What episodes are you watching on "Here's Lucy"?

[Brock]

and firemen breaking the front door window instead of knocking or just opening the door. 

 

At least it was a good set-up for the great line, "Oh, you're home!"

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Exactly the age I like my teenagers: 27.

 

Re: the "back-door" pilot theory about "Genuine Twimby" scenes between Bob Cummings and Spike/William Lanteau (whatever his character's name is).  I watched the episode and now see the double meeting of this exchange:

Bob: There's been a tremendous boner in my favor.

Spike (excitedly) A boner in your favor??!!!!

 

"Twimby" is a pretty good episode, not hilarious by any means but enjoyable, if instantly forgettable, and much gentler comedy that most HLs, especially considering the script is by the writers that rank IMO #3  of the 3 teams than penned the last 2 seasons: Fox&Jacobs.

 

Whoever came up with the LOL-like text laugh: BWAAAHHH!  must have had Bob Cummings in mind because that's exactly the sound he makes. 

Wow! I agree with *everything* you said in this post Neil!! From the 27 year-old teenager remark to the ranking of Fox & Jacobs as the "third"-ranked team of writers in HL's run.

 

Hey you might got somethin' there!

[Neil]

"Eva Gabor/Hospital Roomies"  has climbed in my favorites list.  A tight script even though not much happens.  Lucy is so CUTE giving Harry hints over the phone....and for all her qualities Lucy Carter, let's face it, is rarely CUTE.   All the comedy stems from logic, although any bed that would do what Eva's did (when Lucy had the controls) would have been subject to lawsuits no matter which buttons you pushed....and recalled from the market.

Again, it's ONE shot that makes this one a slight-notch lower than excellent which I attribute to poor and/or lazy direction.  The weirdly framed shot to the left to include the window TELEGRAPHS that Lucy is going to throw it out.  A wide,wide shot with Lucy and Eva equally off-center and the door and the window both in the shot might not have been so obvious.  Or why not have a shot of Lucy throwing it, cut to Eva following it over her head with her eyes and THEN it going out the window.

And of course when you have Mary Wickes as a nurse, you have the promise of some hilarity.  Even RG "Over the top" Brown is great.  "DO NOT inhale (the perfume). It's VERY expensive."  and him rattling off instructions to Nurse Mary with a curt "thank you..." and his flamboyant exit.  

Many amusing/sometimes hilarious lines:

Mary Jane: "Give her the burnt ones (cookies)"

Lucy:  "There's been a niece population explosion"

Nurse Mary: (after Eva's all dolled up, handing the mirror to Lucy) "Do what you can" (or something to that effect).

 

My neighbor is a cousin of RG "Bobbie" Brown but has lost contact with him.  His parents, my neighbors aunt and uncle are both gone, but he said he saw them during RG's brief heyday on television and they weren't exactly PROUD of him.  In fact they changed the subject.  RG entered show business after his stint in the MARINES, yes Marines.  RG at 82 is still alive, but his IMDB credits stop in 1978 with his role in Joan River's "Rabbit Test" movie.  Which begs the question, what's he been doing these last 37 years.  Maybe he re-enlisted?

 

If a certain author ever gets to "The Here's Lucy Playhouse", I'm going to beat him to the punch and propose the "Walter & Spike" show focusing on the fussy antics of roommates who are personal assistants to the stars with semi-regular appearances by Ginger Rogers and Eva Gabor.

[Luvsbway]

I like that you mentioned Lucy being cute. I think this is why I love the hospital episodes as she is just adorable.

[Neil]

"Harrison Carter, Male Nurse" ran on Cozi today.  It was my favorite episode up to that time (usurping "Dinah" and "Ginger") and still tied with "NG-RN".  The 5th season of HL has the best 1-2-3 punch of any season including, I dare say, The Lucy Show.  What is there about Bob and Madelyn's writing that taps into Lucy's vulnerable side when the other writers do not?  Bob O'Brien's make her obnoxious, but well-meaning (and at his best, funny).   Fox/Jacobs make her come off like a bit of a smart-ass.   In this one, she's sympathetic as the bedridden invalid, but this is really Gale Gordon's show.  Unless I'm forgetting one, this is probably his greatest overall performance.  I love the sequence when the wheel-chair goes haywire and he tosses the manual at Mary Jane telling her to find out how to stop it. .  MJ: What page is it on?  Harry (as he's whizzing by) "How do I know what page?".   Then one of them quotes the manual "It says it's very easy to stop".  Harry: "Thanks a lot!!".   Then Lucy gets distracted looking at the "cute little table" accessory as Harry careens the length of the patio. 

Another great Harry moment: on the phone trying to get a relief nurse to come over.  "Hello Mary Jane, I was wonder....yes this is the head nurse."  Mary Jane has to go with her boss to Santa Barbara.  Harry (sly laugh) Oh, I've heard about bosses who take their secretaries on trips......WELL IT WAS JUST A LITTLE JOKE, MARY JANE". 

Cut from the Cozi version was Harry reciting "Pat Boone likes milk. Vita Blue likes milk" quoting ads the milk industry was running at the time. 

 

This is during the period when I was in periodic communication with Bob&Madelyn (although in retrospect, they probably regretted answering my fist letter, because I barraged them with questions after that).  And not that they wouldn't have thought of it themselves (and maybe did independent of me) but when I found out they had to write for Lucy sitting with a broken leg, the electrical powered wheelchair running amok was MY idea that I submitted to them.  Although I had Lucy doing it, not Gale.  

[Neil]

"Home is Not an Office" another BTIR show (better than I remember)

Sue-Sue Tolsky-Tolsky is way over the top but irresistible.  I can see why she was nabbed for the failed "Kim Carter" pilot.

[Brock]

Lucy & The Franchise Fiasco   

• Another fun outing that is also a nice change of pace
• the episodes featuring Lucy, Harry and Mary Jane are, as I've said, always favourites
• One thing that has always fascinated me is when Mary Jane is confronting Lucy about losing the staff. She seems to briefly drop the "dingy" Mary Jane voice and comes back as full-on Betty Ramsay or Audrey Simmons. It works very well.
• I wish we got to see more of Harry's budding relationship with his money his BUNNY!
• One flaw that always bothers me is the discrepancy of custard flow in the long shots and close-ups when the machine goes haywire

 

Lucy & Uncle Harry's Pot

• And the nominees for Best Here's Lucy Episode Title are...
• On first glance, this almost seems like a filler episode but on second glance it is actually very good
• Lucy's scene in the pottery showroom is not executed as well as it could be, but once inside the workshop the physical comedy is masterful, hilarious and damn-near flawless
• She could milk so much out of a subtle gesture in this scene
• ... and for someone for whom this was his first and only acting role, Roger Tweedt seemed to have a good chemistry with Lucy
• The scene of Harry not yelling at Lucy after breaking the vase, and the sentimental conclusion are heartfelt and very satisfying

 

The Not So Popular Mechanics

• Decades after Our Miss Brooks, Robert Rockwell remains a drip and a lousy actor... but still, I love this episode and its mini OMB reunion
• Lucy and Mary Jane work brilliantly together here -- both in class and in destroying Harry's Rolls
• Lucy and Gale are also brilliant in their one-sided love scene near the end

 

Goodbye, Mrs Hips

• A certified classic with all four -- Lucy, Gale, Mary Jane, and Vanda -- running on all cylinders
• Considering how wonderful and hilarious Vanda was in this episode, it's a shame she wasn't used in this way much more often

 

Lucy and Harry's Memoirs

• A great way to end the season
• Personally, however, I would have been even more entertained if this was 25 minutes of just Lucy and Harry banter with them each getting progressively drunker. Screw the clips!

[Brock]

Lucy & Danny Thomas

• There is just something off about this episode
• Lucy suddenly becoming a taskmaster when she learned Danny could make some extra money is just weirdly out of character
• That being said, Lucy, Gale and Danny each have some good moments, and Hans Conried is always a welcome addition to any episode, and the Lucy portrait is one of the all-time great Lucy props, but this episode just doesn't come together at all

The Big Game

• Unsavoury guest-star aside, this is one of the funniest HL episodes, IMO
• The football player slot could have been filled by anyone, but the script is great
• This is one of the few episodes I can never get through completely without having to back-up just to laugh again at a particular moment
• Moment #1: Lucy's explanation to Harry about the missing "M" and Harry's classic: "You get on the phone and tell those mothers -- "
• Moment #2: Mary Jane becoming a football savant thanks to her crush on Howard Cossell
• Moment #3: Mary Jane's extended -- and downright hilarious -- laugh and Lucy and Harry's reaction to it
• Moment #4: Lucy's giggle fit during O.J.'s speech, anticipating the joke she typed out
• Moment #5: "Thanks, lady, but I'd rather watch the game!"

 

Lucy, The Peacemaker

• It's always a pleasure to see Lucy and Steve working together
• Eydie might have been a great singer, but a comedienne she ain't
• If Gorme dialed it down several notches, I think this would have been a more enjoyable installment
• Nice plug for the "Mame" soundtrack

 

Lucy, The Wealthy Widow

• Perhaps the most boring episode in the second half of the HL series
• Ed McMahon was rather creepy in this episode as well
• I'm already bored typing this

 

The Bow Wow Boutique

• The grooming scenes are funny and very well done
• The rest of the episode, however, makes this feel very much like a filler installment to pad out the season

 

Lucy Gives Eddie Albert the Old Song and Dance

• Love this one
• Great moments from everyone -- Lucy, Gale, Mary Jane, Vanda, Doris and Eddie
• Lucy and Eddie have a particularly warm rapport here and their musical finale is delightful
• However... what the hell is with Eddie Albert's weird pronunciation of "I'LL DO IT!!!" ? He'd been hanging around with Eva Gabor too long

[Freddie2]

If memory serves correctly, "Eddie Albert" was the first HL episode I ever saw. The unusually high number of former ILL actors in this installment led me to believe that they were regulars on the show. Boy was I disappointed!

[Neil]

 

Lucy & Danny Thomas

• There is just something off about this episode
• Lucy suddenly becoming a taskmaster when she learned Danny could make some extra money is just weirdly out of character
• That being said, Lucy, Gale and Danny each have some good moments, and Hans Conried is always a welcome addition to any episode, and the Lucy portrait is one of the all-time great Lucy props, but this episode just doesn't come together at all

The Big Game

• Unsavoury guest-star aside, this is one of the funniest HL episodes, IMO
• The football player slot could have been filled by anyone, but the script is great
• This is one of the few episodes I can never get through completely without having to back-up just to laugh again at a particular moment
• Moment #1: Lucy's explanation to Harry about the missing "M" and Harry's classic: "You get on the phone and tell those mothers -- "
• Moment #2: Mary Jane becoming a football savant thanks to her crush on Howard Cossell
• Moment #3: Mary Jane's extended -- and downright hilarious -- laugh and Lucy and Harry's reaction to it
• Moment #4: Lucy's giggle fit during O.J.'s speech, anticipating the joke she typed out
• Moment #5: "Thanks, lady, but I'd rather watch the game!"

 

Lucy, The Peacemaker

• It's always a pleasure to see Lucy and Steve working together
• Eydie might have been a great singer, but a comedienne she ain't
• If Gorme dialed it down several notches, I think this would have been a more enjoyable installment
• Nice plug for the "Mame" soundtrack

 

Lucy, The Wealthy Widow

• Perhaps the most boring episode in the second half of the HL series
• Ed McMahon was rather creepy in this episode as well
• I'm already bored typing this

 

The Bow Wow Boutique

• The grooming scenes are funny and very well done
• The rest of the episode, however, makes this feel very much like a filler installment to pad out the season

 

Lucy Gives Eddie Albert the Old Song and Dance

• Love this one
• Great moments from everyone -- Lucy, Gale, Mary Jane, Vanda, Doris and Eddie
• Lucy and Eddie have a particularly warm rapport here and their musical finale is delightful
• However... what the hell is with Eddie Albert's weird pronunciation of "I'LL DO IT!!!" ? He'd been hanging around with Eva Gabor too long

 

"Danny" is the weakest of  the openers of all 6 seasons.  Don't know why they picked it.  No real laughs as I recall.  Hans had aged terrible.  To think he was only 56 when this one was filmed.  Looks 15 years older. He's fine in this one but is given no real comedy. If Hans was available and would work for LBP's post-Burtons prices, I wish they had cast him periodically in supporting parts that actually tapped his skills.   He was so wonderful in "L Plays Cleopatra".

I saw "Cops and Robbers" live.  Someone wrote that it was supposed to be the season premiere, but seems like I saw it filmed in Sept., but just don't remember anymore.  The 6th season was quite a disappointment for quite a while.  It certainly made up for the weak episodes during the last half.  I've wanted to see week by week ratings to see how "Here's Lucy" could have been pulled down to #29 for the season when several episodes made the top 10 or 15.  "Peacemaker" was #6 for the week (if memory serves) and "Fights the System" was #12.  Harry?  Confirm or dispute?

Quite obvious that Eydie was NOT an actress.  If she could act, with that voice she could have done "Mame" on stage. Her "If He Walked...." was spine tingling.   Or toured in "Funny Girl".

[HarryCarter]

I believe Lucy Fights the System came in seventh for the week. It makes me very happy that Lucy went off in the top ten.

 

Eydie was offered Funny Girl prior to Streisand and turned it down. She supposedly wanted Steve to play Nicky Arnstein and the creative team balked. Eydie was also offered Bye Bye Birdie and Flora the Red Menace and turned them down too. Her sole Broadway credit was opposite Steve in Golden Rainbow.

[Luna_Lovegood]

I watched Harrison Carter, Male Nurse! I loved it!I give it an A.

[Brock]

Lucy's Tenant !!!

• Probably in my list of Top 5 episodes
• It is wonderfully written and hilarious from start to finish
• And everyone is a riot
• So many quotable lines
• Can't say enough about this one

 

Lucy & Andy Griffith

• This is a weird one because I don't particularly like it, but I have a hard time disliking it either
• A very strange change of pace here and it is not bad, but it doesn't fit into HL whatsoever
• Lucy and Andy should have had much more to work with
• And, even by the standards of the day, I am surprised the spank didn't create more of a ripple
• Andy, however, seems to be enjoying himself

Lucy & Joan Rivers Do Jury Duty

• A wonderful, if predictable entry
• Lucy and Joan work very well together
• Alice Backes seems to have settled into the HL atmosphere compared to her Matchmaker appearance
• Burt Mustin is always a welcome addition
• It's too bad this episode wasn't earlier in the HL run. I'd have loved a follow up episode with Joan Brenner in a similar concept to when Mary Richards was visited by her jail mate

Tipsy Through the Tulips

• I think I would find this episode more enjoyable if it wasn't simply a vehicle for Foster Brooks to do his tired old drunk shtick
• He and Lucy had good chemistry and they appeared to enjoy working together here, but it would have been more interesting if Brooks was doing something other than his drunk act

 

The Carters Meet Frankie Avalon

• I think I'm in the minority enjoying this one
• I find Lucy's floor-to-stage meddling quite funny in this entry, certainly seeming fresher and more motivated here than in previous outings, and the same goes for the dressing room scene
• Lucie and Frankie work very well together in their two numbers and their Sonny and Cher are particular standouts

Harry Catches Gold Fever

• Meh
• Bonus points for J. Pat O'Malley, who is always a welcome presence
• Fake Wildlife kept to a minimum

Lucy and Chuck Connors have a Surprise Slumber Party

• This is a particularly underrated classic, in my book
• It is very well written and the physical comedy set pieces are hilarious and well-executed
• Connors is a very game guest star and seems particularly at home in the Lucyverse
• I found Chuck Connors asleep in my bed! / And you're complaining?!

[Freddie2]

I get the impression that if you were a child of the 70s, you love Foster Brooks. If not, you just don't get it.

[Brock]

I get the impression that if you were a child of the 70s, you love Foster Brooks. If not, you just don't get it.

 

As a child of the 80s and 90s, I got Foster Brooks, particularly when I was a tween and saw him on Lucy's Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. But, the more I saw of his work, the quicker I realised...what I saw on that roast, was the entirety of what he seemed to offer. lol

[Neil]

Lucy Gives Eddie Albert the Old Song and Dance

• Love this one
• Great moments from everyone -- Lucy, Gale, Mary Jane, Vanda, Doris and Eddie
• Lucy and Eddie have a particularly warm rapport here and their musical finale is delightful
• However... what the hell is with Eddie Albert's weird pronunciation of "I'LL DO IT!!!" ? He'd been hanging around with Eva Gabor too long

Lucy's performance in Eddie's house is marvelous and subdued.  Eddie however seems to be shouting his lines.  Both he and the usually wonderful Doris are a little too mannered.  Not to say they're not enjoyable. I guess Here's Lucy guest stars felt that if Lucy gets cue cards, they should get them too. Eddie is one that is too obvious when glancing at them.  They should be glanced at before you say your line...not DURING.   Gale and Lucie never use them.  It's hard to tell with Mary Jane because her wide-eyes are all over the place.  She just got daffier as the series progressed. 

What's wonderful about the finale is how nice Lucy's singing sounds.  She also sounds pretty good in her chorus of "Long, Long Trail" too.  And this episode was produced AFTER Mame had completed shooting, so go figure....

If it wasn't for this episode and the singalong in "TV Antenna", I wouldn't know the "Long Long Trail" song.  Glad that the orchestra didn't join in when the office people are singing "Trail".  Sometimes that spoils if for me.   

About the Girl Friday Follies, I would have liked to have seen "Crime and Punishment"'s act!! And too bad Doris wasn't part of the Follies show.

The choreographer (can't remember his name right now) had a few steps that Lucy could do well and used them over and over.  This choreography looks very similar to the "I Want to Be Happy" dance she does with Dan Dailey.  It all looks good....except for that skipping step.

[Neil]

My first Foster Brooks sighting.  He hadn't quite hit.  I attended the taping of Bill Cosby's Variety Show (Mondays at 10 for one season).  Foster was a regular playing a drunk (what else?) CBS executive.  Variety shows other than Carol Burnett (godbless'er) rehearsed a segment or two, had an audience in that evening to watch that segment and did this for 3 or 4 days in a row.  Foster was not on-camera but was wandering around the camera crew as they were setting up.    He was so convincing that I actually thought he WAS a drunk.  Amazing that his career took off at age 61.  For the next few years he was all over the place. Yes, he only did that ONE thing, but he did it better than anyone before or since.  I suspect he was capable of much more, his non-drunk acting on Here's Lucy and that powerful voice could have made a career.  It's a good thing he grabbed the limelight then because in a few years with the knowledge that alcoholism was no laughing matter, it would have ended his career.

Side note about this Bill Cosby Show.  Director/Producer George Schlatter was setting up a gag and nervously pretending it was all funny and fun (it wasn't), but Cosby was clearly NOT happy and being a bit of an a-hole about it.  Seeing this side of a comedian was a real eye-opener.  Because of this, I wasn't a fan after that.  Never saw the 80s Cosby Show.  The opening credit sequence was more than enough cuteness for me. And the recent revelations are not surprising. 

Sonny & Cher also used this method.  The one S&C taping I attended was just their opening and closing segments with their married couple bickering.  We were made to cheer for how good the guest stars were when we hadn't seen them.  Sonny, Cher and Chastity: If you had told me then that one of them would win an Oscar, one would serve in Congress and one would have a sex change, I'm not sure I would have gotten it right the first two guesses. 

As a child of the 80s and 90s, I got Foster Brooks, particularly when I was a tween and saw him on Lucy's Dean Martin Celebrity Roast. But, the more I saw of his work, the quicker I realised...what I saw on that roast, was the entirety of what he seemed to offer. lol

[Neil]

"My Fair Buzzi"  I wonder if Ruth Buzzi and Sue Tolsky ever made a sitcom pilot together.  Their styles are so similar.   If Lucy Carmichael was around, she could have sued the authors of the revue by Kim's theater group because the sketch is pretty similar to "Speakeasy Days".   Lucie's musical talents are impressive and her wiggling-butt step is certainly an accomplishment, but was it wise?  I say no. 

[JoeySanJoaquin]

 

Sonny & Cher also used this method.  The one S&C taping I attended was just their opening and closing segments with their married couple bickering.  We were made to cheer for how good the guest stars were when we hadn't seen them.  Sonny, Cher and Chastity: If you had told me then that one of them would win an Oscar, one would serve in Congress and one would have a sex change, I'm not sure I would have gotten it right the first two guesses. 

Wow, you've certainly seen a variety (ahem) of tapings you lucky dog! This doesn't surprise me as -- especially compared to TCBS just across the hall @ Studio 33, I always figured most of S&C's sketches and comedy bits -- at least the longer and/or more elaborate ones -- were taped separately from "show night" and laid in with laugh track later -- or at least it sure sounded like it -- unlike the obviously live, spontaneous laughs earned by Burnett and Company on her show.

 

In doing press/talk show appearances for the newest Time Life DVD "Lost Episodes" releases of her classic variety show, Carol told one host -- I think it was on Rachael Ray -- that they were so "gun ho" in doing the show taping as quickly as possible so that the studio audience wouldn't get bored -- that she had a running bet with the crew/stagehands about who could get ready quicker for the next setup, her or them! And she usually won!

[Harrison]

"The Big Game"

"Lucy, the Peacemaker"

[Neil]

"Harry Catches Gold Fever"---you've got to give "The Carters Go Outdoors" points for having great before-a-live-audience sets.  The stream is particularly authentic.  That said, must they ALWAYS have a bear encounter?  Harry and Lucy standing in a stream: just how long before Harry gets wet?  Although I do like his response "This is no time to play 'pushy in the pool'" (whatever that is), the episode's one funny line.  I wonder if Fox and Jacobs had any idea that the Carters already had gold fever in season 1 and that a "fool's gold" joke had already been done, neither of which contained any wit.   I'm not a Fox/Jacobs fan in general but I was a Fox/Elinson fan, and when I see a script by F/J I would say "Where IS IZ?. 

But this script is incredibly lousy even by their standards with lines like:

Harry: A polliwog just jumped out of my pan.

Lucy: Don't let him get away. Maybe he's got a gold filling in his tooth.

This kind of dialogue and physical bits the script requires  (throwing her pan of water and pebbles directly at Harry) put a tremendous burden on its star. And though she does the best she can given this handicap, it's makes "Lucy" look bad.

I think HL and MTM should have exchanged writers just to see how Mary and Ed would have executed "Mr. Grant Gets Gold Fever" .

[Brock]

Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers

• This episode is always enjoyable to watch with so many of our favourites in one episode
• The writing here is great, and Gino Conforti is a welcome addition here (as he is in most things!)
• For some reason, however, on this viewing I didn't enjoy it quite as much. It used to be a firm favourite of mine...

 

Lucy is a Bird Sitter

• Whoever said this would be a good use of the talents of anybody involved in the creation of this episode should have taken a wee walk.

Meanwhile, Back at the Office

• An interesting idea this late in the game, as my mind always registers this as a Season 4 episode
• A few genuine laughs to go around, particularly in the first half
• But this is another one of those episodes where it seems they took a few gags rejected from other scripts and strung them along with a new plot
• Ultimately forgettable

Lucy is N.G. as an R.N. !!!!!

• The ultimate gold standard HL episode
• What more needs to be said?
• The only way it could have been better is if Vanda was somehow worked into the plot

Lucy, The Sheriff

• Mary Wickes!
• That is all.

Milton Berle is the Life of the Party

• Definitely in the top two of the Ball Berle pairings
• A hilarious episode, with most of the laughs coming from Gale and Mary Jane here
• But... everyone is on fine form!

Mary Jane's Boyfriend

• A classic from all perspectives
• Mary Jane is phenomenal and Lucy is a riot
• It's a shame there wasn't a Mary Jane-centric episode much earlier in the run, it could have paved the way for so much further greatness

[Brock]

Lucy and Phil Harris Strike Up The Band

• Once again, Phil Harris comes along in the final weeks of a Lucy series to drive a nail into the coffin
• I kid, I kid, I enjoy both of Phil's episodes and Lucy and he play so well off each other
• It is also great to see much more of the unsung musicians that added so much to HL

Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball

• Double the Lucy, Double The Fun, with a splash of Doris Singleton and Carole Cook for good measure? What more could you possibly want?
• Brilliant episode
• Always fascinated by how Lucille Ball plays "Lucille Ball" whenever she has the opportunity to do so
• Does anyone else find themselves dissecting the pictures on the wall and clothes seen within Lucille Ball's closet on this outing?

 

Where is my Wandering Mother Tonight?

• Another well-written, hilarious episode with wonderful performances from Lucy, Gale and Lucie
• I love Lucy's interacting with Jack Donohue who makes the most of his appearance here. Was this only his third on-screen appearance after Conducts the Symphony and Goes Hawaiian Pt. 1?

 

Lucy Fights the System

• In theory, it might have been more fan friendly to reverse the airing order of the last two episodes, but Gale's last line is too fitting to quibble
• Although Lucy doesn't have much to do, it is nice the series ends with a great showcase for Lucie

 

 

... and that's all. Now, onto watch every episode of TLS in order without skipping the duds. Pray for me by Season Four.

[Neil]

Think how much funnier "Cops and Robbers" would have been with the duo from Dragnet as the cops....or even the Adam-12 guys, one of which was the original casting ideas.

 

I hadn't seen "Bird Sitter" in a while and while no classic, it's BTIR.  BIG drawback, the insufferable and unfunny Arte Johnson. The best thing I can say about his performance is that at least his accent isn't Viennese!  I love the bit at the beginning where Lucy is lounging around the office because the guard warns her when Harry's approaching. Lucy "wee-walk" walk in classic Lucy.  But Arte ruins this episode.  My loyalty to Here's Lucy kept me from watching any more than the first half-hour of Laugh In, so I'm not aware of how good Arte was on the show.  Apparently Lucy forgave him for his snide end-of-show "Goodnight Lucy". Well of course "Lucy" got the last laugh, outrating LI in its 3rd year and outlasting the show by a season.  Has there ever been a show in TV history that was #1 for 2 seasons in a row and fizzled out this quickly, canceled at the end of a 5 1/2 year run?

Originally this episode was conceived as the return of William Holden inspired by his conservationist views.  I don't know that BillHoldenBillHoldenBillHolden guest starring ever got past the idea phase because it's hard to imagine him doing the Arte schtick as written here: specifically the long impersonation of  the wee-walk.  One thing: he wouldn't have been any less funny than Arte doing it.

 

Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers

• This episode is always enjoyable to watch with so many of our favourites in one episode
• The writing here is great, and Gino Conforti is a welcome addition here (as he is in most things!)
• For some reason, however, on this viewing I didn't enjoy it quite as much. It used to be a firm favourite of mine...

 

Lucy is a Bird Sitter

• Whoever said this would be a good use of the talents of anybody involved in the creation of this episode should have taken a wee walk.

[Neil]

"Chuck Connors slumber party" gives us plenty of old-time Lucy laughs.  Chuck brings little to the proceedings himself; comedy not being his forte. I don't know where they were or what prompted him but I guess at one point recently in relation to this episode, Chuck Conners picked up Soviet's Secretary Breshnev----and picked up as in lifted; doubtful there was any bromance there.  Other than that, I don't think Chuck rated on the celebrity A or B list in 1974.  And I guess he had forgiven Lucy and "The Lucy Show" for the cancellation of "The Rifleman" in its 6th season slotted against "The Lucy Show" in its first very successful season.  "Rifleman" did not see a 7th.   This one was originally conceived for John Wayne, which would have been hysterical--and John would have joined Tennessee Ernie as the only guest to appear in all three shows (if you don't count the comedy hours).  Fact checking in my head: am I right about that?