(UPDATED 4/26/11) At first I was glad to have a handful of the first few seasons with Vivian Vance episodes, thanks to TV reruns and a home video release with 25 uncut episodes with episodes from seasons 1, 2, 3, and 6 (or 5) by Columbia House in the 90s, but now I am so excited that CBS finally released this show in full season sets on DVD, uncut, with tons of extras and beautifully remastered.
This show stars the legendary Lucille Ball, and Vivian Vance. Ball plays a widow, Lucy Carmichael, who has two children--a teenage daughter named Chris and a younger son named Jerry. Vance plays her roommate/best friend named Vivian Bagley. She also has a younger son named Sherman. They live in Danfield Connecticut. The first season is in black and white and it's like I Love Lucy just without Ricky and Fred. Both Vance and Ball have great on-screen chemistry together and Lucy still has her comedic timing. How did she do it while running Desilu Studios at the same time? Lucy and Viv get into a lot of wacky misadventures--like getting stranded in the middle of a lake on a used boat they bought, working at a malt shop filling in for Chris, getting trapped in a shower stall filled with water, installing a TV antenna on the roof, and becoming volunteer firemen (and setting the fire station on fire!) Also co-starring with Lucy was Charles Lane who played the curmudgeon Mr. Barnsdahl who managed Lucy's money at the bank.
In the second season (1963-1964) the show was now in color (the second and third seasons originally broadcasted in black and white but filmed in color.) Gale Gordon now co-starred alongside Lucille, and would later co-star with her for the next 23 years. He played Theodore Mooney, the president of the bank Lucy later worked at and was always annoyed by Lucy. Lucy and Viv (if not just Lucy) still got into wacky misadventures such as starting their own Kiddie Party business, digging for "embezzeled money" in Mr. Mooney's backyard in the middle of the night, working in a summer camp kitchen, trying to rescue Mr. Mooney's pet bird from a telephone line, digging through cakes to look for Lucy's lost contact lens, and being turned into wicked witches in one of Lucy's nightmares.
At the end of the third season in 1965 Vance left the show, tired of playing second fiddle to Lucy and making the commute from California to Connecticut (where she lived) every week. At the beginning of the fourth season Lucy got re-located to California, where coincidentally, Mr. Mooney did too--much to he and Lucy's chagrin. Lucy's son got enrolled in military school and her daughter went to college. It was also explained that Vivian had gotten re-married and still lived on the East Coast. She would guest star in 3 or 4 later episodes. These episodes mostly involved Lucy working at the bank with Mr. Mooney and meeting various celebrities like John Wayne, George Burns, Paul Winchell, Sheldon Leonard and Carol Burnett. Also co-starring with Lucy was Mary Jane Croft who played a few characters on I Love Lucy and who would also on Here's Lucy. Mary Jane was like Viv 2.0. The fifth and sixth seasons weren't as good as the Vivian Vance years, but they did have their fair share of funny episodes like Lucy making 1500 dollars for new furniture by buying 3,000 cans of baked beans (thanks to a special "return for double your money guarantee") Lucy accidentally getting drafted into the army, convincing Mr. Mooney that she's sick so she can leave work to go to a sale, flying to London, getting hypnotized, babysitting baby chimps, and rallying to save a tiny town from being turned into a freeway. Most of these episodes from season 5 and 6 are on DVD but in public domain so it's the same 30 episodes on all the DVDs. They are also very poor quality. Only two episodes from the first season are included--Lucy and Viv install a shower and Lucy and the Barbershop Quartet.
Also in a season 4 episode, there was a special cameo by Bill Frawley who played Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy. He was a horse trainer. Lucy went to see a horse that her late husband left her and as the trainer walked away, Lucy said "he reminds me of someone I used to know!" This was Mr. Frawley's last appearance on TV in October 1965 before he died the following March.
It may not be as funny as I Love Lucy but it was one of the highest rated shows on TV. 4/5 stars. Buy the season DVDs and you will not be disappointed.
This show stars the legendary Lucille Ball, and Vivian Vance. Ball plays a widow, Lucy Carmichael, who has two children--a teenage daughter named Chris and a younger son named Jerry. Vance plays her roommate/best friend named Vivian Bagley. She also has a younger son named Sherman. They live in Danfield Connecticut. The first season is in black and white and it's like I Love Lucy just without Ricky and Fred. Both Vance and Ball have great on-screen chemistry together and Lucy still has her comedic timing. How did she do it while running Desilu Studios at the same time? Lucy and Viv get into a lot of wacky misadventures--like getting stranded in the middle of a lake on a used boat they bought, working at a malt shop filling in for Chris, getting trapped in a shower stall filled with water, installing a TV antenna on the roof, and becoming volunteer firemen (and setting the fire station on fire!) Also co-starring with Lucy was Charles Lane who played the curmudgeon Mr. Barnsdahl who managed Lucy's money at the bank.
In the second season (1963-1964) the show was now in color (the second and third seasons originally broadcasted in black and white but filmed in color.) Gale Gordon now co-starred alongside Lucille, and would later co-star with her for the next 23 years. He played Theodore Mooney, the president of the bank Lucy later worked at and was always annoyed by Lucy. Lucy and Viv (if not just Lucy) still got into wacky misadventures such as starting their own Kiddie Party business, digging for "embezzeled money" in Mr. Mooney's backyard in the middle of the night, working in a summer camp kitchen, trying to rescue Mr. Mooney's pet bird from a telephone line, digging through cakes to look for Lucy's lost contact lens, and being turned into wicked witches in one of Lucy's nightmares.
At the end of the third season in 1965 Vance left the show, tired of playing second fiddle to Lucy and making the commute from California to Connecticut (where she lived) every week. At the beginning of the fourth season Lucy got re-located to California, where coincidentally, Mr. Mooney did too--much to he and Lucy's chagrin. Lucy's son got enrolled in military school and her daughter went to college. It was also explained that Vivian had gotten re-married and still lived on the East Coast. She would guest star in 3 or 4 later episodes. These episodes mostly involved Lucy working at the bank with Mr. Mooney and meeting various celebrities like John Wayne, George Burns, Paul Winchell, Sheldon Leonard and Carol Burnett. Also co-starring with Lucy was Mary Jane Croft who played a few characters on I Love Lucy and who would also on Here's Lucy. Mary Jane was like Viv 2.0. The fifth and sixth seasons weren't as good as the Vivian Vance years, but they did have their fair share of funny episodes like Lucy making 1500 dollars for new furniture by buying 3,000 cans of baked beans (thanks to a special "return for double your money guarantee") Lucy accidentally getting drafted into the army, convincing Mr. Mooney that she's sick so she can leave work to go to a sale, flying to London, getting hypnotized, babysitting baby chimps, and rallying to save a tiny town from being turned into a freeway. Most of these episodes from season 5 and 6 are on DVD but in public domain so it's the same 30 episodes on all the DVDs. They are also very poor quality. Only two episodes from the first season are included--Lucy and Viv install a shower and Lucy and the Barbershop Quartet.
Also in a season 4 episode, there was a special cameo by Bill Frawley who played Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy. He was a horse trainer. Lucy went to see a horse that her late husband left her and as the trainer walked away, Lucy said "he reminds me of someone I used to know!" This was Mr. Frawley's last appearance on TV in October 1965 before he died the following March.
It may not be as funny as I Love Lucy but it was one of the highest rated shows on TV. 4/5 stars. Buy the season DVDs and you will not be disappointed.