'I Love Lucy' Turns 65: Unforgettable Episodes From TV's Iconic Comedy
The television favorite aired its first episode on Oct. 15, 1951.
— -- Today marks the 65th anniversary of the television favorite, "I Love Lucy."
Starring Lucille Ball, Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz as her husband Ricky, and their landlord friends Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vivian Vance, William Frawley), the show ran for 180 laugh-out-loud episodes from 1951 to 1957.
Here are a few memorable ones in celebration of the cult classic.
The Freezer
Season 1 Episode 29When Lucy and Ethel decide to make some money by buying a walk-in freezer, they mistakenly purchase two sides of beef, 700 pounds. To get rid of the meat before Ricky and Fred find out, the women visit the local butcher shop and try to sell it to customers. But it's when Lucy gets locked in the freezer that the gang gets a real surprise.
Lucy Does a TV Commercial
Season 1 Episode 30 It's no secret that Lucy was determined to get in Ricky's act. In the first episode of season 2, she weasles her way into a commercial for a medicine called Vitameatavegamin. While the listed ingredients include vitamins, meat, vegetables and minerals, Lucy is unaware that Vitameatavegamin also contains 23 percent alcohol as she taste-tests the product during multiple takes.
Job Switching
Season 2 Episode 1 After Ricky and Fred get fed up with their wives' spending habits, Lucy and Ethel go to work at Kramer's candy factory while their husbands take on the household chores. When the women botch their first job in one of the most iconic scenes in TV history, it's safe to say they're ready to reprise their roles as housewives.
Lucy Is Enceinte
Season 2 Episode 10When Lucy learns that she's going to have a baby, she wants to wait for the perfect moment to tell Ricky. Since she's continuously interrupted in trying to share the news, Lucy decides to sit in the audience at the Tropicana where she reveals that Ricky is going to be a father in the sweetest way.
LA at Last
Season 4 Episode 16 When the Ricardos and the Mertzes arrive in Los Angeles for Ricky's movie deal, Lucy, Fred and Ethel go to the Brown Derby restaurant for lunch. After a few run-ins with movie stars, dreamy actor William Holden is seated in the booth next to then. Since Lucy can't stop staring, Bill decides to turn the tables.
Lucy's Italian Movie
Season 5 Episode 23 When the gang is in Rome, an Italian film director asks Lucy if she'd audition for his latest movie, "Bitter Grapes." Taking the title literally, Lucy heads to the local vineyards--thinking the picture is about the wine-making industry. While stomping grapes, she accidentally pushes a feisty Italian worker named Teresa into the large vat and the two begin wrestling in the purple grapes.
