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Plot[]
Bad news- the morning paper's main headline reports the theft of John Wayne's footprints from Grauman's Chinese Theater, and the main suspects are a "middle aged dishwater blonde" and a "wild eyed frowsy redhead." When Ricky sees the headline, he is outraged, afraid that this will hurt his publicity for the release of his new movie. He calls Grauman's and explains the situation. He is told that, if the footprints are returned by the evening, charges wouldn't be pressed. But how to return the footprints after they were shattered?
Ricky remembers that he actually has met John Wayne before at the studio, so he contacts John Wayne and has him agree to make another pair of footprints. When Lucy and Ethel see the genuine footprints, they erase it, thinking that it's another footprint forgery attempt of Fred's. Ricky has to get John Wayne to come back upstairs and redo the footprints. But this time Little Ricky ruins the footprints by playing in the cement.
Lucy and Ethel sneak down to MGM. They plan to place a tray of cement right outside of John Wayne's dressing room, so he'll step in the cement when he exits. What Lucy and Ethel don't know is that Ricky is inside the dressing room, getting John Wayne to once again redo the footprints. When Ricky steps out of the dressing room, he trips over Lucy and Ethel's cement and falls face first into the footprints John Wayne just made! Ricky is beyond upset and wanders off, speechless.
Lucy notices that only the footprints are ruined, not the signature. So, she sneaks in John Wayne's dressing room to steal his cowboy boots to use to remake the footprints. But when she enters, John Wayne thinks it's his masseur, George. Lucy has to pretend to be George and give John Wayne a massage. The Duke starts telling a raunchy story, and Lucy gets nervous, but luckily, she's able to cover John Wayne with his robe and run out before hearing the bawdy details.
When Lucy gets back to the hotel, she realizes that she ran out of the studio so fast that she left Ethel behind! Where could Ethel be for all this time? Ethel then comes in the Ricardos' suite with John Wayne in tow. She says that the Duke was once again understanding, and he brought them a six-month supply of footprints.
Trivia[]
- John Wayne used his Lucy appearance to plug his new movie, Blood Alley.
- According to the newspaper, Lucy and Ethel stole the footprints around 1:30 am.
- Mr. and Mrs. Irving Massey of New York City were the names of the couple Lucy and Ethel had to lie to about the Bill Holden Fan Club.
- The directors had a tough time coaxing the Mayer twin to play in the cement for the scene where Little Ricky is supposed to have ruined the newly made footprints. The little boy was upset about getting his shoes dirty. Finally, he agreed to do the scene, when the crew promised to buy him a pair of new shoes.
- Since John Wayne made four copies of the footprints as part of the "six-month supply," what happened to the three extras that didn't go to Grauman's? Did Lucy and Ethel get to keep one each?
- NOBODY got in Lucille Ball's way while she was performing. Watch in the end scene as she runs over to thank John Wayne. Desi accidentally blocked her path, and she just forcibly shoves her husband out of the way!
Quotes[]
- Lucy: This paper doesn't belong to us!
Guy downstairs: I saw it come from your balcony!
Lucy: Well, mind your own business!
- Lucy: I never read other paper's peepers! Peeper's papers! Papel's peepers! I never have enough time!
- Ethel: Have you seen the morning paper?
Ricky: Only as it flew by!
Lucy: I have seen the morning paper, but Ricky hasn't!
Ethel: Oh! Well, I just dropped in to say I can't stay!
- Ricky: (reading newspaper) "Mr. and Mrs. Massey described the two women as a 'middle-aged dishwater blonde'..."
Lucy: (laughing) Oh! I didn't read that far!
Ethel: (sullenly) Go on.
Ricky: "...and a 'wild-eyed frowsy redhead'."
- Ricky: (talking to Grauman's on phone) I'm an actor and an orchestra leader...
Lucy: And a stool pigeon!
- Ricky: No, sir, my wife is the frowsy redhead.
- Ricky: Well, for one thin', the feet [in these forged footprints] are way too big.
Fred: Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have used Ethel's shoes.
- Lucy: You know, it's dishonest to forge footprints.
Ethel: Yes!
Fred: Look who's turning honest all of a sudden- Dishwater Mertz and Frowsy Ricardo!
- Fred: (to John Wayne) Hi, Count!
Ricky: Not "Count"- "Duke"!
- Lucy: We thought [the footprints] were some more of Little Freddie [the Forger]'s fingerpainting!
- Lucy: [John Wayne]'ll understand [about needing to redo footprints]. He's in movies. Tell him it's a retake.
- Fred: Well, [John Wayne] may be big and strong and rugged, but I'm bigger and stronger and rugged-er!
Ethel: Oh, Fred, what are you babbling about?
Fred: They say he's got a grip like a vice, but he was like putty in the hands of Ol' Bone-Crusher Mertz!
- John Wayne: Does she always wear her pocketbook on her head?
- John Wayne: Whose curler is this [I sat on]?
Fred: Don't look at me!
- Lucy: I don't know what happened to Ethel!
Fred: Well, let's just hope for the best.
Ricky: Don't worry, Fred. She'll show up.
Fred: I said, "Let's hope for the BEST!"