Lucy Photos of the Week

Lucy and Ethel, tired of seeing their husbands wearing old clothes, decide to fight fire with fire and dress like slobs themselves. Too bad an important press-photographer is coming to take their pictures!

"Changing the Boys Wardrobe," episode #76 of I Love Lucy, was filmed by Desilu 49 years ago this week, on Thursday, November 5, 1953. It was telecast by CBS four weeks later, on December 7th. Among the guest-cast in this episode -- appearing as the photographer -- was Lee Millar, son of character actress Verna Felton.

Lucy writers Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh reportedly got the idea for this episode from Jess's private life: he loved to spend his weekends relaxing in his oldest clothes, only to have his wife Estelle cringe every time he went out in public. Unfortunately, it is one of the few Lucy shows built on a personal-idiosyncrasy that does not reverberate throughout the series... Ricky and Fred were seldom shoddily dressed! Fred appeared in his workman's overalls now and again, and Ricky appeared in casual clothes -- but neither ever wore the ratty blue jeans and plaid shirts mentioned here. If anything, Ricky (with his fancy smoking jackets) and Fred (with his suits and ties) were always OVER-dressed for a typical household situation.

But it's a fun show anyway!