Lucille Ball was a powerhouse. By the time we got to The Lucy Show season 5 in 1966, she wasn't just a sitcom star; she was the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu. But things were changing fast. The slapstick was getting broader, the hair was getting oranger, and the cast was basically a revolving door of Hollywood legends. If you grew up watching the black-and-white antics of the Ricardos, the fifth season of this follow-up series can feel like a fever dream of mid-century high fashion and increasingly absurd premises.
It’s weird.
Most people remember the "Viv years" with Vivian Vance as the peak of the show. By season 5, Viv was long gone, having departed after the third season because she was tired of the commute from Connecticut and, frankly, tired of playing the second banana. What we’re left with in this 1966-1967 run is Lucy Carmichael fully ensconced in California, duking it out with Mr. Mooney. It’s a fascinating study in how a legend maintains her grip on the ratings while the world around her—and the industry itself—is shifting toward the counter-culture of the late sixties.
The Mooney Factor and the California Shift
The move to California in the previous season changed the DNA of the show. In The Lucy Show season 5, the dynamic is set in stone: Lucy vs. Gale Gordon. Gale Gordon was arguably the only person on the planet who could take a Lucy Ricardo-style punch (metaphorically) and throw it back with enough bluster to make it funny. He played Theodore J. Mooney as a man perpetually on the verge of a localized stroke.
The plot of almost every episode in this block involves Lucy wanting money. Or Lucy wanting a job. Or Lucy trying to help Mr. Mooney and accidentally destroying a bank vault. It’s formulaic, sure. But in 1966, audiences didn't want "prestige TV." They wanted to see the lady with the giant eyelashes get her head stuck in a trophy or something.
There’s this specific episode, "Lucy and the Ring Leader," where she gets mixed up with a boxing match. It’s classic physical comedy. You see her using her entire body—the rubber-faced expressions, the gangly limbs—to sell a joke that, on paper, isn't even that funny. That was the magic of this era. Even when the writing started to lean on tropes, Lucy’s timing remained surgical. She was a technician of the laugh.
The Guest Star Carousel
One thing that defines The Lucy Show season 5 is the sheer volume of "A-list" guest stars. This wasn't just a sitcom anymore; it was a variety show disguised as a narrative. Desi Arnaz was out of the picture, and Lucy was calling the shots. She wanted her friends on the show.
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- John Wayne: In "Lucy Meets the Duke," we see one of the most famous episodes of the entire series. Seeing the roughest, toughest cowboy in cinema history deal with Lucy’s chaos is still gold.
- George Burns: He appears in the season opener, "Lucy and George Burns." It’s meta, it’s dry, and it shows the deep respect these vaudeville-era performers had for one another.
- Carol Burnett: This was a passing of the torch. Burnett has often cited Lucy as her mentor, and their chemistry in "Lucy and Carol in Palm Springs" is electric. It’s two generations of female comedy powerhouses just letting loose.
Honestly, the show started to feel a bit like a "Who’s Who" of Old Hollywood. While the rest of the country was listening to The Beatles and protesting the war, Lucy was having Sheldon Leonard and Phil Silvers over for dinner on set. It was a bubble of pure, escapist entertainment.
Why Season 5 Feels Different
If you watch these episodes back-to-back with I Love Lucy, the difference in lighting and tone is jarring. Season 5 is bright. It’s loud. The colors are so saturated they practically bleed off the screen. This was the era of high-gloss 35mm film for television. Everything looked expensive because, well, it was.
The Disappearance of the Kids
Where did the children go? Seriously. In the early seasons, Lucy Carmichael was a widow raising Jerry and Chris. By The Lucy Show season 5, the kids are basically ghosts. Jimmy Garrett (Jerry) appears briefly, but the "family" aspect of the sitcom was essentially sacrificed at the altar of the Lucy-and-Mooney show.
This was a pivot. The producers realized that people weren't tuning in for heartfelt moments between a mother and her son. They wanted Lucy breaking into a movie studio or disguised as a hippie. Speaking of hippies—the show’s attempts to be "hip" in 1966 are unintentionally hilarious today. There’s a frantic energy to season 5 that suggests the writers knew they had to keep the pace up to compete with the new wave of television.
Production Secrets from the Desilu Lot
Behind the scenes, things were intense. Lucy was a perfectionist. If a prop didn't work, she'd stop everything. She wasn't "ditzy" Lucy Carmichael when the cameras stopped. She was the boss.
Maury Thompson, who directed many of these episodes, talked about how Lucy would rehearse her physical bits for hours. In season 5, she was in her mid-50s. Think about that. She was doing heavy-duty physical stunts, falling off ladders and getting covered in goop, at an age when most stars would be demanding a stunt double. She didn't. She did the work.
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One of the most technically difficult episodes of the season was "Lucy Flies to London." It was a big deal—filming on location (or making it look like it) was a massive undertaking for a multi-cam sitcom at the time. It signaled that the show was bigger than just a set at Desilu; it was a global brand.
The Ratings Juggernaut
Critics often look down on the later seasons of Lucy’s career. They say it was "more of the same."
They’re wrong.
Well, they’re right that it was more of the same, but they’re wrong that it didn't matter. The Lucy Show season 5 finished the year as the #4 show in the United States. Number four! After fifteen years of being on top, she was still beating almost everything else on the air. People loved the comfort of her comedy. In a world that was becoming increasingly chaotic with the Vietnam War and civil unrest, seeing Lucy get her finger stuck in a bowling ball was a national tonic.
The Technical Evolution of Comedy
One thing we don't talk about enough is how this season utilized the "Desilu gag." This was a specific type of physical comedy that required incredible engineering.
Take the episode "Lucy and the Bean Queen." The mess, the timing, the way the set had to be designed to collapse or explode on cue—it was high art. The writers, including veterans like Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis, knew exactly how to trigger Lucy’s "take."
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A "take" is that look she gives the camera when she knows she's in trouble. By season 5, she had about fifty different versions of it. The "I’m guilty" look. The "I’m terrified of Mr. Mooney" look. The "I have a terrible idea" look.
Common Misconceptions About This Season
- It was the last season: Nope. There was a season 6, after which the show was retooled into Here's Lucy.
- Vivian Vance was still a regular: People often conflate the seasons. By now, Viv was only making very occasional guest appearances.
- The show was failing: As mentioned, it was a ratings monster. It only ended because Lucy wanted to sell the studio and change the format, not because people stopped watching.
How to Watch Season 5 Today
If you're going to dive back into this, don't expect the grounded reality of early I Love Lucy. Go into it expecting a live-action cartoon. The costumes by Edward Stevenson are fabulous—Lucy looks like a million bucks even when she's causing a riot.
Recommended Episodes for a "Best Of" Marathon:
- Lucy and George Burns: A masterclass in deadpan meets slapstick.
- Lucy Meets the Duke: Pure nostalgia. John Wayne is surprisingly game for the nonsense.
- Lucy Gets Jack Benny’s Finger: It’s as weird as it sounds. Benny and Ball together are comedy royalty.
- Main Street U.S.A.: A rare moment where the show tries to tackle a "message" about small towns versus big corporations, but with enough Lucy-isms to keep it light.
Taking Action: The Lucy Legacy
If you really want to appreciate what happened in The Lucy Show season 5, you have to look at it as the bridge between the Golden Age of TV and the modern era. Lucy was proving that a woman in her 50s could lead a show, run a studio, and remain the funniest person in the room.
To get the most out of your rewatch, pay attention to the background. Look at the mid-century modern furniture and the "futuristic" gadgets in the bank. It’s a time capsule.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Compare the pacing: Watch a season 1 episode and a season 5 episode back-to-back. Notice how much faster the jokes land in the later years.
- Track the guest stars: Look up the contracts—Lucy often got these stars because she owned the studio where their other projects were being filmed. It was a brilliant business move.
- Check the credits: Look for the names of the writers and directors who stayed with her for decades. That loyalty is why the show felt so consistent.
Lucy Carmichael might have been a disaster in the kitchen, but Lucille Ball was a genius in the boardroom. Season 5 is the proof. It wasn't just a show; it was a victory lap. Enjoy the chaos, the wigs, and the constant yelling of "LUCYYYY!" by Mr. Mooney. It’s exactly what TV was meant to be.