Snarky Oracle!
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Which must include all 13 installments of THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR, the proper epilogue to I LOVE LUCY.
Which must include all 13 installments of THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR, the proper epilogue to I LOVE LUCY.
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You know, I've never watched the hour-long LUCY-DESI episodes. I've seen them re-edited as half-hour episodes and retitled WE LOVE LUCY when Hallmark used to show them, but never in their original form.Which must include all 13 installments of THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR, the proper epilogue to I LOVE LUCY.
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And that's what probably should have happened originally: had the LUCY-DESI episodes divided into 26 half-hour segments and then added to the I LOVE LUCY syndication package (as apparently they've done now).
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Ok, I'm a little behind on my I LOVE LUCY binge. I didn't get the opportunity to start until this morning, but I got two episodes in the can.
Season 1
S1, E1 - "The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub"
S1, E2 - "Be a Pal"
It's been a long time since I've watched these early I LOVE LUCY episodes because, frankly, I don't find them quite as funny.
The first episode itself is actually quite shaky. The cast are trying to find their footing, and even the audience reactions seem a little different than what I remember from later episodes.
Fred and Ethel aren't bickering as much as one might would guess, but signs of their love-hate marriage is already there, especially in Fred's remarks about Ethel.
In the second episode, we're shown how Lucy will go to great lengths to salvage what she feels is stagnant marriage with Ricky. Laying aside the message that the woman has to do the changing to keep the man interested, there's some good comedy to be had here. The "Carmen Miranda" bit towards the end is funny, but one wonders where did they get all the "Cuban" decor?
Best episode: "Be a Pal"
Happy Viewing!
Season 1
S1, E1 - "The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub"
S1, E2 - "Be a Pal"
It's been a long time since I've watched these early I LOVE LUCY episodes because, frankly, I don't find them quite as funny.
The first episode itself is actually quite shaky. The cast are trying to find their footing, and even the audience reactions seem a little different than what I remember from later episodes.
Fred and Ethel aren't bickering as much as one might would guess, but signs of their love-hate marriage is already there, especially in Fred's remarks about Ethel.
In the second episode, we're shown how Lucy will go to great lengths to salvage what she feels is stagnant marriage with Ricky. Laying aside the message that the woman has to do the changing to keep the man interested, there's some good comedy to be had here. The "Carmen Miranda" bit towards the end is funny, but one wonders where did they get all the "Cuban" decor?
Best episode: "Be a Pal"
Happy Viewing!
ClassyCo
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Season 1
S1, E3 - "The Diet"
S1, E4 - "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her"
S1, E5 - "The Quiz Show"
I've gotten three more episodes in the can. I haven't been able to watch as often as I had planned, but I'm determined to get through the show, but without putting too much pressure on my viewing regime as to not tire of the show.
I'd argue the first season gets stronger as it goes along. The writing improves, the performances improve, the chemistry improves. I'm watching the show on Paramount+ and the prints are quite beautiful. Even on my small 6" cellphone, these B&W prints have been cleaned up nicely.
"The Diet" gives us the first glimpse at a starstruck Lucy, a characteristic that will stay with Lucille Ball's TV persona all the way through the end of HERE'S LUCY in 1974. The way Lucy is insistent that she hadn't gained an ounce since she and Ricky were married is funny, but I like how Ricky, Fred, and especially Ethel are relaxed in their poking fun at their own weight gain. People will probably argue that this episode sends mixed messages on body-shaming women, but it's all in good fun. It's all played for comedy, and we shouldn't take things so seriously. Lucy finally weasels her way into Ricky's show at the nightclub, and their performance together at the end isn't half bad. I could take or leave Desi Arnaz as a musical performer, but the Lucy-Desi duo is pretty good.
My wife's favorite episode of I LOVE LUCY (she's not a big fan overall) is "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her". I just learned recently that this was actually the first episode filmed once CBS gave the green-light to start filming episodes. The producers didn't feel it was strong enough to kick-start their show, so it was pushed back a few weeks. I haven't the slightest how or why they'd think that. This episode is quite simply hilarious. It's easily the best episode of the five I've watched so far. Lucy and Ethel have some funny bits together and even Ricky has a good funny moment or two. The outright hilarity in this episode cannot be hyped enough. Lucy has some good physical comedy bits, and there's even some good one-liners, too.
I originally had "The Quiz Show" confused with another episode of I LOVE LUCY, which might be included later in this first season. Frank Nelson is a marvelous character actor, and he's quite delightful as radio personality Freddie Fillmore. I like the general premise of Lucy being a mess when it comes to household budgeting (I can concur with Lucy that it ain't easy) and how the "Females Are Fabulous" radio show makes women do ludacris things for the sake of cash prizes. Hey, even I'd do some of it for money. The cash prize in this episode is $1000, which was a lot of money in 1951. I'd take that as a cash prize here in 2025 without complaint.
These early I LOVE LUCY episodes are more enjoyable than I honestly have given them credit for previously. I am thoroughly looking forward to breezing through this show and seeing what I might've missed before while just skimming the episodes.
Best Episode: "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her"
Happy Viewing!
S1, E3 - "The Diet"
S1, E4 - "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her"
S1, E5 - "The Quiz Show"
I've gotten three more episodes in the can. I haven't been able to watch as often as I had planned, but I'm determined to get through the show, but without putting too much pressure on my viewing regime as to not tire of the show.
I'd argue the first season gets stronger as it goes along. The writing improves, the performances improve, the chemistry improves. I'm watching the show on Paramount+ and the prints are quite beautiful. Even on my small 6" cellphone, these B&W prints have been cleaned up nicely.
"The Diet" gives us the first glimpse at a starstruck Lucy, a characteristic that will stay with Lucille Ball's TV persona all the way through the end of HERE'S LUCY in 1974. The way Lucy is insistent that she hadn't gained an ounce since she and Ricky were married is funny, but I like how Ricky, Fred, and especially Ethel are relaxed in their poking fun at their own weight gain. People will probably argue that this episode sends mixed messages on body-shaming women, but it's all in good fun. It's all played for comedy, and we shouldn't take things so seriously. Lucy finally weasels her way into Ricky's show at the nightclub, and their performance together at the end isn't half bad. I could take or leave Desi Arnaz as a musical performer, but the Lucy-Desi duo is pretty good.
My wife's favorite episode of I LOVE LUCY (she's not a big fan overall) is "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her". I just learned recently that this was actually the first episode filmed once CBS gave the green-light to start filming episodes. The producers didn't feel it was strong enough to kick-start their show, so it was pushed back a few weeks. I haven't the slightest how or why they'd think that. This episode is quite simply hilarious. It's easily the best episode of the five I've watched so far. Lucy and Ethel have some funny bits together and even Ricky has a good funny moment or two. The outright hilarity in this episode cannot be hyped enough. Lucy has some good physical comedy bits, and there's even some good one-liners, too.
I originally had "The Quiz Show" confused with another episode of I LOVE LUCY, which might be included later in this first season. Frank Nelson is a marvelous character actor, and he's quite delightful as radio personality Freddie Fillmore. I like the general premise of Lucy being a mess when it comes to household budgeting (I can concur with Lucy that it ain't easy) and how the "Females Are Fabulous" radio show makes women do ludacris things for the sake of cash prizes. Hey, even I'd do some of it for money. The cash prize in this episode is $1000, which was a lot of money in 1951. I'd take that as a cash prize here in 2025 without complaint.
These early I LOVE LUCY episodes are more enjoyable than I honestly have given them credit for previously. I am thoroughly looking forward to breezing through this show and seeing what I might've missed before while just skimming the episodes.
Best Episode: "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her"
Happy Viewing!
ClassyCo
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Season 1
S1, E6 - "The Audition"
S1, E7 - "The Seance"
S1, E8 - "Men Are Messy"
I finally got a few more in the can.
"The Audition" episode is, as many may already know, a remake of the unaired pilot which, in turn, as a filmed version of the Vaudeville-type show Lucy and Desi toured in to convince CBS that American audiences would embrace them as a couple on TV. It's a very good episode for the most part, and it introduces us to the series-long recurring storyline of Lucy trying endlessly to get a break in show business. Lucy's bit at the tail end of the episode dressed as a clown are quite funny, and I like the little nod they do in the very last scene when they reveal Lucy received a contract offer instead of Ricky.
"The Seance" and "Men Are Messy" are the two weakest episodes I've watched so far.
In the former, Lucy & Co. do a faux seance to impress this theatre producer (Jay Novello, who will be back for more guest appearances later) so he'll hire Ricky for one of his new shows. I don't like stories about seances, and I almost skipped this episode, but decided to watch it out of my commitment to watch all of I LOVE LUCY. I do like the little bit during the seance where Lucy and Fred think the other are actually voices "from the other side".
In the latter, we get a generic sitcom set-up of Men vs. Women. The men are dirty, the women are clean. That's the way it goes, or so this episode tells us. The ending is quite predictable with Lucy messing up a publicity photo shoot for Ricky with "Look" magazine.
Overall, these three episodes left me a little underwhelmed.
S1, E6 - "The Audition"
S1, E7 - "The Seance"
S1, E8 - "Men Are Messy"
I finally got a few more in the can.
"The Audition" episode is, as many may already know, a remake of the unaired pilot which, in turn, as a filmed version of the Vaudeville-type show Lucy and Desi toured in to convince CBS that American audiences would embrace them as a couple on TV. It's a very good episode for the most part, and it introduces us to the series-long recurring storyline of Lucy trying endlessly to get a break in show business. Lucy's bit at the tail end of the episode dressed as a clown are quite funny, and I like the little nod they do in the very last scene when they reveal Lucy received a contract offer instead of Ricky.
"The Seance" and "Men Are Messy" are the two weakest episodes I've watched so far.
In the former, Lucy & Co. do a faux seance to impress this theatre producer (Jay Novello, who will be back for more guest appearances later) so he'll hire Ricky for one of his new shows. I don't like stories about seances, and I almost skipped this episode, but decided to watch it out of my commitment to watch all of I LOVE LUCY. I do like the little bit during the seance where Lucy and Fred think the other are actually voices "from the other side".
In the latter, we get a generic sitcom set-up of Men vs. Women. The men are dirty, the women are clean. That's the way it goes, or so this episode tells us. The ending is quite predictable with Lucy messing up a publicity photo shoot for Ricky with "Look" magazine.
Overall, these three episodes left me a little underwhelmed.
ClassyCo
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Season 1
S1, E9 - "The Fur Coat"
S1, E10 - "Lucy Is Jealous of Girl Singer"
These were two very good episodes. I fondly remember the first one I watched today about the fur coat incident. I could've sworn it was a later-series episode, though. I hadn't any recollection of it being from Season 1.
It has some really funny bits in it. I laughed out loud when Lucy and Ricky are getting robbed and the robber tells Lucy he's going to shoot her if she doesn't give him the mink coat she's wearing. She pauses, lifts up the coat, and replies, "Go ahead and shoot!" It was too funny to me.
The second episode was the lesser of the two, but I still enjoyed it. I don't really like the Ricky-centric episodes that have to do with him performing, so I sometimes skim through his musical numbers. The episode title calls the girl in Ricky's show a "singer", but in the actual episode, she's a dancer. This was due to a late-in-the-day change, and nobody bothered to change the script I don't guess.
Two more solid, early series episodes.
S1, E9 - "The Fur Coat"
S1, E10 - "Lucy Is Jealous of Girl Singer"
These were two very good episodes. I fondly remember the first one I watched today about the fur coat incident. I could've sworn it was a later-series episode, though. I hadn't any recollection of it being from Season 1.
It has some really funny bits in it. I laughed out loud when Lucy and Ricky are getting robbed and the robber tells Lucy he's going to shoot her if she doesn't give him the mink coat she's wearing. She pauses, lifts up the coat, and replies, "Go ahead and shoot!" It was too funny to me.
The second episode was the lesser of the two, but I still enjoyed it. I don't really like the Ricky-centric episodes that have to do with him performing, so I sometimes skim through his musical numbers. The episode title calls the girl in Ricky's show a "singer", but in the actual episode, she's a dancer. This was due to a late-in-the-day change, and nobody bothered to change the script I don't guess.
Two more solid, early series episodes.
ClassyCo
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By the early 1970s, HERE'S LUCY might've been viewed as a dusty relic by its own network, CBS, especially in the face of such groundbreaking shows as MARY TYLER MOORE and ALL IN THE FAMILY, but the ratings proved the American TV audience still loved Lucy.
HERE'S LUCY was in the Top 10 as late as 1972. When CBS cancelled a majority of its "old guard" TV shows in 1971, HERE'S LUCY placed #3 in the ratings, thanks in no small part to the Season 3 opener guest starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. One can assume that the healthy dose of celebrity guest stars helped the show maintain strong audience numbers as long as it did.
As late as 1974, when HERE'S LUCY finally ended after a six season run, the show had placed as high as #12 for the week.
So, as old-fashioned as Lucy might've been in a TV landscape making major strides in a new direction, she still drew a big audience. One can only imagine a loyalty of fans who rallied around the TV set to watch the Queen of American Television, who was, by 1974, like a member of their extended family. Lucy's twenty-three-year career on TV is practically unparalleled. Sure, the quality of her shows deteriorated with time, but audiences didn't seem to mind that the scripts were weak and repetitive.
Lucy was and is a legend.
HERE'S LUCY was in the Top 10 as late as 1972. When CBS cancelled a majority of its "old guard" TV shows in 1971, HERE'S LUCY placed #3 in the ratings, thanks in no small part to the Season 3 opener guest starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. One can assume that the healthy dose of celebrity guest stars helped the show maintain strong audience numbers as long as it did.
As late as 1974, when HERE'S LUCY finally ended after a six season run, the show had placed as high as #12 for the week.
So, as old-fashioned as Lucy might've been in a TV landscape making major strides in a new direction, she still drew a big audience. One can only imagine a loyalty of fans who rallied around the TV set to watch the Queen of American Television, who was, by 1974, like a member of their extended family. Lucy's twenty-three-year career on TV is practically unparalleled. Sure, the quality of her shows deteriorated with time, but audiences didn't seem to mind that the scripts were weak and repetitive.
Lucy was and is a legend.
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@Crimson said in The Lucy Thread: AKA Lucille Ball on Film discussion:
"I know it would have been a drastic change in their on screen interactions, but I could have seen Lucy & Gale playing husband & wife. I think their chemistry was much better together when he wasn't yelling at her."
And I said in response:
"It would've definitely been a change of pace. Perhaps that would've been a more serviceable idea for her ABC sitcom with Aaron Spelling in the late-'80s over a rehash of what she done so many times before.
For LIFE WITH LUCY (which that title could've been LUCY & GALE), they still could've ran a little hardware store in a small town. I've always liked the cozy feel of the little hardware store. They could've still been the Barkers (keeping in Lucy's tradition of having an "ar" surname) and they could've been a married couple. If they wanted to draw more humor out of the situation, they could've had Lucy and Gale be newlyweds --- both remarrying after the death of their spouse. Of course, there would be drama from their separate children and they'd have some quirky side characters helping them mind their store and perhaps other random characters, like mail men, neighbors, and so forth. Other comedy could've been taken from the fact that they had been given the hardware store as a wedding gift, and of course, it wasn't doing too well financially.
Still, the show might not have lasted, but I like toying with this idea."
I'm thinking about playing with this idea a little more, and fleshing out the concept of Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon being a married a couple in their 1986 sitcom return.
I'll be back when I write something up.
"I know it would have been a drastic change in their on screen interactions, but I could have seen Lucy & Gale playing husband & wife. I think their chemistry was much better together when he wasn't yelling at her."
And I said in response:
"It would've definitely been a change of pace. Perhaps that would've been a more serviceable idea for her ABC sitcom with Aaron Spelling in the late-'80s over a rehash of what she done so many times before.
For LIFE WITH LUCY (which that title could've been LUCY & GALE), they still could've ran a little hardware store in a small town. I've always liked the cozy feel of the little hardware store. They could've still been the Barkers (keeping in Lucy's tradition of having an "ar" surname) and they could've been a married couple. If they wanted to draw more humor out of the situation, they could've had Lucy and Gale be newlyweds --- both remarrying after the death of their spouse. Of course, there would be drama from their separate children and they'd have some quirky side characters helping them mind their store and perhaps other random characters, like mail men, neighbors, and so forth. Other comedy could've been taken from the fact that they had been given the hardware store as a wedding gift, and of course, it wasn't doing too well financially.
Still, the show might not have lasted, but I like toying with this idea."
I'm thinking about playing with this idea a little more, and fleshing out the concept of Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon being a married a couple in their 1986 sitcom return.
I'll be back when I write something up.
Mister Seagull
Telly Talk Member
A few more years and you'll be able to hit a couple of buttons on your computer and it will create a brand new I Love Lucy episode. Lucy might have three arms, though. Perhaps AI will figure out a way to make Life with Lucy funny.
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I want to try my best at giving LIFE WITH LUCY a premise that would've worked better than the one we got. I'd probably re-title the show TOGETHER AGAIN and make the show more of a romantic comedy rather than a straight sitcom trying to duplicate Ball's earlier successes. The key to my revision would be the chemistry between Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon, but dramatically changing their well-worn on-screen partnership into a romantic relationship instead of a boss-employee dynamic.
Here's what I'd do (and please pardon the randomness of this):
Lucille Cooper (a name paying homage to her MY FAVORITE HUSBAND character, Liz Cooper) marries her high school sweetheart, Curtis Barker (keeping the tradition of an "ar" surname), in a small, simple ceremony at a courthouse. This would be the opening scene of the new show. Two aging, high school sweethearts have rekindled their old feelings, both preparing to live out the remainder of their golden years in wedded bliss, following the passing of each of their spouses.
Lucille and Gale honeymoon, and then come back home to South Pasadena, California. Once back home, the two are lured into buying a small hardware store from local businessman Hugh Wallis (maybe cast some old-time comedian, like, say, Steve Allen for an episode or two). The two decide to sell their old homes, lease a small apartment, and run the hardware store together as they enjoy their semi-retirement.
This keeps Lucille and Curtis in the hardware, a primary setting for LIFE WITH LUCY that I like, and think could work if used properly. This would also keep hardware store worker, Leonard (still Donovan Scott, who I liked on the show), in the mix, most likely as a regular cast member.
In this make-believe version, however, Lucille would be a little wiser, and Curtis would be a little less grouchy. They're newlyweds after all, so there's got to be some lovey-dovey stuff going on in some capacity. They could have newlywed squabbles, sure, like learning to live together and sharing their space, but the outright hollering would be eliminated. Lucille could still be a bit of goofball, and Curtis could still drop his slow-burn one-liners. But let's modernize it some for the 1980s. Let this reworked show balance the middle ground between the family-friendly and the more adult-aimed sitcoms of the period. Maybe lean more into the maturity of the characters, as in their ages, but keep it on the cleaner side in terms of language and subject matter as to not alienate Ball's long-time fan-base.
Of course, Lucille and Curtis have children from their previous marriages. Curtis's son, Ted (still Larry Anderson because I thought he could've been good with the right material), works as an architect. He is already settled in South Pasadena as well, and he is supportive of his father's decision to remarry. Then there is Margo (I wouldn't keep Ann Dusenberry, but I haven't any idea who I'd re-cast this part with), who is Lucille's daughter. She decides to relocate to South Pasadena from San Francisco to keep an eye on her mother. Margo is worried that Lucille is making irrational decisions with her finances and lifestyle choices. In this incarnation, I would not have Ted and Margo be a couple. They would know one another, naturally, but further story could be drawn from their separate careers and romances. I'm also divided if I'd have Ted and Margo as regular cast members. With my reworking, they would probably work better as more recurring characters. I might let Ted be seen more as he is already rooted in South Pasadena but might rewrite it where Margo stays elsewhere in California and therefore isn't seen as often.
There would still be physical comedy in the show because it's Ball's forte, but I'd make that minimal. I'd push the focus more on the relationship between Lucille and Curtis as newlyweds and play with the romantic comedy angle instead.
Back at the apartment building where Lucille and Curtis live, they would have a neighbor named Audrey Manners (Audrey Meadows in a regular role). Audrey could be an old friend of Lucille's, and therefore she'd be quite familiar with Lucille and Curtis being high school sweethearts. Other side characters could be played by mainstays of Ball's long TV career, like Mary Jane Croft, Doris Singleton, Vanda Barra, and Carole Cook. I would really like to find a way to use Carol Burnett and Shirley Mitchell in the mix somewhere, too. Burnett, being a fan of Ball, just had to make an appearance, if only for an episode or two, and Mitchell could be a frenemy of Lucille's or maybe Curtis's sister-in-law from his first marriage. There could also be opportunities to possibly other old-time comedians, like Jack Benny, Jack Paar, Bob Hope, and I'm sure Ball could recruit some other old-time stars to appear in guest roles—but not as themselves, but as actual characters.
This reworking of the show would cause multiple drastic script rewrites to the thirteen episodes we got of LIFE WITH LUCY. If I get bored enough one day, or if I get the hankering to, I might just write-up some plots for potential episodes
of TOGETHER AGAIN.
Here's what I'd do (and please pardon the randomness of this):
Lucille Cooper (a name paying homage to her MY FAVORITE HUSBAND character, Liz Cooper) marries her high school sweetheart, Curtis Barker (keeping the tradition of an "ar" surname), in a small, simple ceremony at a courthouse. This would be the opening scene of the new show. Two aging, high school sweethearts have rekindled their old feelings, both preparing to live out the remainder of their golden years in wedded bliss, following the passing of each of their spouses.
Lucille and Gale honeymoon, and then come back home to South Pasadena, California. Once back home, the two are lured into buying a small hardware store from local businessman Hugh Wallis (maybe cast some old-time comedian, like, say, Steve Allen for an episode or two). The two decide to sell their old homes, lease a small apartment, and run the hardware store together as they enjoy their semi-retirement.
This keeps Lucille and Curtis in the hardware, a primary setting for LIFE WITH LUCY that I like, and think could work if used properly. This would also keep hardware store worker, Leonard (still Donovan Scott, who I liked on the show), in the mix, most likely as a regular cast member.
In this make-believe version, however, Lucille would be a little wiser, and Curtis would be a little less grouchy. They're newlyweds after all, so there's got to be some lovey-dovey stuff going on in some capacity. They could have newlywed squabbles, sure, like learning to live together and sharing their space, but the outright hollering would be eliminated. Lucille could still be a bit of goofball, and Curtis could still drop his slow-burn one-liners. But let's modernize it some for the 1980s. Let this reworked show balance the middle ground between the family-friendly and the more adult-aimed sitcoms of the period. Maybe lean more into the maturity of the characters, as in their ages, but keep it on the cleaner side in terms of language and subject matter as to not alienate Ball's long-time fan-base.
Of course, Lucille and Curtis have children from their previous marriages. Curtis's son, Ted (still Larry Anderson because I thought he could've been good with the right material), works as an architect. He is already settled in South Pasadena as well, and he is supportive of his father's decision to remarry. Then there is Margo (I wouldn't keep Ann Dusenberry, but I haven't any idea who I'd re-cast this part with), who is Lucille's daughter. She decides to relocate to South Pasadena from San Francisco to keep an eye on her mother. Margo is worried that Lucille is making irrational decisions with her finances and lifestyle choices. In this incarnation, I would not have Ted and Margo be a couple. They would know one another, naturally, but further story could be drawn from their separate careers and romances. I'm also divided if I'd have Ted and Margo as regular cast members. With my reworking, they would probably work better as more recurring characters. I might let Ted be seen more as he is already rooted in South Pasadena but might rewrite it where Margo stays elsewhere in California and therefore isn't seen as often.
There would still be physical comedy in the show because it's Ball's forte, but I'd make that minimal. I'd push the focus more on the relationship between Lucille and Curtis as newlyweds and play with the romantic comedy angle instead.
Back at the apartment building where Lucille and Curtis live, they would have a neighbor named Audrey Manners (Audrey Meadows in a regular role). Audrey could be an old friend of Lucille's, and therefore she'd be quite familiar with Lucille and Curtis being high school sweethearts. Other side characters could be played by mainstays of Ball's long TV career, like Mary Jane Croft, Doris Singleton, Vanda Barra, and Carole Cook. I would really like to find a way to use Carol Burnett and Shirley Mitchell in the mix somewhere, too. Burnett, being a fan of Ball, just had to make an appearance, if only for an episode or two, and Mitchell could be a frenemy of Lucille's or maybe Curtis's sister-in-law from his first marriage. There could also be opportunities to possibly other old-time comedians, like Jack Benny, Jack Paar, Bob Hope, and I'm sure Ball could recruit some other old-time stars to appear in guest roles—but not as themselves, but as actual characters.
This reworking of the show would cause multiple drastic script rewrites to the thirteen episodes we got of LIFE WITH LUCY. If I get bored enough one day, or if I get the hankering to, I might just write-up some plots for potential episodes
of TOGETHER AGAIN.
Jock Ewing Fan
Telly Talk Star
No actress has ever equaled her comedy.
Okay so this week's episode of the Knots ladies podcast is really something to watch for "I love Lucy" fans. The guest of the week is Lucy & Desi's daughter who talks about the new book she's released based on the love letters that her parents wrote during the WW II.