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Colorized "I Love Lucy" DVD set for Nov. 5, CBS Special airs Dec. 20


Brock

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When Desss seee was asked about filming I Love Lucy in color he said..Shes just as funny in black and white....go ahead color it for the current masses.... I will.watch it reguardless...

If ILL had played on NBC, it probably WOULD have been filmed in C O L O R as NBC pioneered the process that brought color to television.

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My 2 centavos:

 

Of all the series that spanned the 60s transformation from b/w to color, the best episodes were the b/w ones (Andy Griffith, Bewitched, beverly Hillbillies) but I can't tell if this had as much to do with color vs b/w or the fact that by the time they switched to color they were slightly past their prime and in the cases of those three series, they lost Don Knotts, Alice Pearce and Bea Benedaret.

I leave The Lucy Show out of this, because, while I love the 1st season, I am partial to season 2 in all its blue eye-shadowed glory.

I'm fine with b/w ILL but am interested in seeing colorization. It's come quite a ways since the early days, when it looked like one of those ads in the back pages of comic books that said "turn your black and white TV to COLOR" for 50 cents---which I assume was some color gel you put over your screen.

My ILL DVDs are as clear as I need them to be, so unless there are irresistible bonus features I don't need blu-ray, But when it comes to Lucy I lack "Sales Resistance". You should see how many versions of the PD Lucy Shows I have INCLUDING "the Lucy Show" lunchbox! If some of the ILL episodes on the DVD releases were not as clear as others (and I hadn't noticed), it's because of the film print they were working from; and I don't think blu-ray can help that.

But Inspector Watson is always scouting better prints. I don't think people are aware of the lengths Tom has gone to to bring us what we have. I'll pause here so everyone can sing...because he IS a jolly good fellow. (though "jolly" might be a bit of a stretch)

 

I'm fascinated by "Let's Talk to Lucy" because it shows the real Lucille Ball. She's genuinely interested in her guests and tailors her interview to the guest's accomplishments and their interests outside show business. And unlike a lot of spotlight hogging celebrities, she never brings herself and her monumental achievements into the discussion. You'd never know they were being interviewed by the most popular comedienne of all time still at her peak, and the most powerful women in Hollywood at the time.

Another great post Neil dear. I so agree, especially about the FACT that the three shows you mention were better in black and white than in color because by the time they realized they would sell better in syndication if they were filmed in C O L O R, they were past their prime and jumped the shark to use a term usually applied to descriptions of tired old shows. I could not care less about blu ray because like you I also find my copies of the series flawless NOW so I dun`t need the blu ray treatment BUT, I will keep buying the shows in any new format it is delivered to us fans. I thank Tom and whoever else was involved in bringing to us the perfect copies of all her shows that we now have. Now HE is in it for the continuation of her legacy, NOT for his own financial gain. And I agree about everything you say about Let`s Talk to Lucy. BUT, having never been a fan of Lucy on radio, like My Favorite Husband as I find Lucy for me, works only VISUALLY, therefore I don`t care about hearing any of those BUT, after hearing the great talk show she had and her brilliant way of interviewing, I now want every show she ever did in my collection too!

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I think the issue with the Bewitched and Jeannie sets were that color was released separately from B&W. It wasn't long before B&W vanished from shelves all together. I just fear the same would happen to Lucy.

Okay, I don't know why you are so opposed to color. It is really not fair that you are comparing colorizing ILL to Bewitched. Bewitched was only filmed in B&W for 2 seasons, so I think it was bound for them to colorize the first two to match the rest of the series. And it has not vanished in Black and white AT ALL, you are acting like they dont sell it anymore... it is up to the buyer to chose what they prefer. And in regards to your quote above... c'mon... comedy isn't as funny in color? So all the comedies in the last 50 years or so in color have been awful? I think you need to realize... ILL will not disappear in B&W if they colorize it- if you want to watch it in B&W, go ahead, if you want color... you can have that too!

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I'm fascinated by "Let's Talk to Lucy" because it shows the real Lucille Ball. She's genuinely interested in her guests and tailors her interview to the guest's accomplishments and their interests outside show business. And unlike a lot of spotlight hogging celebrities, she never brings herself and her monumental achievements into the discussion. You'd never know they were being interviewed by the most popular comedienne of all time still at her peak, and the most powerful women in Hollywood at the time.

SORRY, BUT THIS ONE WAS BRILLIANT AND BEARS REPEATING!
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Having paid big bucks for the complete ILL boxed set in B&W, I would not buy a blu-ray version unless it was in color (however tempting the bonus features might be! :) ). I personally would love to see (& would buy) the series in color if it was done well, even though the actual colors would not be completely accurate. I've been watching It's a Wonderful Life in B&W for years & years & when it came out in color recently I was amazed at how much detail I noticed that I had never seen before. Watching ILL in color, to me, would just be enjoying Lucy & the gang in a whole new fun & entertaining level.

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I'm with you on that stupid "For kids of all ages" tag which makes ILL sound like some simple-minded program, rather like that long ago notorious remark from some tv executive back in the late 70s something like programming for people under 6 and over 60 is the same thing. Though it is fair to say a portion of the "audience" isn't smart, I wonder if some clowns will be returning these sets thinking they bought color cartoons.

 

I'm not opposed to colorizing as long as the original B&W episodes are available - prefably in the same set. I don't see ILL leaving tv though because it's not available in color, surely as long as there are a few channels who will show B&W movies (and there are tens of thousands of such films still available) the classic B&W tv shows are safe. Perhaps someday we'll be getting a true classic tv equivalent to Turner Classic Movies and of course Lucy would certainly be welcomed there.

Good point about black and white films, but are they RERUN all over the world and entertaining generation after generation like anything Lucy did.

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In 1982 the general public certainly wouldn't have watched a 1919 film - or even a 1959 one - in prime time. Prejudice against "old antiques" have always existed, even in the silent era toward earlier silent films!

 

I don't think "color" is going to win Lucy that many new fans for the simple reason that no matter how you dress it up or renovate it, it's still a program from another era and there will always be a large segment of the general public that is not going to give a hoot for something from their parents' or grandparents' era. And for the audience that is there for it "nostalgia" is a key ingredient, CBS knows what it is doing putting the Lucy special on in the sentimental Christmas season rather than November sweeps.

 

"People can only tolerate B&W for so long"? Didn't a B&W silent movie win the Best Picture not that long ago? You are correct that there are a fairly larger number of idiots out there who immediately change the channel when surfing and hitting a B&W program but I'm not in favor of dumbing down a piece of art so the masses will get it. Of course I'm not a entertainment corporation executive either, though.

Yes, a product from another era, but one that has lasted longer than any other product from said period. I don`t even remember the name of that black and white film that won the Oscar for best picture just a short while ago, I never watched it because it was in black and white with no dialogue, gimmicky and French. I think Harvey Weinstein pulled a fast one on the American public yet again and bought himself another Oscar through his unbelievable manoeuvering of the Hollywood crowd. I have no interest at all in seeing the movie either, same as those kids don`t want to watch a tv series in black and white. The problem with Lucy though is that she was TV`s Chaplin as some said upon her death. And who, among young people today even know HIS brilliant work.

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Okay, I don't know why you are so opposed to color. It is really not fair that you are comparing colorizing ILL to Bewitched. Bewitched was only filmed in B&W for 2 seasons, so I think it was bound for them to colorize the first two to match the rest of the series. And it has not vanished in Black and white AT ALL, you are acting like they dont sell it anymore... it is up to the buyer to chose what they prefer. And in regards to your quote above... c'mon... comedy isn't as funny in color? So all the comedies in the last 50 years or so in color have been awful? I think you need to realize... ILL will not disappear in B&W if they colorize it- if you want to watch it in B&W, go ahead, if you want color... you can have that too!

Thank you !

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Having paid big bucks for the complete ILL boxed set in B&W, I would not buy a blu-ray version unless it was in color (however tempting the bonus features might be! :) ). I personally would love to see (& would buy) the series in color if it was done well, even though the actual colors would not be completely accurate. I've been watching It's a Wonderful Life in B&W for years & years & when it came out in color recently I was amazed at how much detail I noticed that I had never seen before. Watching ILL in color, to me, would just be enjoying Lucy & the gang in a whole new fun & entertaining level.

A rerun . . . T H A N K Y O U !

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Yes, a product from another era, but one that has lasted longer than any other product from said period. I don`t even remember the name of that black and white film that won the Oscar for best picture just a short while ago, I never watched it because it was in black and white with no dialogue, gimmicky and French. I think Harvey Weinstein pulled a fast one on the American public yet again and bought himself another Oscar through his unbelievable manoeuvering of the Hollywood crowd. I have no interest at all in seeing the movie either, same as those kids don`t want to watch a tv series in black and white. The problem with Lucy though is that she was TV`s Chaplin as some said upon her death. And who, among young people today even know HIS brilliant work.

 

Don't knock The Artist until you've tried it. It's a wonderful movie and even my mother, who loathes silent films, thought it was terrific.

 

Besides, if it is a silent film, it could be in Swahili for all you know. ;)

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Don't knock The Artist until you've tried it. It's a wonderful movie and even my mother, who loathes silent films, thought it was terrific.

 

Besides, if it is a silent film, it could be in Swahili for all you know. ;)

PUHLEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE, that actor was from France and his looks just scream pompous ass FRENCH and I tried it but gave up after half an hour.

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And generally true, except you could tell she ran out of things to discuss with Julie Newmar halfway through the first episode of her multiple episode LTTL arc. lol

Ever think that Julie was just a lousy interview, I mean she looks like the real life incarnation of a cupie doll and has done what that was memorable in any way. I mean, I liked her and watched her but Batman is all I remember her doing.

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Thank God we have a breakthrough in the great colour debate. lol

Got me again, S T I N K E R ! We were talking about her shows being colorized, I never liked photographs being colorized' LOL! HEY, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FRIDAYS BEING MUCH QUIETER ON THIS LOUNGE. I`m getting a cramp just trying to keep up here.

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Okay, I don't know why you are so opposed to color. It is really not fair that you are comparing colorizing ILL to Bewitched. Bewitched was only filmed in B&W for 2 seasons, so I think it was bound for them to colorize the first two to match the rest of the series. And it has not vanished in Black and white AT ALL, you are acting like they dont sell it anymore... it is up to the buyer to chose what they prefer. And in regards to your quote above... c'mon... comedy isn't as funny in color? So all the comedies in the last 50 years or so in color have been awful? I think you need to realize... ILL will not disappear in B&W if they colorize it- if you want to watch it in B&W, go ahead, if you want color... you can have that too!

 

Go on to Netflix and get either the first two seasons of Bewitched or the first season of Jeannie...color only. View streaming copies online...color only. Go to any mass retailer. Chances are, they'll only have color in stock. The B&W versions disappeared off shelves not long after release. Yes, you can still order them in B&W from online retailers, but they sure don't make an effort to make the B&W sets more readily available now, DO THEY? Oh, and the complete series sets only use the colorized versions as well. Where's the choice in that?

 

America was lucky to get an alternate B&W release at all; overseas only saw colorized issues. So yes, ILL will eventually disappear in B&W if they colorize the whole thing. The writing is clearly on the wall. That's what worries me the most.

 

And yes, I realize the majority of those two series were shot in color. But did CBS rush out and colorize The Lucy Show's first season? Did they colorize the Andy Griffith Show's early years? No...and those sets sold well enough to warrant the release of the remainder of the series. I just wish people would continue to appreciate things as they were made and stop insisting that everything be altered to fit today's standards. I have the exact same issue with converting classic 2D films into 3D. They've done that with The Wizard of Oz, it's getting a rerelease later this year. Perhaps a nifty little promotional thing, but truly not necessary.

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To that, I reply, B U L L S H I T ! Was Lucy not funny in Yours mine and ours, in color, red hair, red lipstick, blue eyes, flashy clothes, all in brilliant color. She was just as funny as she had been in ILL in black and white. Did comedy movies that came later lose their comedic punch as opposed to the black and white ones of another era? Utter nonsense!

 

That's not strictly my opinion, it's the author's. I just happen to agree with the sentiment behind it. It's an interesting thesis to say the least. Do I need your permission to agree with it? ;)

 

I'm certainly not trying to suggest her color endeavors weren't funny. That's not the point, because many of them were. But is "Yours, Mine and Ours" as universally acclaimed and loved as "I Love Lucy"? No. Is ANYTHING Lucy did apart from "I Love Lucy" as renowned or lauded as that show? No. They have their fans, yes, but "I Love Lucy" is the reason Lucille Ball is who she is, and it is 99% of why she is such a legend. And was "I Love Lucy" one of her color projects????? NOPE! :D

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Go on to Netflix and get either the first two seasons of Bewitched or the first season of Jeannie...color only. View streaming copies online...color only. Go to any mass retailer. Chances are, they'll only have color in stock. The B&W versions disappeared off shelves not long after release. Yes, you can still order them in B&W from online retailers, but they sure don't make an effort to make the B&W sets more readily available now, DO THEY? Oh, and the complete series sets only use the colorized versions as well. Where's the choice in that?

 

America was lucky to get an alternate B&W release at all; overseas only saw colorized issues. So yes, ILL will eventually disappear in B&W if they colorize the whole thing. The writing is clearly on the wall. That's what worries me the most.

 

And yes, I realize the majority of those two series were shot in color. But did CBS rush out and colorize The Lucy Show's first season? Did they colorize the Andy Griffith Show's early years? No...and those sets sold well enough to warrant the release of the remainder of the series. I just wish people would continue to appreciate things as they were made and stop insisting that everything be altered to fit today's standards. I have the exact same issue with converting classic 2D films into 3D. They've done that with The Wizard of Oz, it's getting a rerelease later this year. Perhaps a nifty little promotional thing, but truly not necessary.

First of all, you are still acting as if B&W is not avaliable... and once again, it is! It is only scarce in stores because the people have chosen what they wanted. AND The majority of people nowadays buy online, so this whole "on the shelves" nonsense is ... well ... nonsense. The B&W sets are completely available... go to amazon... target online.... walmart online... and WHAT? They have it in black and white! And I'm sure the reason they put in color in the box set is because they want it to match as they said before. And I can't tell you why they didn't colorize the Andy Griffith Show or The Lucy Show. . . I'm sure it all depends on there sales revenue and what would be worth the money to colorize... and Bewitched was apparently worth it. HOWEVER... I do agree with the 3D things, they are unnecessary and add no viewing pleasure unlike color.

 

 

That's not strictly my opinion, it's the author's. I just happen to agree with the sentiment behind it. It's an interesting thesis to say the least. Do I need your permission to agree with it? ;)

 

I'm certainly not trying to suggest her color endeavors weren't funny. That's not the point, because many of them were. But is "Yours, Mine and Ours" as universally acclaimed and loved as "I Love Lucy"? No. Is ANYTHING Lucy did apart from "I Love Lucy" as renowned or lauded as that show? No. They have their fans, yes, but "I Love Lucy" is the reason Lucille Ball is who she is, and it is 99% of why she is such a legend. And was "I Love Lucy" one of her color projects????? NOPE! :D

Who cares if it wasn't one of her color projects? IT'S AMAZING, whether in B&W or color! And if it takes colorization for it to keep the show afloat for generations to come... we need to do it! Fact is, most kids don't want to watch B&W, as Henry said, they are grown up with amazing technology and B&W just looks old to them. I really don't care what the author says... Lucy is and will be funny in B&W or color! 'nuff said.

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"The comediens to whom Lucy has been compared, those who achieved iconic status worldwide...all capered before the Technicolor era...The clowns who came to prominence after 1960, when color became the norm rather than the exception, have by and large been supernovas, glowing brilliantly - and then vanishing in the void. There is something incomptatable about humor and color; the palette calls attention to itself, instead of to the jokes...Lucy stays eternally comic because of the vital, frenzied, irreproducible years when the Ball of Fire got it all down in black and white." - Stefan Kanfer, Ball of Fire

 

I understand the quote, but why is it when we question coloring the show, its some kind of questioning of Lucys comedy or the show itself? :)

This isn't a question about whats funny, or what makes the show last. BW doesn't make the show better or worse as far as

content goes. Its genius- But the show faces a problem: Lucy lasts forever, but Black and White doesn't. (name one show on TV shot in BW for the entire 2013 season lol),

 

No one is coloring the show in hopes that it would make it funnier- thats ridiculous-Coloring is only a way of enhancing the show, keeping it new and fresh, and thriving. Lucy, in her Byline interview in 1950 said she wished THEN that TV was done in color. Desi, during ILL, thought about it and eventually Desilu went into it , I dont see what the big scare is. Hey, look at it this way, if we start now, over time, who knows how beautiful it would look colored.

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In 1982 the general public certainly wouldn't have watched a 1919 film - or even a 1959 one - in prime time. Prejudice against "old antiques" have always existed, even in the silent era toward earlier silent films!

 

I don't think "color" is going to win Lucy that many new fans for the simple reason that no matter how you dress it up or renovate it, it's still a program from another era and there will always be a large segment of the general public that is not going to give a hoot for something from their parents' or grandparents' era. And for the audience that is there for it "nostalgia" is a key ingredient, CBS knows what it is doing putting the Lucy special on in the sentimental Christmas season rather than November sweeps.

 

"People can only tolerate B&W for so long"? Didn't a B&W silent movie win the Best Picture not that long ago? You are correct that there are a fairly larger number of idiots out there who immediately change the channel when surfing and hitting a B&W program but I'm not in favor of dumbing down a piece of art so the masses will get it. Of course I'm not a entertainment corporation executive either, though.

 

How is coloring the show dumbing it down? :)

IMO Coloring isn't an attempt to win masses, I think its a form of keeping its place at number one for the NEXT 60 years. If we think AHEAD on what it COULD be, and not settle for what it has been over the past 60 years, then we could maybe see that color could be an enjoyable venture.

 

I think the era is still enjoyable and entertaining to younger people. Good is good, and a lot of the shows fashion and furniture STILL looks good lol (ok, im ambling )back to the point lol

 

Ill say it yet again-though some were able to sit through two hours of it-Some People can only tolerate BW for so long now days. lolol Im kidding. When I made that statement earlier I didn't mean it in terms of the literal sense of time lol I meant: what with the constant changes of quality on ALL our viewing devices, TVs, our phones, our tablets, and even our magazines, BW shows will not be in the "most favorable to watch category" for long. All in all Im grateful Lucy was shot as awesome as it was.

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Go on to Netflix and get either the first two seasons of Bewitched or the first season of Jeannie...color only. View streaming copies online...color only. Go to any mass retailer. Chances are, they'll only have color in stock. The B&W versions disappeared off shelves not long after release. Yes, you can still order them in B&W from online retailers, but they sure don't make an effort to make the B&W sets more readily available now, DO THEY? Oh, and the complete series sets only use the colorized versions as well. Where's the choice in that?

 

America was lucky to get an alternate B&W release at all; overseas only saw colorized issues. So yes, ILL will eventually disappear in B&W if they colorize the whole thing. The writing is clearly on the wall. That's what worries me the most.

 

And yes, I realize the majority of those two series were shot in color. But did CBS rush out and colorize The Lucy Show's first season? Did they colorize the Andy Griffith Show's early years? No...and those sets sold well enough to warrant the release of the remainder of the series. I just wish people would continue to appreciate things as they were made and stop insisting that everything be altered to fit today's standards. I have the exact same issue with converting classic 2D films into 3D. They've done that with The Wizard of Oz, it's getting a rerelease later this year. Perhaps a nifty little promotional thing, but truly not necessary.

Brilliant! You never cease to amaze, kid! So articulate, bright and thoughtful!! THANK YOU!!! :D
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First of all, you are still acting as if B&W is not avaliable... and once again, it is! It is only scarce in stores because the people have chosen what they wanted. AND The majority of people nowadays buy online, so this whole "on the shelves" nonsense is ... well ... nonsense. The B&W sets are completely available... go to amazon... target online.... walmart online... and WHAT? They have it in black and white! And I'm sure the reason they put in color in the box set is because they want it to match as they said before. And I can't tell you why they didn't colorize the Andy Griffith Show or The Lucy Show. . . I'm sure it all depends on there sales revenue and what would be worth the money to colorize... and Bewitched was apparently worth it. HOWEVER... I do agree with the 3D things, they are unnecessary and add no viewing pleasure unlike color.

 

 

 

Who cares if it wasn't one of her color projects? IT'S AMAZING, whether in B&W or color! And if it takes colorization for it to keep the show afloat for generations to come... we need to do it! Fact is, most kids don't want to watch B&W, as Henry said, they are grown up with amazing technology and B&W just looks old to them. I really don't care what the author says... Lucy is and will be funny in B&W or color! 'nuff said.

Thank you, you told him what I was going to say and saved me some typing. Lotus, feel what you want, think what you want, I want the shows COLORIZED to keep them going for future generations, AND, after seeing them that way for a half century, I want them different for a change, ok?

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