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"I Love Lucy" episode
"Lucy Hires an English Tutor"
Season 2, Episode #13
#48 in Series
Series: I Love Lucy
Network: CBS-TV
Air date: December 29, 1952
Written by: Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Davis & Jess Oppenheimer
Guest stars: Hans Conried
Directed by: William Asher
Production code: 2x13 / 048
Episode guide
IMDb logo IMDB Lucy Hires an English Tutor
Episode chronology
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"Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song" "Ricky Has Labor Pains"

Lucy Hires an English Tutor was the 48th overall episode of I Love Lucy, also the 13th episode of Season 2 of the series, which first aired Dececmber 29, 1952 on CBS-TV. The episode was co-written by Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Davis and Jess Oppenheimer and directed by William Asher.

"Lucy Hires an English Tutor"
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Full Credits Transcripts More Images

Synopsis[]

Lucy is prompted to start studying and reading, to smarten herself up for her new baby, because she wants her baby to hear nothing but perfect English.


Did You Know?[]

Trivia[]

  • Mr. Livermore's name is Percy.
  • Ricky's alma mater is Havana U.
  • According to the baby T-shirt Ricky bought, the Ricardos' baby would have graduated from college as part of the class of 1974.
  • Only one place in all of New York sells papaya juice milkshakes. This place really existed at the time, located on 91st Street and Columbus Ave. The milkshakes are best enjoyed with a juicy dill pickle.
  • Lucy fans will recognize the actor who played Mr. Livermore as also playing Dan Jenkins, the secondhand furniture salesman, in "Redecorating."
  • Ricky tells Mr. Livermore that Lucy's going to have a baby in "Feb-ri-ary." But Little Ricky's birthdate ends up being January 19, 1953, not sometime in February.
  • Hans Conried, here as Percy Livermore, appeared in an earlier 1952 story line "Redecorating" as the used furniture salesman Mr. Jenkins, who makes his profit by selling the Ricardos' furniture back to them.

Scene excerpt[]

Quotes

  • Lucy: I would say, "Okay, that's a swell way to get off to a lousy start!"
  • Percy Livermore: Mr. Ricardo, wherever did you acquire that odd pronounciation [of your vowels]?
  • Ricky: I went to school in Cuba. What's your excuse?

  • Percy Livermore: When I tippy tippy toe through my garden, Where all the pretty flowers dwell, There's a rare perfume in my garden And I just love to stand there and smell. And as I tippy tippy toe along, All the pretty flowers seem to sing this song.
  • Ricky: Derry down pip pip
  • Lucy: Dilly dilly day
  • Ethel: Hey nonny nonny
  • Fred: Rippity pippity yay
  • Fred: Derry down ding dong
  • Ethel: Dilly dilly do
  • Lucy: Hey nonny nonny
  • Ricky: Rippity pippity poo

  • Lucy: I would say "okay", that's a swell way to get off to a lousy start!

  • Percy Livermore: We must rid our speech of slang. Now, besides "OK", I want you all to promise me that there are two words that you will never use. One of these is "swell" and the other one is "lousy".
  • Lucy: OK, what are they?
  • Percy Livermore: [with emphasis] One of them is "swell" and the other one is "lousy".
  • Fred: Well, give us the lousy one first.

Cast (in Credits Order)[]

Main Cast[]

Guest starring[]

  • Hans Conried as Percy Livermore

More external links[]

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