Carstairs Considers....: TV Show Review: I Love Lucy

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

TV Show Review: I Love Lucy - Season 1

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Timeless humor

Cons: Some weak early efforts

The Bottom Line:

Few weak episodes

But so many timeless laughs

I still love Lucy

Introducing Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred

I Love Lucy is loved by audiences around the world. That's saying something for a comedy that is over 60 years old. And with the first season set, you get to see how the laughs began.

Season one introduces the simple and familiar premise. Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) is a stay at home wife to Cuban band leader Ricky Ricardo (real life husband Desi Arnaz). Ricky wants his wife to stay out of show business so he can lead a normal life when he's at home. Naturally, this means that all Lucy can think about is getting her big break. Their best friends also own the apartment building the four of them live in in New York City. Fred and Ethel Mertz (William Frawley and Vivian Vance) live just down the hall and are constantly getting caught up in Lucy's schemes.

You see, life with Lucy is never boring. Whether she is planning to or not, she seems to get caught up in one misadventure after another. For example, when she desperately needs money to pay off some bills, she must pretend to have been married to someone else before she met Ricky. When Lucy tries to deliver a love note from a neighbor, the intended recipient thinks that Lucy loves him. A misunderstanding leads Lucy to go to Ricky's club as a burlesque comic instead of the ballet dancer he needs. Spying on the new neighbors proves dangerous when Lucy hears a plot aimed at the Ricardos. When Lucy tries to patch up a fight between Fred and Ethel, it's Lucy and Ricky who stop speaking. And when Lucy makes them late one time too many, Ricky puts her on a time schedule.

Of course, I am leaving out the signature episode of the season - "Lucy Does a TV Commercial." And if that doesn't mean anything to you, I have just one word for you. Vitameatavegamin. In this episode, Lucy schemes her way into plugging the sponsor's product on Ricky's TV show. Unfortunately, the product is 23% alcohol, and Lucy has to keep trying it as she rehearses before the show.

In many ways, this is a first season. What do I mean by that? I find many shows are weakest in their first year. The writers are still getting to know the characters, and the actors are doing the same. That is almost painfully obvious here. The writers had worked with Lucy on her radio show, "My Favorite Husband." As a result, they knew what she could do. And these episodes are often all about her with the other three characters just feeding her straight lines. Heck, Fred and Ethel are often little more then walk on parts in the early episodes, and one or the other is often missing. This produces some of the weakest episodes of the series. Of course, a week episodes of I Love Lucy can still prove to be quite funny.

Fortunately, things improve in the second half of the season. The other three characters start getting their fair share of the material, and it makes the show stronger. When I look over the list of episodes, I find many early favorites here, including most of the ones I highlighted above.

I do put the blame for the weak first half on the writers because the actors are all strong right from the start. True, they don't have their characters down yet, but it's close enough that it doesn't really matter. This was a talented cast, and they clicked right from the start.

The first season has had an interesting history on DVD. It was originally released on nine discs, with each disc being sold individually. Then, those nine discs were put together in a boxed set for an outrageously high price. Being the idiot I am, I bought that set. About a year later, they rereleased the set. This time, the material was on seven discs. It was also half the price (or better) and less than a quarter of the size. And yes, I bought this one, too.

And that's how I am qualified to tell you that, no matter which version you buy, you are getting exactly the same material. (Not that you can get the nine disc collection any more). This set starts with the "Lost Pilot." Originally created to sell the show to the networks, it wasn't aired until 1990. It's different from the regular series, for example, Fred and Ethel aren't in it. It was remade as one of the first season episodes, and it's interesting to see the comparisons. Anyway, the 35 regular episodes of the first season are here as well. That's right, you get 36 episodes in this set. The picture is fine, but not quite as sharp as the other sets (I've heard rumors it wasn't restored like the other seasons were, but I don't know that for sure). Still, it's better then any of the reruns you will find today. The sound is mono. While it won't blow you away, it gets the job done in keeping with the show.

But that's not all. The set is loaded with extras. They give you a brief biography (one or two paragraphs) on every one of the guest stars. They point out the "flubs" (mistakes that made it into the episodes). They've added back in footage cut for time or because it advertised original sponsor Phillip Morris. And some of those bits are very funny. We get the original animated opening (each episode does start with the familiar hearts on satin logo we know from reruns). There's behind the scenes pictures and trivia. And they give us 13 episodes of "My Favorite Husband" that inspired some of these early shows. (Frankly, these episodes helped shape my opinion about the writers and the first half of the season.)

Yeah, the first half may not be quite as classic as the rest of the show would be. But the second half more then makes up for it. I have seen these episodes countless times, and I still laugh myself silly every time I see them. So if you want some classic laughs, get the first season of I Love Lucy today.

Season 1 Episodes:

1. The Lost Pilot

2. The Girls Want to go to a Nightclub

3. Be a Pal

4. The Diet

5. Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her

6. The Quiz Show

7. The Audition

8. The Seance

9. Men are Messy

10. The Fur Coat

11. Lucy is Jealous of Girl Singer