173     February 8, 1956
Bill, Jayne, Henry, Lucille Ball

In the first of four consecutive shows without Faye. Lucy mugs behind Garry to the delight of the studio audience as he introduces her.  At this point, Lucy is in the middle of the fifth season of I Love Lucy, (1951-1957) and is one of the biggest stars on television.  She also manages to get in frequent plugs for her new film Forever, Darling (1956).    

Bertha Pierce from Olean, New York: “I built the chairs that the panel sits on” 
Miss Pierce works at the Daystrom Furniture Company in Olean and recognized her handiwork watching the show at home.  Daystrom would close its Olean plant in 1962.  Today, Daystrom pieces are highly sought-after “mid-century modern” collectables.    

Samuel J Seymour from Maryland: “I saw John Wilkes Booth shoot Abraham Lincoln” (April 14, 1865) 
Truly one of the more astonishing secrets of the entire series, and certainly one of the best known even today.  The 96-year-old Mr. Seymour was only five years old when says he witnessed the assassination at Ford’s Theatre in 1865.  He claims his specific memory of the event was of a man (Booth) falling from the balcony, and of being concerned for that man’s safety.  Mr. Seymour’s story first appeared in a February 1954 issue of the newspaper supplement magazine The American Weekly, but surprisingly, it attracted little additional attention at the time.  He died just two months after this appearance. (See the History section of our website for more details.)    

Special Guest Desi Arnaz: “I love Lucy” 
Arnaz’ gimmick is that he arranged for the other three panelists to disqualify themselves, leaving helpless Lucy as the only one to ask questions.