Talk:The Mothers-in-Law

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Mother Hubbard

Eve Arden's character was not unwilling to be called "Mother Hubbard," but as she gave Jerry permission to do so, she realized the association with the English nursery rhyme. There were several episodes in which Jerry would refer to her as "Mother Hubbard," and she would remark that she would have to come up with another name for him to use. That was part of the comedy of the series.John Paul Parks (talk) 14:12, 12 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I don't see this as a factual issue but a semantic one. She preferred not to be called "Mother Hubbard" and directed Jerry to use another name whenever it came up. Therefore she did not allow it to be used, even if there were no repercussions to Jerry. Dkendr (talk) 20:31, 14 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

"Ricky Ricardo accent"

"Desi Arnaz, who produced and directed the show, appeared in four episodes, using his Ricky Ricardo accent and trademark mispronunciation of words to full effect."

Perhaps Desi Arnaz mispronounced words on purpose for comedic effect, but there is no doubt that he was born in Cuba and lived only in Cuba until he was 16, and that his first language was Spanish, and that his accent was real, and that he was not capable of speaking English without a Spanish accent. The words "using his Ricky Ricardo accent" imply that the accent was fake and assumed solely for comedic effect, which was not the case. This impression is intensified when the phrase is used in the same sentence as "trademark mispronunciation of words to full effect".

"Displaying his Spanish accent as he had when playing Ricky Ricardo" would be more accurate. However, a more important point is that Desi Arnaz's accent was never in and of itself funny. What made it funny was the ridicule of Lucy Ricardo, as played by Lucille Ball, in "I Love Lucy". The writers of "I Love Lucy" soon discovered that if any character other than Ricky Ricardo's wife Lucy ridiculed his accent, it did not come across as funny. It came across as cruel. For this reason, although I have never watched "The Mothers-in-Law", I doubt that Desi Arnaz's accent was used for comedic effect in that show at all. 2600:6C5D:5A00:B1D:2DAF:5C3A:A31A:902C (talk) 23:48, 6 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I've revised the sentence. This source described Ricardo's accent as a slight exaggeration of Arnaz's natural accent. (This book goes into much more detail about Arnaz's accent.) Schazjmd (talk) 18:06, 7 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. I just edited, but you beat me to it. Jersey Jan (talk) 18:25, 7 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I'm thinking of even removing the bit that remains. That he made guest appearances as a character is factual and can be verified by watching the show, but I'm not finding any sources that mention his accent as that character much less comparing it to his Ricardo character. What do you think?

Desi Arnaz, who produced and directed the show, appeared in four episodes. He played a matador named Raphael Delgado y de Acha III, whom the wives called as a result of a wrong number, and became somewhat of a family friend.

Schazjmd (talk) 18:40, 7 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

@Jersey Jan oops, forgot to add a ping, sorry. Schazjmd (talk) 18:41, 7 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I would remove any reference to his accent, because although it was something capitalized on by the writers of "I Love Lucy", it wasn't a comedy schtick of his. Jersey Jan (talk) 21:11, 7 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, done. Schazjmd (talk) 21:34, 7 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]