The Celebrity Next Door -- Uncut Dinner Scene

[Brock]

[MONALISAISMONALUCY]

 

 

Who found this or had this? I thought this footage was lost.

[Brock]

Who found this or had this? I thought this footage was lost.

 

I don't think it was ever technically lost -- the missing pieces were included as part of the We Love Lucy repackaging of LDCH. Why they weren't included on the CBS DVD remains a mystery.

[C L A U D E]

I don't think it was ever technically lost -- the missing pieces were included as part of the We Love Lucy repackaging of LDCH. Why they weren't included on the CBS DVD remains a mystery.

I knew i had seen it and couldn't figure out what everybody was saying was missing, so that's where i had it then, in the We Love Lucy special cut. Thanks for solving that mystery. I shall call you Jesse Fletcher from now on.

[MONALISAISMONALUCY]

I knew i had seen it and couldn't figure out what everybody was saying was missing, so that's where i had it then, in the We Love Lucy special cut. Thanks for solving that mystery. I shall call you Jesse Fletcher from now on.

 

 

The same person who posted this scene from "The Celebrity Next Door" on YouTube also posted some scenes from "What Now, Catherine Curtis". After seeing a couple of the scenes, I really want to get this special for my collection. I love the scenes with Art Carney. Didn't they play in two specials together and one film?

[C L A U D E]

The same person who posted this scene from "The Celebrity Next Door" on YouTube also posted some scenes from "What Now, Catherine Curtis". After seeing a couple of the scenes, I really want to get this special for my collection. I love the scenes with Art Carney. Didn't they play in two specials together and one film?

They DID two specials together, don't recall talk of a film but maybe she was supposed to don a cat suit for Harry and Tonto?

[HarryCarter]

They DID two specials together, don't recall talk of a film but maybe she was supposed to don a cat suit for Harry and Tonto?

 

They did a vignette in "A Guide for a Married Man" together.

[C L A U D E]

They did a vignette in "A Guide for a Married Man" together.

Oh yeah, forgot about that 2 and a half minute ROLE, LOL! Boy, were her talents ever wasted in that scene!

[blitnowink]

Who found this or had this? I thought this footage was lost.

At the time of the production of the Comedy Hour DVD set, CBS had a secondary source (either videotape or 16mm film - I think it was tape) of this missing footage available. However, if I recall correctly, the production team did not realize they had not re-inserted this footage of the dinner scene on the final version of the disc until fans notified CBS and the DVD producer after its official release. I don't believe CBS ever made a replacement disc with the extra footage available.

 

A few years earlier, a member of the Lucy Lounge forum noticed bits and pieces of footage were missing from the fourth season DVD set of I Love Lucy; he remembered specific missing dialogue way back from the show's original airing. Another member later notified Mr. Gregg Oppenheimer, the DVD producer, who went back into the archives of his father's 16mm film collection of episodes as they originally aired (commercials, openings, etc.). Gregg realized that CBS had actually removed these bits from the original Lucy 35mm master negatives when the show went into syndication. Gregg restored the bits of "lost" dialogue into the episodes using his father's complete 16mm prints, and a replacement DVD disc was subsequently issued by CBS.

[leenorman]

At the time of the production of the Comedy Hour DVD set, CBS had a secondary source (either videotape or 16mm film - I think it was tape) of this missing footage available. However, if I recall correctly, the production team did not realize they had not re-inserted this footage of the dinner scene on the final version of the disc until fans notified CBS and the DVD producer after its official release. I don't believe CBS ever made a replacement disc with the extra footage available.

 

A few years earlier, a member of the Lucy Lounge forum noticed bits and pieces of footage were missing from the fourth season DVD set of I Love Lucy; he remembered specific missing dialogue way back from the show's original airing. Another member later notified Mr. Gregg Oppenheimer, the DVD producer, who went back into the archives of his father's 16mm film collection of episodes as they originally aired (commercials, openings, etc.). Gregg realized that CBS had actually removed these bits from the original Lucy 35mm master negatives when the show went into syndication. Gregg restored the bits of "lost" dialogue into the episodes using his father's complete 16mm prints, and a replacement DVD disc was subsequently issued by CBS.

 

 

FANTASTIC INFORMATION ...... Many Thanks for sharing, 'blit' .... Regards, Joyce

[LucyImHome]

So was this scene eventually restored for the I Love Lucy Complete Series Box Set? If it wasn't, why not?

[C L A U D E]

So was this scene eventually restored for the I Love Lucy Complete Series Box Set? If it wasn't, why not?

MONEY, as usual.

[Neil]

I don't think it was ever technically lost -- the missing pieces were included as part of the We Love Lucy repackaging of LDCH. Why they weren't included on the CBS DVD remains a mystery.

 

The footage survived only on 16mm. The We Love Lucy series of syndicated 2 hour specials contained 3 1 hour originals cut down for the time slot---and even further with the inclusion of interviews. The first special featured the Danny thomas episode, Tallulah and an extremely (and mercifully) short version of Milton Berle. Lucie Arnaz interviewed Danny. Lucy was still alive, but did not participate in any of the interviews unfortunately. As I recall, the Tallulah episode eliminated the 'rehearsal' scene, making some of the references in the actual performance strange to a first time viewer. However, they DID include this 16mm footage of the strawberry/hives reference and the video quality shiftly from 35mm to 16mm, but at least it was included. The first of these special got a lot of press. Eventually there were 3, spotlighting a total of 9 Comedy Hours. I don't remember which 4 were left out. The subsequent two were hosted by Betty White and Ann Jillian.

[HarryCarter]

The footage survived only on 16mm. The We Love Lucy series of syndicated 2 hour specials contained 3 1 hour originals cut down for the time slot---and even further with the inclusion of interviews. The first special featured the Danny thomas episode, Tallulah and an extremely (and mercifully) short version of Milton Berle. Lucie Arnaz interviewed Danny. Lucy was still alive, but did not participate in any of the interviews unfortunately. As I recall, the Tallulah episode eliminated the 'rehearsal' scene, making some of the references in the actual performance strange to a first time viewer. However, they DID include this 16mm footage of the strawberry/hives reference and the video quality shiftly from 35mm to 16mm, but at least it was included. The first of these special got a lot of press. Eventually there were 3, spotlighting a total of 9 Comedy Hours. I don't remember which 4 were left out. The subsequent two were hosted by Betty White and Ann Jillian.

 

The Ann Jillian episode was comprised of "Lucy Hunts Uranium," "Lucy Wins a Racehorse," and "Lucy Wants a Career." It had a money theme (the last episode was a bit of a stretch.) Betty's installment was "Lucy Goes to Sun Valley," "Lucy Goes to Alaska," and "The Ricardos Go to Japan." That would mean "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana, "Lucy Goes to Mexico," "Lucy's Summer Vacation," and "Lucy Meets the Mustache" were left out.

[C L A U D E]

The Ann Jillian episode was comprised of "Lucy Hunts Uranium," "Lucy Wins a Racehorse," and "Lucy Wants a Career." It had a money theme (the last episode was a bit of a stretch.) Betty's installment was "Lucy Goes to Sun Valley," "Lucy Goes to Alaska," and "The Ricardos Go to Japan." That would mean "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana, "Lucy Goes to Mexico," "Lucy's Summer Vacation," and "Lucy Meets the Mustache" were left out.

There you go, the least funny of the 13 by far.

[Neil]

There you go, the least funny of the 13 by far.

 

Claude, what do you mean by that? The 4 left out of "We Love Lucy" are the least funny? I don't think any of the hours is a total zero, but if I had to pick 4 to leave out I think they would be "Uranium" "Berle" "Moustace" and "Paul Douglas". The first three suffer from having no studio audience. "Berle" would certainly have been funnier with one, but the "Them There Days" is probably the worst "show" they ever put on. That'll teach them to be topical, lampooning the then-current TV western craze. The Milton/Mildred scene is funny but badly directed and edited with an overwhelming laugh track. The cement bucket thing doesn't work because of a) the obvious (now) use of doubles; b)the overhead shot of the street scene with what appears to be toy cars; and c) the notion that the cement bucket controller on responds to hand motions is ridiculous. "Moustache" is too bitter-sweet to be enjoyable. "Paul Douglas" should work but it just doesn't for me. He's not good enough. Arthur Godfrey who actually had this type of show would have been better. Lucy has done the drunk/drugged bit so much better many other times. I don't think "Summer Vacation" is as bad as the comments in the Lucy Book. You miss the Mertzes for sure. And the sinking boat scene probably looked better on paper, but it was so cheaply shot and clumsily directed it doesn't work as well as it should. But I think Howard and Ida are fine. The exclusion of "havana" from WLL is strange. Presenting the 75 minutes version could have been an event in itself fleshed out to two hours with interviews with Ann and Caesar both still alive at the time (not sure about Romero

You'd think because of the ratings that money would not have been an issue with these, but maybe Desi trying to save becuase now he had to answer to Desilu stockholders since it had gone public. Taking over the director position of the last three was a mistake. "Japan" could have been an "A" effort had it been tighter. Lucy's Geisha is hilarious, but "Tokyo Pete" stops the show in its tracks. I'm sure it's one of the only times actual Japanese heard their language with a Cuban accent. Lucy reaching into the tub for Bob Cumming's 'pearls'...wasn't that pretty risque for the time? The general level of guest stars is a far cry from the top stars they got for the Hollywood episodes. Why pay for the 1959 equivalent of the Burtons when you can get the Duffs for a third of the price?

[C L A U D E]

Claude, what do you mean by that? The 4 left out of "We Love Lucy" are the least funny? I don't think any of the hours is a total zero, but if I had to pick 4 to leave out I think they would be "Uranium" "Berle" "Moustace" and "Paul Douglas". The first three suffer from having no studio audience. "Berle" would certainly have been funnier with one, but the "Them There Days" is probably the worst "show" they ever put on. That'll teach them to be topical, lampooning the then-current TV western craze. The Milton/Mildred scene is funny but badly directed and edited with an overwhelming laugh track. The cement bucket thing doesn't work because of a) the obvious (now) use of doubles; b)the overhead shot of the street scene with what appears to be toy cars; and c) the notion that the cement bucket controller on responds to hand motions is ridiculous. "Moustache" is too bitter-sweet to be enjoyable. "Paul Douglas" should work but it just doesn't for me. He's not good enough. Arthur Godfrey who actually had this type of show would have been better. Lucy has done the drunk/drugged bit so much better many other times. I don't think "Summer Vacation" is as bad as the comments in the Lucy Book. You miss the Mertzes for sure. And the sinking boat scene probably looked better on paper, but it was so cheaply shot and clumsily directed it doesn't work as well as it should. But I think Howard and Ida are fine. The exclusion of "havana" from WLL is strange. Presenting the 75 minutes version could have been an event in itself fleshed out to two hours with interviews with Ann and Caesar both still alive at the time (not sure about Romero

You'd think because of the ratings that money would not have been an issue with these, but maybe Desi trying to save becuase now he had to answer to Desilu stockholders since it had gone public. Taking over the director position of the last three was a mistake. "Japan" could have been an "A" effort had it been tighter. Lucy's Geisha is hilarious, but "Tokyo Pete" stops the show in its tracks. I'm sure it's one of the only times actual Japanese heard their language with a Cuban accent. Lucy reaching into the tub for Bob Cumming's 'pearls'...wasn't that pretty risque for the time? The general level of guest stars is a far cry from the top stars they got for the Hollywood episodes. Why pay for the 1959 equivalent of the Burtons when you can get the Duffs for a third of the price?

Your post is incredibly insightful, as always. We're talking personal opinion here, i think those four are the lousiest, i never liked the Lupino Duff one and the Mustache is too bittersweet as you stated. Cruise to Havana and Mexico are two more least faves of mine although Havana is saved by Sothern and Lucy together and a great story. I also agree that Berle's could have been a riot filmed in front of an audience and to this day, when i see those fake toy cars as you called them, i wince, and this after Desi inherited all that stock footage from RKO. And yes, the bathtub scene with Lucy reaching in there to get the pearls was way ahead of it's time and copied much later by Carol Burnett bathing Tim Conway.

[mikidiki]

Claude, what do you mean by that? The 4 left out of "We Love Lucy" are the least funny? I don't think any of the hours is a total zero, but if I had to pick 4 to leave out I think they would be "Uranium" "Berle" "Moustace" and "Paul Douglas". The first three suffer from having no studio audience. "Berle" would certainly have been funnier with one, but the "Them There Days" is probably the worst "show" they ever put on. That'll teach them to be topical, lampooning the then-current TV western craze. The Milton/Mildred scene is funny but badly directed and edited with an overwhelming laugh track. The cement bucket thing doesn't work because of a) the obvious (now) use of doubles; b)the overhead shot of the street scene with what appears to be toy cars; and c) the notion that the cement bucket controller on responds to hand motions is ridiculous. "Moustache" is too bitter-sweet to be enjoyable. "Paul Douglas" should work but it just doesn't for me. He's not good enough. Arthur Godfrey who actually had this type of show would have been better. Lucy has done the drunk/drugged bit so much better many other times. I don't think "Summer Vacation" is as bad as the comments in the Lucy Book. You miss the Mertzes for sure. And the sinking boat scene probably looked better on paper, but it was so cheaply shot and clumsily directed it doesn't work as well as it should. But I think Howard and Ida are fine. The exclusion of "havana" from WLL is strange. Presenting the 75 minutes version could have been an event in itself fleshed out to two hours with interviews with Ann and Caesar both still alive at the time (not sure about Romero

You'd think because of the ratings that money would not have been an issue with these, but maybe Desi trying to save becuase now he had to answer to Desilu stockholders since it had gone public. Taking over the director position of the last three was a mistake. "Japan" could have been an "A" effort had it been tighter. Lucy's Geisha is hilarious, but "Tokyo Pete" stops the show in its tracks. I'm sure it's one of the only times actual Japanese heard their language with a Cuban accent. Lucy reaching into the tub for Bob Cumming's 'pearls'...wasn't that pretty risque for the time? The general level of guest stars is a far cry from the top stars they got for the Hollywood episodes. Why pay for the 1959 equivalent of the Burtons when you can get the Duffs for a third of the price?

 

I COMPLETELY disagree with you on Moustache and Paul Douglas - I think they are BOTH excellent installments, especially Paul Douglas which in my opinion is a classic from start to finish! I agree with you about Uranium which I don't like and somewhat agree with you about Berle. I only think Moustache is bitter sweet because YOU know what was happening during that time. It's not obvious whilst watching it and anyone that wouldn't know of their relationship strain wouldn't think anything of it.

[C L A U D E]

I COMPLETELY disagree with you on Moustache and Paul Douglas - I think they are BOTH excellent installments, especially Paul Douglas which in my opinion is a classic from start to finish! I agree with you about Uranium which I don't like and somewhat agree with you about Berle. I only think Moustache is bitter sweet because YOU know what was happening during that time. It's not obvious whilst watching it and anyone that wouldn't know of their relationship strain wouldn't think anything of it.

No, even to someone who does not know what was happening behind the scenes, it's just not that funny. As for Paul Douglas, i used to not like it that much but have grown to love it for the waiting room scene where Lucy competes with the younger girls, that scene alone is worth an EMMY and at least the story was great.

[Mot Morenzi]

I don't think it was ever technically lost -- the missing pieces were included as part of the We Love Lucy repackaging of LDCH. Why they weren't included on the CBS DVD remains a mystery.

 

I'm personally glad the DVD only included the cut footage as supplements and didn't reinsert them directly into the episode. The quality switch is too jarring.

[Mot Morenzi]

At the time of the production of the Comedy Hour DVD set, CBS had a secondary source (either videotape or 16mm film - I think it was tape) of this missing footage available. However, if I recall correctly, the production team did not realize they had not re-inserted this footage of the dinner scene on the final version of the disc until fans notified CBS and the DVD producer after its official release. I don't believe CBS ever made a replacement disc with the extra footage available.

 

A few years earlier, a member of the Lucy Lounge forum noticed bits and pieces of footage were missing from the fourth season DVD set of I Love Lucy; he remembered specific missing dialogue way back from the show's original airing. Another member later notified Mr. Gregg Oppenheimer, the DVD producer, who went back into the archives of his father's 16mm film collection of episodes as they originally aired (commercials, openings, etc.). Gregg realized that CBS had actually removed these bits from the original Lucy 35mm master negatives when the show went into syndication. Gregg restored the bits of "lost" dialogue into the episodes using his father's complete 16mm prints, and a replacement DVD disc was subsequently issued by CBS.

 

That's not entirely correct. Yes, those snippets were cut by CBS after the original airing, and were included on the DVD reprint of season 4, disc 5, but they were NOT reinserted directly into the episodes. Most likely because the quality was significantly poorer than the rest of the episodes, and also it would've been cheaper just to remaster disc 5 and include them as supplements, rather than remaster all 4 discs with the episodes re-edited.

 

CBS did reinsert lost 16 mm footage into 1st season episodes of I Love Lucy, but the quality switch was noticeable, and I guess they decided against that for the remaining season releases.

[LucyImHome]

Exactly how much footage is missing from the Tallulah episode, on the LDCH release? AM i correct in understanding that this is the only footage from the original broadcasts of the entire series, that's completely missing? Why was it not included in the "extras"?

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Claude, what do you mean by that? The 4 left out of "We Love Lucy" are the least funny? I don't think any of the hours is a total zero, but if I had to pick 4 to leave out I think they would be "Uranium" "Berle" "Moustace" and "Paul Douglas". The first three suffer from having no studio audience. "Berle" would certainly have been funnier with one, but the "Them There Days" is probably the worst "show" they ever put on. That'll teach them to be topical, lampooning the then-current TV western craze. The Milton/Mildred scene is funny but badly directed and edited with an overwhelming laugh track. The cement bucket thing doesn't work because of a) the obvious (now) use of doubles; b)the overhead shot of the street scene with what appears to be toy cars; and c) the notion that the cement bucket controller on responds to hand motions is ridiculous. "Moustache" is too bitter-sweet to be enjoyable. "Paul Douglas" should work but it just doesn't for me. He's not good enough. Arthur Godfrey who actually had this type of show would have been better. Lucy has done the drunk/drugged bit so much better many other times. I don't think "Summer Vacation" is as bad as the comments in the Lucy Book. You miss the Mertzes for sure. And the sinking boat scene probably looked better on paper, but it was so cheaply shot and clumsily directed it doesn't work as well as it should. But I think Howard and Ida are fine. The exclusion of "havana" from WLL is strange. Presenting the 75 minutes version could have been an event in itself fleshed out to two hours with interviews with Ann and Caesar both still alive at the time (not sure about Romero

You'd think because of the ratings that money would not have been an issue with these, but maybe Desi trying to save becuase now he had to answer to Desilu stockholders since it had gone public. Taking over the director position of the last three was a mistake. "Japan" could have been an "A" effort had it been tighter. Lucy's Geisha is hilarious, but "Tokyo Pete" stops the show in its tracks. I'm sure it's one of the only times actual Japanese heard their language with a Cuban accent. Lucy reaching into the tub for Bob Cumming's 'pearls'...wasn't that pretty risque for the time? The general level of guest stars is a far cry from the top stars they got for the Hollywood episodes. Why pay for the 1959 equivalent of the Burtons when you can get the Duffs for a third of the price?

Well once again IMHO the notion of what's funny, best, etc. is totally subjective, i.e., I think "Career" is one of the funniest entries of the entire 13. BTW, "...Uranium" did have an audience except for the infamous car chase in the Vegas desert scenes.

[JoeySanJoaquin]

That's not entirely correct. Yes, those snippets were cut by CBS after the original airing, and were included on the DVD reprint of season 4, disc 5, but they were NOT reinserted directly into the episodes. Most likely because the quality was significantly poorer than the rest of the episodes, and also it would've been cheaper just to remaster disc 5 and include them as supplements, rather than remaster all 4 discs with the episodes re-edited.

 

CBS did reinsert lost 16 mm footage into 1st season episodes of I Love Lucy, but the quality switch was noticeable, and I guess they decided against that for the remaining season releases.

I vaguely recall this and would have to revisit that particular disc, so could you just share: was this particular to one episode or more than one? Which episode was it? Thanks for clarifying!

[Will]

I find the The Lucy Desi Comedy Hours do not hold up as well as I Love Lucy or the Lucy Show especially the Vivian years. I found the best were Lucy and Danny Thomas, Lucy and Red Skelton, Lucy Wants a Career. The other have their moments but I cannot find anything funny in Lucy's Summer Vacation. (I am from Vermont maybe I just find it unVermontish.) I think the Milton Berle one is horrible. The editing is bad, the story oldhat and the musical stupid. The last one is great for the last kiss, Edie's song, but it is a slower pace.