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Life with Lucy (All of 'Em)

HarryCarter
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Freddie2 Newbie

Freddie2

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I just watched Mother of The Bride for the first time and while it wasn't quite as good as I was expecting, it was still very grounded, much moreso than the Ritter episode, which is another one that I often hear cited as a series standout. I don't mind the applause breaks during Lucy's entrances at all. She's earned them.

 

Just like Mame, for some reason the project's faults were put on Lucy, even though she was doing her absolute best and virtually all the issues can be contributed to behind the scenes ineptness. With Mame, it was the directing. With this show, it's the writing. Bob and Madelyn are wonderful and I have the highest respect for them, but after doing the same material for 25 years they were tired out.

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chedderchester Newbie

chedderchester

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So at the beginning, it has what I think is the VTR date. On Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, it says "EDITED MASTER, 11/17/86" but they had the wrap party on the 16th. I'm confused. 

Well, appropriate that they were uploaded before it's 30th anniversary! My mom was my age 30 years ago--and 7 months pregnant with my older sister when LWL first premiered. 

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Neil Newbie

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"Ritter"  They were obviously having fun....but more fun than we the audience were having.  There are some humorous moments, but the hardware store slapstick was too much.

"Mother of the Bride" is the one most often cited as the favorite.  It's certainly a solid show compared with "Up a Tree" and "Green Thumb", but doesn't do a whole lot for me.

"Legal Eagle" is my favorite by far.  Lucy in the court gave us some classic Lucy bits---snapping herself with her suspenders.  And Gale's long frozen faced pause after Lucy asks him "Have I ever EVER done anything that would suggest I don't have both oars in the water?" is priceless.

"One Good Grandparent" is better than people gave it credit for, I think.  BUT the whole bubbles-flooding-store scene is RUINED by that one, very avoidable, shot revealing foam coming from a different source, solely to speed up the flooding process.   When the audience realizes it's fake, you've lost them.

The unaired "Breaking Up" is quite good with some real tender scenes between Lucy and Gale.

"World's Greatest Grandmother", also unaired,  also contains some classic Lucy, trying to get herself coordinated to start a time-step dance.

Given what was happening: the show already being cancelled plus Desi's impending death, "Sunrise Sunset" takes on a lot more poignance, based more on off-screen goings-on.  

The other three unaired episodes are best left that way. 

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Freddie2 Newbie

Freddie2

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It was very surreal for me getting to see the show after a long, long time of just reading/hearing about it. Before this, I'd only seen the first two and the last two episodes, which doesn't give a very good overall impression. After finally seeing the whole fiasco, it's actually better than I thought it would be. Some initial thoughts, episode by episode:

 

One Good Grandparent

I don't care for this one. Although I complain about their later writing, Bob and Madelyn putting Lucy in a hardware store is a terrific idea! 

 

John Ritter

The more I see this one, the more I don't like it. It's important as the one time Lucy and John were showcased acting together. The whole thing falls apart during the performance of the play. I love when shows do a Noises Off-style setup of how a play is supposed to go followed by a disastrous performance. (The season four episode of Frasier called "Ham Radio" is a BRILLIANT and concise 20 minute example of this). You cannot swallow a harmonica. You just can't. The ADR on the harmonica wheezes are off and that bugs me even more. The episode just sort of ends- with Lucy and John hugging and the curtain closing. The only merits for this show lie in seeing Lucy and John working together and also the weird Ruth Buzzi cameo.

 

Two-By-Fours

I was surprised that this turned out to be my favorite of the series. In fact, I'd put this among my favorites of the entire Lucy oeuvre! Post-Desi, was there EVER a time that the Lucy character kissed a man romantically other than this? I'm a sucker for dancing, even though it wasn't that great. IMO this episode did the best job of showing us a Lucy of the 80s. It more or less fits in with the style of sitcoms of the time while still using the Lucy brand of humor. I also think it was very competently shot and directed- usually a big problem with most of the show. Examples: When Lucy says her line "Are we in some glamorous open-air café?", it's filmed in a wide shot and it's funny. Had it been a closeup, it wouldn't have been funny. I can't explain why- that's just how it is. Also when Lucy and Peter Graves are dancing, it's framed well and shown from good angles. What was the song they danced to on their date? It sounds familiar. The idea of having a date in an unfinished house like that is really cool and creative. It's something I'd actually like to do. Donovan Scott gets a rare chance to shine when he does his wondaful lil flip at the beginning. The scene between Lucy and Margo is very touching without reaching Full House levels of sap. This is an episode that has real conflicts that organically develop with the characters (Lucy being a widowed grandmother going for "the second time around", Curtis being work-obsessed as usual, etc), and it's executed really, really well. It was a joy to see Lucy acting like an adult! Side observation: In the opening scene in the hardware store where she's talking with Graves about grandkids' faces on t-shirts, she's sitting on the counter with her white heels and she's pure charm. When Lucy and Peter dance the Big Apple and Peter tosses the rug to the side, just as the camera starts to pan you can see some bozo grab the crumpled rug and pull it out of the shot. That's one moment that probably could have been fixed. I feel a bit of a connection to this plot because it rings true to my family. My dad's cousin got divorced and married her high school sweetheart when she was a grandmother. We lost her to pancreatic cancer just a couple of months ago, so this hits some emotions with me. 

 

Wires Crossed

This one feels the most like classic Lucy. No wonder it was helmed by two future Frasier writers. We get not one but two nice comedy moments- Wacky Chair and Glue Shenanigans. I'm not familiar with the TV host fella who got entrance applause. Does anybody know his work?

 

Sax Symbol

They were wise to try and develop the ensemble by throwing an episode to Jenny Lewis. It was heartwarming to hear the audience break into applause when Lucy pulled out her old saxophone- memories of better and funnier days. They tried to add some dramatic development by making it seem like Lucy wanted to kind of relive her youth through Becky and for that I commend them.

 

Byte The Dust

I could deal with this one right up until the robot at the end. That was too over the top.

 

Legal Beagle

Just as one could say that Two-By-Fours stole its plot from Golden Girls, one could say Golden Girls stole a certain plot from this episode. Jenny Lewis is always getting caught up in teddy bear trouble. Courtroom Lucy is great and makes me think of Lucy Ricardo. 

 

Mother of The Bride

I never realized what a distinctive voice Audrey Meadows had. It's really terrific. Many say Meadows would have made a good addition to the cast, but I partially disagree. She would've filled the same slot as Curtis as a foil for Lucy, and the show already had enough trouble trying to give material to the other five cast members. Adding one more would have made things worse. Although- when Audrey and Gale meet, she has that bit where she calls him "The cutest little hardware man in Pasadena." This made me think the character had a thing for Curtis, but it was never called back. Had Audrey been brought on as another Lucy antagonist AND a love interest for Gale, it would have made things more interesting.

 

Guard Goose

A ridiculous premise, but executed surprisingly well. 

 

Up A Tree

This should have worked better than it did. Props for having Ted and Margo actually do something! Lucy telling the bedtime story is great. I would have liked more time spent showing us what Lucy and Curtis were doing stranded in the tree. In my head I compare this to Bank Vault and it comes up short.

 

Green Thumb

This has the distinction of containing the last ever Spider Face and it was pretty underwhelming. The audience sounds more pumped than usual to see Lucy. It's a shame because this one was pretty awful. 

 

Breaking Up

The Lucy/Gale closure/development is at its most heartwarming. These characters and their grudges aren't 12 episodes old- they're nearly forty years old, and you feel the weight of the whole thing in their last scene together. These two need each other, even if they hate to admit it. Also, Lucy acknowledging her late husband is an aspect that her character has never explored before and it not only feels refreshing but right. Try and not smile when Gale uses the bubble toy.

 

World's Greatest Grandma

The one and only Stu Shostak is credited as the audience warmup act for this episode. Maybe Gary was on the phone with the network and couldn't make it… (By the way, do we know just when the phone call came in during the taping? I've always wondered.) This episode feels like filler. It would have felt better closure-wise if the previous episode had been the last. Let's think about how the last joke ever made in the entire 500+ episode  Lucille Ball Television Odyssey concerned a 90 year old woman playing Do You Think I'm Sexy on the bagpipes.

 

Lucy's entrances should have been better choreographed to make it easy for editing. When she's puttering around the room while the studio audience is clapping it becomes obvious to see where cuts are made.

 

All in all, it's better than Full House. I'd say that the two were on the same level when it comes to writing, but LWL benefits from two comedy greats elevating the material. The more I watch it, the more I realize just how much heavy lifting Lucy is doing. I believe it was our own Claude who wisely said that she turned their steak into filet mignon. I also like the freeze frames at the end of every episode. Very wacky. I will always pull this show out of the bag as an example of network incompetence. I still believe that the show would have been truly successful had it been produced for first run syndication or aired as original programming on Nick At Nite a couple of years later. I know I've made a lot of comments but I've been waiting a LONG time to see this show, so pardon me for being thorough.

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Will Newbie

Will

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I agree that Life With Lucy was like many other 80s/early 90s sitcoms with writing.  People must have expected different because of the past but it fit in with the times but just didn't flow for some Lucy fans or critics.  I am so happy these are up I haven't watch all of them.  I have seen the following

 

One Good Grandparent

The beginning scenes are hilarious but I don't like the ending scene or having everything arranged alphabetically.

 

John Ritter

This is hilarious but the ending scene is odd at parts but their admiration for each other shows and it makes it endearing.  Ruth Buzzi is great

 

Mother of The Bride

This is so heartfelt, funny, and dramatic at the same time.  I wish Audrey could have been on it more she brought a different level of humor and heart to the writing

 

Guard Goose

I had a grandmother who kept geese so this is hilarious.

 

Green Thumb

Couldn't stand it.  This was ridiculous

 

Breaking Up to Do

This is more dramedy but it shows true emotions.  I agree this should have been the series finale.  This and Mother of the Bride are my favorites

 

World's Greatest Grandma

This too shows true emotions and is more dramedy.  Sunrise, Sunset is breathtaking and heart wretching.  Motto is love older people and give them dignity it feels hard not to do what you want and feel you cannot be the greatest anymore

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Luvsbway Newbie

Luvsbway

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The Lucy character in a romantic kiss- This has been done before on both Here’s Lucy and The Lucy Show. The only time that the character got a husband though was on Lucy Calls the President.

 

The dead husband. I never understood why he was never mentioned on Here’s Lucy or The Lucy Show. Did they think it would bring down the comedy? I think on Here’s Lucy the dead husband only got mentioned twice. I think it’s done very well on Life With Lucy both in the 2x4 episode and Breaking Up is Hard to Do. You know the character never forgot him and they had a good relationship, based on the fact she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go away with the new guy. A very adult scene I loved. And I wonder how much true feelings she taped into while doing that scene, especially the slight voice break on “I loved him very much.”

 

Freeze Frame ending- A very common thing in the 80s. I laughed when I read that as there were so many shows that seemed to end like that.

 

Gale as a Love Interest- Oh this would have been refreshing and one I would have loved to see. After so many years of Lucy getting yelled at by him this would be an interesting plot point to explore. Could these 2 characters really have anything for them? By the 80s I was really over him yelling at Lucy.

 

The Ritter episode- The comedy in this is just not believable in the play with the harmonica. I would believe Lucy went through the starch vat before John swallowed a musical instrument. Apparently there were script issues with this episode but according to what I’ve heard Stu mention in an interview on his radio show, Gary just kept saying “Lucy will make it better”. How about going to the writers and actually doing your job as an EP and saying this just won’t work instead of dumping it all on your wife? This also goes along with Lucy doing the heavy lifting on the show. Stu recalled a conversation with Lucy where she said they were putting too much on the character (and her) and they she could not carry the show. Her shows worked best when things were spread out among the ensemble. Here it was what plot are we going to construct around Lucy doing something funny?

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HarryCarter Newbie

HarryCarter

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It's great to hear all these thoughts.

 

Quote

 

Wires Crossed

This one feels the most like classic Lucy. No wonder it was helmed by two future Frasier writers. We get not one but two nice comedy moments- Wacky Chair and Glue Shenanigans. I'm not familiar with the TV host fella who got entrance applause. Does anybody know his work?

 

 

 

 

That was Dick Gautier. He was the original Conrad Birdie in the Broadway Bye, Bye Birdie and probably best known for Get Smart, but he has a long list of TV credits. He was also best man to Phil Vandervort at his wedding to Lucie Arnaz.

 

The song Lucy and Peter Graves dance to is "Too Marvelous for Words."

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Will Newbie

Will

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Saw Love by the 2 by 4s . This is my new favorite Life With Lucy. It reminds me of Lucy and Dean Martin. She is graceful here. The whole shows smooths from one scene to another. It has great adult humor based on reality and totally appropriate script for Lucy's character and age. Ann does her best acting here.

 

Also Curtis and Lucy up a tree. The opening has a few laughs and Gale one liners. The sentiment is there but something here doesn't quite make it. The first time I "saw" Life With Lucy was in my mother's womb. She sometimes didn't like Lucy but liked this show she told me. Too bad it didn't last

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