Season 2 of I Love Lucy includes two of the most famous half-hours in television history. "Job Switching," originally broadcast mid-September of 1952, is the crazy, battle-of-the-sexes episode in which husbands Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) and Fred Mertz (William Frawley) trade roles with wives Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance), culminating in the men making a shambles of domestic chores while Lucy and Ethel take disastrous work at a chocolate factory. That's right: This is the show where the ladies have a Chaplinesque experience with a too-fast factory conveyor belt, forcing them to hide candies in their mouths, in their hats, and down their blouses lest a tough forewoman fire them for incompetence. A half-century later, the scene is still so fresh and funny it would grace any current sitcom. "Lucy Goes to the Hospital," which received an amazing 71.7 rating on January 19, 1953, is the historic episode featuring the birth of Little Ricky and a load of wonderful slapstick. Other television series (The Dick Van Dyke Show) and movies (Nine Months) have tried to top Lucy's time-to-go-to-the-hospital shenanigans, but there's nothing like the sight of Ricky and Fred falling all over themselves or Ricky showing up at the maternity ward (direct from a voodoo-themed show at the Tropicana) in witch doctor makeup.
The other 31 episodes included in I Love Lucy: The
Compete Second Season have choice moments, too. "Lucy
Becomes a Sculptress" finds the ever-ambitious redhead
falling for empty flattery at an art-supply store and
commencing an ill-advised career working in clay. Ricky
agrees to bless this new endeavor if an art critic says she
has talent, but Lucy tries to increase her chances by posing
as a bust of herself--resulting in mayhem, of course. The
usual running themes in I Love Lucy--Lucy's misguided
desire to be a part of Ricky's musical career, and her
penchant for disguising herself to investigate
something--are all over The Complete Second Season.
"Ricky Loses His Voice" is a delightful piece in which
Ricky's laryngitis inspires Lucy, the Mertzes, and an aging
chorus line to put on a Tropicana spectacle, and "Ricky Has
Labor Pains" finds Lucy and Ethel going undercover as male
reporters to find out what happens at a stag party. Lots to
enjoy here, and the special features include bloopers,
information about the guest cast, and snippets from Ball's
radio show. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
I LOVE LUCY: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON continues to follow
the wild and wacky comical adventures of Lucy and Ricky
Ricardo and their infamous neighbors Fred and Ethel as they
embark on even more madness in season two.
Season 2
| # | Title | Film Date | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | The Handcuffs | May 30, 1952 | September 15, 1952 |
| One of Lucy's practical jokes backfires when she and Ricky are caught in a pair of antique handcuffs. | |||
| 37 | The Saxophone | June 6, 1952 | September 22, 1952 |
| Lucy plots to join Ricky's band for a series of one-night engagements by trying to play a saxophone. There's only one problem-she can't play a single note! | |||
| 38 | Anniversary Present | May 9, 1952 | September 29, 1952 |
| Ricky asks a neighbor, Grace Foster, to help him surprise Lucy with an anniversary present, but Lucy gets the wrong idea. | |||
| 39 | Job Switching | May 16, 1952 | October 6, 1952 |
| Ricky and Fred think doing housework is much easier than earning money. Lucy and Ethel feel the opposite. So the boys try doing the housework while the girls attempt to hold down a job at a candy factory. Problems soon arise on both fronts. | |||
| 40 | The Operetta | May 23, 1952 | October 13, 1952 |
| Lucy and Ethel decide to write an operetta, and Lucy pays for the costumes and scenery with a post-dated check. Meanwhile, Ethel and Ricky convince the chorus to enter whenever Lucy, playing "Queen of the Gypsies", starts to sing. | |||
| 41 | Vacation from Marriage | August 1, 1952 | October 27, 1952 |
| Bored with married life, Lucy and Ethel decide that a few days away from their husbands would be a welcome change. | |||
| 42 | The Courtroom | August 8, 1952 | November 10, 1952 |
| The Ricardos buy the Mertzes a new TV set for their wedding anniversary. In thanks, the Ricardos give them their old one. When Ricky tries hooking it up, the picture tube explodes! In retaliation, Fred marches up to the Ricardo apartment and kicks in their own picture tube. The whole issue ends up with both couples in court. | |||
| 43 | Redecorating | August 15, 1952 | Monday, November 17, 1952 |
| Ricky decides to fool Lucy into thinking she's won a new home furnishings contest. But the joke backfires when Lucy sells all their furniture. | |||
| 44 | Ricky Loses His Voice | August 22, 1952 | November 24, 1952 |
| Ricky catches a cold and loses his voice during rehearsals for a new show, prompting Lucy to secretly stage the show herself. | |||
| 45 | Lucy Becomes a Sculptress | October 3, 1952 | December 8, 1952 |
| No child should grow up without artistic influence, so Lucy takes up sculpting. When Ricky scoffs, Lucy arranges for an art critic to arrive and judge her work. When her sculpture accidentally breaks, though, she ends up disguising herself as a bust to fool the critic. | |||
| 46 | Pregnant Women Are Unpredictable | October 10, 1952 | December 15, 1952 |
| With the baby coming, Ricky decides that Lucy should stay in bed while he does the chores. | |||
| 47 | Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song | October 17, 1952 | December 22, 1952 |
| Even with motherhood fast approaching, Lucy still wants to be in Ricky's "Gay 90's Revue." | |||
| 48 | Lucy Hires an English Tutor | October 24, 1952 | December 29, 1952 |
| Lucy wants her baby to be raised in the "proper vocal environment," so she hires a tutor to teach Ricky proper English diction. The tutor turns out to be a struggling actor, and hopes that Ricky will give him a big break. Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel all sing a ridiculous song composed by the tutor. | |||
| 49 | Ricky Has Labor Pains | October 31, 1952 | January 5, 1953 |
| With all the attention that mother-to-be Lucy has been getting, father-to-be Ricky feels neglected. | |||
| 50 | Lucy is Enceinte | November 7, 1952 | January 12, 1953 |
| Lucy feels strange, and tells Ethel. She responds by suggesting Lucy might be pregnant! Lucy laughs...but comes back from a doctor's visit and reveals that Ethel was right. Lucy tries to prepare the "perfect" moment to tell Ricky, but his business at the club keeps him away. Eventually, Lucy anonymously requests that Ricky perform his song "We're Having A Baby" at the club. Ricky gets quite a surprise when he finds out who requested the song! | |||
| 51 | Lucy Goes to the Hospital | November 14, 1952 | January 19, 1953 |
| With the baby due at any moment, Ricky and the Mertzes carefully rehearse the trip to the hospital. But when the fateful moment actually comes, things don't go quite so smoothly. When they eventually get there, Lucy stays in labor for quite a while, so Ricky goes to do a show at the club. He is in full tribal face makeup when the call comes from the hospital, and he rushes over still in costume! | |||
| 52 | Sales Resistance | August 29, 1952 | January 26, 1953 |
| When Lucy buys yet another new gadget, Ricky complains that she's "got no sales resistance." | |||
| 53 | Inferiority Complex | September 6, 1952 | February 2, 1953 |
| A handsome psychiatrist might be the cure for Lucy's "inferiority complex." | |||
| 54 | Club Election | September 12, 1952 | February 16, 1953 |
| It's Lucy versus Ethel for President of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League. | |||
| 55 | The Black Eye | September 19, 1952 | March 9, 1953 |
| The Mertzes won't accept Lucy's truthful explanation of how she got a black eye. | |||
| 56 | Lucy Changes Her Mind | September 26, 1952 | March 30, 1953 |
| Whether it's getting dressed or ordering dinner at a restaurant, Lucy seems unable to finish anything without changing her mind. Ricky loses his temper, so Lucy tries to play a trick with an old, unfinished love letter to a beau from high school. Fred warns Ricky of Lucy's plot, and Lucy is soon in over her head. | |||
| 57 | No Children Allowed | March 20, 1953 | April 20, 1953 |
| The Ricardos' lease says no children allowed, and the squalling new baby doesn't help matter with the landlord. | |||
| 58 | Lucy Hires a Maid | March 27, 1953 | April 27, 1953 |
| Ricky hires a maid because Lucy keeps falling asleep during the day from staying up nights with the new baby. | |||
| 59 | The Indian Show | April 3, 1953 | May 4, 1953 |
| Ricky is planning an Indian number for his nightclub act, and assumes that motherhood has ended Lucy's show business ambitions. No such luck-Lucy disguises herself as a young Indian girl and ruins the number. | |||
| 60 | Lucy's Last Birthday | April 10, 1953 | May 11, 1953 |
| When it seems that everyone has forgotten Lucy's birthday, she becomes depressed and wanders around town. She meets the "Friends of the Friendless" in the park, and joins the ranks of the unhappy mob. They all march to Ricky's club to protest-where a surprise party is waiting for the birthday girl! This episode features Ricky singing "I Love Lucy", a version of the show's theme song with lyrics. | |||
| 61 | The Ricardos Change Apartments | April 16, 1953 | May 18, 1953 |
| Lucy thinks they need a bigger apartment, but Ricky says they can't afford it. | |||
| 62 | Lucy Is Matchmaker | April 25, 1953 | May 25, 1953 |
| Lucy tries to fix up her girlfriend with a batchelor friend of the Mertzes but ends up as an unwitting third party in a love triangle. | |||
| 63 | Lucy Wants New Furniture | May 1, 1953 | June 1, 1953 |
| When Lucy buys a new sofa and coffee table without Ricky's permission, he says she'll have to pay for it out of her allowance. | |||
| 64 | The Camping Trip | May 8, 1953 | June 8, 1953 |
| Lucy develops an annoying attachment to Ricky. She finally goes too far when she decides to join him and his friends on a camping trip. Fred suggests that Ricky take Lucy into the wilderness for some "camping practice" to scare her, but Lucy and Ethel team up to thwart their husbands. | |||
| 65 | Ricky and Fred Are TV Fans | May 22, 1953 | June 22, 1953 |
| Ricky and Fred are excited about watching a big fight on TV. Lucy and Ethel claim that they will have a wonderful time away from their husbands. While Ricky and Fred stay glued to the set, Lucy and Ethel are mistaken for jewel thieves and accused of trying to destroy their building! | |||
| 66 | Never Do Business With Friends | May 29, 1953 | June 29, 1953 |
| A beautiful friendship is almost ruined when the Ricardos sell their old washing machine to the Mertzes. | |||
