QUIZ: How Much Do You Actually Know About ‘I Love Lucy?’

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I Love Lucy was an iconic ’50s sitcom starring the feisty red-headed Lucille Ball as Lucy, a trouble-making housewife who gets herself into wacky situations much to the annoyance of her husband. Audiences just couldn’t get enough of Lucy’s on-screen antics and I Love Lucy was the most-watched in the United States in four of its six seasons. And while the show may have ended in 1957, it is frequently replayed on modern TV networks, even today. The show is loved by many, but how much do you actually know about I Love Lucy?

Before I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball starred in a radio sitcom. What was it called?

Retry Correct Incorrect In My Favorite Husband, Lucille Ball played the wife of a bank vice president. The writers on this show went on to write I Love Lucy and based a number of episodes on the radio show’s script.

Fred and Lucy
The Lucille Ball Show
My Favorite Husband
The Housewife

During an iconic episode, Lucy and Ethel got jobs at a chocolate factory? Why did they want to get jobs?

Retry Correct Incorrect Ethel and Lucy bet their husbands that housework was harder than having a job.

It was a bet
They really loved chocolate
They wanted independence
They needed money to go shopping

Who was the first choice actress to play Ethel Mertz?

Retry Correct Incorrect Bea Benederet co-starred on Lucille Ball’s radio series but couldn’t play Ethel because she was busy with The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.

Jayne Mansfield
Vivian Vance
Ruby Dee
Bea Benaderet

Where does Ricky Ricardo, Lucy’s Husband, work?

Retry Correct Incorrect Ricky is a bandleader at the Tropicana, where Lucy constantly tries to perform.

The Ceasar
The Sands
The Bellagio
The Tropicana

Which character coined the phrase “Lucy, I’m home?”

Retry Correct Incorrect Ricky Ricardo! This phrase became a hallmark of the series.

Lucy Ricardo
Ethel Mertz
Fred Mertz
Ricky Ricardo

In one episode, Lucy wears a fake nose. Why?

Retry Correct Incorrect Lucy wore a fake nose because she didn’t want William Holden to spot her!

It was a disguise
She was mocking Ricky
She was chasing away Ricky’s agent
She was playing a joke

In the episode where Lucy stomps grapes, how did her fight start with her grape-smashing partner?

Retry Correct Incorrect Lucy shoved grapes in her face, starting an all-out war.

Lucy shoved grapes in her face
Lucy tripped her
She talked poorly about Ethel
She tripped Lucy

I Love Lucy ran for six years, but how many episodes were released?

Retry Correct Incorrect There were 179 episodes of the sitcom.

179
187
45
100

Why did Lucille Ball decide to play Lucy in the series?

Retry Correct Incorrect Lucille Ball took the job because she had a dream where Carole Lombard, a dear friend of hers who died in a plane crash, recommended she give TV a shot, even if it was a risk.

She had a dream about it
She had no other options for work
It was good money
She loved the script

Which word was banned in the series by CBS network censors?

Retry Correct Incorrect When Lucy was pregnant with Little Ricky, she was not allowed to say the word “pregnant.” Instead, CBS network censors made her say “expecting.”

Pot
Crabapples
Pregnant
Landlord

Which cast members hated each other in real life?

Retry Correct Incorrect Vivian Vance and William Frawley deeply hated each other and were forced to show affection on screen.

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance
Vivian Vance and William Frawley
Jerry Hausner and Desi Arnaz

Which episode has the longest recorded laugh?

Retry Correct Incorrect In “Lucy Does the Tango,” Lucy is doing the tango with eggs in her shirt. This 65-second laugh sequence is the largest prolonged laugh on the whole show.

“Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drums”
“Job Switching”
“Lucy Does a TV Commercial”
“Lucy Does the Tango”

What was the name of Ricky’s Hollywood movie?

Retry Correct Incorrect The title was never revealed. Ricky went to Hollywood to make Don Juan, but the project was cancelled. Instead, he worked on a different project, which remained nameless.

Two If By Sea
Don Juan
Blood Alley
The title wasn’t revealed

Why did William Frawley and Vivian Vance never get a spin off like Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz?

Retry Correct Incorrect Frawley and Vance hated each other so much, that when plans to make a Mertz spin-off was presented by the network, both parties declined.

Frawley and Vance hated each other
Ethel and Fred Mertz weren’t deemed funny enough
The network ran out of money
Contract disputes

Which TV series beat out I Love Lucy for the title of TV Guide’s Greatest TV Show of All Time?

Retry Correct Incorrect Seinfeld was the only TV show to beat out I Love Lucy. Seinfeld came in first place, and I Love Lucy was second.

None. It was number one.
All in the Family
Friends
Seinfeld

What was Ethel’s full name?

Retry Correct Incorrect Ethel had the very lengthy name of Ethel Louise Roberta Mae Potter Mertz.

Ethel Louise Roberta Mae Potter Mertz
Ethel Rose Mertz
Ethel Miriam Mertz
Ethel Rose Potter Mertz

What did Vivian Vance say was the strangest part of her contract with I Love Lucy?

Retry Correct Incorrect Vivian Vance claimed her contract said she had to always weigh 10 lbs more than Lucille Ball. It was never confirmed, but both Vance and Ball joked about it on talk shows.

Her cash advance upon signing
She had to weigh 10 lbs more than Lucille Ball
She would have to share a dressing room with Lucy
She must lose 10 lbs

What type of bed did Lucy and Ricky sleep in during most of the show?

Retry Correct Incorrect Lucy and Ricky slept in separated twin-sized beds for most of the series. After little Ricky was born, CBS suggested pulling the two beds apart (which were originally pushed together on the same box spring) to avoid any saucy connotations.

Separated twin-sized beds
A California king
Two twin-sized beds pushed together
A water bed

Who was the first choice to play Fred Mertz?

Retry Correct Incorrect Gale Gordon was the first choice, but he was not available. The second choice, James Gleason, was also unavailable, so they settled on William Frawley.

William Frawley
Marlon Brando
Gale Gordon
James Gleason

How many times does Frank Nelson appear on I Love Lucy?

Retry Correct Incorrect Frank Nelson had worked with Lucille Ball on her radio series and appeared in 11 episodes of I Love Lucy. He played quizmaster Freddie Fillmore, the Train Conductor, a Connecticut neighbor, and more.

10 times
11 times
5 times
6 times

Why didn’t CBS want Lucille Ball’s real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, to play her husband on the show?

Retry Correct Incorrect CBS initially thought that American viewers would accept the average housewife being married to a “foreign” man.

They wanted someone more famous.
He demanded too much money.
It wasn’t believable.
They couldn’t understand him.

What was one of the reasons Ball insisted that Arnaz be cast?

Retry Correct Incorrect Arnaz already had a career touring the country with his rhumba band, so Ball wanted him on the show so he could stay home more often.

She wouldn’t kiss someone that wasn’t her husband.
She wanted to keep him off the road.
She was feuding with other male actors.
She secretly wanted his salary from the show.

Most TV shows in the ’50s were broadcast in New York, but how did Arnaz convince sponsor Philip Morris to let them film in Los Angeles?

Retry Correct Incorrect Arnaz told Morris that he and Ball would take pay cuts and own the footage that was sent to New York so long as they got to film in LA.

He gave Morris an offer he couldn’t refuse.
He flew Morris to LA and showed him the time of his life.
He insisted the weather was better in LA.
He never did. They just did what they wanted.

Wait, who was Philip Morris?

Retry Correct Incorrect Because tobacco giant Philip Morris was the sponsor, his name was worked into the dialogue and there was a lot of smoking on the show.

Tobacco king from the East Coast
An actor
The owner of CBS
A studio executive

How tall was Desi Arnaz?

Retry Correct Incorrect In real life Arnaz was actually 5’9″ but he wore four-inch lifts so he could be taller than Ball when she wore heels. There was even extra padding on their loveseat so he could sit taller than her.

6’0″
5’9″
5’11”
5’7″

Who sat in on every taping of the episodes where Ball is pregnant?

Retry Correct Incorrect Arnaz hired a Catholic priest, a minister, and a rabbi to sit in on tapings to determine if there was anything objectionable.

All of these
Catholic priest
Rabbi
Minister

When she was pregnant, what word(s) did they never say on the show?

Retry Correct Incorrect CBS thought that “pregnant” was too vulgar so whenever they referred to it on the show, they said “expecting” instead.

With child
Fat
Expecting
Pregnant

In “Ricky has Labor Pains,” what food does Lucy send Ricky out to get?

Retry Correct Incorrect Lucy ends up mixing the two together which makes Ricky sick, but he can’t get enough of it after he tastes it.

Chips and Salsa
Sardines and Ice Cream
Potato Chips and Ice Cream
Peanut Butter and Pickles

In “Lucy Goes to the Hospital,” what does everyone forget after Lucy says “It’s time”?

Retry Correct Incorrect Although they were prepared for the birth, everyone scrambled when Lucy was actually going into labor, so much so that they left her behind in the apartment.

Their coats
Lucy
Where the hospital is
The hospital bag

The show wrote in plots to go along with Ball’s pregnancy, but what was the one thing nobody knew until she gave birth?

Retry Correct Incorrect The Arnazes did not know the gender of the baby until Desi Arnaz Jr. was born. Coincidentally, one of the writers had rightly predicted it and already wrote it into the show.

That Ball would have the baby on the show
That Ball would need a C-section
The gender
The due date

Why did Fred frequently have his hands in his pockets?

Retry Correct Incorrect William Frawley struggled with alcoholism and was told to stay sober or get fired. He hid his hand in his pockets so no one could see him suffering from withdrawals.

He had a skin condition
His hands were cold
He didn’t know what to do with them
He was hiding the fact that he was trembling

Who played Litte Ricky on I Love Lucy?

Retry Correct Incorrect Many people think that Little Ricky on the show was Lucy and Desi’s son in real life, but he wasn’t. However, Keith was really good friends with Desi Jr.

Ron Howard
Richard Keith
Jerry Mathers
Desi Arnaz Jr.

What rumor would Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball joke about often?

Retry Correct Incorrect There’s a rumor surrounding Vance’s contract that says she was required to maintain a weight that was ten pounds heavier than Ball.

Vance was actually married to Arnaz
Vance had to be ten pounds heavier than Ball
Vance was Ball’s older sister
They hated each other in real life

Who does Lucy dress up as for one of Little Ricky’s birthday parties?

Retry Correct Incorrect When Lucy is unable to hire a Superman for the party, she dresses up as him herself but ends up stuck on a ledge.

Superman
Ed Sullivan
Racecar Driver
Batman

In Season 1, when Ricky and Fred are trying to be discreet about an upcoming show, what do the girls think is going on with them?

Retry Correct Incorrect Never mind the fact that Desi and Fred would’ve been too old to get drafted…

They are cheating with other women
They are drafted into the military
Fred is terminally ill
They are having an affair with each other

In “Building a Bar-B-Q,” where does Lucy find her lost wedding ring?

Retry Correct Incorrect Ricky actually took the ring to teach Lucy a lesson and ended up losing the ring in the raw burger meat.

In the cement used to build the barbecue
In a cake
In the trash
In a hamburger

In Season 6, what does Lucy get her head stuck in?

Retry Correct Incorrect Lucy put the trophy on her head to spite Ricky after he expressed that he didn’t like her new hat.

A turkey
A hole in the wall
A trophy
A fish bowl

In Season 4, the gang visits Ethel’s hometown, which is where?

Retry Correct Incorrect Vivian Vance actually moved to Albuquerque in her younger years to find work as an actress.

Albuquerque, New Mexico
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Phoenix, Arizona
Omaha, Nebraska

What kind of animal does Lucy try to raise in Season 6?

Retry Correct Incorrect When a baby chick is loose in the house, Lucy acts like its mother to get it to come out of hiding.

A Hamster
Pigs
Chickens
Puppies

In Season 1’s “Lucy Plays Cupid,” who is Lucy trying to set up?

Retry Correct Incorrect The grocer mistakenly thinks that Lucy is the one that likes him and she gets herself into some trouble, of course.

Fred and Ethel
Ricky’s manager and her neighbor
Her neighbor and the grocer
Two old college friends

Congrats, you finished! Here are your results:

Retry Better get a time machine and study up. It’s back to the chocolate factory for you! Not bad. Ricky approves. Hoorah! You’ve made I Love Lucy fans proud.

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