Arguably the most famous, successful and influential sitcom of all-time, I Love Lucy debuted in October 1951. It lasted six massively popular seasons before leaders Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz decided the series ran out of steam and ended it.

Given Lucy ended a decade before my birth, I only saw it in reruns in the 1970s. I don’t think I’d watched any Lucy since then, though.

With this 2024 Blu-ray set, I got to relive my pre-teen days. This package allowed me to revisit the show after a long absence.

This 33-disc package includes all 180 episodes of Lucy that aired from October 1951 to May 1957 as well as 13 Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour episodes that appeared November 1957 to April 1960. Given that this set fills almost 90 hours, I lack the time to view each and every show.

As such, I picked four per season as a sampler as well as one from each of the three short “seasons” of Comedy Hour. The plot synopses come from IMDB.

SEASON ONE:

The Girls Want to Go to the Nightclub: “To celebrate Ethel (Vivian Vance) and Fred's (William Frawley) anniversary, Lucy (Ball) and Ethel want to go to a nightclub while Ricky (Arnaz) and Fred want to go to a boxing match instead. An argument ensues.”

With “Girls”, we head back to the start. Actually, as I’ll discuss when I get to the set’s extras, an unaired pilot preceded “Girls”, but this show represented the first viewers saw of Lucy.

Unquestionably, “Girls” sets the tone for what will follow. We get a story of conniving, though this one features schemes on both sides, whereas traditionally we see Lucy as the one who makes these plans.

We also see a less overtly wacky Lucy than we would later find. She would soon develop into a broader character.

In any case, “Girls” launches the series pretty well. It gives us a fairly funny show that gets Lucy off to a good start.

Note that “Girls” and other Season One and Season Two episodes come via a few flavors: cut to exclude original ads, with everything included, and as shown in reruns back in the 1950s. This can result in some clear differences.

For instance, the “show only” “Girls” goes for 23 minutes, 45 seconds, “original broadcast” spans 30 minutes, 14 seconds, and “rerun” spans 29 minutes, 25 seconds. Apparently networks didn’t commonly rerun shows back then, but a few episodes got repeated to allow for Ball’s maternity leaves.

I like these various options. They add value to the set. They don’t continue into any of the discs after Season Two, however.

Lucy Is Jealous of a Girl Singer: “After reading a newspaper article planted by Ricky's press agent (Jerry Hausner), Ethel convinces Lucy that Ricky is fooling around with Rosemary (Helen Williams), the lead dancer in his nightclub act.”

Does the episode’s title make sense given that Rosemary dances and doesn’t sing? No, but apparently the show originally intended to use her as a crooner and no one bothered to change it.

“Jealous” comes packed with cheap contrivances and that damages its stabs at humor. While not without laughs, the ways in which the story stretches to provoke Lucy’s concerns feels clumsy. Throw in too many musical numbers and this episode doesn’t click.

Breaking the Lease: “The Ricardos try to break their lease after a fight with the Mertzes.”

Given that Lucy tends to focus on a “boys vs. girls” format that pits Lucy/Ethel against Ricky/Fred, it becomes interesting to see a Ricardo vs. Mertz theme. Of course, in forced fashion, the opening scene sets up a potential conflict via the way it depicts the giddy harmony between the two couples.

This comes across like a dumb contrivance, as we already know of the Ricardo/Mertz friendship. I guess the producers figured we needed a firm reminder of the bond before the rift.

Once the spat occurs, however, “Lease” works pretty well. The battle becomes bitter and amusing.

Lucy Does a TV Commercial: “Lucy has angled her way onto Ricky's special as the show's pitch girl. She advertises a medicine called ‘Vitameatavegamin’. Believing it contains vitamins, minerals, meat, and vegetables, Lucy does not know is that it also comes with 23 percent alcohol.”

Commonly viewed as one of the series’ greatest episodes, “TV” relies almost entirely on Ball’s skills as a physical comedian to succeed. The show’s popularity relates to Lucy’s behavior on the commercial set, as we see her reactions to the foul-tasting goo and then her gradual inebriation.

This exists as a very simple concept but it works, all thanks to Ball’s performance. Expect a strong program.

SEASON TWO:

Job Switching: “After Ricky and Fred get upset about the girls' spending, Lucy and Ethel go to work in a candy factory while the boys do the housework.”

Another of the series’ most beloved shows, this one follows the same path as “TV” and connects mainly due to Ball’s comedic skills. As she struggles with aspects of her work at the candy company, her talents get used to their best advantage.

For once, Arnaz and Frawley get some room for physical humor as well when they struggle to handle “housewife duty”. Neither equals Ball’s abilities but they generate some fun.

I also like Elvia Allman’s surly turn as the candy forewoman. Though I admit I don’t think this show ever connects as well as the sight of Lucy’s deterioration in “TV” does, “Job” comes with some good laughs.

Note that in addition to some of the usual variations mentioned above, “Switching” also exists in colorized form. No thanks.

Lucy Is Enceinte: “When Lucy learns that she's going to have a baby, she tries to find the right way to tell this to Ricky.”

Traditionally, TV series introduce children as a sign of desperation because they need new story possibilities. 10 episodes into the second season seems awfully soon for this shift, but I suspect Lucy opted for this choice because of real-life considerations.

In other words: Ball was pregnant with Desi Jr., and he would pop out about a month after this episode aired. I guess Ball decided to let TV fiction represent reality, though this left Lucie Arnaz – born a couple months before the series’ debut – on the sidelines.

Not that Lucy used the actual Desi Jr. as Little Ricky. A handful of youngsters eventually portrayed the youngest Ricardo, though the character wouldn’t spend much time on-screen until Seasons Five and Six.

Those shows will come up for discussion later, of course. “Enceinte” breaks the topic for the first time, though Ball’s appearance makes it clear she was already heavily pregnant at the time.

Outside of its historical significance, I can’t claim “Enceinte” offers a lot to stand out from the crowd. It comes with a handful of laughs but leans more toward sentiment than active comedy.

As such, don’t expect many guffaws. Still, the ending displays genuine emotion from Ball and Arnaz, an honest sweetness I liked.

Lucy Goes to the Hospital: “Lucy has her baby.”

When it aired in January 1953, “Hospital” became a massive ratings smash. It attracted 44 million viewers in a US with a population of only 160 million.

One-fourth of the US equaled nearly 72 percent of all TV sets in use that night. Of course, TVs weren’t as common in early 1953 as they’d later become, but this still stands as a remarkable feat.

Does “Hospital” turn into an enjoyable episode beyond its historical significance? Yeah, to some degree, mainly when we see the contrast between the calm manner in which Ricky, Ethel and Fred prep for Lucy’s trip to the hospital vs. the inevitable chaos that ensues.

All of this leads to a moderately enjoyable episode, if not a classic. “Hospital” deserves note due to its place in TV history but the show itself doesn’t stand out as terrific.

The Ricardos Change Apartments: “Lucy tries everything to convince Ricky to let them move to a bigger apartment.”

Does it seem fair to worry that the introduction of Little Ricky will domesticize the series and sand down some of its wackier edges? Maybe, as “Apartment” can lean a bit cutesy at times.

Still, the episode’s bickering between Lucy and Ricardo offers some amusement. Still, the program feels less than inspired.

Quick footnote: Seasons One and Two came out as individual packages back in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and the discs in this set replicate those platters. The “Complete Series” box becomes the Blu-ray debut for the rest of the shows, though.

SEASON THREE:

Ricky’s Life Story: “Lucy is upset because a Life magazine feature on Ricky's home life didn't include a picture of her.”

Not mentioned in the synopsis, Lucy’s unhappiness about her absence from Life allows her to finally convince Ricky to let her perform in his stage show. Of course, Ricky enjoys an ulterior motive: he believes that once Lucy understands all the hard work that comes with show business, she’ll finally bail on this dream.

Of course, that will never happen, so we can expect to see Lucy’s efforts in that regard in the future. I like the way Ricky tries to turn the tables on Lucy, and the over the top routine Ricky conjures to get Lucy off his back also amuses.

Redecorating the Mertzes’ Apartment: “Lucy decides that she and Ricky are going to redecorate the Mertzes’ apartment.”

One great episode of The Odd Couple stemmed from the separate efforts of Oscar and Felix to supply new furniture in their apartment. Given the similar theme, I hoped “Redecorating” could offer similar laughs.

Alas, the episode tends to fall semi-flat. It actually takes a while to get to the main plot, as the first one-third deals with Lucy’s excitement about her new mink stole.

After that, the arguments about how to change the apartment come up with a few chuckles. Still, the show doesn’t exploit the theme as well as it could.

Footnote: doesn’t it seem weird that the parties involved want to paint the apartment when it has wallpaper?

The Charm School: “Ethel and Lucy are upset that Ricky and Fred don't seem interested in them. After seeing how they react to a friend's beautiful and poised date, they enroll in charm school.”

After a slow start, “School” kicks into higher gear once Lucy and Ethel go to the titular academy, partly thanks to an amusingly snooty turn from Natalie Schafer of later Gilligan’s Island fame. I also gotta admit that the glammed-up versions of Ethel and Lucy look surprisingly hot.

Home Movies: “When an advertiser agrees to make a pilot for a potential music TV show starring Ricky only, Lucy, Ethel, and Fred make a movie of their own.”

I entered “Movies” with the expectation that the main amusement would stem from the inept final product created by Lucy, Ethel and Fred. This proves accurate, though Lucy’s clumsy work never quite becomes hilarious.

It doesn’t help that the episode takes a long time to get to its eventually punchline and the first 20 minutes or so seem lackluster. This turns into a mediocre episode.

SEASON FOUR:

The Business Manager: “After Lucy gets several months behind in all the bills, Ricky hires a no-nonsense business manager who puts her on a strict budget. Lucy comes up with a scheme to get some extra money that soon has her rolling in cash.”

The basic plot here doesn’t make much sense, as it seems odd Lucy would just screw up the bills all of a sudden. And why do all the household expenses come out of Lucy’s “allowance”?

When Lucy attempts a scam, matters get more amusing, and I like the appearance of Capra staple Charles Lane as the stern accountant. Still, this all balances out to a hit or miss program.

California, Here We Come!: “The Ricardos and Mertzes begin their cross-country drive to California.”

As mentioned earlier, I view the introduction of Little Ricky as a sign Lucy started to run out of ideas. The series’ move to California for a huge chunk of S4 implies to me another sense of desperation for fresh concepts.

It remains to be seen how the rest of the Hollywood sojourn will go, but “Come” offers a decent launch. It does nothing especially well but I like Kathryn Card as Lucy’s dippy mother and enough laughs result to make this a decent show.

LA At Last: “When the Ricardos and the Mertzes arrive in Hollywood, Lucy goes to the Brown Derby restaurant where her sighting of William Holden turns catastrophic.”

Will the series’ trip to CA end up as essentially a long array of celebrity cameos? If “Last” acts as an indication, the answer appears to be yes.

I suspect this will become annoying before long, but at least “Last” offers some laughs. In particular, Holden’s attempts to counteract Lucy’s gawking amuse.

Harpo Marx: “The gang meets Harpo Marx and Lucy does the famous 'mirror' routine with him.”

Although I enjoyed Marx Brothers efforts, Harpo always left me cold. I just didn’t dig his form of mimed comedy.

The program’s best moments come from Lucy’s clumsy attempts to emulate famous actors. Harpo’s appearance seems bizarre since he remains in character outside of the movie set – would he really continue his silent shenanigans in real life? And carry his harp around with him?

Well, no one ever expected great logic from Lucy. I don’t love the show due to its reliance on Harpo and this makes it less than a classic in my eyes, but it still comes with some good moments.

SEASON FIVE:

Lucy and John Wayne: “To avoid bad publicity for the upcoming opening of his Don Juan movie, Ricky calls Grauman's Chinese Theater to explain how John Wayne's footprints went missing. Having broken them, Ricky convinces John Wayne to provide a new set of footprints.”

Another Hollywood episode, another celebrity cameo! I do like that this show carries over from the prior one, as we don’t usually get that form of continuity from the series.

And we get an allusion to the William Holden show as well, which seems clever. Wayne offers a lively turn as himself and this turns into a fairly solid show.

The Great Train Robbery: “On the trip back to New York, Lucy learns a jewel thief's on their train.”

At long last, the Ricardos and Mertzes head home – well, for now. As the next episode I watch will indicate, they won’t stay in NYC for long.

As for “Train”, it relies on the usual mistaken identities and whatnot for its humor. The end result leaves me underwhelmed, though I like the presence of the always-amusing Frank Nelson as the conductor.

Lucy’s Italian Movie: “In Rome, a film producer asks Lucy if she'd be interested in auditioning for his new film entitled Bitter Grapes. Thinking that the film has something to do with the production of wine, she goes to the only non-automated winery left in the area.”

Lucy spent a whopping four episodes back in NYC before plans for a European trip arose. “Movie” comes 15 shows into this domain.

“Movie” delivers one of the series’ most beloved programs, largely due to the famous “grape-stomping” scene. As good as Lucy can be in those circumstances, I don’t think the sequence becomes all that delightful.

Still, “Movie” comes with good moments, mainly related to Lucy’s issues adapting to Italian culture and her attempts to communicate. While I don’t find this to become the classic its status implies, it nonetheless brings some good laughs.

Return Home from Europe: “Lucy takes a huge block of cheese disguised as a baby on the flight home.”

After 18 episodes, the European jaunt concludes, as does Season Five as a whole. I suspect Season Six will come with plenty of additional gimmicks, as Lucy clearly finds itself desperate for new ideas.

Even by the standards of Lucy, the attempt to pass off a tube of cheese as an infant seems goofy. That said, in spite of – or perhaps due to - the basic idiocy of the concept, “Home” works.

Predictable as the gags may lean, they amuse. This proves especially true when a new mother pesters Lucy and our lead needs to get her off her case.

Casting nuttiness: Frank Nelson returns here… as a customs officer. I guess the producers assumed no one would notice his reappearance as a different character.

SEASON SIX:

Lucy and Bob Hope: “Lucy tries to convince Bob Hope that she's not a jinx.”

As much as the string of celebrity cameos seems tedious, I admit that I wanted to see how Ball would connect to another comedic legend. I also like that the episode reflects on Lucy’s checkered past among celebrities.

Hope offers the episode’s best laughs, as his style works better for me than Ball’s does. Ball does fine but I think she fares less well than Hope.

Footnote: previously seen as the jewelry salesman in “Train”, Lou Krugman reappears here as the manager of Ricky’s club. In theory, this could be the same character, but that seems unlikely.

Lucy Meets Orson Welles: “Orson Welles asks Lucy to assist in his magic act.”

Does it seem fair that I complain about cameos and yet I choose to watch the episodes with celebrities? Probably not, but I admit that I find myself enticed to watch Ball with these other stars.

As with the Hope episode, the best parts of “Meets” come from the work of the guest star. Welles underplays his role in a delightful manner that allows for a fun contrast to Ball’s broadness.

Welles becomes the best part of the episode, but Ball adds to it, mainly because she tones down her usual shtick. This turns into a satisfying romp.

Footnote: best known as Grandma on The Waltons, Ellen Corby plays Lucy’s old high school drama teacher. This seems like a weird choice given that both Ball and Corby were born in 1911.

Lucy and Superman: “Lucy competes with her friend Carolyn Appleby (Doris Singleton) over invitations and scheduling for Little Ricky's birthday party. When her husband Ricky mentions that Superman (George Reeves) is in town, Lucy tries to get Superman to come to Little Ricky's party.”

Gee, you don’t suppose something will prompt Lucy to dress as Superman, do you? Indeed, the entire plot seems to exist solely to serve this gag.

And for another celebrity cameo, of course, with Reeves in tow. These predictable elements aside, the show works pretty well, mainly because I enjoy the sight of a snarky, catty Lucy as she competes with her rival mother Caroline Appleby.

The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue: “Lucy organizes a Revolutionary Day Celebration, including a statue dedication. Ricky is going to give the dedication speech. Lucy accidentally breaks the statue and decides to step in with stone makeup to take its place for the ceremony.”

With “Dedicate”, I Love Lucy comes to a formal close. Of course, we still have those Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour programs to come, but this episode concludes the legendary series proper.

Does Lucy go out on a high note? No, as “Dedicate” seems like a paint-by-numbers affair.

Missed due to the way I skipped through episodes, between “Superman” and “Dedicate”, the Ricardos moved to the Connecticut suburbs – and improbably, the Mertzes came with them. This feels like one of the many “we’re running out of ideas” contrivances the series attempted to create new story concepts.

Lucy also introduced a dog as another avenue for comedy. “Fred” looks adorable and becomes the episode’s highlight.

As seen here, Fred’s presence exists just to give Ball an excuse to act like a pooch. “Dedicate” also throws out attempted laughs via the sight of the characters in Revolutionary era outfits. The show lacks cleverness and becomes a mediocre conclusion to the series.

THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR:

Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana (Season One): “Hedda Hopper visit the Ricardos' Connecticut home for an interview. They all answer questions of how Lucy first met Ricky after a cruise trip to Cuba with Ann Sothern in 1940 thanks to Rudy Vallee's assistance.”

It felt right to see where Hour would go immediately after the conclusion of I Love Lucy. This series debuted November 6, 1957, six months to the day after “Dedicate” aired.

Outside of the longer format, Hour mainly acts as a continuation of I Love Lucy. We get the same characters and sorts of stories and comedy.

One difference: when we meet Ricky, we get an actual production number in the style of a traditional musical. That gives “Cruise” a bit of a twist.

I can’t find much to make “Cruise” memorable overall, however, outside of the guests. I do like the interaction of Ball and Sothern and appreciate Vallee’s willingness to make fun of himself but otherwise the episode itself lacks a lot of laughs.

Lucy’s Summer Vacation (Season Two): “The normally celebrity-hungry Lucy is disappointed to find she is sharing a vacation cabin with movie stars.”

In this case, the movie stars in question are Ida Lupino and Howard Duff. They get more screen time than often becomes the case with Lucy guests, as they become virtually equal partners.

Too bad “Vacation” saddles them with a trite plot in which the wives try to get their husbands to pay attention to them. This probably seemed stale 65 years ago and it hasn’t aged well.

Lupino becomes a highlight, at least. She vamps up a storm and gives the episode most of its laughs. Too bad the rest of it seems mediocre.

Lucy Meets the Mustache (Season Three): “Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams move in next door to the Ricardos and Lucy can't stop torturing Ernie every time she's in his presence.”

With this final episode of Hour, the Ball-Arnaz TV partnership formally concluded. Indeed, the Ball-Arnaz marriage soon ended as well, for Lucy and Desi divorced barely one month after this program’s April 1, 1960 airdate.

Apparently both remained friendly the rest of their lives, at least. As far as I can tell, though, this final episode of Comedy Hour became the last time they acted together.

While I wish I could report that Ball and Arnaz went out on top, I can’t. Though it comes with some laughs, “Mustache” ends up as another spotty show.

As occurred with “Vacation”, most of the fun comes from the guest. Just as Lupino delivered the best parts of that episode, Kovacs gives “Mustache” some mirth.

Even so, the episode doesn’t really go much of anywhere, especially when we wind up in a “talent show” segment that allows parts of the cast the perform. This becomes a lackluster end to the Ball/Arnaz on-screen partnership.

I Love Lucy appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on these Blu-ray Discs. Though the episodes showed their age at times, they usually looked pretty solid.

Inevitably, variations occurred across all those years and all those shows. Unsurprisingly, the earlier episodes fared worst and the umages improved as they went, though this didn’t turn into a perfect rule.

In general, sharpness worked pretty well. Soft elements materialized at times but the programs largely offered decent to very good delineation.

Neither jagged edges nor moiré effects became an issue, and edge haloes failed to materialize. Grain varied and I suspected a bit of noise reduction, though this never seemed egregious. Source flaws also felt minimal, with an occasional defect but nothing much.

Despite some mushiness at times, blacks usually felt deep and dense, while shadows and contrast offered good clarity. Though the inconsistencies left me with a “B” grade for visuals, I still felt happy overall.

Note that some overzealous AI tampering occurred for at least a couple of episodes. For instance, during one scene in “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana”, some background actors got a weird overemphasis that made their faces distorted.

I learned this online and not as I watched the show, which implies that this glitch doesn’t really impact the overall viewing experience. Or that I don’t pay close enough attention, but I vote for the former.

Make no mistake: when you know this AI quirk exists, you’ll find yourself focused on it. However, it does remain something I suspect the vast majority of viewers won’t notice during normal screenings, as they’ll focus on Lucy and Desi and not extras in the background.

Do I wish Paramount hadn’t tampered with the shows in this way? Sure, but I don’t want this to become a baby/bathwater circumstance where people shun this largely high-quality set just because of a few negligible oddities.

Note that Paramount will send out replacement discs for those bothered enough by this AI goof.

The series’ audio became a less complicated affair. For Seasons One and Two, we found LPCM monaural, whereas the rest of the shows went with DTS-HD MA monaural. Both formats offered similar sonics.

The material appeared fine for its era, and speech was more than adequate. The lines showed age-related thinness, but they were always perfectly intelligible and without edginess.

Effects resembled the dialogue. Those elements lacked much depth but they were without notable problems.

Music was acceptable for its age, as the score tended to be a bit tinny. There wasn’t much range to the music, but again, that stemmed from the limitations of the very old source. The audio worked perfectly fine for TV episodes of this vintage.

A slew of extras appear across this set, and on Season One Disc One, a major attraction comes from ”The Very First Show”, a 1990 TV special that revolved around an unaired pilot. Hosted by daughter Lucie Arnaz, it goes for 48 minutes, two seconds and features notes from Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as well as writers Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Davis.

They offer some basics about the series’ roots. As for the pilot, it gives us the bones of what we’d later get but it comes with considerable differences like the absence of Ethel and Fred.

Given the plot revolves partly around Lucy’s attempts to get into show business, we find a theme that the series will pursue often. We also see Lucy’s patented form of crying and jokes about Ricky’s accent among other series staples.

In addition, under the “Episodes” domain of this disc, the “Unaired Pilot” can be viewed as either the 16mm kinescope used as the basis for “Show” or as a 35mm master kinescope (34:47) found for this Blu-ray.

“Very First Show” also offers 16 minutes, 39 seconds of outtakes from the Carroll and Davis interview session. We get some added notes from those two as well as unedited glimpses of the chat.

Originally created for a 1991 Criterion laserdisc, we find an audio commentary - or an audio documentary, as this set bills it. Taken from a variety of sources, we get a 59-minute, 35-second piece that runs over the “Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her” episode and other elements.

Here we find remarks from actors/producers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer, writers Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Davis, director William Asher, stage manager Herb Browar, TV historian Bart Andrews and actors Jerry Hausner, Doris Singleton and Mary Jane Croft.

The commentary looks at the origins and development of Lucy, cast and crew, aspects of the production, and overall thoughts related to the series. We get a fine set of insights in this consistently engaging compilation of remarks.

This domain also provides a one-screen text “profile” of Andrews. It feels superfluous.

Costume and Makeup Tests comes in a version with an intro and commentary from film historian Robert Osborne (9:56) as well as one that provides the silent raw footage (11:03). Both offer a good way to check out this early material, though it seems odd the Osborne edition lacks some of the shots in the sound-free presentation.

With a 1951 Promo, we get a 21-second ad. It’s awfully brief but it’s a fun way to see the very first stabs at advertising for the series.

Next comes Before and After, a two-minute, 12-second split-screen demonstration of the restoration work done for S1. It would work better with commentary but at least it shows the improvements.

Two Special Slide Shows arrive: “Rehearsing the Pilot” (seven screens) and “Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her” (18). Both offer some good shots from the sets.

More stills appear under Guest Cast Profiles. It gives us exceedingly brief notes about eight S1 participants.

Sponsor Talent does the same for four performers who appeared in ads incorporated into the series. Note that “Talent” will appear again and again, often with the same people. Production Notes gives us nine screens of basics.

Flubs splits into six clips and runs a total of three minutes, 11 seconds. Whereas I thought this area would bring bloopers, instead it points out continuity errors along with a mix of mistakes.

More “Flubs” will appear on subsequent discs so I won’t rate them when that happens. These are more interesting than expected, though viewers should watch them individually and not via “Play All”. That latter option removes text cards that explain what went wrong during the shoots.

A few audio only extras follow, and Lucy on the Radio offers two episodes of the My Favorite Husband radio show from 1950-1951. We find “The Wills” (29:37) and “Iris and Liz’s Easter” (29:40).

Husband offered an obvious precursor to I Love Lucy. Indeed, the TV series recycled many of the radio show’s stories.

We get bunches of these episodes across this set, so I won’t discuss each one beyond the title and running time. Suffice it to say that the Husband shows offer a terrific bonus.

An audio book featurette breaks into seven segments. These come from a 1999 tome about I Love Lucy called Laughs, Luck.. and Lucy written by series producer/head writer Jess Oppenheimer.

As read by Larry Dobkin, this disc’s seven segments split into “Lucy Loosens Up” (2:13) “Trying for Television” (4:17), “Making the Deal” (2:52), “The Premise” (1:01), “Writing the Pilot” (0:57). “0Casting Jerry” (1:18) and “The Perfect Title” (2:11).

As with the Husband radio programs, more excerpts from Laughs will appear across subsequent discs, so I won’t discuss my thoughts every time. These nuggets give us a lot of good stories and insights.

Disc One concludes with a Photo Gallery that features 19 publicity shots. It mostly lacks zing.

With that we head to Season One Disc Two, where we find three more episodes of My Favorite Husband. Here we get “Anniversary Presents” (25:03) “Numerology” (30:28) and “George Is Messy” (30:22).

Flubs brings two more clips. These span a total of 42 seconds.

More Guest Cast Profiles follow. Expect more short bios for 14 actors, and Sponsor Talent does the same for three performers who did ads. Meet Marc Daniels boasts a whopping two screens of text about the director.

Production Notes brings 10 screens of episode trivia. 16 more images appear under Photo Gallery, though these seem more interesting than those on Disc One.

On-Set Color Home Movies (3:19) comes from footage shot my a sneaky audience member at the session for “The Audition”. Because this segment intersperses clips from the episode, we don’t see much unique material, but this still seems like an interesting addition.

To expose younger viewers to the series who couldn’t stay up for its usual Monday night 9PM Eastern slot, CBS packaged reruns as The Sunday Lucy Show and aired them at 6PM those nights. This four-minute, 21-second segment lets us see its unique opening and closing segments.

As we move to Season One Disc Three and two more episodes of My Favorite Husband. Here we locate “Valentine’s Day” (24:58) and “Liz Has the Flimjabs” (29:39).

Two more Flubs appear. These go for 28 seconds.

Other staples complete the disc, so expect Guest Cast Profiles (nine actors), Sponsor Talent (four performers), and Photo Gallery (10 stills).

Production Notes comes with 10 more screens of info. It also provides two brief animated Christmas-themed bumpers for cigarettes.

Season One Disc Four offers only one episode of My Favorite Husband: “Liz Teachers the Samba” (29:01). Flubs covers four clips and fills a total of 58 seconds.

Guest Cast Profiles covers 13 performers and Sponsor Talent looks at three others. Photo Gallery brings 17 largely forgettable stills

Production Notes fills 11 screens. It also branches to there video clips with various tidbits.

On Season One Disc Five, My Favorite Husband produces a single episode: “The Marriage License” (24:56). Three Flubs takes up a total of one minute, 36 seconds.

With Guest Cast Profiles, we hear about 12 performers and Sponsor Talent examines three participants. Photo Gallery brings eight screens of banal images.

Production Notes fills 10 screens. We discover no added video this time but the comments merit a look.

S1D5 concludes with Clowning Around. It simply shows two photos of Jess Oppenheimer dressed like Harpo Marx. This probably should’ve been included elsewhere and not on its own.

This year of shows comes to a close via Season One Disc Six. We find four episodes of My Favorite Husband: “Selling Dresses” (30:24), “Quiz Show” (29:39), “Time Budgeting” (25:09), and “George Tries for a Raise” (29:46).

Excerpts from Laughs, Luck and Lucy come back. We locate “Writing the Freezer 1” (7:33 including some show clips), “Writing the Freezer 2” (5:13) and “Lucy Does A TV Commercial” (3:05).

More Flubs pop up. The two snippets occupy a total of 45 seconds. Guest Cast Profiles goes over 23 performers and Sponsor Talent hits on four participants. Photo Gallery gives us 12 more shots.

Production Notes fills 17 screens. We also get a one-minute, 19-second snippet that shows a tag for the season’s final episode which only got used once.

Alongside “Lucy Does a TV Commercial”, we get another audio commentary. This one involves writers Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Davis, stage manager Herb Browar, TV historian Bart Andrews and actors Jerry Hausner and Ross Elliott.

While Pugh Davis and Carroll pair, it appears all the others sat for separate running, screen-specific tracks that got edited together. The track covers aspects of the “Commercial” episode and gives us a fine overview of that show and connected domains.

Finally, Fancy Editing gives us two scenes that were altered for syndication. The rerun versions eliminated direct references to Phillip Morris.

As we head toward Season Two Disc One, “Job Switching” comes with three options in addition to the usual choices. For one, we get a Colorized Version (25:03) that looks thoroughly terrible.

The episode also appears via a French Canadian Version (25:01). Outside of opening/closing credits that differ some from the US editions, this seems less than fascinating.

Finally, “Switching” offers an audio commentary from the aforementioned 1991 Criterion LD. It continues to feature Asher, Pugh Davis, Carrol, Brower and Andrews.

Like the track for “Commercial:, this piece covers aspects of the particular episode as well as some other series-related facts. It winds up as another useful discussion.

Two more episodes of My Favorite Husband pop up here. We get “Liz & George Handcuffed” (29:37) and “Women’s Rights (Part 2)” (29:32).

Flubs offers four clips. These occupy a total of one minute, 42 seconds.

The usual Guest Cast Profiles (14 actors) and Sponsor Talent (1 performer) tidbits persist. Photo Gallery includes 24 shots.

Production Notes spans 18 screens. We also get one short video clip to show a goof in an episode.

With Flashbacks, we find five minutes, 52 seconds of footage. The disc doesn’t explain these, but it appears the segments were used for three episodes to set up flashback scenes.

A 1952 Promo runs one minute, 56 seconds. It offers a preview of the series’ second season.

Meet William Asher gives three screens of text about the director. Like the same feature for Marc Daniels, it’d make more sense under “Production Notes” than on its own.

A Missing Scene shows script pages for a sequence axed from “The Operetta” due to show length. This becomes a good addition.

S2D1 ends with ”The Handcuffs”: 1955 Repeat (Open and Close). It runs two minutes, 42 seconds and provides unique opening and closing footage used for the episode’s 1955 rebroadcast.

Season Two Disc Two provides only one episode of My Favorite Husband. We discover “Mrs. Cooper Thinks Liz Is Pregnant” (30:11).

Four more Flubs emerge. These go for one minute, 28 seconds.

Two more excerpts from Laughs, Luck and Lucy appear. We find Writing “Lucy’s Show Biz Swan Song” (3:26) and “Writing ‘Lucy Is Enceinte’ (11:55).

Expect more Guest Cast Profiles (19 actors) and Sponsor Talent (Johnny Roventini for the millionth time) screens. Photo Gallery includes 41 elements, so it fares better than most.

Production Notes spans 18 screens. No video accompaniment appears this time, though.

With Stars in the Eye, we get excerpts from a 1952 CBS variety show that involved parts of the Lucy cast. The kinescope looks terrible but this becomes intriguing footage nonetheless.

CBS Eyes goes for 14 seconds and show a unique version of the network’s iconic logo. It’s a minor addition but useful.

Lastly, Syndicated Version (Open and Close) occupies one minute, 12 seconds and presents one of the seemingly endless array of alternate credits. It doesn’t dazzle but it becomes another good archival addition.

Now we move to Season Two Disc Three and a single episode of My Favorite Husband. This time we get “Liz Becomes a Sculptress” (29:52).

We also get one more snippet from Laughs, Luck and Lucy. Simply called “Play”, it fills seven minutes, 10 seconds.

More Flubs? Of course, as we discover three more snippets that last a total of 43 seconds.

Inevitably, we find Guest Cast Profiles (24 actors) and Sponsor Talent (Johnny Roventini!) screens. Photo Gallery features 30 shots.

We follow with 13 screens of Production Notes. This section lacks video clips.

Five more Flashbacks occupy a total of 11 minutes, 42 seconds. These serve the same apparent purpose as the segments on the prior disc.

Welcome Little Ricky ran January 13, 1953 and offered a 47-second promo in which Phillip Morris welcomes the Arnaz baby. Heart Fund PSA brings a one-minute, eight-second appeal from Lucy and Desi that aired 3/23/53.

Finally, Meet Karl Freund brings four text screens abiut the cinematographer.

Season Two Disc Four supplies two more episodes of My Favorite Husband. We see “Liz Changes Her Mind” (29:42) and “Trying to Marry Off Peggy Martin” (30:24).

Under Flubs, we locate four more clips. These fill two minutes, six seconds.

Two more Flashbacks appear. These total two minutes, 49 seconds.

Anticipate additional Guest Cast Profiles (28 actors) and Sponsor Talent (3 performerss) screens. Photo Gallery includes 43 images.

Next we locate 14 screens of Production Notes. Don’t expect video this time.

Meet Richard and Ronald Lee Simmons gives us seven screens about the twins who played Little Ricky. A Special Baby Photo Gallery involves 13 stills of the infants with cast.

Aired 5/3/53, an Excerpt from The Red Skelton Show runs five minutes, 24 seconds. It pokes fun at all the merchandise that accompanied the success of I Love Lucy and becomes a fun addition.

Lastly, a Spanish Main Title fills 23 seconds. It simply offers an alternate title for other markets.

When we veer to Season Two Disc Five, one Flashback goes one minute, three seconds. Four Flubs total one minute, 38 seconds.

Staples round out the disc, with seven Guest Cast Profiles, two more from Sponsor Talent, and 41 shots in the Photo Gallery

Production Notes ends the disc with six screens of material. This area also provides two clips in which Lucy and Desi pimp cigarettes and announce the show’s replacement while the cast goes on vacation.

Season Three Disc One supplies three Flubs that total one minute, 59 seconds. Note that whereas S1 and S2 packaged the “Flubs” together, for S3 – and presumably the rest of the package – these clips get attached to their specific episodes.

One more episode of My Favorite Husband appears. We get “Liz Appears on Television” (30:05).

Under Special Footage, we find “Season 3 Promo” (1:39) and “Network Promo” (0:07). Sponsor Material spans three minutes, 32 seconds and tries to sell cigarettes.

We see more of Phillip Morris in the one-minute, 38-second Original Opening, as the brand leads into the series’ beginning.

Just listed as “Behind the Scenes”, we find one more Laughs, Luck and Lucy segment. It goes for six minutes, 54 seconds.

When we head to Season Three Disc Two, four more Flubs appear. These take up a total of two minutes, 23 seconds.

We get one My Favorite Husband program. This time we locate “Husbands Are Sloppy Dressers” (31:41).

Another Original Opening spans one minute, 14 seconds. Sponsor Material lasts three minutes, 43 seconds. Expect more shilling for smokes.

As we shift to Season Three Disc Three, we see two more Flubs that sum to one minute, 35 seconds. “The French Lessons” from My Favorite Husband lasts 28 minutes, 26 seconds.

Two Original Openings take up two minutes, 33 seconds. Sponsor Material splits into three segments that total three minutes, 20 seconds.

Special Footage goes for one minute, 48 seconds. It promotes the March of Dimes.

Season Three Disc Four comes with two more Flubs that add to one minute, 49 seconds. “Lucy’s Club Dance” also boasts a Lost Scene that runs two minutes, nine seconds. It actually just shows a “flashback” for a rerun.

We get “Trying to Cash the Prize Check” (30:13) from My Favorite Husband. This domain also provides one minute, 10 seconds of Radio Retakes due to a goof on the part of actor Frank Nelson.

Along with another Original Opening (2:05) and more Sponsor Material (2:28), S3D4 finishes with two minutes, 38 seconds of promos for Lucy and Desi’s 1954 feature film The Long Long Trailer.

We wrap this year with Season Three Disc Five and two more Flubs (one minute, two seconds). The “Hobbies” episode of My Favorite Husband occupies 29 minutes, 56 seconds.

Matters conclude with an additional Original Opening (0:27) and more Sponsor Material (2:11).

Season Four Disc One gives us Lost Scenes for “The Business Manager” (2:04) and “Mr. And Mrs. TV Show” (1:40). Both are fun to see.

More Flubs appear as well. We get two for a total of one minute, 14 seconds.

My Favorite Husband returns for one episode. “George Is Drafted/Liz’s Baby” spans 31 minutes, one second.

Entitled “Community Chest”, Special Footage (0:32) shows Lucy and Desi as they offer a PSA. We wrap with another Original Opening (0:38) and an Original Closing (1:05).

On Season Four Disc Two, we locate four more Flubs. These add up to two minutes, 25 seconds.

Next comes another episode of My Favorite Husband. “Reminiscing” spans 30 minutes, four seconds.

Special Footage (0:26) promotes a special “holiday gift carton” of ciggies that featured Lucy and Desi. More Original Opening (0:58) and Original Closing (0:53) footage wrap up this disc.

Here comes Season Four Disc Three and another four Flubs. These sum to two minutes, 56 seconds.

Called “Giveaway Program”, yet another broadcast of My Favorite Husband appears. It lasts 25 minutes, 33 seconds.

Along with an Original Opening (1:16), S4D3 finishes with another audio segment of Laughs, Luck and Lucy. This one fills four minutes, 30 seconds.

Season Four Disc Four barrels at us with four more Flubs (2:50). The “Lucy Substitutes in a Club Play” episode of My Favorite Husband goes for 30 minutes, 26 seconds.

S4D4 concludes with Original Opening (0:30), two Original Closings (1:48) and an “Olympic Fund” Special Footage spot (1:12).

We wrap up the year with Season Four Disc Five and three Flubs (1:30) as well as one Lost Scene from “The Star Upstairs” (1:20).

Along with one more Original Closing (0:59), Season Four wraps with another My Favorite Husband program. “George Attends a Teenage Dance” lasts 29 minutes, nine seconds.

Season Five Disc One gives us one Flub (0:36). Attached to the “Face to Face” episode, we find a bumper called The Top 10 I Love Lucy Shows. This acted as an intro to a rerun that indicated polls showed fans plaxced “Face” among their favorites.

In addition to Original Opening (0:55) and Original Closing (0:40), this platter concludes with more My Favorite Husband. “Liz’s Inferiority Complex” occupies 32 minutes, 50 seconds.

As we shift to Season Five Disc Two, we find three Flubs (1:31). Called “The Passports”, one My Favorite Husband show lasts 26 minutes, 52 seconds.

Expect more staples. We get an Original Opening (0:29), an Original Closing (1:06) and Special Footage (0:54) to promote a Christmas special.

Season Five Disc Three includes only one Flub (0:36). My Favorite Husband brings a show entitled “The Misunderstanding of the Black Eye” (29:39).

Along with an Original Opening (0:29), we get two Special Footage clips. These come for “Heart Fund PSA” (0:11) and “Forever, Darling Promo” (1:09).

Another years winds up with Season Five Disc Four and one Flub (0:23). My Favorite Husband gives us “Mrs. Cooper’s Boyfriend” (29:58).

Finally, we find one Original Opening (0:31) and one Original Closing (0:25).

The final year of I Love Lucy proper, Season Six Disc One comes with two Flubs (1:38). My Favorite Husband returns with an episode called “Anniversary” (30:03).

In addition to three Original Openings (1:31) and one Original Closing (0:56), S5D1 concludes with Special Footage (7:15). This offers a collection of clips used for summer reruns.

Season Six Disc Two provides three more Flubs (4:36) and two Original Closings (4:12). We also find a Colorized Version of “Lucy and the Loving Cup” that looks just as awful as “Job Switching” did.

An audio commentary for “Lucy and Superman” provides a running, screen-specific affair. Actors Doris Singleton, Richard Keith and Steven Kay all sit together, though it sounds like the track’s producers dropped in a few separate remarks as well.

For the most part, the participants look at the episode in question, though they offer some additional reflections as well. Unfortunately, we get only a few good insights, as most of the chat just offers laughter and happy talk.

Special Footage (2:03) actually offers a “lost scene” added to a rerun of “Ethel’s Birthday”. Finally, we locate the “Safety Drive” episode of My Favorite Husband (31:33).

Let’s head to Season Six Disc Three and three more Flubs (one minute, 47 seconds). We also get one Original Opening (2:23) and two Original Closings (2:10).

Sponsor Material (2:16) features two ads. My Favorite Husband offers “Liz Cooks Dinner for 12” (30:31).

Season Six Disc Four brings two additional Flubs (1:38). We also get two Original Opening (3:13) and two Original Closings (3:11).

Another Special Footage area provides “Lost Flashback” (1:25). Two episodes of My Favorite Husband follow: “Liz and the General” (28:40) and “Young Matrons League Tryout” (29:51).

As we plow through the three years of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour - which this set treats as “Seasons Seven, Eight and Nine” – Disc One comes with three more Flubs (1:30). We also find threeOpenings and Closings (1:54) for “Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana”.

Special Footage brings three clips. We get “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour Promo #1” (0:15), “Desilu Playhouse Promo” (0:55) and “Summer Rerun Sponsor Material” (2:14).

Disc Two gives us one Flub (0:35) as well as Christmas Rebroadcast Footage (4:40). Special Footage provides “Desilu/Westinghouse Sponsor Presentation” (38:25), a special shown to Westinghouse dealers that tours Desilu studios and discusses future TV shows in a great addition to the set.

Disc Three – aka “Season Eight” – offers two more Flubs (0:52). Desi-Lucy Fiesta of Values (1:48) provides a Westinghouse ad, and “Lucy Makes Room for Danny” offers another Westinghouse Promo (2:33). We end with “Comedy Hour Promo #2” (1:03).

Finally, Disc Four – or “Season Nine” – boasts one last Flub (2:06). We also get more Westinghouse Sponsor Material (1:32).

Seven minutes, 32 seconds of Eye on CBS wrap the set. Hosted by Raymond Burr in character as Perry Mason with appearances by Ball and Vance as themselves - but really Lucy/Ethel – we find previews of CBS’s Friday night lineup. Though it loses the show clips, it still becomes an interesting piece.

Though I admit I’ll never actually love I Love Lucy, I can find charms across the series’ run. Of course the episodes offer up and down comedy, but they generally show cleverness and spark. The Blu-rays provide pretty good picture and audio along with a nice roster of bonus features. I Love Lucy fans should feel very happy with this nice package.