I Love Lucy

I Love Lucy (1951)

175 mistakes

(11 votes)

Home Movies - S3-E19

Factual error: In the film Lucy and the others make, there is a long sequence of footage played forwards, then "mistakenly" repeated backwards. With the equipment and techniques they were using, this would have required not only making a complete copy of the segment, but also reversing the order of individual frames. Just feeding the film in backwards would have also flipped the image vertically. The result seen would be nearly impossible to produce accidentally.

The Fur Coat - S1-E10

Revealing mistake: When Lucy is cutting up the fake fur coat to scare Ricky, it is clear that the parts that she has to remove are already cut and just loosely sewn in place.

luke f

I Love Lucy mistake picture

Hollywood Anniversary - S4-E24

Visible crew/equipment: After Lucy rushes out with the newspaper to tell Ethel about all the movie stars coming to the party, when Lucy returns to the suite and closes the door, we can see the arm of a crew member and a board with "DPI" (Desilu Productions Inc) on it, at the bottom right side of the screen, and a bit of equipment at the top right corner. (00:15:00)

Super Grover

Homecoming - S5-E6

Visible crew/equipment: During the episode a small tape mark is visible on the floor between the coffee table and the couch, and a T-mark can be seen on the floor near the desk, such as when Lucy starts telling her guests about their "fabulous" trip, Ethel stands at the T-mark and a female guest stands at the tape mark. (00:07:05)

Super Grover

I Love Lucy mistake picture

The Great Train Robbery - S5-E5

Revealing mistake: When Ricky and Lucy find their train compartment, while they stand outside their door talking we can see the actor playing the porter peeking out of the next compartment's door waiting for his cue, and in a few moments he opens the door just as Lucy approaches. (00:02:20)

Super Grover

Ricky Sells the Car - S5-E4

Visible crew/equipment: When Ethel walks into her hotel room and tells Lucy and Fred about having to push the motorcycle to three different places, the second camera (or other equipment) keeps moving in and out of shot at the right side of the screen. (00:13:00)

Super Grover

L.A. at Last! - S4-E17

Continuity mistake: At the start, when the Pontiac convertible turns into the driveway of what should be the Beverly Palms Hotel, the sign with the real name of the hotel can be seen, which reads Beverly Carlton Hotel.

Super Grover

First Stop - S4-E14

Continuity mistake: When Ricky stops the car and backs up trying to locate Aunt Sally's, Lucy gets out of the car wearing a coat and a pantsuit underneath, but in the exterior shot she's wearing a skirt set when she walks over to the shed to read the sign. (00:03:50)

Super Grover

California, Here We Come! - S4-E13

Revealing mistake: The Pontiac's glass windshield is gone when the car is loaded down with everyone's stuff, thanks to Fred's packing, and the windshield is also very noticeably gone when they all finally drive off. The rearview mirror, which should be attached to the windshield frame, is gone as well. (00:20:30 - 00:22:50)

Super Grover

I Love Lucy mistake picture

Lucy's Schedule - S1-E33

Visible crew/equipment: When Lucy and Mrs. Littlefield bring out the soup and then salad, at the start of the shots just as they leave the kitchen, the shadow of another camera can be seen on the edge of the set's "wall" at the right side of the screen. (00:20:25)

Super Grover

Lucy Cries Wolf - S4-E1

Visible crew/equipment: After Lucy phones Ricky and fibs about a man being on the fire escape, when Ethel and Fred rush in looking for Lucy, two actors' tape marks are visible on the floor where Fred and Ethel stand, beside the couch. (00:06:20)

Super Grover

I Love Lucy mistake picture

The Black Wig - S3-E26

Visible crew/equipment: During the scenes in the living room after wig-wearing Lucy comes home in a huff about Ricky, an actor's mark is visible on the carpet at the fireplace, and there's a T-mark on the carpet between the couch and desk.

Super Grover

The Black Wig - S3-E26

Visible crew/equipment: When Lucy and Bert (Roberta) walk into the back of the salon, there are a few chalk marks on the floor to the right of the styling chair, and a few moments later that's where both Doug and Bert stand when Doug doesn't recognizes Lucy at first. (00:03:40)

Super Grover

Ricky Ricardo: Fred, how often is Ethel's checking account overdrawn?
Fred Mertz: Never.
Ricky Ricardo: Never? How do you manage that?
Ethel Mertz: It's easy. I never had enough money at one time to open a checking account.
Fred Mertz: She spends money like I'm printing it in the basement.

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Show generally

Question: I know this show is from the time period when a lot of couples had two beds in their room. Just out of curiosity, when did it become acceptable to show a couple's bedroom with a single bed on TV?

Answer: According to Snopes.com, there is no definitive answer, but the mid-1960s is the most verifiable date with "The Munsters" being cited as the first, although others claim "The Brady Bunch" showed the first couple seen in a double bed. An early TV show from the late 1940s titled, "Mary Kay and Johnny" is also thought to have shown the married couple's bedroom as having a double bed, although probably not with them in it. However, this was when TV was aired live, and there are no surviving episodes, only anecdotal accounts.

raywest

Something that is funny is that in the movie "A Christmas Story," they show the parents having two twin beds in their bedroom. In a real situation, they should have shown them having a double bed. Lucy and Ricky had twin beds pushed together in an early episode, which would have been pushing television boundaries in that time.

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