The wife of a band leader constantly tries to become a star - in spite of her having no talent, and gets herself (along with her best friend) into the funniest predicaments.
Cast:Lucille Ball , Desi Arnaz , Vivian Vance , William Frawley , Joseph A. Mayer , Michael Mayer , Richard Keith , Bennett Green , Hazel Pierce , Louis Nicoletti , Jerry Hausner , Elizabeth Patterson , Frank Nelson , Doris Singleton , Barbara Pepper , Marco Rizo , Kathryn Card , Richard Reeves
After Lucy gets several months behind in all the bills, Ricky hires a no-nonsense business manager who puts her on a strict budget. Lucy comes up with a scheme to get some extra money that soon has her rolling in cash.
Lucy pretends to be Fred and Ethel's maid to impress Fred's old vaudeville partner.
Lucy tries to get her lonely friend's boyfriend to finally propose. When Ricky tries to save him from marriage, he and Lucy end up having a fight.
Lucy unwittingly attacks the talent scout sent by a company that wants to cast Ricky in a movie.
Lucy sees Ricky's screen test as an opportunity to get discovered as a new movie star.
Lucy meets her mother-in-law from Cuba for the first time.
Convinced that his wife never likes the presents he buys for her, Fred asks Lucy to secretly find a birthday present for Ethel on his behalf. Lucy agrees, and later is with Ethel when she happens to find the gift-wrapped package in a closet. Ethel is less than excited about it, complaining that Fred has a history of giving her horrible gifts. Lucy urges Ethel to sneak a peek at what's inside. Reluctantly unwrapping the gift, Ethel pulls out a pair of strange-looking pants, gives them a quizzical glance and exclaims, "Well, he's done it again." Lucy hides her dismay, speaking up for Fred, trying to explain that they are chic hostess pants, the kind you wear "when you give smart dinner parties." Ethel is unimpressed, saying, "Oh, I've been wondering what to wear to all those smart dinner parties I give." When Lucy reveals that it was she and not Fred who selected the gift, this leads to an argument and an estrangement. In Act II, Ricky and Fred scheme to get the girls together again by taking them both to the theater to see a new hit show, "Over the Teacups". Ethel and Lucy are forced to sit together as they watch the play. Their anger toward each other softens as they listen to the play, a drama in which the main character is presented with news of a friend's death.
Everyone's on pins and needles waiting for the results of Ricky's screen test.
The Ricardos and Mertzes prepare for their trip to California where Ricky will be acting in a movie.
Lucy insists in learning to drive the new car so she can help with the driving on the way to California. After one bad lesson, she tries teaching Ethel how to drive. Ethel ends up wrecking the car before it has insurance.
The Ricardos and Mertzes begin their cross-country drive to California.
When the gang is traveling through Ohio, they stop at a diner and motel run by a man who takes advantage of them.
After getting lost and ending up south in Tennessee, the Ricardos and Mertzes get arrested for speeding and Tennessee Ernie Ford helped them escape, to continue their trip west, to California.
The gang arrives in Ethel's hometown of Albequerque, New Mexico, where the locals are under the impression that she, and not Ricky, has been hired to star in a Hollywood movie.
When the Ricardos and the Mertzes arrive in Hollywood, Lucy goes to the Brown Derby restaurant where her sighting of William Holden turns catastrophic.
The studio makes Ricky do movie publicity with four starlets, leaving Lucy alone.
Lucy gets a bit part in a movie, but has a problem with the costume.
When Variety reports that M-G-M has shelved its "Don Juan" movie, Lucy is afraid that she and the gang might have to leave Hollywood. She schemes to find a man to pretend to be a producer interested in Ricky, thinking this will convince studio head Dore Schary to put him in another film.
Lucy blackmails Ricky to get a role on a national TV show, but the part isn't exactly what she expected.
Ricky can't remember the date of their anniversary. He calls Western Union at 3am, sending a wire to the head of the license bureau in Greenwich, CT for the date.
Phipps Department Store offers Ricky a job as a morning TV show host, but only if it includes Lucy as well.
When Lucy learns that Cornel Wilde is staying in the penthouse upstairs, she poses as the bellboy to try and get in to meet him.
After having a fight with Ricky and Fred, Lucy and Ethel go to Palm Springs. They meet Rock Hudson there, who helps get everyone back together.
The gang meets Harpo Marx and Lucy does the famous 'mirror' routine with him.
Lucy is frustrated that Ricky is waiting in Hollywood while MGM tries to find a movie for him to star in. She pretends to be his new agent and confronts the MGM brass, saying he has an offer to do a big Broadway musical. Instead of putting him in a movie right away, MGM releases Ricky from his contract.
Lucy gets stranded in Richard Widmark's house after trying to steal a grapefruit from a tree in his backyard.