I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Quaker Lace Tablecloth

Lucy Ricardo’s Lace Tablecloth

Lace Tablecloth in Episode "Fred and Ethel Fight"
Lace Tablecloth in Episode “Fred and Ethel Fight”

In the episode of I Love Lucy entitled Fred And Ethel Fight
Lucy and Ricky try to patch up the Mertzes’ quarrel by inviting each to dinner without the others knowledge. On the dinner table we see a fancy lace tablecloth of a type that was very popular in the 1950s. This is a Quaker Lace tablecloth model no 4161. It has a pretty floral design with baskets of daffodils around the edge and a distintive oval motif in the center. It is a cotton machine lace tablecloth measuring 65″ by 80″.

You can find vintage  Quaker Lace tablecloths on eBay and Etsy,  I located one like Lucy’s on eBay this week   – photo below – at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lovely-Quaker-Cotton-Floral-Lace-Tablecloth-Daffodils-Looped-Hem-Label-65×80-/390948616851

Quaker Lace Tablecloth like the one on I Love Lucy - seen on eBay
Quaker Lace Tablecloth like the one on I Love Lucy – seen on eBay
Model Number of Tablecloth
Model Number of Tablecloth

Usually you can remove stains from vintage Quaker Lace tablecloths using Oxyclean, the one I wanted had several stains and I had to use a whole box of Oxyclean, and spot clean the worst spots with scoops of Oxyclean and hot water. but the result was well worth it.
Important: never use chlorine bleach on vintage Quaker Lace.

Figurines, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props

I love Lucy’s Mantel Statues: Seated Chinese Man Figurine

Lucy's Chinese Statue
Lucy’s Chinese Statue

This week on eBay there is a rare Chinese statue that will no doubt be familiar to I Love Lucy fans because it is just like one seen on the mantelpiece in most of the episodes, I did not know much about this statue until I saw the listing  of a similar one on eBay Click here for details. See also picture below. It is a seated figure of a man with what could be a bundle of Taro and holding a scythe in his left hand. This statue was made in the 30’s – 40’s and seems to be quite rare. It is a well made porcelain statue from the Jingdezhen region of China that was known for fine ceramics for centuries. This one listed as Famille Rose period that takes its name from the opaque paint used in made for export porcelain items from China.

Chinese Famille Rose Porcelain Man Figurine on eBay
Chinese Famille Rose Porcelain Man Figurine on eBay

From the listing description:

ANTIQUE 1930’s CHINESE PORCELAIN STATUE

REPUBLIC PERIOD (1912-1949)

中华民国 / 中華民國

FROM THE JINGDEZHEN KILNS

SIGNED: YOU LONG SHENG (游隆盛)

I love Lucy Props, Morgan Jones Bedspread

I Love Lucy’s Chenille Bedspreads

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We can get a good view of Lucy’s colonial style chenille twin bedspreads in the Season 2 of “I Love Lucy” episode titled “The Girls Go Into Business” (October 12, 1953) in the very first scene when Lucy and Ethel come home from shopping and go into the bedroom.

The Ricardo's bedroom set - twin chenille bedspreads
The Ricardo’s bedroom set – twin chenille bedspreads

The bedspreads are hobnail chenille type bedspreads produced by Morgan-Jones, in style “Minuet” Early American. From the screen capture above it looks like Lucy’s bedspreads are placed with reverse side up compared to how they appear in the display photo below.
Fortunately for collectors you can find this make and model in the vintage bed linens section on eBay. I found a listing on eBay of this exact style still in original box in a full size, vintage unused and currently for sale on eBay – see pictures below, click on any picture to view the actual listing. Continue reading I Love Lucy’s Chenille Bedspreads →

SS Constitution

The Ricardos Sail on the SS CONSTITUTION

SS CONSTITUTION 40" cruise ship wood model seen on eBay
SS CONSTITUTION 40″ cruise ship wood model see on eBay

The SS Constitution was an ocean liner owned by American Export Lines. She was commissioned in 1951. She sailed on the New York-Genoa-Naples and Gibraltar route to Europe. Constitution was a sister ship to the SS Independence. lucy desi on boardIt was featured in several episodes of the television situation comedy I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, starting with episode 140, “Bon Voyage,” which first aired December 1, 1955. It was then featured in the 1957 film, An Affair to Remember starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.
Continue reading The Ricardos Sail on the SS CONSTITUTION →

I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Pontiac Star Chief

Desi & Lucy’s Pontiac Star Chief “I love Lucy”

1955 Pontiac Star Chief Convertible
St. Louis Car Museum are offering this 1955 Pontiac Star Chief Convertible for sale on eBay

Seen above is a vintage 1955 Pontiac Star Chief Convertible listed on eBay by the St Louis Car Museum.  Below you can see the Pontiac Star Chief that appeared on “I Love Lucy” for the episodes when the Ricardo’s and the Mertzes travel to CaliforniaPontiac Star Chief
The Pontiac Star Chief is a great collector car for some lucky vintage enthusiast. Unfortunately I only have room for the scale model version.

Pontiac Star Chief model Continue reading Desi & Lucy’s Pontiac Star Chief “I love Lucy” →

I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Kitchen, Mid-century

Lucy’s Nut Bowl

Lucy cracks nuts to annoy Ricky
Lucy cracks nuts with a mallet to annoy Ricky

In the Season three episode “Ricky Loses His Temper” Lucy tries to provoke Ricky by turning on the radio at 4:00 am when he is trying to sleep and follows up by cracking nuts with a mallet in a wooden bowl to make even more noise.

lucynuts
The wooden bowl pictured below looks just like the one Lucy has and is vintage from the same era. The bowl came with the matching mallet and has a label underneath marked Standard Specialty Company, San Francisco, Products of The California Redwood Forests

 

Nut dish and mallet as seen on I Love Lucy
Nut dish and mallet as seen on I Love Lucy

Continue reading Lucy’s Nut Bowl →

50s Clocks, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props

I love Lucy’s Banjo Wall Clock

I Love Lucy Electric Wall Clock
I Love Lucy Electric Wall Clock
I Love Lucy Trend Banjo Wall Clock
I Love Lucy Trend Banjo Wall Clock

The Wall Clock frequently seen on set next to the kitchen door on “I Love Lucy” is an electric banjo clock made by the Trend Clock Company in Zeeland, Michigan, Model 606.

The Trend Clock Company founded in 1937 was in business until it was sold in 1968 and afterwards renamed the Sligh Clock Company.

See similar clock on eBay

The founders of Trend Clock Company were Garrett Van Temelen and his son Gordon who began making mantel and desk clocks part time, in the basement of their home in Zeeland, MI. and sold their products locally. During the war years when clock parts were scarce they switched to making wood novelties, and eventually bought a factory building and picked up the clock business again successfully in the post war years. They produced a popular line of planter clocks and early American styles, and by the 60s were making grandfather clocks until they were bought out by the Sligh Company.

Reference:

Ernest Hemingway, Recipes

Hemingway’s Hamburger Recipe

recipe
Hemingway’s Hamburger Recipe from the JFK library

Hemingway’s 4th wife Mary wrote that they ate the hamburgers to fortify them for “tramping through the sagebrush after pheasant, partridge or ducks” in Idaho or Wyoming, which they visited every autumn. She typed the recipe out for the Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery while Hemingway was still alive.The version above, with the  “Wild West” annotation, was for a later edition.
Ingredients included: Continue reading Hemingway’s Hamburger Recipe →

50s Clocks, I love Lucy Props, Radio, Vintage Electrical Appliances

Lucy’s Clock-Radio

In the Season three episode “Ricky Loses His Temper” Lucy tries to provoke Ricky by turning on the radio at 4:00 am when he is trying to sleep.

Lucy turns on the Radio to annoy Ricky - WESTINGHOUSE Model H-420T5
Lucy turns on the Radio to annoy Ricky – WESTINGHOUSE Model H-420T5
WESTINGHOUSE Model H-420T5 prop on I love Lucy
WESTINGHOUSE Model H-420T5 prop on I love Lucy
WESTINGHOUSE Clock-Radio Model H-420T5
WESTINGHOUSE Clock-Radio Model H-420T5

Her bedside clock-radio is a WESTINGHOUSE Model H-420T5 which cost around $30 US in the early 1950’s.  If you can find a vintage one for sale in good working condition you can expect to pay more than that now. Occasionally they turn up on eBay and Etsy and other online sites.
There is one just like it on Etsy but not reported to be in working condition  Click HERE to view

WESTINGHOUSE Model H-420T5

There is also a green one on ebay for parts or repair Click Here for details

Specs:

Country: United States of America (USA)
Manufacturer / Brand: Westinghouse El. & Mfg. Co. – see also Canadian W.
Alternative name: Westinghouse El. Int.
Year: 1954 ?
Type: Broadcast Receiver – or past WW2 Tuner
Valves / Tubes 5: 12BE6 12BA6 12AV6 50C5 35W4
Principle: Super-Heterodyne (Super in general); ZF/IF 455 kHz; 2 AF stage(s)
Tuned circuits: 6 AM circuit(s)
Wave bands: Broadcast only (MW).
Power type and voltage: Alternating Current supply (AC) / 117 Volt
Loudspeaker: Permanent Magnet Dynamic (PDyn) Loudspeaker (moving coil)
Model: H-420T5 Ch= V-2157-13 – Westinghouse El. & Mfg. Co. –
Material: Modern plastics (no Bakelite or Catalin)
Shape: Tablemodel with Clock ((Alarm-) Clock Radio).
Price in first year of sale: 30.00 $

For More Specs: www.radiomuseum.org/r/westinghou_h_420t5h420t_ch_v_2157_13.html
Caution:If you have or buy a working old vacuum tube radio such as this one never put your hands inside one of these old radios when it’s turned on or plugged in. Never leave these radios turned on for an extended period of time unattended. Do not operate these devices on a metal table. Do not operate these radios on a wet surface.
Source:http://www.retroradiofarm.com/collections/frontpage/products/beautiful-gumby-green-retro-jetsons-1955-westinghouse-h-385t5-tube-am-clock-radio-works

50's Lucy Fan