Amazon.com video review:
If one thing served as Lucy Ricardo's holy
grail, it was her goal to be in show business. As the years on the
long-running series demonstrated, she didn't care whether it was
comedy or drama, dancing or singing, respectable or questionable. She
just wanted to be a part of celebrity. Eventually, she got her
wish. I Love Lucy may even have invented the importance and
promotion of the guest star and those celebrities' effect on
ratings. In her TV days, Lucy (Lucille Ball) met everyone from Bob
Hope to John Wayne, from William Holden to Harpo Marx. In "L.A. at
Last," Lucy, her husband Ricky (Desi Arnaz), and their friends Fred
and Ethel Mertz (William Frawley and Vivian Vance) have finally
reached Los Angeles after a long drive (and lots of adventure) from
New York. She gets her dearest desire after she heads out to the
legendary Brown Derby and sees Eve Arden and William Holden, who play
themselves. Someone gets a pie in the face, and it's hysterically
funny, despite how old that joke is. Holden's wife, along with the
spouses of Dean Martin, Gordon MacRae, Richard Carlson, Van Heflin,
and Forrest Tucker, are featured in "The Fashion Show," as is
couturier Don Loper. Lucy has an opportunity to join the celebrity
wives in a fashion show and she takes it, but she wants a slight tan
first. Lucy's resulting lobster skin--and Ball's impeccable
timing--are simply the funniest. --N.F. Mendoza
Amazon.com video review:
In "Lucy's Italian Movie," the wacky
redhead is on her (several-episodes-long) European vacation. In Rome,
she's discovered by a well-known Italian film director; he wants her
to star in his film Bitter Grapes. After years of longing to be
in show biz, Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) may get her big break. But,
in an attempt to affect the Method, with which she aspires to
completely become her character, she encounters a group of
wine-making Italian women. Yes, this is the episode in which she
stomps on the grapes.
Both that episode and "The Ballet" (which features her "Slowly I
Turned" routine) showcase Ball's physical comedic brilliance. Yes, she
could deliver a line like no one else, but she could also mug without
being too broad and could perform amazing physical feats. Even without
dialogue, she was hysterical. Ricky (Desi Arnaz) needs a ballerina and
a comic, which fuels Lucy's acting aspirations. She immediately
enrolls in a strict, conservative class--and fails miserably (though
hilariously). Then she opts for a burlesque instructor. When she's
actually hired, there is, as expected, a miscommunication. Supported
by a strong cast, Ball has here the opportunity to combine her comedic
abilities--much to audience's delight. --N.F. Mendoza
Amazon.com Essentials:
Lucy Ricardo wanted to act, to perform, to
sing, to dance. She wanted to be in show biz, period. And when an
opportunity arises for her to do a TV commercial, you bet she takes
it. If actress Lucille Ball repeatedly proved her brilliance at
physical comedy, there is no better example than the episode "Lucy
Does a TV Commercial." Lucy convinces her husband, bandleader Ricky
Ricardo (Desi Arnaz), to let her do a commercial during a TV variety
show. And so Lucy becomes the Vitameatavegamin girl--and does a darn
good job at it. The stuff tastes horrible, but she's a good sport,
downing spoonful after spoonful for repeated rehearsals. But by the
time the live commercial is to air, Lucy's drunk as a skunk. Turns out
that Vitameatavegamin is loaded with vitamins and
alcohol. "Lucy and the Loving Cup" is another fine example of Ball's
physical comedic talent. In this episode, when Ricky insults Lucy's
new hat, she shows him by donning a loving cup atop her
head. Not only does the cup get stuck there, but Ricky's set to
present the trophy to jockey Johnny Longden at a National Turf
Association dinner. Whatever was actually going on behind the scenes
between real-life husband and wife Ball and Arnaz, Lucy and Ricky's
marriage, despite the antics and disagreements, is always a happy one by the
end of an episode. These two shows are great examples of the tight
cast's talent, and great showcases of the hilarious dynamic between the
Ricardos. --N.F. Mendoza
Amazon.com video review:
As funny as Lucy (Lucille Ball), Ricky
(Desi Arnaz), Ethel (Vivian Vance), and Fred (William Frawley) were
during their lengthy stay in Hollywood, their "Adventures in Europe"
are equally hilarious and memorable. The episodes begin with Lucy and
Ethel scamming their way into a trip taken because Ricky's band will
perform abroad (Fred serves as the tour manager). Nothing comes easy
for the Ricardos and Mertzes, and both Lucy and Fred find
themselves in a bind when their birth certificates can't be found. The
planned excursion is also intimidating to Fred, who is prone to
seasickness. Lucy provides a cure, and then she gets sick--but
only after missing the ship.
Once in London, Lucy plots a scheme to meet the queen. Lucy then
inadvertently gets the gang invited to the country home of an
aristocrat whose daughter, Lucy fears, covets Ricky. Later, Lucy seeks
her roots and dreams of Ricky as a Scottish ancestor. In Paris, Lucy
may be conned, but she's simply divine battling her first
escargot. She also meets French idol Charles Boyer (who plays himself)
and dons what she thinks is a Parisian designer gown. And can the
Mertzes and Ricardos be in the Swiss Alps without an avalanche?
Don't bet on it. At a seedy joint in Florence, Lucy finds a creative
way to celebrate son Little Ricky's birthday and also gets offered a
movie role and stomps grapes. Somehow, the gang finds time to bicycle
from Italy to the French Riviera, where Lucy accidentally wins a bunch
of money. Eventually they return home, in a brilliant episode in
which Lucy disguises a 30-pound hunk of cheese as a
baby. --N.F. Mendoza
Amazon.com video review:
Here are two episodes, one from the early part of the series ("The
Freezer," episode 29) and one from
the later years ("Lucy and Superman," episode 166). The wacky
"Freezer" episode is an antics one, in which Lucy Ricardo (Lucille
Ball) and her best friend Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) have one of their
schemes to make money: this time Lucy has acquired a walk-in meat freezer,
plus two sides of beef. She and Ethel begin their own meat market,
competing with the local butcher. Needless to say, they run into trouble,
and in an effort to cover their tracks, Lucy gets locked in the freezer.
Just imagining Lucy as the human Popsicle brings a smile.
After Little Ricky's birth, Lucy was a devoted mother. Nevertheless,
she remained as zany as ever and got into just as many scrapes. In
"Lucy and Superman," Lucy is desperate to please her Superman-loving
son. In a scenario many mothers can relate to, a classmate is having
his birthday party on the same day as Little Ricky's. Lucy decides
that the best way to entice guests is to have Superman make an
appearance, but when the plan falls through, as these things often do,
she takes on the action hero's role herself. TV's Superman
star, George Reeves, guests.
These episodes are an interesting couplet. They may not share an obvious
theme, but they're both about Lucy hilariously scheming and covering up a
grandiose idea or boast. Both are familiar territory and employ a recurring
theme (effectively fresh each time) throughout the series' successful
run. --N.F. Mendoza
Amazon.com video review:
Many episodes of this beloved series
focused on either the relationship between Lucy (Lucille Ball) and
Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) or between best pals Lucy and her neighbor,
Ethel Mertz (the talented Vivian Vance). And sometimes it was Ricky
and Fred Mertz (William Frawley) versus their wives or, once in
awhile, the Ricardos versus the Mertzes. No worries, the shows always
end with a happy hug.
The most fervent I Love Lucy fans may cite, as a favorite, the
first episode on this tape, "Job Switching," in which Lucy and Ethel
challenge Ricky and Fred to a domestic role reversal. As the men toil
as homemakers, Lucy and Ethel find work at a candy factory. When the
shop supervisor explains the process of making and packaging the
candy, it seems simple enough, but the conveyor belt isn't working in
the gals' favor. Hilarious hijinks ensue. Also on this tape is "Lucy
Meets Bob Hope." By the time this episode (number 154) appeared, Lucy
Ricardo's reputation as a star-seeker and inadvertent troublemaker had
preceded her. So when Ricky hopes that Bob will appear at the opening
of his new club, Lucy sets out to smooth things over with the
celebrity. Knowing Lucy, misunderstandings abound, but this time they
work in her favor. This second episode is also notable because it
reunites Ball and Hope, who starred together in such movies as
Sorrowful Jones and Fancy Pants. --N.F. Mendoza
Amazon.com video review:
Real-life marrieds Lucille Ball and Desi
Arnaz captivated audiences with their antics as Lucy and Ricky
Ricardo. When Ball became pregnant (for the second time),
the couple incorporated it into the story line of I Love
Lucy. It seems precious now, but the episode's title, "Lucy Is
Enceinte," is a French allusion to Ball's expectant state (they
weren't allowed to say "pregnancy" on air). The episode is a comedy of
missed opportunities--Lucy simply can't get Ricky alone. Everything
thwarts her plans: the phone or neighbors or friends. Finally, she
comes up with a touchingly sweet idea, and it's a real charmer. "Lucy
Goes to the Hospital" is the cleverly plotted climax of the
seven-episode arc of the pending birth. Ricky, Lucy, and their best
friends and neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz (the delightful William
Frawley and Vivian Vance) have a well-organized plan to get Lucy to
the hospital as calmly and efficiently as possible. Naturally, mayhem
erupts at the actual moment. The touch of Ricky arriving at the
hospital in full tribal regalia is a stroke of brilliance. The episode
effectively uses the verbal and physical comedy the series was famous
for. Desi Arnaz Jr. was actually born on the day the show
aired. --N.F. Mendoza
Amazon.com video review:
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of I Love Lucy in
2001, this two-volume collection delivers exactly what it promises.
Decades after their original broadcasts, these 10 episodes are as fresh
and funny as ever, paying tribute to the timeless perfection of Lucy,
Desi Arnaz, and their longtime costars Vivian Vance and William
Frawley, whose appealing chemistry created comedic greatness and
television history. Lucille Ball herself claimed that "Lucy Does a T.V.
Commercial" (in which Lucy gets hilariously inebriated on
"Vitameatavegamin") was her crowning achievement, and who’s going to
argue? Or maybe you prefer Lucy and Harpo Marx recreating the legendary
mirror routine from Duck Soup. Or her star-struck encounter with
William Holden in Hollywood. That’s the blessing of this collection:
Five of the episodes come from I Love Lucy’s second season
(1952), but there’s not a clunker in the bunch. This is pure gold from
start to finish, setting the standard for every sitcom that followed.
Also included in this set is the bonus video American Masters
documentary, Finding Lucy, which chronicles Ball's journey to
becoming America's favorite redhead. --Jeff Shannon
