We all know that line, but according to the TV’s 50 Funniest Phrases show that was on NBC tonight, they claim that line doesn’t actually exist.
They showed two similar lines and suggested that we’ve all been mashing two lines together in our heads.
Any die-hard Lucy fans out there that can prove or disprove this?
Didn’t see the show, but I’m pretty sure this might indeed be a “Play it, Sam” vs. “Play it again, Sam” situation. As I recall, there was dialogue to the effect:
L: Ricky, there’s a good explanation for all this!
R: Well? Star’ ‘splainin’!
Was this one of the examples on the NBC show?
I thought it was: Lemme 'splain!
I don’t have an answer, but was anyone else surprised that “They killed Kenny! You bastards!” was on network TV? Is “bastards” okay now?
Apparently, the two examples given are “All right, start ‘splainin’” and “Lucy, 'splain.”
Of course it is- I remember, among other things, an episode of Dilbert with a character named Bob Bastard and Bart Simpson singing the word over and over (although, as he pointed out, he was using it in its proper definition).
Bastards? Bah, when dick become acceptable?
I think Eddie Murphy popularized the “Lucy, you have some ‘splainin’ to do” in his Delirious or Raw stand-up tour.
For all the whippersnappers out there: yes, Eddie Murphy actually did off-color stand-up at one time, and not family movies.
“Lemme 'splain!.. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”
One bump before oblivion…
Apparently it was Eddie Murphy who actually said the “Lucy, you’ve got some 'splainin to do!” line. Any evidence for or against this?
Apparently about the same time douchebag became acceptable!
Folks were accepting dick long before television existed. 
It was Robert Duvall in “Stakeout” when I first heard the line. 1987.
Well, don’t forget, douchebag became acceptable on SNL in 1980.
Well I certainly asked for that 
(pun intended)
Seriously, even though I’m not offended by anything, somehow dick seems to have a slightly nastier tone to it than douchebag. When I saw the SNL skit that cochrane refers to, it was nasty but in a fun way. Maybe because the use of douchebag as an insult wasn’t as widespread at that time? I could be wrong, but didn’t they censor the dick part in “Dick in a Box”?
They did indeed. NBC later offered an uncut version online.
Pretty sure that was Emilio Estevez with that line in that movie. That’s the first place I heard it too. I don’t know offhand if that was before or after Eddie Murphy.
At the time I didn’t think it was meant to be a direct quote - it seemed more like it was just supposed to be the kind of thing that Ricky Ricardo might say if he found the house in a shambles.
Jon Stewart loves you for considering Comedy Central network TV. (As opposed to Basic Cable.)
I think AuntiePam was referring to hearing the phrase on the NBC special, TV’s 50 Funniest Phrases. NBC is, of course, network TV.