille Ball to few, "Lucy" to many. People around the world feel as if they knew her. The world will not soon forget Lucille Ball and the joy she brought into many lives.

By Emily, MS

College of Fred Mertz
Fred Mertz is your typical, penny-pinching landlord. His instructions to Mrs. Trumbull when leaving for California tell a lot about Fred: "And no matter how much they pound on the pipes, don't give 'em any more heat!" Fred always keeps money tight in his family, although, according to Ethel, he had money he could've spent. In "Lucy's Night in Town," Fred carried five hundred dollars around in his pocket -- even though he pretended to put it in Ethel's purse to "throw the robbers off the track."

Fred won't even let Ethel know where his "secret hiding place" is for the rent money (see "Ricky's Contract"). Ethel, too has been accused of penny-pinching when Lucy asks the Mertzes to come to California with her and Ricky. Fred wouldn't pay for half the gasoline or half the oil, but he'd "furnish all the water."

Fred was very protective of his money. In "The Ricardos go to Japan," he kept all his money in his money belt -- even in the bathtub. Sometimes Fred can be very generous. In "Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums," when the Ricardos and the Mertzes make up, Fred says "He can even do half his drumming in our place!" Maybe that was a little too generous. And in "The Freezer," Fred turned up the heat for Lucy while she thawed out. Wrong time to be generous, Fred.

Regardless of Fred's penny-pinching ways, Fred has his good sides, and Ethel and the Ricardos love him for it.
By Emily, PhD

College of Lucy and Ethel As the Best Salespeople

THESIS: Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz are the best salespeople in all of TVLand.

Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz are the best salespeople in TVLand, because they always were successful in their sales. No matter what they were selling, they would sell it. In their first selling expierence in "The Freezer" Lucy tries this strategy: "Psst...Are you tired of paying high prices? Are you interested in a little high class beef? Do you wanna bargain? Tell ya what I'm gonna do!" I have sirlion, tenderlion, T-bone, rump; pot roast, chuck roast, ox tail, stump. She makes a sale, then she tries it out on another woman, but this woman is a little suspicious "How can you afford to sell it so cheap?" Then Lucy gave her, her and Ethel's guarentee "We do everything ourselves. We rope, we brand, we butcher, we do everything but eat it for ya-seventy-nine cents a pound! She makes another sale, and keeps making sales until the butcher comes over, and her and Ethel pack up and leave.

On her own, Lucy tries to sell some liquid tonic called "Vitameatavegamin", but Lucy fails miserably because she gets drunk on the tonic because it is 23 percent alcohol, and the director kept making her repeat the speech. In another unsuccessful door-to-door sales adventure, Lucy tries to get rid of a Handy Dandy Vacuum, that she bought for $102.60. She does terribly, and comes home saying "One more hour, and they'd report the death of another salesman."

In another sales attempt, Lucy & Ethel buy Mrs. Hanson's Dress Shop for $3,000. But then they only make 5 sales--to each other. They finally sell the store for $3,500 but later they find out that the man who bought the store sold it for $50,000! In "The Million-Dollar Idea" Lucy & Ethel try to sell Aunt Martha's Old Fashioned Salad Dressing. On their first day of selling they sell 23 jars. But, after Ricky figures out that Lucy & Ethel aren't making any money on their venture, Lucy & Ethel decide to go out and "unsell" their dressing, but people take it the wrong way and Lucy & Ethel end up with 1,153 more orders. They fill all the orders, by going to the store and buying 1,153 jars of salad dressing, then pasting their own labels on them.

Then in "Ricky's European Booking" Lucy & Ethel new members of the "Ladies Overseas Aid" hold a raffle, they sell all the tickets, but on the day of the drawing, Lucy recieves a visit from the D.A.'s office, and he tells Lucy that selling tickets under false pretences, she will be imprisioned. Lucy can't stop Ethel from holding the drawing, but then Mrs. Wolbert president of the real "Ladies Overseas Aid" comes to the drawing and accepts the money in person.

By Kayla, MS.

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