Does Today's Generation enjoy I Love Lucy? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

LunarSpecimen · 07-23-2009, 03:20 AM

Hello everyone. I am new to the forums, but considering that I have been on hundreds of forums throughout the years, joining up on a new one is simply second nature.

First I want everyone to know that I am a young man in my mid 20s. I am far from when I Love Lucy still aired, but have caught it numerous times on local stations. I am a computer geek who enjoys playing video games on a daily basis. I definitely do not look like the type who enjoys an old but classic TV show.

It took me a long time to catch on with I Love Lucy, considering that I was more into Nintendo, the Simpsons and Seinfeld. But knowing to myself in recent years that TV programming has been swamped with terrible reality shows and pointless babble on recent events, I was left with little choice. I watched I Love Lucy one day after nearly 15 years of last seeing it, and was surprised at how good it was. Maybe that is why it's still on the air? More than likely.

But I feel very depressed with the direction that these Hollywood studios and network companies have been taking. As a child I was able to both see old black-and-white TV shows and Saturday Morning cartoons for my own viewing pleasures. Today, both of these are gone. As I soon realized, the networks were dumping the classics to make room for lackluster, reality garbage. Only a couple black-and-white shows remain, and I feel that they will be off in the air very soon.

You can only catch I Love Lucy on the Hallmark Channel just a couple hours after midnight. I was disgusted with the editing and I feel that Hallmark does an even worse job than what TV Land did to the show. This not only damages it's possible potential, but it also blocks younger viewers from seeing the show for themselves. It's a sad story to an anotherwise lengthy one on the I Love Lucy sitcom. In the end, better to settle with the DVD set.

So in conclusion, I don't think this generation cares. Most of the classics spanning from Disney to Warner Bros. have vanished, leaving only a trace of television's former glory. My question is this, does this generation actually enjoy I Love Lucy? If you ask me, I sometimes feel that I am the only guy in my demographic (13-25) who likes it, and I can see for myself the inspiration I Love Lucy put in the shows that followed. Everyone who was involved in it cared about the quality and the direction it was taking. How many shows today are put with great care? Very few.

When it comes to the best of the best, Old Hollywood scores easily over Present Day Hollywood anyday of the week. It has transformed into a cultural wasteland.

bmasters9 · 07-23-2009, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LunarSpecimen

You can only catch I Love Lucy on the Hallmark Channel just a couple hours after midnight. I was disgusted with the editing and I feel that Hallmark does an even worse job than what TV Land did to the show. This not only damages it's possible potential, but it also blocks younger viewers from seeing the show for themselves. It's a sad story to an anotherwise lengthy one on the I Love Lucy sitcom. In the end, better to settle with the DVD set.

First, welcome to the boards-- glad to have you here. Secondly, I strongly agree with the sentiment that the DVD releases of "Lucy" are just about the only way to see that landmark comedy the way it was meant to be seen. CBS DVD did 'em right-- not only are the component episodes uncut, but each release is loaded with bonuses, including "My Favorite Husband," the radio show that inspired "Lucy," plus goofs, original openings, and more. So, all in all, you're correct about sticking with the DVD releases of "Lucy" as being far superior to the way that Hallmark and TV Land have shown it.

TV DVD Fan · 07-23-2009, 12:53 PM

Lucille Ball is such an enigmatic individual that I don't think you can ever find someone who has seen her work say she was unfunny. Whether you saw it on one of the original 10 inch TV screens of the 1950s or are first discovering it on the High Def. bigscreen in your living room in 2009, you just can't help but crack up at the Vitameatavegimen routine or the hilarious banter between Ricky and Lucy. For example the exchange in the classic "Job Switching" episode between the couple:
Lucy: I write a check to the beauty parlor every month.
Ricky: Yes, I know that. But they don't always have a little note in the back like this one. "Dear Teller, be a lamb and don't put this through till next month." Now what do you have to say for youself?
Lucy: That's why they call them tellers. They go around blabbing everything they know.

Anyone with a pulse would laugh at that instinctually. This is the definition of timeless comedy. What husband-and-wife from the dawn of time hasn't had a conversation along those lines? None of this stuff can be dated even though the episode itself had an original airdate. This golden comedy will still be laughed at for years to come. Fifty five years after its original airing its still getting belly laughs. And Lucille Ball always will. That's what made her great, and what made this show the best television show of all time--- the standard by which all future shows would be judged. And always have been judged. And always will be judged. I think Orson Welles summed it up best when he was on the set of the show and the director asked him what he was watching. To which he replied, "I'm watching the greatest actress who ever lived."

Long live Lucy!

dawsongirl · 07-23-2009, 11:19 PM

I'm in my 20s as well and I've enjoyed ILL since I was 15. I grew up on all the new stuff in the 80s and early 90s, but one night while babysitting, I sat and watched Nick and Nite and became an instant classic TV fan. No one told me to, so it must have been something that made me turn from new to old...humor, quality...I don't know for sure. As far as today's sitcoms, they don't even try. They hire the worst hack writers in Hollywood, they only think sex is funny, nothing else, and the acting is wooden and annoying. Somewhere some braniac got the idea that this stuff was good so now it's everywhere, thanks to brain-dead viewers. Thank GOD for the rerun and putting TV shows on film instead of kinescope!

catlover79 · 07-23-2009, 11:32 PM

Welcome to the boards!!

I've loved Lucy ever since I was a kid. I watched the reruns with my mom, sister and grandma. Watching the show and some of Lucy's movies are just like comfort food.

P.S. I also agree 100% with everything Cathy said.

Schmoopie · 07-24-2009, 01:10 AM

Welcome to the board, Lunar! Glad to have another "Lucy" fan among us. Although it's not my most favorite show, I do like it. There are so many hilarious episodes and Lucille Ball was a comedy genius. I think there will always be room in people's hearts (male and female/young and old) for Lucy and Ricky Ricardo!!

Andrea

70s show watcher · 07-25-2009, 02:55 AM

i know someone in her 20s who enjoyes the show too so you are not alone and welcome to the boards

Impressions · 07-25-2009, 11:11 AM

I've been watching it since I was 5 when it premiered on Nick at Nite in 1994.

LunarSpecimen · 07-26-2009, 05:46 AM

Awesome. I first caught I Love Lucy in the late 1980s when I was but a child. I didn't quite catch on to it because I didn't understand the show all that well. But today, I can appreciate it because although the cast is long gone, they are still here in our memories making us laugh. That is what legends were made for.

To make a long story short, I really don't watch television anymore. Most of it is filled with junk, with lackluster sitcoms on Disney Channel, pointless reality garbage on MTV, terrible cartoons on Cartoon Network, and news commentary trash on MSNBC. I highly consider I Love Lucy and other shows I grew up with to be far superior, because at least when I was little, they put more effort into the shows and commercials that were targeted towards the people that knew what was going. What a shame of what Nick at Nite has turned into. All they do now is play the same shows again and again with no funny promotions or cool backgrounds.

I spend most of my time playing MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game), watching videos on Youtube, reading books, and researching on the Internet. I used to put television above reading in my priority list back when it was good, but now it's the opposite. Reading a book these days gets you a lot more than watching talentless brain dead actors make it out on-stage for shows based on popularity more than talent. I'm worried that people aren't liking I Love Lucy much anymore, since it's restricted to an early morning timeslot on Hallmark during the weeknights. TV Land aired a brief marathon of the show last year, but they did a pretty crappy job in doing so. Which has also gone downhill in which they air more reality crap than they air a variety of actual good shows that people will enjoy for years to come. This whole Reality television genre has ruined the potential in my opinion. Which is why I particularly blame MTV for it's brain dead audience who really aren't that intelligent when it comes to sophisticated storylines and setup.

I'll be here to listen to what you guys have to say on how I Love Lucy influenced you and how it was so good (and still is). It's just a shame that it's not represented that much anymore, which is why I posted this topic in the first place.

LittleRickyII · 07-26-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 70s show watcher

i know someone in her 20s who enjoyes the show too so you are not alone and welcome to the boards

I know several MEGAfans of Lucille Ball who are in their 20s.

70s show watcher · 07-27-2009, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

I know several MEGAfans of Lucille Ball who are in their 20s.

thats great to hear

Benno123 · 07-27-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 70s show watcher

thats great to hear

Here's one who just turned 30 in April. Been watching and collecting since the summer of 1988 when I first caught part of a rerun on a local channel during the afternoon. (It was the "Matchmaker" episode where Lucy burns the dinner when everyone is looking at the baby.) The first complete episode I ever saw was "Equal Rights," and I've been watching ever since.

MOWERDAN · 07-27-2009, 06:49 PM

Welcome, fellow Lucy lover. I've been hooked since the late 1960s when I was a kid (yikes).

As many times and decades I've seen the episodes I still DO NOT get tired of them. As the decades passed, I'd start seeing the show with a different perspective. Naturally when I was younger, the physical parts were what made me laugh, then came the sarcastic dialogue. As I aged, I can relate to the characters more and more. They used to seem SO much older than me, but now I'm Lucy's age!!!

So the show will be like a fine wine and only get better with age

LunarSpecimen · 08-06-2009, 02:39 AM

Glad to see the responses. Especially since most of us here weren't even around in the 1950s, but the show itself is so good I can watch an episode at least five times and still laugh at it.

I'm just afraid to ask people in the real world about what they think of I Love Lucy and Lucille Ball.

celtickitty60 · 08-16-2009, 06:07 PM

I know my daughters love watching I Love Lucy with me! I think it's just as funny today as it ever was and Lucy's ideas are timeless.

07-23-2009, 03:20 AM	#1
LunarSpecimen Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 11, 2009 Location: In a bedroom... Posts: 41	Does Today's Generation enjoy I Love Lucy? Hello everyone. I am new to the forums, but considering that I have been on hundreds of forums throughout the years, joining up on a new one is simply second nature. First I want everyone to know that I am a young man in my mid 20s. I am far from when I Love Lucy still aired, but have caught it numerous times on local stations. I am a computer geek who enjoys playing video games on a daily basis. I definitely do not look like the type who enjoys an old but classic TV show. It took me a long time to catch on with I Love Lucy, considering that I was more into Nintendo, the Simpsons and Seinfeld. But knowing to myself in recent years that TV programming has been swamped with terrible reality shows and pointless babble on recent events, I was left with little choice. I watched I Love Lucy one day after nearly 15 years of last seeing it, and was surprised at how good it was. Maybe that is why it's still on the air? More than likely. But I feel very depressed with the direction that these Hollywood studios and network companies have been taking. As a child I was able to both see old black-and-white TV shows and Saturday Morning cartoons for my own viewing pleasures. Today, both of these are gone. As I soon realized, the networks were dumping the classics to make room for lackluster, reality garbage. Only a couple black-and-white shows remain, and I feel that they will be off in the air very soon. You can only catch I Love Lucy on the Hallmark Channel just a couple hours after midnight. I was disgusted with the editing and I feel that Hallmark does an even worse job than what TV Land did to the show. This not only damages it's possible potential, but it also blocks younger viewers from seeing the show for themselves. It's a sad story to an anotherwise lengthy one on the I Love Lucy sitcom. In the end, better to settle with the DVD set. So in conclusion, I don't think this generation cares. Most of the classics spanning from Disney to Warner Bros. have vanished, leaving only a trace of television's former glory. My question is this, does this generation actually enjoy I Love Lucy? If you ask me, I sometimes feel that I am the only guy in my demographic (13-25) who likes it, and I can see for myself the inspiration I Love Lucy put in the shows that followed. Everyone who was involved in it cared about the quality and the direction it was taking. How many shows today are put with great care? Very few. When it comes to the best of the best, Old Hollywood scores easily over Present Day Hollywood anyday of the week. It has transformed into a cultural wasteland.
	Last edited by LunarSpecimen; 07-23-2009 at 03:27 AM. Reason: Error

07-23-2009, 12:53 PM	#3
TV DVD Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 07, 2005 Posts: 2,602	Lucille Ball is such an enigmatic individual that I don't think you can ever find someone who has seen her work say she was unfunny. Whether you saw it on one of the original 10 inch TV screens of the 1950s or are first discovering it on the High Def. bigscreen in your living room in 2009, you just can't help but crack up at the Vitameatavegimen routine or the hilarious banter between Ricky and Lucy. For example the exchange in the classic "Job Switching" episode between the couple: Lucy: I write a check to the beauty parlor every month. Ricky: Yes, I know that. But they don't always have a little note in the back like this one. "Dear Teller, be a lamb and don't put this through till next month." Now what do you have to say for youself? Lucy: That's why they call them tellers. They go around blabbing everything they know. Anyone with a pulse would laugh at that instinctually. This is the definition of timeless comedy. What husband-and-wife from the dawn of time hasn't had a conversation along those lines? None of this stuff can be dated even though the episode itself had an original airdate. This golden comedy will still be laughed at for years to come. Fifty five years after its original airing its still getting belly laughs. And Lucille Ball always will. That's what made her great, and what made this show the best television show of all time--- the standard by which all future shows would be judged. And always have been judged. And always will be judged. I think Orson Welles summed it up best when he was on the set of the show and the director asked him what he was watching. To which he replied, "I'm watching the greatest actress who ever lived." Long live Lucy!
	__________________ Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Sarah Connor: Maybe if you spend your life hiding who you are, you might finally end up fooling yourself. - From the episode "Gnothi Seauton."

07-23-2009, 11:32 PM	#5
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Welcome to the boards!! I've loved Lucy ever since I was a kid. I watched the reruns with my mom, sister and grandma. Watching the show and some of Lucy's movies are just like comfort food. P.S. I also agree 100% with everything Cathy said.
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

07-24-2009, 01:10 AM	#6
Schmoopie Keep Calm and Love Snoopy Forum Star Join Date: Jul 13, 2008 Location: Lynnwood, Washington Posts: 15,697	Welcome to the board, Lunar! Glad to have another "Lucy" fan among us. Although it's not my most favorite show, I do like it. There are so many hilarious episodes and Lucille Ball was a comedy genius. I think there will always be room in people's hearts (male and female/young and old) for Lucy and Ricky Ricardo!! Andrea
	__________________ In memory of my wonderful husband. I love and miss you more than words can say, but I will always and forever keep you in my heart. September 23, 1961-January 14, 2019

07-26-2009, 05:46 AM	#9
LunarSpecimen Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 11, 2009 Location: In a bedroom... Posts: 41	Awesome. I first caught I Love Lucy in the late 1980s when I was but a child. I didn't quite catch on to it because I didn't understand the show all that well. But today, I can appreciate it because although the cast is long gone, they are still here in our memories making us laugh. That is what legends were made for. To make a long story short, I really don't watch television anymore. Most of it is filled with junk, with lackluster sitcoms on Disney Channel, pointless reality garbage on MTV, terrible cartoons on Cartoon Network, and news commentary trash on MSNBC. I highly consider I Love Lucy and other shows I grew up with to be far superior, because at least when I was little, they put more effort into the shows and commercials that were targeted towards the people that knew what was going. What a shame of what Nick at Nite has turned into. All they do now is play the same shows again and again with no funny promotions or cool backgrounds. I spend most of my time playing MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game), watching videos on Youtube, reading books, and researching on the Internet. I used to put television above reading in my priority list back when it was good, but now it's the opposite. Reading a book these days gets you a lot more than watching talentless brain dead actors make it out on-stage for shows based on popularity more than talent. I'm worried that people aren't liking I Love Lucy much anymore, since it's restricted to an early morning timeslot on Hallmark during the weeknights. TV Land aired a brief marathon of the show last year, but they did a pretty crappy job in doing so. Which has also gone downhill in which they air more reality crap than they air a variety of actual good shows that people will enjoy for years to come. This whole Reality television genre has ruined the potential in my opinion. Which is why I particularly blame MTV for it's brain dead audience who really aren't that intelligent when it comes to sophisticated storylines and setup. I'll be here to listen to what you guys have to say on how I Love Lucy influenced you and how it was so good (and still is). It's just a shame that it's not represented that much anymore, which is why I posted this topic in the first place.
	Last edited by LunarSpecimen; 07-26-2009 at 06:02 AM. Reason: Error...

07-23-2009, 11:19 PM	#4
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,134	I'm in my 20s as well and I've enjoyed ILL since I was 15. I grew up on all the new stuff in the 80s and early 90s, but one night while babysitting, I sat and watched Nick and Nite and became an instant classic TV fan. No one told me to, so it must have been something that made me turn from new to old...humor, quality...I don't know for sure. As far as today's sitcoms, they don't even try. They hire the worst hack writers in Hollywood, they only think sex is funny, nothing else, and the acting is wooden and annoying. Somewhere some braniac got the idea that this stuff was good so now it's everywhere, thanks to brain-dead viewers. Thank GOD for the rerun and putting TV shows on film instead of kinescope!

07-25-2009, 02:55 AM	#7
70s show watcher Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: May 20, 2008 Location: between point place and studio 8 h Posts: 4,549	i know someone in her 20s who enjoyes the show too so you are not alone and welcome to the boards

07-25-2009, 11:11 AM	#8
Impressions She died the way she lived Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: May 08, 2002 Posts: 4,640	I've been watching it since I was 5 when it premiered on Nick at Nite in 1994.

07-27-2009, 06:49 PM	#13
MOWERDAN Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 04, 2002 Location: NEW JERSEY Posts: 64	Welcome, fellow Lucy lover. I've been hooked since the late 1960s when I was a kid (yikes). As many times and decades I've seen the episodes I still DO NOT get tired of them. As the decades passed, I'd start seeing the show with a different perspective. Naturally when I was younger, the physical parts were what made me laugh, then came the sarcastic dialogue. As I aged, I can relate to the characters more and more. They used to seem SO much older than me, but now I'm Lucy's age!!! So the show will be like a fine wine and only get better with age

08-06-2009, 02:39 AM	#14
LunarSpecimen Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 11, 2009 Location: In a bedroom... Posts: 41	Glad to see the responses. Especially since most of us here weren't even around in the 1950s, but the show itself is so good I can watch an episode at least five times and still laugh at it. I'm just afraid to ask people in the real world about what they think of I Love Lucy and Lucille Ball.

08-16-2009, 06:07 PM	#15
celtickitty60 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 16, 2009 Posts: 24	I know my daughters love watching I Love Lucy with me! I think it's just as funny today as it ever was and Lucy's ideas are timeless.
	__________________ My I Love Lucy Blog CONTEST! Win a set of I LOVE LUCY Paper dolls. VERY COLLECTIBLE! VERY SOUGHT AFTER! Runs through 10/31/2009 ALSOYOUR CHANCE TO WIN THE SECOND SEASON OF I LOVE LUCY ON DVD. CONTEST GOING ON NOW. SEE BLOG FOR DETAILS!!!