All posts by Patricia

50s Retro, I love Lucy Props, Table Lighters

The Ricardo’s Zippo Table Lighter

The Zippo Lady Bradford table lighter in the '50s comedy I Love Lucy.
A Zippo Lady Bradford table lighter on the coffee table in the Ricardo’s living room on the set of I Love Lucy.

Strictly speaking a prop is only a prop if the actor holds/uses it on stage or screen, other items that appear on set are called “set dressing”. Arguably, the most used props on I Love Lucy were the cigarette lighters. The Zippo Lady Bradford table lighter is one we see a  lot of, usually it is placed on the coffee table as seen above.

The Zippo Lady Bradford table lighter proudly graced the coffee table in the Ricardo's living room in the '50s comedy I Love Lucy.
The Zippo Lady Bradford table lighter like the one in the 50’s comedy I Love Lucy. – Image  Source eBay

A quick search on eBay today produced this vintage Zippo Lady Bradford table lighter Click here to see the listing.

 

Ref: http://www.zippo.co.uk/subpages.php?mod=starRole

Charleton Mantel Lusters

Charleton Mantel Lusters

charlton-mantel-lustres
Charleton porcelain mantel lustres on eBay – click on picture to see the listing.

This is a pair of Charleton porcelain mantel lustres on eBay this week made by the same company that made the pair on I Love Lucy. The shape is identical  except for the hanging  crystals but the decoration is different. charlton-mantel-lustres-lucy
The pair on I Love Lucy had the pink roses but were painted a pea green color and the oval shapes had a mirrored finish. I found a similar white pair to the ones pictured above so I got porcelain paint and mirrored foil to repaint them in the style of the I Love Lucy pair. I have been putting off the task but one of these days I will get started and post my progress on the blog.

See previous post about the original pair of lusters on I Love Lucy

Card Games, I love Lucy Props

Wooden Poker Carousel on I Love Lucy

Wooden Poker Carousel3
Poker chip carousel in use on I Love Lucy

 

Wooden Poker Carousel
Photo from eBay listing – click on picture to view on eBay

On eBay this week there is a wooden poker chip carousel advertised as an original prop from I Love Lucy. Card games were a popular form of recreation in the 50’s and this is reflected in the series.
Click here to see the listing.

See more vintage poker chip carousels on eBay.
See more vintage poker chip carousels on Etsy
See more vintage poker chip carousels on Bonanza

Wooden Poker Carousel2

Books on I Love Lucy, I love Lucy Props, Ricardo's Bookshelf

Ricardo’s Bookshelf: Masks of West Africa

4 Comments
LUCY GOES TO THE HOSPITAL Episode#56, aired January 19, 1953
LUCY GOES TO THE HOSPITAL Season 2  Episode#56,

In the episode LUCY GOES TO THE HOSPITAL which aired January 19, 1953  the show opens with Ricky researching ideas for a mask for a “Voodoo” number for his show. The book he refers to is Masks of West Africa  – 1952 by Leon Underwood

Ricky’s facepaint inspired by African masks

http://www.amazon.com/Masks-West-Africa-Leon-Underwood/dp/B0006DCVHG
http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/masks-of-west-africa/author/underwood-leon/
Update: Scan of the page from the book Ricky is looking at:

Detail of the page rRcky is looking at
Detail of the page Rcky is looking at
50s Clocks, Vintage Hair Care, Vintage Shaver

Ricky’s Schick Electric Razor

ricky-shaver
I Love Lucy Season 1 Episode 23, The Mustache,

In I Love Lucy Season 1, Episode 23, The Mustache, Ricky uses an electric shaver to remove the mustache. The logo on the shaver can be seen in the screen capture above and it looks like a good match for Schick 20 Electric Razor pictured below,which is a working model currently for sale on eBay.

Vintage-SCHICK-Electric-Razor
Vintage Schick 20 Electric Razor with Original Case on eBay – Click Picture to view the listing.

The Schick 20 was widely advertised in 1952 the year this episode was made.
See all Schick 20 Shavers on eBay
Incidentally, Ricky is shaving while looking into the Bacchus Mirror we identified in a previous post. Continue reading Ricky’s Schick Electric Razor →

50s Retro, Kitchen, The Long Long Trailer

The Long Long Trailer: Lucy’s Guardian Service Cookware

lucy-cookwareIn the 1953 movie The Long Long Trailer starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz we see a set of Guardian Service Cookware on display in the kitchen area of their New Moon Trailer.  guardian-service-ware-ad

Currently there is a seller on eBay offering what is claimed to be the original Guardian Service Ware  from the movie which was apparently given to Lucille Ball when the production ended for use in her home.
Click HERE to see the eBay listing.
and
Click HERE to find other Guardian Service cookware on eBay
guardian-service-ware

I love Lucy Props, Kitchen, Vintage Cookware

Lucy’s Griddle

LUCY-in-the-kitchen
Lucy is learning to flip hotcakes with her aluminum griddle. Her griddle is flat aluminum with a curved handle similar to this vintage griddle I saw on eBay today – pictured below. Another similar brand to look for is Wear-ever who are still in business today.
Also pictured above on Lucy’s stove we see a white enamel saucepan. This saucepan has vertical sides and a slim handle which helps narrow down the search. The only close example I found on eBay today was the unused 1940’s Leader brand enamel saucepan pictured below still with its original label -Click on the pictures below to see the listings.
griddle

whiteenamelsaucepan2
Leader brand enamel saucepan on eBay

Tips for cooking with aluminum:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/232/Cooking-With-Aluminum

I love Lucy Props, Kitchen, Vintage Cookware, Vintage Hair Care

Lucy’s Aluminum Double Boiler

doubleboiler1
Lucy is occasionally seen using her aluminum double boiler, but perhaps most famously when she heats up a potion to use on Ricky’s hair in the hilarious scene from which the above captures are taken. comet-doubleboiler
Lucy’s double boiler has a distinctive shape that widens at the base which helps narrow down the possible makers  when searching for a vintage one like it. A good match is this vintage Comet double boiler seen on ebay today.
A double boiler is really two saucepans – a smaller one fits above the base pan below. The base saucepan is used to hold simmering hot water which should not touch the bottom of the top pan so that the steam creates a gentle heat without burning. It is used when you don’t want direct heat under the item you are cooking, such as when making certain custards or sauces, melting chocolate etc.

Search for vintage double boilers on ebay

Fireplace Screens

Lucy’s Ornate Fireplace Screens


In the above publicity picture of Lucy and Ricky in the livingroom set we see an ornate french looking brass and mesh fireplace screen.
I found an identical one that was sold online listed as a Victorian Brass Firescreen at
http://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/131810/victorian-brass-fire-screen/

it is described as an attractive 19th c. cast brass fire guard in the Rococo Style.
Height 32.5″ …82cm
Width 31.5″ …. 80cm
Depth (feet) 9″ … 23cm

In this screen capture we see another ornate rococo style fire screen. I have not yet found an exact match for this one, however the fireplace screen pictured below is a close match – the main difference appears to be the center piece and the border detail at the bottom.
http://www.westlandlondon.com/stock/firegrates/firescreens/item/12146/summary.htm?page=1
It is described on the  website as “A high quality and ornate Baroque/Rococo style Firescreen, the ormolu brass frame spanned with fine gauze spark screening.”  The word ormolu actually means gilded bronze  but the website description uses the words “ormolu brass” –  the close up pictures on the website look like brass to me.

There is a similar looking one in the  Christie’s closed listings HERE part of a lot of two screens that sold for $15,000 in 2011 way beyond their estimated price range

Price Realized
$15,000
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Sale Information
SALE 2504 —
A TRUMBAUER ESTATE ON THE PHILADELPHIA MAIN LINE
15 April 2011
New York, Rockefeller Plaza

I will be looking for a much cheaper one on eBay.com