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ME-TV Adds The Lucy Show


Harrison

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  • 5 months later...
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What is the point of watching anything on TV once it gets a DVD release? I hate advertisements so I much prefer not having to worry about that and just enjoy shows at my own pace. Broadcast television is pointless except for live events. Online streaming and physical media is the way to go.

Because some of us old fogies are so accustomed to watching "real" TV that it's pretty much second nature and what we're in the habit of doing! ;)  :vanda:

 

Don't get me wrong though, between the capabilities of DVR-ing and being able to watch what I want on demand, the ability to zip through ads, having entire TV series available to stream be it through Hulu, Netflex and other online sources and finally, to be able to rent/buy/collect them whether season-by-season or in their "Complete Series" (my preference) collections on DVD and now Blu-Ray, believe me I not only hear you kid but if I had my way, I'd never leave the house!!!   :HALKING:

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What is the point of watching anything on TV once it gets a DVD release? I hate advertisements so I much prefer not having to worry about that and just enjoy shows at my own pace. Broadcast television is pointless except for live events. Online streaming and physical media is the way to go.

 

Well, some genres of television don't get a DVD release and if they did it (such as the news), it would be somewhat pointless to have it. So that's a reason to watch actual TV. Another reason could be showing support for a program or trying to preserve its television legacy. For me, I do this with I Love Lucy.

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Currently Me-TV's website is streaming some first season episodes of The Lucy Show. However, they are the syndicated versions that Me-TV broadcasts when they actually air the show. They are also streaming episodes of, among others, The Mothers in Law and The Doris Day Show. http://metvnetwork.com/videos

Ah, the CBS daytime repeats, complete with monochrome kaleidoscope opening.

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  • 9 months later...

Me-TV is running a "Deck the Halls" medley commercial for upcoming Christmas episode airings and includes "Together for Christmas" which I assume is going to run some time between now and Christmas.   The commercial only featured clips of the "Deck the Halls" singing: Andy Griffith, Mary Tyler Moore, Petticoat junction, Beverly Hillbillies.  I wonder if ME will also run "Choir Master".  Though I love both Christmas episodes, I have a little more of a sentimental attachment to "Choir", because during the CBS morning years 1968-72, CBS took this one out of the rotation and saved it for an annual Christmas morning showing.

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  • 10 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Here we are nearly a year later and Together for Christmas is actually scheduled to air November 17th at 9:30pm. Apparently MeTV is starting even earlier this year with their Christmas episodes.

"But Auntie Mame, it's one week till Thanksgiving Day now..."

 

"Together for Christmas" did indeed run on Me last night.  Maybe they'll run it again when it gets closer to Christmas along with 1965's "Choir".    "Together"'s opening credits were the black and white kalaidescope with "co-starring Vivian Vance inserted---which means this print came from the original CBS morning run edits.   During the 4 years of TLS at 9am M-F, the same opening credits were run throughout, the ones that came from the 6th season, which is differentiated by the substituted glamour shot at the end---and with "Co-starring Gale Gordon" for the 4th through 6th.  It wasn't until YEARS later that I got to see the original seasons 1-3 opening credits.  As I've stated before, The Lucy Show credits were among the most creative, visually and musically, of any on television.

There's a naturalness to "Together".  This Lucy Carmichael is a genuine human being.  The later Lucy Carmichael, while she could be very funny, had acquired more of a "performing" style, most evident in the 6th season.   The writing was so much better in these early epsiodes, including the most memorable "goose-eating, package peeker" line  but also the lines given to the butcher  played by Joseph Mell (who always turns in a good performance). "Hey! Why don't you stuff the turkey with a goose?" and in answer to Lucy's question about what he has for Xmas dinner "Whatever I'm stuck with.  Last year it was ox tails."  Perfect example of BBB&M writing where the jokes come from the character and not from the "Cap'n Josefsburg's Whiz Bang" book of generic material.

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"Choir master" is scheduled to air on Christmas night as an alternate to the Andy Griffith Christmas episode. If a local station in your area already has the rights to air Andy than Lucy will be shown. What I'm looking forward to is the Thanksgiving episode of Our Miss Brooks airing next Wednesday at 9pm and a Christmas episode airing December 21 at 9:30pm.

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Great...I wonder if this means they've done transfers of Our Miss Brooks from the original 35mm negatives.

Both of these episodes are from the 2nd season.

Was Our Miss Brooks a bona fide Desilu production?  As opposed to space renters like "Danny Thomas" or co-producers like "Ann Sothern" (with AnSo Productions).

Amazing how ignored the classics of 50s TV have been.  Other than Lucy, Bilko, Mr. Peepers and Honeymooners, I don't know that any 50s sitcom had any restored release.  There are plenty of 16mm transfers out there.  Have these shows fallen into public domain?

"Peepers" is a delight----kinescopes of live broadcasts.  The series ran 3 years (opposite Jack Benny alternating with Private Secretary) but only 2 season have been released.  Evidently sales were not brisk enough to warrant the 3rd season release.  If it's worth their time and investment to release "Hank" from 1965, you'd think someone could put some time into the early classics. 

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Imagine ANY plot from the 6th season being done in the first.  That'll give you a feel for how far the show moved from its original premise.

"Miss Tanner's nephew (played by special guest star Frankie Avalon) is being forced by his hissing aunt to go into the banking business so Lucy Carmichael stages a big musical in the bank lobby which convinces "our Miss Tanner" that show business is in her nephew's blood."

"But Auntie Mame, it's one week till Thanksgiving Day now..."

 

"Together for Christmas" did indeed run on Me last night.  Maybe they'll run it again when it gets closer to Christmas along with 1965's "Choir".    "Together"'s opening credits were the black and white kalaidescope with "co-starring Vivian Vance inserted---which means this print came from the original CBS morning run edits.   During the 4 years of TLS at 9am M-F, the same opening credits were run throughout, the ones that came from the 6th season, which is differentiated by the substituted glamour shot at the end---and with "Co-starring Gale Gordon" for the 4th through 6th.  It wasn't until YEARS later that I got to see the original seasons 1-3 opening credits.  As I've stated before, The Lucy Show credits were among the most creative, visually and musically, of any on television.

There's a naturalness to "Together".  This Lucy Carmichael is a genuine human being.  The later Lucy Carmichael, while she could be very funny, had acquired more of a "performing" style, most evident in the 6th season.   The writing was so much better in these early epsiodes, including the most memorable "goose-eating, package peeker" line  but also the lines given to the butcher  played by Joseph Mell (who always turns in a good performance). "Hey! Why don't you stuff the turkey with a goose?" and in answer to Lucy's question about what he has for Xmas dinner "Whatever I'm stuck with.  Last year it was ox tails."  Perfect example of BBB&M writing where the jokes come from the character and not from the "Cap'n Josefsburg's Whiz Bang" book of generic material.

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I think "Miss Brooks" was a full Desilu production, not entirely sure. According to the CBS Syndication Bible, new high def syndication masters were recently made of the show. Rumor is that MeTV will be adding it to its schedule at some point.

 

Here's a link to the syndication bible, interesting stuff: http://syndicationbible.cbstvd.com/whnjs.htm

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I'm veering off topic a bit but it's about ME and their Christmas offerings.  They gave us a "Doris Day Show" Christmas episode from season 3 with a rather large supporting cast: Paul Smith (this show's Ted Baxter), McLean Stevenson and Rose Marie from her workplace; and Billy DeWolfe, Bernie Kopell, Kaye Ballard and Carol Worthington as Doris's "kookie" neighbor from home.  Also "Buck" Doris's father comes in from the now unseen ranch.  And Doris's two boys who are gone the next season along with this entire supporting cast except for DeWolfe and Kaye.  However, Kaye only did a total of 10 Doris Day shows in all according to imdb.  

There is nothing really wrong with TDDS, but there's nothing really right about either.   Completely unmemorable television.  Few (if ANY) laughs but no real groans either.  It's interesting to note that TDDS didn't become a hit until its 2nd season when it became part of CBS's Monday night comedy block following Here's Lucy and Mayberry and the lead-in to Carol Burnett.  For its last 2 seasons, it immediately followed Here's Lucy when the latter moved to 9:00.

Our televisions in 1970 weren't anywhere near as sharp as they are today, but Doris's soft-focus shots make Lucy's Mame look like Hi-Def!  Though I can't remember actually seeing a DDS, I must have.  I certainly don't remember the soft focus shots.

The last season of DDS placed "out of the top 30" but Doris was ready to leave anyway, having fulfilled the 5-year contract her husband committed her to, right before he died in 1968. 

The Doris Day Show ratings rankings 30,10,20,23, and lower than 30.

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