Customer Reviews

The Lucy & Desi Collection (Too Many Girls / The Long Long Trailer / Forever, Darling)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At last! Aside from the fact that I do, along with the rest of the world, love Lucy...to have these three films finally arrive on DVD is a dream come true.

THE LONG, LONG TRAILER is truly one of the great screen comedies of all time, and although Lucy & Desi play characters named "Tacy and Nicky", they run pretty close to the Ricardos in many ways. The film gives both beloved performers many chances for their signature slapstick, but being based on a best-selling book, there are also touching moments that remain poignant. Deftly directed by Vincente Minnelli, it's no wonder, TRAILER was a box office smash.

FOREVER DARLING is a delightful collection with a bit of a twist, and the added bonus of James Mason as Lucy & Desi's guardian angel.....Last, but certainly not least, we get something special. TOO MANY GIRLS is the movie where Lucy met Desi and the pair fell in love. They don't have many scenes together, but it's a superb screen version of the Rodgers & Hart Broadway show that made Desi Arnaz a star, and Lucy, Ann Miller, Eddie Bracken and the rest of the cast make this a must-have for fans of classic film.

Cheers to Warner Brothers for bringing out this great collection of the only 3 movies our Lucy & Desi made together, and at such a low price, you can't pass it up!

I originally bought this 3 DVD pack for 'The Long Long Trailer' as that was my favorite Lucy and Desi movie but then after I sat down and watched the other 2 films that you get with this I must say they are not as great but are fun to watch as well. It's well worth the price to pay for this boxset. 'Forever Darling' is the only movie which is in widescreen format the other 2 are in the original theatrical format of fullscreen. I do not like Fullscreen as I despise it but when I found out that the other 2 films were made in that resolution I didn't mind at all. So if you are doubting the fact to buy this or not do not pass it up. These are the only movies Lucy and Desi ever made together and its well worth buying it to own and watch over and over again for a laugh.

There are people who like Lucy. But I am one of many that truly truly LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVE LUCY. I remember Monday nights waiting for Lucy to come on television. I thought then and still to this day think she is the funniest and most brilliant comedian. The title THE QUEEN OF COMEDY could not fit anyone but her. I remember when the LONG LONG TRAILER came to my neighborhood in Ozone Park, Queens NY. To see my favorite comedian in color and for well over an hour was a memorable experience for me. Lucy was my first true love. Through the years I have watched the I Love Lucy reruns over and over and over. Each time I see them I laugh like it's the first time. Through the years I ordered the Columbia House I love Lucy VHS tapes, copied most of them off the TV and then finally ordered the complete I LOVE LUCY collection on DVD. Bought the VHS version of THE LONG LONG TRAILER. Imagine how excited I was when I found out that it was going to be released on DVD. I ordered the 3 DVD set immediately. Ah it was like Christmas in July when it finally came. Only one other person, a dear friend of mine loves Lucy as much as I do. We talk Lucy all the time, compare notes and try to stump the other with trivia questions. I know more than my friend does but we still have fun. So would I recommend the 3 DVD set? It's priceless and a must for anyone who even remotely likes Lucille Ball. I cannot wait for the release of Mame.

Sincerely
Peter Montana

The movies are great, but they don't play well in the DVD player... they're fine on my laptop, though~ so I guess it's not horrible. I still thoroughly enjoyed them all. :)

Before their sojourn as America's premier television comedy couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez were, respectively, a studio contract player and a Latin band leader. Taking these two identities into consideration, their first appearance together (though not as a couple) was in the George Abbot-directed film version of the Rodgers-and-Hart Broadway hit "Too Many Girls". This film is a fascinating relic of another era: it shows the energetic production numbers which were the hallmark of Abbott's Broadway career. It also shows the rushing and cutting which were par for the course when a Broadway show was remounted in Hollywood. "Too Many Girls" may not be a great Hollywood classic, but it's still worthwhile for anyone interested in getting a glimpse of what a Broadway hit was like in the immediate pre-war period. It's also a glimpse at the slightly tacky production values offered by RKO in its musicals.

Both "The Long Long Trailer" and "Forever Darling" were films made to cash in on the "I Love Lucy" phenomenon. "The Long Long Trailer" is often sharp in its satire, as a couple tries to negotiate a honeymoon in a pre-fab trailer, traversing an America of unexpected aggressions. Vincente Minnelli directed, so the movie is actually very smooth. The same cannot be said of "Forever Darling", though here, the director Alexander Hall was obviously recruited because of his "light touch" with the supernatural, as in "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"; here, the comedy is mostly leaden, and tensions in the Ball-Arnez marriage aren't even a subtext, those tensions are right on the surface. And poor James Mason: he's so obviously disconcerted to be in the midst of this morass!

But this is a fascinating collection, and recommended for a lot of reasons beyond the sight of one of the most renowned comedy couples at different stages in their careers.

I am so excited to have all three of Lucy and Desi's movies in one DVD. I have been an ardent fan of these two for as long as I can remember. They are as wonderful together on the big screen as they are on the small screen. The fact that they put up their own money to make the "I Love Lucy" pilot and "The Long Long Trailer" shows how well they knew their audience. Their comedic talent and mutual love just shines through in every scene of every movie, even though in "Too Many Girls" Lucy and Desi did not end up together.

I've been waiting forever for these titles to come out on DVD! These are Lucy & Desi classics that any collector could not do without.

The three DVD box set, THE LUCY & DESI COLLECTION, offers fans of television's favorite red head and her Latin husband, the only three movies that they starred in together.

You get "Too Many Girls," the black and white movie where Lucille Ball met Desi Arnaz and two color films, "The Long, Long Trailer" and "Forever, Darling" both of which were filmed during the height of their popularity on I Love Lucy: The Complete Series.

Although it's difficult to separate Ball and Arnaz from their iconic roles as "Lucy & Ricky Ricardo," it's still fun watching them ham it up for the camera. Like I said in the headline all that's missing is Vivian Vance and William Frawley as their trusted side-kicks, but fans of "I Love Lucy" will spot many of the supporting actors and actresses, plus extras, that appeared on the TV show in these films.

The quality is excellent, especially the two color films where fans get treated to seeing Lucy and Desi in color. In "Forever, Darling," Ball sports some of the wardrobe she wears as "Lucy Ricardo" on TV, so fans get another feast seeing the fashions as they would've looked to a studio audience.

To top it off each DVD comes with extras, which I'm wondering if these were played in movie theaters back in the day, either during intermission or before the start of the movie, so it gives today's audience a glimpse of the past:

* TOO MANY GIRLS * EXTRAS
Frances Caroll & The Coquettes - 09:16-minutes -- fabulous all-female swing band that really play up a storm!

Cartoon: Shop, Look & Listen - 07:56 -- mice take a tour of a closed department store.

* THE LONG, LONG TRAILER * EXTRAS
Ain't It Aggravatin? - 08:19-minutes -- short film showing the funny situations that happen in life that can get on one's nerves.

Cartoon: Dixieland Droopy - 07:44 -- shows the famous cartoon dog and his Dixie band, "Pee-Wee Runt Dixieland Band" which are fleas.

Trailer.

* FOREVER, DARLING * EXTRAS
Promo Interview - 04:57-minutes -- Black & White interview of Lucy and Desi with clip from the film.

Trailer.

Definitely buy the set if it's under $25 and you can't get enough Lucy!

I was so thrilled that The Long Long Trailer was finally released on DVD. I am a huge fan of Lucille Ball and if you enjoy comedies this definitely won't disappoint you. The other movies are also very good, but I purchased this collection primarily for The Long Long Trailer. You can buy this movie separately but it doesn't cost that much more to get the collection.

I raised my children talking a lot about books I had read when I was a child and it amazed me that I could remeber all of the stories and all of the wonderful movies that I went to for 9 cents. We didn't have cable and on Saturday after the cartoons and especially on Sunday afternoons we would lie on the bed and I would tell them stories. The first tv that I saw was when I was 11 years old and Lucy was the first one and then Topper and Perry Como. I couldn't wait until Thursdays when we could go across the street and watch these shows.

So they had always loved Lucy. I found the set on your site and gave 2 of my children which is 45 and 41 these for Christmas. When they opened them they were very pleased and have mention them to me several times.

So I would recommend these sets very highly.