Reviews

I would like to defend Tracey Ullman from a brutally uninformed commentator who slammed Tracey and her show for reinforcing negative stereotypes. I must say, YOU HAVE MISSED THE POINT! Tracey Ullman is a brilliantly talented performer. However, why is that a black comedian can get on stage, slam whites, Jews, Asians, women and police and use the "F" word ad nauseum and we praise them for being masters! Talk about your double-edge sword!

It is a tremendous shame that such a wonderful series like "I Love Lucy" had to be tarnished with an ill-conceived tribute featuring the likes of Roseanne and Bruce Vilanch. I could have done without Lucie and Desi, Jr.'s obvious need to be center stage in a special that was suppose to be dedicated to the enormous talent of their parents. I Love Lucy was without a doubt the greatest situation comedy ever produced. No series has come close, or ever will come close, to duplicating its success. I think some serious Lucy fans out there, who know how to make a good three-hour tribute, should get together, pull their efforts, and make a video worthy of this wonderfully funny show. Oh, well. Perhaps for the I Love Lucy 100th Anniversary Special.

In 1971, when "The Beverly Hillbillies" was canceled, "All in the Family" premiered. While "All in the Family" is praised as the first "socially relevant" sitcom, "The Beverly Hillbillies" was the first to satire our society - "The Beverly Hillbillies" did it with screwball comedy. "The Beverly Hillbillies" changed the face of television - to date, it still holds the record for some of the highest-rated single half-hours of television. And, the performance of Irene Ryan in this series is right up there with the likes of Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore on their respective series. It is a shame Ryan never won an Emmy for perhaps one of the most endearing, energetic performances in the history of television. While the first five seasons of the series were undeniably the best, and the writing suffered by the late 1960s, "The Beverly Hillbillies" changed the face of television. It opened the door for creativity, wild plot lines and colorful characters that dominated television in the world of sitcoms of the 1960s. It is the era of the 1960s that produced some of the most beloved sitcoms in history, and all of it was due to a little groundbreaking sitcom about a man named Jed.

I loved the first year of "The Lucy Show" because it was a great showcase for Vivian Vance. Honestly, Vivian was ten times a better actress than Lucy. Viv was real, while Lucy was loud and over-the-top. When Vivian left, the show died really. I hated Gale Gordon! It was so sad - a 60-year-old man yelling at a 50-year old woman! Why was that funny? Viv and Lucy had so much warmth together. It was great fun. Lucy would have done well to have retired from television in 1965 along with Vivian, because "Lucy" shows post-Vivian were just not funny.