Lucy wins a trip for two to Vegas from Bigelow's Department Store (kudos for continuity - that's where she performed the robot routine in "Lucy and the Ceramic Cat"). The opening scene finds her and Viv enjoying tea in the lobby of an upscale hotel. Lucy people-watches while Viv writes postcards. They chat about the "kooky, high-style outfits" that were part of the prize. This is a perfect opening scene for a wonderful episode. The jokes are great and the final line reveals they aren't even guests there - theirs is the fleabag motel down the street!
With only five dollars between them, Lucy hatches a scheme to get free entertainment and gambling after she observes the royal treatment afforded to high rollers and high society.
Gary Morton has a cameo as a casino patron who announces the ladies when they make one of the most grand, memorable entrances of the whole series. Decked out in stunning couture, they put on airs big-time as two mega-divas - Lucy being rich gambling addict named Pamela Pettibone and Viv her sidekick/wrangler named Penelope Poopendorff. My only complaint about the episode is Viv's ridiculous alias - they should have given her a fake name as equally sophisticated as Lucy's because the one they saddled her with adds nothing to the comedy. It's silly and the episode is awesome enough without it.
Lucy's outrageous hat looks like she is wearing a toss salad on her head. I wonder if it was the inspiration for Benita Bizarre - Martha Raye's character on the early 1970s kids' show THE BUGALOOS. Viv even remarks on it and Lucy ditches the hat in the final act.
There is some genuine tension when Lucy meets a real Texas millionaire because she's lied about being the daughter of an oil tycoon. She bluffs her way out of this with humor and charm. He's so amused with "Pamela" that he promises her a payoff if she can win back the 10k he's lost - anything extra is hers. Her girlish enthusiasm at the dice tables is infectious - you WANT to see her succeed. Will Lucy go home a winner or loser? Watch and find out.
This is the second-best episode of the season and definitely one of the Top Ten color episodes of the entire series. It's also proof-positive that the writers should have crafted more stories that DID NOT end up with Lucy battling props or doing some physical routine that was just an excuse to clown.
With only five dollars between them, Lucy hatches a scheme to get free entertainment and gambling after she observes the royal treatment afforded to high rollers and high society.
Gary Morton has a cameo as a casino patron who announces the ladies when they make one of the most grand, memorable entrances of the whole series. Decked out in stunning couture, they put on airs big-time as two mega-divas - Lucy being rich gambling addict named Pamela Pettibone and Viv her sidekick/wrangler named Penelope Poopendorff. My only complaint about the episode is Viv's ridiculous alias - they should have given her a fake name as equally sophisticated as Lucy's because the one they saddled her with adds nothing to the comedy. It's silly and the episode is awesome enough without it.
Lucy's outrageous hat looks like she is wearing a toss salad on her head. I wonder if it was the inspiration for Benita Bizarre - Martha Raye's character on the early 1970s kids' show THE BUGALOOS. Viv even remarks on it and Lucy ditches the hat in the final act.
There is some genuine tension when Lucy meets a real Texas millionaire because she's lied about being the daughter of an oil tycoon. She bluffs her way out of this with humor and charm. He's so amused with "Pamela" that he promises her a payoff if she can win back the 10k he's lost - anything extra is hers. Her girlish enthusiasm at the dice tables is infectious - you WANT to see her succeed. Will Lucy go home a winner or loser? Watch and find out.
This is the second-best episode of the season and definitely one of the Top Ten color episodes of the entire series. It's also proof-positive that the writers should have crafted more stories that DID NOT end up with Lucy battling props or doing some physical routine that was just an excuse to clown.
