Ricky Has Labor Pains - I Love Lucy season 2 | clown ministry

You are here: I Love Lucy season 2 >Ricky Has Labor Pains - I Love Lucy season 2

Ricky Has Labor Pains - I Love Lucy episode 54, season 2, originally aired 1/5/1954

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Poster Card
Buy at AllPosters.com

Ricky Has Labor Pains begins with Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) preparing to watch the ball game on TV with Fred Mertz (William Frawley) and a few of their friends - ‘getting the TV warm and the beer cold’. His wife Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball), however, lets him know that her friends are throwing her a baby shower that afternoon. A very funny routine develops where the very-pregnant Lucy drops something on the floor, and has trouble picking it up—a very funny bit of physical humor, followed by her sitting in ’the most comfortable chair in the house‘—while Ricky is out of the apartment the phone rings, and A very funny bit with Lucy trying to get out of the chair happens. Lucy hasn’t time to prepare Ricky’s lunch, and the following exchange sets the theme of the episode, as Lucy says “Gee, I forgot all about you,” to which Ricky replies, “Yeah, that’s been happening a lot lately.” Ricky leaves to go watch the ball game in Fred’s apartment as Lucy’s friends come in and ‘surprise’ her with the baby shower.

Afterwards, Ricky comes back home as Lucy and Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) are cooing over the various baby gifts; Ricky asks Lucy what’s for dinner, since he has to leave for work soon—but she has again forgotten him. Fred bursts in with a newspaper, gushing that Ricky has been mentioned in Walter Winchell’s influential column—which is all about Lucy’s pregnancy, mentioning that “her husband is a band leader.” “Nice article about me,” complains Ricky, as the ladies start gushing about starting a scrapbook for the baby. Ricky asks about dinner multiple times, only to be ignored, so he does a funny ‘conversation with himself’ - ‘What would you like for dinner?’ ‘I’d like a nice, juicy steak.’ etc. until Lucy takes the hint. Lucy, however has neglected to cook the roast—as well as neglecting to pick up Ricky’s laundry, so he has no clean shirts for work. Or his tuxedo. So Ricky leaves in order to do those things, and grab a bite on his way to work.

The next scene has Ricky sick in bed the next morning, with the doctor visiting. His symptoms include nausea, dizzy spells and an upset stomach. The doctor diagnosis him (in private, to Lucy) as having ‘sympathy pains’—feeling left out of Lucy’s pregnancy, and subconsciously trying to get attention. Fred decides to throw him a “Daddy Shower,” but Lucy and Ethel fear that it will be more like a bachelor’s party—and decide to crash the party in disguise as newspaper reporters. Ricky sees through Ethel and Lucy’s disguises in short order, and decides to have a little fun with them. As Fred explains to the ‘reporters’, “Well, I told my old battle axe ...” Ricky’s agent, Jerry, tries to tell an off-color joke (or what the ladies imagine would be an off-color joke if they let him finish it) as they try to dash out the door—only to have the boys yell out “Good-bye Lucy.”

After a make-up hug between Ricky and Lucy, the episode ends in a scene with Ricky bringing home something for the pregnant Lucy’s cravings (sardines and hot fudge) at 4 o’clock in the morning—when Lucy lets the cat out of the bag that the Daddy shower was to help Ricky feel appreciated ... and now Ricky is experiencing Lucy’s cravings, and wants some the sardine fudge ‘goodness’!

Ricky Has Labor Pains is available as part of the season 2 I Love Lucy DVD collection.

Quotes from I Love Lucy - Ricky Has Labor Pains

Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) (on the telephone to Fred Mertz): There’s nothing wrong with Lucy—she’s just having a baby.

Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Isn’t it nice the girls are throwing me a surprise shower?
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): Surprise?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): Yeah.
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz): If it’s a big surprise, how do you know about it?
Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball): How do you think? Every girl in the club called me up and told me about it.

Lucy [ reading from newspaper]: Carrot-top Lucy Ricard, formerly Lucy McGillicuddy, and currently one of show business’ most beautiful wives, is infanticipating.

Would a nice piece of rare roast beef make you feel better?
And how.
Coming right up.
(comes out with an uncooked beef roast, embarrassed) Would this be rare enough?

Trivia from I Love Lucy - Ricky Has Labor Pains

Lucy reads a McCall’s magazine with an I Love Lucy article highlighted on the cover.
Ricky’s physician, Dr. Rabwin, is named in honor of Dr. Marcus Rabwin, a close friend of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.

You rated this page:

About the Author

Tom Raymond, aka. Raynbow the Clown, is a professional clown working out of Madison, Wisconsin, and is available for ministry events, conventions and conferences.

Posted by Tom Raymond, aka Raynbow on 01/16 at 10:19 PM
I Love Lucy season 2 • (0) Comments - what's your opinion?• Permalink