"The Lucy Show" still airing in Australia! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Geoff · 01-21-2004, 07:49 PM

Looks like all you Lucy lovers will have to come down under to Australia. "The Lucy Show" has been screened in heavy rotation for about a year now on Fox Classics Channel 6 on the Pay TV operator Foxtel. Yesterday they showed Ep. #156 ("Lucy and the Boss of the Year Award") and tonight they go right back again to repeat the entire cycle from Episode # 1 ("Lucy Waits Up for Chris") in glorius Black and White!

Aside from slight editing of the episodes down to 22 mins. each and an abridged (sped up) version of the closing theme music, the prints are crystal clear and have been digitally remastered.
Our Cable provider shows the series on average, three times a day. 4:30am, 6:30pm and 11:00pm (usually the same episode).

scartonlucy · 01-23-2004, 11:01 AM

I don't get it at all! How is other countries like Australia and Canada airing the full series (not public domain episodes) of The Lucy Show and here in America, we get the crapy public domain episodes which are about 30 of them and not one National TV Network wants to air the show anymore! I just don't get! All that people want is "I Love Lucy"! I Love Lucy is one of my favorite TV Shows, but people need some more of Lucy! I Love Lucy is starting to get a little bit boring and we need more of her other shows!
TVLand doesn't want to air the series because they feel that one
Lucy is good enough!
Hallmark was going to air the series, but that fell through!
Nick at Nite has changed from showing 50's & 60's to 80's & 90's!

There isn't much other networks out there that could air the series! I'm going to start my own Classic TV Network and it will air
"The Lucy Show", "Here's Lucy", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and more!!!

SPLAIN · 01-23-2004, 03:48 PM

It's no longer here in Canada either, CTS stopped showing it a year or so ago. I totally agree with you Lucy did 507 shows, not just 180. Give the other series a chance once in a while.

LucieFam · 02-01-2004, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Geoff
Looks like all you Lucy lovers will have to come down under to Australia. "The Lucy Show" has been screened in heavy rotation for about a year now on Fox Classics Channel 6 on the Pay TV operator Foxtel. Yesterday they showed Ep. #156 ("Lucy and the Boss of the Year Award") and tonight they go right back again to repeat the entire cycle from Episode # 1 ("Lucy Waits Up for Chris") in glorius Black and White!

Aside from slight editing of the episodes down to 22 mins. each and an abridged (sped up) version of the closing theme music, the prints are crystal clear and have been digitally remastered.
Our Cable provider shows the series on average, three times a day. 4:30am, 6:30pm and 11:00pm (usually the same episode).

Geoff, where abouts in Australia are you? I'm in Brisbane and have been enjoying these immensely!!!

So groovy to finally have a whole hour of Lucy, too with TLS and Here's Lucy airing back-to-back!!

LucieFam · 02-01-2004, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by scartonlucy
I don't get it at all! How is other countries like Australia and Canada airing the full series (not public domain episodes) of The Lucy Show and here in America, we get the crapy public domain episodes which are about 30 of them and not one National TV Network wants to air the show anymore! I just don't get!

I guess Australia knows a good thing when they see it, ohhh yeahhh!

Just jokes. But, don't feel too bad, we haven't had I Love Lucy airing here in years. The last time the series properly aired was in 1993.

Geoff · 02-02-2004, 09:04 AM

I am from Melbourne. Glad to see that finally, Fox Classics is now also airing "Here's Lucy" daily at 11:30am -- and yes those prints are exquisite and totally uncut, or abridged for that matter -- so LucieFam you are right, it's good to have an hour of Lucy back to back. Me personally? I would scrap the umpteenth 6:30pm edition of "The Lucy Show" which has now been seen twice through all 156 episodes. "Here's Lucy" deserves better than just 11:30am. And did you see how Fox Classics is promoting it?
The slide before every episode has a color shot of Lucy and Desi
(oops... someone goofed here! Desi was in "I Love Lucy" and had nothing to do with "Here's Lucy"). My only hope is that they will show all 144 episodes. The fact that Foxtel has time and again only bought packages that contain half a series' run is quite annoying. It also doesn't thrill me that the morning timeslot seems to indicate that they may not have the rights to all episodes. I know that they have up to and including the third series as some of these were shown on the "Lots of Lucy" weekend a few weeks back. Here's hoping!

Interesting also that Warner Bros. Television is now distributing the series. For many years here in Australia the show was handled by Pacific Telecasters. Lorimar/Telepictures Inc. held the rights from the 1980s to 1990s when the company was bought out by Warner Bros. A Time Warner/AOL company.

And just a small correction: The ABC showed "I Love Lucy" in 1991-92. And it was in heavy rotation on Foxtel's predecessor "Galaxy TV" in 1995-96 and has of course been seen irregularly for the last few years on Foxtel's TV1 channel. Maybe with the imminent arrival of Foxtel Digital next month, and the promise of many new channels, all three "Lucy" programs will get regular airings.

LucieFam · 02-02-2004, 09:19 AM

Thanks for your reply, Geoff. I am a member of the "Lucy Lounge" forum ( lucylounge.suddenlaunch2.com ) and have extensively reported the various Lucy airings in Australian on there. It would be fab if you'd be able to read and comment on them there, too!

I Love Lucy actually did air in 1993, on ABC. It was shown at 4:30am Mon-Thurs. Although it was at a horrible time, they did show the series in its entirety. As far as I know, that is the last time the series has fully aired in Australia.

I must say that the Here's Lucy episodes they're airing this time 'round are fantastic.... especially when compared with the choppy versions FX began to air in 1998. I also noticed that the episodes shown in the marathons a few weeks ago were all from the first three seasons. I hope they have secured the rights to air the whole series this time. Interestingly enough, Optus aired the latter three HL seasons before venturing into the first three!

01-23-2004, 11:01 AM	#2
scartonlucy Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 05, 2003 Posts: 17	Airings of "The Lucy Show" I don't get it at all! How is other countries like Australia and Canada airing the full series (not public domain episodes) of The Lucy Show and here in America, we get the crapy public domain episodes which are about 30 of them and not one National TV Network wants to air the show anymore! I just don't get! All that people want is "I Love Lucy"! I Love Lucy is one of my favorite TV Shows, but people need some more of Lucy! I Love Lucy is starting to get a little bit boring and we need more of her other shows! TVLand doesn't want to air the series because they feel that one Lucy is good enough! Hallmark was going to air the series, but that fell through! Nick at Nite has changed from showing 50's & 60's to 80's & 90's! There isn't much other networks out there that could air the series! I'm going to start my own Classic TV Network and it will air "The Lucy Show", "Here's Lucy", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and more!!!

02-02-2004, 09:04 AM	#6
Geoff Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 16, 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 75	"The Lucy Show"/"Here's Lucy" I am from Melbourne. Glad to see that finally, Fox Classics is now also airing "Here's Lucy" daily at 11:30am -- and yes those prints are exquisite and totally uncut, or abridged for that matter -- so LucieFam you are right, it's good to have an hour of Lucy back to back. Me personally? I would scrap the umpteenth 6:30pm edition of "The Lucy Show" which has now been seen twice through all 156 episodes. "Here's Lucy" deserves better than just 11:30am. And did you see how Fox Classics is promoting it? The slide before every episode has a color shot of Lucy and Desi (oops... someone goofed here! Desi was in "I Love Lucy" and had nothing to do with "Here's Lucy"). My only hope is that they will show all 144 episodes. The fact that Foxtel has time and again only bought packages that contain half a series' run is quite annoying. It also doesn't thrill me that the morning timeslot seems to indicate that they may not have the rights to all episodes. I know that they have up to and including the third series as some of these were shown on the "Lots of Lucy" weekend a few weeks back. Here's hoping! Interesting also that Warner Bros. Television is now distributing the series. For many years here in Australia the show was handled by Pacific Telecasters. Lorimar/Telepictures Inc. held the rights from the 1980s to 1990s when the company was bought out by Warner Bros. A Time Warner/AOL company. And just a small correction: The ABC showed "I Love Lucy" in 1991-92. And it was in heavy rotation on Foxtel's predecessor "Galaxy TV" in 1995-96 and has of course been seen irregularly for the last few years on Foxtel's TV1 channel. Maybe with the imminent arrival of Foxtel Digital next month, and the promise of many new channels, all three "Lucy" programs will get regular airings.

01-21-2004, 07:49 PM	#1
Geoff Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 16, 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 75	"The Lucy Show" still airing in Australia! Looks like all you Lucy lovers will have to come down under to Australia. "The Lucy Show" has been screened in heavy rotation for about a year now on Fox Classics Channel 6 on the Pay TV operator Foxtel. Yesterday they showed Ep. #156 ("Lucy and the Boss of the Year Award") and tonight they go right back again to repeat the entire cycle from Episode # 1 ("Lucy Waits Up for Chris") in glorius Black and White! Aside from slight editing of the episodes down to 22 mins. each and an abridged (sped up) version of the closing theme music, the prints are crystal clear and have been digitally remastered. Our Cable provider shows the series on average, three times a day. 4:30am, 6:30pm and 11:00pm (usually the same episode).

01-23-2004, 03:48 PM	#3
SPLAIN I Love Lucy Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 04, 2002 Location: MONTREAL, CANADA Posts: 4,563	It's no longer here in Canada either, CTS stopped showing it a year or so ago. I totally agree with you Lucy did 507 shows, not just 180. Give the other series a chance once in a while.

02-02-2004, 09:19 AM	#7
LucieFam Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 28, 2001 Location: QLD, Australia Posts: 77	Thanks for your reply, Geoff. I am a member of the "Lucy Lounge" forum ( lucylounge.suddenlaunch2.com ) and have extensively reported the various Lucy airings in Australian on there. It would be fab if you'd be able to read and comment on them there, too! I Love Lucy actually did air in 1993, on ABC. It was shown at 4:30am Mon-Thurs. Although it was at a horrible time, they did show the series in its entirety. As far as I know, that is the last time the series has fully aired in Australia. I must say that the Here's Lucy episodes they're airing this time 'round are fantastic.... especially when compared with the choppy versions FX began to air in 1998. I also noticed that the episodes shown in the marathons a few weeks ago were all from the first three seasons. I hope they have secured the rights to air the whole series this time. Interestingly enough, Optus aired the latter three HL seasons before venturing into the first three!