Category Archives: I love Lucy Props

50s Retro, Framed Prints, I love Lucy Props, Other Productions

I Love Lucy Prop Picture seen on Yours Mine and Ours 1968

yoursmineours1
Here is an interesting find,  an I Love Lucy Desilu prop, seen as far back as the first season, spotted in the 1968 movie Yours, Mine and Ours, starring Lucille Ball,  more evidence that some of the  original ILL props were  reused in later productions.yoursmineours2 A closer detail shot tells us it is a match for one of a pair the Borghese oval fashion prints over the fireplace on I Love lucy

The picture on the right is a match!

Many thanks to John for a great contribution!

Related post: http://www.50slucy.com/borghese-framed-fashion-lady-print-as-seen-on-i-love-lucy.html

Company Credits:  Desilu Productions, Walden Productions

Cruet, I love Lucy Props, Olde Thompson, Stewart B McCulloch

Dulling of Props on I Love Lucy

Dulling substance is more obvious on the cruet on in picture on the left
Dulling substance is more obvious on the cruet on in picture on the left

Previously we looked at evidence of a dulling substance in use on on one of the mantel statues  on I Love lucy.  An anti-reflective coating is used when needed to reduce glare for the cameras. Above on the left is a instance from Little Ricky Learns to Play Drums where the cream colored Olde Thompson  ivy cruet has been darkened sufficiently to appear gray in tone.  The picture to the right is from an earlier episode where the same cruet appears lighter.
Here is an example of the same make Olde Thompson cruet in its original state.

1950s Furniture, Hollywood, I love Lucy Props, Plants

Lucy’s LA plants

plantontrellis
A trellis with plants is seen on I Love Lucy LA set. The plants appear to grow over time. Note the dates in the photos above which suggest they are real plants. An original color publicity picture of Lucy and Desi below appears to have been taken in front of the same trellis. The tall plant has red branched and small flowers/leaves with a shape similar to a type of orchid . An orchid expert at PacOrchidExpo on instagram has looked at it a said it is not an orchid.  My search fror a shrub with red branches  on google came up with Red twig Dogwood ( Cornus sericea ‘Cardinal’) or Cornus Sibericaredtwig-doogwood
On the left is a Red twig Dogwood shrub and on the right is the original color photo of Lucille and Desi taken on the I Love Lucy LA set. The red branches do look similar. Could the small flowers seen in the photo be from  another plant?lucy-plantphilodendron

The lower plants appear to include Philodendron,   Anthurium ‘Flamingo Flower’  and a Rubber Plant.rubberplant
dogwood-sibirica
This one is Dogwood Siberica ( Cornus siberica) with small leaf clusters.

lucyanddesiLAset

plantsincolor

My photoshop impression of the plants in color based on the color photo.

Thanks again to johndalessio and PacOrchidExpo on instagram for valuable input.

50s Retro, I love Lucy Props, Little Ricky, Vintage Toys

Little Ricky’s Fisher-Price Buzzy Bee Pull-Toy

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Ethel finds Little Ricky’s Buzzy Bee Toy

In the I Love Lucy Episode Ricardos Change Apartments Ethel discovers Little Ricky’s wooden Buzzy Bee pull-toy under the sofa cushion when she sits on Lucy’s sofa. The Fisher-Price Buzzy Bee is a classic that began in 1950 and is now a collectors item. Below is a 1950’s version seen on eBay this week.

Fisher-Price-1950-Buzzy-Bee
1950’s Fisher-Price Buzzy Bee on eBay
Art, I love Lucy Props, Margo Alexander, The Andy Griffith Show

Another I Love Lucy framed picture shows up on Andy Griffith


Here is a framed  Margo Alexander Studio print we looked at  in a previous post , seen above in  the Ricardo’s apartment on I Love Lucy . This another Desilu studio prop that shows up  several years later on the Andy Griffith Show, below it is seem over a fireplace in two different episodes


Andy Griffith, Season 6, scene showing the Margo Alexander print in color  over 10 years later in 1964.
margoalex1
And the same picture on Andy Griffith, Season 5, Episide 7. Man In The Middle

Margo Alexander Studio Print

Here it is seen in another I Love lucy location over the fireplace.
Thanks again to johndalessio for the contribution.

50s Retro, Bedroom Furniture, Bonanza, I love Lucy Props, Mid Century Lamps, Morgan Jones Bedspread, Other Productions, The Andy Griffith Show

What was I Love Lucy’s Bedspread Color?

LUCY-bedspread700
My photoshop rendering with known colors of the Desilu prop bedspreads .

Above is my impression of a couple of contenders for the color of the hobnail chenile bedspreads on I Love Lucy. Previously we identified the make as Morgan Jones “Minuet”. Ads from the 1950’s era give us an idea of the color range but now thanks to an instagram comment from johndalessio we have more clues. Desiu props were re-used over the years and some identical bedspreads have turned up in Bonanza and on The Andy Griffith Show in color. There is a brown color that we saw on Andy Griffith that corresponds to “Sandalwood” in a contemporary ad. And a light green color version of the same bedspread as seen on the screen capture from Bonanza, S2 E33 “Elizabeth, My Love”,  near the end of the episode.  Either of the bedspreads could have originated in the I Love Lucy series.  Those series were made on Desilu sets and used Desilu props. The green version would have been a good choice to set off Lucy’s red hair, dont you think?

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The Green version of the same bedspread on Bonanza

desilu-bedspread
The brown color version on Andy Griffith


Many thanks to johndalessio for providing the research through my my Instagram page

Framed Prints, I love Lucy Props, Margo Alexander, The Andy Griffith Show

Desilu Andy Griffith Show: Margo Alexander Print

Margo Alexander Print on Andy Griffith Show
Margo Alexander Print on Andy Griffith Show

Thanks to comments by johndalessio on my Instagram who recognized re-use of Desilu props on The Andy Griffith Show, filmed at Desilu Studios, we have sightings of probable I Love Lucy items on some color episodes. Above from Season 6 is a Margo Alexander print we looked at on I Love Lucy in an earlier post.
Margo Alexander Studio Print

Also seen on I Love Lucy
Also seen on I Love Lucy

And a vintage print of the same picture on eBay HERE

50s Retro, I love Lucy Props, Mid-century, Mirror

Lucy’s Gilt Vanity Mirror


An ornate gilt standing mirror is often seen on the mantel in the I Love Lucy living room. The easel mirror has a gilt finished scrolled style similar to the one below. The mirror is occasionally used as a prop when Lucy checks her out her new hat etc. In an early episode a different  mirror was used when Lucy tried ro read  the imprint of  note  Ricky had written.

This mirror is larger than the one on the show but in a similar style.

lucysmantel

Also seen in the photo is the Bolstad print and mid-century statue we looked at previously  –  picture from my instagram page.

Look for gilt easel mirrors on eBay