Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > I Love Lucy

I Love Lucy
Thread Tools
subego
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2016, 12:57 PM
 
I never "got" why this show was so ridiculously popular. Did/does it appeal to anyone here?
     
Laminar
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2016, 02:14 PM
 
I assume a large part of the appeal was the cultural context of the time, which you'll have a hard time discussing amongst a bunch of people that weren't alive in the '50s.
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2016, 02:51 PM
 
She was funny , he was Cuban and the relationship looked for real. The play between the Mertz' was also funny, and many topical subjects were portrayed in a funny way. I can't watch is much anymore because of the poor audio quality, and that they had to yell for some of the overhead mics to pick up properly. They had current stars as guests at Ricky's nightclub.
     
starman
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Union County, NJ
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2016, 03:30 PM
 
It was a damn funny show.

Home - Twitter - Sig Wall-Retired - Flickr
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2016, 04:24 PM
 
Maybe it's purely a taste thing. I recall it as "mildly funny".

Compared to, say... The Honeymooners.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2016, 04:38 PM
 
On an entirely different tangent, a woman and a Cuban don't really compute with my imagining of a titan-like pair of television moguls from the 50's.
     
Ham Sandwich
Guest
Status:
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2016, 08:52 PM
 
[...deleted...]
( Last edited by Ham Sandwich; Apr 23, 2020 at 08:20 AM. )
     
mindwaves
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Irvine, CA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2016, 10:49 PM
 
I love it and will still watch an occasional episode if I see one on TV. Lucy is hilarious and the stunts she will plays are great and very unusual.

But it must be in black and white. Color just ruins it for me.
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 27, 2016, 03:11 PM
 
The show can be funny, but I often find myself asking the question "Why doesn't Ricky bash her skull in - like, right the f*ck in with a baseball bat?"
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2016, 11:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by osiris View Post
The show can be funny, but I often find myself asking the question "Why doesn't Ricky bash her skull in - like, right the f*ck in with a baseball bat?"
Which is another reason I'm on Team Honeymooners. The conceit of Lucy is "aren't idiots so 'aww, shucks' adorable?"

No. they're not.
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2016, 12:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Which is another reason I'm on Team Honeymooners. The conceit of Lucy is "aren't idiots so 'aww, shucks' adorable?"

No. they're not.
Agreed! Though I greatly respect Desi as a producer for his other work.
But Team Honeymooners all the way! I can watch the original 33 over and over again.
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2016, 01:26 PM
 
I've got to hand it to both of them. The pair were genuine moguls in an era where that label applied exclusively to white males.
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2016, 01:33 PM
 
I'd take Jack Benny over ILL.
     
brapper
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2016, 01:22 AM
 
I love Lucy more. Fact. Factual Fact. My Lucy is the best thing in this world. I haven't read the rest of the thread beyond the title, but I sometimes drop into this forum to see what's new since I frequented in 2006, saw this post title, and had to comment. My Lucy is a beautiful, wonderful, dog full of attitude.

*now to read the context*

carry on.

(hi old friendish people)
     
brapper
Professional Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2016, 01:33 AM
 
...here's my take.

"I Love Lucy" was a funny show. The assembly line gag when they're making pies (?) alone, was a tremendous comedy bit. The fact that a pretty blonde (?) was married to a Cuban guy in the 50s was transcendental. That show was a staple of my weekend morning TV viewing as a child of the 80s.

TO be honest, just replying to a MacNN thread feels nostalgic to me, so my view might be biased. Recognizing names of my internet past is a very cool feeling. Wondering why i wandered.

Anyway, hope all is well with you all. I know this site's news portal is no more, but I'm glad to see the community is still alive.
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2016, 08:23 AM
 
Lucy was a REDHEAD!
     
Thorzdad
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nobletucky
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2016, 03:59 PM
 
Trust me...Sixty years from now, people will be scratching their heads over why Big Bang Theory was thought of as funny.
     
starman
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Union County, NJ
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2016, 09:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by Thorzdad View Post
Trust me...Sixty years from now, people will be scratching their heads over why Big Bang Theory was thought of as funny.
Um, no, people already hate it.

Home - Twitter - Sig Wall-Retired - Flickr
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 30, 2016, 10:16 PM
 
I've heard it described as "nerd blackface".
     
starman
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Union County, NJ
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2016, 03:53 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
I've heard it described as "nerd blackface".
That's....not inaccurate.

Home - Twitter - Sig Wall-Retired - Flickr
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2016, 10:44 AM
 
The irony about me complaining about I Love Lucy, is I'm positive the only reason I watched it enough to get grumpy is it had to have been sandwiched between reruns of shows I wanted to watch... but I don't remember any of those shows.
     
Chongo
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2016, 11:05 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Maybe it's purely a taste thing. I recall it as "mildly funny".

Compared to, say... The Honeymooners.
I was more of a "Honeymooners" fan as well. They wee both in reruns when I was little (mid 60's). The Dick Van Dyke show was in first run then. That is still funny. Carl Reiner made a point of avoiding current music or topics for rerun longevity. A good example of the opposite is "Miami Vice" Too hip for reruns?
45/47
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2016, 11:15 AM
 
The Dick Van Dyke show is the opposite end of the Lucy coin.

It never really resonated on its own, and was never stuck between shows I wanted to watch.

I get the feeling it would appeal more as an adult.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 31, 2016, 12:47 PM
 
I loved the everloving shit out of The Brady Bunch. Can't for the life of me fathom why.
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 11:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
I've heard it described as "nerd blackface".
...in every reddit thread on the topic ever.

Not that I like the show, but I'm more "meh" and I appreciate that they do try to reinvent themselves, while the Internet in general seems to either love it or hate it.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
ort888
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Your Anus
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 11:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by Thorzdad View Post
Trust me...Sixty years from now, people will be scratching their heads over why Big Bang Theory was thought of as funny.
No they won't. They won't remember it at all.

My sig is 1 pixel too big.
     
Chongo
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 11:20 AM
 
And Gilligan's Island lives on!
45/47
     
Laminar
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 11:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by ort888 View Post
No they won't. They won't remember it at all.
What shows, if any, do you think will be remembered in 60 years?

Though it looks like we're nearing the end of the "cable" era, we have had a resurgence in TV shows, especially good quality serialized shows.

Sitcoms today still look strikingly similar to I Love Lucy - studio audiences, 20-30 minute episodes, air once per week, etc. In 60 years will the format be so different from today that we wouldn't recognize it?
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 01:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
I've heard it described as "nerd blackface".
That sounds about right!
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 01:38 PM
 
I see other shows here - Dick Van Dyke aka "Di*k Van Dy*e" (for Family Guy fans), The Brady Bunch (I watched this and still do), but also Mary Tyler Moore & The Odd Couple were great shows with great writing (most of the time!)

I guess I envied the lifestyle these shows portrayed - Brady Bunch for sure was about the opposite of my family as it gets.
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 01:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by BadKosh View Post
Lucy was a REDHEAD!
The Anti-Christ!!!
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 02:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by osiris View Post
I see other shows here - Dick Van Dyke aka "Di*k Van Dy*e" (for Family Guy fans), The Brady Bunch (I watched this and still do), but also Mary Tyler Moore & The Odd Couple were great shows with great writing (most of the time!)

I guess I envied the lifestyle these shows portrayed - Brady Bunch for sure was about the opposite of my family as it gets.
Something like Mary Tyler Moore was, I dunno... too adult for me. I wanted to like it, but couldn't relate. I liked The Odd Couple more. I'm a total slob, so I appreciated the validation it gave me. Made me like Klugman a lot. Quincy M.E. was the bomb.

In terms of lifestyle portrayal, I have to admit the one which sucked me in was Hart to Hart.
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 04:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Something like Mary Tyler Moore was, I dunno... too adult for me. I wanted to like it, but couldn't relate. I liked The Odd Couple more. I'm a total slob, so I appreciated the validation it gave me. Made me like Klugman a lot. Quincy M.E. was the bomb.

In terms of lifestyle portrayal, I have to admit the one which sucked me in was Hart to Hart.
I think I just liked Mary Tyler Moore as a kid - from Dick Van Dyke to MTM, loved her always.

Jack Klugman was great - such a likable actor (got to meet him as a kid when he had a chain of popcorn stores!) Quincy was a great show too, I almost got into forensic science because of it.

As for Hart To Hart : I've never seen an episode! I'll put it on the list.
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 05:02 PM
 
It has mild kitsch appeal, but is probably insufferable otherwise.
     
andi*pandi
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: inside 128, north of 90
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 1, 2016, 06:10 PM
 
Hart to Hart will probably age as well as the Love Boat.

I Love Lucy has its good moments, but I think half the humor was them hiding shenanigans from disapproving husbands. Oh those silly womenfolk! Ha ha!

I liked Dick van Dyke and MTM more.
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 09:21 AM
 
WKRP
Night Court
Cheers
All had their moments.

I watched Columbo and McCloud, and Those wacky UK comedies Fawlty Towers, Red Dwarf, Are you being served? Dr. Who was the defacto Sci-fi.
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:01 AM
 
I was thinking recently about Night Court.

Though I was a fan of the show, there was something special about it which was hard to put my finger on when it was on.

I know it will sound corny, but it was one of those shows that made you think everything is going to be okay. There's real justice in the world, even if it's shoved into this dirty corner.
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:06 AM
 
Here's the character that made Brent Spiner! From Night Court.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrLvtoKZfxY
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:10 AM
 
Are you Being Served? was a lot of fun, raunchy for its time. The early episodes were very funny, though I think the show over stayed its welcome towards the end.

Surprised no one mentioned All In The Family, MASH, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley on this stroll down memory lane. Okay, maybe not Laverne & Shirley, I couldn't stand it for much even as a kid.... But shows like these were such groundbreakers.
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:24 AM
 
More obscure....


The Galloping Gormet
Cookin' Cheap
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:32 AM
 
Originally Posted by osiris View Post
Good Times
Did anyone ever figure out the mystery line in the theme song?

Temporary layoffs...
Good Times!
Easy credit ripoffs...
Good Times!
Scratchin' and survivin'...
Good Times!
__________________
Good Times!
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:34 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Did anyone ever figure out the mystery line in the theme song?

Temporary layoffs...
Good Times!
Easy credit ripoffs...
Good Times!
Scratchin' and survivin'...
Good Times!
__________________

I believe the line is:

Temporary lay offs. - Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. - Good Times.
Scratchin' and surviving. - Good Times.
Hangin' and a-jivin' - Good Times.
Ain't we lucky we got 'em - Good Times.



great music for a sitcom!
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:37 AM
 
Originally Posted by BadKosh View Post
More obscure....


The Galloping Gormet
Cookin' Cheap
Holy cow, the Galloping Gourmet! Graham Kerr was classic. He redid the show much later, but with healthy versions of the old recipes.
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:41 AM
 
Originally Posted by osiris View Post
I believe the line is:

Temporary lay offs. - Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. - Good Times.
Scratchin' and surviving. - Good Times.
Hangin' and a-jivin' - Good Times.
Ain't we lucky we got 'em - Good Times.



great music for a sitcom!
Wait... isn't the the last line "Good Tiiiiiiiihuhiiiiiiiiihuhiiiiiiiiihuhumhuwayyyyyyoo oooooh!"
     
subego  (op)
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:46 AM
 
Originally Posted by osiris View Post
Holy cow, the Galloping Gourmet! Graham Kerr was classic. He redid the show much later, but with healthy versions of the old recipes.
And IIRC, once he stopped getting shitfaced on the air.
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 10:47 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
Wait... isn't the the last line "Good Tiiiiiiiihuhiiiiiiiiihuhiiiiiiiiihuhumhuwayyyyyyoo oooooh!"
Yes, but I think that's for the closing credits... not sure how accurate any of this is, I have to watch it again but yet another lyrics site changed jivin to enjoying !! hmmm, the mystery deepens.

Good Times.
Any time you meet a payment. - Good Times.
Any time you need a friend. - Good Times.
Any time you're out from under.
Not getting hassled, not getting hustled.
Keepin' your head above water,
Making a wave when you can.

Temporary lay offs. - Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. - Good Times.
Scratchin' and surviving. - Good Times.
Hangin and Enjoyin - Good Times.
Ain't we lucky we got 'em - Good Times.

CLOSING THEME LYRICS

Mmmmmm
Just lookin' out of the window.
Watchin' the asphalt grow.
Thinkin' how it all looks hand-me-down.
Good Times, yeah, yeah Good Times

Keepin' your head above water
Makin' a wave when you can

Temporary lay offs. - Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. - Good Times.
Ain't we lucky we got 'em - Good Times.
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 11:47 AM
 
Originally Posted by subego View Post
And IIRC, once he stopped getting shitfaced on the air.

That would be later in his "Mini Max" recipe days. This was after his wife Trina had a mild stroke.
NOBODY got more shitfaced than Emeril. Not even Justin Wilson.

Cookin' Cheap was a funny cooking show produced by the local public TV outlet in Roanoke VA. in the mid 1970's. It had 2 guys both making a recipe from the ones the viewers would mail in. It had to feed 4 and cost less that 5-10 bucks. Mostly it was fresh veggies and canned stuff with chicken or hamburger. One guy would start off and then as he started the sctual chopping etc the other guy would take center stage for his recipe. The kitchen set was .....unusual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjkwtqaWYkM
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 11:50 AM
 
OK Trivia fans.....


Diver Dan?

Tom Terrific?

Beany and Cecil?

My mother the car?

Pruitts of Southampton

Wonderama (with Sonny Fox)
     
Laminar
Posting Junkie
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 12:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by osiris View Post
I believe the line is:

Temporary lay offs. - Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. - Good Times.
Scratchin' and surviving. - Good Times.
Hangin' and a-jivin' - Good Times.
Ain't we lucky we got 'em - Good Times.

great music for a sitcom!
Start at 2:17

I Know Black People Pt. 2-Chappelle's Show - Video Clip | Comedy Central
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 2, 2016, 01:00 PM
 
i don't use flash - can you paraphrase?
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
 
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:05 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,