What episodes are you watching on "The Lucy Show"?

[Neil]

Check out HL episode Lucy The Conclusion Jumper. Watch Lucy's watch and you can get an idea how long it took to film that one. Her watch face is rather large and I noticed it one time. It's noticeable the whole way through. Really only seemed to take an hour.

That's so cool.  When I was seeing as many shows as I could in LA, the ticket noted the begin and end time.  the 1/2 hr sitcoms on videotape were scheduled for one hour.  The filmed sitcoms, 90 minutes.  My ticket to Here's Lucy stated 1:30-4:00, the only one done in the afternoon.  I don't know that it took that long, though, because the scenes played straight through unless a mistake was made.  This was "Blind Date" and Gale referred to Ben as Harry, so Lucy stopped the scene even though Gale tried to cover "I get so excited"....  Lucy being made up as the werewolf was done in real time, while Don Knotts did his monologue about family names (based on Madelyn's relatives).   Marl and the small band played inbetween set changes, with Marl doing some singing. The number I remember was his own arrangement of "That's Entertainment" with a little "No Business Like Show Business" thrown in. Marl was no threat to Frank sinatra.   I don't recall other sitcoms having a live band. They were there for our enjoyment.  They did not play any underscoring or segue music live.  Seeing these scenes without segue music was a bit strange because we, the audience, didn't really realize the scene had ended until someone yelled 'cut'.   The applause at the end of scenes of videotaped sitcoms was prompted by the flashing applause sign.

Security was so lax that after the show I wandered down to the set just so I could actually sit in the red booth of Sam's Coffee shop, a set I believe used only in Bob-Madelyn episodes. I don't know that the Vanda character had any scenes in non-B/M episodes, if she appeared at all.

[HarryCarter]

I love reading your stories of Here's Lucy filmings, Neil! Yes, the Sam's Coffee Shop set only appeared in the Bob and Madelyn episodes. Vanda appeared in one episode not written by Bob and Madelyn: "A Home is Not an Office," which was scripted by Fox and Jacobs.

 

I've got to watch Lucy, the Conclusion Jumper and try to read Lucy's watch. That is another episode where filming was stopped mid-scene as seen on the blooper reel. Gale spilled his coffee (or what Harry thought was coffee) and I'm sure it took a few minutes to clean that up.

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Ah yes the "good old days" when the production cared about the studio audience.... Nowadays, you're lucky to get out in FIVE HOURS!!! (Yes, you read that right!).....

 

The "quickest" filming time-wise I can recall attending in fairly-recent memory was an "Everybody Loves Raymond" filming a few years ago -- bloopers and blunders and all! -- which took just over 2 1/2 hours -- they were pros!!   Not one of my favorite eps of the series but definitely one of the more (and last!) pleasurable experiences of this type that I can recall!  

[Luvsbway]

When I worked on Drew if it was 10pm (7pm was the start time) and they were ordering pizza for the audience I knew it was going to be a long night. I got to leave at midnight regardless as I was an intern and you can't kill me.

[FreddieMertz]

When I worked on Drew if it was 10pm (7pm was the start time) and they were ordering pizza for the audience I knew it was going to be a long night. I got to leave at midnight regardless as I was an intern and you can't kill me.

I've read that they don't let studio audiences leave the soundstage, even when production takes all day. Is this true? And, do you have any other horror stories from working in television?

[Luvsbway]

You can leave they just don't encourage it. That's why they got pizza to try and keep you. I'll have to think about other stories.

[Mmadluv7]

"..makes more sense"?? Well that's part of the problem: you're weighing way too much logic into a simple sitcom plot, for a show (like its predecessor) that as more time goes on, we know as ardent fans was not known for its consistency and continuity!!

 

I maintain the decision to keep Irma off-camera, a la Carlton the Doorman in "Rhoda" and Mrs. whatshisface's mother in Big Bang Theory is not only a conscious decision but a wise one: the audience individually and collectively can use its imagination as to what they think in their minds Mrs. Mooney might look like... without ever having their bubble burst because they never had to actually see "the real deal"!  

LOLOL you are so right. I am looking too hard into it lol but I think it could have been nice being cut out lol- but I see your point and agree that it works to the imagination- I just don't see where it did much for the Mooney character. i think they brought in Mr Cheevers, to later replace that over powering figure in Mooney's life. I think by Heres Lucy, they understood it and didn't even give Uncle harry a love interest or wife to constantly refer to

[Mmadluv7]

When I worked on Drew if it was 10pm (7pm was the start time) and they were ordering pizza for the audience I knew it was going to be a long night. I got to leave at midnight regardless as I was an intern and you can't kill me.

 

wow, thats crazy. I remember hearing a story, where the audience got out at like 11? I wonder how Lucy and Desi were so great at doing it

[Luvsbway]

They had great writers who did not rewrite during the taping. That is what all this wasted time is about.

[Mmadluv7]

They had great writers who did not rewrite during the taping. That is what all this wasted time is about.

 

 

ooooohhh, I think i get it. Thats why Carol Burnett was once saying the writers are very scared now days, instead of just doing it, they re-write and re-write...That must be crazy for the actors then!

[FreddieMertz]

Season 2:

Lucy Redecorates, finds a loophole in the lease, teaches Ethel Merman to sing, and goes on a golf outing with that lovely Gary fella.

[C L A U D E]

Oh HE was the absolute best part of the show, that's fer dang shur.  Well, since yesterday, CTS, now called YES no longer shows those same 30 eps of the series that were public domain, so i'll have to take out the dvds from now on.

[Brock]

I just came across a random Canadian station reporting to be airing Lucy & Carol Burnett Pt. 1 at 2 a.m., with Pt. 2 following on Saturday at 2 a.m. After that, there seems to be an additional showing at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, but it doesn't say which episode.

 

This seems very unusual. Will report back when I wake up and can assess the situation. If it is what it says it is, this is a very unusual place to start airing TLS. LOL

[Brock]

So, the episode on Friday morning was "Lucy Bags A Bargain" and Saturday morning was "Lucy Gets Trapped". This makes no sense, unless they're working a "Lucy Goes To Department Stores" theme.

[JoeySanJoaquin]

So, the episode on Friday morning was "Lucy Bags A Bargain" and Saturday morning was "Lucy Gets Trapped". This makes no sense, unless they're working a "Lucy Goes To Department Stores" theme.

[Irene Kampen Tripp]

The official fourth season... she sure looks good this season

[Neil]

"Lucy and Viv Reminisce" ---don't know why they scheduled this gem for New Years Day when you'd think viewership would be low.  Fidelman suggests that clips from ILL were also going to be used but Lucy nixed the idea.  Unlikely, I think because Desilu (or Gulf and Western if it was that at that point) had no ownership in the show and Lucy and Viv were different characters.  Besides Candy Factory I can't think of a broad physical comedy bit they did together in I Love Lucy.  And I think Lucy refers to her as "Ethel" in that scene.

[FreddieMertz]

I heard the ILL flashback thing too, and I don't get it. People would obviously know that TLS Lucy and ILL Lucy are different. Wouldn't this confuse people?

[Neil]

My mother has been in and out of the hospital for a month so I've spent a lot of time there.  (She's recovering but it's slow-going.  Surgery, specifically anesthesia really knocks the body for a loop).

When other visitors come, I'm sometimes relegated to sitting in the wheelchair provided by the hospital.  Took if for a test run down the hall and.....I'm ONCE AGAIN amazed by Lucy's physical agility.  I'm talking about the wonderful wheelchair-chase in "Florence Nightengale", in which Lucy maneuvers the wheel chair around this really small set, without a hitch....and without making it look like it's any effort at all...AND making it funny.

[C L A U D E]

My mother has been in and out of the hospital for a month so I've spent a lot of time there.  (She's recovering but it's slow-going.  Surgery, specifically anesthesia really knocks the body for a loop).

When other visitors come, I'm sometimes relegated to sitting in the wheelchair provided by the hospital.  Took if for a test run down the hall and.....I'm ONCE AGAIN amazed by Lucy's physical agility.  I'm talking about the wonderful wheelchair-chase in "Florence Nightengale", in which Lucy maneuvers the wheel chair around this really small set, without a hitch....and without making it look like it's any effort at all...AND making it funny.

Sorry to hear about your mom Neil, hope she gets better real soon.  I'm going through the same thing with my aunt right now, so i know what you mean.  No wonder Lucy hated hospitals, she couldn't do what she wanted while there and was merely another patient.  As for the wheelchair and Lucy's handling of it, when did Lucy NOT know how to handle PROPS?????  LOL!

[Harrison]

I haven't really been watching this series or Here's Lucy as of late. In fact, I don't remember the last time I've watched either of them. Do I miss them? Partially. I still remember the episodes.

[C L A U D E]

I haven't really been watching this series or Here's Lucy as of late. In fact, I don't remember the last time I've watched either of them. Do I miss them? Partially. I still remember the episodes.

You should at least watch the Christmas and New Year's episodes this time of year.  They are classics.

[ajrich17901]

Actually having a marathon of the show, just finished Season 1 xD onto Lucy Plays Cleopatra.

[cptnhastings]

I just finally got through Lucy goes to London which I was not looking forward to watching so I delayed for a very long long long time (while watching reruns of old I love Lucy's and Lucy Shows on tv in the meantime). I know, I know, how dare I. But I'm so glad I now got through it. I was waiting until I did it for me to move along. Very anal-retentive of me.

 

So just saw Lucy gets a Roomate. Carol is so over the top in it, I kinda want to have seen her in her earlier work. I love it. Lucy was very generous with not demanding the spotlight. "I'm a firm believer in drinking a lot of water."  "Did you know that contrary to popular belief the first public library was not founded in Boston MA but in Peterbury NH?" ... "Why don't you sing a song?" ... "Can I have a little more of that Italian Water?" (throws the glass) "They call her hard-hearted Hannah..."

 

The best thing for me, as a former "only syndication" fan, is to find out what got cut out. Obviously the biggest ever was the Danny Thomas show because I was always wondering why she got that job with Mooney, but it's more entertaining figuring it out on the other episodes where it's less obvious. I haven't figured it out for a few of them. "Roomate" I figured out. Mary Jane's good in this one (and several of her season 5-6 ones. I missed her a lot in the early Here's Lucy episodes.)

[C L A U D E]

I looked at some that i hadn't seen in quite a while.  Meter maid, paper drive and Lucy dating the guy that fell asleep on her and tore a beam down in her apartment, dunno what it's called.