20 December 2013

I (still) love Lucy

kids today turn on the tv (or some other contrivance) & have the option of anywhere from dozens to hundreds of programs at any hour.  I remember when there were 3 channels. in those ancient days the morning after a hit show everyone talkd abt it. so tv became a communal activity. that rarely happens today. people watch what they want to when they want to.

there was a time when "I Love Lucy" was the best show on & everybody followd it. & decades after the show came to a close it continues to be shown.  many of its episodes are such classics they have been woven into the nation's fabric of history.

even tho you can still catch Lucy reruns tonite was different.  for the first time in memory a Lucy special was given a primetime spot on a major network. the hour-long show was a pair of half-hour originals.  the down side is that they were colorizd -- a process I despise. but still here was a  chance for a large audience to watch the great Lucille Ball in some of her best moments. & even to those of us who have seen some of these scenes dozens & dozens of times over the years it was a chance to laugh yet again.

not everyone agrees with me but I do believe "I Love Lucy" was the greatest sitcom in television history. yes some episodes are less funny than others.  but the good ones last. & as we saw tonite part of the reason is the perfect casting. as splendid as Lucy is she is more than supportd by Desi Arnaz & Vivian Vance & William Frawley.

so for me this was a fun tv evening.

(this was Lucille Ball in her pre-tv career but it's such a wild photo I'm sharing it instead of something from the Xmas special)

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