Ep 4. Lucy and Paul Winchell

The Lucy Show season 1 episode 4, titled "Lucy and Paul Winchell," finds Lucy Carmichael (Lucille Ball) attempting to make her son Jerry's (Jimmy Garrett) dreams come true by getting him a ventriloquist dummy for his birthday. After finding out that renowned ventriloquist Paul Winchell will be performing in town, Lucy sets out to meet him and, if possible, enlist him to give Jerry a few tips.

Lucy and her best friend Vivian (Vivian Vance) show up at the hotel where Winchell is staying, and Lucy tries to sneak into his room to meet him. However, she is caught by hotel security and gets in trouble. When Winchell finds out about her failed attempt to meet him, he agrees to come to her house and meet Jerry.

Winchell arrives at Lucy's house with his own ventriloquist dummy, Knucklehead Smiff, and proceeds to give Jerry a lesson in ventriloquism. Lucy, who has always been terrible at keeping her voice low while talking with her mouth closed, decides to try her hand at ventriloquism as well. However, her attempts to speak without moving her lips are unsuccessful, and she ends up embarrassing herself in front of Winchell and Jerry.

Meanwhile, Lucy's boss Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) comes to her house to discuss some business with her. Upon seeing Winchell and Knucklehead, Mooney mistakes the dummy for a real person and gets increasingly annoyed when he thinks that Knucklehead is talking back to him. The situation escalates when Mooney tries to get physical with Knucklehead, resulting in a hilarious showdown between Mooney and Lucy's puppet.

Overall, "Lucy and Paul Winchell" is a fun and classic episode of The Lucy Show that showcases Lucille Ball's comedic timing and physical comedy skills. Winchell's guest appearance adds an extra layer of humor to the show, and the subplot involving Lucy's boss adds another dimension to the episode. Fans of classic sitcoms and Lucille Ball will appreciate this episode's lighthearted humor and family-friendly themes.