I Love Lucy (1951) s01e28 Episode Script

Cuban Pals

ETHEL: Hi, Lucy, here's the tray you wanted.
Oh, thanks, doll.
Oh, look at the hors d'oeuvres.
Boy, are you fancy.
Now, stop that.
I've got them arranged just right.
Who's coming? Some of Ricky's friends from Cuba.
Really? Yeah Stop it! Gee, you know, Ethel, we've been married all these years, and this is the first time any of Ricky's friends have ever visited us.
Hmm And you know they're all going to go back and tell everybody what kind of a girl Ricky married.
My entire Cuban reputation depends on how I handle myself this afternoon.
Oh, you'll do fine.
Who are these people? Well, they're members of a dance group that Ricky worked with in Cuba, and he's booked them into the club to start off their American tour.
Gee, that's exciting.
How do you like my new dress? Dreamy- they'll go back to Cuba and say Oh, here they come, honey.
Drop this in the kitchen on your way out, will you? Yeah.
Good luck.
Thank you.
Lucy? Hello.
Senor y Senora Ortega.
How do you do? Carlos, Maria, How do you do? this is Lucy.
May I take your coat? Gracias.
Sientense.
Sientense, a favor.
Gracias.
Lucy, did Fred bring the wine? Wine? Yeah, I told him to bring two special bottles of wine.
Honey, I haven't seen it.
Oh, I hope he didn't forget.
I'll be right back.
Well, it certainly is nice to meet some of Ricky's friends from Cuba after all these years.
I'll bet you wondered what I look like.
Uh, what kind of a girl did you think Ricky would marry? Don't tell me, I shouldn't have asked that.
How do you like the apartment? I decorated it myself.
I think it has sort of a homey atmosphere don't you think so? Would you have an hors d'oeuvre? I made them myself.
Oh, gracias.
Muchas gracias.
Mm Uh, Ricky told me all about your dancing group and what a success it was in Cuba.
Where do you think you'll go from here? Do you know where you'll go from here? We donut.
We donut? Sounds like someplace in Arkansas.
Oh "We donut speak English.
" Oh Oh, you don't speak English.
Oh, well Well Uh will you have another hors d'oeuvre? Si, gracias.
No, gracias.
Uh, would you like a drink? Como? Oh, I forgot.
(loudly): Would you like-o el drink-o? El drink-o.
I'm sorry I took so long, honey.
Did you have a nice talk? Well, I had a nice talk.
Oh I forgot to tell you- Carlos and Maria don't speak any English.
Yes.
I sensed that while you were gone.
Well, I'm back now.
Estamos encantados de conocer a tu mujer.
Si, chico.
Muchas gracias, muchas gracias.
They want me to tell you that they're very happy to meet you.
Oh, thank you.
(loudly): Thank you.
?Un poquito de vino, Maria? Gracias.
Lucy? ?Carlos, quiero un poquito de vino? Si, muchas gracias.
Bueno, a sus saludes.
A la salud.
A cubita bella.
Uh I'chaim.
Que vino.
Buen vino,?eh? Muy bueno el vino.
(loudly:) Well, it certainly is nice to meet some of Ricky's friends from Cuba after all these years.
Lucy diga que esta muy contenta de conocer a los amigos mios de Cuba despues de tantos anos de casados.
BOTH: Ah, muchas gracias.
(loudly): Uh did you have a nice boat trip up here? Honey, they're not hard of hearing, you know.
Oh.
Oh Oh, did you have Well, honey, you ask them if they had a nice boat trip.
Lucy wants to know if you had a- oh, fine.
Mi senora que Mi senora quiere saber si ustedes tuvieron un buen viaje.
Si se marearon.
Ah El primer dia fue magnifico.
RICKY: The first day out was just beautiful.
Oh, uh-huh.
El segundo dia, el mar se puso un poco brusco.
RICKY: The second day the seas got a little rough.
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
El tercer dia las olas son grandes grandes grandes.
Maria y yo estuvimos sumamente mareados asi RICKY: The third day the waves Never mind, never mind.
I understand more Spanish than I thought.
Ricky, que buena suerte has tenido a encontrarte una esposa tan bonita.
Gracias, amigo, gracias.
Es cierta.
Es muy bonita iy que cabello! Yo nunca he visto ese color en Cuba.
No, no, verdad.
MARIA:?Es su color natural? Uh beg pardon? She wants to know if the color of your hair is natural.
Oh, well, certainly tell them it's natural.
My father and my mother both had red hair.
Well, Ricky, go ahead and tell them.
El color de pelo de ella es lo mismo que el color del pelo en Cuba,?tu comprende? Lo unico que ella se lo conserva de esa manera con una henna rinse.
I have an idea my hair suffered in the translation.
?Vino? No, gracias.
?No??Vino? Muchas gracias, si.
Gracias.
Oye, Renita llegara dentro de un momento.
Ah,?si? He estado tratando averiguar a que hora llega el avion que tomo Ramon.
Parece como una hora tardada.
A lo siento mucho.
Se me ocurre una cosa.
?Que cosa? Si Ramon no llega al tiempo para la apertura ?porque no bailes tu con Renita? ?Yo bailar con Renita? Si.
?Por que no? No, no, de verdad ?Por que no? Chico, isi! No, no, no, no Oh, go ahead.
Well, honey, I just Go ahead and what? I don't know.
I'm sorry.
La senora no entiende lo que estaba hablando.
Perdona un momento.
Honey, I'm sorry.
You don't know what we're talking about.
We're talking about Renita Perez.
Who? Renita Perez- she'll be here any minute.
Oh.
She's with the troupe, you know.
And when I was in Cuba, I used to do a number with her in which I played her father.
Oh, really? She was the cutest little thing you ever saw.
Aw So, they were telling me, you know, that her partner hasn't arrived in New York, and they want me to dance with her tomorrow night at the opening.
Well, honey, I think you should.
Go ahead.
Well I'd love to see you and little Renita dance.
Well, honey, I haven't done that kind of stuff in a long time.
Oh, now, nonsense.
Besides, it would help the good neighbor policy.
(loudly): The good neighbor policy would be helped.
All right, I'll do it.
Okay.
Yo lo hare.
Ah, que bueno.
Si viene Ramon, yo no bailo.
(buzzer) Yes? Good evening.
Ricky! Oh, Renita! (speaking rapidly in Spanish) Oye, presentela a tu senora.
Oh, Renita, come here, honey.
I want you to meet my wife.
Lucy, this is Renita.
Renita, this is my wife Lucy.
How do you do? It is so exciting.
I haven't seen Ricky since I was a little girl.
Yeah, that's what he told me.
And I can't get over how he's developed.
Yeah.
You've done pretty well yourself.
Thank you.
CARLOS: Oye, Renita.
Estamos esperando aqui Ricky, I think you're right, dear, about not doing that dance.
Oh, no, honey, I think you are right.
I think I ought to do it.
As you said, I think it would help the good neighbor policy.
Yeah, well, that policy just lapsed.
Ricky, they just told me you're going to dance with me tonight.
Si.
Won't that be fun? Oh! (Ricky hums) Hi, Lucy.
We came up to collect the rent.
Okay, girl, here it is.
Thanks.
Okay, let's go.
Relax, speedy.
Come on, we got two more apartments to make.
Now, let's go.
Wait just a minute.
How did your meeting with Ricky's friends go? We've got two more apartments to make.
I said let's go.
Oh, now, Fred, I'm sorry you're in such a hurry.
I kinda wanted to ask your advice about a sexy Cuban girl that was here last night.
Come on.
Sexy Cuban gal? What about the sexy Cuban gal? Push your eyes back in your head, fatso.
Come on, tell me, what happened? Well, it seems that when this girl, Renita, was a child she and Ricky used to dance together.
She was much younger than he was.
Yeah, what happened? Well somehow she caught up with him.
So? So now her partner hasn't arrived and they want Ricky to dance with her tonight.
So? So so you haven't seen Renita.
I'd just like to get a load of that dance they're doing, that's all.
Then why don't you go to rehearsal.
Oh, I can't do that.
I'm not going down there and have Ricky think that I'm jealous and spying on him.
Well, I could go watch and then report to you.
Oh, no you couldn't.
I could go.
No, that's no good.
Well, you know in the afternoon down at that club, there's always a couple of those scrubwomen hanging around.
Scrubwomen? Scrubwomen.
All right, hold it, hold it, hold it.
Listen, in that part of the brass, let's bite them off a little more.
Let's go: Dah di da da da Ta ta da da All right? Now, let's hear it.
Just the brass.
Give you two.
A- one, a-two.
Dah di da da da Ta ta da da.
Everybody's a comic.
All right, come on, you know what I mean.
From the top, eh? Right from the top now.
All right, here we go.
(playing latin rumba) Say, have you ever met the girl Who's the toast of the town A work of art without a question Who gives your heart a queer congestion Say, have you ever seen the dream in the red velvet gown? If you will pardon my suggestion You better write her number down.
(band stops) She's a doll isn't she? (band resumes) Oh the lady in red The fellows are crazy for the lady in red She's a bit gaudy but lordy what a personality I'm the lady in red As fresh as a daisy when this town is in bed Dancing and dining and shining with originality.
She's very proper She's nothing more than a pal Oh, me and oh, my You'll never stop her, she's a dangerous gal If I ever met the right guy.
Oh, the lady in red The fellows are crazy for the lady in red She's a bit gaudy but lordy what a personality.
Hey! Hey! Hey! (number ends) What's the matter with them? I don't know what's the matter with them.
That's the way that the rumba affects people, even at their age.
Muy bien hecho, Ricardo.
Gracias.
iRenita, aqui esta un telegrama para ti! Ojala que sea de Ramon.
Yeah.
Oh, it is, it's from Ramon.
He's in New York.
He's going to be here this afternoon.
Oh, good, now you can do the number with him.
Oh, no, Ricky.
Oh, yes, honey.
I'm not as good a shape as I used to be.
Besides, I'd like to see you do that native wedding dance you told me about, huh? All right, I'll get the music.
It's in my dressing room.
Honey, I'll get it.
(breathlessly): You get it.
(laughing) No cracks from you characters.
Uh, would you care for some cookies, Renita, dear? No, gracias.
It's been lovely visiting with you, though, Lucy, and I must really hurry down to the club.
I have to get ready for the opening, you know.
Oh.
Well, Renita, it's been just wonderful getting to know you.
Lucy oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't know you had company.
That's all right, Ethel.
Renita, this is Ethel Mertz.
How do you do? How do you do? Well, you don't mind if I go freshen up a bit, do you? Oh, no, not a bit.
Right in through there, dear.
Right in through the bedroom.
Thank you.
Yes.
Oh, isn't she cute.
Lucy, I don't trust you being so palsy- walsy with her.
What are you planning to do? Oh, you're so smart.
Listen, I'm going to do that "Lady In Red" number with Ricky tonight if it's the last thing I do.
Wait till you see the beautiful costume I have.
Oh, now, Lucy, this is just silly.
Why don't you let her do the dance with him.
You don't even know the steps.
Listen, a rumba's a rumba.
You just wiggle your hips and jump up and down.
What about her? I have plans.
Good-bye, Lucy.
Oh, darling, I'll call you a cab.
Pardon me, Ethel.
No, no, that's all right.
I will take the subway.
No, no, no, I wouldn't hear of it.
Nonsense.
Now sit down.
I'll call a cab.
?Como esta? Oh! iUsted tambien habla espanol! Lucy no me dijo que ella habla espanol porque toda la gente hablaba espanol y ella no estaba diciendo nada.
Oui.
Hello.
Hello, I'd like you to send a cab to 623 East 68th Street.
Right away, please.
Apartment 4A.
Yes, thank you.
The cab will be right over.
RENITA: Thank you.
(buzzer) Did you call a cab, lady? Well, yes, I did.
I'd have been here sooner only, but, uh, traffic was agin' me.
Good-bye, Mrs.
Mertz.
Now, Cabbie, I want you to take very good care of this little lady.
I want you to take her to the Tropicana Club.
Don't you worry, lady.
I know a short cut through Piladelpia.
Adios, Lucy.
Adios.
Good-bye, lady.
Adios.
Lucy Bueno, muy bueno.
Magnifico, isn't that right? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Carlos and Maria, and thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm indeed very happy that you like those wonderful people because they were the ones that gave me my start in show business.
And now for the highlight of the evening, I'd like to introduce to you Ramon and Renita doing their version of the African wedding dance.
So now we take you to (drum roll) Africa.
(horns blast) Just me.
I only want to get you into the mood.
You know, on the night of the full Moon, the high priest goes to a jungle clearing and sings a song of love and then follows the courtship dance in which the bridegroom tries to impress his bride-to-be with his fierceness and strength.
So now let's pretend that this is a jungle clearing, there is a full Moon, and the high priest is singing his song.
(harp plays) Spirit in the wood, beat the hollow cane Spirit in the wood, float away the pain Make their bodies ripe and alive again I sing me-lo Spirit in the heart, make the blood flow fast Spirit in the heart, make the muscle last Keep the hope alive while their youth will pass I sing me-lo When the woman come upon the scene Drop a petal from a tree Veil the mountain up into the skies Spill the river in the sea.
Spirit in the wood Let the hollow cane echo in the afterglow Waiting for the flame to burn again I sing me-lo I sing me-lo I sing me-lo I sing me-lo I Sing me-lo.
(applause) (drum roll) (brass plays) (band plays introduction) (band plays, not rumba music) (screams) (screams) (screams) (screams) (no sound) (screams) (applause) WGBH access.
wgbh.
org The part of Renita was played by Lita Baron.
Carlos was played by Alberto Morin.
The part of Maria was played by Rita Convy.

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