April 28, 2011

The Lucy Show - 4th Season Now Out on DVD

Lucille Ball welcomes a variety of celebrity guests to her second sitcom, which leads these TV shows that are new on DVD this week.

"The Lucy Show: The Official Fourth Season" (CBS/Paramount, 1965-66, four discs). This was the irrepressible redhead's second sitcom after her seminal series "I Love Lucy." Vivian Vance was again her co-star — until this season. Vance departed at the end of Season 3.

As a result, the show was revamped for this fourth year, with Lucy Carmichael moving to Southern California, as does her bombastic banker Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon), who becomes her boss. The kids are dispatched early on and the series essentially becomes focused on weekly guest stars. But it certainly didn't hurt the show, which bounced up to No. 3 in the Nielsen ratings and remained in the top four over the rest of its run.

This set is loaded with bonus features, and Season 4 is also notable for the first episode having been partially shot on location at Marineland of the Pacific. (Trivia note: Marineland was Southern California's first major theme park, having opened a year before Disneyland, but SeaWorld bought it out in the mid-1980s, simply to close it and move its oceanic attractions to the still-popular San Diego facility).

Guests in this season include Kirk Douglas, Edward G. Robinson, Dean Martin, Ann Sothern (in three episodes, reprising a character that appeared in Season 3), Joan Blondell (in two), Mel Torme, Milton Berle, Danny Thomas, Art Linkletter, Mickey Rooney, Harvey Korman, Clint Walker and Robert Stack. And one episode has a cameo by William Frawley, who played Fred Mertz on "I Love Lucy," his last performance before his death.

Extras: full frame, 26 episodes, featurettes, promos, original credits, text biographies/production notes, photo galleries, excerpts from TV shows with Lucy's guest appearances, "Magic of Broadcasting" (1966) and "Wonderful World of Burlesque (1965).

You can get the previous seasons here as well:

3 comments:

  1. The Lucy Show 4th Season is on sale for $14.99 at Target from May 1 - May 7 Only.

    This is the cheapest price I have ever paid for any lucy dvd set. Especially for a new release.

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  2. But only if you support Target who supports, through its' donations - major hate groups and their candidates in office. Just google "Target Boycott". I'll spend the extra 50c to lend my support to an organization that isn't affiliated to hate groups.

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  3. I had no idea. It seems like a shame. Just out of curiousity, where can I find Season 4 for $15.49?

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