More examples of Occupied Japan Figurines similar to the bedroom shelf figurines on I Love Lucy currently seen on eBay. See if you can spot their counterparts on the show. Click on any of the pictures to go to the eBay listing:-
Click here to see similar colonial pair on Etsy (US) with an extra metal stand.
The above figurines are similar to a pair seen on the shelf above the beds in Lucy and Ricky’s bedroom. Click Here to see them on eBay
The eBay listing describes them as bookends, but I doubt they are heavy enough to be used as standard bookends. They are vintage Made in Japan imports from the I Love Lucy era.
Related Post: http://www.50slucy.com/lucys-bedroom-figurines.html
The Westclox Baby Ben alarm clock can be seen in several episodes of I Love Lucy. In the above picture it is on the far right of the bedroom shelf. The Baby Ben was produced from February 1949 until it was discontinued 1956 – the initial price was $6.50. It was approx 3.5 inches tall and came in an ivory color finish with either a brown or white dial. The one on the show had a brown dial. There was a similar larger 5.5″ model called Big Ben, however we can tell the one on the show is the smaller Baby Ben model by comparing the height of the clock to the height of the figurines. The height of the seated man and woman figurines ( As seen on eBay HERE) in the center of the shelf is known to be around 4.5 inches tall and those appear to be taller than the clock in the above picture.
Click Here to see this clock on eBay
Click Here for find more Baby Ben clocks on eBay
Most of the bedroom figurines on the shelf over the beds in the I Love Lucy bedroom set were Made in Japan porcelain imports. This courting couple pair of figurines were chalkware and they were usually not placed side by side on the shelf which made it a bit more difficult to find them. Chalkware is more vulnerable to the passing of time being made of plaster/chalk so pieces can be scarce.
Here is a pair I found on eBay recently. The woman is holding her flounced skirts in a curtsy and the man has a dog beside him. Notice the dark gold band around the base, which helps to identify them. To find a similar pair search on eBay or Etsy or Bonanza – search for “chalkware courting couple” or “chalkware victorian” or “chalkware colonial”
A framed military portrait is seen above in the bedroom set of I Love Lucy on top of a chest of drawers. It is a portrait print of Major John Biddle by the 19th century portraitist Thomas Sully (1783-1872). the original hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Biddle (1792-1859) served in the army in the War of 1812 when he was only 20 and he stayed in the army until 1821.
Copies of the print are available on ebay HERE
Or download a digital image to print from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thomas_Sully_-_Portrait_of_Major_John_Biddle.jpg
Lucy and Ricky’s bedroom figurines can be seen on the shelf above the beds in most of the bedroom scenes. The pair below are a match for one of the pairs of colonial style figurines that are easy to spot in many of the dialog scenes.
In the occupied Japan period such figurines were imported in large numbers and found their way into homes throughout the country. The I Love Lucy set reflects this trend at a time when cheap imports were beginning to impact local industry, with inexpensive imported knick knacks seen on the set, alongside US made decor items ,often local California pottery, usually the heavier items.
Look for similar figurines in the Occupied Japan section on eBay and also in the Collectibles section Continue reading Lucy’s Bedroom Figurines
Books on the ricardo’s Bedroom Shelf: On Your Guard ! by Warren
On your guard ! The prevention and treatment of sex dis-
eases, by Carl Warren, advised and assisted by eminent specializing physicians ;
foreword by M. J. Exner . . .
frontispiece and illustrations by C. D. Batchelor. New York, Emerson books, inc., 1937 Pre war study of Venerial diseases and Contraception. Bookseller Inventory # 003004
This pre-war book was written before the widespread use of Penicillin which occurred during WW2.
See it at Amazon
http://www.abebooks.com/Guard-Carl-Warren-1937-Emerson-New/1072889458/bd
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Warren-Carl/title/On-Your-Guard-the-Prevention
ref:
http://journals.lww.com/ajnonline/Citation/1937/08000/ON_YOUR_GUARD___THE_PREVENTION_AND_TREATMENT_OF.41.aspx
Here is some heaver reading from the Ricardo’s library. Source Records Of The Great War by Charles F. Horne / Walter F. Austin, published in seven volumes – a decorative bound set that shows up on the I Love Lucy bedroom shelf in the screen capture above.
A comprehensive and readable source record of the world’s great war, emphasizing the more important events, and the chief officials and most eminent leaders.
Find more like this on eBay.
A copy of this book can be seen on the bed headboard bookshelf on the Ricardo’s bedroom set, its easy to spot behind Lucy in the I Love Lucy episode where she has pregnancy cravings and eats pistachio ice cream with hot fudge and sardines – which in reality was substituted mash potatoes and gravy instead of the ice cream and fudge to make it easier for Lucille Ball.
Click Here to find it on eBay
Click here to Find it on Amazon
From Wikipedia:
Try and Stop Me (1944) was a best-selling book written by American publisher and writer Bennett Cerf and illustrated by artist Carl Rose. The first of a series of joke books compiled by Cerf, the founder of Random House publishers, Try and Stop Me sold over one million copies in the first two years of publication.
The book is mainly a compilation of anecdotes, urban legends, jokes, ghost stories, what Cerf calls “shaggy dog stories”, and profiles of news makers. Celebrities profiled by Cerf include Alexander Woollcott, Gertrude Stein, Robert Emmet Sherwood, Albert Einstein, Herbert Bayard Swope, Dorothy Thompson, Monty Woolley, George Gershwin, and Lucius Beebe.
Ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Try_and_Stop_Me_(book)
In the bedroom Set of “I Love Lucy” prominently displayed on the wall behind the twin beds are a pair of ballet sketches in matching frames. One of these original prop sketches turned up on eBay in 2006 and the story that was related in the auction description is an interesting one.
Description from the auction lot:
“This is an ORIGINAL set piece or prop off of the Desilu set for the I LOVE LUCY show! It has been stored for the past forty odd years — and recently found — by me because it was in my family’s storage area since the early sixties!
It is the actual pastel and ink on art paper — an original piece of artwork, not a print — AND the original frame that was used as a prop on the set of the original I LOVE LUCY show starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.” Continue reading I Love Lucy’s Bedroom Set Framed Ballet Pictures
