SitcomsOnline Digital Digest: Lucy Calls the President (4/6/10) DVD Review

[Pavan]

See our review for Lucy Calls the President by Skees53:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/20...ident-dvd.html

[Benno123]

Originally Posted by Pavan

See our review for Lucy Calls the President by Skees53:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/20...ident-dvd.html

Excellent, excellent review! I have this preordered and can't wait to see it, though I'm holding off until the week after it arrives because that is my birthday and I want to watch it then. Great to hear the quality is excellent, no more of the old, faded, generational-loss dubs of this special.

One question that I have is about the comment about the show being on tape. I believe Lucy's final series, Life With Lucy, was also shot on videotape or was it filmed? Just curious for my own knowledge.

I agree with Skees53, "Lucy Calls The President" is probably the best of Lucy's post-series specials. Though "Happy Anniversary and Goodbye" is also very enjoyable. These two, along with her 1964 "Mr. and Mrs." special are some of my favorite non-series work that Lucille Ball ever did.

Here's wishin' April 6 would hurry up and get here!!!

[skees53]

You may be correct about Life With Lucy... I've only seen the show once and it has been over 10 years. James Brodhead mentioned in his interview that it was the only Lucy project done on tape, although it is possible that he could be wrong about that. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like "Mr. and Mrs." is going to be included in the releases from MPI (as they appear to be doing just the 70s ones produced by Lucille Ball Productions), but maybe it'll be part of a future release of The Lucy Show. But that is pure conjecture, I don't know for certain.

Originally Posted by Benno123

Excellent, excellent review! I have this preordered and can't wait to see it, though I'm holding off until the week after it arrives because that is my birthday and I want to watch it then. Great to hear the quality is excellent, no more of the old, faded, generational-loss dubs of this special.

One question that I have is about the comment about the show being on tape. I believe Lucy's final series, Life With Lucy, was also shot on videotape or was it filmed? Just curious for my own knowledge.

I agree with Skees53, "Lucy Calls The President" is probably the best of Lucy's post-series specials. Though "Happy Anniversary and Goodbye" is also very enjoyable. These two, along with her 1964 "Mr. and Mrs." special are some of my favorite non-series work that Lucille Ball ever did.

Here's wishin' April 6 would hurry up and get here!!!

[70s show watcher]

Originally Posted by skees53

You may be correct about Life With Lucy... I've only seen the show once and it has been over 10 years. James Brodhead mentioned in his interview that it was the only Lucy project done on tape, although it is possible that he could be wrong about that. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like "Mr. and Mrs." is going to be included in the releases from MPI (as they appear to be doing just the 70s ones produced by Lucille Ball Productions), but maybe it'll be part of a future release of The Lucy Show. But that is pure conjecture, I don't know for certain.

life with lucy was shot on film

[skees53]

Thanks, I thought it was but I wasn't totally sure.

[Benno123]

Thank you as well. I wasn't sure if LWL was taped or filmed, and I was too lazy to dig out the DVDs and take a look at the credits!!!

[70s show watcher]

Originally Posted by skees53

Thanks, I thought it was but I wasn't totally sure.

your welcome

[70s show watcher]

Originally Posted by skees53

Thanks, I thought it was but I wasn't totally sure.

your welcome

[70s show watcher]

Originally Posted by Benno123

Thank you as well. I wasn't sure if LWL was taped or filmed, and I was too lazy to dig out the DVDs and take a look at the credits!!!

your welcome as well

[nvtlover]

I agree that Lucy Calls the President is the best of her TV specials. I find it very great how the cast works together and all get great moments to shine. I hope Mr. and Mrs. (The VCR ate my copy which also had Happy Anniversary and Goodbye.), Lucy in London and Lucy Comes to Nashville will be released because they are not by MPI. I love country music and never saw Lucy in Nashville (Wasn't it produced by Lucille Ball Productions? Probably too many royalities drive up cost on this release but its cross appeal should sell it. I don't think this was a planned CBS special because Lucy Calls the President was supposed to be the last. Why did CBS get sick of Lucy and let her leave to NBC and later ABC. What a dumb mistake, though Stone Pillow aired on CBS.) I have Lucy in London. I like most of ti but the dumb wax museum and especially dumb Shakespeare scenes. I found Mr. and Mrs. good but choppy and I love Happy Anniversary and Goodbye. (This was so modern and I love how Lucy mixed comedy with drama though the critics (Who after the Lucy Show I don't think generally gave her raves.) didn't.) I went on Google newspaper and got from their the ratings for some of Lucy's specials and Lucy Calls the President was #12. (Three for Two was #8, Catherine Curits #16, CBS Salutes Lucy #2, Stone Pillow #9, the rest ?) So, us, her fans and the public, still loved Lucy in 1977, which was in the middle of a 1950s nostaglia craze.

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by nvtlover

I agree that Lucy Calls the President is the best of her TV specials. I find it very great how the cast works together and all get great moments to shine. I hope Mr. and Mrs. (The VCR ate my copy which also had Happy Anniversary and Goodbye.), Lucy in London and Lucy Comes to Nashville will be released because they are not by MPI. I love country music and never saw Lucy in Nashville (Wasn't it produced by Lucille Ball Productions? Probably too many royalities drive up cost on this release but its cross appeal should sell it. I don't think this was a planned CBS special because Lucy Calls the President was supposed to be the last. Why did CBS get sick of Lucy and let her leave to NBC and later ABC. What a dumb mistake, though Stone Pillow aired on CBS.) I have Lucy in London. I like most of ti but the dumb wax museum and especially dumb Shakespeare scenes. I found Mr. and Mrs. good but choppy and I love Happy Anniversary and Goodbye. (This was so modern and I love how Lucy mixed comedy with drama though the critics (Who after the Lucy Show I don't think generally gave her raves.) didn't.) I went on Google newspaper and got from their the ratings for some of Lucy's specials and Lucy Calls the President was #12. (Three for Two was #8, Catherine Curits #16, CBS Salutes Lucy #2, Stone Pillow #9, the rest ?) So, us, her fans and the public, still loved Lucy in 1977, which was in the middle of a 1950s nostaglia craze.

Thanks for looking up the ratings for all those specials. I remember Stone Pillow being #9, but I never knew where any of those specials placed. As for the Lucy in London, the wax museum and Shakespeare scenes were my two favorites in that special.

[nvtlover]

I found the following two ratings
Lucy in London = #1
Lucy Moves to NBC = #52 (out of 68 programs. It was against #2 The Dukes of Hazzards.)

[McGillicuddy]

Don't you think Lucy in London will be an "extra" on Season 5 of The Lucy Show? It would make sense since there is an episode of TLS, Lucy Flies to London, which was the lead in to the LIL special, and considering that the Lucille Ball Comedy Hour special was included on the Season 2 release.

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by nvtlover

I found the following two ratings
Lucy in London = #1
Lucy Moves to NBC = #52 (out of 68 programs. It was against #2 The Dukes of Hazzards.)

Which broadcast of Lucy Moves to NBC did you look up? NBC actually aired that special three times (!!!) that season. If I remember correctly the first airing was in February 1980. Then it aired again later in the spring or summer of 1980. Then it aired a third time in October 1980. I don't think NBC would have aired it three times if it did that poorly during the initial broadcast.

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

Which broadcast of Lucy Moves to NBC did you look up? NBC actually aired that special three times (!!!) that season. If I remember correctly the first airing was in February 1980. Then it aired again later in the spring or summer of 1980. Then it aired a third time in October 1980. I don't think NBC would have aired it three times if it did that poorly during the initial broadcast.

Oh wow, I just found it. That WAS the first broadcast that wound up in 52nd place!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...+ratings&hl=en

I wonder why NBC ran this special two more times after that weak showing the first time around?