The Lucy Show: The Complete Series

The title says what it is different episodes of Lucy

Nothing like a classic; this is an awesome box set.

Just priceless! Haven't seen these in DECADES, maybe since first broadcast. Surprised at what I remember and what I don't! Maybe it's because I'm seeing these virtually fresh and without the familiarity of I Love Lucy, but I honestly think these are better and funnier. Lucy at her best. Lots of guest stars, some of whom younger folks would have to search up on that Gaggle thingy or whatever it is. I am amazed too at how intensely physical and athletic Lucy is! She does some amazing stunts herself -- the stilt-walking made my jaw drop! And as far as I can tell, no, it was NOT a stuntman. In a few episodes she masquerades as a stuntman in the movies -- "Ironman" Carmichael!!When Gale Gordon joins the cast in Season 3 as Mr. Mooney (probably his signature role), WOW! does the show take off! I never really appreciated him as a kid, but he IS a tremendous actor in his own right, master of the "slow burn", and swiveling from outraged to unctuous, depending on the company -- almost an early version of Basil Fawlty. His relationship with Lucy changes -- at first he is just the tightwad banker who keeps her from squandering her inheritance, but THEN when he becomes Lucy's boss at the bank -- oh my!With Season 4 (six altogether, btw), it becomes almost an entirely different series. Lucy moves to California, from suburban NY. ("Danfield" is, I believe, a crossup of the real towns Danbury and Fairfield, which are actually nearby in Connecticut.) Vivian does not accompany her. Vivian Bagley is a great foil to Lucy, basically the same as Ethel -- getting roped in to crazy escapades and getting Lucy's bacon out of the fire. It's really a shame she left the show. Lucy went through a few replacement sidekicks, but none have =quite= the chemistry Viv did. She does return for a couple of late episodes, though. The children all but disappear. Lucy starts meeting all kinds of movie stars. The guest star roster is a virtual Hollywood Who's Who. The humor shifts entirely to outrageous slapstick, losing the early home & family based sitcom humor of the early seasons. And through it all - Lucy & Co. make it work. I haven't been through all of them yet, not quite, but so far I think there's only one which gets a little too silly for my taste -- so silly in fact that I wondered if they were going to resolve it as all nothing but a dream. I won't mention it as I don't want to risk putting anyone else off of it. But close to perfect, and a must-have for any aficionado of good solid American tv humor. If this doesn't make you laugh - - well, check your pulse is all I'll say!

great

THE LUCY SHOW was Lucille Ball's successful follow-up to the cultural milestone that was I LOVE LUCY. It aired from 1962 to 1968 on CBS, and stayed in the Top 10 of the Nielsen ratings the entire time.The first B&W season of THE LUCY SHOW reads as something of an extension of I LOVE LUCY, as Lucy is joined once more by her old gal pal Vivian Vance as her on-screen partner. You can see a long, healthy relationship between the two women and they share multiple on-screen antics that every bit as enjoyable what they did as Lucy and Ethel. In this incarnation, they're Lucy and Viv (Vance requested her character be called Viv) and they have many more good comedy bits. I think of the duo putting up a TV antenna or trying to install a shower. Those two pieces are comedy gold.But there were changes made to THE LUCY SHOW after its first season. Season two saw the introduction of color (and these episodes are beautifully restored), a new opening title, and some more good Lucy and Viv bits. But Vance tired of the show, and instead of trying to accommodate her, the producers allowed her to phase her way out. Vance was gone as the full-time co-star after the third season. By this time, Gale Gordon (a well-respected comedic character actor) had been added to the show as Lucy's new boss named Mr. Mooney.Ann Sothern comes in for several episodes, playing an old friend of Lucy's named the Countess. Lucy and Ann had a friendship that went back years, and it was believed Sothern was going to take the vacancy Vance had left. Despite their friendship, however, Lucy didn't want to share star billing with Sothern, leading the possibly to fall through. Next there was Joan Blondell, a big movie star in the '30s and '40s, who played Lucy's new buddy, Joan Brenner, once she moved to Hollywood in the fourth season. Ball felt she had no chemistry with Blondell, and she loudly criticized her performance before the cast, crew, and live audience. After two episodes, Blondell refused to return. This led to Ball settling on long-time friend and frequent co-star Mary Jane Croft, who appeared in numerous I LOVE LUCY episodes. She came aboard as Mary Jane Lewis, a slightly daffy foil for Lucy who ran around with her without eyeing for the spotlight. She was retained until the end of THE LUCY SHOW.As you may have guessed, THE LUCY SHOW underwent multiple changes during its run. The biggest on-screen change was when Lucy moved to California in the fourth season. She starts working as Mr. Mooney's secretary at the bank, and there were few references to her former life in New York. Vivian Vance would return for infrequent guest spots, Mary Jane Croft took over the gal pal role on a recurring basis, while every other episode of the show became a backdrop for a celebrity guest star. These guest stars were audience pleasers, but they limited Lucy creatively. Her physical comedy went into decline, and critics tired of her show. Still, it is fun seeing the likes of Joan Crawford, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, and so many more bow to an uproar of audience applause when they appear on camera.THE LUCY SHOW is not as good as I LOVE LUCY. Everyone involved -- especially the producers -- were keenly aware that the successor was never going to outshine the original. Even so, THE LUCY SHOW dominated the Nielsen ratings in the 1960s, and ranked at #2 (just behind THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW) when it ended in 1968. The ending was something of a shock, owing to its popularity with audiences. Lucille Ball had acquired the rights to Desilu in 1963, but she sold the studio to Gulf+Western in 1968. While it was a smart financial move, Ball decided she didn't want to continue starring in THE LUCY SHOW anymore because she no longer owned it. As a result, she and her second husband, Gary Morton, formed Lucille Ball Productions and launched HERE'S LUCY in 1968.THE LUCY SHOW does have many classic Lucy moments up its sleeve, however, especially from the first trio of seasons when Vivian Vance was the co-star. The last three seasons get repetitive and weak, but there are still some good episodes to be had.These transfers for THE LUCY SHOW are practically flawless. The B&W touch-ups and color cleanings are beautiful. They read beautifully on any size TV. The audio is equally good.For a Lucy fan, this is a perfect collection.