Top 80 Best Episodes of "I Love Lucy"
These would be my picks for the absolute most connective, well-written, memorable, and plot driven episodes of "I Love Lucy." The show in its entirety is legendary, but these are the instances that the writing was phenomenal, showcasing very well executed plot as well as having strong connective segments which allowed for a superb viewing experience; I found the following to be the best episodes in respective order.
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- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceOn the trip back to New York, Lucy learns a jewel thief's on their train.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy and Ethel decide to make some money by buying a used walk-in freezer. When they unwittingly buy 700 pounds of beef, they try to sell it to customers at the butcher shop.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy has angled her way onto Ricky's special as the show's pitch girl. She advertises a medicine called "Vitameatavegamin." Believing it contains vitamins, minerals, meat, and vegetables, Lucy does not know is that it also contains twenty-three percent of alcohol.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceAfter Ricky and Fred get upset about the girls' spending, Lucy and Ethel go to work in a candy factory while the boys do the housework.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy seems to be unable to resist buying junk from fast-talking salesmen.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceWhen Lucy learns that Cornel Wilde is staying in the penthouse upstairs, she poses as the bellboy to try and get in to meet him.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceAnnoyed at Ricky's messiness, Lucy divides the apartment into two halves: one for each of them to live in.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy attaches herself to Ricky using old handcuffs from Fred. She doesn't know he never had a key for them.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceIn Miami Beach, Lucy and Ethel make a bet with Ricky and Fred as to who can catch the biggest fish. To ensure winning, the day before the contest, each pair buys a 100 lb. tuna and stores it in ice in the hotel bathtub. Laughter ensues when the guys and the girls switch fish and bathtubs to hide them from one another. They all get caught when they decide to drop the charade and get rid of the fish. The next day they go out on the boat and Lucy's and Ricky's lines get tangled and Ricky goes overboard. Lucy hauls him in with her line.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceOrson Welles asks Lucy to assist in his magic act.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe gang goes on a long bike ride. When they get to the French/Italian border, Lucy doesn't have her passport.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy and Ethel demand to be treated as if they were men, so Ricky and Fred do just that.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceAfter Lucy causes them to be late for dinner with Ricky's new boss, he puts her on a tight schedule.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy gets superstitious with the daily Horoscope. When she explains to theatre producer Mr. Merriweather that Ricky's horoscope is not Ricky's day and he should say no, Lucy once again convinces Ricky to invite Mr. Merriweather to contact his beloved Tilly. However, the Ricardos get a big surprise of who Tilly really is.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy decides to explore her artistic side and takes up sculpting.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy tries to convince Ricky that he is not losing his hair.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy and the gang have adventures on the streets of Paris.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe girls revolt over housework and want modern conveniences. The boys bet that they can survive longer than the girls without using anything invented after 1900, including electricity.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceRicky is on vacation from work and is always in Lucy's way. Lucy & Ethel decide to start building a BBQ in order to trick Ricky & Fred into taking over a man's job. Unfortunately, Lucy loses her wedding ring during the process.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy thinks the new neighbors are plotting a murder.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceAfter Ricky loses his job when he asks for a raise, Lucy comes up with a plan to demonstrate to his boss how important he is.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceRicky insists that Lucy use her allowance to pay for new furniture she bought without his approval.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy won't be able to go to Europe if she can't find her birth certificate.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe girls get fed up with the boys watching the fights on television. They try to do something to distract them and end up getting arrested.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe Ricardos buy the Mertzes a television set for their 25th wedding anniversary. When Ricky accidentally breaks it, Fred breaks the Ricardo's TV and both couples end up suing each other.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy has a difficult night with Little Ricky crying constantly. A neighbor, Mrs Trumbull complains and says the lease does not allow children. Ethel says the lease does not matter because the Ricardos can stay.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy takes a huge block of cheese disguised as a baby on the flight home.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy fakes a crisis to test Ricky's love for her.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceIn Rome, a film producer asks Lucy if she'd be interested in auditioning for his new film entitled "Bitter Grapes." Thinking that the film has something to do with the production of wine, she goes to the only non-automated winery left in the area.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy meets her mother-in-law from Cuba for the first time.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy and Ethel unknowingly buy identical gowns for their appearance on a televised revue for their women's club. They both agree to return them to the store and buy different ones, but during their performance, each is wearing the original gown.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy tries everything to convince Ricky to let them move to a bigger apartment.
- DirectorMarc DanielsStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe Ricardos try to break their lease after a fight with the Mertzes.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceConvinced that his wife never likes the presents he buys for her, Fred asks Lucy to secretly find a birthday present for Ethel on his behalf. Lucy agrees, and later is with Ethel when she happens to find the gift-wrapped package in a closet. Ethel is less than excited about it, complaining that Fred has a history of giving her horrible gifts. Lucy urges Ethel to sneak a peek at what's inside. Reluctantly unwrapping the gift, Ethel pulls out a pair of strange-looking pants, gives them a quizzical glance and exclaims, "Well, he's done it again." Lucy hides her dismay, speaking up for Fred, trying to explain that they are chic hostess pants, the kind you wear "when you give smart dinner parties." Ethel is unimpressed, saying, "Oh, I've been wondering what to wear to all those smart dinner parties I give." When Lucy reveals that it was she and not Fred who selected the gift, this leads to an argument and an estrangement. In Act II, Ricky and Fred scheme to get the girls together again by taking them both to the theater to see a new hit show, "Over the Teacups". Ethel and Lucy are forced to sit together as they watch the play. Their anger toward each other softens as they listen to the play, a drama in which the main character is presented with news of a friend's death.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceWhen an advertiser agrees to make a pilot for a potential music TV show starring Ricky only, Lucy, Ethel, and Fred make a movie of their own.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe Ricardos and Mertzes decide to go into business together and open a diner.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceRicky gets fed up with Lucy buying so many new hats. They decide to see who can hold out the longest: she has to stop buying hats and he can't lose his temper.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy and Ethel want to go with Ricky and Fred on their camping trip.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy convinces Ethel that both of their marriages are in a rut. They decide to take some time away from their spouses. Lucy moves in with Ethel and Fred moves in with Ricky. By Saturday night they all get bored and both attempt to check the activity of the other pair at the same time. Lucy and Ethel almost get caught spying and end up getting locked on the roof in their night clothes.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceRicky and the Mertzes recall when Ricky accidentally gave Lucy a black eye.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy and Ethel play matchmaker for one of Fred's friends who is visiting from out of town, but things get complicated.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe Ricardos sell their old washing machine to the Mertzes after they buy a new one. It's the Ricardos vs. the Mertzes when it breaks down before the Mertzes pay for it.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe girls decide they are tired of Ricky and Fred wearing the same old worn out clothes at home and decide to make some changes.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceWhen Ricky gets a long-term gig in Maine, the Ricardos sublease their apartment for two months. When the gig is canceled, the new tenant refuses to give up the sublease. Lucy and Ethel try to force the new tenant to leave.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy pretends to be Fred and Ethel's maid to impress Fred's old vaudeville partner.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe gang arrives in Ethel's hometown of Albequerque, New Mexico, where the locals are under the impression that she, and not Ricky, has been hired to star in a Hollywood movie.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceWhen the gang is traveling through Ohio, they stop at a diner and motel run by a man who takes advantage of them.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe Ricardos and Mertzes get trapped in a cabin by an avalanche.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceWhen the Ricardos and the Mertzes arrive in Hollywood, Lucy goes to the Brown Derby restaurant where her sighting of William Holden turns catastrophic.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy and Ethel clash over who owns a dollar worth $300.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy complains that she doesn't have nearly enough Hollywood souvenirs, a statement with which Ricky takes issue. When she and Ethel go to the Grauman's Chinese Theater, they notice that John Wayne's footprints are loose, so they pry the cement block out of the ground and take it back to the hotel.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceTo avoid bad publicity for the upcoming opening of his Don Juan movie Ricky calls Grauman's Chinese Theater to explain how John Wayne's footprints went missing. The manager of Grauman's promised not to call the police if the footprints were returned by that evening's opening of John Wayne's film Blood Alley (1955). Having broken them, that is obviously impossible, so Ricky convinces John Wayne to provide a new set of footprints.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceWhen Little Ricky brings home a puppy, his parents try to tell him to take it back, but they can't bring themselves to do it when they see how cute it is.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy decides to fake a meeting with Charles Boyer.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy unwittingly attacks the talent scout sent by a company that wants to cast Ricky in a movie.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy sees Ricky's screen test as an opportunity to get discovered as a new movie star.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazWilliam FrawleyEveryone's on pins and needles waiting for the results of Ricky's screen test.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceWhen Variety reports that M-G-M has shelved its "Don Juan" movie, Lucy is afraid that she and the gang might have to leave Hollywood. She schemes to find a man to pretend to be a producer interested in Ricky, thinking this will convince studio head Dore Schary to put him in another film.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceThe Ricardos arrive home in New York where Ricky enjoys fame and adulation.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy is frustrated that Ricky is waiting in Hollywood while MGM tries to find a movie for him to star in. She pretends to be his new agent and confronts the MGM brass, saying he has an offer to do a big Broadway musical. Instead of putting him in a movie right away, MGM releases Ricky from his contract.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy gets stranded in Richard Widmark's house after trying to steal a grapefruit from a tree in his backyard.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceAfter Ricky makes fun of Lucy's new hat, she puts on a trophy that Ricky is supposed to present at a ceremony. She finds out it goes on a lot easier than it comes off.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy and Ethel go to the casino and inadvertently win big. After Ricky finds the hidden money, he thinks Fred has been skimming Ricky's concert earnings.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLittle Ricky's first day at nursery school and he gets tonsillitis.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceRicky can't take Lucy on his European tour, so Lucy and Ethel hold a raffle to earn money so they can go.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy gets left behind when the gang sets sail for Europe.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceIn Italy, Lucy gets homesick and wants to call Little Ricky in New York on his third birthday.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceA gondolier from Venice shows up at Lucy & Ricky's home. They had met him when they were on their European vacation and casually invited him to visit. The gondolier decided to visit and mishaps occur.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy loses her and Ethel's train tickets to Florida (Ricky and Fred went ahead of them), so they take a ride with a woman whom they think might be an escaped hatchet murderer.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceAfter spending an idyllic weekend in Connecticut with friends, Lucy decides she wants to change her surroundings entirely.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceAfter years of living side by side, the Ricardos leave the Mertzes, after a bittersweet departure, and begin their new life in the suburbs.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceHabitual tenants, Lucy and Ricky have second thoughts about the purchase of their new Connecticut home.
- 1951–195730mTV-Y8.3 (310)TV EpisodeDirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLife is anything but serene in cupcake Connecticut, when Lucy becomes fast friends with her new neighbor, Betty Ramsey.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLife in the country is very costly, but the Ricardos devise a plan to offset expenses.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy finds herself with egg on her face and elsewhere, when she and Ethel try to forestall Ricky's pulling out of the heretofore money losing egg business.
- DirectorJames V. KernStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy competes with her friend Carolyn Appleby over invitations and scheduling for Little Ricky's birthday party. When her husband Ricky mentions that Superman is in town, Lucy tries to get Superman to come to Little Ricky's party, sure that this will make it a much bigger draw than the one Carolyn is hosting. Ricky tries, but Superman can't make the party. So Lucy disguises herself as Superman, but gets herself into great peril. Fortunately, the real Superman does show up to save the day.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy organizes a Revolutionary Day Celebration, including a statue dedication. Ricky is going to give the dedication speech. Lucy accidentally breaks the statue and decides to step in with stone makeup to take its place for the ceremony.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy vies to beat Betty Ramsey when the two compete in a local gardening contest.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceWhere's the fire in pastoral Connecticut? Look no further than the country club and the sexy siren, whose presence sets off all manner of alarms.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsLucille BallDesi ArnazVivian VanceLucy gets a bit part in a movie, but has a problem with the costume.