TV Show Review: I Love Lucy - Season 1 Volume 5

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: 3 of the 4 episodes, especially "The Ballet"

Cons: "Lucy Writes a Play" is rather weak

The Bottom Line:

Things come together

As three of the episodes here

Are unsung classics

"Slowly I Turn"

Volume five of season 1 of I Love Lucy is the first truly great disc of the season. By this time, the elements are familiar to us. And they are becoming familiar to the writers, too. Over the previous 15 episodes, we've gotten to know Lucy and Ricky Ricardo (Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.) Despite Lucy's desire to get into show business, she stays at home while Ricky works in a nightclub. Their closest friends are also their land lords, Fred and Ethel Mertz (William Frawley and Vivian Vance.) For the first time, all four episodes on this disc all feature all four main characters.

"Lucy Fakes Illness" - When Ricky won't give Lucy a chance to get into his new show, she decides to develop a complex or three. But when Ricky learns the truth, he brings home an actor playing a doctor to treat her. This is classic stuff. Lucy is hilarious in all three of her complexes, and the final scene is the perfect climax.

"Lucy Writes a Play" - Lucy is writing a play for her women's league, but Ricky refuses to star in it. When Fred takes the part, Lucy switches the setting from Cuba to England. But a last minute switch sends Cuban Ricky onto a British stage. While entertaining, this is the weakest episode on this disc. There are some laughs, but it's all rather predictable.

"Breaking the Lease" - A night hanging out with friends turns into a feud when tempers flair. Now the Ricardos want to leave the Mertzes' building. But they signed a lease and they still have five months to go. Can they get out of it? Will they leave? While the climax of this one is never truly in question, the lengths that Lucy and Ricky go through to get out of the lease are very funny.

"The Ballet" - Ricky has another new act as his club. (Just how often does he change acts anyway?) This time, he needs a ballet dancer and a burlesque comic. Lucy tries both to get into the act. Her hopes are dashed until a last minute emergency makes an opening for her. But in which part? This is the first true classic of the series. While the other three are in it, this is Lucy's show. It's a showcase for her wonderful physical comedy. No matter how many times I see it, I laugh from start to finish.

This has always been Lucy's show, but the other three characters are beginning to come into their own. The writers are actually giving them funny lines, and the actors are delivering them. All four of the leads are wonderful, and the guest stars are great as well.

Yet again, we get a disc with decent extras. If you've seen the others, you know what to expect. We've got some mistakes from a couple of the episodes, scenes added back into "Lucy Fakes Illness," the original animated opening, behind the scenes trivia (including an explanation of a joke I missed from one of the episodes), and the episode of Lucy's radio show "My Favorite Husband" that inspired "Lucy Fakes Illness."

As wonderful as these episodes are, I only recommend this disc if you are a casual fan looking for something here. All these discs are now part of the complete first season set, and that's the best way to capture the laughs if you love Lucy.