I Love Lucy (TV Series) The Star Upstairs (1955) User Reviews

Many layered episode and hilarious throughout

[GoUSN · 10/10 · 22 October 2022]

Like the William Holden episode, this one has many layers and phases, with each player doing his or her part superbly. Bobby the Bellboy particularly plays his part to perfect.

Then there is Ethel's bravado performance as Lucy literally hangs in the balance outside their hotel window five floors up. It was a rare moment of extreme comic intensity, well over the top while oddly seeming quite appropriate and necessary in the wild context.

This is one of my favorite episodes - the William Holden, Natalie Schaefer, Barbara Eden, wine vat, and "Lucy buys a birthday gift for Ethel (when all Ethel really wanted was a toaster)" episodes being the others.

The balcony

[angelahptrio · 8/10 · 24 February 2021]

Lucy will do anything to get near a movie star. She cannot unsee one. Her and the bellhop have good chemistry. I feel bad for him, you'll feel bad for anyone forced into Lucy's scheme. The ventriloquist act was funny. The whole balcony scene is hilarious she and Ethel. Ethel is a good friend helping Lucy. Ethel covering for her when Ricky arrives is a great Ethel moment she had to talk really fast in panic mode. Great episode.

Pure nostalgia

[caa821 · 9/10 · 22 April 2007]

While not as huge a fan of Lucy as most, I happened upon this episode on a Saturday morning. It follows a continuing pattern which Ball and Arnaz employed towards earning millions, in an era when a million-dollar figure in entertainment or professional sports really meant something.

Here, Lucy, against Ricky's "standing orders" proceeds to invade celebrity guest Cornell Wilde's suite, hiding in the equipment of the nerdy room service bellhop.

She then slithers down from the balcony, via cloth strips from which she's tethered herself, attached to a potted palm. While Ethel is attempting to retrieve her on the balcony below Wilde's, Ricky enters, and Ethel must abandon her efforts, in order to divert his attention.

Lucy finally arrives back into the room, palm leaves on her clothing, which is torn from a "fall" into a tree below. Ricky has just left for Mr. Wilde's suite, invited to play cards. As Lucy reels comically, and explains her fall to Ethel, Ricky calls the room. He invites her to Wilde's suite, as an expressed "reward," since he believes she's been "good" by not pestering him, as directed by Ricky earlier.

Delicious chauvinism, as perpetrated by this show like no other. I remember where Ricky actually chewed-out Lucy for buying a new couch, beyond her household budget's resources -- all the while his fat ass was occupying it more than any of the others.

These programs provide pure nostalgia of TV and the paternalistic chauvinistic moires of the 1950's

The Indignity Of It All

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 21 September 2012]

As if her experiences with William Holden and Richard Widmark weren't enough Lucille Ball goes through another trial in getting to meet Cornel Wilde who happens to be staying at her hotel. They must have been fumigating his house.

This series of shows from Hollywood where a different name film star of the time makes an appearance seen today are a great justification as to why movie star celebrities take such precautions to avoid fans.

In addition to roping in Vivian Vance in her loopy schemes in the Hollywood episodes she has poor Bob Jellison totally buffaloed. Jellison who looks like a pint size Lou Costello is one poor hapless fool who probably should have lost his job.

Poor Cornel Wilde is looking for a little peace and quiet and this crazy redheaded even invades the sanctity of his shower. The indignity of it all.

Vivian Vance

[richard.fuller1 · 9 February 2006]

Cornel Wilde appeared in one of the Hollywood episodes of I Love Lucy.

His was the one where he was elsewhere in the same apartment building as Lucy, so she sought to sneak into his room, became locked on the balcony and attempted to climb down to her own apartment.

Just one more episode of Lucy Ricardo, celebrity stalker.

I believe (I may be wrong) that this episode was hilighted as the fiftieth celebrity appearance on the show. I don't see how that can be correct.

Fifty Hollywood actors hadn't made their way through the Ricardoes presence by then.

But what makes this episode wholly unique is how the entire I Love Lucy saga is summed up by one little line uttered by Vivian Vance.

Vance had some extremely profound bits of dialogue at this time on the show. Not sure why.

Lucy, locked out on Wilde's balcony, seeks to get Ethel's attention in her own apartment, where Ethel is baby-sitting little Ricky, by throwing her shoes down the balcony.

Ethel looks around and sees the shoes falling. Lucy calls down to her.

Lucy tells Ethel her plan, to cut up the jacket she is wearing a make it into a rope and climb down.

All she needs is scissors.

Lucy tells Ethel to get the pair of scissors out of the desk drawer and pass them up to Lucy on the end of the broom.

Lucy then tells Ethel where to get the broom.

Ethel looks in the desk drawer, sure enough, there are those scissors.

She then goes to where Lucy said the broom was (against the wall or something) and again, that broom is there.

Ethel begins forcing the ring of the scissors onto the broom handle to pass them up to Lucy and speaks the most incredible line imaginable.

"You think I'd be used to this kind of thing by now."

I guess we were thinking Ethel was like we were; complacent to the Lucy antics. Sure, put the scissors on the broom handle and pass them up.

Set your nose on fire to hide from William Holden, steal John Wayne's footprints, stomp grapes, eat chocolate, meet Superman, get drunk on medicine, put 3 dozen eggs down your shirt.

Yet she tells us in that one line, she isn't used to it. Why does she blindly obey Lucy's instructions. She is Lucy's enabler. She enables Lucy to tell her what to do.

Pass the scissors up on the end of a broom handle? Sure, Lucy, sure.

Why did Ethel and her husband, Fred, let Lucy do as she told them, jump thru the hoop like trained puppies? Well.

I guess they got to go to California and eventually to Europe.

And this was the price, Ethel. This was the price. Now hand up those scissors.