Vote for why you think it jumped
Never Jumped
Moving (Connecticut)
Birth (Little Ricky)
Day One
Trip to California
Shark Bytes
As much as I hate reading some of the comments regarding those who didn't like this show, what they said is true.
The reason why I Love Lucy remains one of the oldest shows to still be on the air is because it was groundbreaking. One of those shows that entertain generation after generation. But unfortunately, that doesn't all make it good. There are faults in this show just like for any other show that most of the critics put down as their Top 10 List. This show was there at the right place at the right time, and if it debuted in the 60s instead of the 50s, it wouldn't of garnered such a big audience.
To say it is groundbreaking and very entertaining is good. To say it is the best sitcom ever is going a bit out of bounds. There are a number of sitcoms out there that could rival I Love Lucy, but due to the timeframe, it remains a great show.
The reason why I Love Lucy remains one of the oldest shows to still be on the air is because it was groundbreaking. One of those shows that entertain generation after generation. But unfortunately, that doesn't all make it good. There are faults in this show just like for any other show that most of the critics put down as their Top 10 List. This show was there at the right place at the right time, and if it debuted in the 60s instead of the 50s, it wouldn't of garnered such a big audience.
To say it is groundbreaking and very entertaining is good. To say it is the best sitcom ever is going a bit out of bounds. There are a number of sitcoms out there that could rival I Love Lucy, but due to the timeframe, it remains a great show.
Simply one of the oldest TV shows out there and it still garners an audience. The only other shows from the 50s I can list that are still remembered are the Ed Sullivan Show (Toast of the Town), Leave it to Beaver, The Adventures of Superman, The Honeymooners, Gunsmoke, and the Twilight Zone. All of the rest are simply either forgotten or have not proved popular enough to be put on re-runs.
Despite being goofy, you can still relate to the problems the Ricardos were having in their everyday lives today. Lucy always got herself in a tight spot and Ricky would often be the one catching her doing things that she wasn't supposed to do. Not every episode was in this format. There were episodes of the Ricardos fighting the Mertzes, episodes of the boys (Ricky and Fred) competing against the girls (Lucy and Ethel), and of course episodes of Ricky's Orchestra play at the Copa Cavana. You can't forget the various guest stars who starred in the show, especially the ones during the trip to Hollywood.
What's amazing is that I Love Lucy remained relatively unchanged. Except for a couple Season 1 episodes, the majority of them looked at though they were all filmed in the same time period. An episode from 1952 may of looked like one that was filmed in 1957, and vice-versa. The characters (except for Little Ricky) all looked the same in the 6th Season as they did in the 1st Season five years earlier. During the last Season, it became apparent that rock-n-roll was beginning to be popular with the masses (watch Ethel mention Elvis Presley in one of the 6th Season episodes), but the feel, the format and the cast remained the same.
It's hard for me to pinpoint when the show started to go downhill since little had changed throughout I Love Lucy's course. However it's funny to know that the cast had already began to reminicise about their earlier days when we find that the 60s would bring more change than the 40s or 50s ever did. Of course, that's another subject entirely.
Sitcoms had already been on radio for decades, but it was this show that set the standard for future sitcoms. I read somewhere that I Love Lucy started the re-run format, the shooting of three cameras working together, and being the first TV show to have an audience of more than 10 million (not sure if this is correct). What's also astounding is that I Love Lucy is listed in many books on "Television" and "Hollywood". Since it's still on the air (after over 50 years), it must still have an audience.
A milestone.
Despite being goofy, you can still relate to the problems the Ricardos were having in their everyday lives today. Lucy always got herself in a tight spot and Ricky would often be the one catching her doing things that she wasn't supposed to do. Not every episode was in this format. There were episodes of the Ricardos fighting the Mertzes, episodes of the boys (Ricky and Fred) competing against the girls (Lucy and Ethel), and of course episodes of Ricky's Orchestra play at the Copa Cavana. You can't forget the various guest stars who starred in the show, especially the ones during the trip to Hollywood.
What's amazing is that I Love Lucy remained relatively unchanged. Except for a couple Season 1 episodes, the majority of them looked at though they were all filmed in the same time period. An episode from 1952 may of looked like one that was filmed in 1957, and vice-versa. The characters (except for Little Ricky) all looked the same in the 6th Season as they did in the 1st Season five years earlier. During the last Season, it became apparent that rock-n-roll was beginning to be popular with the masses (watch Ethel mention Elvis Presley in one of the 6th Season episodes), but the feel, the format and the cast remained the same.
It's hard for me to pinpoint when the show started to go downhill since little had changed throughout I Love Lucy's course. However it's funny to know that the cast had already began to reminicise about their earlier days when we find that the 60s would bring more change than the 40s or 50s ever did. Of course, that's another subject entirely.
Sitcoms had already been on radio for decades, but it was this show that set the standard for future sitcoms. I read somewhere that I Love Lucy started the re-run format, the shooting of three cameras working together, and being the first TV show to have an audience of more than 10 million (not sure if this is correct). What's also astounding is that I Love Lucy is listed in many books on "Television" and "Hollywood". Since it's still on the air (after over 50 years), it must still have an audience.
A milestone.
As I got older, it became obvious to me that behind their characters, things were not going well for Lucy and Ricky's marriage especially after they moved to Connecticut. I have not seen many of the one hour episodes that followed the half hour series but the marital discord seeps through even moreso in the ones I have seen.
On rare occasions, whenever I stop and watch some or all of on an episode of 'I love Lucy' while channel surfing, The thought keeps going through my mind, that this show simply has not aged well.
I know, I know, it is considered an iconic classic of TV history and that's well and good.
But when you really observe it, many episodes are boring and trite. It has some good moments, but overall time and sophisication has passed it by. A few moments have stood the test of time, but not too many.
You can't help but marvel though at the patience of Ricky (Desi Arnaz). The one thing that has emerged over time is the appreciation of Desi's contributions to the show both on and, especially, behind the scenes.
I know, I know, it is considered an iconic classic of TV history and that's well and good.
But when you really observe it, many episodes are boring and trite. It has some good moments, but overall time and sophisication has passed it by. A few moments have stood the test of time, but not too many.
You can't help but marvel though at the patience of Ricky (Desi Arnaz). The one thing that has emerged over time is the appreciation of Desi's contributions to the show both on and, especially, behind the scenes.
"I Love Lucy" jumped the shark during episode "Visitor from Italy", when Lucy said to the Pizzeria owner "what if I could find someone else to make your pizzas?", and at once, the audience laughed in anticipation. The people spoke up, and at that moment "I Love Lucy" crossed from being unpredictable to predictable.
Some posters are wondering why they'd choose an old grizzled cuss like Fred to be Ethel's man. It was for the same reason Lucille Ball insisted that
Vivian Vance dress dowdy and stay twenty pounds overweight; so Lucy and Ricky would look young and glamorous compared to them. In actuality, Lucille Ball was about a year older than Vivian Vance, and about seven years older than Desi. When Lucille and Vivian starred together in The Lucy Show, and Viv looked just as pretty as she did, Lucy made fat jokes
to put her in her place. I can see why she quit the show.
By the way, I thought it was weird that Ethel was ashamed of her crappy looking apartment, but she wasn't too ashamed to take Lucy's furniture. I don't it would have impressed the women in their club to see her with Lucy's cast-offs.
Vivian Vance dress dowdy and stay twenty pounds overweight; so Lucy and Ricky would look young and glamorous compared to them. In actuality, Lucille Ball was about a year older than Vivian Vance, and about seven years older than Desi. When Lucille and Vivian starred together in The Lucy Show, and Viv looked just as pretty as she did, Lucy made fat jokes
to put her in her place. I can see why she quit the show.
By the way, I thought it was weird that Ethel was ashamed of her crappy looking apartment, but she wasn't too ashamed to take Lucy's furniture. I don't it would have impressed the women in their club to see her with Lucy's cast-offs.
I watched this show a lot when I was young (in the late 60's), and I really liked it, but now that see an occaisional re-run, I realize that it just isn't that good.
In contrast with shows like "The Honeymooners", this one just didn't age well. The jokes are lame, the acting was 50-50, and I just feel like screaming at the television, "put that stupid bitch in your act, already!"
In contrast with shows like "The Honeymooners", this one just didn't age well. The jokes are lame, the acting was 50-50, and I just feel like screaming at the television, "put that stupid bitch in your act, already!"
My favorite episode was when they all moved to Westport, CT to a farm, and Ethyl walked in on Fred playing with Little Ricky's Pee Pee in the barn.
The look on Fred's face when he had to register as a sex offender was priceless.
It was unprecedented at the time.
The look on Fred's face when he had to register as a sex offender was priceless.
It was unprecedented at the time.
In real life, the Arnazes cared little more for their kids than the Ricardos did for Little Ricky. They would trot them out for photo ops with Life, Look
and TV Guide, but after the paparazzi left their mansion, it was back to nanny. So the show reflected reality.
and TV Guide, but after the paparazzi left their mansion, it was back to nanny. So the show reflected reality.
Fred Mertz was a flatulent old cuss who stunk up the entire set with his farting. Every time he said "uhhhh", it wasn't because he forgot his lines - it was because he was farting. Everywhere he went his fart stink trailed behind him. I felt sorry for Ethel every time she had to "hug" him. She probably had to hold her breath the whole time. I am also sure that much of the furniture and props on the set were ruined from his never-ending farting. I can smell his stink through the tv even after all these years. I truly hate Fred Mertz.
Fred Mertz, had Parkinson disease. When he won the role of fred Mertz,William Frawley was a gabler and drank alot . Desi Arnaz told him that if he ever Missed a show due to alcohol related illness or drank while filming his scenes and on the lot he would be fired Immediately. He assure Desi he would oblige by his rules and never missed a day of work due to any gambling or alcohol addictions. He and Vivian Vance hated one another and when she was dining in a restaurant with her second husband, she heard the News of his death and yelled drinks were on her!
I Love Lucy never jumped
and i suprised this doesn't have a thousand or over thousand
never jumped votes it's pretty close to a thousand though
what suprise me more is that full house has more never jumped votes than this
show I Love Lucy was a lot better
than full house & howard stern has more
never jumped than this show which is even worse yet nothing i can but hope more never jumped votes come soon & fast
because this show was great
and i suprised this doesn't have a thousand or over thousand
never jumped votes it's pretty close to a thousand though
what suprise me more is that full house has more never jumped votes than this
show I Love Lucy was a lot better
than full house & howard stern has more
never jumped than this show which is even worse yet nothing i can but hope more never jumped votes come soon & fast
because this show was great
To guest,
Touche! There's the list of Ricky's scheming, deceitful ways! These lists are a bit of fun, of course. The show was meant to be wacky which, of course, is why Lucy and Ricky were always lovey-dovey again at the end of the show when, in reality, they would have divorced before the end of season 1.
I created a list like this on the Leave it to Beaver page quite a while back showing what a liar and problem child the Beave was!
Yes, it's fun.
Peace.
Touche! There's the list of Ricky's scheming, deceitful ways! These lists are a bit of fun, of course. The show was meant to be wacky which, of course, is why Lucy and Ricky were always lovey-dovey again at the end of the show when, in reality, they would have divorced before the end of season 1.
I created a list like this on the Leave it to Beaver page quite a while back showing what a liar and problem child the Beave was!
Yes, it's fun.
Peace.
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