The Lucy Show: The Complete Series

Great old classic. Every episode of The Lucy Show. Great to get for your collection and watch if you need a good laugh.

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!

I am a huge Lucille Ball fan. I have had several surgeries over the years. My Mom was able to hook me into "I Love Lucy" during one of my rehabilitation periods post surgery. Lucy kept me laughing. A few years ago, I searched Lucy and found "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy." MeTV started playing sporadic "The Lucy Show" episodes. I was again, hooked. Now, I own the entire series. I have not seen every episode as MeTV did not play every episode. Lucy's daughter Lucie Arnaz describes the show best when saying, "The Lucy Show" is a continuation of "I Love Lucy" with a few changes. The show is a continuation in that "I Love Lucy" costar Vivian Vance returns to Lucy's side for three seasons and several guest appearances afterwards. While Lucy and Desi were divorced at the time, "The Lucy Show" first aired, Desi remained on set as producer of the show for the beginning episodes because he truly believed in Lucy's talents. While Desi is no longer starring alongside Lucy in any of her future work, his behind the scenes presence allowed the same chemistry which made "I Love Lucy" such a success, flow over into "The Lucy Show." After years of working with Desi, you could tell that Lucy stepped up and took charge. She obviously learned a ton from Desi, and those production techniques were also brought over into "Here's Lucy." Lucy and the cast mesh well together even if half has been removed after the third season. When Lucy is on TV, she is the only "movie star" (in her terms) which has allowed TV to be an escape. With other shows, they only capture your attention for a short while. When Lucy is on TV, I feel as if I am sitting on set watching it all take place. Each Lucille Ball show is stellar. A true actress and overall entertainer.

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