heres lucy...the lucy show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Mr. Stefani · 09-23-2001, 08:37 PM

why do people say its the same show? I have "the lucy show" on dvd and vhs and i have seen heres lucy and they dont seem the same......can someone help me
and does ne one know where i can buy heres lucy or life wit lucy? thanks a lot

TV Guy · 09-26-2001, 10:57 PM

I believe some people think these are the same shows because "Here's Lucy" had some of the same cast and crew members, and because it inherited the "Lucy Show"'s timeslot on CBS only a few months after TLS ended. Also, there were two distinct formats of "The Lucy Show" (living in Danfield with Viv, and working for Mr. Mooney in L.A.), so some think that "Here's Lucy" is just another change in format with the same Lucy character. I've even seen some reference books get it wrong. But "Here's Lucy's" Lucy Carter is a different character than Lucy Carmichael from TLS.

I haven't seen either "Here's Lucy" or "Life with Lucy" released on video, so your best bet is to find someone to trade with online.

TV Guy · 09-26-2001, 11:01 PM

Timmy - I've clipped my rant from a few months ago commenting on the differences between the two shows:

These are two different shows. Granted, they have some of the same cast members (Lucille Ball, Gale Gordon, Mary Jane Croft) and creative team. And "Here's Lucy" (1968-74) started on CBS right after "The Lucy Show" (1962-1968) ended. A couple of reference books even refer to them as the same show. But they're not.

In "The Lucy Show", Ball plays Lucy Carmichael, a widow living with two children named Chris and Jerry. During the show's first three seasons, she shares her suburban New York (not Connecticut, as incorrectly reported elsewhere) house with Vivian Bagley (Vivian Vance, from "I Love Lucy") and Viv's son Sherman. Gale Gordon plays Mr. Mooney, the banker who administers the trust left to Lucy by her late husband.

Halfway through the series, Vance bails out, and the kids are dropped. It is said that Viv remarried and Chris went off to college. Lucy moves to southern California (not San Francisco, as some reference books say) to be closer to Chris and Jerry, who's attending boarding school there. (This is a funny explanation, since Chris is never seen again, and Jerry only appears a couple of times). Lucy gets a a new apartment, a new best friend (Mary Jane Lewis, played by Mary Jane Croft), and a new job, working as a secretary for Mr. Mooney, who amazingly enough, has moved out to California as well. Viv occasionally drops by for visits.

By 1968, Ball had sold Desilu, the producer of both "I Love Lucy" and "The Lucy Show", to Paramount. The format of "The Lucy Show" was now owned by Paramount, but Ball wanted to fully own her television show. So, "The Lucy Show" came to an end, and Ball began producing "Here's Lucy" through her new Lucille Ball Productions. In this series, she plays Lucy Carter, another widow with two children, Kim and Craig, this time played by Ball's real-life children, Lucie and Desi, Jr. Lucy works as a secretary for her brother-in-law Harry (Gale Gordon) at an employment agency. Her best friend is again played by Mary Jane Croft. Vivian Vance still drops by for occasional visits, now playing Lucy's old pal Vivian Jones. Desi Jr. leaves halfway through the run, but otherwise, the show remains pretty unchanged for its six seasons.

Sorry to be longwinded, but you can see that these are two separate shows, owned by separate companies, that are never rerun together.

09-23-2001, 08:37 PM	#1
Mr. Stefani Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: Jul 15, 2001 Posts: 20,757	heres lucy...the lucy show why do people say its the same show? I have "the lucy show" on dvd and vhs and i have seen heres lucy and they dont seem the same......can someone help me and does ne one know where i can buy heres lucy or life wit lucy? thanks a lot

09-26-2001, 10:57 PM	#2
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	I believe some people think these are the same shows because "Here's Lucy" had some of the same cast and crew members, and because it inherited the "Lucy Show"'s timeslot on CBS only a few months after TLS ended. Also, there were two distinct formats of "The Lucy Show" (living in Danfield with Viv, and working for Mr. Mooney in L.A.), so some think that "Here's Lucy" is just another change in format with the same Lucy character. I've even seen some reference books get it wrong. But "Here's Lucy's" Lucy Carter is a different character than Lucy Carmichael from TLS. I haven't seen either "Here's Lucy" or "Life with Lucy" released on video, so your best bet is to find someone to trade with online.

09-26-2001, 11:01 PM	#3
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	Timmy - I've clipped my rant from a few months ago commenting on the differences between the two shows: These are two different shows. Granted, they have some of the same cast members (Lucille Ball, Gale Gordon, Mary Jane Croft) and creative team. And "Here's Lucy" (1968-74) started on CBS right after "The Lucy Show" (1962-1968) ended. A couple of reference books even refer to them as the same show. But they're not. In "The Lucy Show", Ball plays Lucy Carmichael, a widow living with two children named Chris and Jerry. During the show's first three seasons, she shares her suburban New York (not Connecticut, as incorrectly reported elsewhere) house with Vivian Bagley (Vivian Vance, from "I Love Lucy") and Viv's son Sherman. Gale Gordon plays Mr. Mooney, the banker who administers the trust left to Lucy by her late husband. Halfway through the series, Vance bails out, and the kids are dropped. It is said that Viv remarried and Chris went off to college. Lucy moves to southern California (not San Francisco, as some reference books say) to be closer to Chris and Jerry, who's attending boarding school there. (This is a funny explanation, since Chris is never seen again, and Jerry only appears a couple of times). Lucy gets a a new apartment, a new best friend (Mary Jane Lewis, played by Mary Jane Croft), and a new job, working as a secretary for Mr. Mooney, who amazingly enough, has moved out to California as well. Viv occasionally drops by for visits. By 1968, Ball had sold Desilu, the producer of both "I Love Lucy" and "The Lucy Show", to Paramount. The format of "The Lucy Show" was now owned by Paramount, but Ball wanted to fully own her television show. So, "The Lucy Show" came to an end, and Ball began producing "Here's Lucy" through her new Lucille Ball Productions. In this series, she plays Lucy Carter, another widow with two children, Kim and Craig, this time played by Ball's real-life children, Lucie and Desi, Jr. Lucy works as a secretary for her brother-in-law Harry (Gale Gordon) at an employment agency. Her best friend is again played by Mary Jane Croft. Vivian Vance still drops by for occasional visits, now playing Lucy's old pal Vivian Jones. Desi Jr. leaves halfway through the run, but otherwise, the show remains pretty unchanged for its six seasons. Sorry to be longwinded, but you can see that these are two separate shows, owned by separate companies, that are never rerun together.