I Love Lucy (TV Series) The Anniversary Present (1952) User Reviews

The Other Woman Next Door

[HarlowMGM · 8/10 · 26 September 2010]

Lucy and Ricky's anniversary is just a few days away and she's determined that he "remember" it, dropping all sorts of hints. Ricky does in fact know it but he continues to play dumb all the while making arrangements with neighbor Grace Foster (Gloria Blondell) to buy Lucy a string of pearls from the shop where Grace works. Ricky's "disappearances" when he feigns being with Fred has Lucy suspicious and when Ethel sees Ricky leaving Grace's apartment, Lucy fears she is losing her man.

This is another fun episode of I LOVE LUCY, not quite one of the best but with some good laughs. Nice to see Joan Blondell's younger sister Gloria in a rare sizable role as the suspected other woman.

Albert!!!

[angelahptrio · 8/10 · 2 August 2020]

A misunderstanding from Ethel thinking Ricky is having an affair and Lucy starts believing since Ricky is sneaking around. My favorite part is the girls listening through the furnace and you hear other neighbors. I love Lucy's line, "Oh for Heaven sakes Albert, go eat your lunch!" I can't stop laughing. If you watch that scene you'll see why because the neighbors who are a couple are arguing and she can't hear Ricky. And she asks Ethel where can you turn up the volume. Such good writing.

Agree about Albert!

[kellielulu · 9/10 · 2 July 2022]

I agree with the review about Lucy yelling at Albert. It's the funniest thing to listen to. On paper not that funny but in context to what is going on and how Lucy says it always cracks me up!

Listening through the furnace Lucy and Ethel are trying to figure out what is going on between Ricky and Grace Foster in her apartment. Another couple are bickering about lunch, the wife is telling her husband lunch is ready he keeps telling her he'll be there in a minute. It's making it harder to hear Ricky and Grace finally an exasperated Lucy yells into the furious " oh for heaven sake Albert go eat your lunch!" Her delivery was pitch perfect and I always wondered if the tenets heard her .

The final bit with Lucy and Ethel dressing up as painters and getting into the Foster apartment through the window is hilarious.

I know I didn't cover the plot but it's pretty basic. Lucy keeps hinting that it's their Anniversary and Ricky acts oblivious. He really does remember and he's getting her real pearls and Grace Foster works for a big jewelry company. Grace is actually pretty nice.

Not an affair to remember.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 16 May 2021]

Lucy's subtly dropping hints about her and Ricky's anniversary coming up, with everything from rice for breakfast and humming the wedding march. Little is she aware that Ricky is planning a surprise for her, in cahoots with neighbor Grace Foster (Gloria Blondell, Joan's sister), leading to Lucy believing that Ricky is philandering. Even listening in on the line when Ricky is discussing purchasing jewelry from her makes Lucy think that something fishy is going on, and of course, her suspicions end up getting her into bigger trouble.

Even in despair, Lucy is hysterical as she can barely even muster on effort to cry, her body basically turning into rubber as she believes Ricky is off to his non-lover's arms. Herb Vigran makes another appearance as Jule. A funny introduction to "the snooper's friend" (the building's pipe system), and of course, everything that Ricky and Grace Foster say being misinterpreted. A very funny episode that has every apartment in the building being heard as Lucy tries to entrap Ricky.