Lucy Writes a Novel

Lucy Writes a Novel is the ninetieth filmed episode of I Love Lucy. It debuted on CBS on Monday, April 12, 1954 at 9:00 pm.
Plot summary
After reading an article about a housewife who made $10,000 for writing a novel in her spare time, Lucy decides to try her hand at this. She writes a story based on the lives of herself and Ricky and the Mertzes, entitling it Real Gone With the Wind. Although she tells them that they are all featured in the story (with the heroine being a housewife who's a natural redhead), she refuses to allow them or anyone else see the story.
The curiosity of Ricky and the Mertzes builds up to the point of impatience and desperation, and they search all over the apartment for the manuscript while Lucy is out. When they finally find it hidden in a rolled-up windowshade, they are not pleased with the descriptions of "Fred and Ethel Nertz" and "Nicky Nicardo." Ethel is described as a mother figure. Fred is called a "funny old coot" with the addition of, "He was really a nice person if you had the time and energy to look beneath his rough and grumpy exterior. The best thing about Fred was that when you met him you understood why Ethel was like she was." "Nicky" is an unknown bongo-player and singer who becomes a very famous Latin entertainer ("His voice charmed millions. His guitar-playing made women swoon. So it was a small wonder that he turned into such a big ham you could stuff him with cloves.").
When Lucy returns home, they tell her that they threw her book in the fire (Ethel: "We pulled down the kitchen blind and changed the name of your novel to Forever Embers.") But Lucy was clever enough to make several copies of the book and reveals that she hid them in places that no one ever thought to look (taped on the bottom of the living room furniture). Lucy sends copies of her work to various publishers, despite Ricky and the Mertzes' threat to sue her for libel.
Days go by and no publisher responds. Suddenly one day, she receives an advance royalty check for $100 from a publisher called Dorrance & Company. She successfully convinces Ricky and the Mertzes not to sue her by offering them a share of the profits. Lucy is now prompted to start writing a sequel entitled Sugar Cane Mutiny.
Soon thereafter, the responding publisher, Mr. Dorrance, informs Lucy that his secretary made a mistake and they're not interested in Lucy's book.
Inconsolable Lucy tears up all the copies in total disgust and despair and decides to forget writing altogether. However, a few days later, Mr.
Dorrance phones her, telling her that a publisher/author named Mel Eaton is interested in her novel. Lucy and Ricky and Ethel immediately run down to the basement of the apartment building, where Fred is burning the garbage. They frantically retrieve the garbage bag and find the torn pages of Lucy's novel and tape them back together. Lucy ends up staying up for the entire night, retyping it.
All seems to end well... until Lucy receives a phone call from Mel Eaton the next morning. Mr. Eaton explains that he does not want to publish Lucy's work but wants to use portions of it in a textbook that he's writing on how to write a novel. Lucy's ego is injured for a second time when Mr. Eaton tells her that her work will be featured in a chapter entitled "Don't Let This Happen to You".

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu