There’s no doubt that I Love Lucy was the most iconic television show of its time. Countless people tuned into weekly episodes as they premiered in the 1950s, garnering the title of the most-watched television shows in four of its six seasons. It also won five Emmy Awards during its run.
With all of that, there’s no wonder that Aaron Sorkin wanted to pay homage to I Love Lucy with his movie Being the Ricardos. Starring Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Nina Arianda and JK Simmons, the film will show its stars during a week’s production of I Love Lucy. However, a crisis will hit that could ruin Desi and Lucy’s careers — and their marriage. With the film hitting Amazon Prime on December 21st, here are some of I Love Lucy’s top episodes to get you in the mood for Lucy’s red-headed shenanigans.
“Pioneer Women” (Season 1, Episode 25)
In this classic episode, Lucy and Ethel wanted modern appliances, so they decided to revolt. In response to that, Ricky and Fred made a bet with them to see who could survive longer without using anything made past 1900. The bet led to all kinds of trouble with each party trying to make the other lose. The most classic moment, though, was when Lucy and Ethel used too much yest and baked an unnaturally large loaf of bread.
“Lucy Does A TV Commercial” (Season 1, Episode 30)
Ricky always tried to keep Lucy out of his act, but that doesn’t mean that he always succeeded. In “Lucy Does a TV Commercial” – which was the sitcom’s highest rated episode — Lucy weaseled her way into doing an advertisement segment during one of Ricky’s TV specials. The product that she advertised was called Vitameatavegamin, but the problem was that it contained 23% alcohol. So, after a few rehearsals, Lucy was less than herself and put on quite a show.
“Lucy’s Schedule” (Season 1, Episode 33)
Managing time wasn’t always Lucy’s specialty, and in “Lucy’s Schedule,” Ricky tried to teach her a lesson. When Lucy made him late for an important business dinner with his boss, Ricky put her on a rigid, time schedule. She liked it at first, but when Ricky bragged about her performing like a “trained seal,” Lucy teamed up with Ethel and the boss’ wife to teach Ricky a chaotic lesson instead.
“Job Switching” (Season 2, Episode 1)
In “Job Switching,” Ricky and Fred got upset with the girls’ money spending habits, and they all decided to switch places. So, the guys did the housework, while the girls went off and found jobs. The result was one of the most well-known scenes in all of I Love Lucy where Lucy and Ethel utterly fail in their attempts to work at a chocolate factory.
“Lucy Goes To The Hospital” (Season 2, Episode 16)
Considered by many to be the TV event of the year, “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” was the most-watched episode in the sitcom’s history. It even outperformed Dwight D. Eisenhower’s swearing in ceremony. Featuring the birth of Little Ricky and Ricky, Fred and Ethel’s mad dash to the hospital, the episode lived up to its anticipation.
“Lucy Tells The Truth” (Season 3, Episode 6)
Known for her propensity to color a little outside of the lines with the truth, this episode put a focus on Lucy’s fibbing. Early in the episode, Ricky had had enough and bet Lucy that she couldn’t tell the truth for a whole twenty-four hours. She succeeded, but she made a lot of her friends mad in the process, highlighting the fact that, unfortunately, much of society runs on white lies.
“Lucy And John Wayne” (Season 5, Episode 10)
One of the great things about I Love Lucy’s success was that it attracted all kinds of amazing guest stars. From Superman to Harpo Marx, all kinds of stars made appearances, but maybe the most eventful appearance was John Wayne. During his episode, Lucy, Ethel and Fred stole his footprints from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. However, they accidentally shattered the cement block and have to personally ask him to replace it. Then, they kept messing up the wet cement on the replacement footprints.
“Lucy Gets A Paris Gown” (Season 5, Episode 20)
Another great part about I Love Lucy was all the different places that that it visited. As Ricky’s career took off, there was a trip to Los Angeles and then to Europe. That allowed for all kinds of fun storylines, including what happened in “Lucy Gets a Paris Gown.” In that episode, Lucy begged for an expensive dress made by a famous French designer. At first, Ricky refused but later decided to play a prank on Lucy. Working with Fred, they made their wives dresses made out of burlap, saying that it was the latest fashion trend.
To see Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman as Ricky and Lucy, watch Being the Ricardos. The film is scheduled for a limited theatrical release by Amazon Studios exclusively in the United States on December 10, and will available to stream globally on Prime Video on December 21.
