Tag Archives: I love Lucy Prop

Ethel Mertz, I love Lucy Props, Mid-century, Vintage Electrical Appliances, Vintage Tape Recorders

Lucy and Ethel use a Tape Recorder

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Lucy and Ethel use a Crestwood tape recorder on I Love Lucy, Oil Wells episode.

Lucy and Ethel use a Crestwood Tape recorder on the episode Oil Wells (15 Feb. 1954).  The Ricardo’s new neighbors claim to be Texas oil tycoons  and a tape recorder features prominently in the story line. The Crestwood tape recorder was a new model that was widely promoted that year. Reporting on the appearance on the show  an article in the popular Tape Recording magazine 10-1954 p. 42  followed with a picture of Lucy and Ethel on set.

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Tape Recording Magazine 1954 Article mentions Lucy’s Crestwood Tape Recorder

On eBay recently I came across a listing for a vintage Crestwood tape recorder that looks very like the one used on the I Love Lucy show – click on the picture below to see the listing.

A Crestwood Taperecorder similar to the one used as a prop on I Love Lucy
A Crestwood Taperecorder similar to the one used as a prop on I Love Lucy
1954 Crestwood tape Recorder on I Love Lucy
1954 Crestwood Ad for the Tape Recorder on I Love Lucy

The Crestwood is the second tape recorder we have seen on the I Love Lucy show – previously we looked at the Webcor tape recorder used by Ricky to record his song “There’s a Brand New Baby in Our House“.

Lucy devises a plot involving the the use of a tape recorder in the episode "Oil Wells"
Lucy devises a plot involving the the use of a tape recorder in the episode “Oil Wells”

References:

I love Lucy Props, Little Ricky, Mid-century, Vintage Electrical Appliances, Vintage Tape Recorders

Ricky Ricardo’s 1953 Webcor Tape Recorder

Ricky's Webcor Tape Recorder on I Love Lucy
Ricky’s Webcor Tape Recorder on I Love Lucy

The I Love Lucy episode titled “Sales Resistance” opens with Ricky using a new Webcor tape recorder to record his song “There’s a Brand New Baby in Our House”. The tape recorder was the must have gadget in 1953, the year Little Ricky was born. Ricky is  seen  using a 1953 Webcor Reel to Reel tape recorder from Webster-Chicago.

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Webcor Model 210 with 2 hour tape and microphone $197.50

According to the ad  pictured above the Webcor Model 210 with 2 hour tape and microphone sold for $197.50 in 1953,  which calculates to a buying power  of $1,765.21  in 2015 dollars.

A closer look at a Webcor 210 as seen on eBay
A closer look at a Webcor 210 as seen on eBay

Pictured above is a vintage portable Webcor seen on eBay this week (Click Here to view) selling for below the 1953 price although not in 1953 condition. Continue reading Ricky Ricardo’s 1953 Webcor Tape Recorder →

Cruet, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props, Kitchen

Vintage Cruet Set Finds

The complete cruet set seen at an early date in the I love Lucy kitchen
The  cruet set seen on the wall in the I love Lucy kitchen

In the I Love Lucy kitchen you may have noticed a wall mounted salad set ( see previous post) Today I see these two sets -pictured below – that are not an exact match for Lucy’s set but will create a similar look on a kitchen wall.

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Cruet Set on Etsy

See it on Etsy (US)

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Cruet Set on Ebay

See it on eBay

50s Retro, I love Lucy Props, Little Ricky, Vintage Toys

Little Ricky’s Telephone Bank

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Little Ricky’s Telephone Savings Bank on I Love Lucy

In the I Love Lucy episode Lucy is Envious we see a plastic toy rotary phone on the mantelpiece of the Ricardo’s living room. In this episode Lucy is short of cash and searches the house for coins. She tells Ethel she even looked in the baby’s piggy bank but only found a couple of IOU’s from Ricky inside. Little Ricky’s savings bank is a match for the two color red and white plastic telephone savings bank by Amerline.

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Amerline Toy Phone Bank like Little Ricky’s – for sale on Etsy

The toy rotary telephone savings bank is by Amerline of Chicago, IL, copyright 1945 . Currently there is one for sale online in red and white pictured above.
CLICK HERE to See it on Etsy

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Little Ricky’s two color plastic phone bank by Amerline

amerline toy phone box

Base of the Amerline Telephone savings bank
Base of the Amerline Telephone savings bank

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There is also one on eBay HERE but is it not a 2-color phone like we see in the screen capture above – it is being sold as an original prop.

Card Games, Ethel Mertz, I love Lucy Props, Playing Cards

Ethel’s Bicycle Playing Cards

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In the I Love lucy episode Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying To Murder Her
which first aired on  November 5, 1951, Ethel demonstrates her fortune telling skills using her Bicycle Fan back playing cards. These had a distinctive design on the reverse that incorporates a fan and bicycle design originally issued in the 1890’s  called “The New Fan Back” as opposed to an earlier fan design.
cards bicycle-cards-canasta The fan back design is currently seen in the Canasta set available on the website HERE bicycle-cards
Vintage Sets can also be found on eBay HERE

I love Lucy Props, Sewing Machine, Vintage Electrical Appliances, Westinghouse

Lucy’s Free-Westinghouse Sewing Machine

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Lucy Uses a Westinghouse Sewing Machine

In the I Love Lucy episode “Lucy Wants New Furniture” Lucy tries to economize by making her own clothes. Lucy’s uses a Free-Westinghouse sewing machine like the one pictured below which is currently for sale on eBay, except the one on eBay is attached to its own table, whereas Lucy’s was portable. The price for the cheapest model in 1950 was $69.95 per the ad below.

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Vintage Free-Westinghouse Sewing Machine – Click Picture to view on eBay
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1950 Free-Westinghouse Sewing Machine Ad

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Find Free-Westinghouse sewing machines on eBay

50s Clocks, I love lucy, I love Lucy Props

Trend Banjo Wall Clock Like Lucy’s

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Electric Trend Banjo Wall Clock on I Love Lucy
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Trend Banjo Clock like the one on I Love lucy – Click picture to see it on eBay

This clock was seen on eBay recently and finished unsold so the seller may relist it. It is the same model and make as the clock seen on I Love Lucy.  It is a working electric wall clock like the one on the show – these can optionally  be converted to battery by switching out the movement, instructions can easily be found online. See more details about the clock on my previous post HERE.
See it on eBay HERE

I love Lucy Props, Lucy Style, Olde Thompson

Oil & Vinegar cruet set from “I Love Lucy”

cruet set

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Cruet Set offered on eBay Credit: eBay

Seen on eBay this week is a cruet set advertised as the set from I Love lucy CLICK HERE to view the listing. There is a cert from a prop house but I don’t know if there is any direct provenance to anyone who can verify the authenticity. I am curious that the funnel is present because I assumed it went missing as the funnel is not seen in several episodes of the show. It appears that ivy leaf pattern on the cruet offered on eBay is not an exact match for the cruet seen in the screen shot above when you compare the  placement of the ivy leaf shapes. The cruets were hand painted so no two are exactly alike.

If you read the previous post about the Thompson ivy cruet set you will be aware that similar cruet sets from George S. Thompson of Pasadena, Ca. under the Olde Thompson label can still sometimes turn up on for sale, so you may be able to find an identical one for less if you are patient.

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Ivy Cruet set Offered on eBay recently. Photo: eBay

Note: I am not an expert on original props and cannot verify the authenticity of any items claimed to be from the show. As always exercise caution and look for reliable provenance.

Art, Framed Prints, I love Lucy Props, Utrillo

Vintage copy of Utrillo Painting

Maurice Utrillo inspired Painting 12" x 16" on artists board
Maurice Utrillo inspired Painting 12″ x 16″ on artists board

On eBay currently is a vintage painting that appears to  be copy of Utrillo’s painting  “Restaurant au Mont Cenis” even including the signature. I Love Lucy fans will recognize the scene from the Utrillo Print of the same name that hung on the wall of the Ricardo’s livingroom. Click on the picture above to see the item on eBay.
Read more about the original Utrillo prop print from the show here