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The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour

From Lucille Ball Wiki

The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour is a 1957-60 CBS television situation comedy. The show was more a collection of occasional specials than a regular series. Its original network title was The Ford.

[edit] After I Love Lucy

During the final season of I Love Lucy the Ricardo family moved to Westport, Connecticut, which reflected the growth of the suburbs throughout America. The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour was also set in the new suburban locale, only at a one-hour length (note: the first episode, "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana," originally ran 75 minutes), and with guest stars such as Ann Sothern, Rudy Vallee, Tallulah Bankhead, Fred MacMurray and June Haver, Betty Grable and Harry James, Fernando Lamas, Maurice Chevalier, Danny Thomas and his Make Room for Daddy family, Red Skelton, Paul Douglas, Ida Lupino and Howard Duff, Milton Berle, Robert Cummings, and (in the final episode, called "Lucy Meets the Moustache") Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams.

The show ended at almost the same time as the marriage of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. In fact, there were many episodes in which constant bickering between Lucy and Desi was noted. In the penultimate episode of the series, titled "The Ricardos Go to Japan", Lucy appeared on screen red-eyed due to her crying during the arguments between herself and Desi. In the making of the last episode, Lucy and Desi did not speak directly to each other except when their characters were required to do so. The series ended April 1, 1960, and their marriage ended May 4, 1960. (Actually, the last episode was filmed March 2, with the divorce proceedings starting the next day.)

Critics have generally regarded the series as a rather pallid continuation of I Love Lucy, with not enough of the original show's brisk pace and memorable sketchwork. Still, many fans enjoy the series due to the cast, which remained intact from the original. The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour was occasionally seen on nostalgia outlets like the TV Land cable network or in thirty-minute installments under the title We Love Lucy, where stations run it directly after the sixth season of I Love Lucy. This allows them to have 26 additional "episodes" that run like a seventh season.

The series was released on DVD on March 13, 2007 as a complete set.

[edit] Episodes

Season One

Episode One: "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana"

This tells the story of how Lucy and Ricky met, and also how they came to meet the Mertzes.

  • Original Air Date: November 6, 1957
  • Guest Stars: Ann Sothern, Rudy Vallee, Cesar Romero and Hedda Hopper
  • Trivia: This episode was originally 75 minutes long, but was edited down to 60 minutes for syndication (It hasn't been seen in its entirety since the original broadcast, but was released uncut on DVD on March 13th, 2007.

Episode Two: "The Celebrity Next Door"

  • Original Air Date: December 3, 1957
  • Guest Stars: Tallulah Bankhead and Richard Deacon EPISODE HAS BEEN EDITED. Tallulah does not mention that she is allergic to strawberries.

Episode Three: "Lucy Hunts Uranium"

  • Original Air Date: January 3, 1958
  • Guest Stars: Fred MacMurray and June Haver

Episode Four: "Lucy Wins a Race Horse"

  • Original Air Date: February 3, 1958
  • Guest Stars: Betty Grable and Harry James

Episode Five: "Lucy Goes to Sun Valley"

  • Original Air Date: April 14, 1958
  • Guest Star: Fernando Lamas

Season Two

Episode One: "Lucy Goes to Mexico"

  • Original Air Date: October 6, 1958
  • Guest Star: Maurice Chevalier

Episode Two: "Lucy Makes Room for Danny"

  • Original Air Date: December 1, 1958
  • Guest Stars: the cast of The Danny Thomas Show and Gale Gordon

Episode Three: "Lucy Goes to Alaska"

  • Original Air Date: February 9, 1959
  • Guest Star: Red Skelton

Episode Four: "Lucy Wants a Career"

  • Original Air Date: April 13, 1959
  • Guest Star: Paul Douglas

Episode Five: "Lucy's Summer Vacation"

  • Original Air Date: June 8, 1959
  • Guest Stars: Howard Duff and Ida Lupino

Season Three

Episode One: "Milton Berle Hides Out at the Ricardos'"

  • Original Air Date: September 25, 1959
  • Guest Star: Milton Berle

Episode Two: "The Ricardos Go to Japan"

  • Original Air Date: November 27, 1959
  • Guest Stars: Robert Cummings and Kathryn Card (as Mrs. MacGillicuddy)

Episode Three: "Lucy Meets the Mustache"

  • Original Air Date: April 1, 1960
  • Guest Stars: Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams
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