The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour

This show is far from the comedic genius and originality of the show that preceded it. These 1 hour "specials" were hardly special. My opinion is my own, but having been a fan of 6 seasons of "I Love Lucy"--the "Lucy and Desi Comedy Hours" were the beginning of the end for all the actors'careers.

This would be Lucille Ball's first of many mediocre sitcoms that followed "I Love Lucy" that had her doing the same tricks over and over. From "The Lucy Show" to "Here's Lucy" and "Life With Lucy", the Comedy Hours began a 2 decade period of Lucy's attempt to hang on to a formula that is out of place and exhausted--especially in the 70's and 80's when other brands of comedy and humor have exceeded.

There are very little--even FEW moments in this series that made me laugh. The reason is because the writing is tired. The jokes are flat. The audiences seems to eat it all up because frankly they are giddy that they're in the same room as these wonderful actors. I'd be giddy too if I was in the same room as Lucy, Desi, Vivian and William. But that's no reason to keep a show on the air.

Each show has the cast in a specific situation or place that lasts the entire hour. They range from being in Mexico, the Alps and even Tokyo. The change in "scenery" may perk ears up but the delivery of jokes and recreating the magic that has begun to fade--immediately flattens your curiosity.

If you're a huge Lucy fan this is probably something you should get because you probably want anything and everything with Lucy in it. I'm a huge fan and that's why I got it. I was intrigued by the idea of this show. After reading many biographies and reading ABOUT this show--I was desperate to see it. And I began to buy these tapes about 10 years ago.

A lot of scenes seem to drag on and instead of having that feeling of "Oh wow, the show's over?? That went by too fast!" It's really.."When is this over?" I may sound like I'm completely bashing it but you can see for yourself. The pacing of the show is slower, they are obviously trying too hard to make it work.

You can force yourself to laugh at all these shows but you have to realize why. Is it because you really think it's funny or because it's Lucy and your brain assumes she's always hilarious? If you seem to have to force yourself to laugh at something...then it's probably not that funny. "I Love Lucy" never had you do that. These shows will.

The best episode of the entire series was the one with Tallulah Bankhead, as for once, Lucille Ball had a co-star and a female one at that who could match her toe-to-toe in everything. If Lucy dished it out, Tallulah dished it right back and then some. I don't know if it was scripted or not, but in one scene, it looked as if Lucy could have killed Tallulah just by her looks alone!!

It was the scene where Tallulah says.."when Miss Bankhead is bored, Miss Bankhead will tell you"--the reaction shot of Lucy was priceless!! The other episodes were passable, but this particular one is the stand-out.

These episodes, like "I Love Lucy" were priceless. But what I think made these stand out, were its guest stars. The best episode was "The Celebrity Next Door" with guest star Tallulah Bankhead. The scene where Lucy tries to make Tallualh look bad on stage is timeless. Another great episode was the one with Fred MacMurray, where the Richardos and Mertzes join MacMurray on a uranium hunt in Nevada. This show is a must see for any Lucy fan!

Lucille Ball is the greatest comic of all time. All of Lucy's shows were fun, light, and campy. It was great to see Lucy, Ricky, Fred, Ethel, and then Lucy, Viv, Gale, the kids, and Mary Jane all acting together. Fans now have the complete series of I Love Lucy and The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour. I hope to see complete series releases of The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life With Lucy. All of these shows are important parts of Lucy's television history. If you haven't voted yet, please do so at tvshowsondvd.com. Maybe we will get some good news on a future release!! The more votes, the more fans can show their enthusiasm!! Can you imagine owning all the Lucy shows in your own collection?!?!?

Great fun. Every bit as good as I Love Lucy. The Uranium episode with Fred MacMurray is a classic. Same for the episode with Red Skelton. What can I say, I Love Lucy. We all love Lucy. I wish it was available on dvd. When I watch these old shows it takes me back to a time when parents could watch tv with their children. Not so today. I don't want to wax philosophic but I will anyway. We've lost something. Everything has to have an edge,be tawdry,overly sexualized. With the holidays approaching I think people crave old fashioned values. It certainly is represented in shows like these. Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel embody these simple laughs and feel good humor I crave. Give this show a try, if you can find it somewhere. I hope you won't be disappointed.