HERE'S LUCY: SEASON 3 - JUNE 15TH, 2010

It's true! It's on MPI's web site. Here are the bonus features. They are including the very rare appearance Lucy did for "Make Room for Granddaddy"!!!!

Bonus Features

GREAT news!  I am so enjoying these sets.  MPI is hitting them outta the ballpark.

Great News! I've been pacing Season 2 and planning to make it last till the end of May so this will be perfect timing.

 Robert13: Where did you find the info on MPI's website?  I looked but couldn't find any mention of it anywhere.

I am glad to hear this series is continuing. Here's Lucy Seasons 1 and 2 were great. The price has been very reasonable for these sets, too.

Here's the link: http://www.mpihomevideo.com/Store/Detail.asp?ProdID=10645

You kinda have to fish around for it. It's not posted yet on their upcoming releases but on their extended list.

Season Three is a huge turnaround for the program. The return of writer Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. to the Lucy fold improves the series by leaps and bounds. The first two seasons have their chuckle moments, but for the most part it's been like watching paint dry.  Lucy Meets the Burtons really sets the tone for the remainder of the series.

It is really.

I agree. For example, "The Lucy Show" which, so far, is only getting 1 release a year. At this rate, it will be 4 more years before we get that series complete. And we haven't even heard an official announcement for the supposed July 13 date yet.

This episode was a partial remake of the I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ricky are handcuffed together.

I remember when this episode was originally on, forty years ago.

In 1964, Lucy's longtime writers Madelyn Pugh Martin Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. quit her, basically in anger and frustration.

She then hired a new bunch of writers who really didn't know how to write for her.

When Richard Burton showed interest in appearing on "Here's Lucy," Lucy more or less begged her former writers to produce a script of better quality than the stuff she'd been doing for the past six years.

They agreed, and while it was better than the "Here's Lucy" average, it showed how destitute for ideas they were by reusing the shtick from the "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy and Ricky were handcuffed together.

Lucy then talked Madelyn and Bob to writing one third of the scripts for the remaining three seasons of her series.  While they don't reach the depths of blandness and stupidity of the worst of "Here's Lucy," there's nothing very good about them, either.  It's clear that Madelyn and Bob's strength was coming up with situations and visual humor; they weren't good at the funny lines that the other "I Love Lucy" writers (Oppenheimer, Schiller and Weiskopf) provided.

Adding these substandard scripts to the sad facts that Lucy's voice had lost all its flexibility, and that she could no longer make her great facial expressions because her skin was taped behind her ears (because she couldn't get a facelift), and that she had her cousin produce the show and her clueless husband executive produce it, the result is one of the most disappointing series in TV history.

I'm still getting it on DVD, though.  I'm not sure why I am, but I am.

Maybe it's because this show was the prime time Lucy of my childhood, or maybe because I admire Lucie Arnaz and Desi, Jr., but for whatever reason, I still enjoy Here's Lucy.  It's not I Love Lucy, but it's not as dumb as those later The Lucy Show episodes either.  It is more situation comedy, something almost completely dead on network television today.  I continue to watch it and enjoy it.  I'll miss Desi, Jr in the later seasons, but I'll still buy.  Count me in as one glad MPI continues to release this sitcom.

And I'll buy Desi, Sr.'s The Mother's-In-Law as well when that one comes out!

As far as "dumbness" goes, there are several episodes of "Here's Lucy" that equal (or top) anything on the later "Lucy Show" for jaw-dropping stupidity.  How about the one where they move to Africa and have a gorilla butler?

Those kind of dumb plots remind me of the dump plots of many an episode of "Alice" in years to come (Vera believes George Burns really is God because she takes everything from movies literally) in which Madelyn and Bob if I'm not mistaken, did most of the writing.

Haven't seen that one yet, but will say that what I've seen from Season 1 and 2, though far from brilliant, surpasses the guest star plots and lack of continuity of the later seasons of The Lucy Show.

Perhaps "dumb" was an unfortunate word choice, but for me at least, plots in sitcoms are more fun when they start out with a certain amount of believability.  You are right Joe, I certainly would not find a gorilla butler in Africa or anywhere else believable.

Corrected list of extras for this release, per MPI:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Heres-Lucy-Season-3-Extras/13560

I have always thought it was a shame that Lucille Ball was really never accepted on TV as anything other than the "Lucy" character from "I Love Lucy". When she tried other things like her specials after "Here's Lucy" they were not well received. The special "Lucy Calls the President" which is being released tomorrow is probably her most successful post "Here's Lucy" special. Again she is still playing the Lucy character but with a living husband for the first time since " I Love Lucy". It was also Vivian Vance's last show with Lucy.  As has been said elsewhere it is a shame she wouldn't or couldn't do something like the Golden Girls in the 1980's. I believe she didn't think it was wholesome enough. Time and the public's taste sadly passed her by.

It really is a shame, because she would have been very good in a Golden Girls-type show.  It's unbelievable that in 1986, at the age of 75, she could only come up with another variation on the Lucy-Mr.Mooney/Uncle Harry thing.  It was old hat even back in the 1960s.

In college, I was a Radio, Television and Film major at the University of Maryland.  I took a course in 1983 called Television Programming.  We simulated three television seasons.  Some of the class were networks, some advertisiers, and some television producers.  We sold the shows to the networks, who then got advertisers to back the show.  A mock TV Guide was created, listing the network shows airing against each other, and students on campus were asked to say which programs they would watch.  Ratings were compiled from this survey, and shows were either cancelled or renewed based on the response of the "sample" audience.

I was a TV producer in the simulation, and created a show for Lucy.  The premise?  Lucy is living in a retirement village, sharing an apartment with Eve Arden.  Gale Gordon played the mayor of the "village", and was Lucy's constant foil.  Granted, in many ways it was the standard Lucy sitcom, but the retirement village gave it a "Golden Girls" feel, which would have allowed her to branch off into new territory.  Teaming her with Eve Arden as her co-star a-la Vivian Vance gave her a partner. 

Interestingly, the show debuted in the mock second season and did well enough to be renewed for a sophomore season.  Remember, these were college kids that reviewed the TV guide and took the survey.  The show performed well both seasons, and would have been renewed for a third season if the simulation had continued. 

It is interesting to play the "what if" game...  And it is a shame that "Life with Lucy" was the disapointment that it was.  A fresh spin really could have made the difference.  The college kids in 1983 seemed to take to it.

For those who haven't purchased the First 2 seasons of the show, I was at my local TARGET yesterday and it looks like they are swicthing out a lot of their 2 pack season sets for new ones and now they have Season 1 and Season 2 of HERE's LUCY for just $19.99! 

this is a huge steal! I paid 19.99 each as they were released. Hopefully those sales will help the show. MPI did a great job with these releases. The releases look great. Nice prints were used etc.

Only $10 a season?

And I was excited when I got Seasons 1 and 2 at half the MSRP ($14.99) on Amazon a few weeks ago.

It sounds like these are being "dumped," which implies they didn't sell well -- yet, Season 3 is still on the schedule for June 15.

I hope they complete this series, because I believe the final three seasons were somewhat better than the first three.

Not necessarily.

Target 2 packs include season sets of The Golden Girls, House, Roseanne, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Guy, and brand new, not out in most stores yet releases from Mill Creek of the Stephen J. Cannell shows.

An introduction is provided for the "Make Room For Granddaddy" episode by none other than 'Kathy Williams' herself, Marjorie Lord.  The episode, "Lucy Carter, Houseguest" clocks in at an unedited 25:16.  Not surprisingly, a short PSA for St. Jude featuring Marlo Thomas immediately follows the episode.

Yes I saw same thing at Target S1 & 2 combo I snagged it $19.99 is a good deal!

I went to Best Buy to pick up my Here's Lucy Season 3 and it seem's I out witted myself.  Best Buy has them on back order and will not say when they will come in.  I checked Borders and I phoned Barnes&Noble.  Barne's told me they must have released just a few to see how the series will go.  I knew MPI would not do that but the bottom line one copy was ordered and it did not come in.  I also went to Target which said the double packs only at this time.  I placed my order to Amazon and did the Lucy Show Season 2 as well.  Jack have a great summer vacation!!!

Got mine today from Amazon... Love the extras-  Lucy at work is fascinating to watch-  Not done with the Season 2 eps, but still looking forward to this one as well...

 

Thanks Mark- summer begins officially for me tomorrow!

I just ordered mine at Deepdiscount for   $15.29 one of those 25% off sale I believe the sale ends on the 20th!

Well, it's taken me until season three to realize that Here's Lucy is more variety/sitcom, than traditional laugh-fest! I'm up to episode 13 of the new set and it's almost a dance/sing-a-long sequence every other show. While this can be pleasing, the material wrapped around these musical episodes doesn't always shine.

 

It's amazing how Lucy managed to attract some truly awful writers to her post I Love Lucy series. Although the HL has it moments, especially with the return of Madelyn Davis and Bob Carroll Jr., the popularity of the program can be mostly attributed to the presence of Lucille Ball herself and not the material within. Despite this I'll still be collecting all 6 seasons!

On a lighter note, Carole Cook's introductions are an absolute riot! You can't give these a miss. Funny, vain, over-the-top, Carole's a true star in these little vignettes.