|
The Movie: It all began here, as 1951 saw the birth of the "I Love Lucy" show, which offered audiences a glimpse into the hilarious events of the Ricardos, Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ricky (Desi Arnaz), as well as their neighbors - Ethel (Vivian Vance) and Fred Murtz (William Frawley). The show became a television legend, and although the later seasons certainly have their own classic episodes, the first season started off strong with some gems. One of my favorites is "The Freezer", where Lucy and Ethel end up buying a cheap freezer for their apartment and, after looking for a deal on meat to put in it, they accidentally end up buying a few hundred pounds of it. Wondering how to explain it all to Ricky and Fred, Lucy wonders if Ricky would believe "if a cow walked into the freezer and fell apart." Following "The Freezer" is the memorable episode, "Lucy Gets a TV Commercial", where Lucy becomes the Vitametavegamin girl, and finds it more difficult than she'd expected. Other great episodes on this set include, "The Kleptomaniac", where Lucy is accused of being a thief; "The Gossip", where Ricky and Fred bet Lucy and Ethel that they can't stop gossiping; "The Benefit", where Lucy agrees to do a routine with Ricky at a benefit, then decides to make some changes when she sees that Ricky has the best lines; "Amateur Hour", where Lucy gets into hot water when she takes on a baby-sitting job to pay for a new dress; "Breaking the Lease", where an argument with the Mertzes could lead to the Ricardos moving out, "The Seance", where the two girls become interested in the supernatural; "Men are Messy", where Lucy tries to teach Ricky a lesson about being clean and organized and "The Quiz Show", where Lucy tries to get her way onto a quiz show in order to win $1,000. This set also includes the lost "I Love Lucy" pilot episode. First available with an expensive list price, this season set has been repackaged (same material) and the price has dropped considerably from the original retail price. 1- 1 15 Oct 51 The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub 1- 2 22 Oct 51 Be a Pal 1- 3 29 Oct 51 The Diet 1- 4 5 Nov 51 Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her 1- 5 12 Nov 51 The Quiz Show 1- 6 19 Nov 51 The Audition 1- 7 26 Nov 51 The Seance 1- 8 3 Dec 51 Men Are Messy 1- 9 10 Dec 51 The Fur Coat 1-10 17 Dec 51 Lucy Is Jealous of Girl Singer 1-11 24 Dec 51 Drafted 1-12 31 Dec 51 The Adagio 1-13 7 Jan 52 The Benefit 1-14 14 Jan 52 The Amatuer Hour 1-15 21 Jan 52 Lucy Plays Cupid 1-16 28 Jan 52 Lucy Fakes Illness 1-17 4 Feb 52 Lucy Writes a Play 1-18 11 Feb 52 Breaking the Lease 1-19 18 Feb 52 The Ballet 1-20 25 Feb 52 The Young Fans 1-21 3 Mar 52 New Neighbors 1-22 10 Mar 52 Fred and Ethel Fight 1-23 17 Mar 52 The Moustache 1-24 24 Mar 52 The Gossip 1-25 31 Mar 52 Pioneer Women 1-26 7 Apr 52 The Marriage License 1-27 14 Apr 52 The Kleptomaniac 1-28 21 Apr 52 Cuban Pals 1-29 28 Apr 52 The Freezer 1-30 5 May 52 Lucy Does a TV Commercial 1-31 12 May 52 The Publicity Agent 1-32 19 May 52 Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio 1-33 26 May 52 Lucy's Schedule 1-34 2 Jun 52 Ricky Thinks He Is Going Bald 1-35 9 Jun 52 Ricky Asks For a Raise The DVD VIDEO: "I Love Lucy" is presented here its original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio by Paramount. The studio has done a terrific job presenting "Lucy", as the B & W series looks crisp, clean and well-defined. These transfers do look better, in my opinion, then when the cut syndication versions are broadcast. The episodes did show some minor instances of wear at times, although nothing of great concern. Some minor specks were spotted on occasion, along with the occasional mark or other bit of debris. Although these episodes don't look as spotless as the following season sets have, they still do look quite clean, considering the age of the material. Light grain was present at times too, but I'm guessing it's always been a part of the elements. No instances of edge enhancement or pixelation were spotted. The back cover notes that the episodes have been restored and remastered, and, as with prior seasons on DVD, these also look stellar. SOUND: The mono soundtrack of the shows remained perfectly fine, with acceptable overall clarity, no noticable distortion and, most importantly, crisp dialogue. EXTRAS: Paramount provides a fine set of supplements on this first season set, including flubs, lost scenes, restored music, featurettes, original openings/animated sequences, production notes, guest cast information, deleted scenes, photo galleries and thirteen episodes of Lucy's radio show, "My Favorite Husband". Final Thoughts: The opening round of a timeless classic, this first season set of "I Love Lucy" is a must for fans of the show. Paramount's DVD set offers terrific audio/video quality, as well as a nice helping of supplemental features. Highly recommended. |