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The Lucy Show seasons 1-3. Which one is the best?


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I have always felt that Lucy Carmichael was Lucy Carmichael when she was living alone in Los Angeles and working as Mr. Mooney's personal secretary. I think the shows got even funnier in the latter part of the series when they brought in Mr. Cheever as Mr. Mooney's BOSS. It feels funny in the earlier seasons that Lucy wasn't working for Mr. Mooney.

 

I like the Los Angeles Lucy Carmichael better because she wore more stylish clothes and was enjoying a single dating life without a family to tie her down. She was more hip than the Danfield Carmichael. Unlike Lucy Ricardo, Lucy Carmichael's character gradually changed from the first season to the fourth season and she remained the same till the series came to an end. You actually get two Carmichaels in one whole series. Let's see which Carmichael do I want to watch today. The widowed mother with two families under her roof living on her husband's trust fund or the single woman working as a secretary in a Beverly Hills bank meeting all sort of stars and celebrities.

All true and very well said, i think another plus is when you know a character that well, the slightest thing becomes hysterically funny, that happens in the later seasons of any comedy series, you know them so well that every little thing they do resonates, know what i mean? Lucy had reached her true QUEEN status by then and every thing she did got a laugh, she had reached the ultimate in comedy heights.

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Sorry. LOL! Here's some motivation. A list of the all-time classic episodes contained in Season Four:

 

- Lucy, The Gun Moll

- Lucy Dates Dean Martin

- Lucy in the Music World (hesh up! You know who you are...)

- Lucy the Choir Master

- Lucy & The Countess Have A Horse Guest

- Lucy & The Undercover Agent

- Lucy Bags a Bargain

- Lucy & The Sleeping Beauty

- and the all-star Lucy Goes To A Hollywood Premiere

This from the guy who said it was the worst season in her career? How about ILL season one for that title? Or HL season six? TLS season four is worth buying for the Dean Martin one alone.

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Sorry. LOL! Here's some motivation. A list of the all-time classic episodes contained in Season Four:

 

- Lucy, The Gun Moll

- Lucy Dates Dean Martin

- Lucy in the Music World (hesh up! You know who you are...)

- Lucy the Choir Master

- Lucy & The Countess Have A Horse Guest

- Lucy & The Undercover Agent

- Lucy Bags a Bargain

- Lucy & The Sleeping Beauty

- and the all-star Lucy Goes To A Hollywood Premiere

 

 

Everyone of these is gems and I was fortunate enough to see "Lucy Dates Dean Martin" on YouTube last week. I am sold and I can't wait till I own it!!! :lucy2:

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Or HL season six?

 

What do you mean HL Season Six? That is an amazing season! It is the season of such greats as:

 

- The Big Game (OJ aside, it is a great episode)

- Lucy Gives Eddie Albert the Old Song and Dance

- Lucy's Tenant

- Lucy & Joan Rivers Do Jury Duty

- Tipsy Through The Tulips

- Lucy & Chuck Connors Have A Surprise Slumber Party

- Milton Berle Is The Life of the Party

- Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball

- Lucy Fights the System

- Where Is My Wandering Mother Tonight?

 

and three of the best episodes in the Lucy canon:

 

- Lucy Plays Cops & Robbers

- Mary Jane's Boyfriend

- LUCY IS N.G. AS AN R.N.

 

The rest of the episodes are good and pretty solid. The only true dud in the bunch is Harry Catches Gold Fever.

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What do you mean HL Season Six? That is an amazing season! It is the season of such greats as:

 

- The Big Game (OJ aside, it is a great episode)

- Lucy Gives Eddie Albert the Old Song and Dance

- Lucy's Tenant

- Lucy & Joan Rivers Do Jury Duty

- Tipsy Through The Tulips

- Lucy & Chuck Connors Have A Surprise Slumber Party

- Milton Berle Is The Life of the Party

- Lucy Carter Meets Lucille Ball

- Lucy Fights the System

- Where Is My Wandering Mother Tonight?

 

and three of the best episodes in the Lucy canon:

 

- Lucy Plays Cops & Robbers

- Mary Jane's Boyfriend

- LUCY IS N.G. AS AN R.N.

 

The rest of the episodes are good and pretty solid. The only true dud in the bunch is Harry Catches Gold Fever.

 

 

I totally agree. I think it's one of the best seasons of Lucy's career.

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Favorite seasons in order:

 

1) Season 1

2) Season 2

3) Season 4

4) Season 5

5) Season 3

6) Season 6

 

I agree with your season rankings, except mine reverse the order of season 2 and 1. Of all the seasons, #2 is the most solid. #1 has the real "Lucy Show" classics, and none (except IMO "Butterfly") is a true dud, they just get weaker as the season goes on---with exceptions. And in my listing, Seasons 5 and 3 tie at #4. These seasons have episodes that vary the most in quality. Each has great ones but they're offset by some real duds. I suppose season 3 is the most disappointing because they still had Viv and the original Danfield premise.

 

And Brock says: "The only true dud in the bunch is Harry Catches Gold Fever." about HL season 6.

Even that one is not TERRIBLE, like Gorboona and Jungle. I haven't seen it in a long time, but remember seeing this plot outline in TV Guide for the upcoming week and expecting the worst, so maybe it just wasn't as bad as it could have been. I don't remember everything that went on, but do they encounter any animals?

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I don't remember everything that went on, but do they encounter any animals?

 

Do you REALLY think this is one episode from which Janos Prohaska didn't collect a paycheque? LOL He dusted off his bear suit for the occasion. :rolleyes:

 

I was watching some videos on youtube the other day, compilations of beginning and end credits for various shows and for one -- can't even remember what it was now -- as the end credits rolled by, there he was! "Janos Prohaska.... The Gorilla".

 

ETA: Brainwave... It was Dusty's Trail with Bob Denver and Forrest Tucker.

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The Lucy Show

Season 5

Season 6

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

 

I too love Lucy in California and I have fond memories of watching "The Lucy Show" on Nick at Nite before I was exposed to "I Love Lucy." I love Lucy's vibe, great phyiscal and verbal jokes. She seems much more relaxed in these later seasons and is just funny after a rocky fouth season. However, Lucy Dates Dean Martin is my favorite Lucy Show because it is different. Lucy looks so classy and all the comedy is verbal and shows Lucy didn't have to do physical slapstick to be funny. I love Lucy and the Berles, Lucy's Substitute Secretary, the Ring, Lucy the Bean Queen, Main St. U.S.A. and other great shows from the fifth season of the Lucy Show. My friend, 54, said to me the other day in a list of shows that they do not make shows anymore like Lucy and Mr. Mooney that were so funny. Her 25 year old daughter bought all the public domain eposides and is loving it. To me the Lucy Show is Lucy and Mr. Mooney though I still like the Viv shows as well.

 

I have seen on Youtube several of Here's Lucy season 6 and I love it. It is probably tied with season 3 as my favorite. I love the great storylines in Lucy N.G. as R.N., Mary Jane's Boyfriend, Where is my Wandering Mother Tonight?, Lucy and Chuck Conners. In fact, I didn't live in 1974 yet but I wonder why ratings dipped so much and the show ended because it was great. Lucie wasn't in the way in these shows except for Lucy Fights the System. However, I view that show as an inside joke. Lucy was being replaced by a new generation of comedians and she was implying the new aren't as good as the old. (Which is usually true especially today.) It too had a couple classic lines and the pie in the face with Gale saying "I know it would end like this."

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Lucie is only in 12 episodes out of the season's 24 and in one of those episodes she only has two lines. Compare that to 23 episodes in season two.

Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, then too much Gale and Mary Jane then, LOL! I just meant that they diminished Lucy's role because of her age and tired rethreads of old plots and so on.

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The Lucy Show

Season 5

Season 6

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

 

I too love Lucy in California and I have fond memories of watching "The Lucy Show" on Nick at Nite before I was exposed to "I Love Lucy." I love Lucy's vibe, great phyiscal and verbal jokes. She seems much more relaxed in these later seasons and is just funny after a rocky fouth season. However, Lucy Dates Dean Martin is my favorite Lucy Show because it is different. Lucy looks so classy and all the comedy is verbal and shows Lucy didn't have to do physical slapstick to be funny. I love Lucy and the Berles, Lucy's Substitute Secretary, the Ring, Lucy the Bean Queen, Main St. U.S.A. and other great shows from the fifth season of the Lucy Show. My friend, 54, said to me the other day in a list of shows that they do not make shows anymore like Lucy and Mr. Mooney that were so funny. Her 25 year old daughter bought all the public domain eposides and is loving it. To me the Lucy Show is Lucy and Mr. Mooney though I still like the Viv shows as well.

 

I have seen on Youtube several of Here's Lucy season 6 and I love it. It is probably tied with season 3 as my favorite. I love the great storylines in Lucy N.G. as R.N., Mary Jane's Boyfriend, Where is my Wandering Mother Tonight?, Lucy and Chuck Conners. In fact, I didn't live in 1974 yet but I wonder why ratings dipped so much and the show ended because it was great. Lucie wasn't in the way in these shows except for Lucy Fights the System. However, I view that show as an inside joke. Lucy was being replaced by a new generation of comedians and she was implying the new aren't as good as the old. (Which is usually true especially today.) It too had a couple classic lines and the pie in the face with Gale saying "I know it would end like this."

Very well said about Dean Martin. So true. I think the ratings dropped because comedy was changing with that All in the Family Norman Lear kind of comedy that was unfortunately ruling the airwaves and for every good one, MAUDE, there was a terrible one, GOOD TIMES then. Lucy had been on for almost a quarter century, they could not come up with anything sophisticated and VERBAL as you so beautifully stated and she herself admitted she was getting a bit old to be yelled at by uncle Harry at this point.

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I know the main reason why S4 is everyone's least favorite . . . because the show went through a MAJOR change within 3 short months. Lucy moved to California, Viv left and got remarried, the kids were gone . . . but is it also because these shows were waaaaaaaaaay out there and really trippy?

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I disagree, I think season 4 is one of the best seasons of "Lucy." Most of the episodes are fresh and funny. Lucy never acted or looked better. The ratings jumped from a 26.6 (8th place finish) for Viv's last season (64-65) to a 27.3 rating and a 3rd place finish for (65-66). Lucy also received her 11th Emmy nomination for season four but lost out to the overrated Mary Tyler Moore who won for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" which was ending its' five-year run.

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I disagree, I think season 4 is one of the best seasons of "Lucy." Most of the episodes are fresh and funny. Lucy never acted or looked better. The ratings jumped from a 26.6 (8th place finish) for Viv's last season (64-65) to a 27.3 rating and a 3rd place finish for (65-66). Lucy also received her 11th Emmy nomination for season four but lost out to the overrated Mary Tyler Moore who won for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" which was ending its' five-year run.

You are so right! On both counts.

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I disagree, I think season 4 is one of the best seasons of "Lucy." Most of the episodes are fresh and funny. Lucy never acted or looked better. The ratings jumped from a 26.6 (8th place finish) for Viv's last season (64-65) to a 27.3 rating and a 3rd place finish for (65-66). Lucy also received her 11th Emmy nomination for season four but lost out to the overrated Mary Tyler Moore who won for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" which was ending its' five-year run.

 

I think that what changes for me around Season 4 of The Lucy Show for the rest to the run, and the same for Here's Lucy, is they don't always finish the story.

 

For instance I just watched Lucy Bags a Bargain. The story being that Lucy whats a new dinet (?) set, due to a mistake she has take a job at the store to pay for it, or she'll lose the set and her deposit, of course it all goes horribly wrong. The question is did she get the set? They could have shaved about a minute off the working in the store section and showed Lucy in her apartment with her set telling a friend that the store paid her to leave or something similar. Instead it just ends....

 

In the raingoddess episode, did they get the papers back to the bank

 

 

Dont get me wrong the stories are great I just have a feeling of being left hanging, I thought it may be because I had syndicated episodes and the stories has been cut short but having watched the complete show on DVD I find the end to the story is still missing

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