Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance in “Chris’s New Year's Eve Party” (1962), the fourteenth episode of the first season of The Lucy Show. It first aired December 31, 1962 on CBS. When her daughter Chris’s party is a flop, Lucy and Viv revive it with their silent movie sketch featuring Lucy as Charlie Chaplin. Not exactly a full scale show, it is still performed for an audience – Chris’s teenage friends.
Chris exacts a promise from Lucy that she can throw a New Year’s Eve party without Lucy’s interference. Neighbor, Harry Connors is pressed into service to chaperone the party, leaving Lucy and Viv on their own for the night.
Lucy and Viv take the boys to the Elm Tree Inn to stay out of Chris’ way. After a sweet but dull dinner with the boys, Viv’s boyfriend, Eddie, drops by to tell them that the party is a disaster and Chris needs their help.
Everyone rushes home to help. Lucy, with assistance from Viv and Harry, entertains Chris’ guests with a Charlie Chaplin routine that ushers in the New Year with great success. Photographer Ralph Crane captured this performance in a series of black and white photographs for LIFE magazine:
(Photos by Ralph Crane, via LIFE archive)
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