retro fun facts: lucy doesn't 'splain

Did you know:

Ricky Ricardo doesn’t actually use the phrase “Lucy, you got some ‘splainin’ to do!” at any point during the series run?

Although he does say somewhat similar phrases on occasion, such as “Okay, start ‘splainin,’” at no point does he say the infamous line in any form.

I Love Lucy (1951-1957) has the rare distinction of having never been off television–showing reruns on at least one channel since the last one-hour special aired in 1960–so almost everyone has seen at least part of an episode at some point. Given that, it’s not surprising that a line that never was could easily slip into the collective conscience of American Pop Culture, but unlike misheard or misremembered lines, such as Darth Vader’s fictional “Luke, I am your father” quote, this one isn’t just a misremembering–it never existed at all.

It’s a fact.

A fun fact.

A Retro Fun Fact.