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Fact or Fiction: Inside the surprising true stories behind Aaron Sorkin's I Love Lucy movie

What's real and what's not in Being the Ricardos.

Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine , The Hollywood Reporter , and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight , is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen.

Before cameras even rolled on Being the Ricardos , fans of I Love Lucy were atwitter over what the film would get right about Desi Arnaz , Lucille Ball , and one of television's most influential and enduring properties.

In the end, Aaron Sorkin's Being the Ricardos is far more accurate than many feared it might be (setting aside the one major thing that still rankles — casting a Spaniard as arguably the most famous Cuban in Hollywood).

There's a care and attention to detail, whether it's re-creating sets, costumes, or the particulars of Lucy and Desi's lives.

Being the Ricardos follows Lucille Ball ( Nicole Kidman ) and Desi Arnaz ( Javier Bardem ) across one very tumultuous week of production on I Love Lucy. The show's future — and their personal and professional relationships — are tested as a series of obstacles mount with dismaying urgency.

Here, we 'splain what Being the Ricardos gets right — and where the filmmakers took some dramatic license.

The biggest change is the time frame. I Love Lucy's entire team faced their share of challenges over the course of six seasons, but not necessarily all at once.

All of the central issues that take place during this single week — the Red Scare, Desi's infidelity, Vivian Vance's frustrations, and Lucy's pregnancy — presented problems to the producers. But not all at the same time.

The episode

Lucy's brush with the Red Scare is the impetus for much of the storytelling here, and it bears noting that the episode in production in the film, "Fred and Ethel Fight," is not the episode they were filming the week of the actual scare.

That was "The Girls Go Into Business," in which Lucy and Ethel scheme to buy their favorite dress shop. "Fred and Ethel Fight" was a season 1 episode, while "The Girls Go Into Business" was from season 3.

Too Many Girls and the not-so-meet-cute

Ball and Arnaz did meet on the set of Too Many Girls at RKO. And it's true that he didn't recognize her when he first saw her outside of her costume for Dance, Girl, Dance, which had her trussed up as a burlesque performer.

Ball was already a star and contract player at RKO when they met, while Arnaz came with the Dance, Girl, Dance musical from Broadway. His number in the show largely introduced and popularized the conga in America.

Though they had a tumultuous relationship, it was love (or, at least, lust) at first sight between them — and they immediately ditched their respective fiancés for each other.

Desi's infidelity and Confidential magazine

Desi Arnaz was infamously unfaithful to Lucille Ball throughout the majority of their marriage (and it was the cause of their divorce in the end). Arnaz saw it as purely physical, while she, understandably, did not feel the same.

There was indeed a January 1955 Confidential magazine story with the headline, "Does Desi Really Love Lucy?" making much of Arnaz's flings with call girls. Confidential was a notorious tabloid throughout the '50s, frequently printing untruths (the rag was eventually brought down by legal suits from Dorothy Dandridge and Maureen O'Hara). But in this case, their salacious reporting was all too true.

Desi's business acumen

Throughout the film, Desi Arnaz is portrayed as a sharp businessman and innovative force in television history. That's 100 percent true. It was Arnaz, alongside cameraman Karl Freund, who conceived of the multi-cam set-up in front of a live audience that became the dominant form of producing television (especially sitcoms) until recent years.

When I Love Lucy was greenlit, it was common to broadcast live in New York City and then basically point a camera at a television, record the feed, and broadcast that dupe to the rest of the country. But the couple didn't want to leave Hollywood, and Arnaz knew his wife was best in front of a live audience, so he devised their system and shot on film, allowing for higher quality footage to reach the entire United States (and world). He not only ensured the success and future of I Love Lucy but also changed television forever.

As the president of Desilu and a producer until the early 1960s, he also helped shepherd some of early television's biggest hits and most influential properties to the small screen, including The Twilight Zone and The Untouchables. Ball brought the original Star Trek to television following his exit and their divorce.

William Frawley's alcoholism

Character actor Bill Frawley is depicted as a dissolute drunk in Being the Ricardos, a man who quips, "It's 10:15 somewhere" when Ball tells him it's 10 a.m. after he asks her to grab a drink. It's played for humor throughout much of the film, but the truth is fairly sobering.

Frawley's drinking was so well-known in Hollywood circles that CBS was reluctant to cast him on I Love Lucy. But Arnaz went to bat for him, making a deal that if he was late to work, showed up drunk, or was unable to perform more than once, that would be the end of it.

Frawley was a hard drinker, but he did uphold his part of the bargain, memorizing his lines and delivering stellar performances week in and week out. He and Arnaz became such good friends that when Frawley died in 1966, Arnaz took out a full-page ad in Hollywood trades that read, "Buenas noches, amigo."

Vivian Vance's frustration

Another point of contention in Being the Ricardos is Vivian Vance's desire to look younger and more appealing as Ethel Mertz. She tries to convince Ball to let her wear a flattering dress onscreen to no avail.

The film depicts the two women's close friendship but also the friction between them over this issue. Indeed, Ball was taken aback by Vance's vivacious beauty when Arnaz first hired her for the role, and she even reportedly ripped Vance's false eyelashes off once to prevent anyone from upstaging her.

Vance was actively frustrated by the fact that she was stuck playing a blowsy housewife opposite a man 22 years her senior. Her vocal complaints fed tension with Frawley more than anything. But she and Ball were close friends who continued to work together long after I Love Lucy ended.

The Red Scare

Much of Being the Ricardos focuses on the House Un-American Activities Committee's investigation into Ball's politics in the early '50s. While she was ultimately cleared of the charges, accusations that she was a member of the Communist Party made for a stressful week of production on I Love Lucy , as the show's future hung in the balance of HUAC's probe.

The events occurred much as they're presented in the film — Ball really did first hear the news over the radio in Walter Winchell's Sunday evening report. But she wasn't in the middle of making love to Arnaz. He was playing cards in Del Mar and raced back to their ranch.

Ball had registered to vote as a communist in 1936 at the behest of, and in honor of, her socialist grandfather, Fred Hunt. She had previously met with HUAC and gave sealed testimony to that effect, explaining that she never actually intended to vote as a communist, nor did she. The matter seemed resolved until Winchell brought it to the table again.

The entire team spent the week rushing to clear Ball's name, fearing that the audience might boo her during the show's Friday night live taping. Arnaz came out to do his usual pre-show warm-up, as is depicted in the film, and made a speech affirming Ball's innocence, noting that given his history as a Cuban, he would never have chosen to mary a communist.

One great line that he delivered was left out of Sorkin's script. "And now, I want you to meet my favorite wife, my favorite redhead. In fact, that's the only thing red about her, and even that's not legitimate," he quipped as he introduced her, referencing Ball's famous dye job.

J. Edgar Hoover

In a strange twist for a movie at least somewhat about free speech, the deus ex machina is famously corrupt head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover himself. Arnaz calls Hoover during his pre-show warm-up, and it is Hoover who proclaims Ball's innocence to the entire studio audience.

Hoover was instrumental in clearing Ball's name as a fan of I Love Lucy and a friend of Arnaz, but he never made any public phone call announcements to a live audience, and his involvement remained strictly behind the scenes.

"Don't f--- with the Cuban"

Anyone watching Being the Ricardos might assume that a particularly colorful response from the head of Philip Morris was Sorkin having a bit of fun. But this moment is actually true!

During the second season of I Love Lucy, both Arnaz and Ball wanted to incorporate her pregnancy into the show, and they met heavy pushback from both network CBS and sponsor Philip Morris. So, Arnaz took his complaints straight to Philip Morris Chairman of the Board Alfred Lyons, reminding him of the show's value as the number one series on television.

Lyons did intervene, sending a note that read, "To whom it may concern: Don't f--- around with the Cuban! A. L." And he spelled the whole thing out.

Related content:

• Being the Ricardos review: Aaron Sorkin goes full inside-baseball in talky Lucille Ball biopic
• Nicole Kidman wanted to back out of playing Lucille Ball after Being the Ricardos backlash
• Aaron Sorkin shows a new side of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos teaser

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Den of Geek

Being The Ricardos Review: I Love Lucy, But Not Here

Aaron Sorkin takes a look at a ridiculously busy week in the lives of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, leaving little time for Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem to enjoy Being the Ricardos.

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I Love Lucy remains the single most influential series in television history; there is perhaps not a single sitcom in the medium’s long existence that doesn’t owe some stylistic debt to the program, and its creation and development were groundbreaking in ways that we are still trying to catch up with in 2021. Yet the one thing you won’t really get from Being the Ricardos , writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s look at a week in the life of Lucy creators and stars, and real-life couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, is a true sense of what the show was like, and how it was produced and written from week to week.

Oh sure, Being the Ricardos ostensibly takes place during the production of one episode, from the Monday table read of the script to the Friday taping of the show in front of a live audience, but it’s almost incidental to the many, many other crises and conflicts that Sorkin piles on in his script, which is filled with so many flashbacks and flash forwards that one soon becomes as dizzy as the Lucy Ricardo character whom Ball portrayed so brilliantly for six seasons in the 1950s.

In a way, the movie’s title is wildly inaccurate, because the film resolutely shows us Ball and Arnaz as mostly anything but the Ricardos. That’s not a slam on the film because this is a deliberate choice Sorkin makes, and the lives and careers of both these pioneers is clearly much more rich and interesting than the comedic archetypes they portray. But even with terrific performances from the main cast– Nicole Kidman as Ball, Javier Bardem as Arnaz, J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda as co-stars William Frawley and Vivian Vance–it’s hard to get a sense of what story Sorkin is trying to tell.

The narrative hook on which Sorkin–who scored last year with the fiery The Trial of the Chicago 7 –hangs his script is the good old Red Scare. Even though Ball had previously been cleared of any connection with the Communist Party, a tabloid dredges up old “evidence” of her allegedly pinko loyalties that spooks both the network and I Love Lucy ’s sponsor (Philip Morris, nothing evil there), with the implied threat that the show could be pulled off the air.

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But that’s not all: Ball also suspects that Arnaz is having an affair when he’s supposedly out playing cards with the boys every night; and she’s frustrated with the blocking of the show they’re about to shoot; and Frawley and Vance both have grievances to air. We know right off the bat that Arnaz is out getting some on the side–it’s just too obvious–but he’s also a charmer and a fierce protector of his wife and their shared creation. Ball, on the other hand, is somewhat more opaque even with strong work from Kidman. Meanwhile Simmons and Arianda breathe life into their loyal if aggravated co-stars.

Sprinkled throughout are flashbacks to various milestones in their lives, including when Arnaz and Ball first met (considering how relatively chaste I Love Lucy was–the Ricardos slept in separate beds–it might be startling to see how hot they were for each other), Ball’s early career in radio, and her insistence to network execs that her Cuban husband will star with her on Lucy , even though “mixed” marriages made the suits nervous.

Also woven into the movie are confusing documentary-style interviews with the “older” versions of Lucy producers and writers Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll Jr., played respectively by John Rubinstein, Linda Lavin, and Ronny Cox. It’s difficult to keep straight who is who, particularly with their “younger” selves played in the main body of the movie by different actors–Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, and Jake Lacy, respectively. All the flash forwards do is recap basically what you’re watching in the “past,” making them superfluous and distracting.

But that’s the ultimate problem with Being the Ricardos : despite the hard work of its cast and Sorkin’s good intentions–his dialogue is as sharp as always and he never met a social issue he didn’t want to righteously incorporate into whatever script he’s working on–there are too many things happening at once for the viewer to get a real grip on who these people are, even if they’re among the most famous faces in pop culture history. (It also doesn’t help that Sorkin and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth shoot most of the movie in dark offices or shadowy soundstages.) You may still love Lucy after watching this–as you should–but it’s hard to find a lot to love in Being the Ricardos .

Being the Ricardos premieres Tuesday, Dec. 21 on Amazon Prime.

2.5 out of 5

Don Kaye | @donkaye

Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…

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Of all the sitcoms ever aired, I Love Lucy might be the most influential. Released during a time when women were expected to be wives and mothers and nothing else, Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo shattered that conservative notion by wanting and pursuing more. TV had seen nothing like it before, and without I Love Lucy , other influential television shows like Seinfeld  wouldn't have been made.

I Love Lucy premiered on CBS in 1951 and ran for 6 seasons, chronicling Ricky and Lucy Ricardo's marriage and Lucy's frequent hijinks with her best friend and neighbor Ethel. Ricky is a successful nightclub owner and Lucy is a flighty housewife searching for fame. Lucille Ball's physical comedy was the main selling point, though there were several other factors that made the show so groundbreaking for its time.

Related: How Cary Grant Became The King of Classic Hollywood

Apart from the consistent humor, I Love Lucy  made a mark on television history by having the first multiethnic relationship on the small screen, as Lucy is white and Ricky is Cuban. While Ricky is super conservative and believes Lucy should stay at home – he threatens to take away her allowance when she doesn't pay the bills on time – Lucy is a progressive homemaker who spends her time taking odd jobs and having Ethel join in on local adventures. Lucy and Ethel are the ultimate embodiment of female friendship, which has influenced so many other classic sitcom relationships. Another significant event was Lucy and Desi Arnaz's real-life pregnancy, which was eventually written into the show with the guidance of religious figures. Sex was not spoken about in mainstream media, so it was important they handled her pregnancy very carefully. Nearly 45 million viewers tuned in to the birth episode, 19 million more than President Eisenhower's Inauguration the following day.

I Love Lucy  was also the first show to have a live studio audience instead of using canned laughter. Live studio audiences contributed to the energy of the show, and Lucille Ball appreciated the viewers' feedback in the moment. Additionally, it was one of the first sitcoms to utilize a multi-camera set-up, which led to better quality film and a variety of wide and close-up shots. Even though Desi and Lucy opted to film in Los Angeles to raise their daughter and took a pretty sizeable cut in income, they earned millions back in reruns.

I Love Lucy   inspired and continues to inspire an emphasis on women's friendships, exploring beyond societal norms, and genuinely hysterical slapstick humor. Though Lucille Ball went on to produce and star in other shows, nothing compared to the well-deserved success  I Love Lucy enjoyed. It will remain a classic television staple for years to come.

Next: WandaVision: What Sitcoms Episodes 1 & 2 Are Inspired By

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16 Essential I Love Lucy Episodes

I Love Lucy was like nothing else on television when it first premiered in 1951. The sitcom, starring real-life married couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, followed the day-to-day life of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in their cozy New York apartment. The two interacted with the occasional guest star, but the bulk of their story lines featured their landlords turned best friends, Fred and Ethel Mertz (William Frawley and Vivian Vance). The Ricardos often found themselves in trouble, usually due to Lucy’s antics — she spent beyond their means and often attempted to get into show business, to disastrous effect — but they always managed to work things out by the end of each 25-minute episode. The series was a genuinely funny and groundbreaking TV endeavor, but the greatest appeal of I Love Lucy was the Lucy-Ricky relationship, which was why it was such a shock when Ball and Arnaz divorced after the show went off the air.

Being the Ricardos , out on Amazon Prime Video December 21, suggests that the relationship might have been falling apart from the very beginning of the show. The film follows Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Arnaz (Javier Bardem) through one production week of I Love Lucy . While viewers occasionally catch a glimpse of Ball and Arnaz’s past (Arnaz’s terminally flirtatious personality, Ball’s struggling film career, their differing levels of fame), Being the Ricardos bucks the comprehensive biopic norm and primarily focuses on the couple’s relationship at the height of I Love Lucy ’s success. Set against the production of season one’s “Fred and Ethel Fight,” the two grapple with Ball’s alleged Communist Party involvement, Arnaz’s infidelity, and whether to write a pregnancy into the show.

Despite the behind-the-scenes drama, I Love Lucy remained a top-rated show for all six of its seasons and still draws around 40 million viewers annually with syndication ( according to the official Television Academy website ). Whether you’re looking to revisit the Ricardos or meet them for the first time, we’ve rounded up the 16 essential episodes of I Love Lucy .

I Love Lucy is streaming on Hulu and Paramount+ .

“Fred and Ethel Fight” (Season 1, Episode 22)

Fred and Ethel spend most of their time bickering, but after a particularly bad fight, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces. She concocts a plan to reunite the couple via a small dinner party at her apartment with Ricky. The Mertzes are less than pleased and spend the evening elbowing and shoving each other, before finally making up. The argument inspires a fight between Lucy and Ricky, who go their separate ways for the night. The next day, both of the Ricardos come up with plans to get the other back, including a fake accident on Lucy’s part and a fake fire on Ricky’s end. The episode ultimately underscores that despite their squabbles, the Ricardos are more miserable apart than they are together.

“Lucy Does a TV Commercial” (Season 1, Episode 30)

When Ricky is put in charge of hiring an actress for a commercial, Lucy is eager to prove that she can do the job. Despite Ricky’s protests and attempt to hire someone else, she finagles her way into the job without realizing what she’s advertising. Vitameatavegamin, a meat-vegetable-vitamin supplement with a 23 percent alcohol content, tastes foul enough that Lucy has to do several practice takes in rehearsal. She’s blackout drunk by the time the live performance — a Saturday night variety show hosted by Ricky — starts and has to be carried offstage when she interrupts Ricky mid-song.

“Ricky Thinks He’s Getting Bald” (Season 1, Episode 34)

When Lucy makes a crack about aging, noting the lines around her eyes and Ricky’s receding hairline, Ricky becomes convinced he’s going bald. In an attempt to snap Ricky out of his funk and prove that potential hair loss is not worth obsessing over, Lucy purchases a variety of painful and excessive scalp-stimulating, hair-growing treatments. Ricky is unfazed by the supplies, so Lucy begins making up treatments — including oil, vinegar, eggs, and a plunger — to convince him that he doesn’t need them, but Ricky simply says that they should start using them every night to help his hair grow in faster.

“Job Switching” (Season 2, Episode 1)

After Ricky and Fred voice their displeasure with Lucy and Ethel’s spending habits, the husbands and wives decide to switch roles. Following an admittedly cringey exchange about “earners” versus “spenders,” the girls get jobs working as candymakers and the guys attempt to do household work. Both parties struggle with their new positions, culminating in an incident with a conveyer belt that Lucy and Ethel can’t keep up with. The episode also stands as an outlier in an otherwise cyclical series by allowing Lucy and Ricky to develop a greater appreciation for each other, instead of just landing them back where they started.

“Lucy Is Enceinte” (Season 2, Episode 10)

Television rarely featured pregnant women before the 1950s (with the exception of the often overlooked Mary Kay and Johnny sitcom in ’48), so the announcement that Lucy and Ricky (and Ball and Arnaz) would be having a baby was a crowd-thrilling surprise. In “Lucy Is Enceinte,” Lucy learns that she’s expecting and tries to craft the perfect way to tell Ricky. She keeps getting interrupted and finally sends him an anonymous note during one of his shows at the Tropicana nightclub, requesting that he sing to help an expectant wife break the news to her husband. Ricky sings to each couple in the club, but no one owns up to writing the note, and it’s only once he gets to Lucy that he figures it out. While the show never actually uses the word “pregnant,” the message is clear.

“Ricky Has Labor Pains” (Season 2, Episode 14)

Ricky’s excitement about the baby turns into jealousy when a distracted Lucy seems to be getting all of the attention from their friends and family. Ricky falls ill and begins exhibiting symptoms of pregnancy and labor, which a doctor diagnoses as a result of feeling neglected. To help Ricky get better, Lucy asks Fred to throw him a “Daddy Shower.” Scared that the party might get out of hand, Lucy and Ethel decide to crash the event dressed as men. Ricky quickly picks up on the farce.

“Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (Season 2, Episode 16)

The show more than delivered with “Lucy Goes to the Hospital,” which remains the most-watched sitcom episode of all time . When Lucy announces that she could have the baby anytime now, Ricky is anxious and won’t leave her side. Lucy calls on Fred and Ethel to help distract him, but the future godparents are equally anxious and only make things worse. To ease everyone’s worries, the group rehearses their trip to the hospital. When Lucy finally gives birth, Ricky receives a call at work mid-performance. At the hospital, in full costume, he meets his son for the first time and promptly faints.

“Lucy Wants New Furniture” (Season 2, Episode 28)

The Ricardos move into a “new,” very similar-looking apartment after Little Ricky is born, which allows for the baby to have his own room. Lucy gives an impassioned argument for new furniture, but Ricky refuses. Come to find out, Lucy has already purchased the expensive living-room furnishings and attempts to hide it from Ricky. Chaos ensues and Ricky eventually finds out, telling Lucy that he’ll keep the furniture at the nightclub until she can pay it off. Lucy attempts to make some concessions, leading to some tragic home dress-sewing and hair-perming. After seeing just how upset she is, Ricky relents.

“Lucy Tells the Truth” (Season 3, Episode 6)

Ricky, Fred, and Ethel bet Lucy that she can’t tell the absolute truth for one whole day. Lucy runs into a number of roadblocks, especially when she plays bridge with three other women, including a prodding Ethel. The plan backfires when Lucy embraces brutal honesty, telling her friends and family what she really thinks of them. Lucy ends up telling Ricky that he’s afraid that if she got a chance at a career in show business, she’d be the star of the family. Ricky challenges Lucy to an audition, where she’ll have to be truthful about her lack of experience. After saying she can speak Italian, Lucy ends up on the receiving end of a knife-throwing demonstration, and finally admits that she lied.

“The Diner” (Season 3, Episode 27)

The Mertzes and the Ricardos decide to go into business together after getting fed up with their respective professions. Opening a diner seems easy enough, but it quickly proves to be a challenge. The couples immediately clash, from disagreements on the name of the restaurant to the division of labor. Eventually, the diner is divided in two: “A Little Bit of Cuba” and “Big Hunk of America.” The debacle culminates in a messy and slapstick food fight between the couples, who ultimately decide to sell the establishment back to the original owner at a loss.

“L.A., at Last” (Season 4, Episode 17)

When Ricky needs to visit a West Coast studio for work, the Ricardos and the Mertzes travel to Los Angeles together for an extended stay. While Ricky works, the trio go looking for celebrities at the Brown Derby. When Lucy won’t stop looking at William Holden, he decides to turn the tables on her and stare nonstop while she eats. Lucy’s attempt at a hasty escape results with Holden getting an entire plate dumped on him. Unbeknownst to Lucy, Ricky later invites the man over to meet her. Lucy dons an impressive disguise, complete with a fake nose, but the plan falls apart when her nose is lit on fire. Fortunately, Holden covers for her in front of Ricky.

“In Palm Springs” (Season 4, Episode 26)

While cooped up in L.A., Lucy and Ricky slowly begin to get on each other’s nerves. The Mertzes are in a similar rut and the couples swap pet peeves (Ricky dislikes how much Lucy stirs her tea, Ethel hates when Fred jingles his keys) before deciding that they need a break from each other. The four pair off, with the men staying in L.A. and the women heading to Palm Springs (with Lucy’s mother and Little Ricky). It begins pouring rain in each location and both groups quickly realize how much they miss their spouses. With the help of Rock Hudson, the couples reunite.

“The Great Train Robbery” (Season 5, Episode 5)

The Hollywood arc doesn’t end until season five, when the group finally takes a train from California to New York. Lucy receives a negative reputation on the cross-country trip when she repeatedly pulls the emergency stop. The routine ride takes a sinister turn when Lucy learns about a recent robbery and finds a gun-toting, jewelry-carrying man in the compartment next to her. While she gossips about it to Ethel, the actual jewel thief listens nearby. Thinking she’s assisting a federal agent, she inadvertently helps the man, who holds her at gunpoint. Lucy saves the day by once again pulling the emergency stop.

“Lucy’s Italian Movie” (Season 5, Episode 23)

In “Lucy’s Italian Movie” (Ball’s favorite episode, per a ’74 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show ), the Ricardos and Mertzes once again travel for Ricky’s work — this time across Europe. While riding a train, an Italian film producer shows an interest in possibly casting Lucy in his upcoming movie, Bitter Grapes . She becomes convinced that she needs to study grape-stomping at a wine vineyard. While there, she gets into a fight with an Italian woman and the two end up rolling around in the grape vat. When Lucy returns to her hotel, coated in grapes, the producer shares that the film title was just symbolic and that he can’t risk her mess on the shoot the following day. Ethel is selected for the small role instead.

“Lucy and Superman” (Season 6, Episode 13)

The final two seasons of I Love Lucy saw Lucy go toe-to-toe with a number of famous figures, including Harpo Marx, John Wayne, and Orson Welles. In “Lucy and Superman,” Superman (George Reeves) proves to be her greatest challenge to date. Lucy tells everyone that Superman will be at Little Ricky’s birthday party, but when he’s unable to attend, she improvises and decides to dress up as Superman herself. When Superman makes a last-minute appearance after all, Lucy is stuck out on the ledge of her apartment building in full costume. When it begins pouring rain, Superman is dispatched to rescue Lucy.

“Lucy Raises Chickens” (Season 6, Episode 19)

In the sixth and final season of I Love Lucy , the Ricardos move into a house in Connecticut. One of the hardest aspects of country living, other than only seeing Fred and Ethel on the weekends, is the cost of living. They find a solution to both problems when they decide to raise chickens and sell eggs, with the help of the Mertzes, who move into the guest house. When the chicken coop proves to be too cold, they opt to keep the 500 baby chicks inside the home. The chicks quickly overrun the house and Lucy pretends to be the mother hen to help herd the animals, just in time for Ricky’s arrival home.

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Movie Interviews

Nicole kidman knew she would be judged on playing lucille ball. so she got to work.

Ailsa Chang

In the new film Being the Ricardos, Nicole Kidman portrays comedian and actress Lucille Ball and Ball's character Lucy from the hit sitcom I Love Lucy. Screenshot by NPR/Amazon Prime Video hide caption

In the new film Being the Ricardos, Nicole Kidman portrays comedian and actress Lucille Ball and Ball's character Lucy from the hit sitcom I Love Lucy.

In the new film, Being the Ricardos, actor Nicole Kidman faced two challenges.

The first: depicting the legendary comedian Lucille Ball. And the second: depicting Lucille Ball depicting Lucy Ricardo from the iconic sitcom I Love Lucy.

Aaron Sorkin, who wrote and directed the movie, told Kidman that he wasn't looking for some strict impersonation of Ball. Instead, he needed Kidman to find the balance between channeling someone on film rather than impersonating them.

"So there was the I Love Lucy show, and I just thought, well, if I can create literally a carbon copy of her in the show where I look like her, I move like her, I sound like her, all of those things — and I really studied that for months, like watching it, rewinding, starting again, getting the timing, working on it, working on it, working on the sounds with my dialect coach," Kidman says.

"If that can be accurate, that then gives me the license to do Lucille Ball, as Aaron said, with the sexuality, with messy hair, with all the things that do not make you go, oh, right, that looks exactly like her. There's a feeling of her, but there's a human being here."

Kidman received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the film. She spoke with NPR's All Things Considered about how she really channeled Ball, the relationship between Ball and Desi Arnaz, and Ball's work ethic.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity, and includes some web-only answers.

Interview Highlights

Ball was a genius physical comedian, Kidman said, and came up with iconic scenes for the show, including the iconic grape stomping moment, that Kidman reenacted for the movie. Screenshot by NPR/Amazon Prime Video hide caption

Ball was a genius physical comedian, Kidman said, and came up with iconic scenes for the show, including the iconic grape stomping moment, that Kidman reenacted for the movie.

On how she channeled Lucille Ball as a person

I mean, vocally, she had a much deeper voice than me, so I was able to create this voice that was a much raspier voice. It was a smoker's voice. She was a big smoker.

I've said before, she had the most beautiful hands. Her hands were a huge extension of her personality. And I don't have those hands ... but I really focused on those hands. They really helped me. And then I think, the love that she had for Desi and the desire for a home — that is such a strong force in me that I grasp. I want a home. So that was an immediate understanding and connection.

Planet Money

How desi invented television.

On the pressure to portray Ball

I didn't want to let the team down. You know, the sense of when you're coming in and these actors are so good and this director-writer is the best in the world and there's an enormous amount of expectation. I was just like, "God, I hope I don't disappoint." And I think through the whole film ... it was nerve-racking because I was like, "I don't know if I'm getting there and it's very hard to believe it."

So it was never like resting on our laurels. And I know Javier was the same way. We would look at each other with wide eyes, saucer eyes and be like, yikes, are we doing this?

But this team of actors, this ensemble, and I really emphasize that it was an ensemble, just like the I Love Lucy show as much as she was the star — it was an ensemble.

Movie Reviews

'being the ricardos' dramatizes lucy and desi's very complicated relationship.

On why the stakes felt higher in the role

Because of who she is in the eyes of the world right now, and everyone weighing in. And sometimes there is a thing where you go, OK, can we just do it? And then if you guys want to destroy it, fine, we'll accept that. But can we just just try it first? I'll always advocate for that artistically, because there is a point where you go, we just need a chance. And luckily, people like Aaron Sorkin just forge ahead, and we hitch our wagon to theirs and go, OK, let's just keep going. And those voices in the world need to exist. Obviously, we have to keep that so that we keep an artistic path and people don't get terrified to try things and do things and possibly fail. I mean, part of Lucille Ball's story is she encountered an enormous amount of failure, but sometimes what she thought were going to be her biggest failures turned out to be her biggest successes.

On what she learned about how Ball approached her craft

She was just a genius. I mean, to come up with something like the grape stomping scene — that whole scene is not a word. I mean, that is a great physical comedian. My access in was through the Vitameatavegamin. And that would be my warmup every day when I was going to play Lucy — is I'd do Vitameatavegamin. Because that — for some reason, that was so Lucy. And I could get her voice, and it would just come.

Then there's another sound that she makes ... which is one of my favorite sounds ever, and I love doing it now when I'm stressed.

There is an enormous amount of stress relief when you do this sort of physical comedy, when you make these sounds. And that's probably what we subconsciously respond to when we watch her in the show because it's enormous stress relief watching her. She just is willing to go for it to make you laugh. But what the film is — it's fascinating in the film because Aaron shows you how hard that is.

Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman play Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball in the new film Being the Ricardos. Screenshot by NPR/Amazon Prime Video hide caption

Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman play Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball in the new film Being the Ricardos.

On the relationship between Ball and Arnaz, both their partnership and their problems

I like to focus on their successes as a partnership because, as I've said, all relationships end. They could end because somebody dies. They could end because you break up. They could end because you get separated and can't get back — whatever it is, they all end. We know that. This, to me, was what you would call a successful relationship. There were two beautiful children. There was an amazing creative partnership that created gold. I mean literally. I don't just mean financially. I mean for the world that exists as a timeless piece of entertainment that can still make us laugh. That is a successful relationship. It was fraught. There was an enormous amount of passion and love and pain and tears and fighting. But ultimately, he was deeply protective of her, and he was brilliant at protecting her. She was protective of him. She believed in him, and he believed in her. Could they give each other what they completely desired and needed? No. But they got a lot.

This interview was produced by Gus Contreras and edited by Sarah Handel. It was adapted for web by Wynne Davis.

How to Watch 'I Love Lucy': Where to Stream the Classic Sitcom

Don't poop out at parties! Watch I Love Lucy!

If the large number of biopics and documentaries coming out about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz have made you realize that you’ve missed out on seeing their classic series I Love Lucy , then fear not because it’s widely available to stream. While there are plenty of projects coming out about the drama off-stage, the comedy on stage is well worth checking out as well.

Related: 'Lucy and Desi' Trailer Reveals Tell-All 'I Love Lucy' Doc From Director Amy Poehler

What Is I Love Lucy About (and Why Does it Still Matter)?

I Love Lucy is a classic CBS sitcom that ran from 1951 to 1957. It not only won eight Primetime Emmys, but it also broke barriers and is still one of the funniest shows ever made. The sitcom focuses on Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, a married couple played by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz who were a couple at the time. Ricky is Cuban American and works as a bandleader in a club and also hosts a television show on occasion. Lucy is a housewife who dreams of breaking into showbiz and constantly schemes to be in Ricky’s show despite her complete lack of talent. Lucy’s ridiculous plans often pull in her friends and landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz. This simple premise works remarkably well thanks to the tight writing and the flawless comedic timing of the cast.

While some of the comedy that relies on 1950s gender roles can be a bit dated to today’s audience, Lucille Ball ’s knack for comedy turns even something as simple as Lucy’s failure to correctly darn a sock into comedy gold. I Love Lucy was consistently at the top of the Nielsen ratings during its run and is still popular in reruns and on streaming sites today. Filmed before a studio audience, I Love Lucy was filmed on 35mm, making it a trailblazer for television cinematography. The show was made by Desilu Studios, which was owned by Arnaz and Ball. Given the massive impact the show had on the television landscape, it’s hard to believe that CBS executives were initially unsure about the program because they were concerned audiences wouldn’t respond well to a Cuban American leading man.

Related: ‘Lucy and Desi’ Review: Amy Poehler’s Doc Shows the Genius and Love Behind the TV Greats | Sundance 2022

So Where Can You Watch I Love Lucy?

If we’ve convinced you that you’ve been missing out on an amazing piece of television history, don’t worry because there are multiple places to watch I Love Lucy . All 6 seasons are streaming on Hulu. Amazon Prime has The Best of I Love Lucy , a collection of some of the best episodes of the series. Paramount+ also has several seasons available for subscribers to stream. Just because you can binge-watch I Love Lucy, doesn’t mean you have to. It, like so many older shows, often works best when you just watch an episode or two at a time.

Who Were the Cast and Crew of I Love Lucy?

In addition to Lucille Ball as Lucy and Desi Arnaz as Ricky, I Love Lucy also features Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz and William Frawley ( Miracle on 34th Street ) as her husband Fred Mertz. Behind the scenes, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz produced the show and the pioneering cinematography was thanks to the Oscar-winning cinematographer Karl Freund . The writing staff included pros like Bob Carroll Jr ., Madelyn Pugh Davis , and Jess Oppenheimer .

Related: Nicole Kidman Says She Had Second Thoughts About Playing Lucille Ball in 'Being the Ricardos'

More Shows and Movies Like I Love Lucy You Can Watch Now

Being the Ricardos : Being the Ricardos is a 2021 movie focusing on a week of shooting I Love Lucy and the drama that happens behind the scenes, both personally and professionally as Lucy is branded a Communist by a newspaper just as Lucy and Desi need to do a live filming of the show. Lucille Ball is played by Nicole Kidman ( Big Little Lies ) and Javier Bardem ( No Country for Old Men ) plays Desi Arnaz. William Frawley is played by J.K. Simmons and Vivian Vance is played by Nina Arianda . The film, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin , is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

Lucy and Desi : This one is a documentary directed by Amy Poehler , focusing on the lives of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It uses a combination of audio archives, older interviews of the couple, and more recent interviews with family, friends, and fans to paint a nuanced picture of the complex lives and far-reaching influence of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Lucy and Desi was shown at Sundance and will be coming to Amazon on March 4th.

The Dick Van Dyke Show : If watching I Love Lucy puts you in the mood for more feel-good family sitcoms then be sure to watch The Dick Van Dyke Show . This 1961 CBS sitcom stars Dick Van Dyke ( Diagnosis Murder ) as Rob Petrie, a father, husband, and comedy writer. Mary Tyler Moore (T he Mary Tyler Moore Show ) plays his wife, Laura. The classic sitcom plots and wacky misunderstandings are pulled off flawlessly by this talented cast. There’s another connection between I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Dick Van Dyke Show was shot at Desilu Studios. The Dick Van Dyke Show is streaming on Peacock and some seasons are available on Amazon Prime.

WandaVision : While a recent series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may seem like a strange recommendation for someone who loves I Love Luc y, WandaVision isn’t just any series. It’s simultaneously an homage to classic sitcoms and a touching exploration of grief . A full understanding of the MCU isn’t necessary to appreciate this Disney+ series that sees the Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen , and Vision ( Paul Bettany ), an android made of Vibranium, playing house in the suburbs.

Frasier : A 90s classic, Frasier focuses on the home and work life of Frasier Crane played by Kelsey Grammer. Frasier is a psychiatrist with his own radio program which leads to jealousy between him and his brother Niles ( David Hyde Pierce ) who works in private practice. Both brothers struggle to understand their gruff father Martin ( John Mahoney ) and he is often equally bewildered by them. The show uses a combination of farce, situation comedy, and wordplay to create a consistently clever and often touching viewing experience. Frasier is streaming on Peacock and Hulu.

Modern Family : Throughout its 11-season run from 2009 to 2020, Modern Family managed to be the rare modern sitcom that captured the feel-good charm of shows like I Love Lucy . The show focuses on a large extended family and uses a mockumentary-style format to create much of the comedy. The combination of slapstick, dry humor, and genuine warmth gives this show a winning combination. Modern Family is streaming Peacock and Hulu.

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I love lucy, common sense media reviewers.

Classic clowning from comic genius; for all ages.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

While the show wasn't out to teach any overtly pos

Lucy can be insecure and whiny, but she can also b

Slapstick stuff -- poking behinds, bonking heads,

None. They couldn't even say the word "pregnant."

Early episodes were sponsored by a tobacco company

Smoking in some rarely seen episodes. Some drinkin

Parents need to know that I Love Lucy is a still-hilarious (and ubiquitous) 1950s comedy classic that is entirely tame by contemporary standards, though some episodes do show the characters smoking or drinking. In one famous episode, Lucy gets more and more drunk as she films a commercial for Vegameatavitamin…

Positive Messages

While the show wasn't out to teach any overtly positive messages, it has a warm nature and generally upbeat portrayal of friendship and marriage. That said, it's a product of its time, and there's definitely some material that wouldn't be considered PC today.

Positive Role Models

Lucy can be insecure and whiny, but she can also be creative and resourceful. Not surprisingly for the show's vintage, there's some stereotyping (based both on gender and race). But the Ricardos' mixed-race marriage was groundbreaking for 1950s TV.

Violence & Scariness

Slapstick stuff -- poking behinds, bonking heads, etc.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

None. They couldn't even say the word "pregnant." Lucy does vamp it up and use her "wiles" on Ricky from time to time, but it's all totally innocent.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Early episodes were sponsored by a tobacco company, but references to this are no longer shown.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Smoking in some rarely seen episodes. Some drinking for comic effect or in the background. Lucy gets quite tipsy in the memorable Vegameatavitamin episode.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that I Love Lucy is a still-hilarious (and ubiquitous) 1950s comedy classic that is entirely tame by contemporary standards, though some episodes do show the characters smoking or drinking. In one famous episode, Lucy gets more and more drunk as she films a commercial for Vegameatavitamin, showing alcohol consumption in a funny light. Also, old-fashioned family stereotypes (like the clueless housewife and the patronizing husband) form the basis of the show's narrative structure, and some racial stereotyping occurs, with Ricky's Cuban accent often becoming the butt of jokes.

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (14)
• Kids say (44)

Based on 14 parent reviews

I love Lucy... I realy do!:)

I was on i love lucy, what's the story.

As Lucy Ricardo in I LOVE LUCY, Lucille Ball charms audiences with her clownish pranks and vaudevillian charades, She stars alongside her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, who plays Lucy's husband, Cuban bandleader Ricky Ricardo. In a running theme of the series, Lucy tries all manner of disguises and tricks to gain a part in Ricky's nightclub show. William Frawley and Vivian Vance co-star as their neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz, who are often recruited into Lucy's many schemes. In one classic episode, Lucy and Ethel get jobs on the assembly line at a candy factory. But as the conveyor belt moves faster and faster, the duo can't keep up. So Lucy pops passing candies into her mouth as fast as she can -- and hilarity ensues.

Is It Any Good?

Despite its dated references and old-fashioned family dynamics, this show remains hilariously entertaining. Lucille Ball was one of the greatest comic actors of all time and so her physical comedy is timeless. Her antics in this pioneering show have made I Love Lucy one of the top sitcoms in TV history. If younger viewers can get past the black-and-white presentation, even the littlest kids will enjoy her goofy faces and silly mishaps.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the difference between families in the 1950s and today. What do kids notice was different in the '50s, as demonstrated by I Love Lucy ?

How have things changed for the better (or the worse)? Specifically, how have the roles of women and minorities changed? What changes have parents been most affected by?

What makes Lucille Ball so funny?

How do the characters on I Love Lucy demonstrate self-control ? Why is this an important character strength ?

• Premiere date : October 15, 1951
• Cast : Desi Arnaz , Lucille Ball , Vivian Vance
• Networks : Syndicated , TV Land
• Genre : Comedy
• Topics : Friendship
• Character Strengths : Self-control
• TV rating : TV-G
• Last updated : October 25, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors.

Now streaming on:

Imagine a stranger-in-a-strange-land revenge thriller about a wide-eyed Anglo bombshell ( Scarlett Johansson ) who gets kidnapped and abused in Taiwan by nasty, sweaty, shouting Korean gangsters and then escapes to seek justice. Then imagine this same movie starring, say, a lightning fast kick boxer who can knock a dozen opponents' teeth out before they can raise a single fist. Now imagine this same movie injected with a dose of apocalyptic science fiction, with the woman gaining strange powers as the story unfolds. Then envision midnight-movie touches mixed into the filmmaking: flash cuts of predators and prey enhancing otherwise typical scenes of plans being hatched; monologues about brain capacity and the true meaning of time coupled with psychedelic visions and wormholes and explanatory objects materializing from thin air. 

That's Luc Besson's "Lucy," a thriller about an American woman who gets kidnapped into service as a drug mule bearing an experimental synthetic hormone, accidentally absorbs some of it, then sheds her physical, intellectual and perceptual limitations. I could describe five or six other kinds of movies that in some way also echo "Lucy." Sections may remind you of the original " The Matrix " and the last hour of "Akira," and the final ten minutes play like a Greatest Hits of science-fiction "trip" movies. You've seen a lot of the individual situations and filmmaking techniques in "Lucy" as well. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to identify one idea, scene or element in the picture that is not a cliche.  

But the total package feels fresh. From the minute that Johansson's title character suffers a beating in captivity that ruptures the drugs in her stomach and releases them into her bloodstream (a Yankee nightmare), the film enters a realm of continual delight, though not always surprise. There's no point naming any of the other major characters, as there really are no other characters, only types: the arrogant fat-cat drug dealer ( Choi Min-Sik ) who thinks he can control the short blond drug mule and learns the hard way that he can't; the brilliant, deep-voiced scientist ( Morgan Freeman , who else?) whose theoretical studies of the human brain's untapped potential make him an information source and then finally a kind of partner-savior to Lucy; the handsome nice-guy Parisian cop ( Amr Waked ) who assists Lucy during her climactic mission to acquire more of the experimental hormone to ingest and become whatever it is that she's becoming: a 1950s sci-fi monster, probably—the kind that cannot be killed because everything you shoot at it makes it stronger and hungrier.

Lucy is little more than a type herself—a representative of humanity in its un-mutated, non-super state. Johannson's mid-career transformation from husky-voiced ingenue to intensely physical matinee idol is one of the more fascinating arcs in American cinema. It's only her control over her body, voice and eyes—and maybe our awareness that her performances in this movie, " Her " and " Under the Skin " are all of a piece; Lucy even uses the phrase "under the skin" at one point!—that stops "Lucy" from being tiresome. Her work keeps us from realizing that Besson's script has botched the chance to tell a deeper story, one that's not just bombastically exciting and superficially clever, but quietly tragic.

"Lucy" starts with shots of the prehistoric ape-woman Lucy and periodically returns to her throughout the story, not-too-subtly comparing the heroine's transformation to that of the species itself ("from evolution to revolution," to quote one of the script's more pungent phrases). And yet there are only two moments that make us really understand and empathize with Lucy as something other than a cipher who represents the un-evolved human. One is an early scene of her being terrorized and abused by Taiwanese drug thugs: Lucy's abject helplessness here is hard to watch. The other occurs deeper in the story when Lucy realizes she's about to embark on a terrifying and probably one-way transformative journey and phones her mom. The scene is shot mostly in tight closeup. The dialogue has a goofy Proustian boldness: "I remember the taste of your milk in my mouth ... I want to thank you for a thousand kisses that I can feel on my face." 

That scene is so brazenly powerful that in retrospect it made me wish the main character had gone on a journey with more emotional gradations. Heck, I'd have settled for more than the two that Besson deigns to give us: "Oh, my God, these guys want to kill me" and "I am God, watch me kill these guys." When the hormones enter Lucy's bloodstream it's as if a switch has been flipped. The heroine starts speaking in monotone and tilting her head at looming men like a quizzical bird regarding a worm that it's about to devour. She's woman-as-Terminator. The Terminator is a great movie monster, but there's a reason why it's a supporting character in the films that bear its name.

Like many films by Besson—" The Professional ," " The Fifth Element ," " The Messenger " and other high-octane shoot-'em-ups—"Lucy" starts out riveting but becomes less engaging as it goes along. It keeps introducing potentially rich narrative veins and then failing to tap them. It too often falls back on gunplay and gore just when you think it might finally delve into the notions that it keeps serving up with such fanfare (the falseness of the idea of uniqueness; the self-defeating nature of a species "more concerned with having than being"; time as "the one true unit of measure").  

Nevertheless: "Lucy" is a fun, confident work. It's fast and tight and playful even when it's sadistic and violent, which is often. It lasts about 90 minutes and change but feels longer in a good way, because every second is packed tight. It's full of itself, yet it still keeps winking at you. It wants to be taken seriously, but not so seriously that you don't laugh at (and with) the sight of Lucy strolling into a gunfight wearing nosebleed heels, or making enemies writhe like marionettes on invisible strings. The movie is alive. It pops. 

Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

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Lucy (2014)

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, and sexuality

Scarlett Johansson as Lucy

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[Blu-Ray Review] ‘I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2’: Now Available On Blu-Ray From CBS & Paramount

Cast: Lucille Ball , Desi Arnaz

Release Date: Now Available On Blu-ray

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 10/10

Plot Summary:

A daffy woman constantly strives to become a star along with her bandleader husband and gets herself in the strangest situations.

After last year marking the debut Blu-Ray release for the beloved classic series ‘I Love Lucy’ with the ‘Ultimate Season 1’ Blu-Ray release, fans can now rejoice that the impressive debut season release in high definition will no longer be sitting alone on the shelf as CBS & Paramount Home Entertainment now bring us the Blu-Ray release of ‘I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2’ which once again brings this iconic series home in an impressive 5-disc BD set in beautiful high definition, looking and sounding far superior than these episodes ever have before.

Fans of the series and Lucille Ball’s work in general will without question want to be certain to pick up a copy of the ‘I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2’ Blu-Ray release to add to their collections. This jam-packed collection once again brings every episode from the season home with gorgeous high definition video and audio presentations and with two versions of each episode included: with the traditional heart-on-satin openings and closings, as well as once again providing every episode as they were originally broadcast with the animated stick-figure openings and closings in addition to the originally broadcast advertisements. The Ultimate Season 2 Blu-Ray release also includes an impressive collection of bonus content, including ‘I Love Lucy: The Movie’ in high definition, plus a great deal more (more detailed information regarding the bonus content can be found in the special features section of the technical specification coverage below) making this an absolute must own for fans.

The Blu-Ray release of ‘I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation on all of the second seasons episodes (for both the regular and original broadcast editions) utilizing the original 4×3 Full Frame Aspect Ratio in which the series was originally broadcast. The video presentations for both versions of the episodes look outstanding, especially when considering the age of the sources and the quality of the film and storage available at that time. As should be expected, there are naturally some pops along with grain and some other minor imperfections, but nothing that should in any way negatively affect the viewing experience. Overall, these high definition video presentations are sharp, detailed and gorgeous; they should easily please the hardcore fans of the series.

The Blu-Ray release includes a lossless Linear PCM 2.0 dual mono soundtrack on all 31 season two episodes (again on both the regular and original broadcast editions). These lossless soundtracks sound wonderful for the age and recording methods surely used in production. All of the activity is perfectly balanced within the mono soundtrack, never causing any auditory elements or music to conflict with any dialogue occurring simultaneously and delivering a clean and sharp audio presentation on both versions of every episode. Overall, these lossless Linear PCM dual mono soundtracks are truly impressive for what they are and shouldn’t disappoint in the slightest.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-Ray release of ‘I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2’ once again includes a remarkable collection of supplemental material. Included on the release is ‘I Love Lucy: The Movie’ in beautiful high definition, in addition to ‘Lucy on the Radio’ which consists of Audio Only recordings (naturally) for numerous episodes in Lucy’s radio series ‘My Favorite Husband’. We are also treated to multiple versions of the infamous ‘Job Switching’ episode including the standard version, original broadcast version, colorized version, French Canadian version and the original broadcast version with an Audio Commentary recorded in 1991. Also included are a clip from both ‘The Red Skeleton Show’ and the ‘Stars in our Eyes’ special, along with a ‘Missing Scene’ from ‘The Operetta’ not originally broadcast with the episode as a result of time constraints. On top of all those goodies the release also features ‘Season 2 Flashback Sequences’, numerous ‘Flubs’, ‘Guest Star Profiles’, ‘Production Notes’, ‘Photo Galleries’, ‘Behind the Scenes (Audio Book Featurettes)’, a ‘Welcome Little Ricky’ Promo, ‘Meet Richard & Ronald Lee Simmons’, Heart Fund PSA’, plus a rare 1952 Promo which aired during another series, promoting the upcoming second season of ‘I Love Lucy’ and even more!

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

‘i love lucy: ultimate season 2’ is now available to own on blu-ray from cbs home entertainment & paramount home entertainment., purchase your copy of the ‘ultimate season 2’ blu-ray on amazon (while also supporting our site) by clicking on the amazon cart icon immediately below.

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3 thoughts on “ [Blu-Ray Review] ‘I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2’: Now Available On Blu-Ray From CBS & Paramount ”

I like your review style, Kevin. Very authentic :). Would love to feature your reviews in our weekly curated email digest that goes out to thousands of people.

Why thank you Becky, I greatly appreciate that. :) And that’s very kind of you.

No prob! If you let me know your email we’ll send you the details. Thanks :)

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I Love Lucy: Season 1 Reviews

There wasn't anything subtle about it, but there didn't have to be, and the laughs came thick and fast. Casting was nigh onto perfect, and while the show won't win any prizes for advancing the art of television, it's bound to make a hit with viewers.

Full Review | Nov 16, 2021

It was one of the best examples of what can be done on film with the proper lighting, camera crews, stars and story.

Their antics are about as delicate as the kick of a Missouri mule and they dig deep into the old hokum bucket for their material. Yet; all in all, Lucille and Desi do manage to win laughs.

If the story line wasn't exactly inspiring, nonetheless it had flexibility that permitted for a full blown explosion of Miss Bail's comedic talents.

Full Review | Oct 2, 2019

Miss Ball is a funny young woman, all right, but you couldn't prove it by her new television show.

Full Review | Jul 31, 2019

These episodes are all quite funny, and Gale Gordon shows up in two of them as Ricky's boss.

Full Review | Jun 29, 2018

Watching ''I Love Lucy'' today, you realize how complex Lucy Ricardo really was. And this complexity is what makes the show so enduringly hilarious, so relevant.

Full Review | Jun 1, 2018

I Love Lucy is more than just a really, really, funny show - it's an enduring piece of television history.

Full Review | Original Score: 10/10 | Jun 1, 2018

Every once in a rare great while, a new TV show comes along that fulfills, in its own particular niche, every promise of the often harassed new medium. Such a show, it is a genuine pleasure to report, is I Love Lucy.

Full Review | May 30, 2018

Lucy reminds viewers that it's possible for women to be hilarious when playing something other than a nag or killjoy.

Lucille Ball was one of the greatest comic actors of all time and so her physical comedy is timeless.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 31, 2018

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I Love Lucy: The Complete Series

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Paramount provides premium content to audiences across worldwide. We connect with billions of people. Our studios create content for all audiences, across every genre and format, while our networks and brands forge deep connections with the world’s one of the most diverse audiences. In streaming, our differentiated strategy is scaling rapidly across free, broad pay, and premium.

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Product Description

In 1951, film actress Lucille Ball and her musician husband Desi Arnaz spent $5,000 to produce a TV sitcom pilot about a Cuban-born bandleader named Ricky Ricardo, his zany, starstruck wife Lucy, and their madcap life in a Manhattan apartment. The result was the decade's biggest show and a landmark in TV history that ran until 1957. William Frawley and Vivian Vance co-star as the Ricardos' best friends and neighbors, Fred and Ethel Mertz. Includes seasons one through six of "I Love Lucy" and the three-season run of "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. " 193 episodes on 33 discs. 90 hrs. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: Spanish; bonus footage.

Product details

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 1.06 Pounds
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, NTSC
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 21, 2020
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Vivian Vance, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B089CQ6N8K
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 33
• #51 in Comedy (Movies & TV)

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i love lucy (1951)

I love lucy.

Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, who also happen to be heir best friends.

Why I Love Lucy Ended Abruptly Without a Proper Finale

The last episode of I Love Lucy ended without honoring the show's legacy; here is what happened behind the scenes to cause the abrupt end.

15 Great Comic Book Series Based on TV Shows

From classic sitcoms like I Love Lucy to modern sci-fi favorites like Stranger Things, these 15 comic book series have graced fans with new stories.

The All-Time Best I Love Lucy Episodes, Ranked

This legendary sitcom starring Lucille Ball produced several great episodes. These are the very best of them.

Prime Video Drops Lucy and Desi Trailer

New documentary explores the real relationship behind the iconic sitcom I Love Lucy.

Being the Ricardos Star Javier Bardem Speaks Out About Casting Criticisms

The casting of Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos has been widely criticized. Bardem sees it as a broader conversation to be had.

Being the Ricardos Review: Nicole Kidman & Javier Bardem Stun in Aaron Sorkin's I Love Lucy Drama

Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) fight communism allegations in Being the Ricardos.

Being the Ricardos Poster Shares the Love Between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

As the film nears, we'll take a deep dive into the couple's marriage and careers on the brink of collapse.

Being the Ricardos Full Trailer Asks: Is Lucille Ball a Threat to the American Way of Life?

We are introduced to the Ricardos and the Mertz's in the extended look at the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz biopic.

Being the Ricardos Trailer Divides the Internet as Debra Messing Fans Cry Foul

Fans of Debra Messing aren't quite sure how to feel about the Being the Ricardos trailer with Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball.

Being the Ricardos Trailer Arrives, I Love Lucy Biopic Stars Nicole Kidman & Javier Bardem

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem play our I Love Lucy couple on the brink of losing everything.

Being the Ricardos Is 'Friggin' Amazing' According to Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz's Daughter

Actress and daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz has the highest praise for Aaron Sorkin, Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem.

Nicole Kidman Opens Up on Playing Lucille Ball: I'm Way Out of My Comfort Zone

Nicole Kidman says she's had to devote an 'enormous amount of time' learning how to speak and act like I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball for the biopic Being the Ricardos.

I Love Lucy Biopic First Look Reveals Nicole Kidman & Javier Bardem as Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz

Images taken from the set of Aaron Sorkin's Being the Ricardos show Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

I Love Lucy Movie Being the Ricardos Begins Production with Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as real-life couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Aaron Sorkin's I Love Lucy biopic Being the Ricardos.

J.K. Simmons Is Fred Mertz Actor William Frawley in the I Love Lucy Biopic

Oz and Whiplash star J.K. Simmons has been tapped to play William Frawley in Aaron Sorkin's Amazon movie Being the Ricardos.

Nicole Kidman Offers First Thoughts on Playing Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos

There has been a pretty big backlash amongst I Love Lucy fans with the casting of Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball.

Nicole Kidman's Lucille Ball Casting Is a Done Deal Assures Daughter Lucie Arnaz

Lucie Arnaz says 'the voting is over' for casting Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos but assures fans 'won't be disappointed' in Nicole Kidman.

Debra Messing Says She's Available to Play Lucille Ball in the I Love Lucy Biopic

I Love Lucy fans were not happy to learn that Nicole Kidman is playing Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos and want Debra Messing to take over.

Fans React to Nicole Kidman Casting in I Love Lucy Biopic, They Want Debra Messing Instead

Fans on Twitter have some things to say about Nicole Kidman being cast as Lucille Ball in the I love Lucy biopic, Being the Ricardos.

Being the Ricardos Gets Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball and Javier Bardem as Desi Arnaz

Aaron Sokrin is set to write and direct Being the Ricardos, about the lives of Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz and their iconic TV series, I Love Lucy.

• Scarlett Johansson

IMDbPro Starmeter Top 500 80

• Contact info
• 71 wins & 234 nominations total

Scarlett Johansson Through the Years

Photos 1675

• Samantha (voice)

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• Black Widow

• Kelly Jones
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• executive producer, producer
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Personal details

• Scarlett Johanssen
• 5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
• November 22 , 1984
• Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
• Spouses Colin Jost October 2020 - present (1 child)
• Children Rose Dauriac
• Parents Melanie Sloan
• Relatives Vanessa Johansson (Sibling)
• Other works Her professional acting debut was alongside Ethan Hawke in "Sophistry", an off Broadway play
• 10 Interviews
• 59 Articles
• 28 Pictorials
• 688 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia She was cast as Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 (2010) after Emily Blunt dropped out due to other commitments.
• Quotes I'm so tired of hearing casting directors ask if I have a sore throat. The people who have told me that my voice is distinctive, it's unusual... those people have always been close to my heart.
• Trademarks Often plays characters who look and act older than their age
• Salaries Black Widow ( 2021 ) $20,000,000 +back end
• How old is Scarlett Johansson?
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