We've come to take for granted that successful TV series will be made into full-length feature films. Even those that are extraordinarily dumb make it onto the big screen. But transferring "I Love Lucy" to the screen was an unusual move in the early 1950s. For one thing, the movies hadn't needed to adapt series from television since they had their own -- Charlie Chan, Abbott and Costello, Mr. Moto, Joe Palooka, Nancy Drew. Tarzan. For another, there was some question of whether people who could watch "I Love Lucy" at home for nothing would pay to see her and her husband, Desi Arnaz, in the theater.
Well, they paid and the movie was a commercial success leading to a sequel, "Forever Darling," which was not.
Lucy and Ricky, here trying to slip past us under the noms de film of Tacy and Nicky, get married and go on their honeymoon out West in a new trailer and car they can't afford. "I Love Lucy" was sometimes pretty funny in its own silly way and the humor stays at about the same level, but the larger budget allows the writers to open the story up and show us more expensive and exotic gags. One of them has Lucy trying to prepare an elaborate dinner while alone in the jouncing trailer. The huge bowl of Caesar salad winds up on her head and she's covered with flour from head to foot, right out of "Sullivan's Travels," but still amusing.
You wouldn't know this was directed by Vincent Minelli if you didn't already know it. The acting must have come easily to the two stars since they'd been playing the same characters on TV for a couple of years. Lucy does bring a bit more drama to a scene at the end, but it's misplaced and unexpected. I've always found Dezi Arnaz to be engaging. Not his acting, but his accent. At the trailer park, "I'm goeen to talk to the manayer." Where? "At the garotch." On the show, "Fred Mertz" always came out as "Frat Murse", and "recognize talent" became "recognize Stalin."
We've certainly progressed from trailers since 1950. Big ones, like that shown here, were novelties. As late as 1959, John Steinbeck had to have a pick up truck customized to provide a built-in bunk. Now, of course, we have recreational vehicles of various sizes and classes -- A, B, C, and Elephantine. RV parks provide the traveler with water and power and landscaped terrain and TV cables and internet plug-ins.
Question: Why leave home?
Well, they paid and the movie was a commercial success leading to a sequel, "Forever Darling," which was not.
Lucy and Ricky, here trying to slip past us under the noms de film of Tacy and Nicky, get married and go on their honeymoon out West in a new trailer and car they can't afford. "I Love Lucy" was sometimes pretty funny in its own silly way and the humor stays at about the same level, but the larger budget allows the writers to open the story up and show us more expensive and exotic gags. One of them has Lucy trying to prepare an elaborate dinner while alone in the jouncing trailer. The huge bowl of Caesar salad winds up on her head and she's covered with flour from head to foot, right out of "Sullivan's Travels," but still amusing.
You wouldn't know this was directed by Vincent Minelli if you didn't already know it. The acting must have come easily to the two stars since they'd been playing the same characters on TV for a couple of years. Lucy does bring a bit more drama to a scene at the end, but it's misplaced and unexpected. I've always found Dezi Arnaz to be engaging. Not his acting, but his accent. At the trailer park, "I'm goeen to talk to the manayer." Where? "At the garotch." On the show, "Fred Mertz" always came out as "Frat Murse", and "recognize talent" became "recognize Stalin."
We've certainly progressed from trailers since 1950. Big ones, like that shown here, were novelties. As late as 1959, John Steinbeck had to have a pick up truck customized to provide a built-in bunk. Now, of course, we have recreational vehicles of various sizes and classes -- A, B, C, and Elephantine. RV parks provide the traveler with water and power and landscaped terrain and TV cables and internet plug-ins.
Question: Why leave home?