Plot
In the mid 1950s, Nicholas Collini lands a new civil engineering job which will require travel. His fiancée Tacy comes up with the idea of buying a trailer so that they can travel together around the USA to his various work projects, as well as to save money that would otherwise be spent on a house. They intend to haul the trailer themselves to Nicky's first job site in Colorado, as part of their honeymoon trip through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Nicky isn't so keen on the idea of buying a trailer, but he does so. The honeymoon trip, as well as events leading up to it, rapidly becomes a series of disasters.
Shortly after arriving at a trailer show, Tacy and Nicky see a large trailer home, with which Tacy instantly falls in love, and pressures Nicky to buy. Against his better judgement, as the expensive trailer is over their budget, Nicky gives in. Then they learn that to tow the trailer, the Collinis will have to buy a new powerful car, a 1953 Mercury Monterey convertible, and a trailer hitch, and the expenses continue to rise. Nicky gifts the trailer to Tacy as a wedding present. Driving the convertible towing a huge trailer is a big challenge, and early in the trip the Collinis are jeered at by others on the road.
The first night, their wedding night, the Collinis were swamped by friendly but overbearing trailer park neighbors who take over their trailer and finally leave after giving Tacy a sleeping pill. Tacy wakes up the next day and decides they should leave the trailer park, and instead camp in the woods. However, after they turn onto an old logging road during a rainstorm, the trailer gets stuck in the mud, and it lists dramatically. Nicky tries to level it, which leads to more problems. The next day, after spending more money to free the trailer and clean it up, the Collinis visit Tacy's relatives. Upon arriving at her aunt and uncle's house, a large crowd gathers to greet them, and they watch as the hapless Nicky, guided by Tacy, backs the trailer into their hosts' carport, effectively destroying it as well as a prized rose bush. As they're about to leave, they're handed an envelope containing a wedding present check, and Tacy is upset with Nicky when he declines it because of the damage they've done.
As Tacy and Nicky continue their travels, Tacy tries to make the trailer into a home, and collects dozens of mason jars full of fruits and vegetables, as well as huge rocks to decorate their patio when they arrive at their ultimate destination in Colorado. Tacy decides that she wants to drive, but after Nicky criticizes her for fast and reckless driving, Tacy furiously jumps in the back seat and gives him the silent treatment. The fight continues that evening as neither one wants to sleep with the other in the bedroom, and they squabble about who will sleep on the couch.
The next day, they make up. That afternoon, Tacy decides to cook dinner in the trailer while Nicky drives the car, hoping to have dinner ready once he parks for the night. As Nicky happily sings and drives, everything goes awry back in the trailer. As it swerves and wobbles, possessions fly, dinner is ruined, and Tacy, who had been cooking in an elegant dress, ends up in a big mess. After that disaster, Nicky decides to accept an offer on the trailer, hoping he and Tacy could move into an actual house. But Tacy is determined to keep the trailer, and refuses to sell it.
That evening, Nicky orders Tacy to get rid of all the large rocks and jars she has collected before they make a cliffhanging drive on a narrow road through mountains that will rise to 8,000'. But Tacy, reluctant to throw away what she considers precious memories of their honeymoon, decides to hide the items so that Nicky won't find them. As they undertake the harrowing mountain drive, everything Tacy has hidden rolls around inside the trailer, making a big mess.
Finally, when they reach the top of the 8,000 feet (2,400 m) mountain, the trailer, weighed down by all of the possessions, gets stuck and its wheels spin. Nicky discovers the rocks and jars, and in a rage, he takes everything Tacy has collected and throws it off the mountaintop. Tacy later storms off in a huff.
As their marriage deteriorates, Nicky meets up with Tacy as she prepares to sell the trailer and move back home. Nicky wants to apologize, but doesn't know where to start, and Nicky leaves. As he drives away in the pouring rain, Tacy runs to catch up with him. The two finally forgive each other, and tearfully reconcile.
Production
The trailer used in the film is the 1953 36-foot Redman New Moon model, which sold for US$5,345(equivalent to $60,869 in 2023). The new car used to tow the trailer is a 1953 Mercury Monterey convertible with a 125 HP flathead V8 engine.
Opening scenes were shot on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stage 12, the same location at which Arnaz played his first film scene in Bataan , eleven years before. [4]
The dangerous mountain highway featured is Whitney Portal Road, which leads up to Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. The hairpin turn offers scenic views of the Owens Valley. During the scenes of Nicky and Tacy pulling their trailer in the mountains, their 1953 Mercury Monterey convertible is replaced with a larger but similar appearing 1953 Lincoln Capri convertible. The distinct Lincoln grille is clearly evident in a shot as the car rounds a curve. The more powerful Lincoln (which is equipped with a 205 HP OHV Y-block V8 engine) was needed to pull the heavy New Moon trailer up and over the steep grades of the Sierra Nevada where the scenes were filmed. Other scenes were shot on the Pines to Palms Scenic Byway (State Route 74) in Palm Desert, California. [5]
The residence of Tacy's aunt and uncle (where the porch and rosebush are destroyed by the trailer) is the Meet Me in St. Louis John Truett house on the MGM Backlot, next door to the Smith Family house. The house where the trailer was parked and being chaotically packed with housewares by Tacy's friends appears to be Lucy and Desi's actual home on Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
The closing credits thank the National Park Service for permission to film in Yosemite National Park. There is one memorable scene where the car and trailer emerge from a tunnel to a view of Yosemite Valley, complete with a panorama of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall as the stars sing a duet. Later, there is a view of a full-flowing Yosemite Falls.
Reception
According to Turner Classic Movies' host, Robert Osborne, the studio was not sure whether this film would be a success because it was thought people would not pay money to see Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in a movie when they could watch the couple on television for free ( I Love Lucy ). Arnaz made a $25,000 bet with the studio that the movie would make more money than the current highest-grossing comedy at that time ( Father of the Bride , starring Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor and also directed by Vincente Minnelli). Arnaz won the bet. The characters Nicky and Tacy were remarkably similar to Ricky and Lucy; thus, the film gave audiences an opportunity to see Arnaz and Ball in color when I Love Lucy was in black and white.
According to MGM records the film earned $3,978,000 in the US and Canada and $1,007,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $3,550,000. [1]
It was a triumphant return to MGM by Lucille Ball, who had felt underused by the studio when she was under contract in the 1940s, according to Michael Feinstein, who hosted a TCM showing of the film. She was given Lana Turner's old dressing room and Desi was given Clark Gable's. [6]
