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I Love Lucy - Season 1 Vol 4
Somewhere there may be primitive tribes who have not seen an episode of I Love Lucy, but I doubt it. Paramount and CBS are putting the show out four shows at a pop. This fourth instalment of the series has four typical episodes from the first year, with some halfway interesting extras.
At this early stage of The B&W series wisely shot before a live audience with film cameras, a pioneering scheme worked out by Desi Arnaz in conjunction with legendary film director and cameraman Karl Freund (The Mummy, Mad Love). Its significance hasn't been forgotten, as the filmed shows were much more suitable for re-broadcast than crude kinescopes. Just about the only kinescoped tv series from the same time that shows as regularly as Lucy, is Jackie Gleason's The Honeymooners.
Episodes 12 - 15 continue the series's phenomenal first year (and it was big, even my parents watched it on a fabulous 9" tv with lousy reception), stressing variety show-type stage numbers to up the entertainment quotient and take viewer's minds off the low production values. In THE ADAGIO, Fred Mertz dons a silly dance costume to help Lucy with a routine. THE BENEFIT is an obvious cue to bring out some simple vaudeville routines, which of course belie Lucy's supposed incompetence onstage.
THE AMATEUR HOUR is Lucy's version of The Ransom of Red Chief, with two hooligan twin moppets showing her who's in charge. And Edward Everett Horton makes an early television appearance as an unlikely suitor, after Lucy schemes at matchmaking in LUCY PLAYS CUPID.
The shows are very clean looking, and have been digitally scrubbed to banish the scratches seen on syndicated television prints. Overall, they look fine.
Paramount's DVD of I Love Lucy Season One Volume Four continues the series at the same level of quality. The shows and extra content also carry Spanish soundtracks, which is very thoughtful as Desi Arnaz was and still is a favorite of Latin viewers.
The extras are short and cute. 'Flubs' is not an outtake, but a trivial mistake from a show. 'Guest Cast Information' gives a minimal bio on some of the co-actors, mostly letting us know that the majority aren't noteworthy, except for the relatives and Desilu staff that were given bit parts. The 'Series Original Opening' is an amusing alternate animation opening used the first season, where cartoon Ricky and Lucy climb down from a pack of the sponsors' cigarettes. A 'behind the scenes featurette' is actually some audio excerpts from a pilot rehearsal, backed by pictures, and preceded by Jess Oppenheimer's original series concept statement.
The best extra is an episode of Lucille Ball's radio show just prior to I Love Lucy, a similar setup with anglo actor Richard Denning, he of many 50's monster movies, as Lucy's husband. The shows are in great audio shape, with Lucy idiotically saying, "Jello, everyone!" to key into the show's sponsor. The live orchestra and expert playing make it an amusing time capsule of radio comedy.
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