After season 6 of the I Love Lucy series, Desilu changed the format of the show to an hour long program that highlighted the lives of the cherished characters Lucy, Ricky, Little Ricky, Fred, and Ethel and their hilarious encounters with the guest stars. For a long time, fans of the I Love Lucy serial have been waiting for the Lucy Desi Comedy Hour to be released in video or DVD format, and it has finally happened. This 13 episode series is now available in a four disc collection for under $50. If you want to buy this collection make sure that you look for “I Love Lucy: Seasons 7, 8, 9” as this is what the collection is marketed as.
Episodes
On the first disc in this collection you get the first three episodes. The first episode is “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana.” This is the episode that chronicles how Lucy and Ricky first met and fell in love. Hedda Hopper, Ann Sothern (Susie MacNamara), Cesar Romero, and Rudy Vallee all guest star in this extra long, 75 minute special pilot episode. The second episode is “The Celebrity Next Door.” This episode guest stars Tallulah Bankhead. In this episode Lucy tries to impress Miss Bankhead but only ends up in one disaster after another, until the two women get into a feud that ends with Lucy feeding Miss Bankhead strawberries during a PTA performance, which of course she is allergic to. The third episode is “Lucy Hunts Uranium.” This episode finds the cast in Las Vegas where they are hunting for uranium with Fred MacMurray.
On the second disc you get another set of episodes. First off is “Lucy Wins a Racehorse.” This episode co-stars Betty Grable and Harry James. The second episode is set in Sun Valley. In “Lucy Goes to Sun Valley” Lucy and Ethel go to Sun Valley for a ski vacation without the boys. However, Lucy gets lonesome for Ricky and tries to make him run after her by telling him that she has been spending a lot of time with guest star Fernando Lamas. The third episode on this disc is “Lucy Goes to Mexico.” This episode is set partially in San Diego on a battleship and partially in Mexico. The guest star in this episode is Maurice Chevalier.
On the third disc you get four episodes. The first episode is “Lucy Make Room for Danny.” In this episode the Ricardo’s rent their home to the TV family from “Make Room for Daddy.” Things get complicated when Ricky’s movie deal is postponed and the Ricardo’s are stuck staying with Fred and Ethel. The second episode is “Lucy Goes to Alaska.” This episode was in honor of Alaska becoming a state. It’s guest star is Red Skelton. The third episode is “Lucy Wants a Career.” In this episode Lucy gets a spot on an early morning TV show in order to escape the humdrum life of a housewife, only to find out that she misses her family and wants to quit. The fourth episode on this disc is “Lucy’s Summer Vacation.” In this episode Lucy and Ricky go on a vacation to a friend’s cabin without the Mertzes. However, their alone time is interrupted by a second couple, Ida Lupino and Howard Duff, who also were invited to the cabin by the same friend.
The fourth disc contains the last three episodes of this series. The first episode is “Milton Burle Hides Out at the Ricardos.” In this episode Milton Burle hides out in Lucy’s den to finish his book. The second episode is “The Ricardos go to Japan.” In this episode the cast goes to Japan. Bob Cummings, the guest star in this episode, helps Lucy get the strand of real pearls that she always wants. The series finale is “Lucy Meets the Moustache.” In this episode, Ernie Kovacs and Edie Admas, are roped into a scheme cooked up by Lucy to get Ricky out of his work slump.
Special Features
This collection of episodes has a lot of great special features. First of all you get several flubs on each disc. The best thing about the flubs is that there is an introduction of each one that tells you what to look for. Next you get the original openings and closing hosted by Desi and Lucy. You also get Ford Motor Commercials and a special 40 minute Desilu Westinghouse Sponsor Presentation. On the second disc you get deleted scenes, flubs, the original opening and closing, and 1951 on-set color footage.
