pfeffermuse
If you have fond memories of "Here's Lucy" from your childhood, the easiest way to retain them is never to re-watch this series. The plots are trite; the jokes are flat; and the overacting by both Lucille Ball and Gale Gordon is painful to watch.At one time, Lucy had been the queen of television comedy, but that had been with the benefit of talented writers and a brilliant cast. Without those, Lucy is left to rely only on physical comedy, and that alone cannot carry a show, no matter the laughtrack volume.I'm convinced that the only reason this series was a ratings success on CBS was that viewers had been watching some version of Lucy on Monday nights since the early '50s, and they were unaware that they could change the channel.
lambiepie-2
I was a mere child when "Here's Lucy" aired first run on television and I loved it. But here's the thing: my mom and dad...hated it. Why? They were BIG fans of "I Love Lucy" and by the time this came on, they thought Lucy was all worn out without Ricky and the Mertzes, and it was time for her to go to pasture. Me? I never saw "I love Lucy" (A few years later when I entered grade school and would come home for lunch, it would be on in repeats and that's where my interest for that show came in!) so I had no previous opinion of her work.But not me - I was a child and this appealed to me like Saturday Morning Cartoons. I loved the little dancing doll of Lucille Ball. You ask me, the whole show should have been that dancing doll at my young age.I loved the overblown colors, I didn't get ALL of the humor but I liked watching Lucy, and her teen children. That's what appealed to me the most:The teens. As a child who had quite a bit to go towards teen-hood, watching these teens interested me as adults did at the time. And if you ask me, that's basically what this series was about: a single mom trying to raise her "hip" teen children and having a really crappy job with a really crappy/silly boss. It was the "sign of the times" and "Here's Lucy" was reflective of it.Now here's the thing: I don't quite remember the "guest stars" - maybe that could be because I didn't know WHO they were. My parents knew ALL of them and maybe that is what influenced them the most about this show - where it did nothing for me.There's the 'generation gap' for ya - those that know and have established views and those that don't and like what they see for the first time. For my generation, this was fun for its time - even though re-watching it NOW, as an adult...I can see what my parents were talking about. But even so, I still loved that dancing doll of Lucille Ball.
jsosa-1
It bewilders me at the thought that Lucy still wanted to bring back her wacky and zany character after 6 years on "I Love Lucy" and several years on "The Lucy Show." "Here's Lucy" is more of the same. The box set that is available now is a best of, from all the shows. Which is better idea than actually releasing all the episodes considering many of them were mediocre---at best. The special features in the set is worth the price alone with bloopers and home movies from the show. A rare glimpse into Lucille Ball as a performer and producer.This show is not "I Love Lucy." It will not make you laugh the same way. "I Love Lucy" made you laugh out loud. All the sitcoms that followed will have you snicker and giggle at most. The reason why is because there very few jokes and funny dialogue between the characters. It is heavily depended on physical comedy by Lucy. A lot of bits and scenes are updated or revised versions of classic scenes in "I Love Lucy." Gale Gordon's character is tired and worn. Lucy's kids make this show a little more entertaining. But without them, this show would not have lasted as long as it has.Don't expect much here. This show is a C+.
jgepperson
I recently watched quite a bit of a 4-DVD set of "Here's Lucy!" episodes including extras such as rehearsal footage, syndication sales tapes, Thalians award show, commentary by Lucie and Desi, Jr., etc.In spite of Lucy's neediness, bitterness, volume and high vocal pitch, I quite enjoyed her honed technique, especially in the Burton/Taylor episode where she seems to really give a damn.Also, her clothes are very chic for the most part (nicer than all the other actors' costumes) and I especially loved the once-familiar "fallout shelter" sign in the hallway outside Uncle Harry's office! The dance number Ann-Margret does with Desi, Jr. is something to behold. The Wayne Newton episode, believe it or not, is fun. And Lucy, Lucie and Ginger Rogers dancing the Charleston is cute. Lucy loved a Charleston! The animated Lucy puppet during the credits is adorable, but you get sick of it if you watch too many episodes! What I really want to see are "The Lucy Show" (before "Here's Lucy!") episodes and extras, when Viv was Lucy's housemate and there were three kids living with them (not Lucy's own kids).