PHE Press Release: I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (1951-1957) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Rob_Ray]

I love Lucy as much as almost anyone, but there are a number of early season one episodes that I dislike largely because Bob Carroll and Madelyn Pugh Davis are still writing for radio. Gags and plots that would have worked on radio become silly and unbelievable when transferred to the visual medium of television. A prime example is my least favorite episode of the entire series: "Drafted". Lucy and Ethel think that Ricky and Fred have been drafted into the army while, at the same time, the boys think the girls are both pregnant. It's just not remotely believable that anyone would believe that either Desi Arnaz or, especially, William Frawley is of draft age. I know there's a line of dialogue where Ethel says that Fred must have enlisted, but the whole premise is just silly beyond belief. And we won't comment on the likelihood of Fred and Ethel becoming parents at their age.

Another episode from around this same time is "The Young Fans". Another groaner, as far as I'm concerned.

My favorite episode might be "LA at Last" because both acts build up to all-time classic comedy scenes. "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" contains Lucille Ball's best comedy bit ever, but apart from the iconic Vitameatavegimen routine, the episode as a whole is just average and the ending is rather weak. But other more underrated classics that seldom get mentioned include "The Operetta", "Vacation from Marriage", "The Million Dollar Idea", "The Great Train Robbery", "Mr. and Mrs. TV Show" "The Charm School" and "Ricky Needs an Agent".

 

[BobO'Link]

I love Lucy as much as almost anyone, but there are a number of early season one episodes that I dislike largely because Bob Carroll and Madelyn Pugh Davis are still writing for radio. Gags and plots that would have worked on radio become silly and unbelievable when transferred to the visual medium of television. A prime example is my least favorite episode of the entire series: "Drafted". Lucy and Ethel think that Ricky and Fred have been drafted into the army while, at the same time, the boys think the girls are both pregnant. It's just not remotely believable that anyone would believe that either Desi Arnaz or, especially, William Frawley is of draft age. I know there's a line of dialogue where Ethel says that Fred must have enlisted, but the whole premise is just silly beyond belief. And we won't comment on the likelihood of Fred and Ethel becoming parents at their age.

Another episode from around this same time is "The Young Fans". Another groaner, as far as I'm concerned.

My favorite episode might be "LA at Last" because both acts build up to all-time classic comedy scenes. "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" contains Lucille Ball's best comedy bit ever, but apart from the iconic Vitameatavegimen routine, the episode as a whole is just average and the ending is rather weak. But other more underrated classics that seldom get mentioned include "The Operetta", "Vacation from Marriage", "The Million Dollar Idea", "The Great Train Robbery", "Mr. and Mrs. TV Show" "The Charm School" and "Ricky Needs an Agent".

In 1951, WWII was still a very recent memory and the Korean war was in progress. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, draft registration range expanded to 18 through 64 years of age, though only men between the ages of 18 through 45 were actually drafted. By 1951 it had been changed to 21-26 years of age. Ricky was 34 during that first year the program aired and Frawley was 66.

Vance was 42 and Ball was 40 that year so still within child bearing years (as Lucy would prove in real life).

Yes, the writers were stretching things somewhat with the draft bit but in light of the times people would have easily accepted the premise.

I've always had more trouble accepting that someone as young as Ethel would marry someone as old as Fred.

 

[Rob_Ray]

I've always had more trouble accepting that someone as young as Ethel would marry someone as old as Fred.

So did Vivian Vance! I always assumed that Ethel was supposed to be somewhat older than Viv actually was, although in "Ethel's Birthday", her age was placed as somewhere between the Speedy Cleaners and Goldblatt's Delicatessan's!

 

[KPmusmag]

I can think of three episodes that are not my favorites. If one of these came on, I would not turn it off, but if I only have time to watch one episode, it would not be one of these.

Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her - Lucy has some great comedy moments in this, but even when I was a kid it seemed awful to think of living with someone you thought could do that to you. Part of it may be that knowing the entire series as I do, ultimately we learn that Lucy and Ricky are truly devoted to each other so this episode just doesn't ring true. I am aware that this was the first episode filmed and things weren't fleshed out yet, but this one just doesn't sit well with me.

Drafted - IMO a large part of the magic of ILL is how clever the writers were in most cases in making the absurd seem plausible, like the candy factory. But this is too much for me. It is similar to one of those mistaken identity plots that just can't hold up. I admit I get bored with this one.

The Loving Cup - This one must be very popular as it has been colorized. I just find it a bit one-note; the new dress bit goes on too long and after the second time Lucy is swept back onto the train I kind of want them to get it over with. Of course, Lucille is brilliant and I think Desi does a great job with the stalling routine at the banquet. The subway and station sets are very cool and how they made it look like it was pulling into the station in front of an audience is pretty amazing, especially before green screen and such. It is fun to see the future Mrs. Kravitz (Sandra Gould) as a subway passenger. But not at all in my list of favorites.

It is all so subjective, isn't it? I once knew a guy whose favorite episode was Return from Europe, with the big cheese. I think it is a fun episode, but not in my top ten. I don't know that I can choose one favorite.

 

[Rob_Ray]

Oh, yes, the very first episode filmed, "Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her", has got to be the weakest one of the series. Thank goodness it wasn't the first to air! In addition to the things Kevin correctly points out, the technical aspects aren't fully in place yet and Vivian Vance hasn't nailed the Ethel character yet. Just awful! The first half of season one contains a lot of duds for me.

Conversely, my dear mom, who passed away many years ago, always laughed uproariously at The Loving Cup and called it perhaps her favorite episode. For that reason alone the episode will always make me smile.

To balance out all the negatives, what's everyone's favorite episode as well? If it's the TV Commercial, Job Switching or LA at Last (the three most frequently named) choose your second favorite. Mine might be "Ricky Needs an Agent" because it's probably one of Desi's best. But I really can't pick just one. There are so many that I love.

 

[ScottHM]

My favorite episode might be "LA at Last" because both acts build up to all-time classic comedy scenes. "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" contains Lucille Ball's best comedy bit ever, but apart from the iconic Vitameatavegimen routine, the episode as a whole is just average and the ending is rather weak. But other more underrated classics that seldom get mentioned include "The Operetta", "Vacation from Marriage", "The Million Dollar Idea", "The Great Train Robbery", "Mr. and Mrs. TV Show" "The Charm School" and "Ricky Needs an Agent".

I've never seen my wife laugh so hard as when we watched the episode "Pregnant Women Are Unpredictable", where Lucy practices diapering a baby using a doll.
---------------

 

[MartinP.]

To balance out all the negatives, what's everyone's favorite episode as well? If it's the TV Commercial, Job Switching or LA at Last (the three most frequently named) choose your second favorite.

#1 for me is L.A. at Last so...a couple I like not in most people's top ten...

--Ricky Asks for a Raise - Ricky afraid to ask for a raise is probably the most vulnerable we ever see that character in this series when Lucy gets him to show her how he'd ask for one...and then the other three dressing up and portraying all sorts of wild characters is so preposterous and enormously entertaining. Countess Bublichki, heh! (Bublichki's was a Russian restaurant on Sunset Blvd.) William Frawley in drag? Gale Gordon, who play's Ricky's boss in this episode, I'd read that they wanted him for the Fred Mertz role at first.
--Return Home from Europe - Yup! I like this episode a lot, too! Except for the last scene when Lucy supposedly put all the cheese in the band's instruments. She did this on the plane? Where were the band members? Where were those instruments. Best not to linger on those things.
--Ethel's Birthday - Great showcase for Ethel.
--Lucy's Night in Town - By this time who's surprised at anything Lucy does and yet the whole episode makes me laugh. (The musical they go to see is The Most Happy Fella, which Desilu bankrolled...so no problem with the music rights in the episode.)
--Country Club Dance - the third to last episode of the series. Sometimes I watch this one after the last two if I'm going through the whole series in order.
--In Palm Springs - Each of our beloved characters come to a point where they're all on each others nerves and it's quite hilarious!

My favorite colorized episode is The Fashion Show because any time I'd seen that episode, when Don Loper describes what each wife is wearing and what colors their outfits are, I'd always wondered what it actually would've looked like.

I don't know anyone that doesn't think "The Celebrity Next Door" is the best of the 13 hour long episodes. What's everyone's 2nd favorite?
--Lucy Hunts Uranium - I guess I'd pick this one. They make the best use of location footage in this one and I like that it's something topical from that time period.

 

[LeoA]

Sorry, I'd swap those two around and pick Lucy Hunts Uranium as my favorite.

Then for the 3rd best, I'd go with Lucy Makes Room for Danny. And competing for 4th and 5th would be Lucy's Summer Vacation and Lucy Goes to Alaska.

None of the other Lucy Desi Comedy Hour episodes really stand out for me. There's good moments here and there like when Rudy Vallee jumps overboard to escape the girls and I'd consider most of them reasonably good episodes (I don't care for the Japan episode at all). They're just not particularly memorable.

 

[MartinP.]

I don't know anyone that doesn't think "The Celebrity Next Door" is the best of the 13 hour long episodes.

Now I do!

 

[KPmusmag]

Things you notice in high-def.

IMO "The Star Upstairs" is top-notch in terms of writing, acting and stagecraft. Lucy dangling from the balcony above was superbly done. Vivian's acting while describing making the cake to divert Ricky is perfection in timing.

When Lucy is on the balcony above, I never noticed before, but the Broadway Hollywood sign is to her right, barely visible. In the Ricardo room downstairs, the Hollywood Broadway sign is plainly visible, also slightly to the right, but it seems farther away. It seems possible that this background photograph was taken from the roof of the studio where ILL was filmed at the time, at Cahuenga and Willoughby, which would have placed the Broadway Hollywood slightly to the right looking North. Although the hotel is called The Beverly Palms, this location would not be in Beverly Hills, but in Hollywood, only 2.5 blocks from RKO (later Desilu) and Paramount.

 

[moviebuff75]

Lucy and Ethel Buy The Same Dress...quick, nasty digital glitch at 19:06-07. This isn't a matter of being able to see flaws...this is a matter of ...what did they do to this show during remastering. You have to be careful when you are entrusted with the greatest show of all time.
I'm wondering if these aren't down conversion artifacts from 4K masters? If they spent the money to use A I., I'm wondering if next year's anniversary will see a 4K release?

 

[KPmusmag]

Lucy and Ethel Buy The Same Dress...quick, nasty digital glitch at 19:06-07. This isn't a matter of being able to see flaws...this is a matter of ...what did they do to this show during remastering. You have to be careful when you are entrusted with the greatest show of all time.
I'm wondering if these aren't down conversion artifacts from 4K masters? If they spent the money to use A I., I'm wondering if next year's anniversary will see a 4K release?

I had to watch it about 10 times before I saw it. It was more obvious when I played it on the computer drive. It lasts just a few frames I think. Appeared on my system as a few white lines on the bottom of the frame and jagged edges on the side. Very quick. Again, didn't see it at first. Unfortunate for sure but I confess if I had been the QC guy I am not sure I would have seen it. (The attached is a photograph, but the three white lines and jagged edges are clearly shown.)

 

[moviebuff75]

Look at the black bars, all the way down. Not just jaggies. Look on the curtains and the door frame...vertical blocks of black all the way down. They should just repair it for the future now that it has been noticed. I wonder what caused it?

 

[MartinP.]

Do some of you watch I Love Lucy episodes and actually enjoy doing so?

 

[The 1960's]

Do some of you watch I Love Lucy episodes and actually enjoy doing so?

Thanks for asking. I've watched about 40 episodes thus far from this new release and I'm loving each and every one. I have and extremely critical eye and I *haven't* seen a thing that's troubled me.

Oh do I hate those edit tags!

 

[moviebuff75]

My contact is on it. She is wonderful. Paramount will be aware. I think this must be an encoding error. Every object is affected ..every pixel in those frames is distorted in some way. There are sparkles from her dress that have been moved to the chair! Even Lucy's face is jagged all the way. Your picture gives a sense of the artifacts, but they really show up badly on my display. I like to learn about this stuff, so I would be interested in what causes it.

 

[moviebuff75]

From another forum:

think I found another AI error.

Season 4, Episode 14
33:32

When they ask the restaurant owner what he's got and he says a cheese sandwich. When the camera cuts to Frawlye's line "I don't feel like a cheese sandwich." -- you can see William Frawley is completely out of focus while everyone just behind him are very much in focus. In fact, the AI captured the restaurant owner in the back the most with a very sharp image correction that was almost approaching the Havana one. Yet Frawley who was closer to the camera looks to be stuck in SD while everyone else is in HD.

This is a different error from what we've seen so far: instead of overcorrecting a part of the image, the AI somehow overlooked or missed a part of the image leaving part of the image looking completely untouched by the software.

 

[ponset]

Came out a year ago.

 

[PianoPlayer]

Price drop at Amazon on the Blu-ray set now.

ALSO: How does someone go about getting the replacement disc these days, for the AI-debacled episode?

 

[rmw650]

Price drop at Amazon on the Blu-ray set now.

ALSO: How does someone go about getting the replacement disc these days, for the AI-debacled episode?

Here is what i could find regarding the replacement disc program and how to go about it...

"As many of you know, one of the 33 disks included in the recently-released blu-ray set, I Love Lucy: The Complete Series, there was a restoration error in the first disk of the “seventh season.”*

We’ve been told a replacement disk will be made available for all those who purchased the set. For those interested in seeing “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana” as it was meant to be seen by producers in this set, we understand all you need to do is send a proof of purchase/receipt to [email protected] and the company will provide further instructions from there.

A proof of purchase can be a photo of your receipt, a screen grab confirming your online purchase, or a photo of your email invoice."

From The Lucy Lounge Facebook page.