Customer Reviews

Lucy Calls the President

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

MPI is really making all of Lucy's fans beyond happy with their second release of Lucy's Television Specials! Lucy Calls The President is a one hour special that was originally aired on November 21, 1977 on CBS. It starred Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance, Gale Gordon, Mary Jane Croft, Mary Wickes (all from The Lucy Show) along with Ed McMahon, Steve Allen, Lillian Carter (President Jimmy Carter's mother) and others.

Lucy plays Lucy Whittaker from Indiana, who calls in to President Jimmy Carter's weekly speak to the President phone service for the public, so she can bring up a topic of local importance. President Carter tells Lucy he'll discuss her local issues with her in person, as he will be in her area soon. Later plans change so the President will actually be at Lucy's house to have dinner with her! Of course, everyone who has ever known Lucy in her life, just has to be invited to this special dinner for President Carter, so this will be some dinner Lucy has to prepare for such a large crowd!

With 5 of The Lucy Show's cast re-united for this special, it would sadly turn out to be their last time together. Vivian Vance had been fighting breast cancer for a while undergoing chemotherapy, when she suffered a stroke just a few months before the special started filming. This stroke left Vivian's left side of her face partially paralyzed, but she unbelievably still went on filming this special with Lucy. In July of 1977, just 4 months before filming, Lucy lost her beloved mother DeDe Ball. DeDe never missed a show of Lucy's as she was always in the audience, through every episode of I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and all her television specials. This was the first time Lucy would do a show without her wonderful supportive mother in the audience. They said Lucy was visibly distraught and upset with the absence of her mother and that it shows in her acting and movements in the show.

Sadly, Vivian Vance lost her battle with cancer only a year and a half later and passed away on August 17, 1979. Vivian's health and stroke prevented her from working with her beloved television partner ever again, so this is the last time Vivian and Lucy ever worked together. MPI says they are including the following bonus materials along with this great special: Never before seen rehearsal footage of Lucy and the cast, a featurette with guest star James E. Brodhead, Lucy on the Tonight Show in 1969 and more rare Lucy footage.

I can't express my gratitude to MPI enough for bringing these long lost treasures to us once again since their premiere in 1977! I can't wait until Lucy Calls The President's dvd is released on April 6, 2010! On April 27th, 2010 I Love Lucy: The Movie dvd is being released also and we have a bit of a wait from CBS to release The Lucy Show Season 2 dvd on July 13,2010 and The Lucy Show Season 3 dvd on October 12, 2010! I have been keeping in contact with CBS for all the news on The Lucy Shows dvd releases. CBS said they will base future releases on sales, so please all you Lucy fans- keep buying and CBS and MPI will keep releasing! CBS has pushed the release dates farther away only because of the pristine clean up they are doing on The Lucy Show! The job they did on The Lucy Show Season 1 was beyond perfect! Again, THANK YOU MPI for more Lucy television treasures from all of us Lucy (and Vivian) fans!

This special aired on CBS back in the fall of 1977 on CBS to great ratings. This is one of Lucy's best comedy specials (the other being "The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour" which also aired on CBS back in the spring of 1964)and brings back the pairing of Lucy & Vivian Vance for one last time. This special is really funny and I am delighted that MPI is releasing this gem. The special also stars Gale Gordon, Mary Wickes, Mary Jane Croft and Ed McMahon. It is a truly great comedy ensemble and a very, very enjoyable comedy outing. I recommend this special to everybody who truly loves to laugh. Unfortunately, this will be the last time Lucy and Vivian appear together.

The release of LUCY CALLS THE PRESIDENT has been a highlight of this year for me. I remember first watching this in 1977 when CBS originally aired this and well I am glad the wait to see it again is over.

Although this special may not be the all time best" Lucy" shows it has the memories and nostalgia in it's favor. Lucille Ball is reunited with Gale Gordon, Mary Wickes, Mary Jane Croft her old I LOVE LUCY writers, first season director and of course Vivian Vance.

It is a cute little plot about an Indiana housewife trying to save a park for under-priviledged children. Without giving away too much Lucy finds out President Carter will be nearby and tries to get him to pay her a visit. Soon enough the entire town finds out and you can guess what happens.

Lucy was still able to do her comedy and match wits with anyone. At times this program can be a little old-fashioned and corny but I thought her last couple of HERE'S LUCY years were that considering what CBS was putting out in the 1970's. Probably what is most unbelievable in this program is Gale Gordon being Lucy's father-in-law. In this show Lucy is married to Ed McMahon and truthfully everyone looks around the same age.

Whatever Lucy put her self into I would watch and glad to own it one day nothing could dampen my love for her. Lucy always surrounded herself with the best supporting actors like Gale Gordon. It is fun to hear the potshots Gale Gordon makes at the newly-elected President Carter.

Most of all I wanted this program for the reunion of Lucy and her players especially Vivian Vance. This would make the last time Vivian Vance and Lucy would work together. Lucy and the cast knew Vivian Vance was not well at the time of this program so it is kind of a bittersweet show. Never the less as always Vivian delivered 110% and proved once again how valuable and priceless she was to Lucille Ball.

I have heard people say that this cast was showing their age which may be somewhat true but you are very unlikely to get a cast like this on television today.

First the product - the picture quality is just ok - it has a reddish tint and it is a bit fuzzy. From what I have read I don't believe it to be a DVD manufacturer's issue - it is the best quality of the show available. In fact some of the extras (very enjoyable) on the DVD contain clips from older shows (the Mothers-In-Laws and the Doris Day Show) which are in pristine shape.

I saw the show when it was originally televised in November, 1977 and I do not believe it has been aired since. I do remember being very disappointed when I watched it "back then". I was excited about the Ball/Vance reunion and hoped the show would follow the trend of late 70's television where more topical issues were being covered. Unfortunately this show followed the pattern of the later "Lucy" show episodes - contrived plot with dated slapstick and lame jokes. Also distracting was the miscasting of Ed McMahon as Lucy's husband(!) and the absurdity that -- based on their ages -- Gale Gordon would be Lucy's father-in-law. I remember the New York Times scathing review of the show titled "Old, Tired Lucy".

However being a great Lucy fan I was curious to see it again and I am glad I did. Unfortunately age has not improved the quality of the show. It isn't a result of the usual dating of a show (after all some of the 50+ year old I Love Lucy episodes are still extremely entertaining) - but the plot remains very weak. Also, it is disturbing that Lucy looks kind of worn and artifical and as we have come to learn Vivian was extremely ill when this was filmed.

However from the distance of 30+ years it remains fun to see "the old gang" together again - kind of looking through a time capsule. The interaction of Ball, Vance, Wickes and Croft still remains peerless!

Thank you MPI Home Theater for your dedication to all that is Lucy. Each release that you issue is handled with loving care and a gift to all us Lucy fans. LUCY CALLS THE PRESIDENT is one of the many specials Lucy did after ending HERE'S LUCY. It is infamous for many reasons. Some sad, most importantly that Lucy's mother Deedee had just passed away. Throughout Lucy's entire career she had never missed a single taping and the bond between these two was strong. How bittersweet and sad it must have been for Lucy to go forward but Lucy was a trooper and this special provides some of the best magic of her entire career.

The plot of Lucy phoning the president and then the announcement that he would be stopping by her house is a simple premise for some hilarious comedic stunts as only Lucille Ball could provide. Lucy was always loyal to fellow actors she liked to work with and this special was indeed special for it was a final reunion that brought them all together. We get Mary Wickes, Mary Jane Croft, Gale Gordon but most importantly the final television reunion of Lucille and Vivian Vance. None of their magic chemistry had been lost and each scene sparked with reminders of all the laughs these two have provided us. And this special continues those laughs nonstop. The simple use of potato salad and a cake provides the most hilarious moments of the special. I sat through this and laughed from beginning to end and remembered watching it when it first aired in 1977. I had been 16. Lucy was the master and her comedic timing was still fully intact. This special is a must for all Lucy fans as well as fans of comedy history.

The bonus features here are worth the price of admission in itself. They actually had much rehearsal footage and we got to see Lucy and cast in rehearsal which is a very rare treat. The scenes would then be shown next to the footage that actually aired. Some great moments. Then we have Lucille Ball guest starring on The Johnny Carson Show. The entire interview is shown and it is always a unique insight and gift to see how different Lucille Ball was from the character Lucy. Then we have an interview with James E. Brodhead. The segment is called WORKING WITH LUCY. This segment was priceless for me. He had met Lucy working on MAME and he describes his interactions with her on the set in hilarious detail. She bacame so impressed with him that he became a constant player on HERE'S LUCY. He is also in this special as the mayor. Many actors have said that Lucille Ball was a very difficult task master to work with and he speaks on this at length. She was always direct but was always looking for the best. The MAME story shows true insight into Lucille Ball as a person. This segment provided me with Lucy knowledge I did not know and that is hard to do. To hear of her loyalty and how she worked her craft was mezmerizing.

We also get a segment from the brief radio show TALKING WITH LUCY where she interviews Steve Allen. So much Lucy history here. This special is not watching a classic actress out of her prime but instead shows how even as she aged Lucy always remained the Queen of Comedy with timing, class and grace that was impeccable and priceless. I can't say enough. Purchase and enjoy.

I know this isn't really a review of this product but I do want to say I am EXCITED to see it coming!!! I have never see Lucy Calls The President so this will be new Lucy material for me. MPI has done a great job with the other Lucy Special releases as well as Here's Lucy season sets. Can't wait to get my copy of this one!! Thank you MPI!!!

Yes, that's how long I've waited to see this program. I was a teenager with a community orchestra rehearsal the night it aired. Oh, how I cursed that situation.

It's a delight to see Lucy & Viv working together one last time. Their chemistry lifts this program up each time they share the screen. Ed McMahon's an odd choice to play Lucy's husband and it's just peculiar seeing Gale Gordon playing her father-in-law.

However, classic Lucy moments are echoed in the script and it is an enjoyable watch. I'm glad to finally see it, happy to own it, and will watch it again.

Now, how about getting "Life with Lucy" released?

Looking forward to this, but am wondering what else will be on the DVD, as I am sure the TV special did not run for 150 mins originally. MPI has no info on this at all on it's own website, and the cover art doesn't give any clues.

I saw this special when it was originally broadcast,and I remembered it as not being that good. My memory was correct,the comedy seems forced and actually not that funny, HOWEVER, you do get to see Lucy and Vivian work together for the last time,as well as many Lucy regulars,Mary Wickes is a stand out as always.Gale Gordon,Mary Jane Croft, I believe this was her last tv appearance as well as Vivians, Steve Allen,Ed Mcmahon(????) bad casting to say the least.The disc does boast some great extras ,well worth the purchase price, you get to see a lot of behind the scenes footage and a great interview with actor James E Bradhead. This is a must have for Lucy fans, I would suggest others to avoid it.

I have been waiting for this for years! It was well worth the wait. The entire cast is in full speed. Waiting for more specials!