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LIFE WITH LUCY Coming to DVD Oct. 8 2019


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57 minutes ago, rspeterson3 said:

I thought so too but I pre-ordered anyway!  I never thought I’d have this on dvd.  

Oh, I'll be ordering it as well, but I might check and see if the price comes down any further first. 

I'm glad Amazon is discounting the SRP already, because $50.00 is a bit steep for a not-exactly-beloved series. Then again, CBS likely isn't anticipating I Love Lucy level sales and want a safeguard to recoup their costs. (Either that or the Eydie Gormé estate has high licensing fees.)

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The cover art design has grown on me, which is a good thing, as it looks like they're sticking with it. I quite like the yellow background. 

If I could change anything, it'd be to use the actual title font and capitalize the W in with, and make it yellow like in the series. 

I would also choose a different picture. There's an alternate shot of Lucy and Gale in the bubbles that has both of them looking into the camera; that might be a bit more effective than the one currently chosen, with Gale staring off to the side. 

Speaking of bubbles - the foam coming down over the border is a clever idea, but the overlay is very obvious. That could use some better blending. 

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12 hours ago, Mot Morenzi said:

The cover art design has grown on me, which is a good thing, as it looks like they're sticking with it. I quite like the yellow background. 

If I could change anything, it'd be to use the actual title font and capitalize the W in with, and make it yellow like in the series. 

I would also choose a different picture. There's an alternate shot of Lucy and Gale in the bubbles that has both of them looking into the camera; that might be a bit more effective than the one currently chosen, with Gale staring off to the side. 

Speaking of bubbles - the foam coming down over the border is a clever idea, but the overlay is very obvious. That could use some better blending. 

It’s not the worst (remember that odd closeup shot that was originally publicized for the Calls The President cover art?), but I’d think that they would at least use that nice cast photo with Lucy standing over the couch. 

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I'm a bit taken aback at the bitching about the SRP. We're LUCKY to get this as a legitimate release AT ALL! This is such a rarity and given the show was such a bust (and that it contains so few episodes) , it's amazing they're even bothering to release it at all, bare bones as I'm sure it'll be.

Shop wisely and NOBODY has to pay the full retail price but if you don't do your homework, you'll not get "a deal" (I couldn't help laugh to myself at a fan on another site bragging about finding the new Colorized DVD release for $30 at a lukel Barnes & Noble when she could have got it at Target, Walmart and multiple places online for $20 or so! That's just idiocy to me!)

Of course you could always wait awhile and hope that (and it probably will) the price comes down.  Look how cheaply you can now grab copies of the two ILL Blu-ray releases, as well as the complete series boxes of ILL and The Lucy Show!  If you're a tightwad, go ahead and wait! :HALKING:

 

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4 hours ago, JoeySoCal said:

I'm a bit taken aback at the bitching about the SRP. We're LUCKY to get this as a legitimate release AT ALL! This is such a rarity and given the show was such a bust (and that it contains so few episodes) , it's amazing they're even bothering to release it at all, bare bones as I'm sure it'll be.

Shop wisely and NOBODY has to pay the full retail price but if you don't do your homework, you'll not get "a deal" (I couldn't help laugh to myself at a fan on another site bragging about finding the new Colorized DVD release for $30 at a lukel Barnes & Noble when she could have got it at Target, Walmart and multiple places online for $20 or so! That's just idiocy to me!)

Of course you could always wait awhile and hope that (and it probably will) the price comes down.  Look how cheaply you can now grab copies of the two ILL Blu-ray releases, as well as the complete series boxes of ILL and The Lucy Show!  If you're a tightwad, go ahead and wait! :HALKING:

 

I wasn’t b*tching about that price but I was surprised.  I’m fine with the $34 and preordered.  I’ve been hoping forever that LWL would get released. 

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10 hours ago, JoeySoCal said:

I'm a bit taken aback at the bitching about the SRP. We're LUCKY to get this as a legitimate release AT ALL! This is such a rarity and given the show was such a bust (and that it contains so few episodes) , it's amazing they're even bothering to release it at all, bare bones as I'm sure it'll be.

Shop wisely and NOBODY has to pay the full retail price but if you don't do your homework, you'll not get "a deal" (I couldn't help laugh to myself at a fan on another site bragging about finding the new Colorized DVD release for $30 at a lukel Barnes & Noble when she could have got it at Target, Walmart and multiple places online for $20 or so! That's just idiocy to me!)

Of course you could always wait awhile and hope that (and it probably will) the price comes down.  Look how cheaply you can now grab copies of the two ILL Blu-ray releases, as well as the complete series boxes of ILL and The Lucy Show!  If you're a tightwad, go ahead and wait! :HALKING:

 

Like RS, I wasn't bitching. I was just surprised, that's all. Obviously we'll be able to get it at most places for less than the SRP. 

So "Won't You Calm Down, JoeySoCal" :) 

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14 hours ago, Mot Morenzi said:

Like RS, I wasn't bitching. I was just surprised, that's all. Obviously we'll be able to get it at most places for less than the SRP. 

So "Won't You Calm Down, JoeySoCal" :) 

I wasn't singling anyone out for their remarks, just the general "'tude" of those who think this legit, never-thought-it'd-actually-happen release is "overpriced": if that's what you think, then don't buy it. 

I'll do my homework, preorder it at the best price I can find and support the release.  Again, we're unbelieveably LUCKY we're getting it!

If you don't like my choice of words (ok, substitute with "griping"), then don't read my posts. I have just as much right to my opinion here as you whiners.  Get over it. 

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7 hours ago, JoeySoCal said:

If you don't like my choice of words (ok, substitute with "griping"), then don't read my posts. I have just as much right to my opinion here as you whiners.  Get over it. 

:lucyshock:

I don't think anybody's taking issue with your posts or saying you don't have a right to express your opinion. I completely agree that we're very lucky to get this release.

I think we were merely expressing our belief that $50 was perhaps a bit high for only 13 episodes. Naturally, of course, that's only the "suggested" retail price, and most outlets will ignore that suggestion and sell it for far less. I also have no doubt it'll be discounted further after release. I certainly wasn't being a "whiner" - just stating my viewpoint.

My concern was that the initial price point might turn off casual purchasers, like the Blu-Ray cost did. True, there aren't exactly additional season releases dependent on this unit's sales, but still...I hope future discounts will ensure everyone can get this.

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I just found this great interview segment with Jenny Lewis:

Who would be your perfect main stage Coachella hologram to perform alongside?
Lucille Ball. She was my mentor. I was on a show with her called Life with Lucy when I was a little kid. She played my grandmother. She was very tough on me but taught me a lot of important things. She was stern and she wanted me to focus and she taught me a lot of great lessons that I still carry with me.

Like what?
“Learn your fucking lines, kid!” (laughs)

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I’m super excited at the moment.  Just realized after the LWL release, I’ll have all episodes but 1 of the “Lucy” character on official dvd!!   Now I’ll just need to hope and pray “Lucy’s” appearance on The Ann Southern Show makes it to some official release.  Then I can start obsessing over getting The Golden Palace on dvd 😂😂

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5 minutes ago, rspeterson3 said:

I’m super excited at the moment.  Just realized after the LWL release, I’ll have all episodes but 1 of the “Lucy” character on official dvd!!   Now I’ll just need to hope and pray “Lucy’s” appearance on The Ann Southern Show makes it to some official release.  Then I can start obsessing over getting The Golden Palace on dvd 😂😂

That's awesome! I agree, "The Golden Palace" should get released. No, it's not the original show, but it's still a continuation that would appeal to fans.

Well, if LWL can, there's still hope!

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On 8/19/2019 at 9:12 AM, rspeterson3 said:

I’m super excited at the moment.  Just realized after the LWL release, I’ll have all episodes but 1 of the “Lucy” character on official dvd!!   Now I’ll just need to hope and pray “Lucy’s” appearance on The Ann Southern Show makes it to some official release.  Then I can start obsessing over getting The Golden Palace on dvd 😂😂

Spell-check does NOT like the spelling of Ann's last name.  It's always correcting my Sothern to Southern.  Likewise, I'm always having to correct the alternatives it inserts to "Mame"---either "Name"  or "Came", sometimes "tame".   I've said this before by I spent a weekend following Ann around with a camera.  I was hired to do a video about her visit to Portland on behalf of a charity.  She had a 16mm reel of clips of her work, mostly her movie work that she showed several times at the various events the charity arranged.    Strangely there were no clips from "Private Secretary" but her Susie MacNamara character was represented by the drunk jail cell scene from "Havana".  This was immediately followed by showing most of the Ann Sothern Show episode with Lucy, where the two drugged each other: the first time I had ever seen it.  (showing 2 drunk scenes with Lucy right in a row: not really a good idea).  It was fun to watch both clips in a crowd.  Lucy got the bulk of the laughs.   Ann did not have Lucy's writers (though Schiller & Weiskopf did a few TASS's) or ILL's production values.  It was not an LOL comedy and its popularity rested solely on the considerable charm of Miss S.  Her fans would come up short if they tried to name their favorite episode of either series.   Ann's shows had no Vitameta, Candy Factory or Grape Stomping stand-outs.  A tribute to her skills that she was able to coast for 8 seasons on her personality alone---and garner 4 Emmy nominations. 

I suppose it's too much to hope for but someday I want to see all 13 episodes of "Glynis", the Desilu series cancelled mid-season by CBS in 1963, only to rise from the dead as TLS's summer replacement in 1965 (instead of the usual "Vacation Playhouse") and do better in the ratings than TLS did that season!  "Glynis" was unique in that it was a mystery-comedy.  Universally panned at the time by the critics and (obviously) the 1963 audience. 

RE: "If you don't like.... then don't read my posts. Get over it"  Advice well taken!

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5 hours ago, Neil said:

Spell-check does NOT like the spelling of Ann's last name.  It's always correcting my Sothern to Southern.  Likewise, I'm always having to correct the alternatives it inserts to "Mame"---either "Name"  or "Came", sometimes "tame".   I've said this before by I spent a weekend following Ann around with a camera.  I was hired to do a video about her visit to Portland on behalf of a charity.  She had a 16mm reel of clips of her work, mostly her movie work that she showed several times at the various events the charity arranged.    Strangely there were no clips from "Private Secretary" but her Susie MacNamara character was represented by the drunk jail cell scene from "Havana".  This was immediately followed by showing most of the Ann Sothern Show episode with Lucy, where the two drugged each other: the first time I had ever seen it.  (showing 2 drunk scenes with Lucy right in a row: not really a good idea).  It was fun to watch both clips in a crowd.  Lucy got the bulk of the laughs.   Ann did not have Lucy's writers (though Schiller & Weiskopf did a few TASS's) or ILL's production values.  It was not an LOL comedy and its popularity rested solely on the considerable charm of Miss S.  Her fans would come up short if they tried to name their favorite episode of either series.   Ann's shows had no Vitameta, Candy Factory or Grape Stomping stand-outs.  A tribute to her skills that she was able to coast for 8 seasons on her personality alone---and garner 4 Emmy nominations. 

I don’t remember hearing that you did this! About what time did this happen/why was she in Portland? I really enjoy Ann but I also feel bad for her. As successful as she was, I don’t think she reached the heights that she should have. I truly believe that if she’d been offered anything after Whales of August, she would have taken it. Unfortunately her greatest critical achievement was also a kind of death knell. 

5 hours ago, Neil said:

I suppose it's too much to hope for but someday I want to see all 13 episodes of "Glynis", the Desilu series cancelled mid-season by CBS in 1963, only to rise from the dead as TLS's summer replacement in 1965 (instead of the usual "Vacation Playhouse") and do better in the ratings than TLS did that season!  "Glynis" was unique in that it was a mystery-comedy.  Universally panned at the time by the critics and (obviously) the 1963 audience. 

Heck, enough obscure shows have been released that it wouldn’t be impossible. I’d love to see an episode of the series. The idea of mystery/comedy always makes me think of The Thin Man, which is always entertaining. I wonder why the show was cancelled, considering its ratings. The Beverly Hillbillies was panned by critics at the same time, but its commercial success got it renewed.

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I like the cover art but the perfect cover would be Lucy's TV Guide portrait that was used at the time of the show's premiere in 1986 -- even though it would be owned by TV Guide's publishers most likely in perpetuity, would have been nice if Paramount have used this as it would blend in well with Paramount's covers for 'The Lucy Show' dvd sets -- also regarding extras I wonder if the GAB Entertainment guys will do intros for each episode similar to the excellent job they did on the 'Here's Lucy' sets? 

The show's wrap party is on You Tube -- someone could at least make a 15 minute extra with that as the main attraction and all the 1986 ABC promos if they still exist. 

For what it is worth, I am in Melbourne, Australia and "Life With Lucy", all 13 episodes, aired nationally in either December 1986-January 1987 or the same time 1987 into 1988 (please excuse my failing memory) in an early afternoon timeslot or as filler shows during the national cricket games between whoever it was that year (England/West Indies/Pakistan/India/Sri Lanka) and during those cricket match days, would have received the largest tv viewership these shows ever got -- worldwide!

The fact that every episode was broadcast when only 8 went to air in the US is worth noting -- sadly, this was most likely seen as filler by the network and with only 13 shows just shows you what clout Lucy's name still had down here and still had with the network who ran all her shows during the 60s, 70s and 80s, the Nine Network run by Kerry Packer (most likely a big fan)

Wonder if Lucy knew of if she got any fan mail about it from down here? It certainly would have brightened her day.

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9 hours ago, Brian Mc said:

IFor what it is worth, I am in Melbourne, Australia and "Life With Lucy", all 13 episodes, aired nationally in either December 1986-January 1987 or the same time 1987 into 1988

What I heard is that some foreign markets were clamoring for more of the series, and puzzled why there were only 13.    Maybe if you weren't expecting an I Love Lucy reboot (as America seemed to be), LWL would be a good comedy.  As I've said before, it was as good as the majority of sitcoms of 1986.  

Re: Freddie's comment about "Glynis" "I wonder why the show was cancelled, considering its ratings."   Glynis had low ratings in its original run, hence its cancellation.  It wasn't until 2 years later that it scored as TLS's summer replacement.  You have to wonder whether there was talk of reviving it.  It would have made a perfect 9:30 Monday show.    "Glynis" ran at 8:30 on Wednesday followed by Beverly Hillbillies at 9, still the #1 show on the air (which SHOULD have been good for Glynis).  Glynis was hampered but a prestigious but very low-rated lead-in the hour-long "CBS Reports" *.  But it did not have stand-out competition: On ABC "The Price is Right",  On NBC the last half hour of the 90 minutes western (....SNORE....) "The Virginian", which placed #17 for that season.  So "Glynis"'s low ratings were strange.  But were they low enough to warrant cancellation?  I don't know.  The replacement "Tell it To the Camera" had an even shorter run.  The next season Beverly Hillbillies after 2 seasons as #1 went from 9 to 8:30 and ratings nosedived (comparitively) to #12. 

*The Hillbillies hosted the Wednesday version of the fall's "Seven Wonderful Nights" and its hilarious to hear Jethro singing the praises of CBS Reports. 

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42 minutes ago, Neil said:

What I heard is that some foreign markets were clamoring for more of the series, and puzzled why there were only 13.    Maybe if you weren't expecting an I Love Lucy reboot (as America seemed to be), LWL would be a good comedy.  As I've said before, it was as good as the majority of sitcoms of 1986.  

And had it been given more time to grow, I think the show could've found its rhythm. As everyone grew more adjusted to their roles, the premise could've been tweaked to reflect that. It just wasn't given a chance. 

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I'm going off-thread but here are the only Glynis clips I could find on youtube.  I like the theme music: it conveys that it's a comedy with mystery.  Note: "Created by JESS OPPENHEIMER"*.  As I recall, Glynis is a mystery writer whose husband ("our own Keith Andes") is involved with the law (detective?  attorney?)  Common Jess theme: Keith wants Glynis to STAY HOME, but she worms her way into cases he's working on.  Similarly,  on Jess's Debbie Reynolds Show, her husband worked at a newspaper.  Childless, jobless Debbie is a housewife with a driving ambition to write for the newspaper.  Of course, Mr. Debbie does NOT want her to.   I think Glynis Johns was charming and what a delightful voice.  I don't see how this show failed so miserably.  In the 1960s, it did happen but it was unusual for a series to get cancelled mid-season.  I've got 4 episodes on DVD and it holds up pretty well for one of those single-camera/laugh-track comedies of the 60s. 

*so Jess was employed by Desilu in 1963 and went on to PRODUCE Lucy's 1964 special with Bob Hope in 1964.  So WHY, when Lucy was looking for a new head writer in 1964, did she not consider Jess when they were so simpatico in the past?  Especially when he "owned" the Lucy character she was portraying?

Opening teaser scene with credits.  The teaser was actually a scene that happens in the episode that follows.  

And here's another short clip:  with Harvey Norman! 

 

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1 hour ago, Neil said:

 

*so Jess was employed by Desilu in 1963 and went on to PRODUCE Lucy's 1964 special with Bob Hope in 1964.  So WHY, when Lucy was looking for a new head writer in 1964, did she not consider Jess when they were so simpatico in the past?  Especially when he "owned" the Lucy character she was portraying?

 

Maybe something with Jess suing over the Life With George/Lucy Show thing?

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41 minutes ago, Luvsbway said:

Maybe something with Jess suing over the Life With George/Lucy Show thing?

I'm pretty sure that was much later in the decade----maybe during the time of Here's Lucy.   Desi tried to get around it by proclaiming The Lucy Show was based on the book, a credit still carried throughout the series even during the 6th season.  It's doubtful Irene's book made any mention of going to stewardess school with Carol Tilford!  I'm fence-sitting about the validity of Jess's case.  His proof hinged on Schiller, who said the writers were instructed to write Lucy Carmichael like Ricardo, but......I don't think of them as the same character.  After season 2's writer departure, Jess has even less ground to stand on.  Lucy Carter was nothing like Lucy Ricardo.(alas).    The case was settled out of court.  If it was when I think it was, the defendants would have been Desilu (then Paramount/G&W) AND Lucille Ball Productions.   I don't know how much Jess ended up with, but he got something.  You can't blame Lucille Ball for being a bit miffed at him.  After the suit, when praising her writers on talk shows, she would cite only Bob and Madelyn.  Later she included Jess again.  Jess and Lucy just clicked as neither would ever again with other people.  Jess with the stars of shows he created/produced and Lucy with writers after 1964  (with the exception of some of Bob O'Brien's best work).   Schiller & Weiskopf's four 3rd season episodes, none of which IMO are stellar, makes it clear that it was Bob & Madelyn who were keeping TLS focused. 

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