that the character Ricky Ricardo changed drastically by the second season. In the beginning, he treated Lucy more like an equal and the two looked like young lovebirds. Afterwards, he had 'matured' and became more authoritative, treating Lucy more like his child rather than his wife. It seems like he respected Little Ricky more than he did Lucy. Why do you think the writers did this?

I've never noticed Ricky treating Lucy like a child, excepting occasionally for when she's acting like one. I certainly never felt that he 'respected' little Ricky more. After all, little Ricky was hardly ever there! If the writers did as you suggest then I would imagine it was for comedy potential - certainly no hidden agendas about women's roles. But I think you're imagining things!

:)

Jess Oppenheimer came from Baby Snooks with Fanny Brice and wanted the father daughter relationship to illicit comedic possibilities. Also the reason fro the spanking, but please dun't go there!

They sometimes had that 'father- daughter' relationship which to me was a little:p as was LUCY calling RICKY "SIR"...that's aggravating. I couldn't see Ricky as a father figure or calling him 'SIR' everytime I was trying to hide something:mad:

50 years ago, there was a lot of that type of nonsense, although you have to admit that hearing her say Yes Sir is funnier than yes dear!

I dunt think it's funny CLAUDE because it puts the woman as submisive and unintelligent and naive. Dont tell me that every woman in the 50's was like that.Even though I clearly understand it was part of her character and it's supposed to make me laugh:rolleyes:

When she calls Desi 'sir' it's funny. It always sounds like a joke. Jeez, if she was honestly calling him sir, and honestly thinking of him as her lord and master, nobody would have found it funny even in the nineteen fifties!

Stop taking it all so seriously!

:crazy:

Didn't she had a bracelet made by DESI that said something like" My name is so and so in case Im lost return me to my master Desi ARNAZ?

Im not taking it seriously but as a woman it's my responsability :p

Then why are you sitting at home typing on a Lucy board, go out and get a job! LOL! It's your duty as a modern woman! LOL! Thank you Mickey, for once we totally agree. Why do people not realize that the show was done 50 years ago and stop analyzing everything to death. Amazing but true, that countries like Saudi Arabia banned the show because she wasn't suserviant enough to her hubby! At least tv shows have evolved since then, in Saudi Arabia, they should playe the show now because they think they still are in the 50's, they just don't realize they look like they're in the 1850's!

I agree with Claude and Mickey. I think we're overanalyzing the situation, and looking at it from a modern point of view. That was 50 years ago. And, like it has been said, it was written to be funny. If the writers actually wrote all the "Yes sirs" seriously, I'm sure no one would think it was funny. Also, if there was really some degrading message towards women in there, I'm sure Lucy herself would have something to say about it. But to my knowledge, she didn't...so obviously she thought it was all for fun, too. ;)

Yeah, I agree too, I don't think saying Sir makes you look unintellegent. It was just supposed to be funny.

After all, little Ricky was hardly ever there! and where the heck was he anyway? He was the quietest baby I ever saw! Stayed in his room 95% of the time.:lol:

Don't get Dawsongirl started on that again, it's the comedy thing again, not meant to be REAL LIFE! Oh and Lucy always prided herself on the fact that she taught Desi a lot about women, and although she was far from a woman's libber, she was way ahead of her time and never let social conventions get in the way, she did what she wanted all her life and said about herself that she was always so liberated that it wasn't funny!

Then forgive me for my lack of humor and over analysis to the matter. I just don't find the point of her calling him SIR; she could've said 'hun' or whatever else. I just stated my point of view and rest my case.:wave:

Hey Desilover, Seems like the spanking would bother you more, though. JMO:)

I would say they do to a certain extent and the same level

You see, it's like this, Yes Sir, is funny and Yes Hon is not, so being as it was a comedy show, they opted for the funnier, ah, never mind!:lol:

Maybe you could come up with an analogy like your LOSER one that could explain it better for us. :lol:

What's your opinion on that spanking thing anyway?;)

OH SHUTTENZEUP!:lol: You see she meant loser like somebody losing something they had worked hard to build up you see not in the sense of . . . Jim Belushi or anything like that.

Let's not get started on the spanking again...:lol:

Well, you see, he meant it like a father scolding his little girl and . . .

he was lucky no one called CPS on him ;)

Originally posted by SPLAIN
Well, you see, he meant it like a father scolding his little girl and . . .

It was 50 years ago, it was a comedy...

Oy vey! :lol:

:lol: It's like a bloody boomerang, isn't it. Every two months without fail, up comes the spanking issue!

She hit him a whole lot harder than he ever hit her! So there!

:)

Well I havent been here long enough to know that Mickey and where she hit him I bet it really hurts

Oh c'mon people! Don't even start this again lol! Stop complaining about how I Love Lucy was. It was perfect the way it was, it was just a show. I think it was hilarious how Ricky treated Lucy like that. It was different than everyday normal life. Like they always said, Lucy was Lucy. She needed that authority! lol!

And SPLAIN you're right! It's a comedy show guys! :lol:

Oh, and my opinion on the spanking issue:

HILARIOUS

Well I havent been here long enough to know that Mickey

I know that, DESIlover, and I'm not getting at you. It just amuses me that every so often, like clockwork, up it comes! "He spanked her! That's soooo wrong!"

:crazy:

It's funny. I actually looked at this issue from a different angle. I thought it had more to do with the stereotype of the controlling, Latin male rather than anything on women's rights. I thought that maybe Desi was worried about portraying negative images of his heritage on film but later on the writers convinced him that Ricky's behavior would be good for the comedy. Anyways, interesting points.

Leave it to you Mickey to post a line like that pertaining to Desi, UP IT COMES, I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING ELSE! LOL!:lol:

Well, a little innuendo never does any harm. :)

I agree, anything to make people laugh and forget the world around us!

Originally posted by Mickey
:lol: It's like a bloody boomerang, isn't it. Every two months without fail, up comes the spanking issue!

She hit him a whole lot harder than he ever hit her! So there!

:) Has it been 2 months already? And Splain brought it up first, so he's responsible for it this time. :lol:

You know Laura, that tape of yours could get lost in the mail! LOL!:lol: If i ever meet you in Jamestown, i might resort to spanking . . . new duds for the occasion, ah ah GOT YOU!

Originally posted by SPLAIN
You know Laura, that tape of yours could get lost in the mail! LOL!:lol: If i ever meet you in Jamestown, i might resort to spanking . . . new duds for the occasion, ah ah GOT YOU! Don't even joke! :eek: I don't get what you mean by new duds for the occasion????? I must be kind of slow today.

Well, there's a saying, get spanking new duds, meaning brand new and i made it look like i was going to say something about spanking you and then switched it to, ah never mind!

Oh yeah, I've heard that expression before. By the way, even if you see me in Jamestown, how would you know it was me??:lol: :lol: You might end up spanking the wrong person in your new duds and get in BIG trouble.

I have a question for you, who the heck started that spanking thing anyway? So i'll know who to keep away from when i get there!

You mean the very first comment, ever, or on this thread? Because at the risk of my tape being "lost" on this thread it was you.:lol:

Or wait, do you mean who started it by coming up for the idea of it for the I Love Lucy episode, because then it would be Jess Oppenheimer. :lol:

You know very well i mean who brought it up on a thread months ago!

Yeah well I never really minded the spanking that much and you guys are all like well "Lucy hit him harder" and stuff it was a hilarious show and that made it all the more funnier! I thought that when Lucy hit him it was funny because he would never know why she hit him, for instance like she had a dream that he left her for that other woman and she woke up and hit him with a pillow, yet he didnt know but she acted like he knew, it was PuRe FuNnY!! I dont think Lucy ever hit him hard as some of you said she did...I mean if someone can't take a hit from a pillow then come on...

A heavy, feather pillow (and they did tend all to be feather back then) can pack quite a punch - and she put a hell of a lot of force into it. The plot being a little too close to home perhaps! :) She hurls him about in The Girls Want To Go To A Nightclub, too. Watch carefully in some episodes. Either he was made out of rubber, or he was very patient! But you're right, it does make it funnier.

Yes, and wasn't that the whole point? It's called slapstick humor and it's supposed to LOOK like it hurts, she worked with the three Stooges, they must have given her some pointers.:lol:

A heavy, feather pillow (and they did tend all to be feather back then) can pack quite a punch - and she put a hell of a lot of force into it. That's true. I have a Martha Stewart Grandma pillow and it could do some damage. :mad:

Yeah, i hear it's because they're filled with old stock certificates though!

Originally posted by I'maDESIlover
Didn't she had a bracelet made by DESI that said something like" My name is so and so in case Im lost return me to my master Desi ARNAZ?

Im not taking it seriously but as a woman it's my responsability :p

That was totally ridiculous. Was she a lost puppy??

Originally posted by Lodee
and where the heck was he anyway? He was the quietest baby I ever saw! Stayed in his room 95% of the time.:lol:

Another case of "The baby didn't fit into the storyline so we just pretend it doesn't exist unless we need it."

:rolleyes:

Originally posted by SPLAIN
Don't get Dawsongirl started on that again

It's hard to leave it alone!

Originally posted by SPLAIN
Well, you see, he meant it like a father scolding his little girl and . . .

She was his wife, not his daughter. How twisted.

That is twisted! I mean he was treating her like his daughter in real life? Where did you find that story...that seems pretty cruel.

Now you all got it twisted. He didnt treated Lucy like that in real life; it wasLucy's character" inmature' and 'childish' behavior before having a baby that this 'spanking' thing was used. As everyone may have noticed this was taken out of the show eventually after she had the baby and 'matured'

Oh God, this again! Ok, foist of all, Jess Oppenheimer decided to have Ricky treat Lucy like a little girl BECAUSE he had decided to make the Lucy character more like the one he used to write before, Baby Snooks. Secondly, Dawsongirl, it was a COMEDY show, meant to be funny, so the kid was a plot device, it wasn't real life, unlike YOU, i found it annoying that she always had to impose on Ethel or Mrs T to babysit when she later had to continue her many schemes. LOL! Should they have shown her diapering the baby for half an hour each week? LOL!

They should have referred to the baby in each episode at least! Look at all those people who went out and had babies because they thought they were so quiet and self-sufficient. I don't think she diapered that baby one time!:lol:

If America couldn't deal with the word Pregnant at the time, i doubt they could have handled dirty diapers! LOL!

Remember the episode where Little Ricky put the shaving cream in the gun? That was a little odd. He never got in trouble much either, did he?

They just laughed about it. Ricky couldn't afford a gun safe?

He was a typical kid in the John Wayne footprint episode though! I love the story where the actor wouldn't do it and they begged him and later found out he didn't want to ruin his new shoes, so when Lucy promised him a new pair, he finally did trhe scene!

OH COME ON PEOPLE! LOL IT'S HILARIOUS. :lol:

Hilarious, snicker, or hilarious, rolling in the aisle?

I'm just being sarcastic Claude..it's funny how everybody makes such a big deal about it..*giggles*

The question shouldn't be "where did Little Ricky spend his day?", or "why didn't Little Ricky cry?", or "why did Lucy and Ricky bother having a kid if they were just going to leave him with neighbours all week, or with Lucy's mother for the best part of a year?". It should be "how the hell did they concieve the child in the first place?"! They either had separate beds, or the same bed with a very obvious line of demarcation thanks to separate sheets! The logistics alone...

:lol:

That's true, but i think the worst thing of all was not having a toilet in that bathroom we saw the ONE time. Maybe that's what clogged the dishwasher? And sarcasm is MY department, that's why i didn't recognize it in another person's post, LOL!

Originally posted by crazyredhead
I'm just being sarcastic Claude..it's funny how everybody makes such a big deal about it..*giggles* This from a person who said she was gonna die because she missed the first 10 seconds of the chocolate factory episode?:lol: :eek:

Oh, and they showed the bathroom twice!

Yeah, and I'm also the person who said: I'm just K-I-D-D-I-N-G! :crazy:

And I'm serious????????????

lol I dunno were you? ;) LOL but who said I was referring to you?? LOL AHA! guiltyyy! :lol:

That's true, but i think the worst thing of all was not having a toilet in that bathroom we saw the ONE time. Maybe that's what clogged the dishwasher? And sarcasm is MY department, that's why i didn't recognize it in another person's post, LOL!

LOL! Sorry Claude, I'll try to leave the sarcasm to you!

Okay, how's this "and we're serious????";)

LOL anyways, it doesn't matter! :crazy:

Why not just assume that whatever somebody says, they're joking?! Granted that could lead to confusion too, but at least then you won't all be so preoccupied about who's being sarcastic and who isn't... :)

Yeah, but then wouldn't we be just as preoccupied with whether they were joking or we just assumed they were? ~ Or were YOU just joking when you suggested we assume they're just joking. Well now I'm confused! :lol:

Remember that old chestnut, NEVER ASSUME, AS YO MAKE AN ASS OUT OF YOU AND ME. ASS U ME! The Odd Couple 1965!

Originally posted by SPLAIN
Remember that old chestnut, NEVER ASSUME, AS YO MAKE AN ASS OUT OF YOU AND ME. ASS U ME! The Odd Couple 1965!

LOL!! :lol: I think John Ritter used that once on "8 Simple Rules," too. :lol:

Thing is, when they did it in The Odd Couple it was funny - but nowadays these weird people who come in to offices to do talks and workshops and other *@*#! like that say it too, and they mean it so seriously. Dreadful, dreadful people like Ricky Gervais's character in The Office. :crazy:

That's why i can't watch Oprah anymore, she always sounds like she's preaching, and don't get me started on Dr Phil! Although finding out he was a Cher fan the other day really threw me for a a loop!

Dr. Phil likes Cher?...Dr. Phil? :lol:

Okay... assuming your Dr Phil is different to our Dr Phil!

(Nice, glasses, red hair, part time stand up comic).

Oh, sorry you don't have OUR Dr Phil over there yet? No, he's heavy set, yet preaches about dieting, bald and loves telling people off which sometimes comes off as very mean, but he is a doctor and has his good points, i just can't watch shows like his for too long, it depresses me!

But hearing him talk about how much he loved Cher humanized him to me and made me like him more!

imaDESIlover: "Now you all got it twisted. He didnt treated Lucy like that in real life; it wasLucy's character" inmature' and 'childish' behavior before having a baby that this 'spanking' thing was used. As everyone may have noticed this was taken out of the show eventually after she had the baby and 'matured'"

That not what I was talking about, I was talking about how dawsongirl said he made her bracelet saying "Incase lost or missing return to her master Desi Arnaz" <-- That was in real life apparently because it says DEsi Arnaz...his name was Ricky Ricardo on the show, that it why I thought he was treating her childlike in real life Jeeze

Lucy could handle something like that bracelet because she was a woman very sure of herself and back then men expected things like that from their women. But she was working and on her own at 15 and made money all her life and saved it to be independent and never having to depend on men for anything. She was way ahead of her time in feminism without feeling she had to beat the drum for female equality, she didn't have to, she lived it!

That's just the kind of inscription people put on jewellery as a joke. Man!

No, we don't get your Dr Phil. Ours is Phil Hammond, a GP who does medical programmes and the occasional comedy one. He and another doctor called Tony Gardner (now mostly an actor) have a comedy act called Struck Off And Die. They're cool. Tony G has a kids TV show called My Parents Are Aliens, which is seriously cool.

I think you can keep your Dr Phil (and Oprah too)!

That inscription was probably supposed to be F-U-N-N-Y!
Good Lawd! lol :lol:

Of course we know it was done as a joke, but she did have some habits that could be taken as being a real housewife from the fifties though. At parties, he was the one flying all over the place, she stayed in a corner and was quiet.

hehe yeah :)

Originally posted by SPLAIN
...but she did have some habits that could be taken as being a real housewife from the fifties though
Well, she was a real housewife from the fifties! We may want to change the way society treated various groups years ago, but 'tis all done and dusted. It does seem odd, though, that in her private life she could be like that, when as we all know, in her career she was so very different!

At parties, he was the one flying all over the place, she stayed in a corner and was quiet.
Maybe she was shy? Lots of people who act anything but on stage are actually very shy in reality. And you know, I'm not a fifties housewife, but at parties I stand in corners and keep quiet! :)

I understand, i'm extremely shy also. The reason i bounce of the walls on the boards is because nobody can see us. Yes, Lucy was shy, that's why they originally told her to go home and have babies at her first class in drama school, but you know what they say, when you want something really badly, you change and will do anything that needs to be done to get to your goal, and that's what she did.