Film and television stars in the 1950s lined up to do a guest spot on America’s favorite comedy, I Love Lucy, alongside Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, who portrayed Ricky Ricardo and Lucy Ricardo.
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CBS
John Wayne
The acclaimed western actor was a fan of I Love Lucy and requested to be on the show. In the fourth season, Lucy and Ethel are jailed for trying to steal Duke’s footprints from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, so Ricky appeals to the star to recast his prints. FUN FACT: John accepted a payment of just $280 for the appearance.
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William Holden
Lucy ruins the actor’s lunch at the Brown Derby by staring and causing a waiter to drop food on William. Later that day, when Ricky tries to introduce her to the star, Lucy wears a silly (and flammable!) putty nose as a disguise.
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Orson Welles
In this season six episode, Lucy spots Orson in a sporting goods store and becomes his assistant in a levitating magic act. FUN FACT: The Citizen Kane star earned a whopping $15,000 for the show!
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CBS
Rock Hudson
On a girls’ trip to Palm Springs to get away from their annoying husbands, Lucy and Ethel meet Rock Hudson by the pool. The actor tells them a story about a bickering husband and wife that makes them realize that they miss Ricky and Fred.
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Harpo Marx
Lucy and Harpo brilliantly reenact the pantomime mirror scene from Duck Soup in this 1955 episode. “She refused to do it unless it was absolutely perfect,” said Doris Singleton, who played Lucy’s friend Caroline.
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George Reeves
After Lucy’s desperate plot to get the Adventures of Superman actor to appear at her son Little Ricky’s 5th birthday party goes nowhere, she gets trapped on the ledge of her New York apartment building in the pouring rain. Guess which Man of Steel shows up to save the day?
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CBS
Aaron Spelling
Future Charlie’s Angels producer Aaron Spelling shows up as a gas station attendant in a 1955 episode where Lucy gets pulled over for speeding in Tennessee.
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Richard Widmark
On a Hollywood bus tour of celebrity houses, Lucy wants a souvenir and gets trapped in the home of Richard, who returns with his lunch partner, Lucy’s husband, Ricky. When Lucy gets caught, Richard is kind about the intrusion, but she certainly has some ’splainin to do!
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CBS
Hedda Hopper
In hopes of receiving some good publicity, Lucy pretends to drown at the hotel pool and is “saved” by Ricky. Unfortunately, Hedda, an influential Hollywood gossip columnist, is less than impressed.
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IPC Magazines/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Van Johnson
Lucy displays her dancing skills when she persuades Van to let her be his partner in his nightclub act to impress one of her friends. The pair dance to “How About You?” a tune from Babes on Broadway. FUN FACT: The episode was originally written for Ray Bolger.
