Customer Reviews

I Love Lucy - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I love "I Love Lucy." Whenever I find it on TV, I watch and find myself laughing no matter how many times I've seen the episode. Naturally, it was one of the first shows I knew I wanted on DVD. I wished I'd waited for this set, however.

When season one was first released, it was huge and expensive. Knowing how much I wanted the show, I ignored the price and bought it. Now, over a year later, we get a set more in line with the other three released to date. Now there are only seven discs, and it's much thinner. This takes up a fraction of what the original did on my shelf. Yet all the extras and quality are still there. Believe me, I checked.

So what do you get? You get the 35 official season 1 episodes plus the "lost pilot" that was found and released several years ago. The episodes have been restored and they haven't looked this good in years. Picture is original full frame black and white and sound is original mono. While there is occasional dust and such in the picture, for something 50 years old, this is pretty amazing. Bonus features include behind the scenes trivia and photos, guest cast information, restored footage (some of which is a hoot), the original animated opening, and a total of thirteen episodes of Lucy's radio show "My Favorite Husband" that inspired certain episodes.

For me, I find some of the episodes near the start of season 1 to be rather slow and not as funny. This is a common complaint of mine with most TV shows. The writers and actors need time to find the characters before things really take off. Still, there are some early gems like "The Diet" and "The Fur Coat." The second half more then makes up for the first with many classic moments and hilarious episodes like "The Ballet," "Breaking the Lease," "The Gossip," "Pioneer Women," "The Freezer," and "Lucy's Schedule." I can watch these episodes over and over again and laugh myself silly every time.

Of course, this doesn't mention the single most famous episode of season 1 - "Lucy Does a TV Commercial." If this title doesn't ring a bell, I have just one word for you. Vitameatavegamin.

This is the set that should have been released originally. If you waited, hoping that Paramount would see the light, your patience has been rewarded big time.

I am a huge Lucy fan and just love her shows. With the price of the other version of this set, along with all the space it took up I avoided buying it. I agree with many of the reviewers about the GREED behind the first version of the I love Lucy complete first season DVD set. It takes up so much space (9 DVD Boxes) and it is expensive. Well I guess the powers that be at CBS finally listened to the dissapointed fans. They are now releasing this Reissue of I Love Lucy - The Complete First Season in what they call a new slim pack and the best thing is that it will be under $50.00 which is almost half the price of that other version. The DVDs will also be cut down to 7 instead of 9 which gives you more episodes per DVD. The will be one box set rather than 9 individual boxes. I encourage anyone who is in the process of buying that other more expensive version to wait because on May 3, 2005 this New slim pack and more affordable version will be released and the package looks a lot more like a DVD package should look, and less like a box that holds 9 DVDs. It has all the things the other version has but it is in a space saving package and is more affordable. The pilot and all 35 season 1 episodes are included on this classic sitcom! Approx. 907 minutes of total fun on a slim 7 DVD BOX SET under 50 bucks. I hope this helps some of you. Be sure to remember Season 4 of I love Lucy is also released the same day of this new set on May 3, 2005.

Save money and save space and wait till MAY 3, 2005 to get this version which is the way it should have been done in the fist place!

Over 50 years ago during the early years of broadcast television, the very inspired talents of Lucille Ball (1911-1989) and her then husband Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) were showcased on their hilarious television show "I Love Lucy". TV execs had initially rejected the plausibility of the show because of Desi and because they intended to tape the shows. However, thanks to the tireless efforts of Lucille Ball and Desi's obvious talents, the show first aired in 1951 and quickly became one of the most successful TV shows during all six of its regular seasons. As Lucy and Ricky Ricardo on "I Love Lucy", Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were joined by William Frawley (1877-1966) and Viviane Vance (1909-1979) as their best-friends/apartment landlords of Fred and Ethel Mertz.

The first season of "I Love Lucy" that aired between 1951 and 1952 has 35 memorable episodes:

1. "The Girls Want To Go To the Nightclub": For the Mertzes' anniversary, Ethel & Lucy want to go a nightclub, but Fred & Ricky want to see the fights.

2. "Be A Pal": Thinking their marriage is going cold, Lucy joins Ricky for a poker game, then turns their apartment into a Cuban getaway.

3. "The Diet": To be in one of Ricky's shows, Lucy must lose 22 pounds. No steak for Lucy.

4. "Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her": Lucy's mystery-book reading makes her suspicious of Ricky.

5. "The Quiz Show": Lucy goes on a game show to win money after Ricky cuts her allowance.

6. "The Audition": Lucy sneaks into Ricky's latest show as Buffo the Clown.

7. "The Séance": Reading horoscopes & numerology, Lucy gives Ricky bad advice; but tries to fix it with a hilarious séance.

8. "Men are Messy": Lucy divides their apartment in half when she tires of Ricky being messy, but goes whole-hog to impress a magazine photographer.

9. "Drafted": Lucy & Ethel think that Ricky & Fred have been drafted, but the men think the girls are pregnant.

10. "The Fur Coat": Lucy thinks that a mink coat that Ricky brought home is hers, but he only rented it for a show.

11. "Lucy Is Jealous of Girl Singer": Lucy sneaks into Ricky's show to spy on him and chorus girl Rosemary (Helen Silver).

12. "The Adagio": Lucy wants to learn the Apache dance from a Frenchman (Shepard Menken) and makes Ricky jealous.

13. "The Benefit": Lucy gets Ricky to perform for Ethel's womens club, but only if she can perform too.

14. "The Amatuer Hour": Lucy baby-sits two terrorizing boys to make money to pay for an expensive dress.

15. "Lucy Plays Cupid": Lucy tries to get to elderly singles together, but they get the wrong ideas.

16. "Lucy Fakes Illness": Lucy pretends to go nuts in order for Ricky to let her perform, but he gets even with her.

17. "Lucy Writes a Play": Lucy writes a play for her woman's club, but when Ricky won't do it, she changes it from Cuban to English. Ricky later changes his mind, but gets the wrong script.

18. "Breaking the Lease": After a fight, Lucy & Ricky want to move, but Ethel & Fred won't end their lease; so Lucy & Ricky have a little party.

19. "The Ballet": Lucy gets ballet lessons from Madame Lamond (Mary Wickes) thinking that Ricky will let her perform at the club. Ballet & burlesque don't mix.

20. "The Young Fans": Ricky & Lucy each have teenagers (Janet Waldo & Richard Crenna respectively) with crushes on them.

21. "New Neighbors": Against Ricky's orders, Lucy tries to met their new neighbors who she comes to think are enemy agents.

22. "Fred and Ethel Fight": Lucy & Ricky help Ethel & Fred end a days-old fight, but end up in a big fight themselves.

23. "The Moustache": Lucy dons a fake beard & mustache to get Ricky to shave, but she used the wrong glue.

24. "The Gossip": When boys bet the girls that they can't stop gossipping, Ricky cheats, but Lucy gets back.

25. "Pioneer Women": On a bet, everyone tries to live in accordance with late nineteenth-century technology with hilarious results. Look out for that bread!

26. "The Marriage License": Lucy thinks her marriage liscence with Ricky is invalid due to a misspelling.

27. "The Kleptomaniac": While collecting items for a women's club bazaar, Ricky thinks Lucy is a kleptomaniac.

28. "Cuban Pals": Lucy gets jealous over a girl (now woman) who had performed with him in Cuba.

29. "The Freezer": The Ricardos & Mertzes purchase a used commercial freezer to save money, but Lucy gets locked in while trying to hide the beef.

30. "Lucy Does a TV Commercial": One of the best episodes of all time with Lucy drinking too much Vitametavegamin for a TV commercial that Ricky begrudginly allows her to do.

31. "The Publicity Agent": Lucy pretends to be the "Maharincess of Franistan" to boost Ricky's sagging popularity.

32. "Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio": Lucy & Ricky go on a radio quiz show.

33. "Lucy's Schedule": Unhappy with Lucy's disorderliness, Ricky puts her on a tight schedule; but the wife (Edith Meiser) of his new boss (Gale Gordon) starts a woman's revolution. Look out for low-flying dinner rolls!

34. "Ricky Thinks He is Going Bald": When Ricky thinks he's going bald, Lucy resorts to tortuous hair-growing methods.

35. "Ricky Asks For a Raise": When Ricky's boss (Gale Gordon) won't give him a raise, Lucy, Ethel & Fred make bogus club reservations as multiple people and promptly leave when Ricky's not performing.

Paramount Home Video has no doubt done a superb job of repackaging the first season on 7 DVD's. Overall, I rate the "I Love Lucy: The Complete First Season" DVD box set with 5 out of 5 stars!

I am a huge Lucy fan and just love her shows. With the price of this set here and all the space this takes, I have avoided buying this DVD set. I agree with many of the reviewers here about the GREED behind this version of the I love Lucy complete first season DVD set. This not only takes up so much space (9 DVD Boxes) but it is expensive. Well I guess the powers that be at CBS finally listened to the dissapointed fans. They are now releasing a Reissue of I Love Lucy - The Complete First Season in what they call a new slim pack and the best thing is that it will be under $50.00 which is almost half the price of this version here. The DVDs will also be cut down to 7 instead of 9 which gives you more episodes per DVD. The will be one box set rather than 9 individual boxes. I encourage anyone who is in the process of buying this verion here to wait because on May 3, 2005 the New slim pack and more affordable version will be released and the package looks a lot more like a DVD package should look, and less like a box that holds 9 DVDs. It is all the things this version has but it is better. The pilot and all 35 season 1 episodes are included on this classic sitcom! Approx. 907 minutes of total fun on a slim 7 DVD BOX SET under 50 bucks. I hope this helps some of you and for the item # for this slim version I am talking about it is B0007TKH16 which is here on amazon. Be sure to also check out Season 4 of I love Lucy also released the same day of this new set on May 3, 2005.

Save money and save space and wait till MAY 3, 2005 to get the Reissue of this I love Lucy Season 1 at half the price and saves you hald the space of this one! Please note I am giving this set 5 stars because I love lucy not so much this version of this set.

Here is a complete episode guide for season one of "I Love Lucy." (September 1951-June 1952) The DVD collection also includes the series pilot, deleted scenes, clips from Lucy's radio show, "My Favorite Husband," and excellent preservation.

1. Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her-Lucy reads a murder mystery and jumps to the conclusion that Ricky must want to murder her as well.
2. The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub-For Fred and Ethel's wedding anniversary, Ethel wants to go to a nightclub, but Fred wants to go to the fights. Ricky and Lucy try to solve the problem.
3. Be a Pal-Lucy thinks that she and Ricky have nothing in common, so she begins to adopt his interests, including poker, much to Fred's dismay.
4. The Diet-When Lucy auditions for a part at Ricky's nightclub, he tells her he'll hire her if she can fit into the costume: a size 12.
5. The Quiz Show-Desperate for money to balance her household accounts, Lucy goes on a quiz show and agrees to bring home a total stranger and introduce him to Ricky as her long-lost husband.
6. The Audition-Lucy hires a coach to prepare her to audition for Ricky's show. This episode nearly mirrors the show's pilot, including Lucy's hobo act.
7. The Séance-In order to get Ricky in the good graces of Mr. Meriweather, Lucy and Ethel arrange a bogus séance so that Mr. Meriweather can contact his dead wife.
8. Men are Messy-Lucy is tired of cleaning up Ricky's messes, so when a magazine photographer comes to take snapshots of Ricky's home, Lucy decides to teach her husband a lesson.
9. Drafted-When Ricky receives a letter from the War Department, Lucy thinks he's been drafted. When Ricky catches Lucy knitting socks and then hiding them, he thinks she's pregnant. Ethel and Fred also adopt similar wrong conclusions.
10. The Fur Coat-When Ricky brings home a fur coat he rented for a show, Lucy mistakenly believes it's for her, and Ricky can't get her to take it off.
11. Lucy is Jealous of a Girl Singer-A recurring theme throughout the show, Lucy is jealous of a girl at Ricky's club (who is actually a dancer, not a singer).
12. The Adagio-Lucy hires a Parisian dancer to prep her for an audition at the Tropicana, but the dancer has romance in mind.
13. The Benefit-Lucy and Ricky agree to perform for Ethel's benefit club, but while rehearsing Lucy notices that Ricky delivers all the punch lines. She decides to change things...without telling Ricky.
14. The Amateur Hour-To earn extra money, Lucy agrees to take care of a lady's two bratty boys. She and the boys later appear on a TV show.
15. Lucy Plays Cupid-Lucy tries her hand at matchmaking for the first time with one of her neighbors and the grocer.
16. Lucy Fakes Illness-Lucy promises she'll have a nervous breakdown if Ricky doesn't hire her in his new show.
17. Lucy Writes a Play-Ricky refuses to play the leading role in Lucy's play.
18. Breaking the Lease-Lucy and Ricky have a huge fight with Ethel and Fred, so they decide to break their lease with vengeance.
19. The Ballet-Lucy lies and claims she has professional ballet experience to get a part at Ricky's nightclub.
20. The Young Fans-A teenager in the apartment building has a crush on Ricky, so Lucy tries to find her a boyfriend her own age. That young man (played by Richard Crenna) subsequently develops a crush on Lucy.
21. New Neighbors-Lucy and Ethel spy on their new neighbors, and Lucy creeps into their apartment while they're gone. They return while she's in a closet, and she overhears what she thinks is an elaborate espionage plot.
22. Fred and Ethel Fight-Lucy tries to patch up Fred and Ethel's marriage when the two split up.
23. The Moustache-When Ricky grows a moustache, Lucy plasters on a beard...that won't come off!
24. The Gossip-Ricky and Fred try to prove that women are bigger gossips than men.
25. Pioneer Women-Ricky and Fred think Lucy and Ethel are spoiled housewives who couldn't live without their modern conveniences. So all four decide to live like pioneers without electricity, running water, contemporary clothing, etc.
26. The Marriage License-Lucy discovers that she and Ricky are not legally married because Ricky's name is listed as "Nicky Nicardo" on their marriage license.
27. The Kleptomaniac-When Ricky finds out that Lucy is hiding mysterious valuables in the closet, he assumes she compulsively steals them.
28. Cuban Pals-Some of Ricky's old friends from Cuba come to visit, including a little girl Ricky used to dance with...who isn't a little girl anymore, much to Lucy's dismay!
29. The Freezer-Ethel buys a huge commercial freezer from her uncle, and she and Lucy fill it up with meat: two sides of beef. When they try to hide the huge expense from their husbands, Lucy accidentally locks herself in the freezer.
30. Lucy Does a TV Commercial-Probably the most famous "I Love Lucy" episode, Lucy does a commercial for Vitametavegamin, an health "tonic" with some shady ingredients.
31. The Publicity Agent-Feeling that Ricky has fallen out of the public eye, Lucy dreams up an elaborate publicity stunt: She poses as the Maharincess of Franistan who can't live without Ricky Ricardo's records.
32. Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio-Lucy is so impressed with Ricky's knowledge of American history that she gets him to be a contestant on a radio quiz show.
33. Lucy's Schedule-Ricky puts Lucy on a strict schedule to teach her the importance of punctuality.
34. Ricky Thinks He's Getting Bald-Lucy gives Ricky scalp treatments to combat his fears of growing bald.
35. Ricky Asks for a Raise-Lucy presses Ricky to ask for a raise.

Don't let the studio fool you - The "I Love Lucy" Complete First Season DVD boxed set is pretty much a cheap way for them to cash in on Ms. Ball's name value. Rather than repackaging the whole season in a concise manner that would benefit fans in terms of price (not to mention saving space), they have opted to take all of those individually-released volumes (with 4 episodes on each) and simply sell them in one great big bundle (thus explaining the very hefty price tag). No additional features are being added, either. So why even bother if every volume can already be bought on its own? I dunno. I guess with such a timeless show, you'd expect the studio to be a little more fair and rewarding to Lucy's fans.

ADDENDUM: Don't buy this garbage about only four episodes being on a disc to "preserve quality." For benefit of argument, I invite anyone to check out the complete first season release of a show like "ER," which has all 25 hour-long episodes on FOUR discs WITH bonus features, and the quality of the episodes is fantastic.

Well, the First Season of "I Love Lucy" is finally here on DVD. This is the newest edition for sale, and has 35 episodes (plus the pilot -- bringing it to 36 episodes) on just 7 discs. These are the original episodes of this classic series, filmed in 1951 and 1952. Though they are over 50 years old, the quality is just beautiful. There is no colorized version of the episodes, but it would just destroy the whole classic.

These episodes are the first few episodes of the series, and set the pace for the whole of the series. Its worth all you pay - since in the 1950s, seasons were almost 40 episodes long each (even though the seasons became shorter in this show towards the end of the run of the show.)

Here's an episode guide of what episodes are featured here:

Pilot - The Lost "I Love Lucy" Pilot: Lucy tries to get into the act when Ricky's band auditions for TV. (sometime in 1950)

1 - The Girls Want To Go To A Nightclub: Fred and Ricky want to see a prize fight...but Lucy and Ethel have something else in mind. (10-15-51)

2 - Be a Pal: Lucy tries to rekindle romance with Ricky. (10-22-51)

3 - The Diet: Lucy starves and steams her way into a size 12. (10-22-51)

4 - Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her: A misunderstood conversation makes Lucy suspicious. (11-5-51)

5 - The Quiz Show: To win $1,000, Lucy pretends to have been married to someone else. (11-12-51)

6 - The Audition: When Buffo the Clown doesn't show up for Ricky's TV audition, Lucy clowns it up in his place. (11-19-51)

7 - The Seance: Lucy and Ethel become involved in the supernatural. (11-26-51)

8 - Men Are Messy: Lucy decides to teach Ricky a lesson about his messy habits. (12-3-51)

9 - The Fur Coat: Lucy thinks Ricky has given her the ultimate gift. (12-10-51)

10 - Lucy Is Jealous of Girl Singer: Lucy disrupts a chorus line. (12-17-51)

11 - Drafted: Lucy and Ethel are convinced that their husbands are headed for the service. (12-24-51)

12 - The Adagio: Lucy takes dance lessons os she can be in a number at the club. But her Parisian teacher has more than dancing on his mind. (12-31-51)

13 - The Benefit: Ricky agrees to do a vaudeville routine with Lucy for Ethel's women's club benefit, but when Lucy discovers that Ricky has all the punch lines, she decides to make a few changes. (1-7-52)

14 - The Amateur Hour: Lucy lands in double trouble when she takes a baby-sitting job to earn money to pay for an expensive new dress. (1-14-52)

15 - Lucy Plays Cupid: Lucy delivers a romantic note from her shy neighbor, the elderly Miss Lewis, to the grocer. Now the grocer thinks that Lucy is the one who is interested in him. (1-21-52)

16 - Lucy Fakes Illness: Ricky brings home an actor to play a doctor when Lucy pretends to be ill. (1-28-52)

17 - Lucy Writes a Play: Ricky has to preform with a British accent. (2-4-52)

18 - Breaking the Lease: A feud with the Mertzes could lead the Ricardos to move out. (2-11-52)

19 - The Ballet: Lucy uses ballet and burlesque to try to to break into Ricky's act. (2-18-52)

20 - The Young Fans: Lucy teaches a clumsy schoolboy how to dance. (2-25-52)

21 - New Neighbors: Lucy overhears a plot against the Ricardos. (3-3-52)

22 - Fred and Ethel Fight: Lucy tries to patch up a quarrel between Fred and Ethel. (3-10-52)

23 - The Moustache: Lucy gloues on a white beard to try to get Ricky to shave his upper lip. (3-17-52)

24 - The Gossip: Ricky and Fred bet Lucy and Ethel that the girls' can't stop gossiping. (3-24-52)

25 - Pioneer Women: Lucy battles a long loaf of bread. (3-31-52)

26 - The Marriage License: Lucy is convinced she and Ricky aren't married. (4-7-52)

27 - The Kleptomaniac: Lucy is accused of stealing cash and valuables. (4-14-52)

28 - Cuban Pales: Jealous of Ricky's dance partner, the voluptuos "Renita", Lucy schemes to take her place in the show. (4-21-52)

29 - The Freezer: After installing a walk-in meat locker in the basement, Lucy learns the hard way just how cold the new freezer is! (4-28-52)

30 - Lucy Does a TV Commercial: Lucy becomes the Vitameatavegamin girl. (CLASSIC EPISODE!) (5-5-52)

31 - The Publicity Agent: To increase business for Ricky, Lucy poses as the Maharincess of Franistan. (5-12-52)

32 - Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio: Lucy is convinced that Ricky is a genius. (5-19-52)

33 - Lucy Schedule: Lucy serves up a high-speed meal to teach Ricky a lesson. (5-26-52)

34 - Ricky Thinks He's Getting Bald: Lucy gives Ricky's scalp the treatment. (6-2-52)

35 - Ricky Asks For a Raise: Lucy convinces Ricky to demand more pay. Now he's out of a job! (6-9-52 -- SEASON FINALE)

In addition, there's pretty cool bonus features.

Digitally Remastered and Restored: Each episode looks very good, and the sound and picture are restored to their highest extent.

Uncut Episodes - I never knew how much syndication butchers these priceless classics. The DVD edition has mentions of sponsers, cut scenes, many not seen since the 1950s.

13 Episodes from "MY FAVORITE HUSBAND" - The DVD even has 13, full, uncut episodes from Lucy's radio show, which became the inspiration for several I Love Lucy episodes. These haven't been heard since the late 1940s.

Flubs - Bloopers and interesting tidbits.

Original Openings - Unseen since the 1950s - the DVD has the two Season 1 openings used.

Overall, a 5/5. 5 stars. I would get this if you're an I Love Lucy fan. Hopefully, the other seasons will come out, and we can see "The Lucy Show" on season by season DVD, since its first season also ruled.

I LOVE LUCY! :)

First of all, I'm a huge fan of "I Love Lucy". I'm only 27, but this is one of the shows I used to watch constantly growing up. So many fantastic moments which still stand the test of time over 50 years later.

Now I was very dismayed with the original release of the first season. Originally, it was released as nine individual volumes. These volumes were eventually bundled together in a box set labelled 'The Complete First Season'.

Well, needless to say, that set was a space hog. The insane price tag of $120 was enough to make me pass it up. Of course, I was tempted to get it, seeing as I wanted it so badly.

When season 2 was released, fans were treated to the slimmer packaging many have come to expect from a TV season release. As a result of the first season's mishaps, I passed this up as well.

Now, on the same date as the season 4 release, Paramount has GONE BACK to the first season and repackaged it to coincide with the other seasons in the form of a 7 disc set!! There has been no word yet if all the extras will be carried over to the new release, but I'm ecstatic nonetheless. The set will be a 7-disc foldout digipack containing all episodes from the first season. The price has been lowered incredibly as well, and will cost about the same as the other seasons of the show.

It just goes to show that sometimes it pays to wait!

I Love Lucy is my favorite television series ever, Lucille Ball will forever remain the Queen of Comedy. I can remember watching I Love Lucy when I was young and laughing, not even realizing how classic the show was. Now at age fifteen I have rediscovered my love for the show when I again saw reruns on TV LAND. I Love Lucy has finaly made its way to DVD with the historic 1st Season! The first season which ran from October 15th, 1951 to June 9th, 1952 includes some of the shows greatest episodes

Episodes of Season 1 in airing order:
1. The Girls Want to Go to a Night Club
2. Be a Pal
3. The Diet
4. Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her (actually the shows first episode to be filmed)
5. The Quiz Show
6. The Audition (virtualy the same as the unaired pilot)
7. The Seance
8.Men Are Messy
9. The Fur Coat
10. Lucy is Jealous of a Girl Singer (this episode was mistitled and should have been a "Girl dancer"
11. Drafted
12. The Adaigo
13. The Benefit
14. The Amateur Hour

15. Lucy plays Cupid
16. Lucy Fakes Illness
17. Lucy Writes a Play
18. Breaking the Lease
19. The Ballet
20. The Young Fans
21. New Neighbours
22. Fred and Ethel Fight
23. The Moustache
24. The Gossip
25. Pioneer Women (This episode contains the hilarious scene where Lucy is pinned against the wall by a giant loaf of bread)
26. The Marriage License
27. The Kleptomaniac
28. Cuban Pals
29. The Freezer(I laugh so hard every time i watch Lucy in the meat shop making that funny voice while she sells the beed "Tell Ya What I"m Gonna Do!"
30. Lucy Does A T.V Commercial (Possible the MOST FAMOUS EPISODE as Lucy becomes intoxicated while doing a commercial.
31. The Publicity Agent
32. Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio
33. Lucy's Schedule
34. Ricky Thinks He's Going Bald
35. Ricky Asks for a Raise

Now You can own the shows incredible first season in one boxed set!! However I am very angry with CBS or Paramount or whoever decided to release the 1st Season in seperate volumes! I had no idea the season would be released in one boxed set!! This was a cheap attempt make more money. I have bought every volume released so far and it has been expensive, i certainly would have waited for the Boxed set had I known! But if you have not bought all the volumes and you are a true fan of Lucille Ball than dont hold back!! But I LOVE LUCY SEASON 1 AND YOU WONT REGRET IT!

I love "I Love Lucy." Whenever I find it on TV, I watch and find myself laughing. Naturally, it was one of the first shows I knew I wanted on DVD. This set has good and bad points. In reality, I'd probably give it 4.5 if I could. But since I can't, I rounded up.

The biggest drawback is the price. It's expensive! Even though I've found it cheaper other places, it still costs a lot of money. Of course, you do get 9 DVD for the price. And if you bought the discs as they came out, you have no reason to get this set since you already have all the material.

On the plus side, you get the 35 official season 1 episodes plus the "lost pilot" that was found and released several years ago. The episodes have been restored and I doubt they looked this good when they first aired. Picture is original full frame black and white and sound is original mono. Bonus features include behind the scenes trivia and photos, guest cast information, restored footage (some of which is a hoot), the original animated opening, and at least one episode per disc of Lucy's radio show "My Favorite Husband" that inspired certain episodes.

For me, I find some of the episodes near the start of season 1 to be rather slow and not as funny. This is a common complaint of mine with most TV shows. The writers and actors need time to find the characters before things really take off. Still, there are some early gems like "The Diet" and "The Fur Coat." The second half more then makes up for the first with many classic moments and hilarious episodes like "The Ballet," "Breaking the Lease," "The Gossip," "Pioneer Women," "The Freezer," and "Lucy's Schedule." I can watch these episodes over and over again and laugh myself silly every time.

Of course, this doesn't mention the single most famous episode of season 1 - "Lucy Does a TV Commercial." If this title doesn't ring a bell, I have just one word for you. Vitameatavegamin.

Is this a perfect set? No, and its flaws are a little more obvious then most. The good news is that future seasons of this classic show will be released in cheaper to buy full season sets. In the end, if you love Lucy, you will be glad you spent the money to get this set.