blitnowink Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 First off, has anyone here ever seen The Good Years (1962) with Henry Fonda? If so, how would you describe Lucille's performance, as well as the special as a whole? I believe it was screened at some event several years ago (I'm thinking it was screened at the Museum of TV and Radio in NYC, but I may be wrong). This has been one of my "holy grail" of Lucy appearances, simply because it was one of the very few of Lucile's significant specials/shows/appearances that has not ever "leaked" or surfaced in the bootleg "tape-trading" underworld. As a side-note, I haven't ever seen it for sale in the form of 16mm film, either. I'm wondering now if the reason for its lack of a "leak" is because there has never been a significant amount of interest in this special, but it's also very possible that its original elements have been very protected (and many not have not even been re-aired once). I would love to see this The Good Years released on DVD or Blu-Ray one day, but in these days of outrageous licensing costs, I suppose no one can really know how "possible" it is that this will be released on home video. Hell, after all these years, I'd be happy with an iTunes-only release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryCarter Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 I've seen "The Good Years" at the Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television & Radio). If you live near New York, they will be doing a special screening of it soon in conjunction with Lucy's centennial. The special is very unusual. It's a mix of blackout sketches, musical numbers, political cartoons, historical reanactments, and narration. Any time Lucy is off screen is slow and dull (to me, at least). A salute to the discovery of the yellow fever vaccine isn't the most interesting thing to watch. Lucy, however, is phenomenal in her musical numbers. She does one of her best jobs of singing in it. Her "Everybody's Doin' It" number is a showstopper. She really does not do very much comedy. It is kind of surprising that there is no bootleg copy floating out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 I've seen "The Good Years" at the Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television & Radio). If you live near New York, they will be doing a special screening of it soon in conjunction with Lucy's centennial. The special is very unusual. It's a mix of blackout sketches, musical numbers, political cartoons, historical reanactments, and narration. Any time Lucy is off screen is slow and dull (to me, at least). A salute to the discovery of the yellow fever vaccine isn't the most interesting thing to watch. Lucy, however, is phenomenal in her musical numbers. She does one of her best jobs of singing in it. Her "Everybody's Doin' It" number is a showstopper. She really does not do very much comedy. It is kind of surprising that there is no bootleg copy floating out there. Ok, now that sure sounds like the one PBS should be releasing in it's PLEDGE drive, LOL! Unfortunately i was twelve when it aired so i remember nothing of it at all except that Lucy looked beautiful in her old garb of period fashions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 A salute to the discovery of the yellow fever vaccine isn't the most interesting thing to watch. Come now. You KNOW it is! Don't forget about the salute to typhoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C L A U D E Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Come now. You KNOW it is! Don't forget about the salute to typhoid. I preferred the original Broadway version of that with Angela Lantzburied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted June 10, 2011 Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Come now. You KNOW it is! Don't forget about the salute to typhoid. Wasn't that number on one of the "Lucy And Carol Burnett" Here's Lucy episodes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 I'm surprised "The Good Years" was not made available to schools because it's a very comprehensive history lesson for the years 1900-1914 with a lot of historic reenactments. Airing in 1962 the years covered would have been 48 to 62 years previous and in a lot of living person's memory. I scanned the special at the TV academy for Lucy's parts so I'm not quite sure why these years were so good. I guess it was a peaceful time, between "the biggest Cuban explosion since the Battleship Maine blew up" - the Spanish-American War and the beginnings of WWI in Europe. In 2011 years that would be 1949-1963 which coincidentally might qualify for "Good Years" also, since it's post WW2 and right before Kennedy was assassinated. The 50s seemed like it must have been a pretty good time---UNLESS you were a minority.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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