:eek: In the episode Lucy Gets Caught In The Draft, How in the world did the gaffe with Lucy reading a letter from her son Jimmy, instead of Jerry, just slip by everyone in production? I can see Lucy making that mistake since Jerry was played by Jimmy Garrett, but how did it get by everyone else. I would think they would have had a re-take!!:eek:

:eek: In the episode Lucy Gets Caught In The Draft, How in the world did the gaffe with Lucy reading a letter from her son Jimmy, instead of Jerry, just slip by everyone in production? I can see Lucy making that mistake since Jerry was played by Jimmy Garrett, but how did it get by everyone else. I would think they would have had a re-take!!:eek:

The story I heard is that it didn't get past everybody else. I've never seen the actual script, but I've been told that the original draft said "Jerry," not "Jimmy," but Lucy scratched out "Jerry" and changed it to "Jimmy." When she was told Jerry was the name of the character, she insisted the name was Jimmy (obviously confusing the actor's name with the character's name) and the matter was quickly dropped. Perhaps with the pressure of running a studio while at the same time running her own show, she had too much on her mind and could be forgetful. But nobody had the guts to stand up to Lucille Ball and tell her when she was wrong. It seems Vivian Vance was the only one who could get away with doing that. Of course, she wasn't around anymore by this point.

The story I heard is that it didn't get past everybody else. I've never seen the actual script, but I've been told that the original draft said "Jerry," not "Jimmy," but Lucy scratched out "Jerry" and changed it to "Jimmy." When she was told Jerry was the name of the character, she insisted the name was Jimmy (obviously confusing the actor's name with the character's name) and the matter was quickly dropped. Perhaps with the pressure of running a studio while at the same time running her own show, she had too much on her mind and could be forgetful. But nobody had the guts to stand up to Lucille Ball and tell her when she was wrong. It seems Vivian Vance was the only one who could get away with doing that. Of course, she wasn't around anymore by this point.

Yes, The Lucy Book by Geoffrey Mark Fidelman has this exact story. This error was no one's fault but Lucille Ball's. No one was able to stand up to her to correct her own error by then.

I've also heard that Lucille claimed she did this as her own way of saying hi to Jimmy Garrett.

I always knew that Lucy Carmichael was a scatterbrain, but to forget your own son's name??? Gee whiz!!!

In my view, there were two Lucy Carmichaels, the first was a college graduate, who married well (well enough to have been left a sizeable trust fund to live off on),and was smart enough to know how to wheedle, cajole, manipulate, etc. Her maiden name was Taylor. The second one was an airhead, who didn't even finish high school and got by on pure luck and lots of whining. Her maiden name was MacGillicuddy.

I have a Season 5 DVD with just 5 eps. on it that I bought years ago for a couple dollars! It's 5 best eps. from that season I guess because they are all really funny! I was watching it yesterday after not seeing it in a long time, and I was wondering that too? In the Lou C. Carmichael ep. why the letter was from her son Jimmy not Jerry???!!!

Yes, The Lucy Book by Geoffrey Mark Fidelman has this exact story. This error was no one's fault but Lucille Ball's. No one was able to stand up to her to correct her own error by then.


I don't remember where I heard this story but at sometime when Lucy was older - maybe 70 - she showed up and somebody's house she didn't know with her husband Gary Morton claiming that there was a party there that they had been invited to. They had the address incorrect and of course these people were very surprised and thrilled to have Lucille Ball in their living room but it took them almost a half hour to convince Lucy that she was wrong and they were in the wrong house.