#1 Cheap Here's Lucy: Season Two Reviews
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The first season of Here's Lucy, featured stars Lucille Ball, Gale Gordon, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr., mostly confined to studio sets. The second season opens ambitiously with four episodes in a row shot on location, featuring the Carter clan on the road in a Winnebago, at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, and at various locations in the western US, including on a Navaho Indian reservation, and rafting on the Colorado River. In these memorable episodes, Lucille seems full of energy, engaging in the kind of physical slapstick, that was largely absent in the season one. Harrison Otis Carter (Gordon) also seems rejuvenated, with his meanness dial turned up a couple of notches from the year before. With a season's worth of experience under their belts, Lucie and Desi seem more confident and at ease, although the location work was something new for them. Wayne Newton's Casa de Shenandoah ranch in Nevada, would also be featured in a later episode.
In The Lucy Show, much of Lucy Carmichael's humor was based on being an overbearing loudmouth, and irritating the hell out of people. Lucy Carter's personality moves more in this direction in season two, as she becomes more irritating and abrasive, causing Harry's blood pressure to rise, as Ball and Gordon continue to produce comedic magic. Gordon's temper tantrums usually make for delicious viewing, as new sides of Harry's character continue to be revealed. In "Lucy And Harry's Tonsils", Harry is quivering in fear contemplating having an operation, and later gets the hots for a young nurse. And in "Lucy At The Drive-In Movie", Harry and Lucy disguise themselves as hippies, so they can spy on Kim while on a date. Using different writers, the program moves away from spotlighting the kids in new ventures, treating them more like regular actors, instead of as a novelty. Although the phase "Oh mother", continues to be frequently heard, Kim (Lucie Arnaz) seems to have matured greatly, and her wardrobe is far less flamboyant.
The program continues to feature musical guests and production numbers, but to a lesser extent. "Lucy And The Generation Gap" is the only time the entire cast is in a major production number. One of the more notable musical performances is an incendiary duet, featuring Craig (Desi Arnaz Jr.) and Ann-Margret, performing a song supposedly written by Craig, who does his very best Elvis impersonation.
There are appearances by entertainment heavyweights, including Liberace, Carol Burnett, and Milton Berle, who is terrific as a shady used car dealer. Another highlight is "Lucy And Johnny Carson" where both Johnny and Ed McMahon are exposed to the full force of Lucy's personality. "Lucy and Lawrence Welk" features both the famous conductor, and old pal Vivian Vance, in an episode that immortalizes the phrase "wonderful, wonderful". And "Lucy And Wally Cox", features Cox and Alan Hale Jr. (The Skipper from Gilligan's Island), in a family related drama. While some of the humor is timeless, because of the heavy emphasis on celebrities and personalities, having some familiarity with the various guest stars is essential to understanding the humor. Because of this, the series may not play too well to today's audiences.
Each of the 24 episodes is close captioned, and features an introduction by someone involved in the production of that particular episode. The set contains some nice extras of interest to the average fan, including a number of vintage home movies, making a very nice package.
Here's Lucy: Season Two Overview
The legendary queen of television comedy, LUCILLE BALL, is joined by her real-life children in her third long-running sitcom success. Ball plays Lucille Carter, widowed mother of teenagers Kim and Craig, portrayed by Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. Lucy works for her brother-in-law, played by Gale Gordon, who owns Carter's Unique Employment Agency, leading Lucy into endless predicaments and hilarious hijinks. This complete second season of HERE'S LUCY (1968-74, CBS-TV) features all 24 color episodes, digitally remastered for superior quality plus a wealth of new and never-before-seen bonus features.
Classic TV - William -
Season 2 is much better than season 1. THe characters all are more developed and the actors work better with each other. Lucy seems more relaxed and lets her kids, Gale, or the guest star shine. There are a lot of great physical comedy moments and musical numbers done mostly in a early 60s feel. My favorite shows were "Lucy Runs the Rapids" (great physical comedy and family interaction); "Lucy and the Andrew Sisters (Lucy's great at upstaging Patty and the show ends before you want it too because it is so funny and entertaining); Lucy and the Boagie Affair", "Lucy Protects her Job (Lucie gives her mom a run for the money and shows how great an actress she is); "Lucy and Lawrence Welk" (Mary Jane finally shines and is funny not just a fill-in; Viv is hilarious and acts better than Ethel would); Lucy and Ann MArgret (Love its modern feel, hinted sexual tension, and great late 60s showstopping number); "Lucy and Wally Cox" (Wally and Lucy keep feeding eachother with great lines) Lucy and Wayne Newton (Wanye and the kids shine in an enjoyable musical show with lots of family humor in the dialogue): Lucy Takes Over (Great to see her making Harry afraid and nervous and see him for a moment get his reward) and Lucy and Carol Burnett (The Queens of Comedy in a hilarious sneaky cat fight to win a beauty contest) A must for any fan of classic comedy and great stars.
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