IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) NYSE: IBM (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, NY, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, infrastructure services and consulting services. With over 330,000 employees worldwide and revenues of $96 billion annually (figures from 2003), IBM is the largest information technology company in the world, and one of the few with a continuous history dating back to the 19th century. It has engineers and consultants in over 170 countries and development laboratories located all over the world, in all segments of computer science and information technology; some of them are pioneers in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology. In recent years, services and consulting revenues have been larger than those from manufacturing. Samuel J. Palmisano was elected CEO on January 29, 2002 after having led IBM's Global Services, and helping it to become a business with a $100 billion in backlog in 2004 [1]. In 2002 the company strengthened its business advisory capabilities by acquiring the consulting arm of professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. The consulting arm was previously known as Monday. The company is increasingly focused on business solution driven consulting, services and software, with emphasis also on high value chips and hardware technologies; as of 2005 it employs about 195,000 technical professionals. That total includes about 350 Distinguished Engineers and 60 IBM Fellows, its most senior engineers. IBM Research has eight laboratories, all located in the Northern Hemisphere, with five of those locations outside of the United States. IBM employees have won five Nobel Prizes. In the USA, they have earned four Turing Awards, five National Medals of Technology, and five National Medals of Science, and outside the USA, many equivalents. Current business activitiesIn 2002, IBM announced the beginning of a $10 billion program to research and implement the infrastructure technology necessary to be able to provide supercomputer-level resources "on demand" to all businesses as a metered utility. This program will be implemented over the coming years. In recent years IBM has steadily increased its patent portfolio, which is valuable for cross-licensing with other companies. In every year from 1993 until 2005, IBM has been granted significantly more U.S. patents than any other company. That thirteen-year period has resulted in over 31,000 patents for which IBM is the primary assignee. [2] |
Protection of the company's intellectual property has grown into a business in its own right, generating over $10 billion dollars [3] to the bottom line for the company during this period. [4], [5]
A 2003 Forbes article quotes the head of IBM Research, who suggested a $1 billion in profit just for the research staff; however, they probably generate the bulk of new inventions in the company.
In 2005, IBM sold its PC division to China-based Lenovo. As part of the agreement, Lenovo moved its headquarters to New York State. IBM owns a significant stake (about 19%) in Lenovo. Starting from the date of the acquisition, Lenovo is permitted five years' use of the IBM and Thinkpad trademarks.
IBM conducted a study in 2004 to find out that the Wiki vandalism was fixed, on average, within five minutes.
IBM has often been described as having a sales-centric or a sales-oriented business culture. Traditionally, many of its executives and general managers would be chosen from its sales force. In addition, middle and top management would often be enlisted to give direct support to salesmen in the process of making sales to important customers.
For most of the 20th century, a blue suit, white shirt and dark tie was the public uniform of IBM employees. But by the 1990s, IBM relaxed these codes; the dress and behavior of its employees does not differ appreciably from that of their counterparts in large technology companies.
In 2003, IBM embarked on an ambitious project to rewrite company values using its "Jam" technology -- Intranet-based online discussions on key business issues for a limited time, involving more than 50,000 employees over 3 days in this case. Jam technology includes sophisticated text analysis software (eClassifier) to mine online comments for themes, and Jams have now been used six times internally at IBM. As a result of the 2003 Jam, the company values were updated to reflect three modern business, marketplace and employee views: "Dedication to every client's success", "Innovation that matters - for our company and for the world", "Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships".
In 2004, another Jam was conducted in which more than 52,000 employees exchanged best practices for 72 hours. This event was focused on finding actionable ideas to support implementation of the values identified previously. A new post-Jam Ratings event was developed to allow IBMers to select key ideas that support the values. (For further information, see Harvard Business Review, December 2004, interview with IBM Chairman Sam Palmisano.)
IBM's culture has been recently influenced by the open source movement. The company invests billions of dollars in services and software based on Linux. This includes over 300 Linux kernel developers. IBM's open source involvement has not been trouble-free, however; see SCO v. IBM.
IBM's efforts to promote workforce diversity and equal opportunity date back at least to World War I, when the company hired disabled veterans. IBM is the only technology company ranked in Working Mother Magazine's Top 10 for 2004.
The company has traditionally resisted labor union organizing, although unions represent some IBM workers outside the United States. Alliance@IBM, part of the Communications Workers of America, is trying to organize IBM in the U.S.
In the 1990s, two major pension program changes, including a conversion to a cash balance plan, resulted in an employee class action lawsuit alleging age discrimination. IBM employees won the lawsuit and arrived at a partial settlement, although appeals are still underway.
Historically IBM has had a good reputation of long-term staff retention with few large scale layoffs. In more recent years there have been a number of broad sweeping cuts to the workforce as IBM attempts to adapt to changing market conditions and a declining profit base. After posting weaker than expected revenues in the first quarter of 2005, IBM eliminated 14,500 positions from its workforce, predominantly in Europe. On June 8, 2005, IBM Canada Ltd. eliminated approximately 700 positions. There has also been a steadily increasing movement of labour to cheap offshore countries such as India.
On October 10, 2005, IBM became the first major company in the world to formally commit to not using genetic information in its employment decisions. This came just a few months after IBM announced its support of the National Geographic's Genographic Project.
IBM's history dates back decades before the development of electronic computers – before that it developed punched card data processing equipment. It originated as the Computing Tabulating Recording (CTR) Corporation, which was incorporated on June 15, 1911 in Binghamton, New York. This company was a merger of the Tabulating Machine Corporation, the Computing Scale Corporation and the International Time Recording Company. The president of the Tabulating Machine Corporation at that time was Herman Hollerith, who had founded the company in 1896. Thomas J. Watson Sr., the founder of IBM, became General Manager of CTR in 1914 and President in 1915. In 1917, the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company entered the Canadian market under the name of International Business Machines Co., Limited. On February 14, 1924, CTR changed its name to International Business Machines Corporation.
The companies that merged to form CTR manufactured a wide range of products, including employee time keeping systems, weighing scales, automatic meat slicers, and most importantly for the development of the computer, punched card equipment. Over time CTR came to focus purely on the punched card business, and ceased its involvement in the other activities.
During World War II, IBM's German subsidiary Dehomag (a portmanteau formed from "Deutsche Hollerith Maschinen Gesellschaft mbH", translated as "German Hollerith Machine Company Ltd.") provided the Nazi regime with punch card machines. Dehomag was taken over by the Nazis in December 1941. In 2001 author Edwin Black published a book titled IBM and the Holocaust, which alleged that Thomas J. Watson knew of the German regime's activities and was indifferent to any moral issues. The credibility of Black's book has been questioned, as has its claim that the Holocaust would have been impossible without Dehomag's data processing systems. The author has responded to these claims (archive link, was dead; history). As of 2004 IBM's possible complicity in the Holocaust is the subject of at least one unresolved lawsuit. IBM has donated more than 10,000 pages of archived documents concerning Dehomag to Hohenheim University in Germany and New York University. The topic is explored in the 2003 documentary film The Corporation.
IBM contributed to the war effort by manufacturing the Browning Automatic Rifle and the M1 Carbine.
In the 1950s, IBM became a chief contractor for developing computers for the United States Air Force's automated defense systems. Working on the SAGE anti-aircraft system, IBM gained access to crucial research being done at MIT, working on the first real-time, digital computer (which included many other advancements such as an integrated video display, magnetic core memory, light guns, the first effective algebraic computer language, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion techniques, digital data transmission over telephone lines, duplexing, multiprocessing, and networks). IBM built fifty-six SAGE computers at the price of $30 million each, and at the peak of the project devoted more than 7,000 employees (20% of its then workforce) to the project. More valuable to the company in the long run than the profits, however, was the access to cutting-edge research into digital computers being done under military auspices. IBM neglected, however, to gain an even more dominant role in the nascent industry by allowing the RAND Corporation to take over the job of programming the new computers, because, according to one project participant (Robert P. Crago), "we couldn't imagine where we could absorb two thousand programmers at IBM when this job would be over someday." IBM would use its experience designing massive, integrated real-time networks with SAGE to design its SABRE airline reservation system, which met with much success.
IBM was the largest of the eight major computer companies (with UNIVAC, Burroughs, Scientific Data Systems, Control Data Corporation, General Electric, RCA and Honeywell) through most of the 1960s. People in this business would talk of "IBM and the seven dwarfs", given the much smaller size of the other companies or of their computer divisions. When only Burroughs, Univac, NCR and Honeywell produced mainframes, a bit later, people talked of "IBM and the B.U.N.C.H.". Most of those companies are now long gone as IBM competitors, except for Unisys, which is the result of multiple mergers that included UNIVAC and Burroughs. NCR and Honeywell dropped out of the general mainframe and mini sector and concentrated on lucrative niche markets. General Electric remains one of the world's largest companies, but no longer operates in the computer market. The IBM computer range that earned it its position in the market at that time is still growing today. It was originally known as the IBM System/360 and, in far more modern 64-bit form, is now known as the IBM zSeries (often referred to as "IBM mainframes").
IBM's success in the mid-1960s led to inquiries as to IBM antitrust violations by the U.S. Department of Justice, which filed a complaint for the case U.S. v. IBM in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, on January 17, 1969. The suit alleged that IBM violated the Section 2 of the Sherman Act by monopolizing or attempting to monopolize the general purpose electronic digital computer system market, specifically computers designed primarily for business. Litigation continued until 1983, and had a significant impact on the company's practices.
On January 19, 1993 IBM announced a USD4.97 billion loss for 1992, which was at that time the largest single-year corporate loss in United States history. Since that loss, IBM has made major changes in its business activities, shifting its focus significantly away from components and hardware and towards software and services.
In 2004, IBM announced the proposed sale of its PC business to Chinese computer maker Lenovo, which is partially owned by the Chinese government, for USD650 million in cash and USD600 million in Lenovo stock. The deal was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States in March 2005, and completed in May 2005. IBM will have a 19% stake in Lenovo, which will move its headquarters to New York State and appoint an IBM executive as its chief executive officer. The company will retain the right to use certain IBM brand names for an initial period of five years.
BlueEyes is the name of a human recognition venture initiated by IBM to allow people to interact with computers in a more natural manner. The technology aims to enable devices to recognize and use natural input, such as facial expressions. The initial developments of this project include scroll mice and other input devices that sense the user's pulse, monitor his or her facial expressions, and the movement of his or her eyelids.
Free software available at alphaWorks (IBM's showcase for emerging software technology):
IBM has also been developing processing chips for gaming consoles. The new Xbox 360 contains IBM's new tri-core chipset, which at the request of Microsoft IBM was able to design and ramp up to production volumes in less than 24 months (albeit using contract manufacturing). Meanwhile, Sony's PlayStation 3 will feature the Cell, a new chip designed by IBM, Toshiba and Sony in a joint venture. (Toshiba plans to use it on HD TVs). It has been reported that the Nintendo Revolution will also feature an IBM chip, like the Revolution's predecessor, Nintendo Gamecube.
Current members of the board of directors of IBM are: Soudeh Jahankhani, Cathleen Black, Ken Chenault, Juergen Dormann, Michael Eskew, Shirley Ann Jackson, Charles F. Knight, Minoru Makihara, Lucio Noto, James W. Owens (effective 1 March 2006), Samuel J. Palmisano, Joan Spero, Sina Jahankhani, Sidney Taurel, Charles Vest, and Lorenzo Zambrano.
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Palmisano, Joan Spero, Sina Jahankhani, Sidney Taurel, Charles Vest, and Lorenzo Zambrano. The skit resulted in the longest audience laughter in the show's history. Owens (effective 1 March 2006), Samuel J. When Lucy slams into Ricky in the final dance step, the eggs break, saturating Lucy's shirt with broken eggs. Knight, Minoru Makihara, Lucio Noto, James W. Unbeknownst to Ricky, Lucy's blouse is filled with chicken eggs. Current members of the board of directors of IBM are: Soudeh Jahankhani, Cathleen Black, Ken Chenault, Juergen Dormann, Michael Eskew, Shirley Ann Jackson, Charles F. However, Ricky insists that he and Lucy rehearse their tango number for a local benefit. It has been reported that the Nintendo Revolution will also feature an IBM chip, like the Revolution's predecessor, Nintendo Gamecube. Lucy does the tango - The Ricardos and the Mertzes chicken business is not going very well, so Lucy and Ethel come up with a plot to fool the boys into thinking the hens are laying by smuggling eggs in the henhouse, hidden underneath their clothes. (Toshiba plans to use it on HD TVs). Then Ricky, Lucy, Fred and Ethel make their escape to continue their cross country venture. Meanwhile, Sony's PlayStation 3 will feature the Cell, a new chip designed by IBM, Toshiba and Sony in a joint venture. Lucy gives a feminine kick into the officer's groin. The new Xbox 360 contains IBM's new tri-core chipset, which at the request of Microsoft IBM was able to design and ramp up to production volumes in less than 24 months (albeit using contract manufacturing). Ricky, Lucy, Fred, and Ethel participate in a square dance called by Cousin Ernie to escape a Bent Fork, Tennessee jail in the course of which the sheriff and his two Rubenesque daughters are tied up with a handy piece of rope. IBM has also been developing processing chips for gaming consoles. The Singing Jailbreak — This episode is part of the Hollywood story arc. Free software available at alphaWorks (IBM's showcase for emerging software technology):. Cousin Ernie and the citizens of Bent Fork and its environs are encountered several times during the course of the show's life. The initial developments of this project include scroll mice and other input devices that sense the user's pulse, monitor his or her facial expressions, and the movement of his or her eyelids. 'Cousin Ernie' (immaculately played by "Tennessee" Ernie Ford) is a stereotypical Country Boy in the Big City, in awe of the sophistication (as he perceives it) of his new hosts. The technology aims to enable devices to recognize and use natural input, such as facial expressions. Lucy receives a letter informing her that her "Best Friend's Roommate's Cousin's Middle Boy" — of whom she has never heard — is coming to visit from "Bent Fork, Tennessee". BlueEyes is the name of a human recognition venture initiated by IBM to allow people to interact with computers in a more natural manner. The Cousin Ernie story arc. The company will retain the right to use certain IBM brand names for an initial period of five years. Lucy Tries to Meet the Famous Star — another recurring theme, many popular stars were eager to appear on the show, and hilarity ensued in countless episodes as a result of the character, Lucy's obsession with fame and the famous. IBM will have a 19% stake in Lenovo, which will move its headquarters to New York State and appoint an IBM executive as its chief executive officer. In November of 2001, fans voted this episode as their all-time favorite during a 50th anniversary I Love Lucy television special. The deal was approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States in March 2005, and completed in May 2005. "Do you pop out at parties? Are you unpoopular? Well, the answer to all your troubles is in this bittle lottle!". In 2004, IBM announced the proposed sale of its PC business to Chinese computer maker Lenovo, which is partially owned by the Chinese government, for USD650 million in cash and USD600 million in Lenovo stock. "And it's tasty too - [grimacing] - just like candy!" During rehearsal, Lucy becomes progressively more inebriated, with the inevitable hilarious result, made only the more funny by the alliterative, tongue twisting product name and pitch. Since that loss, IBM has made major changes in its business activities, shifting its focus significantly away from components and hardware and towards software and services. In this episode Lucy manages to get a role as the "Vitameatavegamin girl" and is tasked with trying to sell the public a tonic that has healthy amounts of vitamins, meat, vegetables, minerals — and the less than healthy dose of 23% alcohol. On January 19, 1993 IBM announced a USD4.97 billion loss for 1992, which was at that time the largest single-year corporate loss in United States history. Vita-meata-vege-min — One of the most memorable episodes was titled "Lucy Does a Commercial", filmed during the first season (episode 30 of 35) on March 28, 1952, and first aired on May 5 of that year. Litigation continued until 1983, and had a significant impact on the company's practices. The Three Stooges are among many others who performed variations on this classic. The suit alleged that IBM violated the Section 2 of the Sherman Act by monopolizing or attempting to monopolize the general purpose electronic digital computer system market, specifically computers designed primarily for business. The Stranger with a Kind Face (aka Slowly I Turned) in which a veteran clown introduces Lucy Ricardo to some basics of the clown art, and is schooled in this classic (and at that time quite familiar) vaudevillian routine, complete with 'seltzer bottles' (a familiar clown prop) and slapstick. IBM in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, on January 17, 1969. This bit was a tribute to Harpo and Groucho's famous mirror scene in the Marx Brothers comedy classic, Duck Soup. v. Perplexed at what he sees he confronts his reflection and Lucy is forced to mimick his every move. Department of Justice, which filed a complaint for the case U.S. The Mirror Gag — now a classic improvisational acting exercise (with Harpo Marx), in which Lucy, dressed as Harpo Marx encounters the real Harpo while hiding in the kitchen doorway. IBM's success in the mid-1960s led to inquiries as to IBM antitrust violations by the U.S. Jackie Gleason also did a variation, involving decorating and boxing cakes as they came off an assembly line. It was originally known as the IBM System/360 and, in far more modern 64-bit form, is now known as the IBM zSeries (often referred to as "IBM mainframes"). This bit was a variation on an old vaudeville routine. The IBM computer range that earned it its position in the market at that time is still growing today. Lucy in the Candy Factory — ("Speeeeeeed it up a little!!") Lucy and Ethel attempt to get jobs — for which they are demonstrably unprepared — the classic candy-gobbling scene in this episode is an American cultural icon. General Electric remains one of the world's largest companies, but no longer operates in the computer market. Perhaps the best example of this gag is when Lucy shows up unannounced at Ricky's club, toting a clown-modified cello and pretending to be a musician, asking to speak with "Risky Riskerdoo" (Ricky Ricardo) this classic includes Lucy winding the cello's tuning peg as if it were a watch (to the accompaniment of ratcheting sounds) and shooting the cello's bow at Ricky's backside. NCR and Honeywell dropped out of the general mainframe and mini sector and concentrated on lucrative niche markets. The real joke here is that Lucille Ball, aside from being regarded as beautiful, was also quite talented in a variety of performance arts, as well as being a ground-breaking television producer. Most of those companies are now long gone as IBM competitors, except for Unisys, which is the result of multiple mergers that included UNIVAC and Burroughs. Lucy tries to get into the act — a recurring and almost omnipresent theme on the show, was that "talentless" plain old Lucy the Housewife dearly desired a chance to perform, as anything: a dancer, showgirl, clown, singing cowboy — or in any role. When only Burroughs, Univac, NCR and Honeywell produced mainframes, a bit later, people talked of "IBM and the B.U.N.C.H.". In the course of the television series, Lucy shared the screen with numerous famous clowns, prominent among these were Red Skelton and Harpo Marx. People in this business would talk of "IBM and the seven dwarfs", given the much smaller size of the other companies or of their computer divisions. She is regarded as one of the best in the history of film and television at physical 'schtick'. IBM was the largest of the eight major computer companies (with UNIVAC, Burroughs, Scientific Data Systems, Control Data Corporation, General Electric, RCA and Honeywell) through most of the 1960s. The setup of the show provided ample opportunities for Ball to display her skills at clowning and physical comedy. Crago), "we couldn't imagine where we could absorb two thousand programmers at IBM when this job would be over someday." IBM would use its experience designing massive, integrated real-time networks with SAGE to design its SABRE airline reservation system, which met with much success. Lucy Ricardo was a friendly, ambitious and somewhat naïve housewife, constantly getting into trouble of one kind or another. IBM neglected, however, to gain an even more dominant role in the nascent industry by allowing the RAND Corporation to take over the job of programming the new computers, because, according to one project participant (Robert P. Considered by professional clowns to be one of their own, Lucille Ball's 'clown character' was "Lucy Ricardo." (nee "Lucille McGillicuddy" — an instantly recognizable clown moniker). More valuable to the company in the long run than the profits, however, was the access to cutting-edge research into digital computers being done under military auspices. The clown. IBM built fifty-six SAGE computers at the price of $30 million each, and at the peak of the project devoted more than 7,000 employees (20% of its then workforce) to the project. The following list reviews some of the high points. Working on the SAGE anti-aircraft system, IBM gained access to crucial research being done at MIT, working on the first real-time, digital computer (which included many other advancements such as an integrated video display, magnetic core memory, light guns, the first effective algebraic computer language, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion techniques, digital data transmission over telephone lines, duplexing, multiprocessing, and networks). Several bits remain famous and beloved, often listed amongst television's best. In the 1950s, IBM became a chief contractor for developing computers for the United States Air Force's automated defense systems. In the course of the show, numerous comic ideas were introduced, and often reappeared in subsequent episodes. IBM contributed to the war effort by manufacturing the Browning Automatic Rifle and the M1 Carbine. Episode Guides Courtesy of TV Land. The topic is explored in the 2003 documentary film The Corporation. Seasons 4, 5, 6 Coming Soon!. IBM has donated more than 10,000 pages of archived documents concerning Dehomag to Hohenheim University in Germany and New York University. First aired May 24, 1954. As of 2004 IBM's possible complicity in the Holocaust is the subject of at least one unresolved lawsuit. 97-The Sublease. The author has responded to these claims (archive link, was dead; history). First aired May 17, 1954. The credibility of Black's book has been questioned, as has its claim that the Holocaust would have been impossible without Dehomag's data processing systems. 96-The Golf Game. Watson knew of the German regime's activities and was indifferent to any moral issues. First aired May 10, 1954. In 2001 author Edwin Black published a book titled IBM and the Holocaust, which alleged that Thomas J. During World War II, IBM's German subsidiary Dehomag (a portmanteau formed from "Deutsche Hollerith Maschinen Gesellschaft mbH", translated as "German Hollerith Machine Company Ltd.") provided the Nazi regime with punch card machines. Guest star: Tennessee Ernie Ford. Over time CTR came to focus purely on the punched card business, and ceased its involvement in the other activities. In 1917, the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company entered the Canadian market under the name of International Business Machines Co., Limited. First aired April 19, 1954. Watson Sr., the founder of IBM, became General Manager of CTR in 1914 and President in 1915. 92-The Black Wig. Thomas J. First aired April 12, 1954. The president of the Tabulating Machine Corporation at that time was Herman Hollerith, who had founded the company in 1896. 91-Lucy's Club Dance. This company was a merger of the Tabulating Machine Corporation, the Computing Scale Corporation and the International Time Recording Company. First aired April 5, 1954. It originated as the Computing Tabulating Recording (CTR) Corporation, which was incorporated on June 15, 1911 in Binghamton, New York. 90-Lucy Writes a Novel. IBM's history dates back decades before the development of electronic computers – before that it developed punched card data processing equipment. First aired March 29, 1954. This came just a few months after IBM announced its support of the National Geographic's Genographic Project. 89-Lucy Is Envious. On October 10, 2005, IBM became the first major company in the world to formally commit to not using genetic information in its employment decisions. First aired March 22, 1954. There has also been a steadily increasing movement of labour to cheap offshore countries such as India. 88-Ricky's Hawaiian Vacation. eliminated approximately 700 positions. First aired March 8, 1954. On June 8, 2005, IBM Canada Ltd. 87-Bonus Bucks. After posting weaker than expected revenues in the first quarter of 2005, IBM eliminated 14,500 positions from its workforce, predominantly in Europe. First aired March 1, 1954. In more recent years there have been a number of broad sweeping cuts to the workforce as IBM attempts to adapt to changing market conditions and a declining profit base. 86-Home Movies. Historically IBM has had a good reputation of long-term staff retention with few large scale layoffs. First aired February 22, 1954. IBM employees won the lawsuit and arrived at a partial settlement, although appeals are still underway. 85-Ricky Loses His Temper. In the 1990s, two major pension program changes, including a conversion to a cash balance plan, resulted in an employee class action lawsuit alleging age discrimination. First aired February 15, 1954. Alliance@IBM, part of the Communications Workers of America, is trying to organize IBM in the U.S. 84-Oil Wells. The company has traditionally resisted labor union organizing, although unions represent some IBM workers outside the United States. First aired February 8, 1954. IBM is the only technology company ranked in Working Mother Magazine's Top 10 for 2004. 83-Fan Magazine Interview. IBM's efforts to promote workforce diversity and equal opportunity date back at least to World War I, when the company hired disabled veterans. First aired February 1, 1954. IBM. 82-Sentimental Anniversary. IBM's open source involvement has not been trouble-free, however; see SCO v. First aired January 25, 1954. This includes over 300 Linux kernel developers. 81-Charm School. The company invests billions of dollars in services and software based on Linux. First aired January 18, 1954. IBM's culture has been recently influenced by the open source movement. 80-Ricky Minds the Baby. (For further information, see Harvard Business Review, December 2004, interview with IBM Chairman Sam Palmisano.). First aired January 11, 1954. A new post-Jam Ratings event was developed to allow IBMers to select key ideas that support the values. 79-The Million-Dollar Idea. This event was focused on finding actionable ideas to support implementation of the values identified previously. First aired December 21, 1953. In 2004, another Jam was conducted in which more than 52,000 employees exchanged best practices for 72 hours. 78-Ricky's Old Girlfriend. As a result of the 2003 Jam, the company values were updated to reflect three modern business, marketplace and employee views: "Dedication to every client's success", "Innovation that matters - for our company and for the world", "Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships". First aired December 14, 1953. Jam technology includes sophisticated text analysis software (eClassifier) to mine online comments for themes, and Jams have now been used six times internally at IBM. 77-Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined. In 2003, IBM embarked on an ambitious project to rewrite company values using its "Jam" technology -- Intranet-based online discussions on key business issues for a limited time, involving more than 50,000 employees over 3 days in this case. First aired December 7, 1953. But by the 1990s, IBM relaxed these codes; the dress and behavior of its employees does not differ appreciably from that of their counterparts in large technology companies. 76-Changing the Boys' Wardrobe. For most of the 20th century, a blue suit, white shirt and dark tie was the public uniform of IBM employees. First aired November 30, 1953. In addition, middle and top management would often be enlisted to give direct support to salesmen in the process of making sales to important customers. 75-Too Many Crooks. Traditionally, many of its executives and general managers would be chosen from its sales force. First aired November 23, 1953. IBM has often been described as having a sales-centric or a sales-oriented business culture. 74-Redecorating the Mertzes' Apartment. IBM owns a significant stake (about 19%) in Lenovo. First aired November 9, 1953. As part of the agreement, Lenovo moved its headquarters to New York State. 72-Lucy Tells the Truth. In 2005, IBM sold its PC division to China-based Lenovo. First aired November 2, 1953. A 2003 Forbes article quotes the head of IBM Research, who suggested a $1 billion in profit just for the research staff; however, they probably generate the bulk of new inventions in the company. 71-Baby Pictures. [4], [5]. First aired October 26, 1953. Protection of the company's intellectual property has grown into a business in its own right, generating over $10 billion dollars [3] to the bottom line for the company during this period. 70-Equal Rights. [2]. First aired October 19, 1953. That thirteen-year period has resulted in over 31,000 patents for which IBM is the primary assignee. 69-Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress. patents than any other company. First aired October 12, 1953. In every year from 1993 until 2005, IBM has been granted significantly more U.S. 68-The Girls Go Into Business. In recent years IBM has steadily increased its patent portfolio, which is valuable for cross-licensing with other companies. First aired October 5, 1953. This program will be implemented over the coming years. 67-Ricky's Life Story. In 2002, IBM announced the beginning of a $10 billion program to research and implement the infrastructure technology necessary to be able to provide supercomputer-level resources "on demand" to all businesses as a metered utility. First aired June 29, 1953. . 66-Never Do Biz With Friends. In the USA, they have earned four Turing Awards, five National Medals of Technology, and five National Medals of Science, and outside the USA, many equivalents. First aired June 22, 1953. IBM employees have won five Nobel Prizes. 65-Ricky and Fred Are TV Fans. IBM Research has eight laboratories, all located in the Northern Hemisphere, with five of those locations outside of the United States. First aired June 8, 1953. That total includes about 350 Distinguished Engineers and 60 IBM Fellows, its most senior engineers. 64-The Camping Trip. The company is increasingly focused on business solution driven consulting, services and software, with emphasis also on high value chips and hardware technologies; as of 2005 it employs about 195,000 technical professionals. First aired June 1, 1953. The consulting arm was previously known as Monday. 63-Lucy Wants New Furniture. In 2002 the company strengthened its business advisory capabilities by acquiring the consulting arm of professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. First aired May 25, 1953. Palmisano was elected CEO on January 29, 2002 after having led IBM's Global Services, and helping it to become a business with a $100 billion in backlog in 2004 [1]. 62-Lucy Is Matchmaker. Samuel J. First aired May 18, 1953. In recent years, services and consulting revenues have been larger than those from manufacturing. 61-The Ricardos Change Apartments. It has engineers and consultants in over 170 countries and development laboratories located all over the world, in all segments of computer science and information technology; some of them are pioneers in areas ranging from mainframe computers to nanotechnology. First aired May 11, 1953. With over 330,000 employees worldwide and revenues of $96 billion annually (figures from 2003), IBM is the largest information technology company in the world, and one of the few with a continuous history dating back to the 19th century. 60-Lucy's Last Birthday. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, infrastructure services and consulting services. First aired May 4, 1953. International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) NYSE: IBM (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, NY, USA. 59-The Indian Show. [9]. First aired April 27, 1953. Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) SDK: A Java SDK that supports the implementation, composition, and deployment of applications working with unstructured information. 58-Lucy Hires a Maid. FairUCE: A spam filter that stops spam by verifying sender identity instead of filtering content. First aired April 20, 1953. (This is an ETTK technology.). 57-No Children Allowed. Policy Management for Autonomic Computing: A policy-based autonomic management infrastructure that simplifies the automation of IT and business processes. First aired March 30, 1953. Database File Archive And Restoration Management: An application for archiving and restoring hard disk files whose file references are stored in a database. 56-Lucy Changes Her Mind. IBM Performance Simulator for Linux on POWER: A tool that provides users of Linux on Power a set of performance models for IBM's POWER processors. First aired March 9, 1953. [7] [8]. 55-The Black Eye. Examples from Wikipedia. First aired February 16, 1953. History Flow Visualization Application: A tool for visualizing dynamic, evolving documents and the interactions of multiple collaborating authors. 54-Club Election. Flexible Internet Evaluation Report Architecture: A highly flexible architecture for the design, display, and reporting of Internet surveys. First aired February 2, 1953. December, 2004 Lenovo acquires 90% interest in IBM Personal Systems Group, 10,000 employees and $9 billion in revenue. 53-Inferiority Complex. IBM continues to develop storage systems, including Tape Backup, Storage software, Enterprise storage, etc. First aired January 26, 1953. 2003 Hitachi Global Storage Technologies now provides many of the hardware storage devices formerly provided by IBM, including IBM Harddrives & The Microdrive. 52-Sales Resistance. 1996 Celestica Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS). First aired January 19, 1953. IBM Printing Systems now competes with Lexmark. 51-Lucy Goes to the Hospital. Lexmark has sold its keyboard and typewriter businesses. First aired January 12, 1953. IBM Retained a 10% interest. 50-Lucy Becomes a Sculptress. 1991 Lexmark (keyboards, typewriters, and printers). First aired January 5, 1953. Now Motient. 49-Ricky Has Labor Pains. ARDIS mobile packet network, a joint venture with Motorola. First aired December 29, 1952. AT&T Business Internet, formerly IBM Global Network, formerly Advantis (joint venture with Sears). 48-Lucy Hires an English Tutor. Prodigy, formerly a joint venture with Sears. First aired December 22, 1952. Taligent, a joint software venture with Apple Computer. 47-Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song. 1958 Time Equipment Division is sold to the Simplex Time Recorder Company. First aired December 15, 1952. 1942 Ticketograph Division is sold to the National Postal Meter Company. 46-Pregnant Women Are Unpredictable. 1934 Dayton Scale Division is sold to the Hobart Manufacturing Company. First aired December 8, 1952. January, Classic Blue. 45-Lucy Is Enciente. 2006
44-Ricky Loses His Voice. December, Bowstreet. First aired November 17, 1952. October, DataPower. 43-Redecorating. August, DWL. First aired November 10, 1952. July, PureEdge. 42-The Courtroom. May, Gluecode. First aired October 27, 1952. April, Ascential Software for approximately $1.1 billion in cash. 41-Vacation From Marriage. February, Corio crio for $211 million. First aired October 13, 1952. 2005
July, Cyanea Systems. First aired September 29, 1952. July, Alphablox. 38-Anniversary Present. April, Candle Corp., Daksh eServices in India. First aired September 22, 1952. March, Logicalis Australia (renamed to Cerulean Solutions in April 2005) and Logical CSI New Zealand. 37-The Saxophone. Maersk Data & DMData. First aired September 15, 1952. 2004
October, CrossAccess. First aired June 2, 1952.. 2003
for $80 million. First aired May 19, 1952.. 2001 Mainspring Inc. 32-Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio. 2001 Informix Software (a purchase of assets rather than a true acquisition) for $1.0 billion. First aired May 12, 1952.'. 1999 Sequent Computer Systems for $810 million. 31-Publicity Agent. 1999 Mylex Corporation. First aired May 5, 1952.. 1998 CommQuest Technologies. 30-Lucy Does a TV Commercial. 1997 Unison Software. First aired April 28, 1952.. 1997 Software Artistry for $200 million. 29-The Freezer. 1996 Tivoli Systems for $743 million. First aired April 21, 1952.. 1995 Lotus Development Corporation for $3.5 billion. 28-Cuban Pals. 1986 RealCom Communications Corporation. First aired April 14, 1952.. 1984 ROLM. 27-The Kleptomaniac. August, 1959 Pierce Wire Recorder Corporation. First aired April 7, 1952.. 1941 Munitions Manufacturing Corporation. 26-The Marriage License. (See: IBM Electromatic typewriter). First aired March 31, 1952.. 1933 Electromatic Typewriters Inc. 25-Pioneer Women. 1932 National Counting Scale Company. First aired March 24, 1952.. 1930 Automatic Accounting Scale Company. 24-The Gossip. 1924 C-T-R renamed International Business Machines Corporation. First aired March 17, 1952.. 1921 Ticketograph Company (of Chicago). 23-The Mustache. 1921 Pierce Accounting Machine Company (asset purchase). First aired March 10, 1952.. 1917 C-T-R opens in Canada as International Business Machines Company Limited. 22-Fred and Ethel Fight. 1917 American Automatic Scale Company acquired by Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (C-T-R) as International Scale Company. First aired March 3, 1952.. 1911 Tabulating Machine Company acquired by Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (C-T-R). 21-New Neighbors. 1911 International Time Recording Company acquired by Computing-Time-Recording Company (C-T-R). First aired February 25, 1952.. 1911 Computing Scale Company acquired by Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (C-T-R). 20-The Young Fans. 1908 Syracuse Time Recording Company acquired by International Time Recording Company. First aired February 18, 1952.. 1907 Dey Time Registers acquired by International Time Recording Company. 19-The Ballet. 1902 Bundy Manufacturing Company acquired by International Time Recording Company. First aired February 11, 1952.. 1901 Detroit Automatic Scale Company acquired by Computing Scale Company. 18-Breaking the Lease. 1901 Dayton Moneyweight Scale Company acquired by Computing Scale Company. First aired February 4, 1952.. 1901 Chicago Time-Register Company acquired by International Time Recording Company. 17-Lucy Writes a Play. 1900 Willard & Frick Manufacturing Company (Rochester) acquired by International Time Recording Company. First aired January 28, 1952.. 1899 Standard Time Stamp Company acquired by Bundy Manufacturing Company. 16-Lucy Fakes Illness. 1896 Tabulating Machine Company incorporated. First aired January 21, 1952.. 1896 Detroit Automatic Scale Company incorporated. 15-Lucy Plays Cupid. 1894 Willard & Frick Manufacturing Company (Rochester, New York) incorporated. First aired January 14, 1952.. 1893 Dey Patents Company (Dey Time Registers) incorporated. 14-The Amateur Hour. 1891 Computing Scale Company incorporated. First aired January 7, 1952.. 1889 Bundy Manufacturing Company incorporated. 13-The Benefit. Subsequently they conceived the idea of a small, portable tool which was able to read, write, work and think, which eventually turned out to be their first "ThinkPad" notebook computer back in 1992. First aired December 31, 1951.. The "ThinkPad" name for its notebook computers was brought up after an IBM researcher went to a coffee break and took a notepad out which had the word "THINK" on it. 12-The Adagio. Some think that this bears a striking similarity to the name of the fictional computer "HAL" featured in the Arthur C Clarke book and film "2001, A Space Odyssey". First aired December 24, 1951.. If you step backward one letter in the alphabet for each letter of "IBM" you will arrive at "HAL". 11-Drafted. Patents). First aired December 17, 1951.. (Reference: USPTO Releases Annual List of Top 10 Organizations Receiving Most U.S. 10-Jealous of Girl Dancer. IBM received 3,248 patents that year. First aired December 10, 1951.. In 2004, for the twelfth consecutive year, IBM was awarded the greatest number of patents by the USPTO. 9-The Fur Coat. It has been calculated that, if the Rochester, Minnesota facility that produces the machine were independent, it would be the third largest computer company in the world. First aired December 3, 1951.. It was the first successful 64-bit machine. 8-Men Are Messy. The IBM iSeries minicomputer (in its 24-year history also variously known as i5, AS/400 and System/38) is the world's largest-selling computer family, if PC-type machines are excluded. First aired November 26, 1951.. IBM sold its PC division to Lenovo in December 2004 and, when the sale is complete, will come out of the business of manufacturing / designing / selling PCs, the business which it created in 1981. 7-The Seance. The IBM PC was introduced on August 12, 1981; Microsoft and Intel became monopoly suppliers of two of the key components of PC-compatible systems. First aired November 19, 1951.. Whilst IBM did not invent the personal computer, architectures cloned from its design for the IBM PC (which relied on third-party componentry) became the industry standard, and are now often simply called the PC. 6-The Audition Show. IBM invented the USB flash drive in 1998 but did not patent it. First aired November 12, 1951.. Genetic makeup was added in 2005. 5-The Quiz Show. Sexual orientation was added to the nondiscrimination policy in 1984. First aired November 5, 1951.. corporate mandate on equal employment opportunity, stating that the company would hire people based on their ability, "regardless of race, color or creed". 4-Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her. In 1953, IBM published the first U.S. First aired October 29, 1951.. In 1944, IBM was the first corporation to support the United Negro College Fund. 3-The Diet. IBM also made clocks until they sold their time division in 1958. First aired October 22, 1951.. Government to produce M1 Carbine rifles; these are now sought-after antiques. 2-Be a Pal. From 1942 to 1944 IBM was one of nine companies contracted by the U.S. 'First aired October 15, 1951. [6]. 1-The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub. The problem lies with extermination camps, about which there were already a lot of war rumours, but nothing that could be confirmed or inferred formally before their discovery by allies in 1945. After the end of the weekly series, the actors reunited for monthly one-hour specials under the title The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Note however that concentration camps are a perfectly legal war disposition regulated by the Geneva convention. The next month on February 18 Ball and Arnaz signed an $8,000,000 contract to continue I Love Lucy through 1955. was aware of their use. On January 19, 1953 68% of all United States television sets were tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth. Watson, Sr. This technique allowed the show to remain fresh for years and appear as a "live" performance. It has been alleged by a journalist that IBM president Thomas J. For example, in her last run-through of the famous Vitameatavegamin commercial, Lucy skips to the end of the speech (unscripted), realizes her mistake, and returns to the midpoint without missing her comic timing. From 1933 to 1944, IBM punch card machines were installed at various German concentration camps. As retakes were rare, dialogue mistakes were often played off as intentional as the actors continued. They will have the same treatment, the same responsibilities and the same opportunities for advancement.". Scenes were often performed like a play, from start to finish, without interruption. wrote: "Men and women will do the same kind of work for equal pay. But I Love Lucy was the first show to use this technique with a studio audience. Watson Sr. The technique was not new — another CBS comedy series, Amos 'n' Andy, which debuted four months earlier, was already being filmed at Hal Roach Studios with three 35mm cameras to save time and money. Thomas J. The result was a much sharper image than other shows of the time, and the audience reactions were far more authentic than the "canned laughter" used on most sitcoms of the time. IBM began hiring women to work as professional systems service staff in 1935. The duo, along with co-creator Jess Oppenheimer, then decided to shoot the show on 35 mm film in front of a live studio audience, with three cameras (this technique is now standard for sitcoms today). The first black employee was hired in 1899 by the Computing Scale Corporation (as it was known at the time). But Ball was pregnant at the time, and she and Arnaz therefore insisted on filming the show in Hollywood, California. The infamous Control-Alt-Delete keystroke (David Bradley, 2001: "I invented it, but it was Bill [Gates] that made it famous"), also invented at IBM, is still frequently used on PCs running the Microsoft Windows operating systems. At the time, most television shows were broadcast live from New York City, and a low-quality 35mm or 16mm kinescope print was made of the show to broadcast it in other time zones. IBM invented many of the core technologies used in all forms of computing, including the first hard disk drive and the Winchester hard disk drive, the cursor (on computer screens), Dynamic RAM (DRAM), the relational database, Thin Film recording heads, RISC architecture, and the floppy disk. Perhaps the closest he came to this line was his admonition to Lucy, "That's no 'scuse!" to which she mockingly answered, "That's plenty 'scuse!". Software Group groups its products into five brands: DB2 (information management), Rational (software development lifecycle), Lotus (collaboration), Tivoli (systems management and security) and WebSphere (application as well as data integration and middleware). Legend says that Ricky often cried: "Lucy! You got some 'splainin' to do!" However, like other supposed "famous quotes" (Cary Grant saying "Judy, Judy, Judy", or "Peetah, give me the lettah" by Bette Davis), this line was never actually spoken by Desi Arnaz. IBM's Software Group, if it were a separate entity, would be the second largest software company in the world, behind only Microsoft in total revenue. A typical I Love Lucy episode involves one of Lucy's ambitious but hare-brained schemes, whether it be to sneak into Ricky's nightclub act, find a way to associate with celebrities, show up her fellow women's club members, or simply try to better her life, usually she ends up in some comedic mess, often dragging in Ethel as her reluctant companion. The IBM Logo was designed by Paul Rand. Yet Lucy is determined to show everyone around her that she is much more than an ordinary housewife. Unfortunately, Lucy Ricardo cannot carry a tune or play anything other than an off-key rendition of "Glow Worm" (or "Sweet Sue") on the saxophone and evidently has no other artistic or managerial talent. Fred and Ethel are themselves former vaudevillians, which strengthens Lucy's resolve to prove herself as a performer. In particular, she is obsessed with joining her husband in show business. Lucy Ricardo is a loving if somewhat naïve housewife with an ambitious character who has a knack for getting herself into trouble. Eventually the Ricardos and the Mertzes moved to a house in the rural town of Westport, Connecticut. Later episodes took the Ricardos and the Mertzes to Hollywood for Ricky to shoot a movie, and then they all accompanied Ricky while he and his band toured Europe. Most episodes take place in the Ricardos' modest brownstone apartment at 623 East 68th Street — which in reality would be in the middle of the East River — or at the downtown "Tropicana" nightclub where Ricky is employed, and sometimes elsewhere in the city. Set in New York City, I Love Lucy is centered around Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball), a housewife, her husband Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) who is a singer and bandleader, and their friends and landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz (William Frawley and Vivian Vance). . The only remaining living cast member is Keith Thibodeaux (credited as "Richard Keith") who played Lucy and Ricky's young son "Little Ricky" in the last two seasons. Lucille Ball was the last main cast member still living before she died on April 26, 1989. After lengthy negotiations, Arnaz relented and agreed to "I Love Lucy", reasoning that the "I" would be his part. In the end, CBS agreed, but refused to let Desi Arnaz' role be part of the show's title (as in "Lucy and Ricky"). To help sway their decision, Ball and Arnaz put together a vaudeville act featuring his music and her comedy, which was well received in several cities. But Ball was adamant, and they were eager to have her in the part. Studio heads were worried that American audiences would not find such a "mixed marriage" to be believable, and were concerned about Arnaz's heavy Cuban accent. Denning was enthusiastic to continue his role as Ball's husband, but Ball wanted her real-life husband, Cuban-born musician Desi Arnaz, to play her onscreen spouse. The sitcom was based on a radio show starring Lucille Ball and Richard Denning called My Favorite Husband. The program was filmed at Desilu, the production studio jointly owned by Ball and Arnaz. This show was ranked #2 on TV Guide's top 50 greatest shows of all time in 2002, behind the show Seinfeld and ahead of The Honeymooners. The series ran from October 15, 1951 to May, 1957 on CBS (180 episodes, including the "lost" Christmas episode). I Love Lucy is a classic and the most popular American sitcom from the 1950s, starring comedian Lucille Ball, her husband Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. At Last". 1956: Nominated - Best Comedy Writing: Bob Carroll Jr., Madelyn Davis, Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Schiller, Bob Weiskopf for episode: "L.A. 1955: Nominated - Best Situation Comedy. Carroll. 1955: Nominated - Best Written Comedy Material: Madelyn Davis, Jess Oppenheimer, Robert G. 1954: Won - Best Situation Comedy. 1953: Won - Best Situation Comedy. 1952: Nominated - Best Comedy Show. Caroline Appleby (1953-1957). Doris Singleton ... (baby) (1954-1955). Ricky Ricardo, Jr. Richard & Ronald Lee Simmons ... Mathilda Trumbull (1953-1956). Mrs. Elizabeth Patterson ... Ralph Ramsey (1957). Frank Nelson ... (baby) (1953-1954). Ricky Ricardo, Jr. & Michael Mayer ... Joseph A. (1956-1957) (as Little Ricky). Ricky Ricardo, Jr. Keith Thibodeaux ... Bobby, the Hollywood bellboy (1954-1955). Bob Jellison ... Jerry, Ricky's agent (1951-1954). Jerry Hausner ... Betty Ramsey (1957). Mary Jane Croft ... MacGillicuddy (1955-1956). Mrs. Kathryn Card ... Frederick 'Fred' Hobart Edie Mertz I. William Frawley ... Ethel Mae Roberta Louise Potter Mertz. Vivian Vance ... Enrique 'Ricky' Alberto Ricardo y de Acha III. Desi Arnaz ... Lucille 'Lucy' Esmeralda MacGillicuddy Ricardo. Lucille Ball ... Beecher, the timid tenant. Jay Novello guest-stars as Mr. Lucy stages a murder scene to frighten the tenant away so that she and Ricky can move back into the apartment. The deal is made when Ricky suddenly learns that his summer job has been canceled. Their tenant is a shy, timid soul who has been a witness in a murder trial and who wants nothing but peace and quiet. Hoping to spend the summer away, the Ricardos decide to sublet their apartment and split the profits with the Mertzes. Guest star: Jimmy Demaret. Championship golfer Jimmy Demaret visits the Ricardos when Lucy and Ethel arrive at a bizarre scheme for combating their "golf widowship." The girls install a basketball court in the Ricardo living room and pretend to be as deeply absorbed in the game as their husbands are in the fairways. Look for "Ernie Ford and His Four chicken Pickers" in this episode. The scheme backfires when Tennessee Ernie promotes a benefit hoedown to assist Lucy and Ricky. She tries to get rid of the likable character by pleading poverty. Lucy gets sick of an extensive visit by Tennessee Ernie, who claims he is her cousin. The Ricardos' side says "A Little Bit of Cuba," and the Mertzes' side says "A Big Hunk of America.". The couples decide to split the diner down the middle. Right away, Ethel and Fred decide that they are doing all the work while Lucy and Ricky have all the fun. Ricky becomes interested in a diner that is for sale, so the Ricardos and the Mertzes all buy it together. When Lucy puts on the wig and starts flirting, Ricky flirts back. Lucy plans to wear the wig so she can test Ricky's fidelity, but the salon manager tips off Ricky to the scheme. Ricky forbids Lucy to get "one of those new Italian haircuts." She rebels by borrowing a wig from her hairdresser Roberta, who insists Lucy looks like a different person with it on. Determined to get publicity for the dance, Lucy announces the premiere performance of "Ricky Ricardo and His All-Girl Orchestra.". But the orchestra plays so horribly that she asks Ricky to come to a rehearsal and give them some advice. Lucy organizes an orchestra among her girl friends and books them for a club dance. Ricky, Fred, and Ethel find themselves the central characters in Lucy's first novel, "Real Gone With the Wind.". Lucy decides to become an author after reading about a woman who won $10,000 for her book. They "invade" the top of the Empire State Building and scare the daylights out of a group of hotel patrons. In order to raise the money, Lucy and Ethel get a job dressed as two maids from Mars in a stunt to publicize a science fiction movie. Lucy tells her friend to put her down for "five." But when the uppity friend arrives to collect the pledged funds, Lucy is shocked to learn that her "five" meant five hundred dollars. A wealthy ex-schoolmate of Lucy's is collecting for a charity. Frank Nelson returns as everyone's favorite game show host, Freddie Fillmore. When Ricky makes no provision for Lucy to accompany him on a trip to Hawaii, Lucy sets out to win a free trip to the ukulele capital for herself and the Mertzes. Watch Lucy jump into a vat of starch for a half-dollar in this episode. Lucy and Ethel engage in a not-too-neighborly tiff over the ownership of a "bonus buck" when its serial number turns up in a newspaper. In this episode, Lucy and Ethel surprise Ricky with their rendition of "I'm an Old Cowhand.". When TV producer Bennett Green arrives to see Ricky's pilot, "Ricky Ricardo Presents Tropical Rhythms," he is treated to a spliced-in sampling of Lucy's theatrical travesty. When Ricky makes a film and succeeds in selling it to a producer, Lucy decides to get into the act by producing her own western. Mulford. Madge Blake, who played Aunt Harriet in the TV series "Batman," guest-stars as Mrs. Ricky tries his hand at a little psychology to overcome Lucy's mania for buying hats. Listen for the classic Ricky quote: "Don't cross their chickens before their bridges are hatched.". When a fast-talking petroleum "tycoon" from Texas tries to foist some phony stock off on the Ricardos and the Mertzes, they discover the ruse just in time to avoid being fleeced. (She later plays Lucy's mother in the series.). Kathryn Card plays Ricky Ricardo fan Minnie Finch in this episode. But their frayed nerves and a family quarrel make for a touch-and-go situation before the scribe arrives. Lucy and Ricky madly prepare for a visit from a fan magazine writer who is doing a series on happily married couples. Finally they manage to divert the guests' attention so they can slip out the front door and make a properly "surprised" entrance. As the party guests start arriving, Lucy and Ricky move their champagne dinner into the hall closet. When Ethel asks Lucy where they'll be that night, Lucy quickly concocts some story that they'll be out. Lucy and Ricky want to spend their thirteenth anniversary at home, but the Mertzes have arranged a surprise party for them. Natalie Schafer, who played Lovey Howell on "Gilligan's Island," guest-stars in this episode. Lucy and Ethel enroll in a charm school to cope with their husbands' interest in a sweet young thing who exudes personality-plus. A classic father-and-son moment occurs when Ricky recites "Little Red Riding Hood" in Spanish. Panic sets in when the father realizes his son is missing. To teach Ricky a lesson, Lucy phones her husband and nonchalantly asks about Little Ricky. Ricky and Fred have been so involved in a TV football game, they hadn't seen him wander off. Lucy uses her free time to go shopping, but when she returns she finds Little Ricky wandering the hallway by himself. Ricky changes his vacation plans so he can spend all his time with Little Ricky. Isabella Klump and Margaret McMertz, invent the infomercial. Watch as Lucy and Ethel, a.k.a. Lucy and Ethel have visions of making a million dollars by bottling and selling old-fashioned salad dressing -- until their operations reach the point of diminishing returns, largely because of their bizarre views on how to run a business. The next evening, a press agent arranges for Carlota Romero (with whom Ricky did work many years ago) to see Ricky again. By coincidence, a singer by the same name is actually appearing in New York. Ricky creates a fictitious old flame (Carlota Romero) to make Lucy fly into a jealous rage. In this episode, Fred and Ethel don raccoon coats for a classic rendition of "The Varsity Drag.". Lucy winds up with drops in her eyes when Ricky visits an oculist, but it takes more than impaired vision to quell her latest attempts to crash the show at Ricky's nightclub -- this time with a sizzling jitterbug dance. Ricky proudly displays his sweatshirt from his alma mater, Havana U. Lucy and Ethel hatch an ingenious plot to make their husbands stop wearing disreputable clothes in public. Because of a robbery scare in the neighborhood involving a "Madame X," Ethel immediately jumps to the conclusion that Lucy is she. Trumbull, unaware of Lucy's intentions, sees her and tells Ethel. But Mrs. Lucy sneaks into the Mertz apartment to borrow one of Fred's old suits as a model. Fred's birthday is approaching, and the Ricardos decide to buy him a custom-made tweed suit as a surprise. The Ricardos nearly wreck the apartment of their landlord friends, the Mertzes, when they try to help decorate their apartment and Lucy proves herself an inferior decorator. Maurice Chevalier impersonations abound in this tribute to France. She does her best to get into the Tropicana in various disguises. However, much to Lucy's consternation, Ricky forbids her to come near the club. At first Ricky is mad, but he finally agrees to hire the waiter on the basis of his excellent "Louise" rendition. In exchange for the free lessons, Lucy promises to get DuBois into Ricky's show. Lucy hires DuBois, a waiter at a French bistro, to teach Ethel and herself some conversational French. Ricky plans a French revue at the Tropicana. This is the episode where Lucy "unwittingly" reveals her true age, weight, and original hair color. When he hires her, Lucy has a choice of facing the knife-thrower's blades or losing the bet. Her predicament stems from a little white lie during her round-the-clock truth test -- namely, that she can understand a talent agent who can't speak English. This lands her in a knife-throwing act on television. Lucy vows to tell the truth for twenty-four hours in order to win a bet. Listen for the classic Lucy quote: "Where do you keep your baby's cage?". A resolution by the Ricardos not to show snapshots of their youngster to their friends goes by the boards as two proud visitors, Charlie and Carolyn Appleby, gleefully exhibit pictures of their infant in a baseball suit resembling Little Ricky's. When the waiter, on Ricky's insistence, presents four separate checks, the girls discover they have no money. After a heated argument about equal rights, during which the girls insist they want to be treated exactly as if they were men, the Ricardos and the Mertzes go off to an Italian restaurant for dinner. In this episode, Lucy and Ethel sing the Cole Porter classic, "Friendship.". The fly in the theatrical ointment comes as Ethel Mertz, Lucy's arch rival for show honors, turns up in the same gown as Lucy's. Lucy wangles the star role in a revue staged by her women's club by promising that she will deliver her husband, Ricky, as the show's emcee. Listen and learn the Spanish phrase for "the check is good" in this episode. With typical beginner's luck, they unwittingly unload the losing venture on their husbands, Ricky and Fred. It's touch-and-go for Lucy and Ethel as they buy a dress shop on a shoestring and promptly go into the red. She rigs herself out in a Spanish costume and tries to augment a Cuban number sung by Ricky. Therefore, Lucy needles her husband into getting her into show business so her photos will be in demand. The pictures include Ricky, Little Ricky, and a view of Lucy's left elbow. LIFE magazine has done a home picture layout on the Ricardos. This episode offers a rare glimpse of the back of the Mertzes' apartment building. This causes a tremendous fight between the couples. The Mertzes call the machine a "lemon" and take the stance that since no money has changed hands yet, the deal is invalid. The next day, the old machine erupts like a volcano. Despite Ricky's apprehensions, they sell their old one to the Mertzes for thirty-five dollars. The Ricardos get a new washing machine. Guest star Frank Nelson is back and in uniform as Sergeant Nelson in episode 66. She manages to escape the cop's clutches by yelling, "Look -- a knockout!" With Ethel, she takes refuge on the roof of their apartment building. Everyone at the local cafe is also glued to the TV set, so Lucy decides to help herself and gets caught with her hand in the cash register. When Lucy and Ethel become TV boxing-match widows, they decide to go out for a bite to eat, leaving their husbands in front of the Ricardo TV set. Watch as Lucy conquers the great outdoors (with a little help from Ethel). Ricky submits to the proposal, assuming that the sound of the first coyote's howl will send the girls dashing back to the city. When Lucy and Ethel come to the conclusion that good marriages are based on mutual interests, they invite themselves on a rugged camping trip with their spouses. She tries to make her own dress and then does some "permanent damage" in this episode. Lucy also needs a new dress and a new hairstyle for the Carrolls' party at the Tropicana on Saturday night. Ricky confiscates the furniture and takes it to the club until it's paid off. Lucy buys some furniture against Ricky's orders and is forced to pay for it out of her own allowance. A frantic economy wave engulfs the Ricardo household. When Lucy learns that the salesman is an eligible bachelor, she immediately begins brewing plans to fix him up with her girlfriend Sylvia Collins. When Eddie Grant, a friend of the Mertzes, stops by for an unexpected visit and finds they are not at home, he leaves them a message with Lucy. .to apartment 3-B. This is the episode when the Ricardos move up in the world. Lucy fills her apartment with junk, including a sliding pond and teeter-totter, to give it a "cramped" appearance. Benson, who have recently married off their daughter and don't need the extra bedroom. and Mrs. She tries all her tricks to cajole Ricky into switching apartments with Mr. Lucy thinks the Ricardos need a larger apartment now that they have the baby. Ricky sings the lyrics to "I Love Lucy" for the first and only time in this Classic TV episode. Meanwhile the party guests are assembled at Ricky's nightclub, waiting for the guest of honor. Taking a walk to forget her troubles, Lucy runs across a rescue mission band called "Friends of the Friendless," tearfully tells them her troubles, and marches off with them. Lucy, however, only knows that everyone has forgotten her birthday and works very hard at being gay, denying that she wanted anyone to remember. He swears the Mertzes and all their friends to secrecy. Ricky has planned a surprise party for Lucy's birthday. Eventually Lucy steals the show with her classic rendition of "By the Waters of the Minnetonka.". When two Indians in full regalia turn up for an audition, Lucy stages an ambush for them. Lucy reads Ricky's book, "Bloodcurdling Indian Tales," and is horrified by the stories. Trying to avoid a renewal of Lucy's desire to get into show business, Ricky doesn't tell her he is producing an Indian show. Lucy wants to get into the act when Ricky is producing an Indian show and boning up on Indian lore. Classic character actress Verna Felton guest-stars and cleans house in this episode. Porter, but this is easier said than done. Ethel talks Lucy into firing Mrs. Porter, completely overpowers Lucy. But the woman she hires, Mrs. She practices interviewing Ethel, using a businesslike, tough attitude as Ricky has instructed. Lucy has never had anyone work for her before. Exhausted from walking the baby all night, Lucy and Ricky hire a maid. Trumbull, the Ricardos' reliable babysitter, makes her first appearance in this episode. Mrs. Hearing Ethel's story for the umpteenth time, Lucy blows her top. Ethel Mertz takes such pride in her generous action that she brags about it at a bridge luncheon. The Ricardos' infant prompts the neighbors to point out that there is a clause in the lease saying "no children." The Ricardos' landlords are also their friends the Mertzes, who loyally stand by them and refuse to evict them. "I Love Lucy" regular Frank Nelson returns, this time as a myopic waiter. Lucy must intercept the letter, or her ex-boyfriend will think she's out of her mind. Rather than being jealous, Ricky offers to mail it for her. When Ricky complains that Lucy is constantly changing her mind and never completing things, she decides to complete an old high-school romance by finishing a love letter she started when she was in high school. They intercede -- with black-eyed results. Neighbors Fred and Ethel jump to the conclusion that the Ricardos are having a family tiff. When a book accidentally tossed by Ricky hits Lucy in the eye, she winds up with a shiner. In this episode Lillian Appleby, later Carolyn Appleby, appears for the first time as Lucy's rival. Meanwhile, their husbands map a campaign to have them both defeated. Pitted against each other in the race for the presidency of their women's club, Lucy and Ethel try to wangle the deciding vote by devious means. Ricky tries to flatter his wife out of her complex, but he must finally consult a "physio-chiatrist.". Lucy pulls one faux pas after another, with the result that she develops a devastating inferiority complex. The song "There's a Brand New Baby at Our House," from this episode, was originally written by Desi Arnaz for daughter Lucie's birth. Guest star: Sheldon Leonard. Lucy retaliates by demanding to know why Ricky bought a 20-foot rubber life raft. Ricky accuses all women of having no sales resistance. Lucy buys a tricky kitchen gadget in response to a TV pitch. Little Ricky and Classic TV history are born in this episode. Ricky carefully works out an elaborate plan with his neighbors, Ethel and Fred, whereby each is supposed to know exactly what to do "at the psychological moment." When the big moment arrives, bedlam breaks loose. Lucy approaches the zero hour and is rushed to the hospital to have her baby. Art critics laud her weird effort as a masterpiece. Salesmen in an art supply store put her to work on a lump of clay, and she uses the Mertzes as models for a modernistic creation. Lucy decides that their unborn child should have artistic leanings. A little apprehensive about the turn of events, Lucy decides to crash the daddy shower disguised as a newspaper reporter with Ethel posing as her photographer-partner. When Ricky feels jealous of all the attention Lucy is getting, she decides to throw Ricky a "daddy shower" -- but Fred turns it into a stag party. This is the episode with the ridiculous "Tippy Tippy Toe" song. In return for his services, she lets him sing a song of his own writing at Ricky's nightclub. Livermore. Determined to have a well-spoken offspring -- though its arrival is several months away -- Lucy hires a tutor, Mr. Pepito the Spanish Clown, a longtime Arnaz family friend, makes a special appearance. Enlisting Ethel's aid, Lucy tries to contrive an appropriate costume and finally comes up with a barrel. Despite her "condition," Lucy is determined to participate in a Gay Nineties Revue. Lucy is overwhelmed by Ricky's considerate treatment of her, but confuses him when she becomes suspicious of his attentions. Expectant Lucy creates a pandemonium in the Ricardo household with the unpredictable demands she makes on her adoring husband. This episode is a Classic TV milestone. Finally she is forced to go to the nightclub to tell him she's going to have a baby. Constant interruptions -- the telephone, neighbors, and Ricky's nightclub co-workers -- frustrate Lucy's every attempt to talk quietly with her husband. This episode finds Fred and Ethel in harmony for once, singing "Carolina in the Morning.". Lucy decides to stage the show herself and let Ricky rest. Chambers, his new boss, is counting on him to stage a good show. However, Ricky is concerned about the imminent reopening of the Tropicana; Mr. When Ricky arrives home with a bad case of laryngitis, Lucy banishes him to bed. This causes Lucy to sell all her furniture and then demonstrate how not to put up wallpaper. Fred makes a phony phone call to Lucy and tells her that she's won so she won't sit by the phone anymore. All the wives have to do is sit by the phone and wait to see if they won. A visit to the "Home Show" prompts Lucy and Ethel to enter a contest where the winner gets five rooms of new furnishings. Ricardo in this episode. Watch the landmark case of Mertz vs. This generates a feud between the two families -- and an explosive courtroom scene. On the occasion of the Mertzes' 25th wedding anniversary, Lucy and Ricky present them with a television set that doesn't work. Their newfound freedom creates a difficult situation. Lucy moves in with Ethel, and Fred with Ricky. A library book suggests a "week's vacation from marriage" as the solution. The Ricardos and Mertzes decide that their marriages are in a rut. Lucy plays a witchlike gypsy in the show, and Ricky plays the hero "good Prince Lancelot." In the midst of the performance, men from the costume and scenery rental company arrive and proceed to repossess the items. Lucy persuades members of her women's club to stage her original operetta with "John Charles Ricardo" as the leading man. To their mutual horror, they discover that the handcuffs are of Civil War vintage and a key cannot be found to unlock them. Inspired by a magic trick she saw, Lucy handcuffs herself to her sleeping husband. Her suspicions are further aroused when she sees him fastening a pearl necklace around the neck of one of their neighbors. Believing that Ricky has forgotten their anniversary, Lucy fears his attentions are wandering. Unfortunately, Lucy blows another chance to be in the show with an off-key rendition of "Glow Worm.". Determined to accompany her husband on a tour with his band, Lucy represents herself as a skilled performer on the saxophone. This episode is a classic among classics. The girls are forced to work at a conveyer belt that brings the sweets to them faster than their unskilled hands can pack them. Convinced that they need to do something more lucrative than keep house, Lucy and Ethel get jobs in a candy factory. Gale Gordon returns as guest star. You can't miss Fred Mertz in drag in this episode. Insult is added to injury when Ricky's nightclub launches an explosive campaign announcing the debut of his replacement. When Ricky follows Lucy's advice literally, he gets a big "no" from the nightclub owner. Lucy convinces Ricky that he should pressure his boss into giving him a raise. Haunted by the thought that he is growing bald, Ricky appeals to Lucy, who comes up with an unorthodox treatment. Gale Gordon makes his first guest-star appearance as Alvin Littlefield, Ricky's boss. Littlefield to teach their time-conscious hubbies a well-deserved lesson. When Lucy gets wind of the plot, she schemes with Ethel and Mrs. Ricky tells his boss about this new schedule, adding that he has Lucy jumping around like a trained seal and that Littlefield should come over to see her perform. After Lucy is late for a dinner appointment with Ricky's boss Alvin Littlefield, Ricky puts his wife on a rigid time schedule. Frank Nelson returns once again as quiz show host Freddie Fillmore. Convinced that Ricky is a mental giant, Lucy makes secret arrangements to get him on a radio quiz show. Lucy decides to pose as the Maharincess of Franistan, who has traveled halfway around the globe to see her singing idol, Ricky Ricardo. To increase business at the Tropicana, Lucy concocts a publicity scheme based on a newspaper item claiming that the Shah of Persia owns all of Benny Goodman's records. One of the top classic episodes. Unknown to Lucy this liquid tonic contains a large proportion of alcohol, and after numerous retakes (with Lucy using the product) she has difficulties in pronouncing the product name. The commercial is for Vitameatavegamin Vitamins, and Lucy is the Vitameatavegamin girl. Lucy tricks Ricky into letting her do a commercial during a television variety show. This is the "human popsicle" episode. While trying to move the beef from the basement freezer into the unlit furnace before Ricky sees the $483 meat bill, Lucy accidentally gets locked inside the freezer. Lucy gets a walk-in meat freezer, orders two sides of beef, and runs a business with Ethel until the neighborhood butcher gets wise to their competitive tricks. Annoyed by Ricky's accounts of the lovely Cuban entertainer Renita, who was his partner in the old days, Lucy rigs herself out as a seductive Latin dancer and devises a plan to replace Renita in the show. Wilson of "Dennis the Menace," guest-stars in this episode. Joseph Kearns, Mr. Unaware that Lucy is collecting items for a club bazaar, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that she's a kleptomaniac. Ricky discovers a large amount of cash in Lucy's purse and a cache of silverware and other valuables in a closet. This episode is based on Lucy and Desi's actual wedding. Because his name is misspelled on the certificate, Lucy insists that Ricky go through the entire courtship and marriage ceremony a second time. A close inspection of her marriage license convinces Lucy that she and Ricky are not legally married. See the classic moment when Lucy battles a loaf of bread. The men insist that the women have it too "soft" and bet them fifty dollars that they can't live without modern conveniences. Determining that they have washed 219,000 dishes since being married, Lucy and Ethel demand dishwashers. Watch for the classic moment when Lucy does charades in this episode. Ricky tells Lucy some gossip while pretending to be asleep, so that Lucy will spill the news to Ethel and make the girls lose the bet. The winners are to be served breakfast in bed for a month. Ricky and Fred bet Lucy and Ethel that they can keep from gossiping longer than their wives. It's "Bulldog Cement" that seals Lucy's fate in this episode. Ricky concedes defeat, but Lucy is unable to remove her false whiskers because the glue remover is no longer available. When Ricky refuses to shave off his new mustache, Lucy glues a white beard and mustache on her own face. "I Love Lucy" sponsor Phillip Morris is prominently plugged in this episode. Lucy and Ricky try to patch up the Mertzes' quarrel by inviting each to dinner without the other's knowledge. Bellows on "I Dream of Jeannie," guest-stars in this episode. Hayden Rorke, who played Dr. The neighbors are actually television actors rehearsing a scene. There they overhear the O'Briens discussing what sounds like a plot to murder Ricky and Lucy. Lucy and Ethel decide to snoop anyway, but when the O'Briens come home suddenly, Lucy and Ethel hide in a closet. Ricky makes Lucy promise not to set foot in their apartment. Lucy and Ethel can't wait to get a closer look at the belongings of their new neighbors, the O'Briens. Richard Crenna and Janet Waldo (the voice of Judy Jetson) guest-star in this episode. Unfortunately, Arthur gets carried away and proclaims his love for Lucy. When a teenage girl named Peggy drops her steady, Arthur, for suave Ricky Ricardo, Lucy tries to teach the clumsy schoolboy how to dance so he can impress Peggy. Look for Lucy's "Slowly I Turned" burlesque comedy routine in this episode. When Lucy is summoned to the club to replace a sick performer, she assumes it's the comic they need, but it is actually the ballet dancer. After failing at ballet, she decides to hire a burlesque comic teacher in hopes that she can at least be the comic in the show. Lucy wants the ballet job desperately and enrolls in a dance class run by the strict Madame Lamond. Ricky is searching for both a ballet dancer and a burlesque comic for his new act. When Lucy points out that the Mertzes were just down there making noise themselves, the Ricardos and the Mertzes have the first of many classic feuds. Ethel telephones demanding quiet. After a fun evening around the piano singing favorite songs, the Mertzes retire to bed, leaving Lucy and Ricky alone to pursue a short encore. Ricky wants back in, but doesn't realize that the play has been revamped until he's on stage. However, Fred's Spanish accent is so terrible that she changes the play's setting to England. When he refuses, Lucy settles for Fred. Lucy writes a tender, heartwarming story of a Cuban tobacco picker in "A Tree Grows in Havana." She tries to get Ricky to star in it. When Ricky arrives home and finds out that Lucy is faking a nasty case of the "gobloots," he calls in an actor to play a physician. Ricky won't hire Lucy for his new act, so Lucy consults a book on abnormal psychology for a solution. TV Land regulars Edward Everett Horton and Bea Benadaret guest-star in this episode. In her efforts to play Cupid, Lucy gives the grocer the idea that she has a crush on him. Lucy tries to arrange a match between a love-starved old lady and a giddy grocery man. When Ricky tells her to take it back or pay for it herself, she decides to get a babysitting job -- but gets more than she bargained for with the Hudson twins. Lucy buys a very expensive dress. In this episode Lucy and Ricky reprise a classic vaudeville routine, "Underneath the Bamboo Tree.". Ricky is reluctant at first, but Lucy tricks him into agreeing to sing and dance with her at the function. Lucy resorts to womanly wiles to get Ricky to sing at a women's club benefit. As a result, Ricky is challenged to a duel behind Radio City Music Hall. She dreams up a wild American Indian war dance routine and goes after the job at Ricky's club. Convinced that someday she will break into show business, Lucy grabs at this opportunity. Lucy learns that Ricky is looking for an Apache dancer for his nightclub act. They don't realize that Ricky and Fred are practicing a dance routine for the servicemen's show. Both Lucy and Ethel are convinced their husbands have been drafted when they see them drilling in the living room with brooms. When Lucy opens a telegram addressed to Ricky ordering him to appear at the Army's Fort Dix, she assumes he has been drafted. Arroz con pollo, Desi Arnaz's actual favorite dish, is served up in this episode. To keep an eye on Ricky, Lucy manages to wangle her way into the chorus line, where she upstages the dancer during the number and makes a mess of the show. Ethel Mertz misinterprets a gossip column item and decides Ricky is interested in a chorus girl. Finally, Ricky tells Fred to dress up like a robber and steal it back for him. Trying to get the coat away from her is a problem for Ricky: Lucy not only sleeps in it, she even wears it while she is doing the housework. Ricky brings home a mink coat that is to be used in his nightclub act, but Lucy takes it for granted it's for her. Ricky gets the Tropicana jumping with the "Straw Hat Song" in this episode. When Ricky leaves his clothes around the living room, Lucy gets angry and divides the living room in half so Ricky can be as messy as he likes on his side. Classic Ethel quote: "Ethel to Tillie, Ethel to Tillie, come in Tillie.". In the process of putting things right, Lucy conducts a seance. Meriweather. She thus says "no" to a very important business call for Ricky from Mr. After advising Ricky that it's a good day for him to make deals, she realizes that she read yesterday's horoscopes and that today is actually a bad day for Ricky. Lucy suddenly becomes interested in numerology and superstitions. Ricky sings his trademark "Babalu" for the first time in this episode. Ricky's band is to be auditioned for television, and Lucy is trying to "get into the act." When Lucy substitutes for Buffo the clown, the producers want to sign her, not Ricky, and Lucy is confronted with problems. In this episode, Frank Nelson makes the first of many cameos as Freddy Fillmore. The show is called "Females are Fabulous," a title that Lucy justifies elaborately. Finding herself short of funds, Lucy wangles her way into a contestant spot on a wild and woolly quiz show. The Classic TV sitcom is born with this, the very first Lucy episode. With what she believes is her last burst of energy, she drags herself to Ricky's club to shoot him. Ricky pours a sedative for Lucy so she can relax, but she thinks it's poison. A misunderstood conversation between Ricky and his agent leads Lucy to the conclusion that he is trying to kill her. .but there are further obstacles to her "big break." In this episode, Lucy and Desi reprise one of the highlights of their 1950 vaudeville tour, "Cuban Pete.". She then starves, exercises, and steams, finally losing five pounds. Lucy tricks Ricky into saying that if she loses enough weight she can sing in the show. One of the girls in Ricky's show quits, making a vacancy for a singer who can wear a size 12 costume. Look for Lucy's wacky Carmen Miranda impression in this episode. Lucy decides Ricky's love is growing cold, so she takes Ethel's suggestions: that she join her spouse in his weekly poker game and that she turn the apartment into a Cuban hacienda to appeal to Ricky's native tastes. So he and Fred find two other girls and go to the same nightclub to spy on their wives. This is just fine with Fred, but Ricky worries. Lucy threatens to find two other escorts if their husbands won't take them. To celebrate the Mertzes' wedding anniversary, Fred and Ricky want to go to a prize fight, but the girls want to get dressed up and go to a nightclub. |