In Lucy and the Loving Cup, which jockey was Ricky supposed to honor?

In “Lucy and the Loving Cup,” Ricky was supposed to honor jockey Johnny Longden.

The episode’s plot turns on a trophy that Ricky plans to present to Longden at a National Turf Association dinner. After Ricky criticizes Lucy’s new hat, she jokingly puts the loving cup on her head. It becomes stuck, sending Lucy and Ethel into a frantic effort to remove it before the banquet.

Longden appears briefly as himself, along with his wife, Hazel Longden. He was a real champion jockey, not a fictional celebrity invented for the sitcom. In 1957, the year of the episode, he was known for having won more races than any other jockey in history, which explains why Ricky’s presentation is treated as an important public honor.

The episode aired during the show’s sixth and final season. Its comic centerpiece is Lucy’s attempt to travel through New York while disguising the trophy on her head with a veil.