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

[Harrison]

Watched these this past week:

"Lucy Plays Cleopatra"

"Kiddies Parties, Inc."

"Lucy & Viv Play Softball"

"Lucy Gets Locked in a Vault" (ended falling asleep half way through)

[Neil]

An underrated, often ignored Lucy Show gem from the first season "Lucy Drives a Dump Truck".  The gaggle of women who constituted the Danfield Volunteers were used too sparingly, probably more expensive to hire so many.  Lucy is more Lucy Ricardo-esque in this one.  The end scene was unusual in that it was done "on location" (the Desilu backlot) without an audience.  The traffic cop was perfectly portrayed by Dick Reeves who had done many I Love Lucys.  This was his only Lucy Show.  There are several little bits she does in this episode that remind me why there's only one 'Lucy'...and they're all silent expressions on her face:

1) when she's finished her phone call to salvage man Don Sharpe, is told he's retired and decides to hide from an angry Viv and Audrey among the stacks of newspapers.

2) at the "court martial" as Viv reads her list of infractions and comes to "and we now have 34 tons of damp newspapers in our yard"

3) Officer Reeves asks her if she can read and points to a sign.  Lucy "yes it says "One-Way'".  Watch her expression change ever so slightly as she realizes she has just gone the wrong way down a one-way street. 

I also love Officer Reeves sarcastic "Welcome to Brewster" and his even more sarcastic response when Lucy asks if he's going to give her a ticket.  "No", he scoffs and  Lucy is relieved until he adds "I'm going to give you TWO tickets."

[Harrison]

Watched "Lucy Helps Danny Thomas" the other night. Still don't care for it.

Lucy acted like an idiot in this episode. And Gale Gordon was hardly in this episode. The interactions between Lucy and Danny (the main players of this poor episode) weren't that funny. And that bit with Lucy having trouble with that head thing was very reminiscent of the classic "Lucy Gets Pictures" I Love Lucy episode and not nearly as funny if at all.

I still rank this as one of the 10 worst episodes or bottom 10 of The Lucy Show. 

 

[Neil]

On 5/31/2020 at 8:17 PM, Harrison said:

Watched "Lucy Helps Danny Thomas" the other night. Still don't care for it.

Lucy acted like an idiot in this episode. And Gale Gordon was hardly in this episode. The interactions between Lucy and Danny (the main players of this poor episode) weren't that funny. And that bit with Lucy having trouble with that head thing was very reminiscent of the classic "Lucy Gets Pictures" I Love Lucy episode and not nearly as funny if at all.

I still rank this as one of the 10 worst episodes or bottom 10 of The Lucy Show. 

 

I love this one but it's one of several I love that the majority seems to hate.  but BOTTOM 10?  

[Harrison]

9 hours ago, Neil said:

I love this one but it's one of several I love that the majority seems to hate.  but BOTTOM 10?  

Yes bottom 10. For reasons I stated above.

My other contenders in the bottom 10 would be: "Lucy, the Starmaker", (Season 6), "Lucy and Carol Burnett, Part II" (Season 6), "Lucy and Phil Harris" (Season 6), "Lucy in the Music World" (Season 4), "Lucy Saves Milton Berle" (Season 4), "Lucy and Ken Berry" (Season 6), & "Lucy and the Soap Opera", (Season 4).

If you have noticed, most of these are musical/star-oriented.

It's ironic how Lucille Ball made one of the worst episodes of The Lucy Show and then two years later made of the greatest - which BOTH featured Milton Berle as the guest star. 

[RodMcK1]

10 hours ago, Harrison said:

It's ironic how Lucille Ball made one of the worst episodes of The Lucy Show and then two years later made of the greatest - which BOTH featured Milton Berle as the guest star. 

This I agree with.  I hate "Saves", but love "Meets."  I think any bottom 10 must include "Lucy, the Rain Goddess."    

[Harrison]

11 minutes ago, RodMcK1 said:

This I agree with.  I hate "Saves", but love "Meets."  I think any bottom 10 must include "Lucy, the Rain Goddess."    

As silly as "Lucy, the Rain Goddess" is, I do enjoy that episode. It reminds me of The Munsters episode, "Heap Big Herman" which had a similar premise. And that too I enjoy.

[Harrison]

6/6-7/20 Overnight:

"Lucy Meets Sheldon Leonard", "Main Street U.S.A.", "Lucy Puts Main Street on the Map" & "Lucy Meets the Law" (Episodes #131, #127-128 & #129)

 

6/20/20 Afternoon:

"Lucy Meets the Berles" (preceded by The Lucy-Desi Milton Berle 1959 Special) (#137)

 

6/21/20 Afternoon:

"Lucy and the Bank Scandal" & "Lucy Goes Duck Hunting" (#35, #31)

[Neil]

If you had to pick one episode of "The Lucy Show" to show someone unfamiliar with anything post-ILL, which would it be?

I picked "Electric Mattress".  Though it's rather low on plot compared to a great I Love Lucy, the TWO great block comedy scenes make up for it.    Two little B&M/B&B touches I'd like to point out.  The over-waxed slippery floor is established before the bed takes off making the whole bit a little more plausible.  #2: Lucy to Jerry: "Why do you leave these stilts in the middle of the room?  Someone's liable to trip over them."  Again paving the way for Lucy's eyeing the stilts, one of her best physical bits of all time. 

[Luvsbway]

1 hour ago, Neil said:

If you had to pick one episode of "The Lucy Show" to show someone unfamiliar with anything post-ILL, which would it be?

I picked "Electric Mattress".  Though it's rather low on plot compared to a great I Love Lucy, the TWO great block comedy scenes make up for it.    Two little B&M/B&B touches I'd like to point out.  The over-waxed slippery floor is established before the bed takes off making the whole bit a little more plausible.  #2: Lucy to Jerry: "Why do you leave these stilts in the middle of the room?  Someone's liable to trip over them."  Again paving the way for Lucy's eyeing the stilts, one of her best physical bits of all time. 

This is what Bob and Madelyn shined at. They set up the gag so subtly. Going back to ILL there are many times when they'd show Lucy doing something right so later when she messed it up you knew that it was because of funny circumstances, not just she was terrible. They grounded the crazy from the start, thus making it believable. 

[Harrison]

6 hours ago, Neil said:

If you had to pick one episode of "The Lucy Show" to show someone unfamiliar with anything post-ILL, which would it be?

 

So many to choose from! I guess ONE of them would have to be "Lucy Plays Florence Nightingale" as it features many trademarks of the Lucy character, her two main Lucy-TV series and Lucy Show co-stars (i.e. Vivian Vance and Gale Gordon), the comedy scene with wheelchair-bound Lucy getting chased in the hospital by the ever-growing line of nurses and the revival-ability factor to I Love Lucy. There's another scene at the end where Lucy (impersonating a doctor) and Viv (impersonating a nurse) trying to wake up a groggy Mr. Mooney to the extent of making barnyard animal noises. As with trademarks, there's Lucy wanting money, Lucy scheming to get it, Lucy getting Viv involved, Lucy's scheme backfires, Lucy antagonizing the insufferable Mr. Mooney and Lucy's loveable cry. Also, it's worth to mention that the original Lucy writers were involved with this specific Lucy Show episode.

That comedy scene with the chased wheelchair-bound Lucy, I think, revivals some of the classic moments from I Love Lucy (whether it be Lucy getting her nose on fire, the mirror scene with Harpo Marx, eggs getting smashed in Lucy's blouse while doing the tango, etc.)

[Harrison]

6 hours ago, Neil said:

If you had to pick one episode of "The Lucy Show" to show someone unfamiliar with anything post-ILL, which would it be?

I picked "Electric Mattress".  Though it's rather low on plot compared to a great I Love Lucy, the TWO great block comedy scenes make up for it.    Two little B&M/B&B touches I'd like to point out.  The over-waxed slippery floor is established before the bed takes off making the whole bit a little more plausible.  #2: Lucy to Jerry: "Why do you leave these stilts in the middle of the room?  Someone's liable to trip over them."  Again paving the way for Lucy's eyeing the stilts, one of her best physical bits of all time. 

That's a great selection. Quite memorable that episode. It features what Lucy does best: physical comedy.

[Harrison]

7/12/20 (Evening):

"Little Old Lucy", "Chris Goes Steady", "Lucy Flies To London", "Lucy Saves Milton Berle" & "Lucy, the Robot" (#135, #48, #120, #95, #107)

 

 

7/13/20 (Morning):

"Lucy, the Meter Maid" (#60)

 

 

7/14/20 (Morning):

"Lucy Goes to Art Class" (#47)

[Neil]

8 hours ago, Harrison said:

So many to choose from! I guess ONE of them would have to be "Lucy Plays Florence Nightingale" as it features many trademarks of the Lucy character, her two main Lucy-TV series and Lucy Show co-stars (i.e. Vivian Vance and Gale Gordon), the comedy scene with wheelchair-bound Lucy getting chased in the hospital by the ever-growing line of nurses and the revival-ability factor to I Love Lucy. There's another scene at the end where Lucy (impersonating a doctor) and Viv (impersonating a nurse) trying to wake up a groggy Mr. Mooney to the extent of making barnyard animal noises. As with trademarks, there's Lucy wanting money, Lucy scheming to get it, Lucy getting Viv involved, Lucy's scheme backfires, Lucy antagonizing the insufferable Mr. Mooney and Lucy's loveable cry. Also, it's worth to mention that the original Lucy writers were involved with this specific Lucy Show episode.

That comedy scene with the chased wheelchair-bound Lucy, I think, revivals some of the classic moments from I Love Lucy (whether it be Lucy getting her nose on fire, the mirror scene with Harpo Marx, eggs getting smashed in Lucy's blouse while doing the tango, etc.)

I love "Florence Nightengale" too.  It's not one that makes a lot of people's fav list.   Sets  look much larger on TV  than they are in real life and Lucy's deft and precise handling of the wheel chair in that small set is amazing.   Particularly in my favorite shot of Viv looking on as Lucy races across the floor (followed by the hospital staff) and manages that slight turn into the narrow hallway---though I wish they had kept the camera on a wide shot for this. 

[Harrison]

8/8/20 (Evening):

Lucy and the Submarine, Lucy the Bean Queen, Lucy and Paul Winchell, and Lucy and the Ring-a-Ding Ring (#116, #112, #118, #113)

[teenageluminary]

Quote

If you had to pick one episode of "The Lucy Show" to show someone unfamiliar with anything post-ILL, which would it be?

This is a good question! It's hard for me to pick one episode because the later seasons of The Lucy Show (particularly after Lucy started working at the bank,) often feel like a completely different show. Not only was there a drastic change in the quality of the writing, but Lucy started "hamming it up" and playing to the camera more. Everything just got louder and broader. 

If I had to pick one episode from the first three years, I'd go with "Kiddie Parties, Inc." It's not one of the best-written episodes, but I love the interplay between Viv and Lucy in this one, and I love how colorful everything is. It's just a fun episode, and it's not as well-known as "Lucy and Viv Put In A Shower" or "Lucy and Viv Put Up A TV Antenna," which were in the public domain for many years. 

If I had to pick one episode from the post-Viv years, I'd probably pick "Lucy, The Gun Moll." This was a really well-done episode, and one of Lucy's best performances from season 4. 

[Harrison]

In the last week or so:

"Lucy Gets Her Diploma" (#140)

 

9/12-13/20 (last night & this morning):

"Lucy, the Gun Moll", "Lucy Dates Dean Martin", "Lucy and Bob Crane", "Lucy Is a Referee", "Lucy Misplaces $2,000", and first half or so of "Lucy Buys a Sheep" (#109, #105, #106, #4, #5, & #2)

[teenageluminary]

I just re-watched "Lucy and the Countess Have A Horse Guest." I don't think is the best script, but I loved the interplay between Lucy and Ann Sothern. I also liked the cameo appearance with William Frawley - although it was a bit jarring to see how much older and frailer he had become. 

I wish Ann Sothern could have taken over Viv's role in the series, but I guess it would have been tough for Ann to go from running her own production company and starring in two series to becoming Lucy's second banana. Still, I always thought it was odd that they didn't bring her back for occasional guest appearances. In the Desilu book, Ann told the authors that she and Lucy got into a few arguments while doing this series (in part because Lucy liked to be in control,) so maybe Ann just thought it would be healthier for their friendship if they didn't work together. 

[Neil]

2 hours ago, teenageluminary said:

!I just re-watched "Lucy and the Countess Have A Horse Guest." I don't think is the best script, but I loved the interplay between Lucy and Ann Sothern. I also liked the cameo appearance with William Frawley - although it was a bit jarring to see how much older and frailer he had become. 

I wish Ann Sothern could have taken over Viv's role in the series, but I guess it would have been tough for Ann to go from running her own production company and starring in two series to become Lucy's second banana. Still, I always thought it was odd that they didn't bring her back for occasional guest appearances. In the Desilu book, Ann told the authors that she and Lucy got into a few arguments while doing this series (in part because Lucy liked to be in control,) so maybe Ann just thought it would be healthier for their friendship if they didn't work together. 

You may be right.  There can be only one star of a Lucy series, as it should be.  "Horse Guest" is a pleasant enough entry.  Memorable mainly for Frawley's cameo. You have to overlook a lot of plot holes.  Such as: how did they get the horse into the Glenhall apartments since Lucy is on at least the 2nd floor if she's got that old crank Mrs. Golddapper living below her.   Ann adds a lot to every episode she appeared in.  Being a weekly regular probably wouldn't have worked out but I don't know why the 3-4 guest shots a year didn't continue.  I think My Mother the Car was the next season but that didn't take much of her time.   Speaking of MMTC: I recently bought a batch of Chicago TV Times from the mid-60s.  The "Mailbag" column has some interesting, if dumb questions.  Looking them over, I don't think they are supposed to be jokes.  Someone wrote in:" In My Mother the Car, is Ann Sothern saying her lines from the trunk?".  The answer only addresses the fact that this particular car doesn't have a trunk.   Other questions "How does Samantha on Bewitched perform her magic?" "Does Mr. Ed actually speak the English language?" and "On the Patty Duke Show, are Patty & Cathy played by the same actress?" .  Mailbag answer: yes.  My answer: watch the opening credits, you moron!

Also notable about "Horse", Herb Vigran gets entrance applause which I'm sure pleased him. 

[Freddie2]

Ann as a regular second banana would have been great, but it probably would have thrown the entire dynamic out of whack. Lucy would have had to play the straight woman to the Countess's fish out of water flamboyance, as opposed to Viv's down to earth sarcasm that kept Lucy grounded. If Ann had stayed on, I wouldn't be surprised if her character would have been changed to more of that Viv/Eve Arden-type of eye-rolling wisecracker. It's still a shame that we never got to see her make an appearance after 1966.

[teenageluminary]

I saw "Lucy Goes To Art Class" today. This is one of my favorite Season 2 episodes because it focuses on the Lucy/Viv relationship. I also really like the red and black dress that Viv wore on her date - she looked amazing! 

I wish the final act had been better motivated though. It seemed petty/unusually vindictive for Lucy to enter Viv's date's apartment to put the "fake" pie with the hot peppers in the oven (to make Viv look bad.) I think that if Jess or Desi had still been around, Lucy's actions would have been better motivated. That being said, I liked that the writers inserted dialogue beforehand that Viv's date planned to leave his key under the mat (to explain how Lucy was able to enter the apartment in the first place.) 

Also, as staged, the very final part  - where Lucy breaks the Mona Lisa print and sticks her head through it  - is a bit silly. Does Lucy really think that Viv and her date won't be able to tell a three-dimensional person from a painting? But I think the comedy works here because all of the actors are so invested and clearly believe in the material. Viv's reactions here are spot-on.

[teenageluminary]

Sorry for double posting (guess it's been quiet around here!) I saw "Lucy Goes To Vegas" today - definitely one of the best episodes from the third season, in my opinion. This one almost feels like a throwback to the first season, when it was all about Lucy and Viv, and less about Lucy figuring out ways to wheedle money from the bank. 

This is one of Bob O'Brien's better scripts, and I love the dialogue and the little bits of business, such as having Lucy and Viv steal cookies and toast from the hotel because they can't afford food. Lucy and Viv's outfits in this one are also really fun to look at, and I like Lucy's weird green hat (the one that Viv says "looks like a piece of crabgrass.") I wouldn't have minded a few more episodes like this.

Unfortunately, after this episode, Viv's role gets smaller and smaller (ostensibly because TPTB knew she was leaving.) By the time "Lucy and the Disc Jockey" comes around, she's barely in the episode. 

[Harrison]

On 12/12/2020 at 7:02 PM, teenageluminary said:

Sorry for double posting (guess it's been quiet around here!) I saw "Lucy Goes To Vegas" today - definitely one of the best episodes from the third season, in my opinion. This one almost feels like a throwback to the first season, when it was all about Lucy and Viv, and less about Lucy figuring out ways to wheedle money from the bank. 

This is one of Bob O'Brien's better scripts, and I love the dialogue and the little bits of business, such as having Lucy and Viv steal cookies and toast from the hotel because they can't afford food. Lucy and Viv's outfits in this one are also really fun to look at, and I like Lucy's weird green hat (the one that Viv says "looks like a piece of crabgrass.") I wouldn't have minded a few more episodes like this.

Unfortunately, after this episode, Viv's role gets smaller and smaller (ostensibly because TPTB knew she was leaving.) By the time "Lucy and the Disc Jockey" comes around, she's barely in the episode. 

Her role didn't become smaller after that specific episode per se. You have to remember that the DVDs of the show produced by CBS/Paramount Home Video chronicle the episodes by airdate order NOT production order. With that said, "Lucy Goes To Vegas" (#77) was actually filmed later in the third season than "Lucy the Disc Jockey" (#72). And the final (filmed) show of the third season was actually "Lucy and the Old Mansion" (#84) which Vivian had a good portion in. As well as the three episodes (in PRODUCTION ORDER, remember) prior: "Lucy and Arthur Godfrey" (#81), "Lucy, the Stockholder" (#82) and "Lucy and the Beauty Doctor" (#83). After production of "Lucy Goes To Vegas" (#77), Vivian took a short hiatus from the series and was absent for following three episodes: "Lucy and the Countess" (#78), "My Fair Lucy" (#79) and "Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight" (#80) but returned back in full force for the final four PRODUCED episodes of the season mentioned above. Yes, all of this can be confusing for some --- including those that are not familiar with the series. The episode order CBS/Paramount chose for the DVDs is beyond me.

 

[teenageluminary]

13 hours ago, Harrison said:

Her role didn't become smaller after that specific episode per se. You have to remember that the DVDs of the show produced by CBS/Paramount Home Video chronicle the episodes by airdate order NOT production order. With that said, "Lucy Goes To Vegas" (#77) was actually filmed later in the third season than "Lucy the Disc Jockey" (#72). And the final (filmed) show of the third season was actually "Lucy and the Old Mansion" (#84) which Vivian had a good portion in. As well as the three episodes (in PRODUCTION ORDER, remember) prior: "Lucy and Arthur Godfrey" (#81), "Lucy, the Stockholder" (#82) and "Lucy and the Beauty Doctor" (#83). After production of "Lucy Goes To Vegas" (#77), Vivian took a short hiatus from the series and was absent for following three episodes: "Lucy and the Countess" (#78), "My Fair Lucy" (#79) and "Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight" (#80) but returned back in full force for the final four PRODUCED episodes of the season mentioned above. Yes, all of this can be confusing for some --- including those that are not familiar with the series. The episode order CBS/Paramount chose for the DVDs is beyond me.

 

Ahh, thanks for the explanation! I didn't realize that those episodes were aired out of sequence. For whatever reason, I thought it was more like I Love Lucy, where many of the episodes were aired in production order. 

[Mot Morenzi]

As I remember, "Disc Jockey" only aired as the 3rd season finale because it had been preempted earlier in the schedule. So they had to squeeze it in last. "Stockholder" would've made a more fitting finale.