100 I Love Lucy Trivia Questions and Answers (Only True Fans Score 100%)

The TriviaTalent Team · 6 min read

The curtain parts, the band strikes up, and there she is — redheaded trouble in a polka-dot dress, already scheming her way into Ricky's nightclub act one more time. For six seasons on CBS, Monday nights belonged to Lucy Ricardo, and a good part of the country stayed home to watch.

Maybe you caught the first run in a living room that smelled of percolator coffee, or found the reruns on a rainy afternoon years later. Either way, that laugh still lands. Settle in and see how much you remember, then wander over to our Andy Griffith Show trivia or our classic TV trivia questions and answers.

The Show Itself

1. On what network did I Love Lucy air?

CBS.

2. In what year did the show premiere?

1951 — the first episode aired October 15, 1951.

3. In what year did the final regular episode air?

1957, on May 6.

4. How many seasons did it run?

Six.

5. Roughly how many episodes were made?

180 half-hour episodes.

6. Which radio comedy, also starring Lucille Ball, did the show grow out of?

My Favorite Husband.

7. For how many seasons did I Love Lucy finish as the top-rated show in America?

Four, according to Nielsen — the 1952–53, 1953–54, 1954–55 and 1956–57 seasons.

Meet the Ricardos

8. Who played Lucy Ricardo?

Lucille Ball.

9. What was Lucy's maiden name?

McGillicuddy.

10. Who played her husband, Ricky Ricardo?

Desi Arnaz.

11. What was Ricky's line of work?

He was a Cuban singer and bandleader.

12. What was the name of the nightclub where Ricky performed?

The Tropicana.

13. In what city did the Ricardos live for most of the series?

New York City, in a Manhattan apartment.

14. What was the Ricardos' Manhattan street address?

623 East 68th Street.

15. In the sixth season, the family left the city for a house in which Connecticut town?

Westport.

Fred and Ethel

16. Who played Ethel Mertz?

Vivian Vance.

17. Who played Ethel's husband, Fred Mertz?

William Frawley.

18. Together with the Ricardos, the Mertzes rounded out the core cast — how many main characters was that in all?

Four.

Three Unforgettable Episodes

19. In one of the most famous episodes, Lucy films a television commercial for a health tonic with an unpronounceable name. What was it called?

Vitameatavegamin.

20. Why did Lucy grow hopelessly tipsy taping that commercial?

The tonic was 23% alcohol, and she swallowed a spoonful on every take.

21. What is the title of that episode?

"Lucy Does a TV Commercial."

22. In another beloved episode, Lucy and Ethel take jobs at a candy factory and can't keep up with a speeding conveyor belt. What is it called?

"Job Switching."

23. What were the two women supposed to do with the chocolates coming down that belt?

Wrap each one before it slipped past.

24. In 2013, which organization ranked that candy-factory scene the single funniest moment in television history?

The Paley Center for Media.

25. In a fifth-season episode, Lucy climbs into a vat to stomp grapes while chasing an Italian movie role. What is that episode called?

"Lucy's Italian Movie."

26. In what country was that grape-stomping adventure set?

Italy.

A Baby and a Record

27. CBS would not allow the show to use which ordinary word while Lucy was expecting?

"Pregnant."

28. What word did the scripts use instead?

"Expecting."

29. What was the name of the Ricardos' baby boy?

Little Ricky.

30. Lucy's on-screen delivery was timed to the real-life birth of Lucille Ball's own son. What is his name?

Desi Arnaz Jr.

31. The episode "Lucy Goes to the Hospital," which aired January 19, 1953, earned a then-record Nielsen rating. Roughly what number was it?

About 71.7 — one of the largest audiences television had ever drawn at the time.

Behind the Cameras

32. What production company, founded by Ball and Arnaz, made the show?

Desilu Productions.

33. Unusually for its day, the show was shot on 35mm film in front of a live studio audience of about how many people?

Around 300.

34. Who was the celebrated cinematographer who lit the series?

Karl Freund.

35. Was I Love Lucy broadcast in color or in black and white?

Black and white.

36. Who composed the show's bouncy theme music?

Eliot Daniel.

37. How many Emmy Awards did the series win?

Five.

38. After the half-hour series ended, the cast carried on in a run of hour-long specials under what title?

The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.

39. In what year did Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz divorce, ending both the marriage and the on-screen partnership?

1960.

40. Two years after the divorce, Ball bought out Arnaz's share and ran the company herself. What was that company?

Desilu.

Honors and Footnotes

41. The stern candy-factory forewoman who barks at Lucy and Ethel to speed it up was played by which actress?

Elvia Allman.

42. TV Guide ranked the Vitameatavegamin episode near the very top of its greatest-episodes list. At what position?

Number two.

43. In 1990 both the show and Desi Arnaz were inducted into which honor roll?

The Television Academy Hall of Fame.

44. Vivian Vance won an Emmy in 1954 for playing Ethel. In what category?

Best Series Supporting Actress.

45. In its first season and again the next year, the show took home the Emmy for what top comedy honor?

Best Situation Comedy.

Frequently asked questions

How many episodes of I Love Lucy are there?

There are 180 half-hour episodes across six seasons, which aired on CBS from 1951 to 1957. The whole run was filmed and broadcast in black and white.

Why couldn't the show say the word "pregnant"?

In the early 1950s, CBS considered the word too indelicate for television. So when Lucy was expecting, the scripts simply used "expecting" instead — and the birth episode still pulled one of the biggest audiences in early TV history.

What was Vitameatavegamin?

It was a fictional health tonic from the episode "Lucy Does a TV Commercial." The catch was that it contained 23% alcohol, which is why Lucy turns cheerfully, hopelessly tipsy with every spoonful she tastes on camera. For more of the era's TV, try our classic TV trivia.

Did Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz stay married?

No. They divorced in 1960. Ball went on to buy out Arnaz's share of their studio, Desilu, and run it on her own.

Sources

How many did you remember? Play our trivia quizzes and keep the Monday-night magic going.