Lucy and the Monkey

S5;E12 ~ December 5, 1966

Synopsis

Mary Jane warns an over-worked and over-tired Lucy that she could start having hallucinations.  Meanwhile, Mr. Mooney gets a visit from his old college friend, who has a monkey for a show business partner. Lucy goes to a psychiatrist when she sees the monkey and thinks it is Mr. Mooney!

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis)

Guest Cast

Hal March (Robert Bailey) was first seen on “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Fakes Illness” (ILL S1;E16) using his own name to play an actor who impersonates a doctor.  He was then lingerie salesman Eddie Grant in  “Lucy is Matchmaker” (ILL S2;E27).  In 1967 he was seen with Lucille Ball in the film A Guide for the Married Man. March and Ball were close friends.  This is their final appearance together.

Lew Parker (Dr. Parker) is probably best remembered as the father of Ann Marie, Marlo Thomas' character on TV's “That Girl” (1966-71). This is the first of his five appearances on “The Lucy Show” and he will return for two episodes of “Here's Lucy.” He appeared on Broadway in musicals from 1928 to 1972. 

Janos Prohaska (Max the Monkey) was an actor, stunt man, and animal imitator who is probably best remembered as the talking cookie-mad bear on “The Andy Williams Show” (1969) although due to his thick Hungarian accent, his voice was dubbed.  He returned to play animals in three episodes of “Here's Lucy.”  Prohaska died in a plane crash in 1974.

This is the first of two episodes written by Sam Locke and Joel Rapp. Both returned to pen “Lucy and the Pool Hustler” (S6;E13).  The writers get a lot of mileage out of the adage “Trying to make a monkey out of me,” which implies that someone is being made a fool of.

This episode is sometimes referred to as “Mooney the Monkey.”  The title uses the word “monkey” but the animal in question looks like a very large chimpanzee. Perhaps because of the actor's size, it was purposely left vague which species of primate it is. On “Here's Lucy” Lucy Carter has an encounter with a (fictional) “garboona,” a cross between a gorilla and a baboon, also played by Janos Prohaska.  

This is not the first time simian characters have been seen on “The Lucy Show.” Actor George Barrows was inside the gorilla costume in “Lucy and the Monsters” (S3;E18), “Lucy and Art Linkletter” (S4;E16), and “Lucy Goes to a Hollywood Premiere” (S4;E20, above).  In “Lucy the Babysitter” (S5;E16) Lucy Carmichael takes care of several chimpanzees, but this time they are live animals, not actors in costume!

Mr. Mooney once again has a telephone conversation with his boss, bank President Mr. Cheever, a character that has been referred to for nearly a year, but not yet seen.  When he appears two episodes from now, he will be played by Roy Roberts.  

Lucy is asked to sell tickets for the Bank's Benefit “for a very worthy cause.” There was also a Bank Benefit in “Lucy and Paul Winchell” (S5;E4).  Winchell rightfully questioned why a bank needed a benefit.  We never learn what the “very worthy cause” is.  We also never see the benefit show itself to find out what Bob and Max do in their act.

Mr. Mooney asks Lucy for “the Gordon Reports,” an obvious reference to the actor's own surname.  

Mary Jane says she has a cousin named Barbara who suffered a nervous break down and developed hallucinations.

Mr. Mooney once again mentions that his wife is away with her “commando troop.”  In “Lucy the Robot” (S4;E23) the famously unseen Irma Mooney went to her commando troop's reunion.  This seems to be the excuse for Mrs. Mooney not appearing in scenes taking place in her own home. Mr. Mooney never says exactly what a “commando troop” is or what Mrs. Mooney does as part of it.

Hal March (Bob Bailey) gets entrance applause from the studio audience, but it is likely due to his showy entrance singing and dancing rather than his star status.

Bob Bailey wants to take Max the Monkey to lunch at the Brown Derby, but he isn't wearing a tie!  The Hollywood Brown Derby was famously visited by Lucy Ricardo in “Hollywood at Last!” (ILL S4;E16) and by Lucy Carter in “Lucy and Johnny Carson” (HL S2;E11). 

A worried and befuddled Lucy asks Mary Jane how to spell “psychiatrist” - with a “p” or an “s”?  On “I Love Lucy,” Cuban-born Ricky pronounced it “Fee-suh-kee-uh-tryst” and was shocked to learn that it  was spelled with a “p”.  

To decorate the psychiatrist's office, “The Lucy Show” props department created medical diplomas with “Dr. Lew Parker” on them.  These are readable over Lucy's shoulder in the medium shots. They also created a plaque with Dr. Parker's favorite saying: 

FACE YOUR FEAR AND IT WILL DISAPPEAR

Lucy at first thinks Parker's favorite psychiatrist is Freud, but it is actually himself. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) is arguably the most famous psychotherapist to have every lived.  He developed what is commonly known as “talk therapy.” Visually, he had a goatee beard and carried a cigar, an image that today can infer 'psychiatrist' all on its own.

This is the second time we have seen the living room of Mr. Mooney's home. The first was in “Lucy the Robot” (S4;E23). In that episode, however, there was a giant black and white framed photo of Mr. Mooney over the fireplace. 

Lucy (as Major Fun Fun) and Wendell (Jay North) threw eggs at it in that episode. Here it has been replaced by a landscape painting.

Mr. Mooney calls Max a “simian Socrates.” Socrates was an ancient Greek Philosopher born around 470BC.  Mr. Mooney is likely inferring that Max is intelligent and has powers of reason.  

Like Mr. Mooney, Max the Monkey reads the Wall Street Journal! The newspaper is considered the bible of the business world. It was first published in 1889 and is still around today.

Lucy questions Dr. Parker's methods, citing the “hypocritical oath!” The Hippocratic Oath is historically taken by new physician to uphold specific ethical standards.

Once again Mr. Mooney uses a punch line that concludes with a reference to Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, a 1903 children’s novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin that tells the story of Rebecca Randall and her cheerful optimism in the face of adversity.  The book (and subsequent film) was first mentioned in “Lucy and the Winter Sports” (S3;E3) and again in “Lucy and Bob Crane” (S4;E22).

When Max the Monkey grabs up all Lucy's Bank Benefit tickets, she quips “Maybe he'll take Tarzan and Jane.”  She is referring to the Lord of the Jungle, Tarzan, and his mate Jane, the subjects of a 1914 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs.  The characters have been the inspiration for dozens of films, television shows, and stage productions. Carol Burnett did her version of “the Tarzan yell” in two previous “Lucy Show” episodes.

Callbacks!

Lucy Ricardo saw a psychiatrist in “The Kleptomaniac” (ILL S1;E27, above) and “The Inferiority Complex” (ILL S2;E18).

On the shelf in Dr. Parker’s office is one of the title props from “Lucy and the Ceramic Cat” (TLS S3;E16). 

Blooper Alerts!

Sitcom Silliness!  Lucy's hallucinations would have to be more serious than that as she could actually touch the monkey as well.  She also fails to notice that the monkey never speaks.  

“Lucy and the Monkey” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5