I watch it with joy, nostalgia, and a bit of reverence! Seriously! The nostalgia part comes from recalling watching it in syndication as a kid. We always had it on in the afternoon when mom was making dinner. My mom's family didn't have a TV, so they'd go to my grandmother's friend's house to watch ILL on Monday night.
With some episodes my mom would say, "I remember watching this one. Your gram and I walked home that night and it was so cold."
As for how I watch it now, well gbennett, I've been a fan my whole life too. After I started buying the dvds, they spoiled me for the regular TV broadcasts. The dvds are so clear that the TV prints are like watching the show filmed under water! And with the dvds, you can see the WHOLE episode, not one that has been slashed to ribbons for commercials.
I first bought season three. It has many of my favorite episodes. Then I bought season four and then five because I love the Hollywood episodes. Then I went back and bought season two with all the "Lucy is Enceinte" episodes. Then I bought six. And lastly, I bought season one.
It's interesting that you do "theme" marathons like all the Caroline episodes or Charles Lane. I never do that. Too lazy to change discs I guess, lol. What I will do is get in the mood for a certain theme, like the Hollywood episodes and I watch them all in a row for a few days. Or I'll watch the pre-Hollywood episodes, Ricky's screen test, buying the car, Lucy learning to drive, etc.
Sometimes I go way back to the beginning and watch the first season episodes. But there are a few that I don't care for, so I skip them. The first season had some great episodes, but the ones without the Mertzes are the weakest, imho. I never cared for the episode where Lucy plays matchmaker for a neighbor played by Bea Benadaret. I also don't usually rewatch the episode where the two youngsters have crushes on the Ricardos, Richard Crenna, the 25 year old "teenager." Oh, I like the actor, just an episode that I don't care for! And I NEVER can get through the episode with Pepito the Clown. Clowns have creeped me out since childhood. I do like 'The Black Eye' though, even if it wouldn't be politically correct today.
Sometimes I take a break from my Lucy viewing. I don't want to get bored (like that would ever happen,lol). But I get in the mood to watch an episode or two when I am having dinner. I often pop in a Hollywood dvd. I love the Don Loper episode. Maybe it's a girl thing, but I love to see the stars' wives and those dresses. Then I go to Lucy taking a tour of the Movie Star Homes. And I have to see Bill Holden taking a pie in the face! ha ha
Season three , disc three has some of my ALL TIME favorite episodes. I'll put that in the dvd player and watch it for two days. It includes: 'Ricky Minds the Baby', 'The Charm School' (yeah like the gorgeous Lucy "needed" a makeover) , and 'Sentimental Anniversary'. It also has 'Ricky Loses His Temper',
not a fan fave from what I have read, but I love it! Lucy at her scheming best, lol. 'Oil Wells' is super with a pre-Mrs Kravitz Sandra Gould as the tycoon's wife. So funny! And my all time favorite- 'Fan Magazine Interview'. Don't know why, but I love that episode. Lucy, Ricky, the apartment and the Mertzes , a total mess! But the reporter shows up the next day with a camera and everyone is picture perfect.
Well that's how I watch it. I pick a season and a theme. Sometimes I want to watch the European episodes. So I watch all of them in a row. Or I have to watch all of the "Lucy wants to buy a house in Connecticut" episodes. I often go by theme.
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Strannger (2007)
8 years ago
Some of my favorite are the candy lanes where they work, hollywood, Lucy giving birth and where they pretend to be aliens.
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
I LOVE season three, as well. In fact, it's my fave season of the whole series. Count me, though, as one who LOVES
the teenager episode, mainly BECAUSE of Richard Crenna. In my opinion, he is comic genius, and the ONLY
guest star on the series where I watch him instead of Ball. Literally. He is that good. So much subtlety in
his performance. And I love his geeky body language.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Well, ya did it again. Made me rethink a character! I decided to go back and watch "The Young Fans" and Richard Crenna is indeed, hilarious. I LOL'ed several times watching him dance.
For some reason I never liked the episode when I was a kid, but tastes can change. That episode also had a nostalgic moment. When it used to air, my mom would laugh so hard and tell me how Arthur reminded her of Richard Crenna's character of Walter on "Our Miss Brooks."
He was also a very talented dramatic actor. I've enjoyed a lot of his work.
As for guest stars I watch, that would be Tennessee Ernie Ford. Sometimes I get in the mood to watch the Cousin Ernie episodes. His dialogue was hilarious. I love when the Ricardos fall out of bed at 6:30 A.M. when Ernie does his earsplitting rendition of "Wabash Cannonball." I also think he is the best part (also the only good part) of the episode when the gang is headed for L.A. and they get caught speeding through Bent Fork.
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
While I do love Crenna here, and Janet Waldo was adorable, I must also admit that the episode creaks a bit,
like many from the first year. First, the total absence of Ethel and Fred isn't fun, but my main problem is
the character of "Peggy." She (much more than Crenna) looks well over 25 (and was), and acts more like
a developmentally disabled teen, rather than a normal teen. It's also hard to believe that Lucy and Ricky
could fool those two into thinking they're really old, and that Ricky is "Put together" in the morning, and uses
shoe black on his hair.
But again, Crenna, who was the sexiest nerd ever, walks away with the show in his back pocket.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Ha ha! Glad you said it, not I!
Yeah, the "creakiness" comes from the absurd premise that the "young fans" would think Lucy and Ricky were so decrepit. The day before they were so young, vital and beautiful. Peggy just saw Ricky singing and dancing at the club. Would she really believe he needed a wheelchair the next day?
TV sitcoms were in their infancy back then, so perhaps audiences were willing to buy any absurd premise.
Janet Waldo was older than Richard Crenna. She was almost thirty and expecting a baby at the time. I could never figure out why she wore that huge coat when she visited the Ricardo apartment. It's in one of my many Lucy books. She said that she was worried that she couldn't fit in her costume or that she would look pregnant on screen.
Peggy did act like a "developmentally disabled teen." Many teen girls develop a crush on an older man, often a teacher. But to confront the man's wife and announce that you are planning to steal him away is a bit much. When Peggy thought that Ricky was "hers", really, what was she planning to do with him? Have Ricky move in with her and her parents? lol Or was she going to date a married man? Did she think Ricky would take her to high school dances and the malt shop?
Richard Crenna was indeed, the best part of that episode. He had a schoolboy crush on Lucy. He was just so innocent and sweet.
As for no Fred and Ethel, I missed them too. Wonder what the writers were thinking at that point? Would the Mertzes only show up occasionally? Did they think that Lucy and Ricky would carry the show by themselves? Of course in a story like this one, Lucy wouldn't need Ethel in her scheme.
The one thing I saw was a genuine affection the Arnazes had in this episode. They looked so happy and in love. It was so sweet to see. Lucy gave Ricky (Desi) such affectionate looks. Such a contrast to the last season. At times they seemed to barely tolerate each other.
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
I howled to the point of tears (somewhat in defeat) at your pointing out how ridiculous and dated this
fossil of an episode is (contrast this to the relatively "modern" feel of the Hollywood shows).
Your comments about Peggy TELLING (!) Lucy that Ricky is "mine", and what would Peggy do...take
Ricky home to live with her parents and take Ricky to the malt shop (!!) had me in stitches.
Dick Crenna is soooooooooo cute and sexy (yes, SEXY) here. He saves this episode, and makes it
truly fun to watch. Again, to me, the only time an actor outshone Ball in her own series.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Yes, Richard Crenna is a "sexy nerd". Sounds like "someone" has a crush on him! ha ha. Don't blame you. I think I've developed a crush on him watching a lot of his dramatic roles. Found a bunch of them on youtube. He is truly the "thinking person's" sex symbol.
This thread got me in the mood to watch some of those other "dated and fossilized" first season episodes. Last night I watched "The Adagio". Lucy took dance lessons from a handsome Frenchman so she could be in Ricky's show. He flirted with her. Later he and Ricky came to blows over it and had a pretend "duel" in the bedroom. They emptied their pistols into the air. Now what sane person would do that? Who would put all those holes in their ceiling? Not sure, but if there was an apartment above the Ricardos, Ricky would've been in big trouble!
So. it was no big deal that this Frenchman walked around New York with not one but TWO loaded guns in his pocket! Fred and Ethel heard the shots and came running. Ricky came out of the bedroom and they learned it was all a joke. I think Fred would've been angry that the two men damaged one of his apartments by putting a bunch of bullet holes in it! You think at least one neighbor would've called the cops when they heard a dozen gun shots!
Lucy's antics sure were far out and exaggerated. But some of the early episodes have some weird and dangerous stuff which would get people in trouble!
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
"The Adagio" is far from my fave episode. As much as I love Shemp Menkin on the series, the dated aspects of this show really shine here. But he is delightful in "Lucy, the Sculptress' "Lucy Has Her Eyes Examinded" and "Paris at Last."
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Oh yeah, I liked him in the Paris episode when he sells Lucy that "original" painting!
He's funny as the eye doctor who puts the drops in Lucy's eyes. I could never understand Lucy slapping the back of her head to get the drops out though. I've had those drops put in to dilate my pupils and they DON'T come out, hah ha.
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
Back to the teenagers: I always thought it would've been cute to have had Arthur and
Peggy back, playing the married young couple to who rent Lucy and Ricky's apartment when
they move to the country. It WAS five years later, and to see these two reprise those roles
and be the couple who moved in, would've lent some genuine nostalgia to the series; a true
homage to all the "apartment" episodes.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Never thought of that, but it would have been a good idea! Arthur and Peggy as newlyweds, cute!
But I don't think that TV series back then cared about "nostalgia" or continuity for that matter. Like the Bensons, the Ricardos switched apartments with them and we never saw them again!
However I DO think they were mentioned in 'The Business Manager'. Lucy had grocery lists for every apartment in the building and I think she said "Benson."
On a related topic, all this talk of "how do you watch the show" has me watching those first season episodes again! I bought that dvd about five years ago. I've hardly watched any of those episodes for a long time. Now I am going through them again. Some are classics, some are "groaners." I'll have to make a list!
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
In "Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined", Ricky is sent to the store for ice cream (so that
Lucy, Fred and Ethel can audition "There's No Business Like Show Business")...Ricky
returns very soon...having gotten some ice cream from "Mrs. Benson."
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Oh yeah, forgot that one. When I watch that scene I always wonder why Mrs. Benson was standing outside her apartment giving away ice cream! lol
Actually that carton looked so small, I never thought there was enough ice cream for five people. Just another ruse for Ricky to return in the middle of their "audition." I think it would've made more sense for Ricky just to say, "I forgot my wallet and had to come back."
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
Ricky just got home, so it's unlikely he would've spent the whole day without his wallet. Here's how I always view the ice cream scene.
Ricky, passing Mrs. Benson on his WAY DOWN the stairs, as she's on her way UP
the stairs (remember, having switched apartments, she was on the FOURTH floor).
MRS. BENSON: Oh, good evening, Mr. Ricardo, on your way to the Tropicana?
RICKY: (hurried) Hello, Mrs. Benson. No, we have a guest, and I need
to dash out to get some ice cream.
MRS> BENSON Well, I have a quart in my freezer. I'll gladly get it for you -
will save you the trip.
RICKY: Oh, would you, Mrs. Benson? Lucy can give it back to you when
she does marketing tomorrow.
Still, even with that, Ricky comes back a tad too soon. And, yes, the ice cream looks way too small. And EMPTY.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Lol, very logical! I think if we were old enough, WE could have been writing the dialogue! And we would've made more sense out of it!
I did think that Mrs. Benson just happened to see Ricky rush by. But that ice cream container DID look so small to serve five people! ha ha
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
Next time you watch that scene, look carefully at the way Ricky moves the "ice cream" around in his hand. One can tell it's a totally empty container with the lid on. There's no weight.
For the most part, the writing on ILL was topnotch, but occasionally there
were mistakes - or least things that didn't make much sense. In "Redecorating the Mertz's apartment", Ethel walks in and says hi, looking as though she's ready to chat. When Lucy starts to act out getting the mink stole, Ethel says, "I don't have time for games, I have to go and put my dinner on." Huh? Why
then did she even stop into Lucy's apartment if she had to make dinner??
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
The ice cream container always looked like an empty carton to me too.
Yes, WHY did Ethel stop by if she was in a hurry? Never thought of that. Lucy's pantomime is funny though.
There's a scene I always shook my head over in the Madame X episode when both women think the other one is the neighborhood cat burglar.
Lucy tries to get Ethel's fingerprints on Ricky's cigarette case and vice versa. Well, Lucy's fingerprints would have been on EVERYthing. It was her apartment! Ethel could've waited for Lucy to go out and then taken a lipstick or hairbrush to get her prints.
Lucy could've done the same thing. But they made it seem as though the ONLY thing with their prints would be that case.
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
Very true, I never thought of that. The Madame X ep is one I thought
was creepy as a kid (the real WOMAN burglar, her face covered, was
unnerving to me. Then as an adult, I just didn't particularly care
for the ep. Now it's one of my faves.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Madame X! Lucy has a great line when she is wrestling with the real Madame X while thinking she is Ethel.
"If it's money you need, I'll pay you what I owe you!" ha ha
For two best friends, they sure were quick to believe the worst about each other. And why would Ethel think Lucy was Madame X? Ricky worked nights. Did she really think Lucy would leave the baby alone while she went out robbing apartments?
Sometimes I watch the episodes with the Ricardos and Mertzes feuding or distrusting each other. They were such good friends but they could go off on each other in a heartbeat over the silliest stuff.
Of course it was comedy, so everything was exaggerated.
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
Yes, I just finished a marathon where I watched all the episodes
where the Ricardos and Mertzes fight. I think there was at least
a dozen. Because the action was usually set at the Ricardos, it was Ethel and Fred who would flounce out, and Ethel would have that last bitchy line. One of my faves from "Oil Wells:"
Ethel: If you're the kind of people we would've had to associate with if we were rich, I'm GLAD we were wiped OUT."
Vance knew how to give the right punch to even ordinary
dialogue.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Just watched this a few days ago!
"I'm GLAD we were wiped OUT!" lol
Vivian Vance 's line readings were great. She knew just where to put the emphasis on what would have otherwise been an ordinary remark.
I watched "No Children Allowed" recently and she could be funny even when she had to return and deliver a line. She left the bridge game with her "half of the party". The baby started crying and she came back with, "And KEEP that squalling brat QUIET!"
After "Oil Wells", I watched the episode where Lucy buys Ethel's birthday present, the hostess pants that "you wear to smart dinner parties".
"Oh I was wondering what to wear to all those SMART DINNER PARTIES I give."
"I'd look better wearing a TOASTER than I would those checkerboard britches."
In this scene, Lucy had the chance to flounce out of the apartment while delivering the last line.
"Happy Birthday and I hope you live another seventy five years."
I can't help thinking that if the situation was reversed, Vivian Vance would've delivered the line in a different way.
I think of Lucy and Ethel more as a great team than Ethel as "second banana". Lucy did flawless physical comedy and had superb comedy timing. But I think that Vivian Vance was more naturally funny.
Lucille Ball always gave credit to her writers. In one of Lucy biographies she says, "I'm not funny. I can't even tell a joke."
Her own daughter said that her father never wanted Lucy to appear on TV as herself because fans would be disappointed, expecting to see Lucy Ricardo.
I have a bio of Vivian Vance and she was quoted with some very funny comments. She seemed to be the more naturally funny of the two. She was dry and sarcastic.
There was a story where a pregnant Ball berated Vivian for getting back late to the stage after a costume change.
"I'd tell you to go f#$#yourself, but I see Desi has already taken care of that."
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
Vance "more naturally funny?" Cant say I agree. I think Ball was comic genius; Vance a great and talented actress. Ball used every facet of her face and body - and voice - to deliver comedy. It's just sad to me that Ball didn't grow as a performer and just kept repeating herself - badly - on those other subsequent TV shows. She was mechanical, bellowing, and clownish.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
Comic genius, yes, have to agree. But I think that Vivian Vance had a genius all her own. She made it look easy and natural.
She more than held her own next to Lucy. I think the "second banana" is an extraordinarily tough role to play. She complemented Lucy's comedy without competing with her. The truly great second bananas make it look easy, e.g. Art Carney as Norton.
I used to watch The Lucy Sow in syndication and years later bought some episodes. The early ones with Vivian Bagley are almost as funny as ILL. They were truly a great comedy duo even if they were missing Ricky and Fred.
Later when Vance bowed out of a bunch of episodes she was replaced by Ann Sothern who was Lucy's old friend Rosie Harrigan, the Countess. She couldn't hold a candle to Vance's performances.
And when Lucy went to L.A. her new best buddy was Mary Jane. Mary Jane Croft was funny in her ILL appearances including her role as Betty Ramsey. But Lucille Ball never had another comedy partner who could equal Vivian Vance, imo.
And it was sad that Lucille Ball stayed stuck in the role of Lucy Ricardo. A thirtyish woman who does daffy things is amusing. A woman past fifty who still acts that way is childish.
Do you think Miss Ball got bad advice? Or was she so "big" in the industry that no one dared give her advice? I think part of the problem was her loyalty to all her ILL writers. She needed new blood in there. They recycled old scripts for her.
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[email protected] (1732)
8 years ago
According the the 1993 bio, "Desilu", Arnaz kept
trying to prove to Ball how lousy her scripts were
for "The Lucy Show", but she wouldn't listen - the
RATINGS were there. The art was not.
I can really only stomach two or three episodes of
TLS - the antenna show, the shower show, and
maybe a third. I thought the children were
AMAZING - especially the kid who played "Jerry",
her young son. But the magic simply isn't
there for me, and Lucy was so mechanical,
shouting her lines AT everyone. It got worse
when she supposedly put her children to
boarding school (!) to move to Hollywood (!!) to
work for the abusive Mr. Mooney (!!!). Every
script was the same - Lucy gets some celebrity
to do a show. Her last two series are so badly
dated...while ILL still plays fresh as paint.
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[email protected] (6248)
8 years ago
I didn't know Desi Arnaz tried to give Lucy advice. Interesting how they always maintained a relationship.
TLS came on in the morning and we watched it during summer vacation. I enjoyed the early B&W shows with Vivian Vance.
The later color eps without Vance are even more dated, I agree. I bought a few dvds with some of the later shows(don't know if the show was released by season). It was barely watchable. I only watched a few episodes and could hardly make it through them.
The boy who played "Jerry" was hilarious. He had great comedy timing. Jerry was always so cynical and world weary. I read that he got the "Fred Mertz" type dialogue.
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