I Love Lucy Movie?

[ricardo/mertz]

Originally Posted by Screenwriter

Those two movies are documentaries.

Not necessarily parodies... because parodies poke fun. No, produce a respectful representation. With actors and actresses and crew members who respect the project. Gear it towards the die-hard fans. Because you can't go wrong with a project when a die hard fan gives two thumbs up. Respect. Respect these projects. That's all. Hollywood is going about it at the wrong way.

Now I could go for that if it were done respectfully.
Who do you think would make good I Love Lucy characters?

I think Ed Asner would make a good Fred Mertz.

[Screenwriter]

Originally Posted by ricardo/mertz

Now I could go for that if it were done respectfully.
Who do you think would make good I Love Lucy characters?

I think Ed Asner would make a good Fred Mertz.

Hmmm... that's a thought. Julia Roberts for Lucy.

[ricardo/mertz]

I never thought of Julia. For some reason Debra Messing reminds me of Lucy.

[Screenwriter]

Oh, please. Next you're going to say Ellen Degeneres for Ethel.

[Vita_Girl]

Ricardo/mertz,
I think both Julia and Debra would make a great choice. I can see either/or doing Lucy. I totally understand 'Now I could go for that if it were done respectfully." That was totally what I was shooting for when I started this topic. You put it exactly how I intended.

Screenwriter,
After reading through all of this I totally agree with what you meant. I took it the wrong way and I am sorry. I have a question though, what’s wrong with Ellen? I think she is very talented. I hate the fact she is gay but I look past that. She is facetious; she has something humorous to say about almost anything. I personally would not say she would make a good Ethel but that’s because Vivian just had something about her that Ellen does not have, I don’t know what it is...but she just does not have it.

**Vita_Girl**

[ricardo/mertz]

Originally Posted by Screenwriter

Oh, please. Next you're going to say Ellen Degeneres for Ethel.

Ellen as Ethel, NO WAY! I can't think of anyone to play Ethel.
Kelly Ripa's husband would make a good Ricky.

[JaneTVFan]

I think you're missing the point. Shows like Bewitched and The Beverly Hillbillies could pretty easily be remade into movies with other actors because those shows were created with a particular plot idea in mind, not specific actors. Someone decided to do a show about a witch who married a mortal, then searched for the best people to play those parts. I Love Lucy, on the other hand, was created specifically for the talents of Lucille Ball. It didn't start with someone deciding to created a show about a woman who wants to get into her bandleader husband's act over his objection, and then going out trying to cast the parts. Rather, the idea was to come up with a premise that was built around the talents of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the same way that The Honeymooners was built around Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, not the other way around. It would be an equally bad idea to remake that show. But a show like Gilligan's Island or The Partridge Family, no problem.

Your analogy of The Brady Bunch movies is not really on point because those movies were not so much a remake of the show as a parody of it. The Brady Bunch took itself too seriously, which is why doing a parody works. I Love Lucy never took itself seriously, and it's humor was already somewhat broad, so a two-hour parody might not hold up. Unless they turned it into a baldy, sexed-up parody going after the things that could never have been gotten away with on the show itself, like having Lucy and Ricky slide those two beds together and really go at it in a kiss -and-make-up scene after one of Lucy's escapades. Or actually taking us into the delivery room when Lucy's giving birth.

Originally Posted by Screenwriter

Yes. Free Speech. Damn straight. I'll stand by my free speech. And they'll by their free speech. Thank you.

I don't know where you people get this idea that once someone does it.... it cannot be done again by someone else. Ever heard of impressions? It's a vein of acting that is actually quite hard to achieve. Learning how to imitate one's style effortlessly by studying them. When they were doing the Brady Bunch movies, the actors watched the episodes and studied the characters. Now, considering how dated the Brady Bunch is... viewing an episode evokes a lot of laughter. More laughter than what was originally met back when it first aired. Why? Because the material and the construction of the material and everything else involved dates it. Who laughs at the kids singing one of their bubble gum songs? Did you laugh at the songs back when they were first sung?

People get the wrong impression when you approach these type of projects. Granting most of the movies are stupidly constructed, I believe so many people have so much respect for Lucille Ball that I don't think anyone would dare tamper. And if they did there would be a tremendous backlash from the fans. And the filmmakers involved would be ruined.

Yes, Lucille Ball is irreplacable. That's not the point. No one is trying to say, "since I am now the new Lucy Ricardo, Lucille Ball's contributions are obsolete."

That's not the point. I think you people need to think a little bit broader and have much more of an open mind about this particular genre of films.

[savy333]

I think a parody like they did with the Brady Bunch would be funny. If they got some really talented actors and actresses to play the parts it would be a hoot! I could see Jennifer Coolidge playing Ethel, I could see Rita Willson playing Lucy... it could be fun if it was a light parody and they didn't take themselves too seriously. Even though I love Lucy, it would still be fun to see a parody of all the insane unexplained things about the show.

[desilu90]

Well, I have yet to see the CBS movie "Lucy" when it was on... We had a tornado go threw so i spent my evening in the basement!!!

[Screenwriter]

Originally Posted by savy333

I think a parody like they did with the Brady Bunch would be funny. If they got some really talented actors and actresses to play the parts it would be a hoot! I could see Jennifer Coolidge playing Ethel, I could see Rita Willson playing Lucy... it could be fun if it was a light parody and they didn't take themselves too seriously. Even though I love Lucy, it would still be fun to see a parody of all the insane unexplained things about the show.

They did that on All That with Amanda Bynes.

No, they need to take the project very seriously. I would.

[ricardo/mertz]

Anne Heche as Ethel, I think younger pictures of Viv kind of look like Anne.

[barwars]

An "I Love Lucy" movie would never work. The sole reason the show was popular was Lucille Ball. The character she played wasn't important, it was the actress that brought the audience in.

[Kazza]

Originally Posted by barwars

An "I Love Lucy" movie would never work. The sole reason the show was popular was Lucille Ball. The character she played wasn't important, it was the actress that brought the audience in.

If the audience doesn't like the character they wouldn't tune in to watch the person.

[savy333]

Originally Posted by barwars

An "I Love Lucy" movie would never work. The sole reason the show was popular was Lucille Ball. The character she played wasn't important, it was the actress that brought the audience in.

That is not really true. People wouldn't watch I Love Lucy if it was just Lucille Ball reading from a phonebook! It was the great scripts, the excellent cast (the whole cast- not just Lucy. In fact, I like the Mertz's more then I like the Ricardos to be quite honest)

I think a Lucy movie would be cool if they got someone to write a good script and they got an excellent cast.

[Kazza]

Another reason the show was popular was the cultural clash between Lucy and Ricky and how many people can still identify with it