I Love Lucy was one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, and it’s still beloved today. Everything from Wandavision to Drake & Josh owes it a debt. The program is also a prime candidate for the Mandela effect, for some of its most frequently quoted lines were never actually said.
What’s The Mandela Effect?
The Mandela effect is a phenomenon where folks have a shared cultural memory of an event or quotation that never actually happened. It’s named for Nelson Mandella, for many incorrectly remember his funeral being televised years before he actually died.
There are many famous examples of this phenomenon. Darth Vader never said “Luke, I am your father,” and Fonzie never threw up two thumbs to say “ayyy.” It’s the Berenstain Bears, not the Berenstein Bears, and Mr. Monopoly does not have a monocle on. It’s a fun way of exploring how disinformation can become ingrained, and some think it’s even proof of parallel worlds.
‘Lucy, I’m Home!’
Aaron Sorkin is doing the rounds to promote Being The Ricardos, his biopic about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The film has attracted some criticism over the casting of Nicole Kidman, but Ball’s daughter Lucy Arnaz has complimented her performance. The film was met with mostly positive reviews and is primed to be an awards darling come Oscar season.
Anyway, Sorkin is now something of an I Love Lucy expert. When he was writing the screenplay he included the iconic Ricky Ricardo line “Lucy, I’m home!” There was just one problem, this was never said on the show. Sorkin told CinemaBlend, “Lucy Arnaz said ‘it’s a myth…. Ricky never said ‘Lucy, I’m home. I was shocked.”
Sorkin revised his screenplay and even included a line about how this line is misattributed to the series. Upon turning that draft in, Arnaz’s manager provided more feedback. He was given a list of every episode where “Lucy I’m home” appears. It was said 17 times in the first season.
No Splaining To Do
While “Lucy, I’m home” did happen, another iconic line never did. Sorkin says what was never said on I Love Lucy was “Lucy, you got some ‘splaining to do.” He’s got no idea where the line comes from and says he would have lost a bet. “I would be curious where the seed of that was where there’s no social media at all so bad information couldn’t spread as quickly.”
If you remember Ricky Ricardo telling Lucy that she’s “got some ‘splaining to do” then you’re flat wrong. That never happened.
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