Vincente Minnelli takes on Lucy & Desi with "The Long, Long Trailer"

Many thanks to Michaela and the Love Letters to Old Hollywood blog for giving us the opportunity to write a little about the charming 1953 comedy The Long, Long Trailer as a part of the Vincente Minnelli Blogathon taking place this weekend.  Be sure to visit her site and all the other terrific entries in this event!

For a TV blog like The Flaming Nose, writing about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz is second nature.  Especially for somebody who's a Baby Boomer, the ubiquitous presence of I Love Lucy on the TV set for the past 60 years is a given.  We grew up with Lucy and Ricky Ricardo and certainly spent our childhoods -- at least I did -- watching each episode countless times and never tiring of a single one.  

To place The Long, Long Trailer in its proper time-frame, the series I Love Lucy started on network TV in the fall of 1951.  That same year writer Clinton Twiss published a novel called The Long, Long Trailer about the comic misadventures of a couple who buy a huge travel trailer. (You can read the novel here.)  Three years after Lucy's debut, MGM -- the studio where both Ball and Arnaz starred and co-starred in many films years before their TV super success -- tapped acclaimed director Vincente Minnelli to helm the lavish Technicolor comedy.  

Minnelli, skilled in directing all genres, had the genius and nuance necessary to translate the enormous TV appeal of Lucy and Desi to the big screen, and without losing the sense that you were still watching the Ricardos even though in The Long, Long Trailer their names are Tacy and Nicky.  Viewers who had fallen in love with Lucy's antics in I Love Lucy wouldn't be disappointed with this super-sized version of their favorite and seeing the Lucy/Ricky duo in glorious Technicolor was a big plus.  

Really, The Long, Long Trailer is all about watching Lucy and Desi go through their well-known and loved paces.  Nicky is not far from Ricky as he is overwhelmed by Tacy's enthusiasm at the idea of trailer life even as he's intimidated by the sheer enormity of the beast he's about to have tethered to the back of their car.  There's a recurring comic riff about the intricate process necessary to brake the trailer to a stop, as well as the to-be-expected and hilarious problems parking and merely driving the 40-foot monstrosity over the picturesque scenery in the movie.  

There is considerable comedy in these sequences but also some genuine tension that goes along with it. It's not only plenty difficult maneuvering that huge trailer but also not so easy getting along with a brand-new spouse in extremely close quarters.  In that sense this is much more than I Love Lucy writ large, it's a fully-developed storyline that fleshes out the characters and takes them through some heartache as well. (In terms of funny, watch for great Desi vs. the shower scene, Lucy cooking, falling in mud -- all the classic stuff!)

One of the genuine pleasures in The Long, Long Trailer is the snazzy mid-century American style seen to great advantage in the lovely color photography.  Truly scrumptious! Also delightful is the cadre of character actors who are seen throughout the film, including Marjorie Main, Keenan Wynn, Madge Blake, Herb Vigran and many more.  This is a real time machine of visual delights.  

And it's absolutely watchable, especially so for fans of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz but also just as an example of a full-blown Hollywood Grade A comedy, and that's a special commodity.  Even sans the I Love Lucy studio audience laughter (which you might miss a little during the slapstick moments), The Long, Long Trailer clearly delivers all the inherent humor.  The presence of Vincente Minnelli made the movie more than it would have been under a lesser director -- more well-rounded, more human, more touching.  

You can watch The Long, Long Trailer here online.  

Thanks again to Love Letters to Old Hollywood for bringing the Vincente Minnelli Blogathon to life!  

And for a hilarious parody of the sequence in the film when Lucy and Desi sing "Breezin' Along with the Breeze" you are guaranteed to enjoy this from the Punchy Players:

Remembering Joan Rivers: Joan and Lucy

It takes a great comedienne to know one, as we see here from the great camaraderie between Joan Rivers and Lucille Ball, circa 1984, on these two appearances on The Tonight Show:






In 1973 Joan Rivers made a guest appearance on an episode of Here's Lucy playing Lucy's fellow juror:

More Great Lucy Moments from The Queen of Comedy!

We've had a lot of clips here lately, and considering how many episodes of TV Lucy starred in -- well over 500! -- we haven't even come close to sampling her great comedy output.  Let's try some more, shall we, as we watch another selection of timeless Lucy moments!

How about one of The Flaming Nose correspondent Jane's favorite sequences, from I Love Lucy episode "Be a Pal" where Lucy (as Carmen Miranda) tries to make Cuban Ricky a little less homesick:



From the episode "The Ballet" comes this terrific sequence where Lucy tries to learn ballet, under the stern tutelage of guest actress Mary Wickes as Madame Le Mond:



Also from "The Ballet" comes Lucy and comic Frank Scannell doing the classic vaudeville routine "Slowly I Turned":



This is one of my favorite I Love Lucy sequences -- from 'Ricky Thinks He's Going Bald"!



From the I Love Lucy episode "The Million Dollar Idea" -- Lucy and Ethel's salad dressing needs to be un-sold via a TV commercial:



This next clip is always included in Lucy's top moments ever -- from "Lucy Does a TV Commercial"!



The famous grape-stomping scene from "Lucy's Italian Movie"!




And now from "Job Switching" comes one of the top scenes ever, with the great character actress Elvia Allman as Lucy and Ethel's boss at the candy factory:



We hope everybody has been inspired to watch more Lucille Ball after this exciting 100th Birthday Anniversary Weekend.  The media coverage of Lucy the past week has been phenomenal everywhere, and it's proof that she reigns supreme as the Queen of Comedy, even after all these years.  Any female comedy actress coming along since I Love Lucy is always measured against the standard of hilarity established by Lucille Ball, and that's a fair test. 

Many talented and funny women have stepped up to the plate during the past decades -- Joan Davis, Irene Ryan, Tina Fey, Cindy Williams, Amy Poehler, Penny Marshall, Shelly Long, Debra Messing, Bea Arthur, Mary Tyler Moore, Betty White, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Roseanne Barr, Brett Butler, Jenna Elfman, Lisa Kudrow, and so many more -- but nobody has topped Lucy. 

Long Live the Queen!  Long Live Lucy!

Lucy's Memorable Musical Moments!

How about a collection of entertaining musical sequences from Lucy's TV shows?  There were lots of them, from sentimental to supremely silly, so let's we'll spotlight a few here!

I Love Lucy episode 'The Operetta": Lucy is dressed up as a gypsy hag and sings a tambourine-accented "Queen of the Gypsies"!



I Love Lucy "Lucy Meets Bob Hope":  Lucy, Ricky and Bob Hope sing the baseball lament "Nobody Loves the Ump" and a version of "Thanks for the Memories"




I Love Lucy "Lucy's Last Birthday":  Lucy thinks that everybody has forgotten her birthday, and this gives us two good songs, the march "Friends of the Friendless" and then Ricky singing the "I Love Lucy" theme song to her. 





I Love Lucy "Lucy Goes to Scotland":  Now don't go crazy, but this scene is in color, colorized several years ago, but going from set photos which allowed accurate colors.  It looks pretty good, and we've got Ricky singing "I'm in Love with the Dragon's Dinner" from Lucy's dream musical.



I Love Lucy "The Diet":  Lucy loses a few pounds in order to get into Ricky's nightclub act, and they sing "Cuban Pete" together!



I Love Lucy "Ethel's Home Town":  We've posted this on The Flaming Nose before, and we still love it!  Ethel gives a concert and it's sabotaged by Lucy, Ricky and Fred in a most hilarious manner! 




I Love Lucy "Lucy is Enciente":  At the Tropicana, Lucy finally breaks the news that she is expecting, and Ricky sings the Eddie Cantor favorite "We're Having a Baby" to her.  This is the whole sequence and is considered one of the top scenes in the entire series.  Still utterly charming and sweet.



I Love Lucy "Sales Resistance":  Ricky writes a song for Lucy and his new son -- "There's a Brand New Baby at Our House"



I Love Lucy "Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress":  Here are Lucy and Ethel rehearsing Cole Porter's "Friendship" for a TV appearance.  In the finale of the show, the ladies tear up each other's new gowns, but I couldn't find a clip of that, unfortunately, but this one is plenty cute!



The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour "Lucy Goes to Alaska".  Lucy meets up with Red Skelton to do a hobo routine together, and they sing "Poor Us". 



I Love Lucy "Lucy Does the Tango":  With eggs in her shirt, that's how she does it, all right!  The end of this bit got the biggest studio audience in the history of I Love Lucy, btw.



I Love Lucy "Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song":  Pregnant Lucy wants to join in Ricky, Ethel and Fred's Barbershop Quartet!



I Love Lucy "Breaking the Lease":  Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel sing "Sweet Sue" with Ethel playing the piano.



I Love Lucy "California, Here We Come!":  On their way to California, the whole gang joins in!




Happy 100th Birthday, Lucy!

LIFE Magazine and Lucille Ball!

LIFE Magazine has several great Lucy photo collections, and you'll want to take a look at them!

Lucy's Many and Surprising Faces

Lucille Ball Unpublished Photos -- brand new collection!

"I Love Lucy" Life on the Set

Happy 100th Birthday, Dear Lucy!

Had she not left us on April 26th, 1989...Ms. Lucille Ball would have turned 100 years old tomorrow on August 6th. Such a milestone must be honored by The Flaming Nose, for she is our muse...and we love her so much. She is considered one of America's foremost comedians, as well as (to this day) one of the most popular television stars of all time. So much has been written about the great Ms. Ball, that it makes little sense to recap it again here. If you want to catch up on the nuts and bolts of Lucy's bio, a good place to start is on the Wikipedia page. Or you could re-visit a Lucy birthday post that I wrote in 2009, which has some interesting tidbits about her career.

This time I'm going to focus on some of my favorite episodes and post a few great clips from treasured Lucy TV interviews. So without further ado...

Jane's Top Five Favorite I Love Lucy Episodes:

#1: Lucy in Hollywood-The William Holden Episode. This is the moment that inspired The Flaming Nose. Lucy accidentally spills a bowl of spaghetti on William Holden at the Brown Derby. Trying to disguise herself later at home when Ricky brings the star for a visit, she dons a long putty nose and some pointy glasses. The nose catches fire (scripted) and Lucy puts out the flame in her coffee cup (genius Lucille improv). Thus we have, in my humble opinion, the greatest spontaneous funny TV moment of all time. Apparently I am not alone in this belief, as you can see if you check out the YouTube video below and the many adoring comments.#2: Lucy is Enceinte-Lucy is Pregnant. Lucy is going to have a baby but she can't find the right time to tell Ricky! Made all the more poignant by the fact that the actress and Desi Arnez really were going to have a baby at the time. Incredibly moving (I actually cry every time I watch) I blubbered through it dozens of times on VHS when I was going to have my own baby. Actual baby (the Tomster) grew up watching and loving Lucy too. I feel I have done my duty by creating another happy Lucy fan for the planet Earth.
#3: Lucy and Ethyl are Aliens. They dress up for a special advertising job and scare tourists on top of the Empire State Building. Funniest line, "It's a Moo Moo!", uttered in a nasal Martian accent.
#4: Lucy, Ricky, Ethyl and Fred head to Hollywood. ROAD TRIP!!! Need I say more.
#5: Lucy in Paris: She tries to eat snails and puts the shell cracker on her nose. All of the Paris episodes are superb, from the burlap bag haute couture fashion mishap to the police station scene where a confused chain of non-English speaking money changing victims try to "splain" themselves.

Favorite real-life truth about Lucy as a person: She was by all accounts an excellent mom. You won't be reading any Mommy Dearest expose's about our precious star. She was a great mother, just like my own mother, who counted Lucille Ball as her favorite TV actress through out her whole life. Collins Family Trivia: We used to accuse my mother (actually, compliment is a more accurate description) of being just like Lucy. For one thing, Alice Johnson Collins sounded a great deal like Lucille Ball. Their accents were virtually identical. This is most likely because they both grew up in upstate New York near the the Great Lakes....Lucy near Buffalo in Jamestown, and Alice in Rochester. Also, they were born just a few days apart in August, although Lucy was 15 years older than my mom. Two funny Leos from upstate NY!

And Now...for some great Lucy TV Moments:

Lucy talks to Joan Rivers on the Tonight Show in 1985: She talks about her made for TV movie "Stone Pillow"

Lucy's Last Big Appearance with Bob Hope on the Oscars in 1989: Observe the amazing standing O the audience gave them. They are utterly charming together. This was one of the greatest moments in Academy Award history. I remember watching it live, and got goose bumps from seeing such great Hollywood legends together on the stage. A few months later our Lucy would be gone. But you would never know it to watch this segment. She died with her boots on, that's for sure. Working and awesome until the end.

Lucy and the Putty Nose with William Holden: Lucy at her absolute finest. Check out the amazing Bill Holden, who looks a lot like our current Mad Men Golden Boy, Jon Hamm!

We miss you Lucy. Oh how I wish you had lived to see your 100th birthday. The world was a more darling place with you in it.

Lucy's 100th Birthday Fest: Lucy's TV Theme Songs Thru the Years!

There's nothing that sticks in the minds of TV fans like a good theme song, especially with a sitcom.  A jaunty opening theme can, in fact, essentially make a show.  It's no exaggeration to say that sitcoms like Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, and more recently Cheers had their success -- and lasting impact -- sealed through their memorable theme songs that instantly bring to mind the series. 

In her TV career spanning several decades and several different incarnations of her eponymous show, Lucille Ball had a terrific collection of theme songs, starting of course with the wonderful I Love Lucy theme written by Eliot Daniel, and heard in Wilbur Hatch's unforgettable orchestration.  We heard this at the beginning of the 181 episodes of the series -- its original run was 1951 - 1957 -- and it's never been off the air since.



Lucy and the entire ILL ensemble followed up with a thirteen episode run of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour from 1957 - 1960, with a variation of the I Love Lucy theme.  You can watch the beginning of one of the episodes to see the difference. 

Two years later Lucy returned to series TV with The Lucy Show, co-starring Vivian Vance,  TLS ran for 150 episodes from 1962 - 1968, and of course in many reruns though it wasn't as eternal a syndication staple as was I Love Lucy.  Once a station had I Love Lucy, corning the market on Lucille Ball meant another acquisition of a show with a huge amount of episodes, and most stations simply didn't need both.  Thanks to the net and DVDs, the very funny The Lucy Show is now beginning to get exposure again. 

The Lucy Show went through quite a few different opening themes, beginning with this one utilizing cartoon stick figures, much like the original network style for I Love Lucy (the heart logo came in during syndication runs). 



Season two (and beyond) of The Lucy Show was filmed in color but broadcast in black and white (color in syndication runs, though).  This is a vibrant open with wonderful Lucy images.



For some reason I really remember this third season version of The Lucy Show open, with the musical stings emphasizing certain comic moments, especially the Chaplin walk. 



This is another version of The Lucy Show in color show open, with the kaleidoscope images. You'll also enjoy seeing that iconic, glamorous and somewhat haughty Lucille Ball caricature again!


This next one is evidently a seldom-used Season 5 The Lucy Show open which uses familiar audio but a different version of the theme song.



This next one is a different version of the theme written for Season 5 (heard in the previous opening), with an animated open that Lucy evidently disliked -- including her disembodied head on a jack-in-the-box -- and so it was quickly changed out.  Definitely worth looking at, though! 



Lucy's next series was Here's Lucy, created by Lucille Ball to be produced by her new production company; she had just sold off her previous company Desilu to conglomerate Gulf & Western.  Here's Lucy premiered in the fall of 1968, with her own two children Lucie and Desi, Jr. as co-stars.  Here's Lucy would end up running for another six years, until 1974, for a total of another 143 episodes of Lucille Ball comedy! 



Here's basically the same theme but with Lucie Arnaz elevated to full 2nd billing in the last couple years of the show.



Lucy's last TV series was Life with Lucy which premiered in 1986 and unfortunately only filmed 13 episodes.  Of course the Lucy magic and talent was still there, but it was years later and maybe nobody really wanted to see Lucille Ball as a grandmother -- she had previously been basically ageless. The theme song is fairly generic and not very memorable, and the show's demise could at least have had as much to do with that as anything else.  Remember what I said about a good theme song at the beginning here....



Thanks for the memories, Lucy!

Grateful acknowledgements to YouTube users schmoe56789, kbirdusa, jgknightboyz2000, minnowtrappermd, and hepburnflicks for all the great clips!

Let's Turn Facebook into Lucy-Land for her 100th Birthday Anniversary!

Okay, I got this from my fellow Movie Morlock and Facebook friend Suzi Doll, who changed her profile picture there to Lucy yesterday in honor of her upcoming 100th on Saturday.  What a great idea!  We should ALL change our Facebook profile pics to America's -- no, probably the world's -- greatest comedienne!  Find a Lucy pic and put it up there, starting now and through the weekend!

Lucille Ball - Style Setter - In Honor of Her 100th Birthday

This is first of several special posts on The Flaming Nose celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Lucille Ball

In celebration of Lucille Ball's 100th birthday! Lucy was born on August 6, 1911, so here is a tribute to her great sense of style or should I say Lucy Ricardo's great sense of style. Happy birthday Lucy!

Joan Crawford's big shoulder pads (remember those came back in the 1980's and thank God they went the way of the big hair bands of that era - they were gone relatively quickly), Katherine Hepburn's slack suits (long before women wore slack suits, - well Marlene Dietrich wore them), Audrey Hepburn's little black dress (well, Audrey in general), Jane Fonda's "Klute" shag cut (my sister had the shag cut like millions of others), Diane Keaton's "Annie Hall" men's baggy look. All of these women were style setters of the cinema.

We often overlook the style setters of television. Farrah and Jen's hair certainly had their fair share of publicity and magazine covers. Mary Tyler Moore's Mary Richards character was certainly a style setter. I went into the media business for one reason and one reason only - I wanted to be Mary Richards. I wanted to work in the media (check), I wanted to drive a Mustang (owned two of the them, so check), grew to love hats (I still wear them - I own about 20 hats); and of course have a great friend like Rhoda (check - I have several wonderful friends). The one woman who clearly never gets her due re: style is Lucy Ricardo. Lucy was the first and certainly most prominent style setter in the history of television. I'll splain!

Lucille Ball has been credited with many things. She is clearly one of the most iconic names and faces of the twentieth century. She remains to this day the most significant television presence of all time. "I Love Lucy" is still seen on a daily basis literally all around the world. She was the top female executive in the entertainment industry (pretty much in any industry and pretty much the only female executive in the media at the time) long before it became the norm to find women in top positions in the industry (and no, I haven't forgotten Mary Pickford's dominance in the early days of film). She was a stunningly beautiful woman (and long and lean too) who had the best comic timing of any woman or man ever to act in front of a camera. I could keep going, but we pretty much know the range and depth of Lucille Ball's talents. Brilliant is an overused word in our society, particularly as it is used and overused in show business circles, but Lucille Ball was brilliant. Her timing was perfect. Not near perfect, but perfect. Her facial expressions are not matched by any other actress attempting comedy (Diane Keaton may be the only actress who even comes close). She had a unique ability to show unease; and of course she displayed true emotion like no other actress before or since her time. (the episode "Lucy is Enceinte" is the greatest example of this talent). Her experience awash in tears at the close of the episode is touching 59 years later. As a viewer, you feel the joy of her pregnancy!

Lucy is never credited with her style. Lucille McGillicuddy Ricardo was a style icon several years before we even ventured near the Breakfast at Tiffany's little black dress. I have been watching an endless number of Lucy episodes in recent months and I want ---- no I demand her wardrobe. Her clothes from the show can be worn today and quite frankly, I want all of them. Nothing is dated. The Lucy outfits are timeless and classic; and of course the former leggy model wears them with perfection and there isn't a red pump in that apartment. She didn't need them - she was five feet nine inches tall in flats!!! She wears the ballerina shoe and yes, those are all the rage today as well. Her style is so effortless it just walks in with her usual grace and elegance and that alone makes a statement. It is the anti-statement of style. If you try too hard it doesn't count. Lucy never tries. She just is. She is one of those women who looks better in jeans and a tee shirt than most women look in formal attire.

In the episode, "Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress" both Lucy and Ethel wear an amazingly lovely dress that I quite frankly wish I had for my prom and that's if my prom were being held this weekend. It's not, but if I were going I'd want that draped floral arrangement on my formal. Forget the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League - give it to me, so I can be the best dressed girl at the senior prom!!!! Remember the gorgeous black lace collar dress she put on during the "Fan Magazine Interview" episode. It's gorgeous and totally desirable in 2011. I have a cocktail party event coming up and I want it!!! Her open toed shoes were the perfect shoes for the dress and I know Jimmy Choo wasn't around at this time. Lucy just had a knack for selecting the right accessories. Now please don't tell me someone else picked them - it wouldn't be the point either way. She wore them and in the words of Rod Stewart she wore them well! Another find would be the 3/4 sleeve coat she dons in "Getting Ready." The white button down blouse and the fabulous hunter jacket she chooses in her hen raising experience are too much for this lover of clothes. I need the jacket for my long walks in the woods and that button down is a killer. I must have it! Theory couldn't have designed a better silhouette for a blouse. Then there are the capris she wears while golfing. The black skinnies she dons in "Lucy Tells The Truth." I could keep going! Of course, my two all time favorite Lucy outfits are the white dress with the black weaving (again, I have no idea if it was black or white) along the collar. She wore this dress in several episodes (our redhead was one smart chick) and every time I see it I think you could wear that right now. Without a doubt the Lucy outfit worn repeatedly in her series that works and works and works and no one would question why she was wearing the same outfit again (that's life - we do wear the same outfits again and again, but when you have style it always works). Did you guess the black slacks with the V-necked striped collar top. Now I really have to have that outfit! Lucille Ball was brilliant and stylish.

When I was 12 years old I wrote her a fan letter and I never received a response. I forgave her long ago. She was Lucy and she will always be the best thing that ever happened to television. Long live the redhead from Jamestown!

Frank Nelson is the best actor ever

What other actor has made such hay out of one word?


From THE JACK BENNY SHOW


Another JACK BENNY SHOW appearance....


More JACK BENNY...

He appeared on SANFORD AND SON numerous times, and was referred to on THE FLINTSTONES often, too. But he most recently appeared on THE SIMPSONS.





His name is Frank Nelson, and he's the greatest actor of all time.

Happy 100th Birthday, Vincent Price!

I'm currently composing a longer tribute to Vincent Price, one of my most treasured actors, on filmicability. I'm choosing to focus in on my favorite Vincent Price film performance, in 1973's Theater of Blood. However, in doing my research, I've been reminded of Price's warm, clever, and intelligent personality, often on display in guest shots on a variety of TV productions. So I thought I'd do a shorter twin tribute to the Price centennial by highlighting some of these appearances here on the Flaming Nose.

When I think of Vincent Price's TV appearances, one thing comes to mind: his tremendous sense of fun in spoofing his own fame as a horror movie icon. In many of his guest shots on narrative shows like The Brady Bunch, F Troop, and Love American Style, he traded upon this, but also showed he could play comedy just as well as the established pros. For instance, he has a memorable run-in with Lucille Ball on a 1970 episode of Here's Lucy, where Ball's Lucy Carter is visiting Price to have an art piece appraised, but is instead mistaken by Price as an actress auditioning for a role in a new horror film. Good stuff here!



But in earlier TV appearances, he was known less as a horror personality and more as a erudite character actor famed for largely villainous roles. In a 1953 appearance on The Jack Benny Program, he shares the screen with the master of the slow burn and also with the lovely Irene Dunne. Benny and Price find themselves as acting rivals for the lead in a production with Miss Dunne, and their interplay is extraordinarily hilarious (every time Benny stares into the camera, I can't help but lose it):



There were a lot of dramatic roles for Price on TV as well, on shows as varied as Lights Out, Climax!, Playhouse 90, Daniel Boone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Have Gun Will Travel, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. It's particularly fun to see him as a typically evil Russian THRUSH agent in an episode of The Man From UNCLE, called "The Fox and Hounds Affair." Here, Price shares the small screen with another crowning character actor, Leo G. Carroll, who played UNCLE's wisened head officer:



And, though I find the show irritating, it would just simply be wrong to ignore Vincent's bald-pated appearance as the villainous Egghead in the 1960's smash hit show Batman. If I were going to watch an episode of this show again, it'd probably one of Price's episodes, even IF the egg-related puns get eggs-cruciating.



Even games shows and variety shows were far from off-limits for Price. For instance, you can see Price's wit and facility with both music and languages here on his 1956 appearance as the mystery guest on What's My Line?



As a stunt to promote his then current 1972 film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (still one of his greatest performances, if you ask me), Price made an unlikely appearance on The Dating Game. It's bizarre, having Price act as proxy to the dating girl in questioning her three prospects. It's clear that none of the guys are equal to Vincent's inestimable sophistication, but he takes it all in stride and barrels through like the pro he was. Dare I say that the girl would have been better off going out to dinner with Vincent himself?



In 1973, Price was invited to fete his friend Bette Davis on an "Celebrity Roast"episode of The Dean Martin Comedy Hour. Here, again, we get to enjoy Vincent's charm as he plays slightly (and appropriately) blue. You don't get to hear Price use the word "knockers" very often!



A totally charming clip here, from Price's 1976 appearance on The Muppet Show. The only thing that can rival my love for Vincent Price is my love for Jim Henson, particularly in the guise of Kermit the Frog. To have these two stars sharing the stage is pure joy to me, especially in the hilarious final moment here!



Vincent even did many smart commercials, for products as widely varied as Milton-Bradley games, Tilex, Time-Life Books, and Century 21! Here's an excellent 1985 spot for Polaroid VHS tapes:



Here's another 80s spot, this one more lovingly low-rent, for Easter Seals:



And, finally, another for Sun Country Wine Coolers. This one's REALLY unusual!



In 1984, Vincent acted as host to PBS' anthology show Mystery! Here, the actor gets to expound on one of his favorite subjects--the Victorian era--in introducing the first episode of Grenada TV's Sherlock Holmes series. I have to wonder how much Price contributed to the writing of this intro, as he was certainly an expert on the subject matter and could have easily penned the piece. It seems to have been written in his unmistakable voice:



The interesting thing about Price is that, though he was most famous as a horror movie icon, it was always clear that he was so much more than just this. For instance, his art history expertise was unsurpassed. He had an extensive personal collection of works with which he often toured, and was an outspoken advocate of Native-American art in particular. Even though this rare 1962 instructional film wasn't shot for television (it's basically an industrial film used to educate art auctioneers on the value of their pieces, made by Sears and Roebuck), I think it's a fascinating peer into this very personal, revealing side of Vincent Price. The man knows so much; he never ceases to astound me.



Even more revealing is his 1982 interview on British TV with Terry Wogan. Here the actor's charm and smarts are again center stage, and we get to hear more about his love of art, his puzzlement over the American and British ways of life, and a wonderful story about his playing pranks on unsuspecting fans (something that I understand was, for him, a favorite by-product of being famous). By the way: isn't it interesting that Price and Christopher Lee share the same birth date?



I think my very favorite Vincent Price TV moment, though, is his appearance on an obscure 1952 show called What in the World? In this game show/educational show mash-up, a crew of art experts get together and are presented with a series of unfamiliar art objects. Their task is to determine the age and the origin of these ancient pieces. Produced for WCAU-TV (the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia), the fourth episode of this rather strange but delightful series has Vincent on as a very knowledgeable expert, and his accuracy is quite impressive. This is a real interesting bit of TV history here--an artifact in its own right:



Well, I guess that about does it for my TV-based tribute! All that's left to say, once again, is Happy 100th, Vincent! Wish you were here!

When Elizabeth Taylor Met Lucille Ball

With yesterday's death of cinema icon and perhaps the ultimate movie star ever Elizabeth Taylor, it's an appropriate time to feature the moment when ET met our favorite redhead Lucille Ball on an episode of her Here's Lucy series.

The episode premiered on September 14, 1970 -- the season opener for the series' third year -- and was predictably a ratings and publicity success, but perhaps more unexpectedly and importantly a comedic smash, too. Taylor and her husband Richard Burton were international celebrities and getting them on Here's Lucy was quite a coup. They seemed to enjoy their romp with America's greatest female clown, and the episode is a charming look-back at a wonderful comedienne at the top of her game, and at Taylor and Burton at their most glamorous and refreshing. Enjoy!

Lucy and Superman

We're featuring the lovable Lucille Ball and stalwart George Reeves as Superman on our header these days, mostly just because we love them both. Reeves as Superman was our childhood hero, even though he was already dead (he died in June of 1959) by the time many of us saw Superman reruns as kids.

No matter. Reeve's infectious charisma, sturdy good looks and Superman's incredible sense of justice made him the perfect hero for us all. Of course you remember the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy and Superman" which culminates in the sequence below. At once hilarious, heroic, charming, and adorable, this scene shows why we'll never stop loving Lucille Ball or George Reeves.

Nose-Talgia: "The Lucy Show"

In addition to being raised on Flaming Nose Favorite I Love Lucy, many of us grew up with Lucille Ball's subsequent television series, including The Lucy Show which premiered in the Fall of 1962. New premise -- Lucy is a widow living in Danfield, NY, -- but with an old friend as co-star -- Vivian Vance played fellow widow Vivian who shared a house with Lucy (and both women's kids) -- The Lucy Show was a worthy follow-up to I Love Lucy, but certainly pales in comparison in terms of public awareness via syndication. By no means a buried classic, but also infrequently exposed in a couple of decades, it's an impeccably put-together show with many hilarious moments. One of the classic episodes is discussed below, and then watch the episode here!

From Wikipedia: While filming the 1963 episode "Lucy and Viv Put In A Shower", in which the leading ladies attempted to install a shower stall (but become trapped inside, unable to shut the water off), Ball nearly drowned while performing in the tank of water. She was unable to bring herself back to the surface, and it was Vance who realized there was a problem and pulled her co-star to safety; Vance went on to ad lib until Ball could catch her breath to resume speaking her lines (all the while, cameras continued to film). Neither the film crew nor the live studio audience realized there was a problem.




The Lucy Show (Season One) is now available on DVD!

We Love Lucy!

Thanks to Jane for the wonderful Lucy post, and I've just posted another tribute to Our Lady of Laughter on the Turner Classic Movies Movie Morlocks site here. Be sure to go over and watch some great Lucy clips, including our favorite William Holden Hollywood moments!