Previous episode: Lucy Goes to the Hospital Next episode:Lucy Hires a Maid
http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/Mockingbird-1.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/SickeningStory.jpg
Plot[]
Newborn Little Ricky just won't stop crying for whatever reason. Lucy has no idea what is wrong, why her son is inconsolable. Upstairs neighbor Mrs. Trumble can't take the noise. She keeps banging on the floor, to signal to the Ricardos to keep the baby quiet. In the morning, Mrs. Trumble says that, if she hears the baby cry one more time, she's going to call the police. She complains to Ethel, saying that the tenants' lease specifically says that children aren't allowed to live in the building. Ethel sticks up for Lucy, telling Mrs. Trumble that her friendship with the Ricardos is much more important than rent money, and that the Ricardos and their baby aren't going anywhere.
Ethel soon begins telling everyone and their brother the story about what happened with Mrs. Trumble. Lucy gets annoyed with hearing the story over and over again. Finally, during bridge club, Lucy starts telling the story right along with Ethel, mimicking her every gesture and intonation. Ethel, of course, gets offended and storms off with her half of the bridge club. When Ricky comes home that night, Lucy begs him to be quiet. Ricky says that he's not worried, because they have Ethel on their side. Well, not anymore... In the Mertzes' apartment, Fred sympathizes with Ethel regarding Lucy's insolence, but he does tell Ethel that he's sick of hearing the story himself.
Fred and Ricky force the two women to apologize to one another. So, as Ricky is leading Lucy down to the Mertzes' apartment, they find Fred dragging Ethel to the Ricardos' front door. The girls apologize, and all is well. Ricky and Fred say how glad they are that the feud is over. But they soon begin fighting themselves, when Ricky agrees with Fred about how Ethel told the story so many times that it got "sickening." Fred says that he'd rather be married to a chatterbox than an ingrate. The two men leave the apartment, and the wives rush out after them. The women force the men to apologize in the Mertzes' apartment, but the state of calm is short-lived. Lucy realizes that they left the baby all alone in the apartment! When they rush in the bedroom, who do they find but Mrs. Trumbull taking care of Little Ricky. Mrs. Trumbull has bonded with the baby, and she tells him that nobody will ever leave him alone again, because she'll always be there to take care of him.
Trivia[]
- For whatever reason, it was chosen to style Lucy's hair differently on her first episode back from maternity leave. It must have been quickly realized that Lucy's hair looked prettiest in her classic bun, because she was back to wearing the bun style the very next episode.
- This is the first appearance of Mrs. Trumbull. This episode set up the old lady's main role- being Little Ricky's babysitter, so the Ricardos could keep having fun adventures with the Mertzes.
- Mrs. Trumbull should have only taken up the issue (police included) with the Mertzes, instead of threatening to call the police on the Ricardos.
- This episode shows one example of when Fred cares about something more than money. When Ethel first tells Fred and Ricky what she told Mrs. Trumbull, Fred said that he would have said the "exact same thing," had he been there. And that would have included the part about how his friendship with the Ricardos means more to him than all the money on Earth.
- The Spanish insult that Ricky calls Fred is "un viejo muy atrevido, muy bruto, y muy sinverguenza." This means "a very daring/bold, ignorant, and shameless old man."
- Fred put Little Ricky to sleep by whistling mockingbird calls.
- Little Ricky's crib's bedding has the Lucy and Desi cartoon stick figure drawings on it.
- The scenes with the actual baby were shot after the audience went home. Almost all of the "crying" heard in the episode was done by Jerry Hausner.
Quotes[]
- Ethel: (about Mrs. Trumbull's pounding) She must be hanging pictures.
Lucy: On the floor?
- Lucy: How'd he do that [put Little Ricky to sleep]?
Ethel: Beginner's luck!
Fred: Beginner's luck nothin'! It's my phenomenal memory.
Ethel: Memory?
Fred: Yeah, it's not generally known, but I was a little bit of a baby boy myself once.
Ethel: You know, to look at him now, it's hard to believe he was ever a little baby anything!
- Ethel: Don't worry, Lucy, we can rent that apartment just like that. And even if we couldn't, it wouldn't matter, because my friendship with the Ricardos means more to me than all the money on Earth.
- Lucy: Nice, yes, but Ethel acts as if she discovered penicillin!
- Ethel: You don't care how many tenants I lose, but you get awfully excited if I tell a couple of people about it!
Lucy: "A couple of people"?! Ethel, that scene has had more performances than South Pacific!
- Ethel: I was telling the girls...
Fred: I know! You told me, you told me! That's the trouble with you- you keep harping on things too much.
Ethel: What?!
Fred: Now, now, now- I won't say Lucy was right, but I'm getting tired of hearing that story myself!
- Fred: I'd rather be married to a blabbermouth than an ingrate!
Ricky: Ingrate?!
Fred: You don't even know what it means!
Ricky: It doesn't matter! I don't like the way you looked when you said that- "ingrate"!