Jump to content

What episodes are you watching on "I Love Lucy"?


Recommended Posts

 "Lucy Gets Chummy with New Neighbors".The one in Connecticut where Lucy goes furniture shopping with Betty Ramsey.

This is really a great episode, one sort of overlooked when favorite lists are put together.  A perfect example of the range ILL had.  There's nothing in this episode that couldn't happen in real life.  There's no real opportunity for overt comedy for Lucy in the script, but she still shines.  As does Desi.

Mary Jane is such a different character than MJ Lewis of TLS and HL.  She's much more like Audrey Simmons here.

I love Fred's reaction to Ethel's end of the phone call.  "Lucy's in a real jam." "Quick, hang up!" and him getting light-headed at the thought of ANYONE spending $3000.

To get a better idea of the impact, $3000 in 1957 equals $25,000 today!!

Having a few Connecticut based episode with the Mertzes still living in NYC was a good idea.  Most series (including TLS and HL) would have everything happen in one episode.

I'd forgotten that Parley "Down Reilly" Baer was the furniture dealer.  He always adds something to episodes, even though this is a pretty small part that could have been played by a cheaper actor.  Parley appeared on all 3 series, with a recurring role as Dr. Cunninham Harry's shrink.

If my memory is correct, this and "Country club Dance" are the only two that feature Frank Nelson as Ralph Ramsey, though he's often listed as a regular.

So true, about everything, i'm gonna go pop that one in right now, it IS extremely good in every way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I won't name the one i just watched, one of my all time favorites, i'll just give you the last line . . . THE ANNIVERSARY WALTZ MFUGH MFUGH . . . 

A friend of mine recently named this his all-time favorite "ILL" episode.  Never a heralded episode, I got out the DVD and watched and......it is a remarkable show, proving once again that this series had incredible range.  One week she's dangling from Cornel Wilde's balcony and the next week we're given this slapstick-less episode with a whole lot of heart.  Especially love Mrs. McGillicuddy's lines "Imagine a man who goes out nightclubbing on his anniversary while he leaves his poor wife home alone" and "Despite my predictions, Mickey, I think you're going to turn out alright".  Also one of the many episodes in which Desi shines. He is the unsung supporting player in ILL, holding his own with the other two veteran actors.

The gradual change from pissed-off to resignation that Lucy's face registers as she's charmed by Ricky's song is at the core of the reason we all love Lucy.   Again, I say WHO ELSE could pull this off?

Though I'm not knocking The Lucy Show which I love despite its inconsistency, contrast "Hwood Anniversary" with the LS episodes she would be doing a mere 10 years hence.  With no love interest for Lucy Carmichael (that extend beyond one episode, alright: two with Clint Walker) , the plots descend to Ironman Carmichael and "Bailey's Beans"!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A friend of mine recently named this his all-time favorite "ILL" episode.  Never a heralded episode, I got out the DVD and watched and......it is a remarkable show, proving once again that this series had incredible range.  One week she's dangling from Cornel Wilde's balcony and the next week we're given this slapstick-less episode with a whole lot of heart.  Especially love Mrs. McGillicuddy's lines "Imagine a man who goes out nightclubbing on his anniversary while he leaves his poor wife home alone" and "Despite my predictions, Mickey, I think you're going to turn out alright".  Also one of the many episodes in which Desi shines. He is the unsung supporting player in ILL, holding his own with the other two veteran actors.

The gradual change from pissed-off to resignation that Lucy's face registers as she's charmed by Ricky's song is at the core of the reason we all love Lucy.   Again, I say WHO ELSE could pull this off?

Though I'm not knocking The Lucy Show which I love despite its inconsistency, contrast "Hwood Anniversary" with the LS episodes she would be doing a mere 10 years hence.  With no love interest for Lucy Carmichael (that extend beyond one episode, alright: two with Clint Walker) , the plots descend to Ironman Carmichael and "Bailey's Beans"!

True, Lucy was just perfect in this one and so many others, it's a shame she didn't win five Emmys in a row back then when SHE was the perfect actress in the perfect series.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, in for some Lucy this morning; [noticing the other weekend, after the Holiday Break, it has been shortened to one hour on Hallmark early morning EST previously, 3 hours - 5-8a]; flipped it on this morning while waiting for coffee to brew and The newspaper to arrive (my usual early morning routine) and NO LUCY!!!!!! AAARRRRRGRRRRRRHHHHHHH!!!!!!

 

Get ready for the hair on your arms to stand up where mine did....flipping channels to see where she had gone - NOWHERE, THAT'S WHERE....CAME ACROSS OUR ME-TV CHANNEL, WBBZ-TV (LOCAL) 1230 - NO, AGAIN!  but, The Danny Thomas Show WAS on; and since I have not seen even ONE episode of that show in 50 years!!!!!, I turned it on - you guessed it, or maybe you didn't, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were guests, as the Ricardos!!!!!!!!!  That means SOMETHING for the rest of the day; but, I don't know what!  I had never seen the episode, either.

 

Does anyone know where ('I Love Lucy') has gone????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Found The Lucy Show on YES TV yesterday and four times a day on Comedy Gold, so nice to have her on again, now that my cable's back.  They're about to leave for Europe.

I don't remember the story arc where Lucy Carmichael and Vivian Bagley went to Europe.

The kids are relegated to living with babysitter Grandma Sutton. When Lucy and Viv are in Italy, she's sad about missing Chris's birthday so gives her a long distance call and to her horror, finds out Grandma Sutton has kicked Chris out to make room for more cats and Chris is now lodging with Flo the manicurist, who for her birthday has arranged a blind date with long hair, bearded Herbie Walton recently expelled from Berkley for his Sunset Strip shenanigans ("dropping acid salts" was the charge) . "But", Chris explains "we're being chaperoned".  Now it's Viv's turn to be horrified when she finds out that  the other couple is Flo and Eddie, who in Viv's absence had a pedicure and before the cigarette burns on Viv's coffee table are even cold, has started calling Flo "Footsie".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't remember the story arc where Lucy Carmichael and Vivian Bagley went to Europe.

The kids are relegated to living with babysitter Grandma Sutton. When Lucy and Viv are in Italy, she's sad about missing Chris's birthday so gives her a long distance call and to her horror, finds out Grandma Sutton has kicked Chris out to make room for more cats and Chris is now lodging with Flo the manicurist, who for her birthday has arranged a blind date with long hair, bearded Herbie Walton recently expelled from Berkley for his Sunset Strip shenanigans ("dropping acid salts" was the charge) . "But", Chris explains "we're being chaperoned".  Now it's Viv's turn to be horrified when she finds out that  the other couple is Flo and Eddie, who in Viv's absence had a pedicure and before the cigarette burns on Viv's coffee table are even cold, has started calling Flo "Footsie".

Oh you just HAVE to write a Lucy book.  Ok, again, as i watched Lucy waiting for her birth certificate to get to Europe, i noticed her saying to Ricky, after the phone rings, THE PHONE HONEY, now that HAD to be an ad lib because he did not pick up the phone when it rang?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also he delivers a whole line to Fred before saying Hello. I think the phone rang early. Totally an ad lib.

Thanks, that puzzled me every single time i saw that ep.  I also love the way Lucy laughs at whatever is said that is funny, some actors on some shows don't bother to react as a normal person would when hearing something funny.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...