Info:
DVD Release Date: May 2, 2006 (Paramount Home Video)
Black and White
MSRP: $49.99
Number of Discs: 4
Number of Episodes: 27
Running Time: 11 hours and 53 minutes
Languages, Subtitles, Closed Captioning: Spanish,
English; Spanish Subtitles; Closed captioned
Running Time of Special Features: approx 25 minutes
Special Features: 1956 Christmas Show, Colorized
Christmas Show Scenes, Audio Commentaries by Keith
Thibodeaux ("Little Ricky"), Barbara Eden, Doris
Singelton ("Caroline Appleby"), and writers Madelyn
Pugn Davis and Bob Schiller, Bob Hope Chevy Show
Sketch Highlights, 5 Episodes of Lucy's Radio Show: My
Favorite Husband, Flubs, Lost Scenes, Restored Music,
Original Series Openings, Original Animation, Original
Cast Commercials, Promotional Spot, Guest Cast
Information and more!
Introduction:
Ay, yi, yi! It’s I Love Lucy’s sixth and final
season, and the redhead is up to some of her most
hilarious shenanigans. First, Lucy meets Bob Hope at a
baseball game by masquerading as a hot dog vendor,
then a tobacco-chomping pitcher. Next, even the great
Orson Wells is powerless to stifle Lucy’s acting bug
when she “assists” him in his magic act. Then at
little Ricky’s birthday party, Lucy climbs out on a
ledge to keep a promise that Superman will appear.
After escapades in Florida and Cuba, the Ricardos and
Mertzes move to rural Connecticut, where Lucy plays
“mother hen” to a bunch of baby chicks, loses her
wedding ring building a barbecue, and even takes a
wild ride on a runaway lawnmower! And in one of the
funniest TV episodes ever, Lucy learns the hard way
why you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket or
one blouse!
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
Well, just about every single episode of I LOVE LUCY
is memorable. But some popular episodes include: "Lucy
and Bob Hope," "Little Ricky Learns to Play the
Drums," "Lucy Meets Orson Welles," "Deep Sea Fishing,"
The Ricardo's Visit Cuba," "Lucy and the Loving Cup,"
"Lucy and Superman," Lucy Wants to Move to the
Country," "Lucy Raises Chickens," "Lucy Does The
Tango," Country Club Dance," "Lucy Raises Tulips," and
"Building a Bar-B-Q."
Some notable guest appearances this season include
Orson Welles, George Reeves ("Superman"), Bob Hope,
Doris Singleton, and Barbara Eden (pre-"I Dream of
Jeannie").
Packaging:
The packaging for this set follows the same design as
season's one through five, but its purple in color.
Inside the box, there are four individual cases, one
for each disc. Each case has a spliced shot of Lucy
from one of the episodes from that disc. On the discs
themselves are spliced screenshots from one of the
more memorable episodes on that disc (such as, on Disc
2, is a cut out of Lucy and Ethel in their costumes
while in little Ricky's play). On the back of each
case, there is a list of each episode that is included
on that disc (inside the case are episode
descriptions). The descriptions themselves are a
couple of sentences and include the episode title, the
original airdate and the production number. The
episodes are presented in original production number
order instead of the airdate order and chapter skips
are available. On the inside of the discs are episode
descriptions, episode numbers and episode titles.
There are four discs in the set, each one in its own
individual case. There are seven episodes for Discs 1,
six episodes on Disc 2, and seven episodes on Discs 3
and 4.
Menu Design and Navigation:
The menu screen is simple and is exactly the same
format as seasons 1, 2, 3 and 4. It features a spliced
shot of Lucy from one of her memorable scenes (Harpo
Marx for the main menu, or the chocolate factory on
the bonus features menu) on a red background that has
screenshots from various episodes of the series. The
main menu has a list of the episodes that take you to
scene selections and the theme plays. It doesn't loop.
It has the popular "Play All" feature as well as
"Setup". The bonus menu is the same design as the main
menu and lists all the bonuses for that disc. The
"Setup" menu allows you to choose if you want Spanish
subtitles or a Spanish language track.
Video and Audio Quality:
The picture is crystal clear but the audio is still
very, very low, which is common for releases of older
series. The audio is presented in Dolby Surround
Sound. Each episode runs about 26 minutes (or more),
which means the episodes are unedited. The episode,
#130 "Lucy and The Dummy" has been edited from its
original network version (a first for the "I Love
Lucy" sets). And of course, chapter skips are
available.
Special Features:
Special Features on all of the four discs, which are
explained in more detail further down, include
"Special Footage." Guest Cast Information is the list
of the special guests that are featured on the
episodes on that disc. "Original Opening" is the
original animated opening that was originally aired
along with the episodes on each disc. Now on to the
special features--hang on folks, this is a long read!
* Commentary Tracks (can be found on Discs 2, 3 and 4)
Commentary by Doris Singleton ("Caroline Appleby"),
Keith Thibodeaux ("Little Ricky") and Steve Kay
("Stevie Appleby") on "Lucy and Superman." Commentary
by Barbara Eden ("Diana Jordan") on "Country Club
Dance." And commentary by writers Madelyn Pugh Davis
and Bob Schiller on "Lucy Does the Tango."
DISC ONE -
~ Flubs ~
* "Temporary Tiles" - In "Lucy and Bob Hope" Lucy
wears spiked shoes for the song and dance number,
causing Ricky's new floor tiles to stick to them. But
if you watch carefully, you'll notice that as soon as
the song is finished, the tiles are gone!
* "Little Boy Lost" - In "Deep Sea Fishing", Little
Ricky is shown in the boat while Ricky is being reeled
in by Lucy, but after Ricky pops up in the water, back
on the boat, Little Ricky is gone!
~ SPECIAL FOOTAGE
* "Lost 1951 Promo" - This is a promo from 1951 that
features the four main cast members cutely promoting
their new series "I Love Lucy."
* "Restored Closing" - In "Lucy and Bob Hope" there is
a restored ending, which was edited out in syndication
and replaced with the "heart satin".
* "Sponsor Plug" - A promo for Lilt Home Permanent
using the Lucy-Desi stick figures in the episode "Deep
Sea Fishing" was edited out for syndication but is
restored here.
~ THE CHEVY SHOW - In exchange for Bob Hope's
appearance in "Lucy and Bob Hope," Bill, Vivian,
Lucille and Desi guest starred on Bob Hope's Chevrolet
special (airing October 21, 1956). Included in the
show was an "I Love Lucy" skit but featuring Bob as
Ricky and Desi as Fred. Only these scenes are shown
here, unfortunately, it's not the whole special.
(Approx. 3:51 minutes)
~ MEET KEITH THIBODEAUX - A written biography of the
then young actor who played Little Ricky.
~ MY FAVORITE HUSBAND - "Anniversary" (originally
broadcast on April 16, 1950) and features guest-star
Hans Conried. This episode inspired the first season
episode of I Love Lucy titled "The Marriage License"
DISC TWO -
~ FLUBS
"Cuban Hat Trick" - In "The Ricardos Visit Cuba" Lucy
accidentally sits on Alberto's hat, but that's nothing
compared to the strange way the hat seems to appear
and disappear throughout the closing musical numbers!
"The Magic Door" - In "Little Ricky's School Pageant"
Lucy and Ethel help the youngster take off his jacket
and the front door to the apartment is standing wide
open. A few seconds later, Big Chief Fred arrives -
but he has to open the door! Oops!
"Born When?" - Remember when Little Ricky was born
during Ricky's nightclub performance? Well in "Lucy
and Superman" Lucy claims that her son was born at 11
o'clock in the morning!
~ SPECIAL FOOTAGE
"Restored Closings" - two restored closings are well,
restored for this dvd release and included here.
"Sanka Commercial" - In the original network
broadcasts of I LOVE LUCY, Lucy and Desi often
appeared in promo spots for their commercial sponsor.
This one, featuring Instant Sanka aired only once on
January 14, 1957.
"Restored Reeves Credit" - A special closing credit
aired originally back in the 1950s, featuring George
Reeves' voiceover is included here.
~ ORIGINAL OPENINGS
The original openings for some episodes are included
here.
~ MY FAVORITE HUSBAND - The episode "Safety Drive"
(originally broadcast on October 13th, 1950) is
included here, featuring guest stars Sheldon Leonard
and Elvia Allman.
~ LUCY IN COLOR!
Because of it's seasonal theme and flashbacks, the
"Christmas Show" wasn't syndicated with the other
episodes of I LOVE LUCY. The show was never
rebroadcast until CBS aired it as a primetime special
on December 18, 1989. When CBS reran the special a
year later, the network decided to colorize the
"wrap-around" segments, which are presented here.
(Approx. 14:38 minutes)
DISC THREE -
~ FLUBS
"The Leaving Lamp" - in "Lucy Wants to Move to the
Country" Lucy is disguised as a gun moll and visits
the Spaulding's home in Westport. But why is the
lamppost just outside the front door leaning so far to
one side?
"Answering Service" - in "Lucy Hates to Leave" the
Ricardo's move in with the Mertzes. But it's still
Fred and Ethel's apartment, so why, when the phone
rings, does Fred hand it to Ricky?
"A Silent Butler" - in "Lucy Raises Chickens" Little
Ricky comes in from playing outside and discovers a
den full of baby chicks. But watch carefully and
you'll notice that when he enters the house it's
actually a stagehand who opens the front door for him!
~ SPECIAL FOOTAGE
"Restored Transition" - another restoration of a
transition that was edited out of an episode for
syndication.
"Sanka Commercial" - Another spot for Sanka Coffee
aired on January 28, 1957.
"Ford Commercial" - Ford Motor Company sponsored three
episodes of I LOVE LUCY in March 1957. To close CBS'
original broadcast of "Lucy Does the Tango" the new
sponsor asked Vivian Vance and William Frawley to
perform this musical pitch - unseen since March 11,
1957.
"Sponsor Plug" - plugs for sponsors were edited out
for syndication but they are restored here.
~ MY FAVORITE HUSBAND - The episode "Liz Cooks Dinner
for Twelve" (originally broadcast on October 14, 1950)
is included here and guest stars Eleanor Audley and
Dick Crenna.
DISC FOUR -
~ FLUBS
"Read My Lips" - In this scene from "Building a
Bar-B-Q", Desi Arnaz is so tickled by Bill Frawley's
laugh line that he actually starts to mouth the words
right along with him!
"Musical Chairs" - In "Country Club Dance" the chair
between Lucy and Ethel, which Fred sat in, keeps
moving between them, to not between them!
~ SPECIAL FOOTAGE
"Lost Scene #1" - On April 4, 1955, with the Ricardos
already in Hollywood, CBS aired "Mr & Mrs. TV Show"
set in New York (it was supposed to have aired the
previous fall but was pre-empted). To maintain
continuity, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz filmed this
recently-discovered new opening scene! (Approx. 1:28
minutes)
"Lost Scene #2" - On May 27, 1957, with the Ricardos
happily ensconced in their new home in rural
Connecticut, CBS decided to air a rerun of "The Star
Upstairs" - set in Hollywood. Once again, in order to
maintain continuity, the cast filmed this new
"flashback" opening. (Approx. 1 minute)
"Lilt Commercial" - Another promo for Lilt Home
Permanent was filmed, used in two episodes, but was
edited out for syndication. It's included here.
(Approx. 1:05 minutes)
~ MY FAVORITE HUSBAND - Two episodes are included
here! "Liz and the General," and Young Matrons
League," while "Behind the Scenes" is an audio excerpt
from the book "Laughs, Luck ... and Lucy" Jess
Oppenheimer describes his earliest experiences working
with Lucille Ball on "My Favorite Husband."
~ SLIDE SHOW - Behind the scenes photos and
promotional stills from the sixth season episodes of I
LOVE LUCY.
Final Comments:
Wow! What an awesome set, as usual. Paramount has done
a fantastic job with all six "I Love Lucy" sets. I am
truly impressed at all of the special features--truly
amazing. A show like this deserves such good
treatment. As a lifelong fan of "I Love Lucy" it's
absolutely wonderful to have all six seasons in
crystal clear video with all of these amazing bonus
features. Kudos to Paramount! It's sad it has to end.
Here's hoping they decide to release "The Lucy & Desi
Comedy Hour" which continues the series for about 13
more hour long episodes. And after that, there is
always "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy!" So here's
hoping we get those, too!
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars - How our point system works)
Video Quality: 5/5
Audio Quality: 4/5
Special Features: 5/5
Menu Navigation/Design: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
-- Reviewed by TVJunkie101 (Shawn Eaton) on 04/26/06
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