I Love Lucy: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review
“I Love Lucy” is one of the best sitcoms ever made.
It’s no secret that 1951’s “I Love Lucy” is an iconic sitcom. The filmed in front of a live studio audience comedy series (which ran 6 seasons) revolved around Lucy (a housewife) and Ricky (a club bandleader) Ricardo who live in a New York City apartment. In addition to exploring their marital adventures, their neighbors/friends/landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz were also central to the series. Plots involved jealousy, Lucy’s hobbies, marital squabbles, misunderstandings, Lucy trying to work with Ricky on stage repeatedly, Lucy having a baby (as she did in real life) named Little Ricky, money (and spending) woes, Lucy being a matchmaker, clubs, birthdays and wedding anniversaries, money making opportunities, vacations, Ricky getting a movie part which leads to an L.A. road trip, family, Ricky’s entertainment career, parental life, a Europe trip, celebrity encounters, Ricky’s band touring, a Miami trip, a new home, and Lucy’s new friend Betty.
“I Love Lucy” was followed by a 3 season sequel series titled “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” which switched to an hour-long format. Storylines included the story of how Lucy and Ricky met and how Lucy met the Mertz, Tallulah Bankhead, uranium, a race horse, trips to Sun Valley, Alaska, Japan, and Mexico, “The Danny Thomas Show” crossover, a summer vacation, and Milton Berle.
Sitcoms come and go every year, but it takes a special show to endure. “I Love Lucy” is one of those shows. Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley were are all integral to the show and have undeniable talent and chemistry, but it’s Lucille Ball who became a national treasure. Her comedic timing was pitch perfect and she was responsible for so many classic moments in TV history with episodes such as “Job Switch” (which touched on gender roles), “L.A. At Last” (in which Lucy meets William Holden), “Lucy Does A TV Commercial” (one of the most renowned episode), “Lucy’s Italian Movie” (featuring the hilarious grape stomping bit), and my personal favorite “Harpo Marx with Lucy and Harpo doing a mirror comedy bit.
“I Love Lucy” was also ahead of its time as Lucille Ball was leading a show at a time when TV programs were dominated by male leads. She paved the way for so many women in the entertainment industry and was a true pioneer in the sitcom field. The series also boldly explored marriage and gender in ways that you would not see in other TV series in the 50’s.
The series was also notable for containing perhaps the best slew of guest stars ever put to TV with John Wayne, William Holden, Harpo Marx, Bob Hope, Orson Welles, and so many more popping up. A lot of the time guest stars were mere gimmicks to grab viewers, but “I Love Lucy” made their appearances part of the plot. Plus, it was a joy to see Ball act opposite the stars.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 1.33:1 1080p. How do the episodes look? The first 2 seasons were previously released on Blu-ray and those seasons feature quality hi-def upgrades even with the print defects. The remaining seasons and ‘Lucy and Desi’ have noticeably sharper image quality, but they sometimes have an unnatural glossy look. It’s unclear if any AI upscaling was used here but there are rumors. Many viewers who are not bothered by technical aspects will undoubtedly be pleased by the results here as it’s a clear upgrade from the DVD releases. Some AV enthusiasts might scoff at these new remasters though.
Audio Track: Dolby Digital Mono for the first 2 seasons and 2.0 DTS-HD MA for the remaining seasons. How does it sound? The Mono tracks are a little flat as is to be expected, but the audio is nice and clean.
Extras:
It would take a full day to list all of the extra features, but fans can expect to see commentaries, promos, photo galleries, colorized versions (including the newly colorized “Lucy And The Loving Cup”), text bios, flubs, different opening and closing scenes, alternate language episodes, cast members appearing on other TV programs, radio episodes, PSAs, disc credits, restored footage from “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” flashback scenes, original “I Love Lucy” pilot episode, “I Love Lucy: The Movie,” and much more. If you love bonus features, you’ll have plenty to pour over here!
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