I Love Lucy: Behind the Scenes-Sets!--The Same Apartment Set? (GIVEAWAY DETAILS!) 

I have a friend who is a stagehand and I have always been envious of his career since he gets to meet so much talent. He's currently building a barn for a current Broadway play. Past & present, I Love Lucy is and has ALWAYS been my favorite TV program. Stay well friend and BE HOPEFUL.

Rick, you did it again! I totally missed the fact that the Applebee apartment and the Kaiser apartment were one in the same. Thanks for teaching this old Lucy fan new facts. Remember, BE HOPEFUL!!!

When I was a child in the 50s I noticed that a lot of the sets looked the same . It is said the Lucy show was filmed in Culver studios . Maybe that was the later shows . When I worked on Ally Mcbeal Boston Legal and others in the late 90s it was at Remar Studios in Hollywood ,that is also where Gomer Pyle MC was shot.

Thanks, Rick. I Love Lucy is my favorite show. I never noticed that Carolyn Appleby's apartment and Helen Kaiser's apartment were the same. Thanks for sharing.

Thank Rick for another trivia I always look forward watching your videos it's fun to see the behind the scenes. I was there back in the 80s at the studio for a taping of a TV show we sat in the bleachers it was amazing. Can't wait to see more BE HOPEFUL.

Thanks for letting me and everyone enjoy Lucy again. I was born in 1951 n that's when the show began. Great work, n very interesting. Don't stop showing the show and what made it great and funny. Thanks again from a Baby Boomer......Be Hopeful

WOW, What a nice video. I enjoyed learning about the sets. And I really think you are an amazing man to do all the work and then offer your time in a giveaway. I am always hopeful. Your video was 4 years ago and I hope the people that won the contest were pleased. I don't know what I would have discusses with you, so I would not have been someone who needed to win. Be Hopeful is a lovely slogan for your channel and for everyone in life!

It is amazing the little nuances that make one apartment different from another. Love noticing those and the bloopers. Be Hopeful!!

Really appreciate your postings! A challenge--Rick Nineg, you could wind a Noble Prize in Physics IF, you can explain the near Twilight Zone physics behind the anomaly alignments between the Mertz's and Ricardo's Apartments...at times, it seems near impossible for Lucy to walk next door to Ethel and have their back porches be side-by-side, or when in the Superman episode, for Lucy to be on a ledge...with the rental apartment seemingly right across the Hall from the Ricardo apt. or In the episode were Lucy hides the new furniture in her kitchen...'runs to get salt from the Mertz's --walks through their front door , turns right and goes into the Mertz's Kitchen....Thanks Dude, keep up the good work...

After reading these comments, I am inclined to believe that this is not a re-use of sets, but a completely new set, or at least, a new wall. But I still enjoyed this video 📹. Thank you Rick. I Love Lucy Forever!

You know I was going through a hard time just recently and you made it just a little bit better I know I am very hopeful I’m being hopeful and I love when you say that. I look forward to this every night before I go to bed and it means that you do care for everybody to watch and you share so thank you

To be fair, plenty of apartments in NYC can look similar in real life; especially if they're in the same building or are in different buildings built to the same specs or by the same builder/architect firm. Good video rick!!

I love all your videos and loved the live chat video the other day,thanks so much for sharing because it brings back so many memories of my childhood watching this show,take care

Not my favorite episode, but one of my favorite scenes when Lucy goes to visit Carolyn Applebee. I did notice these 2 rooms were the same. I'm 54. I've been watching forever. Until you, I never knew ppl were still watching I love Lucy besides myself. Be hopeful

I'm curious as to what got you into I Love Lucy? And i just love how you share all the wonderful information you have on Lucy and the gang! God Bless and BE HOPEFUL!!

I love your videos!!! Certainly brightens up my day anything Lucy. Love the bloopers videos the most! Keep it up and BE HOPEFUL!

The passport is my favorite unsung episode. That Helen is such a conniver! I wonder if her marriage to the younger man lasted, 😂

Don’t know the episode’s exact names but when the Ricardos and Mertzes buy a diner you will notice the wall length refrigerator is the same that appears in the wig episode when Lucy and Ethel go to the restaurant in disguise to meet Ricky and Fred. It also appears in Petticoat Junction in their kitchen.

What a fabulous collection!! Thank U for sharing.

I loved this video! You did it again! You have a great eye. Your sets videos are my favorite. I didn't know this at all, so thank you for sharing the info with us. *Fingers crossed on the giveaway* I'd love to chat with you about everything Lucy! It'd be a lot of fun. P.S. I've had a really stressful past two weeks with work, but in the back of my mind, I reminded myself to be hopeful...Thanks to you. :) Be hopeful!

I think the wall at 3:30 was moved toward the center of the stage about 3 feet, covering part of the window on the back wall. A narrower set represents a smaller apartment.

I saw Lucille Ball interviewed and someone asked her if they thought the I Love Lucy show would be so big and successful. She said that they had no expectations. She said that no one had any experience with TV since it was so new. She said they thought it might last for one year. In my humble opinion, I don't think they operated as set teams do now. I don't believe they took pictures to recreate sets etc. I think they had a structural formula that kept fixed entrances and exits doable and maybe even reused some doors etc. but I'm thinking they weren't attempting to recreate certain looks for new locations (stores or friends homes). I have noticed the similarities before for different episodes and shows etc. I think they reused what they could (for cost (kind of like reusing costumes). With the show being weekly, they would have gone broke using brand new costumes and sets all the time. Besides, reusing items is not only practical but also more how real life is. Thank you for your video and your interesting content.

Love watching your videos! I love Lucy was the first show we watched when we got a tv! So I have been a fan all these years, have all the videos also! I thought I knew every thing about the show, but didn't realize the set thing. I really enjoy finding out something I didn't know! Merry Christmas, and Be Hopeful!

I love Lucy I still find her fascinating I still to the day I am still watching.

Loved this video ! Actually Caroline Applebee’s apartment was redressed again for Lucy Tells the Truth. Thanks for the great episodes. I always enjoy them....and more importantly BE HOPE FULL!

Rick, great work. It is so crazy to see all the behind the scenes work of ILL. As always BE HOPEFUlL!!!

I've have always been curious about the nitty gritty details of Behind the Scene of I Love Lucy. Thanks for posting. BE HOPEFUL.

The position of the three doors is the only thing that is similar. It looks as if a completely new set was built for the Kaiser apartment, since there are too many differences. The Applebee front door is a lot wider and has what looks like a peephole viewer in the center of the door that is not in the Kaiser door. The front door & closet door in the Kaiser apartment are taller than the doors in the Applebee apartment, the closet door in the Kaiser apartment is recessed in the door frame while the Applebee closet door is flush with the frame. There is also a cornice above the doors in the Kaiser apartment that is not in the Applebee apartment. There is no way that most of the existing things in the Applebee apartment could have been changed to look the way they do in the Kaiser apartment, and I doubt they would do all that work even if it could be done. The main point of re-using an existing set is to save time and money in not having to any major work. They can easily do cosmetic changes like painting and set dressing when a set is re-used, but major construction changes require a lot of work. There is no way to make a wide door opening narrower and a short door taller without making a new door, door frame & door opening in the wall and it is impossible to make a wide door opening in an existing wall narrower without doing a lot of work on the wall so the door fits, it is easier to use a new wall, which is what convinces me they built a new set for the Kaiser apartment. Also, since the window and bedroom door areas are completely different in each apartment and the fireplace was not used in the Kaiser apartment, the Applebee set was probably torn down after filming and a totally new set built for the Kaiser apartment, using a similar layout.

So much I didn’t know ! Thank you for you research into one of my favorite shows! Be hopeful!

We own all the season to I Love Lucy. You just gained another subscriber with bell notifications ! Keep up the good work !

Hi Rick..... this is my first time writing you and I had a bit of difficulty finding the comment area, so I'm hopeful you will receive this message. I not only have been listening and watching all of your videos and comments I actually share the videos with several friends of mine in a new apartment building I've recently moved to. I thoroughly enjoy everything you talk about as an avid Lucy fan and collector since I was a little boy and as far as the sets I also noticed the Chinese Vasa on the right of the set when Carolyn Appleby decided to redo everything to Chinese modern. Three years ago I had to have a 4th spine surgery which has left me disabled and semi retired so I really look forward to talking about Lucille Ball and all of the Films she's made with my friends and Neighbors in the building. In fact a woman I park next to said her mother was such an avid fan that when her mother was buried they had the two hearts from I Love Lucy opening chiseled into her mother's headstone that's how much of a fan their family was. RICK, I so much appreciate what you're doing and if there was anything in my power to spread the word I would do so. I met Lucille Ball at the Museum of Broadcasting in the mid-80s and had the opportunity to speak with her briefly.... what an incredible thrill. Sorry to ramble so much all I wanted to say is that I've enjoyed I Love Lucy for many years and I appreciate all of the characters not just Lucy Ricardo. Each of the four characters brings such an incredible Dimension to each episode and if you really study the episodes after watching them over and over again I find that I enjoy the episode sometimes as if I am watching it for the first time. Rick... my thanks for you listening and it's always been a difficult task for me to be hopeful however I really want to say to you and to all the Lucy fans ... " Be Hopeful." Sometimes hope is all we have ...to be Hopeful for one's self and to be Happy and Hopeful for those around us makes us Happier people. So as the first time subscriber and comment writer, Rick.... Thank You... Merry Christmas and Please " Be Hopeful." Thanks, Rick..... Robert C. Della Corte ..

I love Lucy and I love your videos. Great way to keep The shows memory alive .. be hopeful ;)

I enjoy your passion for I Love Lucy I absolutely love this show and I loved it by growing up watching it in the mornings before going to school when my grandma would be in the kitchen cooking and the show would be on. Loved it from a child. #BeHopeful

The front door width and distance from there to the closet is different. The molding is also added. These might not be the same walls.

Well it's been months since you posted this... How did the contest turn out? I think this went up before I became a subscriber or I'd have sent along my "be hopeful" to join in the fun! Rick you always do a wonderful job on each and every video you make and I feel like a winner every time you post something new! Many thanks for all the energy and enjoyment you send along!

I love this info. hope you do more.

thats so cool i would had never guess it was the same set! BE HOPEFUL

I didn't know that about the sets. They did amazing making them Be HOPEFUL

Keep making these great I Love Lucy videos. We all enjoy them. Also I think you are a great roll model for young people that might be contemplating suicide. You are always positive and sending messages out to people to always be hopeful and positive and that is always a great thing. God bless you and your family. I hope you have a Merry Christmas. 🎄🎁 Be hopeful.

The closet door changes the way it opens. Closets usually don't open inwards, you usually pull them.

In the Hollywood episodes, a few of the scenes were “outdoors” by the hotel pool. Do you have any information about this particular pool/patio set?

I've been watching ... I love Lucy since I was a kid I'm 36 now lol ..and I've never noticed dat ! I've have noticed the bloopers LoL ...and noticed how they played it out so we'll ,I was a little embarrassed for them but out of love ! It's great to know how they recycle scenes 😆..be hopeful

Great video. Very informative. I always enjoy your videos.

I know every episode of I love Lucy I still watch her and I am an expert on this show😃

In Jess Oppenheimer's book, Jess mentions that he got the idea of Lucy's having trouble getting her birth certificate on a story out of his own past. He states that his mother, sister & he were looking to get passports for a European tour, but they ran into a snag because his late father was not a US native, and at the time, the spouse & children of an unnaturalized immigrant who'd passed away could be deported back to the country of origin of the immigrant. His dad was a German immigrant, so he & his family, even though they were all US natives, if unable to prove that his father was a naturalized citizen, could've been sent back to Hitler's Germany, which was the last place where a Jewish family would want to be sent in the 1930s. There was also no central location for naturalization records in that pre-computer age, so the Oppenheimers had to call several different agency offices until they found out that the senior Mr. Oppenheimer had been naturalized in Sacramento. Jess lightened the mood considerably by having the Jamestown vs. W. Jamestown mixup for Lucy.

Great job. Do you have any info on the Murder She Wrote sets?

Love these types of videos!! Thanks R9

As always I love your video's. Merry Christmas. Be hopeful. Bobby

Patiently waiting for your live video. Be hopeful!

If I'm not mistaken, this set is also used for the "oil well stock" episode.

But I see that Helen's apartment must have inherited some of the Applebee's Chinese modern furniture! The stuff that looks like a bad dream you'd have after eating too much Chinese food!! Hahaha!

I love lucy i even watch re-runs be hope full!!! :)

I stumbled on this site.... My mother I describe is a cross between Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball she is 96. Needless to say i am truly Blessed.... Be hopeful!

Rick, you're awesome! Be hopeful!!

Hi Rick, I really enjoy all the I Love Lucy videos you.make. I am too a big fan of Lucille Ball. I bought two ashtrays off of eBay that were from Lucille Ball's home one in Beverly Hills, and the other one from her home in Palm Springs Also a pot from the I Love Lucy kitchen from eBay, and a telephone from the I Love Lucy show and some other things..Plus lots of photos framed of Lucy..I would like to visit Lucy's home town Jamestown, New York some day..Be Hopeful.

Interesting topic. There are videos here on RU-vid about how the Brady Bunch sets were redressed and used on Hawaii 5-0 as a drug kingpin's lair.

Thanks for this video. Very entertaining. Have a blessed day and BE HOPEFUL 👍

awesome as always Rick

Great video. Thanks for sharing it!

You've given me a new way of looking at my favorite show ever-by comparing sets. I'd also like to know how your love of I Love Lucy came about...especially since you're so stinkin' young! BE HOPEFUL!

So interesting Rick, thanks!

I would love for you to review the set in the country, along with the Mertz guest house and the Ramsey's home.

Hello nice to meet you and your channel keep them coming

I appreciate this information. What was the name of the actress who played Helen Keiser. She was relatively attractive but looked older than Lucy. Also I am aware that the birthday given for Lucy Ricardo 8/6/21 is actually Lucille Ball's birthday with 10 years subtracted from her actual birth date.

I was born in 1953. I grew up watching I Love Lucy. I remember when I was in elementary school I Love Lucy came on every morning I think around 8:00 AM. Anyway I loved when I got to stay home from school because my favorite programs were on in the AM. First was I Love Lucy then Dick Van Dike Show then Petticoat Junction. Still love these programs. But I Love Lucy will always be my favorite. I just wonder what shows that’s made today will be showing reruns in sixty years. Thank you for your channel I really do enjoy it. I wish you were still making videos. Why did you stop. Your channel is still very well liked and watched.

was that that the widow in one of the hollywood office of agent ?

So fun!! Thanks for sharing. Funny, but I always thought Carolyn Applebee looks a lot like Madonna. 😬😬

Hey Rick great job as always!! Want to to take this time to wish you and yours a great holiday season Feliz Navidad from my family to yours and as always “Be Hopeful “

Awesome Rick very cool my friend thanks for sharing

I’m curious now to compare Carolyn’s apartment in this episode and Lucy Tells The Truth. I know she redecorated it “Chinese modern” but was the fireplace still there?

Great video Rick! Be hopeful

Hi Rick. I love your I LOVE LUCY videos!!!! I always study sets when I watch reruns. I would love to live a day in the Ricardo's apartment building and hang out with Lucy and Ethel. BE HOPEFUL.

Rick, great stuff. May I ask? Are these your own personal observations?

I hope you are well. Have a very merry Christmas and be hopeful.

Absolutely love, I love Lucy

Yo Rick I've been watching I Love Lucy for 51 years and counting favorite character happens to be Fred love the double breasted suits and the way he tucked his tie into his pants... as always be helpful

Great video and info. Be hopeful.

Thanks Rick, very cool, new sub

So THAT'S where they got Jerry Seinfeld's / FRIENDS apartment sets.

This is same stage as was in Hollywood when Ricky was making a movie.

Another winner, Rick, enjoyed it! A few questions: When the shows were being shot in front of a live audience, did the stage manager have a curtain pulled over the area of the set where the room changes were being made by stagehands? During the European Trip shows, there were numerous different sets. Do you have an over head shot of the stage showing where the various European sets were located on the stage? There must have been duplicate sets used in the European Trip shows, to save time and money in set changes. Has your eagle-eye spotted any duplicate sets in that series? Thanks, Rick, and always BE Hopeful!

.... blessings for the whole world ... be kind ... be loving ... be hopeful ...

The door on the left is wider than the one on the right.-

Great job again Rick! There is another set re-use I think regarding two episodes with restaurant sets. Maybe you might clarify that one someday! Be Hopeful!!

I guess you never lived in an apartment building. Apartments that are in the same line, for example 1A, 2A ,etc. are designed the same. This video was a bit off base, IMO

You should publish a I Love Lucy companion book.

I got the impression that the jail set used in season 5 "Tennessee Ernie Bound" may have later been used to make the courthouse jail for The andy Griffith Show, another Desilu Studios show that started lik 4 years later. Several features of the two compare favorably. Also Two character acters on I love lucy (different episodes) later went on to voice well known cartoon characters on the same show. janet waldo played peggy dawson on episode The Young Fans and went on to voice judy jetson (and josie and the pussycats an many more) and George O'Hanlon was Charlie Appelbee in Lucy And Superman, that voice is unmistakable, Though mentioned on several episodes because he ond the tv station, he was only actually seen on the one episode. There are alot of interesting set reuses on the dick van dyke show over the years if you ever need a new old show to make fun videos about. Dont even get me started on Star trek, also a desilu show.

Carolyn: “Oh, Little Ricky, you’re going to have to go on a diet or you’ll grow up to look like your mommy!”/ Helen: “Oh, you know Daddy, Lucy was a regular little mother to me, she used to push me around when I was just a little itty baby in a buggy!”/Lucy: (spider).

I love your videos I love Lucy also Be Hopeful

FYI Episode “The Passports” is in season 5 not 4!

Tell you the truth. In year 2090 I will still Love Lucy! Be Hopeful!

I'm so spoiled only like when they remain in NY😀

Maybe Mrs Kaiser moved out and Carolyn moved in. “Be hopeful!”

Love anything I Love Lucy. My son wants to get a dog and name him Hobart, after Fred. Thank you. Be hopefull.

Another cool video. Be Hopeful

Are you ready for Christmas yet? ''BE HOPEFULY''

Be hopeful

be hopeful

Helen Kaiser had MUCH better taste in decorating than did Caroline Applebee.

I love lucy be hopefull