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Plot[]
Ethel needs an act for her women's club benefit, so she asks Ricky if he will participate. Lucy wants to sing with Ricky, but he doesn't want her because she can't sing. Lucy keeps pestering Ricky, so he agrees to sing the song "Auf Wiedersehen" with her, but Lucy ends up only getting to sing the word "auf." Ricky says he'll find another act. He sends Fred over with the new routine to practice with Lucy. This time, Lucy figures out that Ricky has given all the jokes' punchlines to himself, and Lucy gets stuck just asking the questions that make Ricky get all the laughs. She decides to get even with him, and during the actual performance, she manages to steal all the punchlines for herself, leaving Ricky looking like a loser. Ricky ends up accepting Lucy's scheme by the end of the routine, and the two dance merrily off the stage.
Trivia[]
- This is the first episode where we learn Lucy can't sing well. The routine of Lucy singing very badly comes from Lucy and Desi's 1950 vaudeville tour act. In this show, Lucy sang "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" badly on purpose, as if she couldn't sing well.
- Lucy's terrible singing is a long running gag in the series, but in numerous episodes including this one Lucy sings competently.
- Lucy's music book is called "How to Sing," and it's written by F. Alsetto.
- The women's club Ethel's in that is having the benefit (the Middle East 68th Street Women's Club) seems to be a precursor to the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League. Curiously, Lucy is not in this club.
- The real title of the song Lucy and Ricky sing is "We'll Build a Bungalow," not "Underneath the Bamboo Tree," even though the bamboo lyrics are said far more times.
- Ethel announces that the title of Lucy and Ricky's act is "Songs and Witty Sayings."
Quotes[]
- Ricky: What's the matter? Don't you like the song?
Lucy: (angrily) AUF!
- Lucy: Well, you must admit, I'm better than nothing.
Ethel: There, you've got me...
- Ricky: A bum came up to me the other day and told me he hadn't had a bite in weeks.
Lucy: What'd you do? Bite him?
- Ricky: Did you hear about the fire at the shoe factory?
Lucy: I'll bet some heel started it!
Ricky: (whispers angrily) You're supposed to say "what happened"!
Lucy: What?
Ricky: "What happened?"
Lucy: 200 soles were lost!
- Ricky: I have a joke you've never heard in your whole life!
Lucy: (smugly) Okay, spill it, brother!
Ricky: Did you hear about the girl who was so dumb that she thought a football coach had four wheels? (laughs) Four wheels!
Lucy: (gives forced laugh) How many wheels DOES it have?