Meet Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. They live in an apartment in New York where Ricky works as a nightclub bandleader. Their closest friends are Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be their landlords. Lucy wants a career in show business as well, and is always trying to get into Ricky's act. Even when she isn't trying to do that, she's involved in one wacky scheme or another. And the two couples have some great battles of the sexes.
This set is five of the six seasons from the classic show. Season one starts a little slow with Lucy often carrying the show alone. As the writers get more comfortable with the other characters, their parts expand and the show finds it's footing. Even with a slow start, this show has some classic moments. Lucy tries to learn "The Ballet" and a burlesque act to get into Ricky's show. The couple makes a bet over who can go longer without gossiping. Lucy gets trapped in a freezer. Ricky puts Lucy on a time schedule. And of course, "Lucy does a TV Commercial" for Vitameatavegamin with hilarious results. Also included in this set is the original unaired pilot.
Season two starts out with a bang as Lucy works in a chocolate factory in "Job Switching." Ethel and Lucy both via for the presidency of their club. Lucy has trouble deciding on anything. The couples fight over a washing machine. Of course, the most famous storyline of season 2 was Lucy's pregnancy and the birth of Little Ricky. Brought on by Lucy's real life pregnancy, this was very daring for the time. How things have changed in the last 50 years.
Season three brings with it it's own classic moments. Lucy and Ethel buy the same dress for a TV show. The couples fight over "Equal Rights." "Lucy Tells the Truth" with unintended consequences. The girls attend a "Charm School." "Ricky Loses His Temper" in an episode that should nominate him for sainthood. When Ricky's band gets booked to Hawaii, Lucy and the Mertzes scheme to go, too. The couples find a "Bonus Buck" their local paper is running. And the girls want to learn to play golf so they can hang out with the boys.
Early in season four, a storyline is introduced that changes the course of the season. Ricky gets a movie offer in Hollywood, so the gang travels cross-country, stopping in Ohio, Tennessee, and New Mexico before finally making it. Once there, Lucy starts stalking the stars with hilarious results. She once more tries to get into the act, this time a movie. And she does a classic routine with Harpo Marx.
Season five finishes up the California episodes with a funny visit from John Wayne and a classic trip home. They're hardly home before Ricky and his band are booked to Europe, and Lucy and the Mertzes tag along. Once there, they get involved in a "Fox Hunt," get accused of counterfeiting in Paris, get caught in an avalanche, and have trouble with a boarder crossing. Most famously from this trip, Lucy gets a little more local color then she bargained for when she decides to research wine making for what she is sure will be her big break.
Anyone who loves this show will love these DVDs. The picture is black and white and the sound is mono, but anything else would ruin this classic. And the picture has been cleaned up. I've never seen it look this sharp with only the occasional dust and grain. Each disc is loaded with extras including information on the guest cast, mistakes that made it on air, behind the scenes facts, deleted scenes, original openings, and episodes from Lucy's radio show "My Favorite Husband."
This show has been entertaining people for 50 years, and it shows no signs of letting up. I am thrilled to have this show in such wonderful shape. No matter how many times I see them, I still laugh through every episode. Don't miss a chance to own a true TV classic.
