I Love Lucy is undeniably one of the most iconic television sitcoms of all time. The show defined the 1950s with slapstick comedy, heartfelt moments between Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, hilarious situations, and beautiful friendship moments between Lucy and Ethel Mertz.
To this day, Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) remain one of the most memorable friends on television. They cook up schemes together, support each other when they’re in trouble, and they’re forever joined at the hip. We all want a friendship like Lucy and Ethel’s. To celebrate these two best friends, here are 10 times when Lucy and Ethel truly defined “friendship goals” on I Love Lucy.
When They Ran A Business
In the season three episode “The Girls Go Into Business,” Lucy and Ethel find out their favorite dress shop is going out of business. They’re disappointed by the news. Thinking they have a brilliant business plan, they decide to buy the shop and run it themselves.
Any time friends go into business together, it leads to trouble. Lucy and Ethel argue over the shop’s name. They struggle to run the business and make money. They don’t have the best business sense, but at least they’re going through the experience together.
When They Became Pioneer Women
In one of the more iconic episodes of I Love Lucy, “Pioneer Women,” Lucy and Ethel make a bet with their husbands, Ricky and Fred, on who can survive the longest pretending they’re living during pioneer days. This leads to Lucy attempting to bake bread and, of course, Ethel has to help her.
Ethel is the perfect best friend. She always helps Lucy whenever Lucy needs her. When Lucy accidentally adds too much yeast to her bread dough, Ethel is right there to help. This is just one of many times when Ethel comes to the rescue, but unfortunately, it’s too late for either woman to solve the problem. The bread expands until it’s too much for Lucy and Ethel (and the oven) to handle.
When They Were Arrested
Best friends do anything together—even get arrested. In a season two episode, “Ricky and Fred Are TV Fans,” the men are too busy watching a boxing match to pay attention to their wives. Lucy and Ethel are finally fed up. When they try to solve the problem, they end up getting mistaken for wanted criminals.
Lucy and Ethel support each other and try to help one another while talking to the policemen. Friends don’t leave one of their friends behind. Lucy and Ethel were able to cleverly talk to the policemen and think of a way out of this mess.
When They Argued And Made Up
Every friendship goes through periods where they clash over ideas and argue. Friends may fight and even separate for a while, but they always reunite. This applies to Lucy and Ethel’s friendship. They’re perfect companions, but they sometimes fight. When they argue, they know exactly what to say to hurt each other’s feelings.
In the season four episode “Ethel’s Birthday,” Lucy and Ethel fight about a present Lucy picked out for Ethel. They’re cruel to one another and they’re no longer speaking. However, they later attend a theatrical play for Ethel’s birthday, and the play’s dialogue makes them realize there is nothing more important than a good friendship. They hug, make up, and hold hands as they watch the rest of the show. Nothing can keep these two apart!
When They Attended A Charm School
Lucy and Ethel are joined at the hip. They try new things together. If they fail, they fail together. In the season three episode “Charm School,” Lucy and Ethel decide to go to a charm school for a free beauty exam to see if they can improve their appearances. They decide to enroll in the program.
The friends learn how to groom, exercise, walk, talk, and dress as a formal woman in the 1950s. They lean on each other during this journey—just like true friends always should be. The charm school may not have been a huge success, but at least they tried.
When They Redecorated Lucy’s Apartment
Lucy and Ethel do everything together. In the season two episode “Redecorating,” Lucy wins furniture from a home show event. She decides to wallpaper her bedroom. Of course, she needs an assistant: Ethel. Even though neither of them knows how to wallpaper a bedroom, they try anyway. Ethel tries her best to help Lucy—being the supportive friend that she is.
Of course, Lucy and Ethel end up not doing a very good job. They are not professional wallpaper hangers, but at least they tried. Yes, they failed, but it was a fun project they worked on together.
When They Took A Break From Marriage
There are various occasions on I Love Lucy in which Lucy and Ricky get in a fight and they need time away from each other. Fred and Ethel are known for bickering. In the season two episode “Vacation From Marriage,” the girls decide to live together for a while because they think their marriages are in a rut.
However, the friends soon realize a vacation from marriage isn’t as glamorous as they thought it would be. By the end of the episode, they find themselves locked out on the roof of the apartment building, and they must rely on each other for comfort and to find a way out of this situation.
When They Became Candy Makers
“Job Switching” is one of the most iconic, memorable episodes of I Love Lucy. Also known as the “candy factory episode,” Lucy and Ethel team up to work at a candy factory to prove they can find jobs while the men stay home. This leads to the timeless candy wrapping scene when Lucy and Ethel have to wrap chocolate drops on a fast-paced conveyor belt.
Like many other times on the show, Lucy and Ethel are working together. They attempt (and fail at) this job together. When people think of Lucy and Ethel, they remember this episode. Speed it up a little!
When They Built A Barbecue
During the final season of I Love Lucy, the Ricardos and the Mertzes move to the country. This brings more hilarious situations. In the episode “Building a Bar-B-Q,” the friends decide to build a barbecue. However, Lucy thinks her wedding ring got lost in the cement and it’s somewhere inside the barbecue.
In the middle of the night, Lucy and Ethel take apart the barbecue to try to find the ring. When it’s not there, Lucy begins to put the barbecue back together before Ricky finds out what she did. Ethel doesn’t want to help her at first, but she finally caves in. Lucy says, “Oh, gee, Ethel, thanks. It’s times like this when you know what friends are for.” Ethel jokingly remarks, “If I had known this is what friends are for, I’d have signed up as an enemy.”
When They Sang About Friendship
Lucy and Ethel are truly best friends. They’re two of the closest friends in television history. They demonstrate this in the season three episode “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress.” The two are going to perform on a television show for their women’s club, and they decide to sing Cole Porter’s classic song “Friendship.”
The song perfectly describes their friendship. Whenever they’re in a jam, they help each other out of the mess. They rely on each other. Lucy and Ethel are soul sisters. It’s a memorable moment to watch them perform this song—a song about them and their unconditional love for each other.
