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"I Love Lucy" (1951) More at IMDb Pro »

I Love Lucy: L.A. At Last & Fashion Show (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: If one thing served as Lucy Ricardo's holy grail, it was her goal to be in show business. As the years on the long-running series demonstrated, she didn't care whether it was comedy or drama, dancing or singing, respectable or questionable. She just wanted to be a part of celebrity. Eventually, she got her wish. I Love Lucy may even have invented the importance and promotion of the guest star and those celebrities' effect on ratings. In her TV days, Lucy (Lucille Ball) met everyone from Bob Hope to John Wayne, from William Holden to Harpo Marx. In "L.A. at Last," Lucy, her husband Ricky (Desi Arnaz), and their friends Fred and Ethel Mertz (William Frawley and Vivian Vance) have finally reached Los Angeles after a long drive (and lots of adventure) from New York. She gets her dearest desire after she heads out to the legendary Brown Derby and sees Eve Arden and William Holden, who play themselves. Someone gets a pie in the face, and it's hysterically funny, despite how old that joke is. Holden's wife, along with the spouses of Dean Martin, Gordon MacRae, Richard Carlson, Van Heflin, and Forrest Tucker, are featured in "The Fashion Show," as is couturier Don Loper. Lucy has an opportunity to join the celebrity wives in a fashion show and she takes it, but she wants a slight tan first. Lucy's resulting lobster skin--and Ball's impeccable timing--are simply the funniest. --N.F. Mendoza

I Love Lucy - Lucy's Italian Movie/Ballet (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In "Lucy's Italian Movie," the wacky redhead is on her (several-episodes-long) European vacation. In Rome, she's discovered by a well-known Italian film director; he wants her to star in his film Bitter Grapes. After years of longing to be in show biz, Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) may get her big break. But, in an attempt to affect the Method, with which she aspires to completely become her character, she encounters a group of wine-making Italian women. Yes, this is the episode in which she stomps on the grapes.

Both that episode and "The Ballet" (which features her "Slowly I Turned" routine) showcase Ball's physical comedic brilliance. Yes, she could deliver a line like no one else, but she could also mug without being too broad and could perform amazing physical feats. Even without dialogue, she was hysterical. Ricky (Desi Arnaz) needs a ballerina and a comic, which fuels Lucy's acting aspirations. She immediately enrolls in a strict, conservative class--and fails miserably (though hilariously). Then she opts for a burlesque instructor. When she's actually hired, there is, as expected, a miscommunication. Supported by a strong cast, Ball has here the opportunity to combine her comedic abilities--much to audience's delight. --N.F. Mendoza

I Love Lucy - The Classics (Lucy Does a TV Commercial/Lucy and the Loving Cup) (vhs):

Amazon.com Essentials: Lucy Ricardo wanted to act, to perform, to sing, to dance. She wanted to be in show biz, period. And when an opportunity arises for her to do a TV commercial, you bet she takes it. If actress Lucille Ball repeatedly proved her brilliance at physical comedy, there is no better example than the episode "Lucy Does a TV Commercial." Lucy convinces her husband, bandleader Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz), to let her do a commercial during a TV variety show. And so Lucy becomes the Vitameatavegamin girl--and does a darn good job at it. The stuff tastes horrible, but she's a good sport, downing spoonful after spoonful for repeated rehearsals. But by the time the live commercial is to air, Lucy's drunk as a skunk. Turns out that Vitameatavegamin is loaded with vitamins and alcohol. "Lucy and the Loving Cup" is another fine example of Ball's physical comedic talent. In this episode, when Ricky insults Lucy's new hat, she shows him by donning a loving cup atop her head. Not only does the cup get stuck there, but Ricky's set to present the trophy to jockey Johnny Longden at a National Turf Association dinner. Whatever was actually going on behind the scenes between real-life husband and wife Ball and Arnaz, Lucy and Ricky's marriage, despite the antics and disagreements, is always a happy one by the end of an episode. These two shows are great examples of the tight cast's talent, and great showcases of the hilarious dynamic between the Ricardos. --N.F. Mendoza

I Love Lucy: Adventures in Europe (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: As funny as Lucy (Lucille Ball), Ricky (Desi Arnaz), Ethel (Vivian Vance), and Fred (William Frawley) were during their lengthy stay in Hollywood, their "Adventures in Europe" are equally hilarious and memorable. The episodes begin with Lucy and Ethel scamming their way into a trip taken because Ricky's band will perform abroad (Fred serves as the tour manager). Nothing comes easy for the Ricardos and Mertzes, and both Lucy and Fred find themselves in a bind when their birth certificates can't be found. The planned excursion is also intimidating to Fred, who is prone to seasickness. Lucy provides a cure, and then she gets sick--but only after missing the ship.

Once in London, Lucy plots a scheme to meet the queen. Lucy then inadvertently gets the gang invited to the country home of an aristocrat whose daughter, Lucy fears, covets Ricky. Later, Lucy seeks her roots and dreams of Ricky as a Scottish ancestor. In Paris, Lucy may be conned, but she's simply divine battling her first escargot. She also meets French idol Charles Boyer (who plays himself) and dons what she thinks is a Parisian designer gown. And can the Mertzes and Ricardos be in the Swiss Alps without an avalanche? Don't bet on it. At a seedy joint in Florence, Lucy finds a creative way to celebrate son Little Ricky's birthday and also gets offered a movie role and stomps grapes. Somehow, the gang finds time to bicycle from Italy to the French Riviera, where Lucy accidentally wins a bunch of money. Eventually they return home, in a brilliant episode in which Lucy disguises a 30-pound hunk of cheese as a baby. --N.F. Mendoza

I Love Lucy: Lucy Meets Superman & Freezer (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Here are two episodes, one from the early part of the series ("The Freezer," episode 29) and one from the later years ("Lucy and Superman," episode 166). The wacky "Freezer" episode is an antics one, in which Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) and her best friend Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance) have one of their schemes to make money: this time Lucy has acquired a walk-in meat freezer, plus two sides of beef. She and Ethel begin their own meat market, competing with the local butcher. Needless to say, they run into trouble, and in an effort to cover their tracks, Lucy gets locked in the freezer. Just imagining Lucy as the human Popsicle brings a smile.

After Little Ricky's birth, Lucy was a devoted mother. Nevertheless, she remained as zany as ever and got into just as many scrapes. In "Lucy and Superman," Lucy is desperate to please her Superman-loving son. In a scenario many mothers can relate to, a classmate is having his birthday party on the same day as Little Ricky's. Lucy decides that the best way to entice guests is to have Superman make an appearance, but when the plan falls through, as these things often do, she takes on the action hero's role herself. TV's Superman star, George Reeves, guests.

These episodes are an interesting couplet. They may not share an obvious theme, but they're both about Lucy hilariously scheming and covering up a grandiose idea or boast. Both are familiar territory and employ a recurring theme (effectively fresh each time) throughout the series' successful run. --N.F. Mendoza

I Love Lucy - Job Switching/Lucy Meets Bob Hope (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Many episodes of this beloved series focused on either the relationship between Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) or between best pals Lucy and her neighbor, Ethel Mertz (the talented Vivian Vance). And sometimes it was Ricky and Fred Mertz (William Frawley) versus their wives or, once in awhile, the Ricardos versus the Mertzes. No worries, the shows always end with a happy hug.

The most fervent I Love Lucy fans may cite, as a favorite, the first episode on this tape, "Job Switching," in which Lucy and Ethel challenge Ricky and Fred to a domestic role reversal. As the men toil as homemakers, Lucy and Ethel find work at a candy factory. When the shop supervisor explains the process of making and packaging the candy, it seems simple enough, but the conveyor belt isn't working in the gals' favor. Hilarious hijinks ensue. Also on this tape is "Lucy Meets Bob Hope." By the time this episode (number 154) appeared, Lucy Ricardo's reputation as a star-seeker and inadvertent troublemaker had preceded her. So when Ricky hopes that Bob will appear at the opening of his new club, Lucy sets out to smooth things over with the celebrity. Knowing Lucy, misunderstandings abound, but this time they work in her favor. This second episode is also notable because it reunites Ball and Hope, who starred together in such movies as Sorrowful Jones and Fancy Pants. --N.F. Mendoza

I Love Lucy, Vol. 4 - Lucy is Enceinte/Lucy Goes to the Hospital (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Real-life marrieds Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz captivated audiences with their antics as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. When Ball became pregnant (for the second time), the couple incorporated it into the story line of I Love Lucy. It seems precious now, but the episode's title, "Lucy Is Enceinte," is a French allusion to Ball's expectant state (they weren't allowed to say "pregnancy" on air). The episode is a comedy of missed opportunities--Lucy simply can't get Ricky alone. Everything thwarts her plans: the phone or neighbors or friends. Finally, she comes up with a touchingly sweet idea, and it's a real charmer. "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" is the cleverly plotted climax of the seven-episode arc of the pending birth. Ricky, Lucy, and their best friends and neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz (the delightful William Frawley and Vivian Vance) have a well-organized plan to get Lucy to the hospital as calmly and efficiently as possible. Naturally, mayhem erupts at the actual moment. The touch of Ricky arriving at the hospital in full tribal regalia is a stroke of brilliance. The episode effectively uses the verbal and physical comedy the series was famous for. Desi Arnaz Jr. was actually born on the day the show aired. --N.F. Mendoza

The Best of I Love Lucy Collection (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of I Love Lucy in 2001, this two-volume collection delivers exactly what it promises. Decades after their original broadcasts, these 10 episodes are as fresh and funny as ever, paying tribute to the timeless perfection of Lucy, Desi Arnaz, and their longtime costars Vivian Vance and William Frawley, whose appealing chemistry created comedic greatness and television history. Lucille Ball herself claimed that "Lucy Does a T.V. Commercial" (in which Lucy gets hilariously inebriated on "Vitameatavegamin") was her crowning achievement, and who’s going to argue? Or maybe you prefer Lucy and Harpo Marx recreating the legendary mirror routine from Duck Soup. Or her star-struck encounter with William Holden in Hollywood. That’s the blessing of this collection: Five of the episodes come from I Love Lucy’s second season (1952), but there’s not a clunker in the bunch. This is pure gold from start to finish, setting the standard for every sitcom that followed. Also included in this set is the bonus video American Masters documentary, Finding Lucy, which chronicles Ball's journey to becoming America's favorite redhead. --Jeff Shannon