Favorite season 2 episodes - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MichaelKeith · 07-19-2010, 02:07 PM

My favorite two episodes from this season are when Lucy and Viv drive their car through the living room wall of the house! and the Ethel Merman episodes. Ms. Merman did such a great job on these episodes. I believe that she and Ms. Ball were good friends.

All the other episodes are good tooooo!

Timoth26 · 07-19-2010, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelKeith

My favorite two episodes from this season are when Lucy and Viv drive their car through the living room wall of the house! and the Ethel Merman episodes. Ms. Merman did such a great job on these episodes. I believe that she and Ms. Ball were good friends.

All the other episodes are good tooooo!

I think I liked them all. I also like the ending of the "Lucy Goes to Art Class" episode where she was in a mustach. That's the first time I've seen Lucy in a mustach in any other show besides "I Love Lucy". I also like the one scene in the "Kiddie Parties, Inc" episode when she was floating on them balloons.

McGillicuddy · 07-19-2010, 07:25 PM

Haven't finished the season yet, but I loved the Ethel Merman 2-parter, and all the episodes that feature Mary Jane Croft (as Audrey) and Mary Wickes (as Franny). The womens' volunteer fire department is hilarious!!

LittleRickyII · 07-19-2010, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelKeith

My favorite two episodes from this season are when Lucy and Viv drive their car through the living room wall of the house! and the Ethel Merman episodes. Ms. Merman did such a great job on these episodes. I believe that she and Ms. Ball were good friends.

All the other episodes are good tooooo!

Lucy and Ethel Merman were good friends, but I think Ethel Merman was even better friends with Vivian. Ethel and Vivian had known each other since the early '30s. Vivian was actually Ethel Merman's understudy when Ethel starred in the musical Anything Goes back around 1934. They had remained friends ever since. So by the time of Ethel Merman's TLS appearance, she and Vivian had been friends for 30 years.

McGillicuddy · 08-01-2010, 09:01 PM

Now that I've watch the entire season set, I have to say" Lucy Conducts the Symphony" was my favorite. That was Lucy at her best! Oh, wow that routine rates right up there with "Vitameatavegimin" and "The Candy Factory" from ILL!
What a spectacular performance!

LittleRickyII · 08-01-2010, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markway895

Now that I've watch the entire season set, "I have to say Lucy Conducts the Symphony" was my favorite. That was Lucy at her best! Oh, wow that routine rates right up there with "Vitameatavegimin" and "The Candy Factory" from ILL!
What a spectacular performance!

I completely agree. This is probably the most underrated performance she ever gave. It's pure brilliance. If it had been an episode of I Love Lucy, the public would be just as familiar with it as they are with the Vitameatavegamin and Candy Factory scenes. No one but Lucille Ball could have pulled off that routine. And the fact that she went on for so long with no dialogue, just one flawless physical bit after another, is a testament to her incredible comedic skills, timing and ability to work with props. Since the days of silent movies, very few comedy performers have had the courage to perform at length without any words to speak. I can't think of a single performer these days who can do that. But Lucille Ball proved in that episode that, not only was she perfect for television, but had she been born a decade or two earlier, she could have succeeded in silent films as well. She transcends it all.

McGillicuddy · 08-02-2010, 11:07 AM

Yeah, this must be Lucy's greatest POST-ILL performance! Honestly, I don't remember ever seeing it before, it was really amazing!

Something else interesting, In the 1978 TV Special, Lucy Comes to Nashville, there is a Nashville Philharmonic skit that comes from this Lucy Show episode. (According to the "Everything Lucy" Website)

comedyfreak · 08-03-2010, 05:48 AM

I just started watching I liked all three I seen the kiddie party inc was so funny I didn't remember seeing that one. The Cleopatra episode was good too Mary Jane Croft and Mary Wicks at their best.

jehobden · 08-31-2010, 01:26 AM

I don't know if this thread is the best place for what I'm going to mention here, but I didn't want to start a new thread for this. Going in the opposite direction, I think that "Lucy & Viv Open a Restaurant" is my LEAST favorite episode of the season, my having seen every episode except for those on disk 4 of the Season 2 DVD set. I guess that it seems unrealistic to me that Lucy & Viv would spend $1000 of Viv's money just to buy the place, then spend more money that they didn't have to fix it up & hire staff. Then at the end it looks like a completely lost cause from which they could not recover. I thought Kathleen Freeman & Jack Albertson did the best they could with the script, but it just didn't come out well. Does anyone else agree or disagree with this? It is funny that Lucy's getup as George Washington was prominently featured on the first preliminary packaging for Season 2, but it was roundly criticized here (and probably elsewhere) and replaced with a much better (IMO) pic of Lucy from the pie-baking contest at the end of the season.

McGillicuddy · 08-31-2010, 01:48 AM

I think the main reason the cover art was changed was that when Lucy was dressed like George Washington, her signature Red hair was covered.

MichaelKeith · 09-02-2010, 03:11 PM

Jehobden, Of course the restaurant episode is not as plausible as some of the others and for that reason it may not be as good. I prefer the episodes that are rooted in some reality as I think they are actually funnier.

Jude The Obscure · 09-02-2010, 08:20 PM

What's also unrealistic with that episode is that would none of their friends not show up to help support them as customers?? No customers at all for days?? That is what really rings false. Of course the writers had to make them fail because that would change the direction of the series if they had some kind of success operating a business.

07-19-2010, 02:07 PM	#1
MichaelKeith Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2007 Posts: 1,139	Favorite season 2 episodes My favorite two episodes from this season are when Lucy and Viv drive their car through the living room wall of the house! and the Ethel Merman episodes. Ms. Merman did such a great job on these episodes. I believe that she and Ms. Ball were good friends. All the other episodes are good tooooo!

08-01-2010, 09:01 PM	#5
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	Now that I've watch the entire season set, I have to say" Lucy Conducts the Symphony" was my favorite. That was Lucy at her best! Oh, wow that routine rates right up there with "Vitameatavegimin" and "The Candy Factory" from ILL! What a spectacular performance!
	Last edited by McGillicuddy; 08-02-2010 at 12:31 AM.

08-02-2010, 11:07 AM	#7
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	Yeah, this must be Lucy's greatest POST-ILL performance! Honestly, I don't remember ever seeing it before, it was really amazing! Something else interesting, In the 1978 TV Special, Lucy Comes to Nashville, there is a Nashville Philharmonic skit that comes from this Lucy Show episode. (According to the "Everything Lucy" Website)
	Last edited by McGillicuddy; 08-10-2010 at 08:29 PM.

08-03-2010, 05:48 AM	#8
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,059	I just started watching I liked all three I seen the kiddie party inc was so funny I didn't remember seeing that one. The Cleopatra episode was good too Mary Jane Croft and Mary Wicks at their best.
	__________________ www.facebook.com/comedyfreak

07-19-2010, 07:25 PM	#3
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	Haven't finished the season yet, but I loved the Ethel Merman 2-parter, and all the episodes that feature Mary Jane Croft (as Audrey) and Mary Wickes (as Franny). The womens' volunteer fire department is hilarious!!

08-31-2010, 01:26 AM	#9
jehobden Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 06, 2002 Location: DFW Area, TX Posts: 2,004	I don't know if this thread is the best place for what I'm going to mention here, but I didn't want to start a new thread for this. Going in the opposite direction, I think that "Lucy & Viv Open a Restaurant" is my LEAST favorite episode of the season, my having seen every episode except for those on disk 4 of the Season 2 DVD set. I guess that it seems unrealistic to me that Lucy & Viv would spend $1000 of Viv's money just to buy the place, then spend more money that they didn't have to fix it up & hire staff. Then at the end it looks like a completely lost cause from which they could not recover. I thought Kathleen Freeman & Jack Albertson did the best they could with the script, but it just didn't come out well. Does anyone else agree or disagree with this? It is funny that Lucy's getup as George Washington was prominently featured on the first preliminary packaging for Season 2, but it was roundly criticized here (and probably elsewhere) and replaced with a much better (IMO) pic of Lucy from the pie-baking contest at the end of the season.

08-31-2010, 01:48 AM	#10
McGillicuddy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 28, 2002 Posts: 5,179	I think the main reason the cover art was changed was that when Lucy was dressed like George Washington, her signature Red hair was covered.

09-02-2010, 03:11 PM	#11
MichaelKeith Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 01, 2007 Posts: 1,139	Jehobden, Of course the restaurant episode is not as plausible as some of the others and for that reason it may not be as good. I prefer the episodes that are rooted in some reality as I think they are actually funnier.

09-02-2010, 08:20 PM	#12
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,520	What's also unrealistic with that episode is that would none of their friends not show up to help support them as customers?? No customers at all for days?? That is what really rings false. Of course the writers had to make them fail because that would change the direction of the series if they had some kind of success operating a business.