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:

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!

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!

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!

Happy Birthday, Lisa Mateas!

In case you do not know her name, it's Lisa Mateas.

She's one of the progenitors of THE FLAMING NOSE, but she is SO SO much more than that. I won't go on and on about her achievements. This would embarrass her. Still, I will say she's been a champion of TV for a long time. She's been in there, punching for fandom and for pure love of television so much that, if I told you all how much she's done, you'd be sending her copious e-mails in complete thanks. This is easy to say, but, believe me, you would be sending those e-mails (the Babylon 5 people alone would be turning out full force)!

I met Lisa in 1994, when I was applying for the job of Programming Coordinator at Turner Network Television, where she was the network's longtime Vice-President (and, thus, a progenitor of both Turner Network Television and Turner Classic Movies). I showed up on time, and I got the job, and I knew it immediately because both she and her cohort, Phil Oppenheim, acted like they had just won the lottery after they had met me. How many people can say THAT about people they've interviewed with? To work with Lisa and Phil was like working for the Wright Brothers: they knew it all, and I never questioned it. The astronomical plus was that these two were vastly funnier and more joyous that the Wright Brothers probably ever were. They were, for me, the king bosses of all time. If you can imagine your managers spending time blackening in the shiny white teeth belonging to celebrities on the covers on TV Guide while STILL remaining the smartest people in the building, then you'll know what I mean. Can't imagine it? No? Thank you. It was a one-of-a-kind job.

I was, I thought, strictly a movie guy when I met Lisa. But she saw something else in me. And she made me realize that TV was just as close to my soul as the movies were. It took me a while to understand this, but it happened. Now, I get the difference, and the nuances, that separate the mediums. And I have to say: after meeting Lisa (and Phil), my love of TV and movies are running neck-and-neck. In fact, I don't think one can exist without the other.

My tribute to Lisa was going to be, originally, a series of posts on Facebook. But I thought that was much more ephemeral than I could stand.

Lisa and I are still kindred spirits; we played VIDEO GAMES together, for God's sake. Even though we now live far apart, I will always carry her with me in my heart. And, clearly, this is the case with her, too; she is still always keeping up with my doings on FILMICABILITY, and constantly comments--in complete, loving, and authentic allegiance--on my articles. She has said, and I believe, that she is my #1 fan. And so, as HER #1 fan, I offer a single article in tribute to her wisdom and magnificence.

Even so, I respect her privacy. But I still feel I have to say how much I love her. And so I'll do it through television--her FIRST and TRUEST love. I think she'll groove on this.

So now I offer, for my dearest friend, a tribute through television. The following top ten clips--even though we may not have talked about them ALL straightforwardly--are still each sublime TV moments that will make me, forever, undoubtedly recall Lisa Mateas, and all the great times, and all the great loves, we've shared together. Happy birthday, Lisa! You make every world shine!

(The Andy Griffith Show; "Mr. McBeeVee" Season 3, episode 1, part 3; written by Harvey Bullock, directed by Bob Sweeney; this scene requires Opie's father, Andy, to believe in something that was unbelievable. Lisa and I still share a love of this series; I may be speaking out of turn for her, but I think that we agree this series, and perhaps this very series of scenes, are amongst TV's sweetest moments in time. Lisa is all about sweetness but, as you will later see, darkness plays a role as well).

(The insanely amazing opening credits to The Wild Wild West, with Richard Markowicz's unforgettable theme, and those beautiful animations; TNT played The Wild Wild West daily up until the late 1990s; Lisa named one of her cat Artemus!).

(The opening credits to the greatest one-season TV show of all time: Freaks and Geeks, created by Paul Feig and Judd Apatow; I think that if Lisa had had the power at the time, Freaks and Geeks would have gone on to a second season, and beyond; and we were THIS close...).

(From The Twilight Zone: "To Serve Man." Season 3, episode 14. Written by Damon Knight and directed by John Braham).

(From The Outer Limits: "The Zanti Misfits." Season 1, episode 14. Written by Joseph Stefano and directed by Leonard Horn).

(I Love Lucy, "Job Switching," season 2, episode 1, written by Bob Carroll Jr., Madelyn Pugh and Jess Oppenheimer; directed by William Asher; Lucy is the avatar for this very site, which should tell you something).

(Leave It To Beaver, "Beaver Gets Spelled," season 1, episode 1, part 3; written by Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly; directed by Norman Tokar; I never knew how smart the Beaver was until I met Lisa).

(Joe Flaherty as Count Floyd, tubthumbing for "The Bloodsucking Monkeys of West Miffland, PA," from 1980 on Second City Television; Lisa and I both share a massive crush on Mr. Flaherty, who I think we agree is a genius).

She's a hilarious, wonderful lady. Lisa Mateas is my hero. How I adore her so! And she is the one and only person I know who is totally, completely, all about love. And here's a bonus clip, too!

(Joe Bob Briggs singing the Monstervision song, 1997; they'd be no Joe Bob hosting Monstervision without Lisa!)

More on Madelyn Pugh Davis, The Lady Behind Lucy's Laughs

There's another interesting article about the death this week of I Love Lucy writer Madelyn Pugh Davis, this one from The Hollywood Reporter. You can -- and should -- read it by clicking here. I Love Lucy wouldn't have been the absolute apex of television comedy without Pugh's contributions.

For more information on the rest of Madelyn Pugh's impressive life and career -- pre and post-Lucy -- check out this fascinating biography on the Paley Center website. You'll also want to watch the Archive of American Television TV Legends interview from 1997 with Madelyn and her Lucy co-writer Bob Carroll; it's a treasure trove of rare behind-the-scenes I Love Lucy information as well as a glimpse into the inner workings of the acclaimed TV comedy writing team. As an additional treat, read this article from Pugh's alma mater Indiana University from 2005 when she wrote her Laughing with Lucy memoir.

"I Love Lucy" on NPR's "Studio 360" Radio Show!

As you may know, The Flaming Nose TV Blog is named for Lucille Ball's famous Hollywood moment in I Love Lucy where she sets her nose on fire when Desi brings William Holden home to meet her. We love Lucy, and just came across this entertaining and informative radio hour from this past October on National Public Radio's Studio 360 program, part of their "American Icons" series, all about I Love Lucy and its place in American culture. It's well worth a listen!

You can find it here. We think you'll also want to meander around the Studio 360 site a lot; there are archived programs on all sorts of interesting topics. I just listened to one about The Wizard of Oz and it was terrific! You can also get the show on your IPhone and they're on Facebook, too, of course -- all the latest fancy technology, don't you know?

P.S.: We'd also like to put in a plug for a charming couple who are vying to win a Lucille Ball Hometown Wedding contest. We really love the I Love Lucy video that Belinda Campos and Jonathan Moctezuma put together, a wonderful reenactment of the classic scene where Lucy gives Ricky a messy scalp treatment when he thinks he's going bald. Belinda and Jonathan do a wonderful job and deserve your support! You can vote for them online here, and you can vote once a day until February 11th, so get in there and help them out!

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.

Our Favorite Lucy Moments: Ethel May Potter and Company

Continuing our Lucy Birthday Salute, this is one of the most absurd and hilarious sequences that I always think of from I Love Lucy. Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel visit Ethel's hometown, where they're putting on a concert starring Ethel -- and only Ethel. This doesn't sit too well with her traveling companions and they endeavour to sabotage her performance. It's insane!

The Flaming Nose Honors the Birthday of Lucille Ball-Our Beloved Muse

The Flaming Nose remembers the birthday of Lucille Ball, one of the finest comic actors that television has ever known. Born August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, NY, Lucy was also a star of film, stage and radio. But it was her TV role as the scheming but intensely lovable wife of Cuban band leader Ricky Ricardo that made her a legend. For six seasons and 193 episodes, Lucy and Ricky and Fred and Ethyl made Americans laugh until they cried. The writing was so well crafted and the physical humor so timeless, you can watch a re-run of this 50+ year old series and it still feels as fresh as a daisy. And that's after you've seen each episode oh...about a billion times.

What exactly is it about Lucy that makes her so endlessly appealing? She was beautiful and a brilliant comedian. She was creative and (along with Ricky) a phenomenal business woman. Beyond all of those accomplishments, I believe it was Lucy's ability to seem, even with all her riches and fame, like the girl next door. Someone who would have a cup of coffee with you at the kitchen table. We've all read that Lucy was not particularly hilarious in real life. It was her devotion to her craft and acting ability that made the Lucy character funny. But she could tell a great tale, something she demonstrated in her later years on talk shows with Dick Cavett and various other hosts.

There are countless biographies and fan sites for Lucy on the web. You could spend all day sifting through them. In Jamestown NY there is even a Lucy and Desi museum. One of my favorite Lucille Ball anecdotes took place in 1953, when Lucy was called to testify in front of the House Un-American committee. In her early 20's, she had voted in a Communist party election at the urging of her grandfather who was a socialist. The testimony came in the midst of her popular television series, and the publicity at that time could have had a negative impact on her image and career. Ricky introduced Lucy before the filming of episode 68 and explained the sticky situation to the audience adding, "The only thing red about Lucy is her hair, and even that's not legitimate." When she walked out on the stage, the crowd gave her a standing ovation.

Happy Birthday dear Lucy. You are always in our hearts! Below is a wonderful trailer for the DVD boxed set of the entire I Love Lucy series. I feel like running down to Best Buy and getting it right this moment!

"I Love Lucy" in Color!

I just had to share this neat vid from YouTube, which is home movie footage taken by an audience member at a 1951 taping of I Love Lucy! It's amazing!




For the whole story of behind the footage, visit its YouTube page!