Synopsis
Season Three of the much-loved series, and the ad copy can describe what’s here better thanI could. I quote: “Laugh out loud as Lucy and Ethel rip each other’s dresses to shreds during theirtelevised duet of Cole Porter’s ‘Friendship.’ Watch the fireworks when Lucy has to go 24 hourswithout telling a fib. Follow Lucy as her quest to recover a contest-winning dollar bill lands herin a giant starch vat.” And so on. This is the series that pretty much set the standards for sitco…s,and the physical comedy, in particular, is strong.
Audio
The sound is mono, of course, and is a pretty warm mono, at that. There is very littledistortion on the vocals, and no static to speak of, all of which is good news when one considersthat these are television episodes from the early 50s.
Video
The same goes for the picture. There is a bit of grain, but only what is to be expected forfootage of this vintage. There is very little damage otherwise, and the image is surprisinglysharp.
Special Features
Each disc features “Special Footage” (i.e. period ads for the shows), guest cast info,blooopers, the original openings, production notes, and an episode of the Lucille Ball’s radioseries that inspired one of the TV episodes. Disc 1 has an audio excerpt from the bookLaughs, Luck… and Lucy by head writer Jess Oppenheimer, and Disc 5 has a still gallery.The menu has a scored intro, and I’m still not sure about the main screen image of Lucy lookinglike Harpo Marx.
Closing Thoughts
The extras are fairly light, but still better than one finds in quite a few TV box sets, and thepicture and sound quality are as good as one could reasonably expect.
Special Features List
- Special Footage
- Guest Cast Information
- Flubs
- Original Opening
- Audio Book Excerpt
- Production Notes
- Radio Episodes
- Slide Show