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I Love Lucy Season 4 Review

The fourth season of I Love Lucy is another excellent season of this great sitcom. It has a pretty good count of fantastic episodes.

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“He’s put his foot down so many times,

I feel like I’m married to a Cuban centipede“

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The Business Manager is one of those terrific episodes that are all about Lucy’s business sense and ingenuity. Just seeing her basically invent a business of get other people’s groceries was hilarious. It’s the most elaborate episode of the season for sure. Mertz and Kurtz is utterly forgettable, but Lucy Cries Wolf is a classic. Lucille Ball’s prowess at physical comedy was on full display here, especially in the final robbery stretch. It’s a situational comedy masterpiece.

The Matchmaker is perfectly solid, though not really as funny as it thinks it is. Mr. and Mrs. TV Show has a great premise, but it needed a more authentic execution. Ricky’s Movie Offer and Ricky’s Screen Test are both serviceable episodes, though far from great. But they are important for setting up this season’s Hollywood storyline.

Lucy’s Mother-In-Law is wonderful. It is great seeing an episode that focuses on the Spanish language and Lucy’s failed attempts at it. Ethel’s Birthday is fun and this season’s bigger emphasis on her character was lovely to witness. Ricky’s Contract is pretty solid, but the season was too focused on Ricky’s professional life, which is an issue the entire show has.

Getting Ready and Lucy Learns to Drive are both hilarious episodes centered on driving. Both benefit from excellent physical humor. California, Here We Come! is an important episode that finally takes the two families out of NYC. First Stop is a tremendous traveling episode that sees the families reside in a terrible room for the night. The gags with the beds are so good. I wish more episodes took them outside like this one.

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Tennessee Bound marks the return of cousin Ernie and he is just as annoying as he was before. Ethel’s Home Town is so great. Seeing Ethel’s backstory was lovely and all the scenes with her father are both funny and heartwarming. L.A. at Last is so energetic and fun with the highlight being the scenes with William Holden. He was so charming here and the show becoming this ambitious and expensive after its previous constrained seasons was exactly what it needed at this point in its run.

Don Juan and the Starlets is forgettable. Lucy Gets Into Pictures is the tired narrative of Lucy being cast in a movie. The Fashion Show is interesting and different, but hardly hilarious. The Hedda Hopper Story is at its best in the finale. The whole plan was so funny and how it backfired was hilarious. Again, the change in scenery and the addition of celebrities really elevated this season.

Don Juan Is Shelved and Bull Fight Dance are both rather forgettable, but Hollywood Anniversary is the best Lucy/Ricky episode of the season. It is funny and romantic at the same time. The Star Upstairs benefits from Lucille Ball’s stupendous comic timing, especially in the second half. In Palm Springs is only memorable for the Rock Hudson cameo.

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The Dancing Star is repetitive, but Harpo Marx was a lot of fun. Seeing Harpo here was so great and he fitted the episode very well. His scene with Lucy was hilarious. Ricky Needs an Agent is at its best when Lucy is acting like her husband’s agent. The whole episode was perfectly paced and timed. The Tour was also very well structured and fun throughout, but the first half at the bus was the best thing about it.