Neil Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 The Operetta is a great choice, a strong, solid episode from start to finish. I do not agree that the set up scenes are weak. I know the tendency might be to go with the "Tango/Blouse" episode because Lucy is so great in that little scene. But I agree with Little Ricky, that the episode as a whole is not. Same with "Pioneer Women/Bread". Probably the best of the Connecticut half-hour episodes is "Housewarming" but it doesn't have a comedy block scene. Even though if you tallied up episodes that contain true physical comedy, the percentage would be surprisingly low, people still perceive I Love Lucy as "slapstick". Would colorizing the two best LDCH's be hampered by the public's fading memory of guest stars Talulah Bankhead and Danny Thomas? That's a shame. Not counting the ones already shown, "Gets In Pictures" contains Lucy's greatest physical bit......on I Love Lucy anyway. Is "The Operetta" too much of a "special" (as in atypical) episode? It is essentially a show-within-a-show, with only a rather weak first few scenes as the set-up. There is not a typical Lucy Ricardo plotline... About below: what does to #2t refer to at the end? And what's so hot all of a sudden about these 49 year old whipper-snappers? The Nielsens of the pre-cable/DVR days were based on a devices connected to 1200 households so says TV Gudie. I'll take their word for it that statistics back up the accuracy, although I don't see how. How they can get an accurate number these days is beyond me. Do they count a show being DVR'd and if so, actually watched? Not to mention streaming and other ways beyond my comprehension that people get entertainment. CBS – I Love Lucy Superstar SpecialViewers: 5.49 million (#1), A18-49: 0.8/ 4 (#2t) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjw Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 I hope TJW reads this and can answer my question. Why doesn't CBS get smart and colorize Together for Christmas from season one of The Lucy Show and pair it with the color 1965 episode Lucy the Choirmaster from season four of The Lucy Show. These are both great happy and funny episodes. Actually "Together for Christmas" is on CBS' radar and the show almost made it last year. We were trying to find something to pair with "The Andy Griffith Show" Christmas episode, and one of the candidates seriously under consideration was this episode of "The Lucy Show." However, the network had already committed to airing the "I Love Lucy Christmas Special" (the Christmas episode + Vitameatavegamin), and they thought doing yet another "Lucy" program a couple of nights later would be a mistake... We went with a second classic episode of the Griffith series instead, and the hour worked very well on Christmas night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjw Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 About below: what does to #2t refer to at the end? #2t -- I believe -- means #2 in the time period (in that demo)... which is still very good. CBS historically has done better with slightly older audiences -- the 25-54 (and older) crowd... Conversely, some of the other networks -- ABC, FOX and especially some of the niche cable networks -- attract younger viewers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 Actually "Together for Christmas" is on CBS' radar and the show almost made it last year. We were trying to find something to pair with "The Andy Griffith Show" Christmas episode, and one of the candidates seriously under consideration was this episode of "The Lucy Show." However, the network had already committed to airing the "I Love Lucy Christmas Special" (the Christmas episode + Vitameatavegamin), and they thought doing yet another "Lucy" program a couple of nights later would be a mistake... We went with a second classic episode of the Griffith series instead, and the hour worked very well on Christmas night. That would have been fantastic! What about running the ILL and TLS Christmas episodes together as some sort of "Timeless Tradition" package or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JYuhas Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 TJW Just out of curiosity, would you be able to tell us (or show us) what the color's of the Ricardo's bedroom, in "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," being that it wasn't shown during the Christmas Special? Also, has colonizing the "Jingle Bells" tag-scene, from Drafted, been discussed? I think there was also a scene from "Lucy Goes to Sun Valley," where Lucy and Ricky are in front of their Christmas tree, talking about Little Ricky's ski's? Has this been discussed about being colorized? One more thing. Will all of these colorized episode's eventually become available, and released on DVD and/or Blu-ray, as well as future colorized episode's? Any information will be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleRickyII Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 I know the tendency might be to go with the "Tango/Blouse" episode because Lucy is so great in that little scene. But I agree with Little Ricky, that the episode as a whole is not. Same with "Pioneer Women/Bread". Not just "Pioneer Women." I would suggest nothing more from S1 should be colorized for purposes of CBS prime time. That is the one season that would not play well in 2016, at least in terms of having mass appeal. The plots from that season are too far-fetched and over the top, or are full of plot holes and are lacking in logic and believability. Stick with the last five seasons after the show got on its feet and had solid, believable writing and character development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleRickyII Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 That would have been fantastic! What about running the ILL and TLS Christmas episodes together as some sort of "Timeless Tradition" package or something? I agree about the S1 Christmas episode from TLS (it is very funny, heartwarming and charming), but the S4 episode I find very disappointing. It's kind of boring and laughs are few. It would be better IMO to pair "Together for Christmas" with an Andy Griffith Show episode, or an I Love Lucy episode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mot Morenzi Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 I've said this elsewhere, but if the tradition is pairing the Christmas episode with a "classic" that showcases Lucy's ability, I wouldn't be surprised if "The Audition" we're up for consideration at some point, considering it's based on the pilot and features one of her and Desi's earliest joint comedic bits. Plus I suppose it'd be nice to have an episode featuring the Tropicana set shown in color, which there's reference footage for. Of the three Christmas themed episodes Lucy did, "Together for Christmas" is easily my favorite. It's the only one I make a point of watching each and every Christmas season. And I suppose there's no shortage of reference points for what the Danfield House would look like in color after all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Actually "Together for Christmas" is on CBS' radar and the show almost made it last year. We were trying to find something to pair with "The Andy Griffith Show" Christmas episode, and one of the candidates seriously under consideration was this episode of "The Lucy Show." However, the network had already committed to airing the "I Love Lucy Christmas Special" (the Christmas episode + Vitameatavegamin), and they thought doing yet another "Lucy" program a couple of nights later would be a mistake... We went with a second classic episode of the Griffith series instead, and the hour worked very well on Christmas night. Just curious ... what were the other candidates they looked at to pair with The Andy Griffith Show? The Beverly Hillbillies? The Dick Van Dyke Show? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 I agree about the S1 Christmas episode from TLS (it is very funny, heartwarming and charming), but the S4 episode I find very disappointing. It's kind of boring and laughs are few. It would be better IMO to pair "Together for Christmas" with an Andy Griffith Show episode, or an I Love Lucy episode. The Lucy Show S1 Christmas episode is relatable and does have a quite a few laughs. Not to mention that is it heartwarming especially at the end. Even though it is not as stellar, the season 4 one is a joy to watch regardless. I would rather not see The Lucy Show Christmas episode(s) be paired at first with another program be it The Andy Griffith Show or I Love Lucy. It would be interesting to see how the show would fare by itself. Remember, Lucille Ball just isn't I Love Lucy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucille Ball fan Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 TJW Just out of curiosity, would you be able to tell us (or show us) what the color's of the Ricardo's bedroom, in "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," being that it wasn't shown during the Christmas Special? Also, has colonizing the "Jingle Bells" tag-scene, from Drafted, been discussed? I think there was also a scene from "Lucy Goes to Sun Valley," where Lucy and Ricky are in front of their Christmas tree, talking about Little Ricky's ski's? Has this been discussed about being colorized? One more thing. Will all of these colorized episode's eventually become available, and released on DVD and/or Blu-ray, as well as future colorized episode's? Any information will be greatly appreciated. I also would like to ask for an update on if we will ever get the color shows on DVD or Blu-ray. The John Wayne Superstar special was very super. A job well done. I really enjoyed watching the special. A big thanks to everyone involved with the special. Thank you for a super job. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upperco Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Thank you for keeping us in the loop, tjw! I cannot properly express how grateful I am for your recognition and appreciation of our individual regards for the show. If you're taking episodic requests, I would like to chime in with some thoughts... I also agree with what's been expressed above: "Together For Christmas' is an ideal companion for "The Christmas Show" -- it's thematically much better than anything else on either series, and I think pairing the two could be an opportunity to reach Lucy fans who may have forgotten about The Lucy Show in favor of the evergreen I Love Lucy. It's a smart business move and could spark renewed interest in both CBS properties. However, a potential drawback could be in the combination of the now tried-and-true "Christmas Show" with an episode that doesn't engender the same familiarity as the other I Love Lucy classics with which its been paired thus far. In other words, I wonder if there are some folks who are tuning in out of a fondness for the episodes being chosen, not simply the colorization, and would therefore not be compelled to watch for something they've seen colorized before alongside something they've never even seen before. Regarding the potential inclusion of a country episode in future specials, I think "Country Club Dance" has the most sell-ability given the Barbara Eden guest appearance. Eden could help do press beforehand and speak about the experience -- Jeannie remains infinitely more visible than Danny Thomas or Talulah Bankhead -- and it's one of the more consistently funny of those final 13. As for others, I adore "The Operetta" but I fear the music itself is a hard-sell in today's market, especially to audiences who have never been exposed to operetta in any form. I think it's best to stick with episodes that contain iconic physical bits and/or still marketable stars. In this vein, I'd recommend "The Ballet," "Lucy Gets In Pictures," "In Palm Springs," "The Great Train Robbery," and "Lucy And Bob Hope." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JYuhas Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 I'm trying to think of what other two-part episode's, that could tie-in to each other, just like "Lucy Visits Grauman's" and "Lucy and John Wayne," whether they'movie star related, or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wilson Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 TJW, I think CBS should not rerun the 1956 Christmas clip show. It's grown very tired and I think it can hurt the ratings. I think CBS should air both Together for Christmas and Lucy the Choirmaster as their next Lucy Christmas special. They can be called The Lucy Show Christmas Special. They can even have her daughter act as hostess. Also, at the same time, there's no reason why CBS can't air two I Love Lucy episodes during December and present them as they have been doing during the non-Christmas season as the I Love Lucy Super Spectacular Special. I think the next two episodes should be Country Club Dance w/Barbara Eden and The Operetta. CBS can also air one episode from each series for future specials i.e., Lucy & Harpo Marx with the 1963 episode Lucy's New Year's Eve (which would have to be colorized) where she does a great impression of Charlie Chaplin. There are so many possibilities. CBS can even air the one hour Lucy-Desi specials. The three best one hour shows (in my opinion) are The Celebrity Next Door w/Talula Bankhead, Lucy Makes Rooms For Danny w/Danny Thomas and Lucy Wants A Career w/Paul Douglas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 I'm trying to think of what other two-part episode's, that could tie-in to each other, just like "Lucy Visits Grauman's" and "Lucy and John Wayne," whether they'movie star related, or not. Here's an ideal two-parter "Harpo Marx" and "Dancing Star". They both revolve around Lucy trying to impress newly near-sighted Carolyn during her stopover in LA (Carolyn: "This California sun certainly makes your eyes bad") "Marx" has always been a favorite of "the masses", but "Dancing" has topped my favorite ILL episode list. (#1 changes from time to time). There are a LOT of contenders but "Dancing Star" may contain Lucille Ball's greatest performance of allI Love Lucys. I can't think of another that shows her full RANGE to better advantage. There are story arcs sprinkled throughout ILL: Getting ready for LA, the car trip, getting ready for Europe, the whole Europe trip for that matter, moving to country and (though I wouldn't recommend it) the trip to Florida. With the new relations with Cuba opened up, the 75 minute "Takes a Cruise to Havana" would be timely.....far superior to "Ricardos Visit Cuba". (IMO, none of the Florida episodes display ILL at its best). The additional hook of Cruise/Havana being it's only the 2nd time the full version has ever been run on TV (assuming that's correct). In a 90 minute time slot, for once CBS wouldn't have to cut anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Actually "Together for Christmas" is on CBS' radar and the show almost made it last year. We were trying to find something to pair with "The Andy Griffith Show" Christmas episode, and one of the candidates seriously under consideration was this episode of "The Lucy Show." However, the network had already committed to airing the "I Love Lucy Christmas Special" (the Christmas episode + Vitameatavegamin), and they thought doing yet another "Lucy" program a couple of nights later would be a mistake... We went with a second classic episode of the Griffith series instead, and the hour worked very well on Christmas night. Forgive me for posting thoughts I've had before (but I don't know that I have any new ones): Neither Xmas ep of ILL or Andy is either series at its best. The true die-hards of TAGS (as they call it) pick "Pickles" (the first Xmas companion episode) as their favorite. The choice still dumbfounds me. Though not as markedly different as the 1st and last season of TLS, The Andy Griffith Show went through 3 phases. 1- Andy the aw-shucks yokel, 2-Andy with a toned down accent and Don Knotts as the comedy catalyst and 3-those last 3 "meh" years in color without Don. "Christmas" was during the Andy-yokel first year. This series really took a season and a half before it found its groove. Its 5th season, the last with Knotts, is its best. Isn't it interesting that TLS and TAGS lost a key supporting player at the end of the same season and both did BETTER in the ratings their subsequent seasons, finishing out their runs the same year-1968-at #1 and #2, 3 years after Viv and Barney left, then both replaced by essentially the same series in the fall of '68. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted May 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Here's an ideal two-parter "Harpo Marx" and "Dancing Star". They both revolve around Lucy trying to impress newly near-sighted Carolyn during her stopover in LA (Carolyn: "This California sun certainly makes your eyes bad") "Marx" has always been a favorite of "the masses", but "Dancing" has topped my favorite ILL episode list. (#1 changes from time to time). There are a LOT of contenders but "Dancing Star" may contain Lucille Ball's greatest performance of allI Love Lucys. I can't think of another that shows her full RANGE to better advantage. I agree with every word of this. I'd love to see The Dancing Star on prime-time network television. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 We're due for a Van Johnson renaissance. You won't be able to keep the red socks on the shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeySanJoaquin Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 The Operetta is a great choice, a strong, solid episode from start to finish. I do not agree that the set up scenes are weak. I know the tendency might be to go with the "Tango/Blouse" episode because Lucy is so great in that little scene. But I agree with Little Ricky, that the episode as a whole is not. Same with "Pioneer Women/Bread". Probably the best of the Connecticut half-hour episodes is "Housewarming" but it doesn't have a comedy block scene. Even though if you tallied up episodes that contain true physical comedy, the percentage would be surprisingly low, people still perceive I Love Lucy as "slapstick". Would colorizing the two best LDCH's be hampered by the public's fading memory of guest stars Talulah Bankhead and Danny Thomas? That's a shame. Not counting the ones already shown, "Gets In Pictures" contains Lucy's greatest physical bit......on I Love Lucy anyway. About below: what does to #2t refer to at the end? And what's so hot all of a sudden about these 49 year old whipper-snappers? The Nielsens of the pre-cable/DVR days were based on a devices connected to 1200 households so says TV Gudie. I'll take their word for it that statistics back up the accuracy, although I don't see how. How they can get an accurate number these days is beyond me. Do they count a show being DVR'd and if so, actually watched? Not to mention streaming and other ways beyond my comprehension that people get entertainment. #2t means it was tied for 2nd place. All of a sudden?? The 18-49 demo for advertisers has been their "benchmark" for years (for whatever reason), ostensibly because they're the largest age range with "disposable" income; however I would think as time marches on and there's such a large population of baby boomers that perhaps they'd want to rethink their logic; hasn't happened yet! And yes, they now even factor in DVR'd shows but don't ask me how the account for it! The whole process is getting more confusing and convoluted all the time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeySanJoaquin Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Here's an ideal two-parter "Harpo Marx" and "Dancing Star". They both revolve around Lucy trying to impress newly near-sighted Carolyn during her stopover in LA (Carolyn: "This California sun certainly makes your eyes bad") "Marx" has always been a favorite of "the masses", but "Dancing" has topped my favorite ILL episode list. (#1 changes from time to time). There are a LOT of contenders but "Dancing Star" may contain Lucille Ball's greatest performance of allI Love Lucys. I can't think of another that shows her full RANGE to better advantage. There are story arcs sprinkled throughout ILL: Getting ready for LA, the car trip, getting ready for Europe, the whole Europe trip for that matter, moving to country and (though I wouldn't recommend it) the trip to Florida. With the new relations with Cuba opened up, the 75 minute "Takes a Cruise to Havana" would be timely.....far superior to "Ricardos Visit Cuba". (IMO, none of the Florida episodes display ILL at its best). The additional hook of Cruise/Havana being it's only the 2nd time the full version has ever been run on TV (assuming that's correct). In a 90 minute time slot, for once CBS wouldn't have to cut anything. Despite the Hollywood-based episodes being most of my favorites, I'd hate to think they'd start focusing just on those for colorization. While I agree "Dancing Star" IS one of those best episodes, it's in the "let's put on a show" vein; I think a better candidate that not only encapsulates all the best elements about the series i.e., for the most part, the four main characters plus a couple of supporting players to help the plot along but not dependent upon a "special guest star" or dance number or song performance built in; also in my mind it's one of the few episodes where you REALLY see the depth and breadth of Lucille Ball's talent and range in the role as Mrs. Ricardo, as she goes from zero to bitchy and back and everything in between in less than 26 minutes in "Hollywood Anniversary", replete with a sweet and sentimental (but not sickeningly so) romantic ending. It's also one of the funniest episodes of the entire series, not just the Hollywood section! Sadly I think you may be mistaken should the 75-minute full version of "Havana" ever be colorized and/or reaired and run in a 90-minute slot, given these days each half hour program content is only roughly 20 minutes (give or take), meaning there's a full TEN MINUTES of advertising per half hour which means it'd have to be aired in a 2-hour slot to be shown without any edits or trimming done (which would be fine by me but ain't never gonna happen)! I'm just wondering how much longer it'll be -- sooner than later, I'm betting -- before we hear some sort of announcement that the entire series will be colorized and re-released on home video. Wouldn't surprise me a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 How about a "Lucy Wants to Be a Superstar" special featuring Lucy Gets In Pictures and... The Ballet, The Fashion Show, or Lucy & The Dummy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JYuhas Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 I wish we could see a screenshot of the opening of "LA at Last," with the car entering The Beverly Palms Hotel. I also wish that they'd create a new colorized montage of clips, as seen at the Complete Series DVDs, and Weird Al "Babalu Music" video, with colorized scenes from the newly colorized episode's. They could also colorize new classic scene's from other episode's, that would and/or wouldn't work as past of a Christmas Special, and/or Superstar Special. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 the S4 episode I find very disappointing. It's kind of boring and laughs are few. Oh POOH!!! The only way this show could be any better is if they had had Countess Framboise come on as Santa Claus while Ironman Carmichael is doing stunts on a Christmas movie set. A 4th-season hum-dinger! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Oh POOH!!! The only way this show could be any better is if they had had Countess Framboise come on as Santa Claus while Ironman Carmichael is doing stunts on a Christmas movie set. A 4th-season hum-dinger! Throw in an "Irving?!" joke and you've got yourself a deal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mot Morenzi Posted May 31, 2016 Report Share Posted May 31, 2016 Oh POOH!!! The only way this show could be any better is if they had had Countess Framboise come on as Santa Claus while Ironman Carmichael is doing stunts on a Christmas movie set. A 4th-season hum-dinger! That would've been epic! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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