One of the funniest Lucy-Desi comedy hours was Lucy makes room for Danny. On youtube recently I came across the episode of 'The Danny Thomas Show' where Lucy and Desi guest star as Lucy and Ricky but this time staying at Danny's house. The episode of the Lucy-Desi comedy hour is even mentioned! Here is the link to watch for free in case you haven't seen it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRWB5EMEqYg
Ricky: "Look Danny, I have to go and get her out of jail!" Danny: "Why??"
This is so good! I had never seen this. Thanks so much for sharing.
Yes, next to the Tallulah Bankhead offering, the Danny Thomas ep is the best. Or should I say, "Danny Williams", because in this refreshing romp, our fab four are playing opposite fictional characters...the very LAST TIME they'd do this.
There's no doubt that had Lucy and Ricky not guest-starred on the DTS, Arnaz would've undoubtedly cast Thomas as himself. And there's no doubt the ep wouldn't have been as funny.
Wish there more eps of the Lucy/Desi Comedy Hour sans guest stars, but CBS and Desi saw these stars as a cash cow.
Too bad.
I haven't seen it for a long time, so I probably should revisit it, but I didn't like "Lucy Makes Room For Danny" very much.
Lucy is especially obnoxious in this episode (even for her), and though she was the most subdued of the six adult actors in the episode my favorite part was probably when Marjorie Lord ("Kathy Williams") finally had it with Lucy and crowned her with the snowman's head. I'll bet many viewers were hoping someone would put Lucy in her place.
My favorite episode of the LDCH after the Bankhead episode is probably the one with Fred MacMurray. I like the scenes with everyone trying to beat each other to town to get in on their uranium "strike."
I agree it would have been nice to have some episodes without "guest stars." I would have liked to see more of the Ramseys, especially Frank Nelson's "Ralph Ramsey," who I thought had great chemistry with the rest of the cast and only made a couple of appearances in the regular series.
I think the best scene in the DT hour is when Danny starts to kiss Lucy's neck, thinking it's Kathy. The expressions on Ball's face, particularly when Kathy walks in on them, are pure genius.
I like the uranium ep in spots, but how ridiculous that we're supposed to buy that Fred MacMurray would act like this!!! OR that Lucy would've turned on a movie star in this fashion!! And Ricky too???
In Hollywood, Lucy revered stars, and this is why we related to her.
Lucille Ball, as usual, does do great work in that scene.
I also remember liking Gale Gordon's performance as the judge.
You're right, of course, that Lucy was usually star struck with celebrities, but it made sense to me that she'd be in competition with them in The L-D Comedy Hour. In Hollywood, the celebrities were sympathetic to her schemes, appreciative of her extreme fan worship, and "protected" her when her behavior was discovered. Of course, word ultimately got around Hollywood about her wacky behavior anyway.
In the L-D Comedy Hour episodes, Lucy found herself in conflict with the celebrities, and she treated them just like she would anyone else who had done her wrong or tried to thwart her schemes. Also, in the L-D Comedy Hour, the celebrities weren't in Hollywood. Some, like Tallulah Bankhead and "Danny Williams" were on LUCY's home turf, so perhaps they lost some of their lustre in her eyes.
Lucy's being "in competition" with stars is why we no longer relate to her and why 95% of the Lucy/Desi Comedy Hours don't work.
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