Whats one thing you hated about ILL?:(

Just one?

1. Some of Lucy's friends were really annoying.

2. The move to the country.

3. Spanking

4. Little Ricky was there...then he wasn't. He was at Mrs. Trumble's...again.

5. Some of the situations Lucy got into were just so unbelieveable that willing suspension of disbelief didn't work.

I don't think there was anything I hated but I did not like when they moved out of New York and into the country.

"Hated" is not the word I would use, but I will answer this in terms of "did not care for."

The top of the list, by far, would be that so many of the schemes-- usually Lucy's, of course-- are too outlandish, especially many of them from the first season. Imagine the cost and difficulty to adorn a small apartment with palms, fruit, decor like Cuba, and even a burro. And trashing the place with junk, live chickens, and ridiculous looking old longjohns and nightshirts on a clothesline. And Lucy probably would have landed in jail the time she got the girl who was to a dance number all tied up and gagged in the broom closet at the club.

Another thing that bugs me is how so often hyporcrisy is taken to be funny. We can probably all agree that hyporcrisy is a fact of life-- we all sometimes try to 'put our best foot forward' or go out of the way to keep from hurting someone's feelings. But I don't think it is really funny to be selfishly, viciously hypocritical, or to put an image before the public that is completely surreal... like when the reporter comes to do a story on Ricky and they are all dressed up and can't compliment each other enough; when the day before they were ungroomed and grouchy and zilching each other when the call came about the interview, which they insisted on having the next day. And the time Lucy is calling "Sylvia" to arrange a date for her, telling Ethel she is an ugly showoff, then on the phone she suddenly says, "Sylvia!--darling!" Or one of the worst was Lucy "crying wolf," getting Ricky home from business on a gross deception, just to feed her ego.

Related to the above paragraph is that the characters are sometimes just childish. Childishness is part of Lucy's makeup; to that extent it's OK. It seems ridiculous to me for Lucy and Ethel to start ripping each other's clothes apart on the TV show because they bought the same dress and each said she would take it back. And the Ricardos and the Mertzes sometimes try to outdo each other with spite; making more noise, turning off the water, refusing to approve a tenant to sublease the apartment... "Have a nice hot sticky summer!" The washing machine fiasco was funny, but it shows them all in a bad light.

Finally, and I'm sure this is the rule about sticoms, the characterizations and continuity change according to whatever the plot requires. Ethel drives a station wagon to be on hand in the ep where Ricky takes Lucy camping, then later she is supposed to have never driven before. After they get back from Hollywood, Ricky is a "big star," and people crowd around him and outside their apartment; then immediately he can go out in public and do normal things without fans bothering him after it's no longer a major plot element.

With all this said, I am aware (really) that ILL is a comedy and not supposed to be a soap opera. But the good character comedy and the reasonably believable setting are what I find most appealing about the show. I would still like it and laugh with it if they never went over the top with some of these things.

The thing I dislike most about the show isn't really about the show all exactly. It annoys me that everybody - documentaries, 'experts', publicity - make it seem that Lucille Ball was the only star - that she was the whole show. It's the same for certain other programmes too of course - People talk about how 'John Cleese was Monty Python' - despite the fact that he didn't like the format or the nuttiness of it, and couldn't leave quickly enough, but I digress! ILL was a group show, and wouldn't have been as good without Desi, or without William Frawley and Vivien Vance. Or without Jess Oppenheimer and all those other creative talents. It was not just Lucy. Not even close.

:wave:

Let's quote Desi on that, Lucy was 90% of the show, split the rest among cast crew director writers everybody else.

I liked all the ridiculous stunts they pulled, especially getting the burro into that apartment. I dont know, it was creative, I liked it.. maybe I am just weird. But tv doesnt have to have reality to it all the time does it? I mean it is entertainment after all and sometimes it doesnt have to make sense.

Originally posted by SPLAIN
Let's quote Desi on that, Lucy was 90% of the show, split the rest among cast crew director writers everybody else.

I always thought Desi was being too generous with that! Lucy's abilities with physical comedy gave the show its unique appeal, I think, but where would she have been without the writers? They must deserve more than a share of 10% of the credit!

Originally posted by Mickey
I always thought Desi was being too generous with that! Lucy's abilities with physical comedy gave the show its unique appeal, I think, but where would she have been without the writers? They must deserve more than a share of 10% of the credit!

I'm with you. ILL was NOT a one-woman show. If it weren't for the guys, there would have been no sanity at all.

And w/o the writers...Lucy'd be sitting on the stage doing nothing.

Originally posted by Mickey
Originally posted by SPLAIN


I always thought Desi was being too generous with that! Lucy's abilities with physical comedy gave the show its unique appeal, I think, but where would she have been without the writers? They must deserve more than a share of 10% of the credit!

I'd have to agree with you, too. Lucille was the star and the show would have flopped if anyone had even attempted to take the role of Lucy Ricardo, but look at her other shows. I never liked "The Lucy Show" nearly as much as ILL. It just wasn't the same without the guys, especially Desi. He brought so much to the show as Ricky and as executive producer.

I know, i know, but The Lucy show was good and so was Here's Lucy, i am getting copies from people and had really forgotten how great they were because of that old song,"nothing she ever did was as good as I Love Lucy". How could it be? It was the perfect meshing of the best writing, the best actress comedienne, the best straight man and supporting cast , yes, he was far too generous by giving her 90%, but he was also realistic enough to know it wasn't that far off as a comment.

Originally posted by SPLAIN
but The Lucy show was good

Not in my opinion it wasn't.

Dawsongirl, do you like anything Lucy is in? I haven't heard you say anything positive about her!

Only two more days, dawsongirl? Doesn't that mean you'll be graduating on a Sunday?

We'll have to have a party for you! :)

Originally posted by Mickey
Only two more days, dawsongirl? Doesn't that mean you'll be graduating on a Sunday?

We'll have to have a party for you! :)

Nah...I have two days next week. I graduate Saturday the 10th. :)

Originally posted by ARealLucyFan
Dawsongirl, do you like anything Lucy is in? I haven't heard you say anything positive about her!

Sure I do. I prefer her early film work to her later TV work, that's all. I like ILL. If it wasn't for that show, I wouldn't like half the shows I watch because they're all classic.

I didn't like their smoking so much. The other day I watched one where Lucy was pregnant and even though she wasnt smoking, Ricky was. And there was a cloud of second-hand smoke all around her. Of course, second-hand smoke wasn't even thought about in the 50s. Most of the time the smoking was not a part of the plot, but put in because Philip Morris was one of their sponsors. I know Lucy and Desi were heavy smokers in real life but geez, you didnt see any other 50s or 60s sitcom families smoking so much.
Also it kind of makes me cringe when I see Lucy duck when Ricky gets mad like he is going to hit her.
But having said this, I still find the comedy timing impeccable and still laugh at the same gags that I have seen for years. That show really is a masterpiece.

I don't like the ridiculous "disguises" that Lucy and Ethel would wear. The ones where it was obvious that it was Lucy and Ethel.

Like the hillbilly disguises, where Lucy wore the black pig-tail wig and had freckles painted on and teeth blacked out, and Ethel just wearing dumpy clothes and glasses and some kind of cap.

Suuuuuuurrrrrrre! There's no way that Ricky and Fred wouldn't recognize them. Heh!

That hillbilly disguise makes me laugh, when the boys don't recognise them at all. In the Cuba episode Lucy is sitting at a table, wearing a long coat and a huge hat, with her back to Ricky - and he still recognises her! But clearly a daft wig completely throws him off...

I agree about the smoking, especially when you consider how it probably contributed to all the stars' deaths. It catches our attention these days, but other shows, and especially films, were just as bad. There are some black and white actors that I've rarely seen without a cigarette. It makes us all frown to see Ricky smoking around Lucy when she's pregnant, but you're talking about an age when doctors would prescribe cigarettes (to pregnant women as well!) to aid relaxation, and, believe it or not, help cure respiratory problems!

But don't let's start up the wife beating argument again! :) Poor Ricky... Yes, he makes a move sometimes like he's going to hit her, but she beats the hell out of him far more often. And the poor guy's got enough to contend with anyway, living with Lucy. Can you imagine what that must be like?! :)

Originally posted by dawsongirl


Not in my opinion it wasn't.

I seem to recall you saying that you've seen very little of The Lucy Show, so how can you have an opinion of it? If you've never seen Lucy Carmichael donning a Kangaroo suit to deliver some important papers for her new boss, trying to put up a TV antenna with Viv, trying to play percussion and conduct the symphony at the same time, going out to the lake with Viv to take a ride in her leaky boat, hiding in a garbage can to watch Jerry's Little League baseball game, getting chased through the hospital in a wheelchair, trying to sabotage Viv's date with a student from art class, trying to conceal popcorn from the police under her dress, building a rumpus room with Viv, overdosing on tranquilizers trying to get Mrs. Mooney's ring off her finger, digging through dozens of chocolate cakes with Viv in search of her missing contact lense, trying to get inside the house via a trampoline, trying to stay awake while on a date with a music-loving doctor, taking singing lessons from Professor Gitterman, or many dozens of other examples, then you cannot possibly have any idea how good the show was.

I sometimes think How does Ricky put up with Lucys crazy antics. I would been divorced after the first few episodes.

Originally posted by Mickey
But don't let's start up the wife beating argument again! :) Poor Ricky... Yes, he makes a move sometimes like he's going to hit her, but she beats the hell out of him far more often. And the poor guy's got enough to contend with anyway, living with Lucy. Can you imagine what that must be like?! :)

:lol: :rotflmao:

Originally posted by JaneTVFan
I seem to recall you saying that you've seen very little of The Lucy Show, so how can you have an opinion of it? If you've never seen Lucy Carmichael donning a Kangaroo suit to deliver some important papers for her new boss, trying to put up a TV antenna with Viv, trying to play percussion and conduct the symphony at the same time, going out to the lake with Viv to take a ride in her leaky boat, hiding in a garbage can to watch Jerry's Little League baseball game, getting chased through the hospital in a wheelchair, trying to sabotage Viv's date with a student from art class, trying to conceal popcorn from the police under her dress, building a rumpus room with Viv, overdosing on tranquilizers trying to get Mrs. Mooney's ring off her finger, digging through dozens of chocolate cakes with Viv in search of her missing contact lense, trying to get inside the house via a trampoline, trying to stay awake while on a date with a music-loving doctor, taking singing lessons from Professor Gitterman, or many dozens of other examples, then you cannot possibly have any idea how good the show was.

Apparently I'm not allowed to have an opinion around here that doesn't match everyone else's. I've seen many episodes; I used to watch it on Nick at Nite. BUT I DON'T LIKE IT. Especially compared to ILL. I'm sorry that's not sitting well with people, but live with it.

Originally posted by dawsongirl


Apparently I'm not allowed to have an opinion around here that doesn't match everyone else's. I've seen many episodes; I used to watch it on Nick at Nite. BUT I DON'T LIKE IT. Especially compared to ILL. I'm sorry that's not sitting well with people, but live with it.

I'm not saying you're not entitled to your opinion. I agree that many episodes of the series really, really suck, particularly and mostly in those last three seasons. I'm just saying not to dismiss the series entirely because there are also many brilliant, hilarious episodes in the series and you'd be doing yourself a huge favor by watching for them. Some of those episodes are among the funniest television material I've ever seen in my life. And some of the others are among the worst I've ever seen, like the ones with Tennessee Ernie Ford, Frankie Avalon (stupid! stupid! stupid!), Wayne Newton, those chimpanzees, and that horrid Main Street U.S.A. two-parter (Ugh!).

Congrats dawsongirl to graduating.. I loved going to the parties and such after I graduated. I didnt get home until 5 in the morning from being out all night LOL. Just wanted to say congrats!

Here's my humble opinion of DawsonGirl. Pro and Con! When i heard she was moderator here, i thought, oh my God, that's like asking Bush to invite guests to a Hollywood fundraiser, you just know some people aren't going to be asked. She is opinionated and in my opinion needs a little rest from Lucy, BUT, like others here, me included, we say things the way we think and don't worry about the consequences, that's always better than gushing. And she's smart and knows what she's talking about, well, not about The Lucy show maybe, but usually she does. To keep comparing Lucy's later shows to I Love Lucy makes no sense, that show was the most popular of all time and is the only Tv show in the Tv Hall of Fame. But i agree with Jane, another very smart cookie here, who says that if you haven't seen the shows in a while, don't comment, look at them first and when you've recently seen the Antenna and the shower and dozens more, then you can dismiss them the way you do most other Lucy shows anyway, but give them a viewing first, you might be surprised. A friend just sent me 12 Here's Lucy shows and they were terrific, and i would rather watch them instead of chopped up I Love Lucy reruns on Tv Land, because they're better?, no, because i haven't seen them in decades, and have forgotten how good some of those were, i just got 26 more today and can't wait to get home to watch them, instead of rewatching that Lucy movie, that can wait, ok discuss. . .

Originally posted by Mickey
Originally posted by SPLAIN


I always thought Desi was being too generous with that! Lucy's abilities with physical comedy gave the show its unique appeal, I think, but where would she have been without the writers? They must deserve more than a share of 10% of the credit!

After the movie aired last night, our local CBS affiliate ran an old interview with Lucille Ball wherein she states that without the writers and the ensemble cast, the show would have been nothing. She recognized that she, herself, could not have carried the show and that the credit belonged to the creative staff and her co-stars. She was very humble about it. I was impressed. You can't really blame her husband, Desi, for giving her so much credit. She was a huge talent, but she knew where she fit in the grand scheme of things. Lolac :wave:

Originally posted by *ShortCake*
Congrats dawsongirl to graduating.. I loved going to the parties and such after I graduated. I didnt get home until 5 in the morning from being out all night LOL. Just wanted to say congrats!

Thank you! Cross my fingers that I passed my exams. :D

Originally posted by SPLAIN
Here's my humble opinion of DawsonGirl. Pro and Con! When i heard she was moderator here, i thought, oh my God, that's like asking Bush to invite guests to a Hollywood fundraiser, you just know some people aren't going to be asked. She is opinionated and in my opinion needs a little rest from Lucy...

:eek: I've never been like that. Usually because I was always the one sitting outside cursing the popular people. And yeah, I'm opinionated. Always have been, always will be. :D

And if you weren't, you'd be boring, and nobody wants that, so keep it up! The thing is i will take ANYTHING from a smart one who knows their Lucy stuff, but i take nothing from the ones that don't know anything! As for Lucy and the credit thing, she WAS the show, like the creator Jess Oppenheimer said also, take away any other element of the show, the writing, the co stars, the straight man, the show would have suffered, but if you took a way Lucy, there was no longer a great show, she WAS the show!

Some people mentioned the smoking thing in I Love Lucy. That bugged me too because they did it so much, but Philip Morris was their sponsor so they sort of had to. I mean, they wouldn't even let them say 'Lucky' for a period of time on the show because Lucky was a competing brand of cigarettes.
Oh, and I would've quoted this but I was too lazy to go back to the first page, lol. Someone said that smoking contributed to all of the stars deaths. I was just wondering if William Frawley or Vivian Vance smoked in real life. Because on the show, ILL, they were seen smoking very few times. And when the did smoke it was part of the bit. Like in the 'Equal Rights' episode when they were at the restaurant. Fred and Ricky didn't offer Lucy and Ethel a cigarette or a light so they had to do it themselves.