Lucy Calls the President
Grade: B-
On paper, this one sure sounds like a good idea. In what would be her final TV comedy special, the famous redhead joins with her great costars Gale Gordon, Vivian Vance, Mary Jane Croft and Mary Wickes, plus special guests Steve Allen, Ed McMahon and Lillian Carter (President Carter's mother).
Unfortunately, the jokes fall flat and the cast is showing their age by the time of this 1977 production. The plot is fairly light. For entertainment value, this one would be a definite pass, but the nostalgia value makes it worth checking out. The special features (rehearsal films, "Working with Lucy" featurette and other lost footage), even more than the feature itself, make this one worth the $10 or so it'll probably cost you to pick it up.
Showing posts with label Lucille Ball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucille Ball. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Book Review: Desilu - The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz by Coyne Sanders and Tom Gilbert
Grade: B-
We're going to take a detour into nonfiction this week. This one's a few years old, but a new version is due later this year, so it seemed like a good time to give it a look.
How you're going to feel about "Desilu" depends on what you're looking for from the book. If you want to know about the inner workings of the Arnazes marriage, the ups and downs of their life together, you'll be happy with what you find here.
This is easily the most insightful look at their relationship, based on great interviews from the people who were there from the recently departed Madelyn Pugh to Jess Oppenheimer to Lucie and Desi Jr. At times it veers too much into the gossipy territory.
If, like me, you're not that interested in the gossip, there's still some things to like here. I picked up the book thinking it would be mostly about Desilu, the studio. While that's certainly not the case, there's plenty about the business in this tome. Be forewarned, though, you'll probably find yourself skipping big chunks of the book to get to the inside-the-industry good stuff. And it is good stuff -- plenty of things I didn't know about their careers beyond I Love Lucy. Definitely the best coverage I've seen of the post I Love Lucy shows (especially for Desi.)
So whether you want the relationship insight, the inside dope on the studio, or both, Desilu is worth checking out.
Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz by Coyne Sanders and Tom Gilbert
New edition available August 2/Two earlier editions available now
Grade: B-
We're going to take a detour into nonfiction this week. This one's a few years old, but a new version is due later this year, so it seemed like a good time to give it a look.
How you're going to feel about "Desilu" depends on what you're looking for from the book. If you want to know about the inner workings of the Arnazes marriage, the ups and downs of their life together, you'll be happy with what you find here.
This is easily the most insightful look at their relationship, based on great interviews from the people who were there from the recently departed Madelyn Pugh to Jess Oppenheimer to Lucie and Desi Jr. At times it veers too much into the gossipy territory.
If, like me, you're not that interested in the gossip, there's still some things to like here. I picked up the book thinking it would be mostly about Desilu, the studio. While that's certainly not the case, there's plenty about the business in this tome. Be forewarned, though, you'll probably find yourself skipping big chunks of the book to get to the inside-the-industry good stuff. And it is good stuff -- plenty of things I didn't know about their careers beyond I Love Lucy. Definitely the best coverage I've seen of the post I Love Lucy shows (especially for Desi.)
So whether you want the relationship insight, the inside dope on the studio, or both, Desilu is worth checking out.
Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz by Coyne Sanders and Tom Gilbert
New edition available August 2/Two earlier editions available now
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