Lucille Ball: The First Lady of Comedy

[ClassyCo]

And yes, TLS needed more an ensemble. That's why I love the middle of the 1st season, an ensemble was taking shape. The kids, Mr. Barnsdahl, Harry, Eddie. None where great characters, but they could have been developed more. I too liked Dick Martin as Harry, even if he made Lucy & Viv look old by comparison. I also like Charles Lane more than Gale Gordon, although I know Lane was fired because he couldn't remember his dialogue in front of the live audience. I also think both boy actors were fine, even better than some other kid actors of the era. They were no Ronnie Howard for sure, but that kid was the Olivier of child actors.

I need to revisit Season 1 of THE LUCY SHOW, but I have the same memory as you. I have a memory that the show was developing a solid cast that could've worked very well together had the writers and producers taken better care of what they had. Charles Lane is always good and I always enjoy him in every role I see him in, so yes, I agree, he was better on the show than Gale Gordon.

Perhaps giving Lucy more extensive creative control over the show wasn't the best idea. She didn't seem to be the judge of material.

 

[Crimson]

Perhaps giving Lucy more extensive creative control over the show wasn't the best idea. She didn't seem to be the judge of material.

Lucille likely would have been a good director. She knew how to run her show technically: cameras, lighting, blocking. She was not well suited to producing. The kind of long term creative planning and actual vision was missing from all of her shows after ILL.

 

[Chris2]

I also liked Charles Lane as Barnsdahl, in part because he was only there occasionally, so he was effective when he did appear. Mooney was there every week so he grated on the nerves.

 

[Crimson]

Yes, if Mooney was used as a recurring character he wouldn't have been so unpleasant. The writers had to concoct ridiculous plots to explain why Lucy was interacting with her banker so often. At least when she became his secretary in the show's second format, there was some justification; although not for why Mooney continued to employ an inept secretary he seemingly disliked. HERE'S LUCY added familial obligations finally added some degree of context between the characters.

I don't think ILL would be the classic it is today if Gale, Lucy's first choice, had played the role that evolved into Fred. Ditto for Bea Benedarat, Lucy's first choice for the role that became Ethel.

 

[Jimmy Todd]

The four leads on ILL had perfect chemistry. William.and Vivian were a huge part of making the show a classic. Desi wanted them, but Lucy didn't at first, which shows how important Desi's instincts were to the show.
In all the interviews I've seen with Lucy(Dick Cavett, Johnny Carson, Meredith Griffin, Joan Rivers ) and they're talking about her career and how great it was, I've never heard anyone bring up episodes of TLD or HL. It's always ILL highlights they use as examples.