I LOVE LUCY

Just prior to his first music school recital, Little Ricky is gripped by a full-blown case of stage fright, touched off by the nervous attentions of his parents and the Mertzes.

The little drummer's teacher, Mr. Crawford, urges Lucy and Ricky to treat the problem like the classic falling-off-a-horse syndrome. Little Ricky must get right back on the horse, or in this case, play the drums in public.

When Lucy suggests that her son play at the Club Babalu, Ricky agrees. Now the tough part, convincing Little Ricky to do it. Ethel employs reverse psychology: "Little Ricky, you don't want to play those nasty old drums, do you?" Her attempt, like Lucy's fails. Using a tiny windup toy, Ricky manages to persuade his son to display his musical talents at the club.

The night of the performance, the ukulele player, Earl Robie, comes down with the measles, which sends Little Ricky into another nervous spin; he refuses to play without his strumming cohort. It's Lucy to the rescue as she dons a striped blazer and joins "Ricky, Jr., and His Dixieland Band" as they perform an upbeat version of "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue."

Special Notes: Guest star Howard McNear would go on to star as Floyd Lawson on The Andy Griffith Show.