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Lucille's Japanese Gardener Impression


Mot Morenzi

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Very well said!!

 

And yes, even I have to admit that her caricature is rather funny. In poor taste nowadays, perhaps, but funny. I don't believe for a minute Lucille was prejudiced against anybody.

 

Another reason I may feel about it the way I do is this: I read about that episode and someone's opinion that it was offensive before I ever saw it myself. Therefore, I went into viewing it with a predisposition to be offended by it. I think that played a major part in forming my opinion. True, I probably would've found it in bad taste regardless, but even I admit I laughed a little at it (but immediately felt kinda guilty!) It was more the shock value; I'd never seen Lucille do such an outrageous caricature before! So in that regard it's funny, but the subtext of the impression reminds me what era we're dealing with here and how much things have changed since then.

Stop going by jeffrey martin fiddelsticks' otherwise great Lucy book, some of his reviews are so unfair and especially the way he attacked her later work. The woman had to resort to constantly repeating herself because after five hundred tv shows and not to mention other appearances on other people's shows and specials, she had done everythng TWICE!

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Well said. And i miss Donna reed so much, i'd love to see those shows again, i grew up with those and i miss Cara Williams also, first unseen ut talked about on Pete and Gladys and then in the series itself which was written by Bob and Madelyn and Lucy once chided them for giving loads of great material to that other redhead, LOL!

 

Me too! Some cheesy label I've never heard of started to release Donna Reed Show on DVD but they must not have sold well enough, they seem to have stalled at Season 3 (of 8)!

Harumph! :lucyeww:

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Me too! Some cheesy label I've never heard of started to release Donna Reed Show on DVD but they must not have sold well enough, they seem to have stalled at Season 3 (of 8)!

Harumph! :lucyeww:

Not only did i love Donna but i also absolutely loved all four of the main characters on that series. But Donna was the heart most definitely.

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Stop going by jeffrey martin fiddelsticks' otherwise great Lucy book, some of his reviews are so unfair and especially the way he attacked her later work. The woman had to resort to constantly repeating herself because after five hundred tv shows and not to mention other appearances on other people's shows and specials, she had done everythng TWICE!

 

 

LOL, yeah, I hardly agreed with all of his reviews! But still, chronicling every single television appearance Lucille made is no small feat, and I have great respect for most of that book, too.

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Oy vey, now everyone thinks I'm a stuffy, overly PC prude. I'm not, seriously! Was merely curious how others thought her impression held up today, and wanted to share my view that there are a few elements of I Love Lucy that haven't aged well. So sorry if I made any tempers flare up! :lucydaze:

 

LOL No problems here, Im just chipping in my thoughts... don't do that much so feel flattered :HALKING:

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It just bewilders me how people who complain about her impersonation will watch movies full of sex, drugs, murder blah blah blah and not blink an eye-lid yet worry about a COMEDY show of a husband lovingly spanking his wife in maybe no more than a handful of episodes out of 170+ episodes!

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That's what EVERYBODY thought BACK THEN. AND she wasn't doing an impression, she was doing it the way it was written for her. :lucy2:

 

 

Yes, but I still find it hysterically funny. I found a lot of so-called offensive humour from the 60s and 70s funny then, and still find it funny now. British sitcoms like "Curry and Chips," "Till death us do part" and "Love thy Neighbour" are considered fairly racist today, but I still like them.

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Yes, but I still find it hysterically funny. I found a lot of so-called offensive humour from the 60s and 70s funny then, and still find it funny now. British sitcoms like "Curry and Chips," "Till death us do part" and "Love thy Neighbour" are considered fairly racist today, but I still like them.

Oh i agree with you totally, i find political correctness has drained all comedy out of everything. Then again, i still laugh at fat jokes.

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UH.. I like her gardener character and I like the the character in Here's Lucy when she works for the cleaner and Kim comes in... I think they are funny.. and I don't understand why some would take offense.. are some people offended by Flower Drum Song too?

 

The reason I asked is because I know that some others took offense at it. Of course, that was not the intention, but it is a reminder of how different times were and how such issues as race were frequently parodied back then. Nowadays, I find it displays ignorance and a mocking attitude of cultures we did not understand. I'm sure Ms. Ball meant no harm to the Asian community, but it's interesting that this particular characterization of hers is really the only thing she did that doesn't necessarily stand up well today.

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The reason I asked is because I know that some others took offense at it. Of course, that was not the intention, but it is a reminder of how different times were and how such issues as race were frequently parodied back then. Nowadays, I find it displays ignorance and a mocking attitude of cultures we did not understand. I'm sure Ms. Ball meant no harm to the Asian community, but it's interesting that this particular characterization of hers is really the only thing she did that doesn't necessarily stand up well today.

 

 

I agree totally.

I guess it goes to show how the country felt about the Japanese at the time.

Lucy, even years later, laughed at the idea of the Japanese Gardner jokes (Dick Cavett Show)

297466_118982761541036_100002879378676_95084_741110130_n.jpg

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I agree totally.

I guess it goes to show how the country felt about the Japanese at the time.

Lucy, even years later, laughed at the idea of the Japanese Gardner jokes (Dick Cavett Show)

297466_118982761541036_100002879378676_95084_741110130_n.jpg

It's the way some people still feel today as it was a funny skit on a comedy show, meant for laughs. I thought about this last night when a comedian was doing CHINESE shtick on SNL last night that was similar and this is 2011.

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