<p>“^^Oh dear not know I Love Lucy?? TaiTai, youve convinced me to show at least one episode to my 9th grade students this year. There are probably a lot of kids like your son, and its a piece of Americana that needs to be preserved and passed on.”</p>
<p>Bayberry: We are not American which is probably why my son didn’t know anything about her. I grew up with her. Her shows were on television worldwide (probably a few years later than in the US, but such was life in my early days).</p>
<p>Bayberry, what a great history lesson for your students w/r/t social attitudes of the times. I imagine a lot of them will be amazed at the division of labor in 1950s marriages. “Job Switching” would be a great episode to spark a discussion, and it’s probably one of the funniest, as well.</p>
<p>A lot of shows have done the “we’re having a baby” thing. I think the episode where Lucy goes to the hospital, and Ricky and the Mertzes fall all over themselves getting out the door (while leaving Lucy behind), is the funniest possible take on it. I don’t really like the second half of the episode, with Ricky in the zombie (or whatever it is) makeup. But even that’s a history lesson - remember when fathers had to wait down the hall while women were in labor?</p>
<p>frazzled, you are right, you see how much times have changed. I’m always startled when I hear Fred refer to 1918 or some date like that. Reminds you that this truly is another era.</p>
<p>They called Lucy’s character on TV “expectant” not “pregnant” - more signs of the times. She only got to act while actually pregnant because she had a business interest in the production company herself. Another first: filmed before a live studio audience with 3 cameras.</p>
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<p>What’s even more startling to me is that William Frawley, the actor who played Fred, was born in the 1800’s (late 1880’s I believe).</p>