Lucille Ball made her return to television in 1962 in The Lucy Show. It co-starred Gale Gordon who Lucy and Desi had originally wanted for I Love Lucy but he could not abandon his commitment to Our Miss Brooks. Lucy was divorced by this time and The Lucy Show was nowhere near the quality level of the original program. Fans didn't care much however, as the show received huge ratings. By the late sixties the program seemed out of place and corny. Most of the writing staff were still churning out scripts that seemed left over from 1940s radio (to be fair, most sitcoms from 1962 to 1968 were in the same boat). The shows were often peppered with impressive guest stars to hide this fact. The same materail in somebody else's hands would have made it unbearable, but Lucy makes it worth watching. Television producer Sheldon Leonard makes a cameo in the blooper reel. You'll also see Desi Jr. and Buddy Rich in bloopers from the next Ball sitcom, Here's Lucy.
No comments:
Post a Comment