I Love Lucy — The Operetta

I Love Lucy has been charming television viewers since 1951. An all-time favorite episode — The Operetta — has wacky Lucy Ricardo borrowing money from her woman’s club treasury. Then the group needs the money to stage an operetta. To save the $100 royalty fee, Lucy writes her own musical — The Pleasant Peasant — a love story about Lily of the Valley (Ethel) and Prince Lancelot (Ricky) whose love is thwarted by the gypsy queen, Camille (Lucy). Lucy rents costumes and scenery using a postdated check, assuming the money will be available in the club account after the show. The show is interrupted by moving men repossessing sets and costumes and Lucy is carried off stage, singing and slapping her tambourine.