It's the Mertzes' 18th wedding anniversary, and Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) want to celebrate with a night at the Copacabana club. Unfortunately, hubbies Ricky (Desi Arnaz) and Fred (William Frawley) have their hearts set on attending the fights. The inevitable argument ensues, with Lucy and Ethel huffily telling the boys that they intend to go to the Copa with male escorts, whereupon Ricky and Fred respond that they will still attend the fights, with dates of their own. As things turn out, Ricky and Fred end up dating Lucy and Ethel, who are "disguised" as a pair of hillbillies. Desi Arnaz sings "Guadalajara" in this, the first I Love Lucy episode to be telecast (but not the first one filmed).

Convinced that Ricky (Desi Arnaz) has lost interest in her, Lucy (Lucille Ball) vows to win back his affections -- using a book called "How to Keep Your Honeymoon From Ending" as her guide. Not surprisingly, Lucy's various strategies -- dressing glamorously for breakfast, joining Ricky's weekly poker game, and so on -- fail spectacularly. As a last-ditch effort, Lucy redecorates the apartment as a replica of Desi's homeland of Cuba, following the book's advice that she should surround her hubby with "things that remind him of his childhood." However, hauling chickens a mule into the apartment may be a case of Lucy's gilding the lily once more!

Upon hearing that Ricky (Desi Arnaz) needs a new singer for his nightclub act, Lucy (Lucille Ball) insists upon auditioning for the job. Unfortunately, she is unable to squeeze into the former singer's size 12 gown. Inaugurating a crash diet, Lucy vows to lose a dozen pounds in the four days before Ricky unveils his new act -- but such a monumental undertaking is easier said than done! This is the classic episode in which Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz perform "Cuban Pete" from their pre-I Love Lucy nightclub tour.

Engrossed in the whodunit novel "The Mockingbird Murder Case," Lucy (Lucille Ball) convinces herself that Ricky (Desi Arnaz) plans to bump her off -- and this suspicion seems to be confirmed when Ethel (Vivian Vance) uses cards to predict Lucy's future (or lack of same). Unwitting Ricky fuels Lucy's fears when he discusses "getting rid of her" over the phone, though in fact he is merely asking his agent to remove a trained dog from his nightclub act! One misunderstanding leads to another, and by episode's end a desperate Lucy shows up in the middle of Ricky's performance at the Trocadero, prepared to accuse him of poisoning her. This was the first I Love Lucy episode to be filmed, though not the first to be telecast.

Ever on the lookout for some quick and easy money, Lucy (Lucille Ball) becomes a contestant on the popular radio quiz show "Females Are Fabulous" (a spoof of Art Linkletter's People Are Funny). Host Freddie Fillmore (Frank Nelson in the first of many I Love Lucy appearances) offers to pay Lucy 1,000 dollars if she can convince Ricky (Desi Arnaz) that she was married before him, with the help of paid actor who will show up at the Ricardo doorstep claiming to be Lucy's "long-lost first husband." Predictably, Lucy mistakes a hobo (John Emery) for her phony hubby, and confusion reigns supreme.

A TV talent scout intends to drop in at the Trocadero to catch Ricky's (Desi Arnaz) act, and naturally Lucy (Lucille Ball) assumes that this is her chance to finally break into show business. The golden opportunity arrives when Buffo the Clown (Pat Moran), who performs a specialty with Ricky, is sidelined by an accident. The result: Lucy, dressed in Buffo's outlandish costume, joins Ricky's act, culminating in the classic moment in which she imitates a trained seal! This episode is a remake of the original I Love Lucy pilot, filmed in 1950. (Incidentally, the "actors" playing the network reps include I Love Lucy producer Jess Oppenheimer and real-life CBS executive Harry Ackerman).

Hoping to help Ricky (Desi Arnaz) land a job with theatrical producer Mr. Meriweather (Jay Novello), Lucy (Lucille Ball) "casually" lets slip that she shares Meriweather's fascination with numerology and horoscopes. Enlisting the aid of her pal Ethel (Vivian Vance), Lucy arranges an elaborate séance, wherein Meriweather contacts the spirit of his late, beloved Tillie. But will "Madame Ethel Mertzola" be able to carry out the charade without Meriweather catching on? If for nothing else, this episode will always be remembered for the deathless line "Ethel to Tillie...Come in Tillie...."

Fed up with Ricky's (Desi Arnaz) sloppiness, neat-freak Lucy (Lucille Ball) divides their apartment in half. When this act fails to change Ricky's ways, Lucy decides to teach him a lesson when press agent Kenny Morgan (playing himself) arranges an at-home interview with the Ricardos for "Halfbeat," a magazine for professional musicians. With the help of the Mertzes, Lucy convinces the interviewer that the Ricardo apartment is nothing more than a huge pile of junk and dirty clothes -- and need we add that the scheme backfires spectacularly?

Ricky (Desi Arnaz) brings home a 3,250-dollar mink coat that he has rented for his nightclub act. Jumping to conclusions as usual, Lucy (Lucille Ball) assumes that Ricky has purchased the coat for her anniversary present. In desperation, Ricky inveigles Fred (William Frawley) into posing as a thief so that the coat can be "stolen" and safely returned to its rightful owner. The plan goes awry when a real thief (played by veteran movie heavy Ben Welden) shows up unexpectedly -- and that's only the beginning of the story!

Thanks to a blind item in a newspaper gossip column, Lucy (Lucille Ball) mistakenly believes that Ricky (Desi Arnaz) is having an affair with Rosemary (Helen Silver), the singer in his nightclub act. Intending to spy on her husband, Lucy worms her way into the chorus at the Tropicana. As a result, Ricky's musical act becomes a slapstick comedy routine, thanks to that "strange girl" in the chorus line -- but will Ricky figure out who that strange girl really is?