Lucy Moves to NBC (1980) Online

Lucy Moves to NBC (1980) Online

Contacted by Fred Silverman, the President of NBC, Lucille Ball accepts to go back to work as a producer. With the help of her faithful production assistant, Gale Gordon, she starts working on a new series titled "The Music Mart".

The famous NBC 3-note chime tones are integrated into the opening theme music. The special utilizes a laugh track.

In 2003 writer Hal Kanter appeared in the TV documentary "Lucy: TV's Comedy Queen." He also produced "Lucy Moves to NBC." Robert O'Brien had written 54 episodes of "The Lucy Show," 24 of "Here's Lucy," and the 1975 special "Lucy Gets Lucky." Director Jack Donohue also served in the same capacity for "Lucy Gets Lucky," as well as helming 107 episodes of "The Lucy Show," and 35 of "Here's Lucy." He made on-camera appearances on several episodes of the shows he directed.

Lucille Ball started her television career on CBS, where "I Love Lucy," "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy" all aired. Her first five TV specials after the end of "Here's Lucy" in 1974 were also for CBS. Her final sitcom, "Life With Lucy" in 1986, was aired on ABC, meaning Lucille Ball appeared on all three major networks throughout her career.

Unlike Ball's previous specials, this one ran 90 minutes (73 minutes without commercials) rather than an hour. The special is clearly divided into two sections, the last half hour devoted solely to Lucy's sitcom pilot "The Music Mart." Whether this was to be an actual pilot for a new series or not is unclear. There are no credits, but the show-within-the-show lasts nearly 26 minutes, the average length of time (in 1980) of a television half hour without commercials. During "The Music Mart" the action never shifts back to Lucy at NBC. Only after the sitcom pilot concludes is there a brief tag in Lucy's NBC office.

Lucy's move to NBC didn't actually produce any hits for the network, but it did produce one real pilot (not "The Music Mart") in 1981 that was directed by Lucille Ball, "Bungle Abbey," a quirky sitcom about a monastery inhabited by out-of-the-ordinary monks. The pilot starred Charlie Callas, Guy Marks, Gino Conforti, Graham Jarvis, Peter Palmer, and Gale Gordon. Gino Conforti later said that the series would have never worked, and that it was a challenge to write enough material for the one pilot episode, but it was still fun to do. Although promising, Lucy's controversial move to NBC only resulted in this one special, the "Bungle Abbey" pilot, and several guest appearances on Bob Hope specials.

The special opens with a bus tour through Beverly Hills, passing the homes of Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, and (of course) Lucille Ball. Ball orders the driver to stop because she wants to get out. She says "It's my way of saving gas." In 1979, the US experienced its second energy crisis, with the price of crude oil doubling, resulting in long lines at service stations.

The opening scene should be familiar to Lucy fans, since Lucy Ricardo also toured the movie stars' homes on a bus in "The Tour" (S4;E30) in 1955. In that show, the bus also pulled up alongside Lucy's real home, doubling on screen for the home of Richard Widmark.

Inside Lucy's Roxbury Drive mansion, she is playing backgammon with Ruta Lee. Backgammon was one of Ball's favorite pastimes. In "What Now, Catherine Curtis?" she played backgammon with Joe Bologna.

It is unclear why Fred Silverman did not play himself in this special. Something similar happened when a role was was written for real-life producer Dore Schary on "I Love Lucy." Schary withdrew at the last minute, claiming illness, although others later said that he got cold feet. The part was filled by Vivian Vance's husband, Phil Ober.

Actor Gary Imhoff was just 28 years old (but looked far younger) when the special was taped, while the real Fred Silverman was 42. The gag was that the man running NBC was a mere child.

While at Lucy's home, Fred Silverman gets a phone call from the White House. Lucille Ball did a 1977 TV special called "Lucy Calls the President" where Lucy Whittaker phones President Jimmy Carter, who then invites himself and First Lady Rosalynn to dinner at her Indiana home.

Four NBC workman putting the finishing touches on Lucy's office suddenly break into a chorus of "Hello, Lucy!" to the tune of "Hello, Dolly!," the title song from the 1964 Jerry Herman musical of the same name. In a 1965 episode of "The Lucy Show" Lucy Carmichael dressed as Dolly and sang the song, re-titled "Hello, Solly!" to fit the plot.

After the first commercial break, Lucy is on the telephone to a 'Mr. McClay.' This is reference to Lucille Ball's long-time publicist Howard McClay, who is also an associate producer of this special.

Secretary Wanda announces Johnny Carson's entrance just as Ed McMahon did on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson": "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" Carson comes into Lucy's office with the "Tonight Show" theme music playing. Breaking the fourth wall, Carson cuts off the studio audience's applause with a sweeping gesture and they instantly fall silent, just as he often did on his talk show. Carson delivers some one-liners about his favorite target, Burbank. There is also some innuendo about Johnny Carson's work schedule at NBC. In 1980, after more than a year of speculation, Carson finally re-negotiated his contract with the network for a shorter work week, only doing one hour a night, four nights a week. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the evening this special aired, Johnny's guest was Bob Hope, who will be the next NBC star through Lucy's office door.

Johnny Carson asks if Lucy is at NBC to find a new pilot for Don Rickles. Rickles had starred in NBC's sitcom "CPO Sharkey" from 1976 to 1978. He was also a guest star on "The Lucy Show" in 1967. In 1976, Johnny Carson impulsively crashed the show mid-taping, while he was shooting "Tonight" at his nearby studio.

After the sound of a peacock pierces the air, Lucy shouts "Quiet, Clyde!" She explains to Carson that Silverman gave her a live peacock to remind her that she's now at NBC. The bit is repeated later with Gale Gordon shushing the bird.

Johnny Carson pulls out a four-page pamphlet on being a good TV producer and reads a few of them to Lucy. #1 - Always cast the right actor for the right job. #2 - No star is indispensable. #3 - Stay within your budget.

Bob Hope enters Lucy's office and sings "Thanks For the Memory," his signature song. Hope also sang the song when he guest starred on "I Love Lucy" in 1956. Like Johnny Carson, he breaks the fourth wall, holding his hand to his ear to solicit more exit applause.

Bob Hope's home network was NBC for nearly all of his TV career. When Hope guest-starred as himself on CBS's "I Love Lucy" in 1956, his last line was "I may never go back to NBC."

During all of Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon's onscreen collaborations, this is the first and only time he has been called Gale, although Ball always went by the name Lucy.

Doris Singleton plays Wanda Clark, who was the real-life personal secretary to Lucille Ball. Clark was not an actress, but did a cameo on "Here's Lucy" in 1969. In all four of Doris Singleton's appearances on "Here's Lucy" she played secretaries.

The second half hour of the special begins in San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, where Lucy and Gale have traveled to sign Donald O'Connor. Interestingly, the first three notes of the background piano music in the hotel showroom are the same as the NBC chimes.

Donald O'Connor performs "Singin' in the Rain." The song was previously heard in a 1971 episode of "Here's Lucy."

Donald O'Connor performs "Real Live Girl," a song from the 1962 Broadway musical "Little Me" by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, the same team that wrote Lucille Ball's only Broadway musical "Wildcat" in 1960. The song was also sung on a 1968 episode of "The Lucy Show" by guest-star Sid Caesar, who introduced it on Broadway.

Lucy wants to cast Gloria DeHaven as Donald O'Connor's wife on her new series. The two played husband and wife in the 1949 Universal film "Yes Sir, That's My Baby." O'Connor and DeHaven had been friends as children and that was the first of two films they were in together, the other being "Out to Sea" nearly 50 years later. They also played a married couple on a 1986 episode of "The Love Boat." In 1980, DeHaven made guest star appearances on NBC's "BJ and the Bear" and "Hello, Larry."

At the first table read for Lucy's new sitcom pilot it is said that Lucy's new series is titled "The Music Mart" and it stars Donald O'Connor as former big band musician Wally Coogan, Gloria DeHaven as his wife Carol, Scotty Plummer as his son Scotty, Micki McKenzie as Lola, Ivery Wheeler as Ivery, Lucille Ball as Sister Hitchcock, and Gale Gordon as Mr. Tetley. It takes place primarily at Coogan's Music Mart, a music store in Burbank. The table read scene dissolves to the actual show.

Ivery mentions Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye, which will also be mentioned by Gale Gordon on "Life With Lucy" in 1986.

During the scene between Scotty and credit officer Mr. Tetley, Lucille Ball's distinctive laugh can clearly be heard in the background.

Al dumps a box of toupees out to decide which one to wear onstage at the rally. Carol likes one he calls "his Robert Redford" but Wally says it makes him look more like Barbra Streisand.

Lucy's character name in her pilot is probably a tribute to director Alfred Hitchcock, who frequently did cameo appearances in his films.