When my wife and/or mother are watching the 10 millionth rerun of I Love Lucy, I think to myself, oh well, not that one again. I’ve seen it dozens of times.
However, the episode “Lucy Writes a Novel” left me in stitches, and I produced several rare for me laughing out loud moments.
In her novel, Lucy complements “Nicky’s” singing and guitar playing, much to Ricky’s pleasure.
She then qualifies that statement with a real punch in the gut and says “Nicky” is such a ham he should be stuffed with cloves.
Lucy is rejected by a publisher, and her novel ends up in the trash.
When a new publisher shows interest, the gang works on reconstructing the torn pages.
When a section of a page is missing and can’t be found, Ricky reads the words that precede it. Lucy replies with the missing words, “My naturally red hair.”
Lucy’s ego-centric and self-absorbed attempt at writing a novel is a lesson of everything a writer should not do.
Kudos to the writers of this episode and their use of hilarious hyperbole.
“I Love Lucy” Lucy Writes a Novel (TV Episode 1954) – IMDb
Lucy Writes a Novel | I Love Lucy Wiki | Fandom
I Love Lucy, Lucy Writes a Novel
Watch I Love Lucy – S3:E24 Lucy Writes a Novel (1954) Online | Free Trial | The Roku Channel | Roku
Yes, I know “left me in stitches” is often overused, but it did describe best my bending over laughter.
A stitch is a stab of pain. It is generally used to describe a pain in your side from over exertion during exercise. It makes you bend over from pain, much the same as laughing can.
Although the precise idiom dates only from about 1930, Shakespeare had a similar expression in Twelfth Night (1601):Source: theidioms.com
MARIA:
If you desire the spleen, and will laugh yourself into stitches, follow me.
This entry in The Lowell Sun, in July 1914, is the earliest non-Shakespearian record that I can find:
“There’s a new face among the members in Ben Loring, a natural-born comedian, who seems to have no difficulty whatever in keeping his audience in stitches of laughter and glee.”
List of plays by Shakespeare | Comedies, Tragedies, Histories | Britannica
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
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