THE STRAIGHT DOPE:
With volume 1 of the I Love Lucy DVD series covering the "lost" pilot and the first three episodes, volume 2 continues with the next four. These episodes help illustrate why I Love Lucy remains one of the most highly-regarded sitcoms ever aired. The first episode on the disc, the wonderfully titled "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying To Murder Her" epitomizes the comedic style that the show traded on: Lucy misunderstands something Ricky has said to someone else and interprets something completely inappropriate. The next episode, "The Quiz Show," also finds Lucy hilariously trying to work through a mistake. "The Audition" and "The Seance" both find Lucy hamming it up in weird situations, first as Buffo the Clown, a character similar to one she played in the first disc's pilot, and then as a believer in the supernatural.

VIDEO:
The video on this disc is once again well-done. The black and white images have been lovingly restored and, considering the source, look very nice.

AUDIO:
The Dolby Digital mono audio is also very good. Carefully restored, these shows probably sound better than they ever have before. A Spanish mono track is also available.

EXTRAS:
Once again, an impressive selection of extras is available. This disc contains two Lucy radio shows, both great additions. A selection of flubs taken from the episodes on the disc, like the easily-missed moment when a studio camera enters the frame, is included, as well as footage added for the shows' many years of reruns. The behind the scenes section, however, is only a photo gallery this time.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Paramount should really release a box set of Lucy DVDs, but in the meantime these discs are perfect for fans. While it's not a bad idea to pick discs based on which episodes are each viewer's personal favorites, the serious Lucy fan will want them all.

Review of I Love Lucy- Season 1 Volume 1

Email Gil Jawetz at [email protected]