Are these 2 shows basically the same? I know the comedy is because it's Lucy doing both. But to me, it seems like a colorized version of ILL only without Ricky and Fred. Maybe it's just me.

Are these 2 shows basically the same? I know the comedy is because it's Lucy doing both. But to me, it seems like a colorized version of ILL only without Ricky and Fred. Maybe it's just me.
I'd say only S1 of THE LUCY SHOW bears a strong resemblance to ILL in that both were filmed in B&W and had Desi Arnaz as executive producer. Also, the physical comedy stunts in TLS were never as funny or well-executed as they were in S1 (aside from a few exceptions).

When TLS switched to color and lost Desi's guidance in the second season, the connection wasn't as strong and strayed even further in S4 when Viv was gone and the Lucy character moved to Hollywood.

Are these 2 shows basically the same? I know the comedy is because it's Lucy doing both. But to me, it seems like a colorized version of ILL only without Ricky and Fred. Maybe it's just me.

While the first couple seasons share some obvious similarities with I Love Lucy, I'd argue that calling them "basically the same" is a misrepresentation of The Lucy Show.

The biggest glaring difference between them is what I call the consistency factor. Right from the start ILL was pretty well set in style, content, and quality. It was an overnight hit and under Desi's direction, they didn't deviate too much from the groundbreaking format they established. Sure, there are some episodes that aren't up to par with the others but overall the show was pretty tightly-knit from start to finish.

TLS is much more complicated. The format was constantly being tinkered with for one reason or another. The end result is a 6-season show that was virtually unrecognizable from it's beginnings by the time it ended. In addition to Desi leaving after the first season, most of the creative team left after the 2nd season and it became a revolving door of writers and staff personnel. Because of this the quality is all over the map with some of it being as good as anything from ILL (mostly the earlier seasons) and some of it being pure garbage.

Although Ball was with little or no question the single greatest star in the history of the American small screen,I always thought that due to her well known big ego,she failed to recognize the fact that no matter how beloved and revered such a figure might well be,sooner or later the creative well around their entertainment persona WILL run dry,as I believe it did even by the end of her original show.Despite continued big ratings,it's possible much of her sixties comedic meanderings were milking a dead cow.

Although Ball was with little or no question the single greatest star in the history of the American small screen,I always thought that due to her well known big ego,she failed to recognize the fact that no matter how beloved and revered such a figure might well be,sooner or later the creative well around their entertainment persona WILL run dry,as I believe it did even by the end of her original show.Despite continued big ratings,it's possible much of her sixties comedic meanderings were milking a dead cow.


Lucy can easily be argued the greatest comedienne ever, and certainly the best PHYSICAL comedienne. But greatest star ever? Not sure if there even is one. She certainly isn't greater than Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Barbra Streisand or Jimmy Stewart - to name a few. In fact, her straight acting was nothing to write home about. For years she was known as the queen of B movies. But I don't fault her for that. Where were the directors who FOR YEARS missed her comedic genius? Besides I.L.L., where Lucy SHINES, her greatness also comes from her drive and courage to crack a completely new medium, television, and trailblaze within it. To this day, I.L.L. is beamed across the world.

Sadly, she tried to recreate her masterpieces with efforts toward the end of her life and failed. I was sad when I heard how depressed this failure made her. So yes, I agree with you, the well can run dry, and sometimes you need to go out riding on a crest.

I thought the Lucy Show had a more tender feel to it. I loved her two shows from the 60s; they were fine shows even if they didn't have the fire of I.L.L.

Lucy can easily be argued the greatest comedienne ever, and certainly the best PHYSICAL comedienne. But greatest star ever? Not sure if there even is one. She certainly isn't greater than Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Barbra Streisand or Jimmy Stewart - to name a few.

Greatest star ever does not necessarily mean greatest actor ever. I think a very, very strong argument can be made that Lucille Ball was the greatest star ever. I don't know of another performing artist who was as enduring and beloved as she was. I Love Lucy can still be found regularly on television -- I can't remember a time when it wasn't available -- but it's little more difficult to come across a Bette Davis or Katharine Hepburn film. Young people today are probably more likely to recognize Lucille Ball than pretty much anyone else from that era. During the '50s, "Lucymania" swept the nation. But the country never experienced Bette-mania or Katharine-mania. They were certainly great box office stars, but people were not going crazy over them and treating them as not-to-be missed the way they were with Lucille Ball. When Lucy went into the hospital the week before her death, Cedars Sinai experienced the largest volume of flowers and get-well cards in its entire history. This is a hospital that has treated virtually every big name celebrity at some point. The outpouring of devotion for Lucille Ball was far greater than for anyone who had ever spent time there. I Love Lucy has endured more than any other TV show. Lucille Ball mistakenly felt the failure of Life with Lucy meant her fans no longer were interested in her. Hopefully, that outpouring in her last days made her realize they had turned away only from that show, not from her. And the fact that people are still talking about her 24 years after her death, and there are websites galore devoted to her, and virtually every TV show she made is available on DVD, all speaks volumes about her place in history and among the greatest of stars.

Greatest star ever does not necessarily mean greatest actor ever. I think a very, very strong argument can be made that Lucille Ball was the greatest star ever. I don't know of another performing artist who was as enduring and beloved as she was. I Love Lucy can still be found regularly on television -- I can't remember a time when it wasn't available -- but it's little more difficult to come across a Bette Davis or Katharine Hepburn film. Young people today are probably more likely to recognize Lucille Ball than pretty much anyone else from that era. During the '50s, "Lucymania" swept the nation. But the country never experienced Bette-mania or Katharine-mania. They were certainly great box office stars, but people were not going crazy over them and treating them as not-to-be missed the way they were with Lucille Ball. When Lucy went into the hospital the week before her death, Cedars Sinai experienced the largest volume of flowers and get-well cards in its entire history. This is a hospital that has treated virtually every big name celebrity at some point. The outpouring of devotion for Lucille Ball was far greater than for anyone who had ever spent time there. I Love Lucy has endured more than any other TV show. Lucille Ball mistakenly felt the failure of Life with Lucy meant her fans no longer were interested in her. Hopefully, that outpouring in her last days made her realize they had turned away only from that show, not from her. And the fact that people are still talking about her 24 years after her death, and there are websites galore devoted to her, and virtually every TV show she made is available on DVD, all speaks volumes about her place in history and among the greatest of stars.

I agree that greatest star ever doesn't mean greatest actor ever. And Lucy was clearly a super-star. Certainly her most ardent fans could argue she was the greatest star. But I don't agree. I just don't think there is a "greatest star". Please don't get me wrong - I love Lucille Ball and have the entire I.L.L., many eps of Here's Lucy and The Lucy Show and many of the movies she did with Desi. I think we all have stars that really touch us more than others. For me it was Bette Davis, who was as (or almost) as groundbreaking as Lucy.

I can understand why many might elect Lucy best star ever, but again, there's too much immense talent for me to pick just one. If I could pick a top ten (in no particular order) Lucy would definitely be in it. But for me there is no particular one I'd call "the best". My favorite superstar is Bette Davis, who, I think, was as admired and loved as Lucy. Nonetheless, Lucy rocked and I admired her on many levels.

And BTW, she had fantastic legs! Everyone in the 40's went gaga over Betty Grables's legs, but I thought Lucy's were better. Lucy was a stunningly beautiful woman up to her 60s. Just look at her in Yours, Mine and Ours!

I think there is a slight difference in Lucy in both shows.

Lucy Ricardo I think is a little more spiteful and combative, and a lot of her problems where results of her own doings.

I sorta thought felt sorry for Lucy Charmichael, it seems trouble followed her around.

I Love Lucy is more of a domestic sitcom, where in The Lucy Show she is a single mom with two kids. As The Lucy Show progressed, the kids were eventually dropped from the series and the focus was on Lucy & Viv, then Lucy & Gale Gordon after Viv left. Mary Jane Croft was a good replacement for Viv, she developed her own character and didn't try to be the same type of person like Viv was.

In I Love Lucy, Lucy's relationship with Desi seems mostly combative, kind of ironic for a show titled I Love Lucy. Desi's funny lines are when he has problems pronouncing the english language, but he and Lucy don't really seem to have a good on screen chemistry together. Maybe that's a reason why they divorced. Fred and Ethel Mertz are two of the best supporting characters in the history of TV, those two are what made the show click, without them I think the show would have been a failure. Lucy's brand of zany comedy was popular with the viewers, people tuned in week after week to see what mess she would get herself into next, but without the Mertzes in there mixing things up, Lucy's act would have gotten tiresome pretty quick.

Having said all that, I prefer The Lucy Show over I Love Lucy. Not that I dislike I Love Lucy, but to me The Lucy Show is overall a better production, the actors have better chemistry together, and there is a classy and professional look to it that is absent in I Love Lucy. I also think overall The Lucy Show episodes have better writing, there are a few clunkers as well but I Love Lucy also has it's share of weak episodes.

I think the one saving grace for The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy was Gale Gordon. What a tremendous straight man to all of Lucy's antics and nobody could "blow up" better than he could. I wonder how long the series would have continued after Vivian Vance left had Gale Gordon not been on it?

Lucy had better on screen chemistry with Gale Gordon than she did with Desi. I believe Lucy would have wanted Gale Gordon on The Lucy Show right from the start in season 1, but Gale Gordon was busy being Mr. Wilson in Dennis The Menace for the 62-63 season. After Dennis got cancelled, Gale Gordon signed on with The Lucy Show for season 2. I think The Lucy Show could have continued on as it was after the 6th season, but Lucy wanted to shake things up a bit, hence the change in format and title change to Here's Lucy. I have all 6 seasons of The Lucy Show on DVD, in my opinion it is Lucy's best sitcom. I Love Lucy and Here's Lucy are the types of shows I might watch once in a while if episodes air on TV, but I'm not interested to have them on DVD.

Lucy had better on screen chemistry with Gale Gordon than she did with Desi. I believe Lucy would have wanted Gale Gordon on The Lucy Show right from the start in season 1, but Gale Gordon was busy being Mr. Wilson in Dennis The Menace for the 62-63 season. After Dennis got cancelled, Gale Gordon signed on with The Lucy Show for season 2. I think The Lucy Show could have continued on as it was after the 6th season, but Lucy wanted to shake things up a bit, hence the change in format and title change to Here's Lucy. I have all 6 seasons of The Lucy Show on DVD, in my opinion it is Lucy's best sitcom. I Love Lucy and Here's Lucy are the types of shows I might watch once in a while if episodes air on TV, but I'm not interested to have them on DVD.

I have all seasons of I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, and Here's Lucy on DVD. Here's Lucy is special to me as it is the first Lucy I got to know via reruns on our local station weekdays at 5:30pm eons ago when local independent stations showed good stuff. I enjoy The Lucy Show very much and think Season Six is quite an improvement over Season Four and Season Five.

In I Love Lucy, Lucy's relationship with Desi seems mostly combative, kind of ironic for a show titled I Love Lucy. Desi's funny lines are when he has problems pronouncing the english language, but he and Lucy don't really seem to have a good on screen chemistry together. Maybe that's a reason why they divorced.

With all due respect, that's one of the strangest statements I've ever read here. I can't think of any two actors who had better on-screen chemistry than Lucy and Desi. That's always been one of the hallmarks of this show, the superb chemistry between them and all the players. That's what made I Love Lucy work and remain popular to this day. This is like the world of opposites: the sky is green, the president has blond hair and blue eyes, and Lucy and Desi did not have good on-screen chemistry.

Fred and Ethel Mertz are two of the best supporting characters in the history of TV, those two are what made the show click, without them I think the show would have been a failure.

I agree that the contributions of Vivian Vance and William Frawley were indispensable and helped elevate this show to classic status, but to say it would have been a failure without them is a bit extreme. After all, Lucille Ball's preceding radio series did not feature either Vance or Frawley, yet it was still a success. Perhaps the most famous episode of I Love Lucy is "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," which did not feature Vivian Vance at all, and not much of William Frawley. And Lucy and Desi had a blockbuster hit with "The Long, Long Trailer," often described as a long, long I Love Lucy, and it did not include either Vivian Vance or William Frawley. Nevertheless, people turned out in droves to see that movie knowing they were only getting Lucy and Desi. At the time it was MGM's highest grossing film ever (MGM had been around for 30 years at that point). If Lucy and Desi did not have good on-screen chemistry, all those millions of people wouldn't have been standing in line paying money to see them together.

Comparing ILL to the TLS is like comparing apples to oranges. Two totally different shows, and both are good in their own right.

With all due respect, that's one of the strangest statements I've ever read here. I can't think of any two actors who had better on-screen chemistry than Lucy and Desi. That's always been one of the hallmarks of this show, the superb chemistry between them and all the players. That's what made I Love Lucy work and remain popular to this day. This is like the world of opposites: the sky is green, the president has blond hair and blue eyes, and Lucy and Desi did not have good on-screen chemistry.



I agree that the contributions of Vivian Vance and William Frawley were indispensable and helped elevate this show to classic status, but to say it would have been a failure without them is a bit extreme. After all, Lucille Ball's preceding radio series did not feature either Vance or Frawley, yet it was still a success. Perhaps the most famous episode of I Love Lucy is "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," which did not feature Vivian Vance at all, and not much of William Frawley. And Lucy and Desi had a blockbuster hit with "The Long, Long Trailer," often described as a long, long I Love Lucy, and it did not include either Vivian Vance or William Frawley. Nevertheless, people turned out in droves to see that movie knowing they were only getting Lucy and Desi. At the time it was MGM's highest grossing film ever (MGM had been around for 30 years at that point). If Lucy and Desi did not have good on-screen chemistry, all those millions of people wouldn't have been standing in line paying money to see them together.

I have the movie The Long Long Trailer. I like the movie but it has no connection with the TV series I Love Lucy, so it wasn't necessary to cast the Mertzes in the movie. Just as they often were in I Love Lucy, in The Long Long Trailer Lucy and Desi are frequently at odds with each other. It was part of their act but perhaps this combative on screen relationship was a contributing factor causing them to break up. To me, Lucy and Desi's combative relationship on screen doesn't translate to good chemistry.

I Love Lucy has some good episodes, I've just always preferred The Lucy Show. Lucy does a tremendous job in The Lucy Show episodes, she's very funny and really gets a chance to shine not having to share scenes with Desi. In Here's Lucy, Lucy starts to show her age a bit and overall isn't as effective as she was in The Lucy Show.

I think that Oh Nuts brings up a pretty good point that also got me to thinking. Do to the fact that Lucy did so much TV for so many years, did she Typecast herself out of the movies? I mean Joan Crawford, once among the greatest actresses in the world, at one point couldn't get a movie part to save her life. It was the same for Vivian Leigh. Does anyone know if Lucy tried for a movie role after ILL, and if not, could she have even gotten one? I know she quit the movies so she could do something that would keep her close to Desi, hence "I Love Lucy" But during the mid 50s when she was doing ILL, Hollywood was changing. You had Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Marlon Brando, to name a few, that were coming up and most of the young people that went to movies, didn't want to see the classic stars anymore.

1954: Long, Long Trailer (one of the top-grossing films of the year)
1956: Forever Darling
1960: The Facts of Life (Golden Globe nomination for Lucille Ball)
1962: Critic's Choice
1968: Yours, Mine and Ours (#1 at the box office in April 1968 and one of the top-grossing films of the year)
1974: Mame (at the time, one of the most expensive films ever produced)
1985: Stone Pillow (television movie that was in the top ten the week it aired)

I have the movie The Long Long Trailer. I like the movie but it has no connection with the TV series I Love Lucy, so it wasn't necessary to cast the Mertzes in the movie.

The Long, Long Trailer was referred to at the time as a "long, long I Love Lucy." The characters of Nicky and Tacy Collini were clearly drawn from Ricky and Lucy Ricardo. The point is, that movie didn't need the Mertzes to be successful, and it proved that Lucy and Desi without Vivian and Bill were not a flop. That film was a success just as their vaudeville show had been a success. Would I Love Lucy be the classic it is without Vivian Vance and William Frawley? Probably not. But it wouldn 't have been a flop, either.

Just as they often were in I Love Lucy, in The Long Long Trailer Lucy and Desi are frequently at odds with each other. It was part of their act but perhaps this combative on screen relationship was a contributing factor causing them to break up.

Lucille Ball said that playing those characters were the best times for her during their marriage because she could at least pretend to be happily married. They were professional actors; they knew how to put personal feelings aside in order to get inside their characters. The marriage crumbled because of pressures from the business (Desilu), and issues that already existed long before I Love Lucy.


To me, Lucy and Desi's combative relationship on screen doesn't translate to good chemistry.

Their combative relationship onscreen was the way their characters were written. You are in a small minority of opinion with your suggestion that they didn't have good chemistry as performers.

The Long, Long Trailer was referred to at the time as a "long, long I Love Lucy." The characters of Nicky and Tacy Collini were clearly drawn from Ricky and Lucy Ricardo. The point is, that movie didn't need the Mertzes to be successful, and it proved that Lucy and Desi without Vivian and Bill were not a flop. That film was a success just as their vaudeville show had been a success. Would I Love Lucy be the classic it is without Vivian Vance and William Frawley? Probably not. But it wouldn 't have been a flop, either.



Lucille Ball said that playing those characters were the best times for her during their marriage because she could at least pretend to be happily married. They were professional actors; they knew how to put personal feelings aside in order to get inside their characters. The marriage crumbled because of pressures from the business (Desilu), and issues that already existed long before I Love Lucy.



Their combative relationship onscreen was the way their characters were written. You are in a small minority of opinion with your suggestion that they didn't have good chemistry as performers.

I'll agree that Lucy and Desi were paired well in The Long Long Trailer. They did have their good moments together in I Love Lucy, but overall I think Lucy had better chemistry with Gale Gordon in The Lucy Show. When Vivian Vance left the show towards the end of season 3, it put the series in a transition phase, Gale Gordon took on more of a prominent role, Mary Jane Croft was a good fit as well, making up for the absence of Viv.

I used to think that she was the SAME Lucy in both shows and that the Lucy Show was a follow up to IIL, lol

But anyway, I always got the impression that Lucy and Viv from TLS were younger than Lucy and Ethel from ILL. Viv seemed younger and more hip that Ethel.


If I recall correctly Lucy in TLS even stated her maiden name was Magillacuddy~sp~, even more so linking the shows.

I used to think that she was the SAME Lucy in both shows and that the Lucy Show was a follow up to IIL, lol

If I recall correctly Lucy in TLS even stated her maiden name was Magillacuddy~sp~, even more so linking the shows.


There was another link between the series:

Danny Thomas, playing his Make Room for Daddy character Danny Williams, appeared on an hour-long I Love Lucy in 1958.

In 1960, Andy Griffith guest-starred on Make Room for Daddy as Andrew Taylor. The character was spun off into The Andy Griffith Show that fall.

Jim Nabors appeared on The Andy Griffith Show as Gomer Pyle who later became a Marine and had a spin-off series Gomer Pyle, USMC.

Jim Nabors appeared on The Lucy Show as a Marine who was not identified but was clearly Gomer Pyle.

Therefore the characters Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carmichael both exist in the same TV universe.

I have to disagree with anyone who thinks The Lucy Show was anywhere near as good as I Love Lucy. ILL is considered a classic, still voted at or near the top of any survey of the great sitcoms. Who remembers TLS? Yes, it had great ratings at the time, but the quality was never there. Well, let me amend that. The first season wasn't bad. Just as you can remember great moments in ILL (Vitameatavegamin, the candy assembly line, the grape stomping, etc.), there are some good moments in TLS's first season (putting up the antenna, the bunk beds, fixing the shower). But whereas ILL had a great chemistry among the four leads, TLS was just sight gags. Gale Gordon was a good comic actor, but a little of him goes a long way.

And, no offense, but whoever said that Mary Jane Croft was as good a sidekick as Vivian Vance needs some SERIOUS therapy.

"The Lucy Show" had one, and eventually two strikes against it during its six-year run.

The first was the inevitable comparison between Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carmichael. As soon as TLS debuted, critic Judith Crist noted that "a decade of 'I Love Lucy' has so indissolubly wedded the images of Lucy and Ricky in our minds that watching Lucy without her dashing Desi, and with strange children, is like watching a remake of 'Gone With the Wind" without Rhett Butler" ("THE I LOVE LUCY BOOK," by Bart Andrews).

Also, when Lucille Ball sold Desilu Productions to Paramount Pictures in 1967, one of the conditions of the sale was that she had to abandon the rights to TLS and to the Lucy Carmichael character. Thus the format got jiggled into what became "Here's Lucy," with "little" Lucie and Desi, Jr., plus good old dependable Gale Gordon. So now you had comparisons among all three shows, and Imitation #2 was never as good as Imitation #1, which of course was never as good as ILL.

There was another link between the series:

Danny Thomas, playing his Make Room for Daddy character Danny Williams, appeared on an hour-long I Love Lucy in 1958.

In 1960, Andy Griffith guest-starred on Make Room for Daddy as Andrew Taylor. The character was spun off into The Andy Griffith Show that fall.

Jim Nabors appeared on The Andy Griffith Show as Gomer Pyle who later became a Marine and had a spin-off series Gomer Pyle, USMC.

Jim Nabors appeared on The Lucy Show as a Marine who was not identified but was clearly Gomer Pyle.

Therefore the characters Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carmichael both exist in the same TV universe.

The Lucy universe was even smaller than that. Danny Williams, who had two encounters with the Ricardos (besides the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode, "Lucy Makes Room for Danny," Lucy and Desi also guest starred on The Danny Thomas Show as the Ricardos), also had an encounter with Lucy Carter (Here's Lucy) when Lucille Ball guest-starred on Danny Thomas's 1970-71 series, Make Room for Granddaddy. In the plot of that episode, Lucy Carter and Kathy Williams were old friends. And of course the many celebrity encounters link all three Lucys. For example, at one time or another Milton Berle met Lucy Ricardo ("Milton Berle Hides Out at the Ricardos"), Lucy Carmichael ("Lucy Saves Milton Berle" and "Lucy Meets the Berles") and Lucy Carter ("Milton Berle Is the Life of the Party").

And, no offense, but whoever said that Mary Jane Croft was as good a sidekick as Vivian Vance needs some SERIOUS therapy.

This is one of the things that drives me crazy. Mary Jane Croft's role on the show was totally different than Vivian Vance's. For most of the time she was on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, her role was minor. She rarely figured into the main plot and was usually there just to help launch Lucy off into one of her adventures, which were almost always performed without Mary Jane. Mary Jane would usually appear early in the episode, then not be seen again, or might appear again very briefly at the end. She would not figure into the main comedy scene, which Lucy would instead perform with Gale Gordon or a guest star -- not with Mary Jane. Vivian Vance, on the other hand, was a true sidekick and was almost always right there alongside Lucy during the main comedy scenes. There were only a small handful of times that Mary Jane appeared in the main scenes.

After Vivian Vance left the show, Lucille Ball intentionally did not replace her. She commented that Vivian Vance could not be replaced so she would not even try to. And Mary Jane Croft was in no way meant to be a replacement for Vivian Vance. So comparing the two given their entirely different purposes on the show is grossly unfair.

The Lucy universe was even smaller than that. Danny Williams, who had two encounters with the Ricardos (besides the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode, "Lucy Makes Room for Danny," Lucy and Desi also guest starred on The Danny Thomas Show as the Ricardos), also had an encounter with Lucy Carter (Here's Lucy) when Lucille Ball guest-starred on Danny Thomas's 1970-71 series, Make Room for Granddaddy. In the plot of that episode, Lucy Carter and Kathy Williams were old friends. And of course the many celebrity encounters link all three Lucys. For example, at one time or another Milton Berle met Lucy Ricardo ("Milton Berle Hides Out at the Ricardos"), Lucy Carmichael ("Lucy Saves Milton Berle" and "Lucy Meets the Berles") and Lucy Carter ("Milton Berle Is the Life of the Party").

I am not as familiar with Here's Lucy or the Lucy Carter character. I didn't think of the celebrity appearances (which also include John Wayne). I remember Lucille Ball guest-starring on Make Room for Granddaddy but I didn't remember she had played the role of Lucy Carter. Incidentally, Milton Berle didn't seem to recall meeting Lucy Carmichael before on his second appearance on The Lucy Show. You would think she'd make a lasting impression.

I have a preference for shows from the 60's, along with the fact I just believe The Lucy Show is better than I Love Lucy. Color episodes aside, The Lucy Show is very pleasing to look at, some beautiful sets were designed for that show. I Love Lucy for the most part looks plain, drab and blase, sets were nothing special, but this was the 50's and TV was a new medium. And I never thought that the four main characters in I Love Lucy had such great chemistry together, they were OK but I never thought- wow these four people are superb together. And I never thought the script writing was that good either. A few scattered episodes here and there are funny, the comedy hour episode with Fred MacMurray is also funny, but overall I believe the script writers were in better form with The Lucy Show, it is funnier on a more consistent basis.

No one could completely fill the shoes of Vivian Vance, Lucy and Viv did work well together in The Lucy Show. But after Viv left, Mary Jane Croft joined the cast and did an admirable job. And can't forget about Gale Gordon, he was the perfect foil for Lucy, the two of them had some great scenes together.

And I never thought that the four main characters in I Love Lucy had such great chemistry together,

:crazy:

And I never thought the script writing was that good either. A few scattered episodes here and there are funny, the comedy hour episode with Fred MacMurray is also funny, but overall I believe the script writers were in better form with The Lucy Show, it is funnier on a more consistent basis.

:lol:

And the reason I Love Lucy (which is entirely in black and white) has never been off the air, but The Lucy Show (which is mostly in color) is rarely seen?

I Love Lucy[/I] (which is entirely in black and white) has never been off the air, but The Lucy Show (which is mostly in color) is rarely seen?

Whatever is most popluar with the masses is usually overrated. I Love Lucy is no exception.

The Lucy universe was even smaller than that. Danny Williams, who had two encounters with the Ricardos (besides the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episode, "Lucy Makes Room for Danny," Lucy and Desi also guest starred on The Danny Thomas Show as the Ricardos), also had an encounter with Lucy Carter (Here's Lucy) when Lucille Ball guest-starred on Danny Thomas's 1970-71 series, Make Room for Granddaddy. In the plot of that episode, Lucy Carter and Kathy Williams were old friends. And of course the many celebrity encounters link all three Lucys. For example, at one time or another Milton Berle met Lucy Ricardo ("Milton Berle Hides Out at the Ricardos"), Lucy Carmichael ("Lucy Saves Milton Berle" and "Lucy Meets the Berles") and Lucy Carter ("Milton Berle Is the Life of the Party").

On the other hand, one might look upon actors playing themselves as actors playing a character, a fictionalized version of themselves. Actors have done this for years (Jack Benny, Drew Carey, Jerry Seinfeld). In that sense the fictionalized John Wayne character that appeared on I Love Lucy may not be the same character as the fictionalized John Wayne that appeared on The Lucy Show. Or would say that Maude and Lucy are in the same universe since John Wayne appeared (as himself) on Maude as well?

Whatever is most popluar with the masses is usually overrated. I Love Lucy is no exception.

Overrated, when it's popular generation after generation, not only with the public but also critics? Give me break.

On the other hand, one might look upon actors playing themselves as actors playing a character, a fictionalized version of themselves. Actors have done this for years (Jack Benny, Drew Carey, Jerry Seinfeld). In that sense the fictionalized John Wayne character that appeared on I Love Lucy may not be the same character as the fictionalized John Wayne that appeared on The Lucy Show. Or would say that Maude and Lucy are in the same universe since John Wayne appeared (as himself) on Maude as well?

I'd like to think John Wayne on I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show is in the same universe as John Wayne on Maude, and imagine the kind of party that could be had if the host invited some people and asked them to invite a few people they know, and said their invitees could do the same. That way, Maude could invite the Bunkers (except Archie, of course :), and Edith could invite the Jeffersons. And, of course, Edith would bring Archie along anyway. Maude could also invite John Wayne who, as a favor to Mary Jane, invites Lucy Carmichael who then invites Mr. Mooney. And Mr. Wayne also invites the Ricardos who, in turn, invite Danny Williams and his family. And Danny invites Andy Taylor, who invites Aunt Bee, Opie, Barney and Gomer. And Gomer invites Sgt. Carter. Danny Williams' wife, Kathy, invites her old friend Lucy Carter, who brings along Uncle Harry and her kids and her friend, Mary Jane. And Lucy Carter also invites that bus driver she met once at Jack Benny's house, Ralph Kramden, who brings along his wife and the Nortons. Of course I would want this party to be televised so that I can see the three Lucys interacting with one another, the two Mary Janes interacting, and Mr. Mooney and Harry Carter as well. And Ralph Kramden chatting it up with Archie Bunker. And Maude trying to demonstrate to Ricky Ricardo just how much latinos mean to her, etc.

Overrated, when it's popular generation after generation, not only with the public but also critics? Give me break.

I Love Lucy isn't a bad show, but in my opinion it is overrated. A lot of long time popular things are overrated, it isn't just restricted to TV shows, it's the same with movies and music as well. Elvis Presley is overrated. The Beatles are overrated. The Rolling Stones are overrated. In my experience, it's the things that have more of a unique, cult following that happen to really be the best.

And I've never paid attention to critics. Critics don't know anything, they're not experts. I don't need a critic to tell me what I should or shouldn't like, I make up my own mind. Critics are people who are lucky to have a job where they are paid for their opinions, I don't listen to them. Same thing with all these awards shows. Awards shows are nothing but glamorized popularity contests, it doesn't mean what wins is best.

Are these 2 shows basically the same? I know the comedy is because it's Lucy doing both. But to me, it seems like a colorized version of ILL only without Ricky and Fred. Maybe it's just me.

Personally, I've always seen The Lucy Show as pretty much a sequel to I Love Lucy... unofficially of course, but it seems to fit.

Also, I remember The Lucy Show credits giving the statement that the series was based on a book "Live Without George"... anyone ever read that book or know rge story behind that?

Personally, I've always seen The Lucy Show as pretty much a sequel to I Love Lucy... unofficially of course, but it seems to fit.

Also, I remember The Lucy Show credits giving the statement that the series was based on a book "Live Without George"... anyone ever read that book or know rge story behind that?

Never read the book but I know the first couple seasons were loosely based on it, which deals with 2 divorcees living together and raising their kids (in the show Lucy is actually a widow). But after a couple years they had written out many of these characters for various reasons and the entire premise was different, now simply reduced to the lowest common denominator of Lucy getting into zany situations. By the time the show had ended it was virtually unrecognizable from the early seasons, which only had minimal ties to the book to begin with. Seeing the "based on" credit in the final seasons always makes me chuckle since it's apparently nothing like the book at all.

In all fairness, The Lucy Show was never meant to last. It was basically a bargaining chip for CBS to greenlight other Desilu projects at the time.

Never read the book but I know the first couple seasons were loosely based on it, which deals with 2 divorcees living together and raising their kids (in the show Lucy is actually a widow). But after a couple years they had written out many of these characters for various reasons and the entire premise was different, now simply reduced to the lowest common denominator of Lucy getting into zany situations. By the time the show had ended it was virtually unrecognizable from the early seasons, which only had minimal ties to the book to begin with. Seeing the "based on" credit in the final seasons always makes me chuckle since it's apparently nothing like the book at all.

I believe Vivian Bagley was the first regular character who was a divorced woman on TV or at least on a sitcom long before Lee Grant as Fay (anybody remember that one?) or Ann Romano on One Day at a Time in 1975.

Never read the book but I know the first couple seasons were loosely based on it, which deals with 2 divorcees living together and raising their kids (in the show Lucy is actually a widow). But after a couple years they had written out many of these characters for various reasons and the entire premise was different, now simply reduced to the lowest common denominator of Lucy getting into zany situations. By the time the show had ended it was virtually unrecognizable from the early seasons, which only had minimal ties to the book to begin with. Seeing the "based on" credit in the final seasons always makes me chuckle since it's apparently nothing like the book at all.

Have to agree with you, that's pretty much how the show played out during it's six season run. By the 2nd season, the kids were already beginning to be phased out and were given less to do. The 4th season is when the show really changed gears. Viv had left and Gale Gordon became "second banana". Mary Jane Croft joined the cast, and while her participation in the episodes may not have equaled Viv's, she did her best to fill the void after Viv's departure. I think the 4th and 5th seasons of the series are the weakest, they're not bad seasons but just not as good compared to seasons 1-3. Season 6 comes back a little and the show seems to have gotten itself back on track again, at least the series ended on an up note.

Greatest star ever does not necessarily mean greatest actor ever. I think a very, very strong argument can be made that Lucille Ball was the greatest star ever. I don't know of another performing artist who was as enduring and beloved as she was. I Love Lucy can still be found regularly on television -- I can't remember a time when it wasn't available -- but it's little more difficult to come across a Bette Davis or Katharine Hepburn film. Young people today are probably more likely to recognize Lucille Ball than pretty much anyone else from that era. During the '50s, "Lucymania" swept the nation. But the country never experienced Bette-mania or Katharine-mania. They were certainly great box office stars, but people were not going crazy over them and treating them as not-to-be missed the way they were with Lucille Ball. When Lucy went into the hospital the week before her death, Cedars Sinai experienced the largest volume of flowers and get-well cards in its entire history. This is a hospital that has treated virtually every big name celebrity at some point. The outpouring of devotion for Lucille Ball was far greater than for anyone who had ever spent time there. I Love Lucy has endured more than any other TV show. Lucille Ball mistakenly felt the failure of Life with Lucy meant her fans no longer were interested in her. Hopefully, that outpouring in her last days made her realize they had turned away only from that show, not from her. And the fact that people are still talking about her 24 years after her death, and there are websites galore devoted to her, and virtually every TV show she made is available on DVD, all speaks volumes about her place in history and among the greatest of stars.

I don't think anyone on this board could have said it better, Little Ricky II. Well done.

I don't think anyone on this board could have said it better, Little Ricky II. Well done.

Thanks. :)