Mildly amusing, THE LONG, LONG TRAILER is the film with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz that most people recall if they think of the films they did together. That is not because their films were remarkable (they are entertaining to an extent) but because they only made three films together (TOO MANY GIRLS, FOREVER DARLING, THE LONG, LONG TRAILER). The best one is TOO MANY GIRLS, which actually was made when the two met on the set of the film. It happens to have a nice cast (including Eddie Bracken, Anne Miller, and Francis Langford), and even a score by Rodgers and Hart. But it is not one of the all time great musicals. FOREVER DARLING co-starred them with James Mason (that is a casting match almost on level with Bob Hope and Katherine Hepburn in THE IRON PETTICOAT). Then came THE LONG, LONG TRAILER, which has some interesting supporting cast (Keenan Wynn, Marjorie Main, Howard McNear) and an interesting director (Vincent Minneli). The second and third film could only be made because of the deserved success of the television show I LOVE LUCY, but in reality they aren't that much.
Still THE LONG, LONG TRAILER is of interest as one of the few films ever to discuss the phenomenon of trailers in changing American living and vacationing ideas. Trailers actually appeared in films prior to the 1950s. The Laurel and Hardy short, THEM THAR HILLS, showed the boys taking a "restful" vacation using a trailer to go to the mountains. That was in 1938. But it was rarely shown because it was such a specialized way of travel, and dependent on good roads. But the 1950s saw one achievement that was due to the Eisenhower Administration that is frequently overlooked. Ike pushed for the real development of an interstate highway system. It was a major change to the American scene. Not only in the pushing of many middle class families in using trailers for vacations across the nation, but also in convincing people to travel even by car across state boarders. It is no accident that in the early 1960s one of the most popular television series was ROUTE 66, wherein two young men traveled across the whole nation on that particular highway having adventures in many states.
The Eisenhower years were also the years of economic recovery - the Second World War had pushed American industry into full throttle, and most other major countries had serious economic problems due to the war. The improved American economy gave us a chance to spend more. Although Desi looks worried when he purchases the new trailer (especially as he also has to modify his car's rear bumper) he still is able to sign a large check for the down payment of the vehicle. He could not have done that in the 1930s or 1940s.
The plot is how Lucy (who wants to travel) convinces Desi to buy the trailer, and how the optimism of the purchase (based on the ideal dream of seeing the world from your moving house) hides the fact that you are driving a vehicle that is as difficult to maneuver on land as a yacht is at sea. From the start when Desi is shown the proper way to move the car and trailer ("Trailer, Brake, Forward") he is constantly aware that he is pulling a dead weight behind him. A weight made even heavier because Lucy insists on a new hobby (collecting rocks from every site they park their new home).
There are problems with pulling it into the driveway of Lucy's aunt's house, or of stopping at a red light (and by not doing it properly, annoying traffic police officer Keenan Wynn). There is also the problem of water supply and the pipes (when Desi tries to take a shower), and even of cooking when the trailer is in motion (my favorite section of the film: Desi singing contentedly while driving, thinking of the fine meal Lucy is supposed to be cooking him, and then discovering at the conclusion that Lucy is covered in food and flour due to bumps and jumps made by the car and trailer while moving). At the conclusion he has had enough, and his explosion threatens to destroy the marriage.
If it was not that Vincent Minelli's name is on this film one would be hard pressed to see his traces here. Some of his artistic taste is evident in the design of the trailer, and the colors in the film, but the material is not the sort he normally dealt with. He could do comedy (witness THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE) but his characters usually have meatier stories to tell. This is not one of them.
Still for a pleasant viewing it is easy to watch and smile at. But if you want to see Lucy and Desi at their best, stick to their classic comedy show.
Still THE LONG, LONG TRAILER is of interest as one of the few films ever to discuss the phenomenon of trailers in changing American living and vacationing ideas. Trailers actually appeared in films prior to the 1950s. The Laurel and Hardy short, THEM THAR HILLS, showed the boys taking a "restful" vacation using a trailer to go to the mountains. That was in 1938. But it was rarely shown because it was such a specialized way of travel, and dependent on good roads. But the 1950s saw one achievement that was due to the Eisenhower Administration that is frequently overlooked. Ike pushed for the real development of an interstate highway system. It was a major change to the American scene. Not only in the pushing of many middle class families in using trailers for vacations across the nation, but also in convincing people to travel even by car across state boarders. It is no accident that in the early 1960s one of the most popular television series was ROUTE 66, wherein two young men traveled across the whole nation on that particular highway having adventures in many states.
The Eisenhower years were also the years of economic recovery - the Second World War had pushed American industry into full throttle, and most other major countries had serious economic problems due to the war. The improved American economy gave us a chance to spend more. Although Desi looks worried when he purchases the new trailer (especially as he also has to modify his car's rear bumper) he still is able to sign a large check for the down payment of the vehicle. He could not have done that in the 1930s or 1940s.
The plot is how Lucy (who wants to travel) convinces Desi to buy the trailer, and how the optimism of the purchase (based on the ideal dream of seeing the world from your moving house) hides the fact that you are driving a vehicle that is as difficult to maneuver on land as a yacht is at sea. From the start when Desi is shown the proper way to move the car and trailer ("Trailer, Brake, Forward") he is constantly aware that he is pulling a dead weight behind him. A weight made even heavier because Lucy insists on a new hobby (collecting rocks from every site they park their new home).
There are problems with pulling it into the driveway of Lucy's aunt's house, or of stopping at a red light (and by not doing it properly, annoying traffic police officer Keenan Wynn). There is also the problem of water supply and the pipes (when Desi tries to take a shower), and even of cooking when the trailer is in motion (my favorite section of the film: Desi singing contentedly while driving, thinking of the fine meal Lucy is supposed to be cooking him, and then discovering at the conclusion that Lucy is covered in food and flour due to bumps and jumps made by the car and trailer while moving). At the conclusion he has had enough, and his explosion threatens to destroy the marriage.
If it was not that Vincent Minelli's name is on this film one would be hard pressed to see his traces here. Some of his artistic taste is evident in the design of the trailer, and the colors in the film, but the material is not the sort he normally dealt with. He could do comedy (witness THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE) but his characters usually have meatier stories to tell. This is not one of them.
Still for a pleasant viewing it is easy to watch and smile at. But if you want to see Lucy and Desi at their best, stick to their classic comedy show.