Customer Reviews

I Love Lucy - Season One (Vol. 1)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

People incensed that we are not getting these a season at a time are neglecting to review the product itself. This DVD is SPLENDIFEROUS.

The picture quality is gorgeous -- the lighting looks as good as movie stills. And these are complete episodes -- remember that in syndication we have always seen them with bits chopped off except on Nickelodeon (did you ever wonder why the audience was often already laughing when the show started? It was because the syndicated version cut in AFTER the original beginning).

We get a whole episode of the radio show MY FAVORITE HUSBAND -- one of the few old radio shows that still holds up for us moderns with minor adjustment. One cannot really understand what I LOVE LUCY "was" historically without starting with MY FAVORITE HUSBAND; what a great idea to put episodes on these DVDs. (Maybe it will help turn LUCY fans on to old radio -- if you love Lucy, there is a lot of, particularly, late 40s radio comedy that you will love as well, and old radio is now cheaper and more available than it has ever been before in this era of MP3 files.)

We get the pilot -- complete with the original announcer restoring the lost first few seconds of the voice-over 50 years later! (Why, though, is it listed as 45 minutes but takes up ten minutes less time?)

And then also bonuses like an alternate laughtrack over an ending, a clip used for a rerun not seen since 1953, etc.

This is the definitive presentation of this show, in a medium that does not turn to dust on the shelf after 20 years. This is very, very special.

The truth is that like all shows, I LOVE LUCY took a little while to get its sea legs; I do not consider these first three to be the best of the run by any means. But their historical value is obvious, and here they are for us to possess forever.

As for the piecemeal release schedule, honestly, I find getting 20-odd episodes at a time a little overwhelming. I guess it depends on your lifestyle, but for me sets like that are an instant huge backlog waiting to be taken in bit by bit, kind of like a massive book you never seem to finish. I LIKE getting to sample the whole run of this show four shows at a time -- you can see them all at your leisure and maybe even repeat them. It's kind of like belonging to a book-of-the-month club. And as one reviewer said, a whole season set with all the little extras would be a REAL monster.

I do have one complaint, though. It WOULD be better if we could see the episodes with their original credits every time, rather than just having the original opening as a separate bonus. (Is it that clean negatives of that opening no longer exist?) And also, what about the original commercials, often done on set, and often by Lucy and Desi? I hope we can see these in later editions.

But overall, this is a milestone achievement. One thing, though -- the people who are eating this up would surely relish a similar release of the first three seasons of THE LUCY SHOW. What is available of this show concentrates on the later seasons that hinged on tacky star guests. But these were not good television; the plots are boneheaded, the performances are kindergarten-broad, and the whole show was resting on its laurels by then. The earlier LUCY SHOWS were as good as I LOVE LUCY, especially the first season in crisp black-and-white with lots of Vivian Vance. Paramount and CBS Video take note -- a nice box set of the first season of the LUCY SHOW would sell big.

The first season of "I Love Lucy" the most classic of television situation comedies had a 50.9 rating in the Nielsen ratings, which meant that half the television sets in the country were tuned into CBS on Monday nights at 9:00. Unlike most recent television DVD sets which offer an entire season as a set, the first season of "I Love Lucy" is coming out on DVD four episodes at a time. Volume 1 offers up the original pilot episode, and the first three episodes of the series. All of these episodes were written by the team of Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll, Jr., who would stay with the show for its first five season:

"The Lost Pilot" was kinescoped on March 2, 1951 as an audition episode with which to woo potential backers for the show. Desi and Lucy play Larry and Lucy Lopez in what was a rewrite of the vaudeville skits the couple were doing on tour patched together with an old "My Favorite Husband" radio scripts (a lot of the first season episodes of "I Love Lucy" had similar points of origin). In a story that will sound familiar as the years go by, Lucy is determined to break into show business and decides to replace the ailing clown (Pepito the Clown) in her husband's nightclub act.

Episode 1, "The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub" (October 15, 1951) for the Mertzes' anniversary, but Fred and Ricky would rather go to the fights. Lucy and Ethel dress up as hicks and show up as the boy's blind dates. This battle of the sexes sets the tone for the show's perpetual subtext, although the recurring theme is Lucy trying to get into showbiz.

Episode 2, "Be a Pal" (October 22, 1951) has Lucy taking advice from a self-help text and trying to keep her marriage fresh by becoming Ricky's pal. Now if only Ricky could figure out what Lucy is REALLY up to.

Episode 3, "The Diet" (October 29, 1951) is what Lucy is using to lose 12 pounds in just two days so she can be a part of the chorus line in Ricky's nightclub act. An early opportunity for Lucy to do the physical humor that was her forte.

The value of Volume 1 is in the historical importance of both the original pilot and the show's first episode. Even though it has little resemblance to what actually aired, the "lost" pilot is the funniest of the bunch (compare Lucy's comic antics at the end of the pilot with the similar but lesser hijinks at the end of Episode 1). None of these first three televised episodes would be considered classic Lucy shows and they are really rather pedestrian all things considered. Note: Episode 1 was the first episode aired, but it was not the first episode taped. That would be "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her," which can be found on Volume 2. See you there.

I'm am really happy that they are putting the show on DVD, and the picture quality is awesome, as well as the special features. I just wonder why they insist on only putting 4 episodes on each disc. Why couldn't they do like MASH, and release an entire season on a 3 DVD set, then throw in an extra disc loaded with special features?

at an average of $13 (lowside) for 4 episodes (There were 179 episodes in the entire series), you're looking at quite a bit of money. For the same number of MASH episodes at approximately $30 for 24 episodes (7 seasons worth), you're looking at [price]. I really feel that Lucy fans are being taken advantage of here.

... But do the math.

What you paid for 1 volume of Lucy Season 1 x 6 (# of discs for a full season)

Multiply by 7 (the number of years lucy was on)

Total cost

Compare that to what MASH will run you for 1 season and multiply by 7. See how much you could save?

I Love Lucy is a television classic. 50 years old, and it still plays daily on TV and is loved by millions. This DVD features the first four episodes of the classic show starting with the pilot that was found in the early 90's. In addition, it presents the first 3 episodes to air in the fall of 1951 on CBS.

Fans of the show will love this disc. The sound and picture are great. Every episode is broken down into several chapters, including a separate chapter for the musical sequence. There are plenty of extras as well, including an episode of Lucy's radio show "My Favorite Husband" and an excerpt from Jess Oppenheimer's book on the creation of the show.

Like many TV shows, the first episodes aren't the strongest. Lucy is the only character fully developed at this point with the other three delivering straight lines. Still, there are several good laugh an episode.

It would be nice if the show were being released in season, or even half season sets. But this certainly isn't settling for second best since it's a great DVD.

I am a huge fan of I Love Lucy and was so glad to see the episodes finally come out on DVD, but I wish they were being distributed by someone else. The current distributors are only putting 4 episodes on each DVD, when they could fit at least twice as many, plus extras. And I think the bonus material was good but not great. At this rate, if you want to own the entire first season, your DVD/tape cabinet will be full before you can even begin collecting the second season. I wish they put at least 10 episodes on each DVD and charge a little more, so we don't have to try to store all these DVDs, search through them for certain episodes, and change them from the player as often. Shame on the distributor for wanting to make more money and not thinking about the customer's convenience! I also feel the packaging should be more special for one of the most popular T.V. shows ever.

For all of us, young and old who LOVE LUCY this new DVD set looks to be, the beginning anyway,of a dream come true! As any true LUCY fan will notice, the episodes are being released in the ORDER of their ORIGINAL AIRDATES! That is fantastic! Better yet all the episodes,except the PILOT episode have never been released on video before, unless you paid the big bucks to get them through the ... club! Besides getting these treasured episodes, fans have also been rewarded with what appears to be some great bonus material which includes the shows ORIGINAL OPENINGS! It APPEARS that every episode of I LOVE LUCY is on it's way to DVD and they are kicking off the series with SEASON 1 VOLUME 1 AND SEASON 1 VOUME 2! HOPE SEASON 1 VOLUMES 3 & 4 COME SOON AFTER! Contrary to some previous reviews, I believe the price is EXTREMELY reasonable. Look at what [club] charges for each DVD in their collection! I can't wait to get my I LOVE LUCY DVD's and start my collection of the best TV show ever made! PLEASE......RESERVE YOUR COPIES ALSO!

First, I must start by saying that these are by far the cleanest, clearest prints of "I Love Lucy" I've ever seen, and they sound great too. The restored opening of "The Pilot" is much better than it was presented on TV and video ("I Love Lucy: The Very First Show"), where the missing narrative was provided by Lucie Arnaz. Finding the original announcer to recreate the opening 50 years later was an inspired decision, and although it's a kinescope, "The Pilot" looks almost as clear as the episodes themselves. Also, the few episodes of Lucy's radio series "My Favorite Husband" included on these discs are a real treat. I'd never heard them before, and they are just as funny as the TV series. I hope they continue to include more of these. The extras are interesting, especially when they show before-and-after restoration footage. However, like many reviewers here, I wish there were more episodes per disc. With "The Pilot", 179 half hour shows, a Christmas Special, and 13 hour-long episodes, my "Lucy" DVD collection will reach half-way to the moon by the time they're finished being released. I also wish the original openings had been restored to each episode, instead of being "extras", and the animated act-changes and original closing credits are nowhere to be seen. If restoring these segments was done for two episodes on a laser disc a few years back, and is being done brilliantly on TVLand now, why not on these DVDs? I doubt watching these amusing animations will inspire anyone to take up smoking cigarettes. And how about putting some of the original commercials on as extras? Also, during the radio shows, all we get is a still of Lucille Ball behind a microphone, with a collage of scenes from "I Love Lucy" behind her. Surely there must be some photos of the "My Favorite Husband" cast that could be shown, perhaps as a slide show, during the episodes (still, I guess it's better than staring at a radio as the original listeners did!). Nevertheless, despite my disappointments, I will continue to buy these as they come out, and have already pre-ordered Volumes 3 and 4. I never get tired of watching "I Love Lucy", and, in the final analysis, it's the shows themselves--the best sitcom ever made--that I am collecting here, everything else is just gravy.

This is a great DVD if you only want the first four episodes. Instead of buying all of the individual DVDs for season one like my family did, buy the box set of the complete season one instead. You save money and there are more episodes per DVD in the boxed set. Don't waste your money, you get exactly the same thing.

It is great that they are putting I Love Lucy on DVD. It is my favorite show. Although I was upset that they only put 4 episodes on this DVD because they could have fit a lot more. But the Special Features made up for it. This DVD for Special Features includes Flubs,The Series Original Opening,Special Footage,A My Favorite Husband radio episode wich was the the radio show that started I Love Lucy,Guest Cast Information,and a Behind the Scenes Audio Featurette. For episodes it includes The I Love Lucy Pilot,The Girls Want To Go To A Nightclub,Be A Pal,and The Diet. Not counting the Pilot the other 3 episodes were the first 3 to be aired. I got this great DVD right when it hit the stores. It will entertain people of all ages. Its the best and you have to get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pilot episode is what you will see first. The pilot was filmed on March 2, 1951. It was Desi's 34th birthday. Lucille Ball was pregnant at the time with Lucie Arnaz. This pilot was never broadcast on television until...the man who played Pepito the Clown was given a reel of the pilot as a gift. When he died, this pilot was found (the story goes) under his bed. CBS aired this pilot episode for the very first time on April 30, 1990. It has never been shown in re-runs or syndication. (A pilot epiosde is made as a test. If the powers that be like it, a series could develop) Jerry Hausner appeared in 11 "I Love Lucy" episodes and in this pilot episode. In this DVD, "The Girls Want To Go To The Nightclub" (filmed 9-15-1951, aired 10-15-1951) is not the first episode filmed, but the first to be broadcast. This is actually episode #2. "Be A Pal", episode #3 (filmed 9-21-1951, aired 10-22-51). "The Diet" episode #3, (filmed 9-28-1951, aired 10-29-1951). Bonus material: Flubs, Radio Show, original "Phillip Morris" opening, and a lost scene and a restored soundtrack.