"The Long, Long Trailer" is a thoroughly enjoyable "vehicle" for a nostalgic trip back to the talents of Desi and Lucy. Desi, eager to please, gives in to Lucy, as she dreams of, and schemes for, a life on wheels, only to find that soaring dreams can come crashing down to reality faster than rocks crashing down a mountainside. The result for the viewer is back and forth laughs and empathy.
The comedy centers on Desi and Lucy. But secondary characters are funny too. Marjorie Main is terrific as the too helpful mother hen. And the overly enthusiastic trailer brakes man is a hoot. "Trailer brakes first, trailer brakes first. These are your trailer blinker lights ... There's your trailer stop light. Now put your blinker lights on. Left. Right. Trailer brakes. Car brakes. Lights. Left. Right. Trailer brakes. Car brakes. OK, let's go". Funny stuff.
The film is mostly comedy, of course. But it also has tension. In the mountain scenes, cinematography and sound override script. Here, the visual perspective of depth and distance combine with sounds of falling rocks and screeching brakes to create a sense of apprehension. Truly, Director Vincente Minnelli knew how to make effective films.
Unlike the trailer, the film is somewhat lightweight. But there are times when you don't want to watch a movie with a ponderous plot or heavy-duty message with "meaning". Lucy and Desi's talent was comedy, not Shakespeare. "The Long, Long Trailer", fluff that it is, is good fluff. It is funny (dramatic too), absorbing, and cinematically well made. And with a breezy musical score, what more could you want?
