The Lucy Show: The Official Fourth Season

No one knew what to expect in Season 4, after The Lucy Show Season 3 was a farewell to Vivian Vance. What they didn't expect from the show that was always in the top 10 Nielsen ratings, was that it would move up in the ratings to #3 after Vivian's departure, which it surprisingly did. The new Season 4 begins with Lucy moving to California and enlisting son Jerry in The Los Angeles Military School, while sending her daughter Chris up north to college. Lucy takes Jerry to Marineland to get Jimmy Piersall's autograph on Jimmy Piersall Day, all filmed at the real Marineland with the real Jimmy Piersall. What a great start to a season! Added to all this, you'll see Lucy perform with the seals and dolphins as well as seeing her real life children sitting behind her in the stands.

Besides booking more great guest stars in this season, Lucy was still looking for that permanent new sidekick to replace Vivian. Lucy's close friend Ann Sothern was out of the question due to Ann's wanting equal top billing, so the search was still on. In the 4th episode, a new contender appeared in the show, Joan Blondell. Joan played Joan Brenner, who lives downstairs and works at the movie studios. Lucy didn't have an opinion on her from one episode, so she put Joan in the next episode, where Lucy's famous stunt man character Iron Man Carmichael was born. At the end of this second episode with Joan Blondell, Lucy was so disappointed in Joan's performances and the fact that they had no chemistry both on and off screen, that she imitated flushing a toilet in front of the audience. The audience gasped and Joan Blondell was so upset and insulted at the toilet flushing gesture that she shouted the mother of all words to Lucy, Blank (it rhymes with duck) You Lucille Ball! came out of her mouth. The audience was dead silent and Joan Blondell was never seen on any Lucy shows again. Unlike Danny Kaye who was upset at the notes Lucy would leave him on how to be a better comedian, Joan never forgave Lucy's toilet pantomime. So, to fill in those couple of Joan Blondell shows, Ann Sothern came in and helped out her old and dear friend Lucy in a pinch by appearing as the Countess.

On Ann's first episode following the Blondell nightmare, William Frawley is given a short walk on part with a couple lines. No one knew that this would be Bill's final television appearance, as he would be dead in four short months. As Bill walks away from the horse stable, Lucy is given a great line, He reminds me of someone I used to know. A lot of people don't know that after the end of the I Love Lucy series, Desi and Lucy offered William Frawley and Vivian Vance the opportunity to have their own Fred and Ethel spin off series for Desilu. As much as Bill hated Vivian in real life, he said yes, but Vivian said she would never work with William Frawley ever again. Vivian hated Bill Frawley much more than he ever knew. Four months after this appearance by Bill on the Lucy Show, he collapsed on Hollywood Blvd. right in front of his apartment. He had just come from the movie theatre after seeing Inside Daisy Clover starring Natalie Wood. Bill loved the movies and even as ill as he had been after undergoing treatments from prostate cancer, he would still walk down the block to see a new movie playing. When he collapsed, his male nurse came running out from the apartment but could not revive him. He died of a massive heart attack at age 79. When Vivian Vance heard the news, she was eating dinner in a restaurant and yelled Yay, Fred is Dead! to the shock of the other customers. When Lucy heard the news, she said she lost one of her dearest friends and when Desi heard, he paid for a full page ad in the Hollywood Reporter and had Bill's photo and birth and death dates posted with 3 words- Buenos Noches Amigo!- in English, Good Night Friend. William Frawley was 22 years older than Vivian Vance and she hated that fact as much as she hated him. Lucy being only 2 years younger than Vivian in real life and having a husband 6 years younger than Lucy made it all the more obvious that the Ethel character got stuck with this really ancient old grumpy guy, and Vivian always hated it.

After trying out Ann and Joan, Lucy decided that she would replace the irreplacable Vivian with two friends that had the chemistry she wanted - Mary Jane Croft and Gale Gordon. They alternated playing off Lucy in this season's episodes. Mary Jane got to play the character of Mary Jane Lewis, which is actually her real married name. She would be Lucy's next door neighbor and best friend, when ever Lucy needed her, and Mr. Mooney would move to California to be her part time, then full time boss whenever Lucy needed him. Now that Lucy had these 2 replacements for her beloved Vivian, the show could bring in those always wonderful guest stars. Mel Torme, Joan Blondell, Ann Sothern, Danny Thomas, Clint Walker, Jack Cassidy, Milton Berle, Wayne Newton, Jamie Farr, Art Linkletter, Mickey Rooney, Jan Murray, Reta Shaw, Dean Martin, Bob Crane, John Banner, Jay North, Robert Stack, Bruce Gordon and all those great huge stars that walk on in Lucy Goes To A Hollywood Premiere, made this show a must tune in and see for much of 1960's America. When asked what was Lucy's favorite show, Lucy answered the Lucy Meets Dean Martin episode from this season. Many people don't know why Lucy chose this show- was it because they were family friends with their sons in the Dino, Desi and Billy band? Or perhaps because they had great chemistry together and enjoyed each others sense of humor, as you could see years later in those Dean Martin Roasts? Maybe those were part of the reasons, but the real reason was Lucy ADORED Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darrin and Dean Martin's singing to no end. Watch the episode in this season, when Dean sings to Lucy- she LOVES IT! She has the same look on her face as when she looks at Frank Sinatra from the audience in his television specials. Lucy loved great singers and Dean just made her season this year!

I again cannot thank CBS enough for bringing these beloved episodes into our homes pristinely cleaned up and with extra treasures! This is another great Season of The Lucy Show that you will love!

UPDATE AUGUST 2011 FOR SEASON 5: Just spoke to a CBS rep and Season 5 of The Lucy Show will be available this December 2011- just in time for Christmas! MPI has also stated they would like to have Season 5 of Here's Lucy available at the end of 2011 as well, but have not mentioned a release date yet. CBS said Lucy In London will definitely be released, but do not know if it will be included with Season 5 or available separately. CBS said they have been busy cleaning up old Lucy films that will be included in these last 2 Seasons- and the last Season 6 will be available in 2012! This will be a Very Merry 2011 Lucy Christmas for us Lucy Fans, if we get both Season 5's! THANK YOU CBS!!!

SEASON 4 EPISODES:

01. 09-13-1965 LUCY AT MARINELAND- Lucy moves to California and enlists son Jerry in the Los Angeles Military School. They spend the day at Marineland and get Jimmy Piersall's autograph. (Jimmy Piersall and Harvey Korman guest star; watch for Lucie Arnaz and Desi Jr. sitting behind Lucy in the stands)
02. 09-20-1965 LUCY AND THE GOLDEN GREEK- Lucy's new neighbor Mary Jane Lewis gets Lucy a blind date with a shy, short lifeguard who changes when he hears Greek music. (Howard Morris and Mary Jane Croft guest star)
03. 09-27-1965 LUCY IN THE MUSIC WORLD- Lucy gets her struggling songwriter neighbor a job on The Wing Ding Show, after they update his song. They sing as The Tearducts duo. (Mel Torme guest stars)
04. 10-11-1965 LUCY AND JOAN- Lucy's neighbor downstairs, Joan Brenner who works in pictures, invites Lucy to the Screen Arts Charity Ball, if they can find her a date. (Joan Blondell guest stars)
05. 10-18-1965 LUCY, THE STUNT MAN- Lucy buys a new leopard coat and when Mr. Mooney won't give her the money to pay for it, neighbor Joan Brenner gets her a job that pays well for a day- as a stuntman. (Joan Blondell guest stars)
06. 10-25-1965 LUCY AND THE COUNTESS HAVE A HORSE GUEST- The Countess shows up at Lucy's door, broke, with her luggage and a horse. (Ann Sothern guest stars with a walk on by William Frawley)
07. 11-01-1965 LUCY HELPS DANNY THOMAS- Lucy delivers bank documents to The Danny Thomas Show, where she gets chosen to be a showgirl by Danny. (Danny Thomas guest stars)
08. 11-08-1965 LUCY HELPS THE COUNTESS- The Countess gets a job in real estate and Lucy tries to help with her commission, by showing Mr. Mooney an apartment. The 3 get locked in by accident with no food for the night. (Ann Sothern guest stars)
09. 11-15-1965 LUCY AND THE SLEEPING BEAUTY- Lucy meets Frank the builder at a construction site and they start to date, only Frank can't stay awake after a hard day's work. (Clint Walker, Mary Jane Croft and Mary Wickes guest star)
10. 11-22-1965 LUCY, THE UNDERCOVER AGENT- After viewing a James Bond movie, Lucy and the Countess become suspicious of everyone. Lucy does a wonderful imitation of Carol Channing! (Ann Sothern and Jack Cassidy guest star)
11. 11-29-1965 LUCY AND THE RETURN OF THE IRON MAN- When Mr. Mooney ducks out of the horse races, he leaves his ticket with Lucy who tears it up. When the horse wins, Lucy must come up with the money by becoming Iron Man for the day. (Mary Jane Croft guest stars)
12. 12-06-1965 LUCY SAVES MILTON BERLE- Lucy and Mary Jane volunteer at a soup kitchen when they try and help Milton Berle (pretending to be his own brother), who is actually getting in character for an upcoming role. (Milton Berle and Mary Jane Croft guest star)
13. 12-13-1965 LUCY, THE CHOIRMASTER- Son Jerry comes home for Christmas and Lucy arranges a Christmas Choir with The St. Charles Boys Choir and Mr. Mooney sings bass.
14. 12-27-1965 LUCY DISCOVERS WAYNE NEWTON- Wayne finds Mr. Mooney's dog Nelson on his farm and when Lucy comes to retrieve him, she discovers a new singing sensation. (Wayne Newton and Gary Morton guest star)
15. 01-03-1966 LUCY, THE RAIN GODDESS- When Lucy brings papers up to a western hotel near a Native American reservation for Mr. Mooney to sign, she is recognized as a rain goddess, and she must make it rain or die. (Jamie Farr guest stars)
16. 01-10-1966 LUCY AND ART LINKLETTER- Lucy is challenged by The Art Linkletter Show to not speak for 24 hours to win a $200.00 cash prize. (Art Linkletter guest stars)
17. 01-17-1966 LUCY BAGS A BARGAIN- When Lucy buys a dinette set on sale, she finds out the price is more than she thought and gets a job at the store to pay for it.
18. 01-24-1966 LUCY MEETS MICKEY ROONEY- Mr. Mooney finances Mickey Rooney's Acting School and he and Lucy take lessons. They end up doing a Chaplin silent. (Mickey Rooney guest stars)
19. 01-31-1966 LUCY AND THE SOAP OPERA- Lucy's neighbor doesn't know if he will have a job if he gets written out of a soap, so Lucy tries to sneakily find out from the writer what the outcome will be. (Jan Murray and Mary Jane Croft guest star)
20. 02-07-1966 LUCY GOES TO A HOLLYWOOD PREMIERE- Lucy's friend is moving and Lucy takes over her corner selling movie star maps. When the friend's son drops off his usher's uniform for a Hollywood Premeire, Lucy gets her chance of a lifetime to be up close with the stars. (Reta Shaw guest stars with walk ons by Mr. and Mrs. Edward G. Robinson, Kirk Douglas, Jimmy and Margie Durante and Vincent Edwards)
21. 02-14-1966 LUCY MEETS DEAN MARTIN- Mary Jane arranges for Dean Martin's double Eddie Feldman to take Lucy to a fancy Hollywood Charity Ball. When Eddie must work, the real Dean fills in. (Dean Martin and Mary Jane Croft guest star)
22. 02-21-1966 LUCY AND BOB CRANE- Bob Crane meets Lucy at the bank and takes her out for a date, not knowing her Iron Man identity on his movie set. (Bob Crane and John Banner (Sgt. Schultz) guest star)
23. 02-28-1966 LUCY, THE ROBOT- After six baby sitters can't deal with Mr. Mooney's unruly nephew, Lucy takes over with her own robotic protection. (Jay North guest stars)
24. 03-07-1966 LUCY AND CLINT WALKER- Lucy makes Frank the builder a red sweater, only finds out he hates red. Frank's dog Lightning the beagle saves the day. (Clint Walker and Mary Jane Croft guest star)
25. 03-14-1966 LUCY, THE GUN MOLL- The FBI finds that Lucy is a look-alike for a gangster's moll and gets her to pose as his girlfriend Rusty Martin to find out where he hid the loot. (Robert Stack and Bruce Gordon (Big Nick) guest star)
26. 03-21-1966 LUCY, THE SUPERWOMAN- When a one ton computer falls on Mr. Mooney's foot, Lucy makes headlines when she lifts it off. (Mary Jane Croft guest stars)

The fourth season of "The Lucy Show" is a major turning point in the series. Vivian Vance had quit at the end of season three so Lucy had to change formats. I must say that the California Years have some of the best episodes of the series. First of all, "The Lucy Show" finished a whopping third place in the Nielsen ratings for 1965-66 season. It averaged a 27.7 rating and was way up from season three. Season four also includes three more fabulous episodes with Ann Sothern as the Countess Framboise and one of the episodes include a cameo by William Frawley. Actress Joan Blondell also stars in two episodes and both are great. Season four of "The Lucy Show" changed for the better, season three just couldn't go on any longer, especially with Vivian Vance's (I love her) demands. Lucy was the star of the show and it showed by going it alone for the last nine years of her weekly television series career. Gale Gordon's role is much larger now and Lucy will come to work for Banker Mooney as his secretary. Lucy and Gale have a great chemistry together. Mary Jane Croft will fill the void left by Vivian Vance. The Mary Jane Lewis character is a real sweetheart. She's sort of like an older Georiga Engel of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
Season four garnerd Lucy her 11th Emmy Nomination for Best Actress In A Comedy Series and her second nomination for "The Lucy Show." She will win two more Emmy's for the fifth and sixth seasons of "The Lucy Show." There are a ton of classic episodes in season four that include: Lucy In Marineland, Lucy In The Music World (classic Wing-Ding episde) a take-off of the Hullabaloo years, Lucy And The Golden Greek w/Howard Morris (hilarious), Lucy and Danny Thomas, Lucy and Dean Martin (another classic and one of Lucille Ball's favorite episodes), Lucy and Art Linkletter, two episodes with Clint Walker, Lucy the Gun Moll (w/Robert Stack) a take-off on "The Untouchables" and one of Lucy's best comedy performances ever, three episodes that introduces Lucy as Iron Man Carmichael (a stuntman)and Lucy goes to a Hollywood premiere w/cameos by Kirk Douglas, Edward G. Robinson and Vince Edwards. All in all season four is GREAT and I applaud Lucille Ball for taking a chance and going it alone. Her continuation with the Lucy character after Vivian Vance's departure proved that Lucy was the star of the show. She went it alone and furter immortalized the Lucy character and her career. Can't wait for season five when Lucy goes to London.

For fans of "The Lucy Show", this release of the series' fourth season is bittersweet. CBS is now rolling them out at a reasonable pace (it's been less than six months since Season 3 came out last November), but Season 4 marks a sharp turning point for the series.

Fans of Vivian Vance will be especially disappointed. Having left the series at the end of Season 3, this year she only receives a two-second mention from Lucy in the season-opener ("I wonder how Viv likes her new husband"). Trying to find a replacement for the irreplaceable Viv was fruitless, so after a couple of episodes with Joan Blondell as a potential sidekick, Ann Sothern makes a few return appearances to fill the void before everyone probably decided "Oh, the hell with it" and gave up. From this point forward, whenever they needed an ear for Lucy's schemes, they called on good 'ol reliable, sweet Mary Jane Croft.

Lucy's TV son Jerry is the only holdover from the Danfield era, but he is quickly whisked off to military school, leaving the Lucy character to adapt to her new surroundings in Hollywood and settle in with the series new "Guest-star-of-the-week" format (this season she meets Milton Berle, Danny Thomas, Mickey Rooney, Wayne Newton, Art Linkletter and Bob Crane to name but a few).

Gale Gordon is forced to step up to the plate and becomes the principal co-star for Lucy for the remainder of the series. This is the season where he goes from managing her trust fund to becoming her employer at the bank, projecting frustration and his patented slow-burn in nearly every episode.

All of these changes certainly do the show no favours. The earlier "Lucy Show" episodes quite often had the same energy and spark as "I Love Lucy", but these offerings are totally a horse of a different color altogether. Many fans have stated this may be the weakest season of "The Lucy Show". I may have to agree with that assessment, but there are still a few series highlights to be found here.

"Lucy In the Music World" is definitely one of those episodes to put in a 1960s time capsule to get a feel for the era. The musical "Wing-Ding" sequence is so wonderfully campy and fun that when it is reprised later in the show the viewer is delighted to see it, rather than annoyed that it could possibly have been used as filler to pad the running time.

Totally un-politically-correct, but deserving credit as one of Lucy's most original and outrageous disguises is her portrayal of a Japanese gardener in the otherwise unremarkable "Lucy and the Soap Opera". It sure beats her trotting out the shaky little old lady schtick yet again (which she does anyway, incidentally).

"Lucy Dates Dean Martin" was, for some reason, Ms. Ball's personal favorite of all "Lucy Show" episodes so that distinction alone makes it a curiosity.

William "Fred Mertz" Frawley makes his final TV appearance in a cameo role in "Lucy and the Countess Have a Horse Guest" (which also features Ann Sothern). In both the Dino episode and this, Lucy changes her hairstyle to a slightly longer, more feminine Ann Landers-style for a few episodes, then reverts back to her famous '60s bubble-cut.

In a spoof of "The Untouchables" Lucy gets to play a prancing, cheap gun moll opposite Robert Stack.

Even if the episodes themselves this year are more often than not less-than-stellar Lucy (sometimes they have us laughing for the wrong reasons, as when Danny Thomas refers to his newest chorus girl, 54-year-old Lucy as "young lady"), CBS compensates by peppering these releases with enough bonus features and rare tidbits to keep fans satisfied. I am thrilled that this volume will contain Lucy's 1965 appearance in The Wonderful World of Burlesque. Here she dons a butterfly costume and prances along a tightrope above the audience. At one point, she seems to fall and the audience gasps in horror. I am unsure whether this was planned or not. I have this clip on an old VHS tape from 1991 called "A Tribute to Lucy", but the quality was very poor, like an old kinescope so it's great to have it restored here and IN COLOR!

Among the other bonus features is a short promo for the show's color premiere in September 1965 (in poor condition) and priceless black-and-white behind-the-scenes footage of "Lucy at Marineland". We get to witness Lucille Ball and the director barking orders at each other, a frustrated Lucy reduced to tears because of all the retakes, and Lucy terrified when one of the dolphins decides to nuzzle her ear.

Another worthwhile purchase for Lucy fans or those who love '60s comedy. All 26 episodes that originally aired during 1965-66 on Monday nights IN COLOR at 8:30 on CBS, beautifully remastered. Buy it--you're gonna have a "Wing-Ding"!

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