Aaron Spelling is known for producing some of the biggest shows of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Some of his most popular shows include Charlie’s Angels, The Love Boat, Dynasty, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. Many people do not realize that before he was producing television shows, amassing his massive wealth and building his 56,500 square foot, 123-room home, aka “The Manor,” Spelling was acting on television. His very first television appearance was in a 1955 episode of I Love Lucy, “Tennessee Bound.”
RICKY (from the car): Where are we?
Lucille Ball as “Lucy,” Desi Arnaz as “Ricky,” Vivian Vance as “Ethel,” William Frawley as “Fred,” and Aaron Spelling as “Gas Station Attendant.” I Love Lucy, “Tennessee Bound,” January 24, 1955.
LUCY: Where are we? Uhhh…where are we Ethel?
ETHEL: Uh… I don’t know, I wasn’t paying much attention.
GAS STATION ATTENDANT: Shucks, you’re in Tennessee!
LUCY: Tennessee?!
ETHEL: Tennessee?!
RICKY (from the car): Tennessee?!
FRED (from the car): Tennessee?!
GAS STATION ATTENDANT: You got a bad echo in that car!
LUCY: Yeah well…How do you get back to Highway 60?
GAS STATION ATTENDANT: You got here from Highway 60?! But there a’int no roads! You must’ve come across that mountain, in them old logging ruts. How’d you do it?
LUCY: T’weren’t easy. Tell me where is the next city?
GAS STATION ATTENDANT: You can get to Nashville from here. You go straight down here a piece, until you get to that big road, and you stay right on it, and it’ll take you right through Bent Fork.
LUCY: Bent Fork?!
ETHEL: Bent Fork?!
RICKY (from the car): Bent Fork?!
FRED (from the car): Bent Fork?!
GAS STATION ATTENDANT: There goes that echo again!
While in Bent Fork, Ricky is pulled over for speeding and is hauled down to the jail. Lucy ends up being arrested for back talking the Sheriff. Then, having heard the ruckus about the city folk being caught speeding, Ernie shows up. He, Ricky and the Mertzes come up with a plan to break Lucy out of jail. However, it doesn’t go well and the whole group ends up behind bars. To get out of jail, Ernie decides that he’ll marry the Sheriff’s daughter who was sweet on him. Ernie declares his intent to the Sheriff. The Sheriff is overjoyed and leaves to go get his twin daughters–Teensy and Weensy. Teensy and Weensy are portrayed by Marilyn and Rosalyn Borden. These poor women are the butt of the joke in this episode. The twins are petite and rotund women. Ernie ends up proposing to the wrong sister and his plan is ruined.
While in Bent Fork, Ricky is pulled over for speeding and is hauled down to the jail. Lucy ends up being arrested for back talking the Sheriff. Then, having heard the ruckus about the city folk being caught speeding, Ernie shows up. He, Ricky and the Mertzes come up with a plan to break Lucy out of jail. However, it doesn’t go well and the whole group ends up behind bars. To get out of jail, Ernie decides that he’ll marry the Sheriff’s daughter who was sweet on him. Ernie declares his intent to the Sheriff. The Sheriff is overjoyed and leaves to go get his twin daughters–Teensy and Weensy. Teensy and Weensy are portrayed by Marilyn and Rosalyn Borden. These poor women are the butt of the joke in this episode. The twins are petite and rotund women. Ernie ends up proposing to the wrong sister and his plan is ruined.
However, Teensy and Weensy express interest in dancing with Ricky (because why not? He’s hot!). Ricky at first refuses, but is convinced to do so by Ernie. Ernie comes up with another plan, telling the Sheriff that Ricky will dance with the twins, but only if they can do a square dance, “so he can dance with both at once.” This is where Aaron Spelling comes back into the episode as he just happens to be at the jail. Maybe he had heard about the trouble the group got into and wanted to see what happened. Spelling, the Sheriff, Teensy and Weensy round out the square alongside the Ricardos and Mertzes. Ernie serves as the square dance caller. They start with a traditional square dance; but Ernie soon gives clever calls that subtly cue the Ricardos and Mertzes to make their move to escape. They grab a rope and tie the Sheriff, his daughters and Aaron Spelling up and they’re back on the road!
This is a very funny episode, though you can’t help but feel sorry for Teensy and Weensy. They fill the role that is present in a lot of old television shows and movies where a father with supposedly unattractive daughters feels compelled to try and pawn them off on any man who will pay them even a second of attention. Cousin Ernie can be a bit of a divisive figure in the I Love Lucy community; but I love him. Aaron Spelling’s re-appearance at the end of the episode is somewhat random as he just kind of shows up again, but obviously they needed eight people for the square and Spelling was already on the set. Spelling’s appearance isn’t entirely memorable unless you’re a big I Love Lucy fan and he’s unrecognizable from his 70s-90s image. However, it is fun to see a huge television titan at the beginning of his career in such a goofy role. He could have done worse though for his television debut than I Love Lucy, the #1 show in the country.
8 replies on “The Aaron Spellingverse Blogathon- I Love Lucy, “Tennessee Bound.””
Thanks for highlighting more of Aaron’s career in this great tribute. I haven’t seen much of this series, but it does look like a fun episode to check out his acting talents. Thanks for bringing this to the blogathon and added you to my recap post today.
[…] Kayla at Whimsically Classic adds a TV acting role for Aaron Spelling in I Love Lucy (1955), Ep15, Tennessee Bound… […]
Had no idea he was ever in front of the camera! He really lived and breathed tv…
Yes! He’s so awkward in I Love Lucy. It’s probably better that he ultimately stepped behind the camera. He made a lot of early TV guest appearances though, so he probably gained a lot of knowledge that he was able to use later.
Later on, Spelling produced Lucy’s last sitcom Life with Lucy in 1986. Alas, it was not a success and was cancelled quickly.
Yes. That is unfortunate that Lucy had to end her TV career on a sour note like that. She also made the Stone Pillow made for TV movie, which I haven’t watched despite being a huge Lucille Ball/I Love Lucy fan. I’m not sure if I want to see Lucy like that.
I have never seen the Tennessee episodes! Guess I’ll have to go look for them.
There’s only one Tennessee episode. Unless you’re referring to Tennessee Ernie Ford, then there are three episodes! The Ricardos and Mertzes drive through Tennessee on their way to California and end up running into “Cousin Ernie.”