I LOVE LUCY

When Hollywood movie scout Ben Benjamin arrives at the Ricardos' to discuss a possible screen test for Ricky, he is greeted by Lucy and Ethel, who suspect him of being a burglar and smash a vase over his head.

The East Side neighborhood quickly gets wind of the talent scout's presence, and soon the Ricardo living room becomes an audition hall. Mrs. Trumbull enters, offering a weak rendition of a love song; neighbor Mrs. Sawyer requests a tryout for her poodle; and Pete the grocery boy yearns to be the next Harry James.

Lucy can't imagine how the movie news leaked: "I didn't tell a soul and they all promised to keep it a secret!" On the night Benjamin is to audition Ricky, everyone converges on the Ricardo apartment, hoping to nail down a role.

Finding a part in the script for a "Marilyn Monroe type," Lucy outfits herself in a slinkly red gown, blonde wig, and oversized beauty mark. Fred and Ethel make an appearance as a matador and senorita; and Mrs. Trumbull saunters in clicking her castanets, followed closely by a trumpet-tooting Pete.

In the midst of this three-ring circus, Ricky phones from Benjamin's hotel suite with the news that he has already auditioned and been given the nod for a screen test for Don Juan. Ricky: "Anything new at home?" Lucy: "Everything here is about as usual."

Special Notes: This episode marks the beginning of the "Going to Hollywood" story arc which makes up most of the remainder of the season. Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr.'s literary agent was named Ben Benjamin.