Here is a vintage Olde Thompson Ivy ceramic piece, possibly a planter pot or kitchen container of some sort, from the same collection as the ivy cruet set in Lucy Ricardo’s kitchen. It has the original Olde Thompson sticker still on the base and is approx 4″ by 6″ in size.
Lucille Ball advertises Lux soap shortly before the I Love Lucy era. You can listen to an original radio show sponsored by Lux Soap at
http://www.radioarchives.com/The_Lux_Radio_Theatre_Murder_and_Mayhem_p/ra304d.htm
Look for #589 The Dark Corner Starring Lucille Ball and Mark Stevens originally broadcast on Monday, November 10, 1947 – 60:00 – CBS, sponsored by Lux Soap
and here are some vintage 1940’s soaps just like the soap bar Lucy is seen with in the original Lux ads – these are currently on ebay! click on the pictures below to go to the eBay pages.
There is a vintage coffee grinder like Lucy’s on eBay but painted differently at http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-O-Garantie-COFFEE-GRINDER-Mill-80T-Czechoslovakia-Vintage-Wood-Green-WORKS-/222409060237.
See previous post on repainting one with an added ivy motif to match the coffee mill on the show: http://www.50slucy.com/restoration-project-i-love-lucy-inspired-coffee-grinder.html
In the behind the scenes photo from the set of The Long Long Trailer Desi makes a romantic gesture by presenting a giant “ring” to Lucy. The ring is a Ben Seibel bookend turned upside down. Ben Seibel Orb Bookends for Jenfred Ware can be found in brass metal and are sought after mid-century pieces.
Detail of the Ben Seibel bookend .
Example of Ben Seibel bookends on eBay at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ben-Seibel-Bookends-MCM-Decor-/302216724101
See more like this:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=ben+seibel+bookends&_sop=10&_frs=1
In a previous post we looked at Lucy Ricardo’s nautical style wall lamp in the kitchen. This time we take a closer look at the lamp shade. It is rare to get a close look at the design in the on screen scenes but the picture above gives an idea what to look for. The shade is a clip-on shade made of paper with a novelty printed nautical theme.
I found a few examples in different colorways so we can try to guess which color might have been used in the kitchen. The first one below is a blue version, followed by the same pattern in orange and lastly a green one.
The green is certainly a possible choice for the show since we know that the color green is used on several other items in the kitchen – such as the ivy patterned dinnerware and the ivy cruet on the wall rack beneath the lamp. Green elements set off Lucille Ball’s hair color for the studio audience. The orange would also be possble as a compliment to the greens. Perhaps the blue one is the least likely as it would have clashed with the green of the cruet below it.
The shade is a clip-on novelty print paper shade – similar vintage shades can be found on eBay.com that date to the 40’s and 50’s.
Here is a link I use to search for similar shades:
Interview Excerpt from Entertainment Weekly
CB: Lucie Arnaz has been incredibly, unbelievably generous. We met a few years ago and started talking about this and now Aaron Sorkin is in advanced talks to adapt her mother and father’s story. It’s incredible. I mean, you want to talk about astonishing women who have made a lasting impact? You walk onto a film set and you’ve got the female bathrooms called “Lucy” and the male bathrooms called “Desi.” [Laughs] She was the first female studio head, for goodness sake, and a mother and she broke all the rules and changed comedy and was this incredible actress. And then you’ve got this amazing love story between these two people. He’s Cuban and he’s younger than her.
I don’t think I realized he was younger.
CB: Of course, we won’t be casting anyone younger than me. [Laughs] But really, it’s so great and Lucie Arnaz has been so amazing to give us the authorized version of her story. It’s an incredible act of trust.
I take it that I Love Lucy made it to Australia?
CB: Oh god, yes. I think she was watched around the globe. I’ve watched them all. But of course, it’s one thing to watch as a fan and then it’s another to think about how to delve in. There’s so much there and it’s so rich. But it’s a lot to try and think about inhabiting that genius!”
Source http://ew.com/article/2016/10/14/cate-blanchett-oceans-8-thor-ragnarok-lucille-ball-biopic/
Here is a pair of Occupied Japan colonial style figurines similar to a pair on the shelf behind the Ricardo’s twin beds.
Available on eBay this week Click Here for more details and pictures in the eBay listing
The Ricardo’s European cruise episodes were filmed over December 1955 to January 1956 with a promotional deal with American Export Lines. Lucy is seen above with a brochure giving a starting price of $520.00 US. You can read more about the original advertised offer in the vintage ad below. Continue reading Lucy’s Sunlane Cruise Voyage on the S.S. Constitution
In the 1956 I Love Lucy episode The Ricardos Visit Cuba, Little Ricky is seen reading a 1951 Golden Book entitled “The Great Big Car and Truck”. It is a larger size than the Little Golden Books and measures about 12 3/4″ by 9 5/8″. The copy I see on eBay pictured here is a twelfth printing from 1951 with art work by Richard Scarry.
See it on eBay 1951 BIG GOLDEN BOOK CAR AND TRUCK RICHARD SCARRY VINTAGE CHILDRENS LARGE BOOK
The current version of the book is available for Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Scarrys-Trucks-Little-Golden-ebook/dp/B01M5C66X2/
Reference :
In the opening scene of the I Love Lucy episode “Lucy Goes to Scotland” Fred comes in with a Chinese dragon puppet to bring back to Little Ricky. When Lucy mentions she had never seen anything like this before Fred replies “Well when I was a kid they had toy dragons.” and Ethel remarks “When you were a kid they had real dragons!”
The toy is an articulated Chinese dragon made of bamboo that has a hole in the base to insert a bamboo stick as seen on the show, similar to the vintage example pictured here.
