For Lucille Ball, this was a reciprocal appearance in return for Ann-Margret's guest-starring on "Here's Lucy." Lucy was also doing a favor for David Winters, who co-produced and choreographed "Lucy in London" (1966).
This special aired on CBS after "The Jackie Gleason Show" which revived "The Honeymooners" characters that evening. It was followed by "Petticoat Junction." It was up again "The Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation of the TV film "The Littlest Angel."
Two days later, "Here's Lucy" presented the first run of "Lucy and the Generation Gap" (S2;E12). Ironically, that episode contained a parody of the song "Kids" from "Bye Bye Birdie", which starred Ann-Margret. In further irony, the cover story of TV Guide that week was about the generation gap.
The night this show aired, the turbulent decade of the 1960s came to a violent end with the counterculture rock concert at Altamont Speedway in Northern California. Inspired by Woodstock, the concert is best known for considerable violence, including the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter and three accidental deaths. Filmmakers Albert and David Maysles ("Grey Gardens") shot footage of the event and incorporated it into the 1970 documentary film titled "Gimme Shelter."
In November 1968 Lucille Ball and Ann-Margret appeared together on "The Tonight Show" with Peter Lawford as guest host. Ann's husband Roger Smith and Richard Prior were also guests.