The Ricardos Change Apartments

"" episode
"The Ricardos Change Apartments"
	Season 2, Episode #26 ; #61 in Series
Series:
Network:
Air date:	May 18, 1953
Written by:	Bob Carroll Jr.; Madelyn Pugh; Jess Oppenheimer
Directed by:	William Asher
Production code:	2-26 / 061
	Episode guide
IMDB	The Ricardos Change Apartments
Episode chronology
"Lucy's Last Birthday"	"Lucy Is Matchmaker"

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/SwitchApartments.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/CrowdedToys.jpg

The Ricardos Change Apartments was the 61st episode of I Love Lucy, also the 26th episode aired in Season 2 of the series. The episode, was directed by William Asher, originally aired on CBS-TV on May 18, 1953.

Synopsis[]

Lucy tries everything to convince Ricky to let them move to a bigger apartment. Lucy thinks they need a bigger apartment, but Ricky doesn't think that they can't afford one.

Plot[]

Lucy is trying her best to find a place for everything now that she also has to put away all of Little Ricky's things. Her solution is to stuff toys and other paraphernalia anywhere they might fit, whether that is under couch cushions or in the desk drawers. Ricky is annoyed with how all of his stuff has been moved to ridiculous places, but Lucy says that this is the only way she can cope with such a cramped living space.

Ethel announces that nearby neighbor Mrs. Benson has been crying for days, now that her daughter got married and moved out. Lucy realizes that the Bensons' apartment has an extra room that they don't need now, a room that Little Ricky could use. Lucy wants to switch apartment with the Bensons, but Ricky stops her in the middle of her creative plan. He figures that the Bensons' apartment must cost more money per month if it's bigger, and Ethel confirms that the Bensons' apartment does indeed cost $20 a month more than the Ricardos' apartment.

Lucy tries to persuade Ricky to switch apartments by overcrowding the living room with a bunch of new toys, and Ricky can barely walk around! When that doesn't work, she and Ethel go and talk to Mrs. Benson about switching. Mrs. Benson likes the idea, and she knows her husband will like paying $20 a month less, but she doesn't have time to switch apartments today. Lucy says that some of her best friends are professional movers, and she ropes Ethel and Fred into switching all of the furniture in the two apartments. Lucy barely helps, making the Mertzes do most of the work.

When they've finished switching apartments, the trio go to the drugstore for some celebratory ice cream. When they return home, they find that all of the furniture in the two apartments has been switched back to the original layout! Ricky announces that he wanted to surprise Lucy and have the apartments switched without her knowing, but that he guesses the movers didn't have time to do the job today. Little does Ricky know that the movers WERE there and spoiled all of the work that was just done only hours before!

Trivia[]

In her crowded apartment, Lucy has to keep the sugar in the bathroom.
Mrs. Benson thinks that her new son-in-law is a nincompoop.
Little Ricky's crib is just sitting in the corner of the Ricardos' bedroom. With the Bensons' apartment, Little Ricky gets a private nursery room. They also gain a living room window by taking the Bensons' apartment.
Lucy's new apartment is 3B, but the number will change in episode #72.
Ethel needed to borrow sugar from Lucy so she could bake a cake.

Starring[]

Credited cast:

Guest starring[]

Norma Varden ... as Mrs. Benson
Richard and Ronald Lee Simmons ... Little Ricky Ricardo