Why "Life With Lucy" 1986 Bombed

[@TonyBoyOhBoy]

FYI I tried to improve a picture at 6:10 that was pretty blurry so I ran it through a program that was supposed to improve it. Clearly, it didn't! 🤣 Lucy didn't turn into an alien or a child,.

[@devontehuntley6274]

Why not just find a clearer picture. There is lots of them online from the show behind the scenes. Why even bother using it anyway for the video when it makes Lucy look so...not herself. I for the life of me was wondering who the heck that was to even be.

[@TonyBoyOhBoy]

@@devontehuntley6274 Unfortunately, once it's posted, there's no way to change it.

[@devontehuntley6274]

@@TonyBoyOhBoy I mean before posting it when you were still editing this thing together.

[@maxbedo9645]

I think it's the stand in....not Lucy.

[@devontehuntley6274]

@@maxbedo9645 What stand in. There needs to be no stand in for that scene.

[@jasonpalacios2705]

The truth is that all those Lucy shows didn't have the spark like the I Love Lucy show had because when both Lucy and Desi divorced in 1960, their spark were no more.

[@A2D4]

I don’t think the divorce was the reason the shows flopped. Lucy didn’t know when to quit. Seeing a woman her age in zany, silly situations (physical comedy) just looked ridiculous. I was embarrassed for her. Dragging out what worked 30 yrs prior & expect the same success was a misplaced & mistaken assumption.

[@jasonpalacios2705]

@@A2D4 That too but the divorce played a big part of it because after the divorce,the I Love Lucy era came to a close.

[@jackiemartin9737]

I have a copy of the pilot episode of I love Lucy. Fred and Ethel were not in that pilot and I thought it was not funny at all. It was the combination of the four that made it comedy gold.

[@jasonpalacios2705]

@@jackiemartin9737 Oh yes I seen it before and it wasn't funny but interesting.

[@Mcfreddo]

The chair gag was over exaggerated. She could have done it as in, may be as the chair ate her by folding up some but do it in one movement, but not severely, as the comedic value would be in her expression in a depreciating way. I.e., get the British to write it. It'll have greater depth. And don't try snd act young, I agree.

[@StefenTower]

If the show was designed with John Ritter as her son, even with a similar premise it would have worked. As far as I know, they adored each other and the chemistry would have been amazing.

[@TurbidTG1]

Having her and him as mother and son would have been great. Perhaps he recently divorced and she was recently widowed so she moves in with him or vice versa and they get caught up in their own shenanigans. Like she embarrasses him in front of a date or her new boyfriend tricks him into a scheme where later it turns he’s an elder gentleman who has a history of trying to swindle older widows out of their money or something like that.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@TurbidTG1 Lucy did appear on an Special Hour Long episode of Three's Company: that aired in season 6. Near the ending John Ritter as himself interacts with Lucille Ball. 🤗📺📼👍

[@melodysledgister2468]

@@TurbidTG1You should have been the writer! 😃

[@americantoycoon9206]

@@TurbidTG1 Anything would have been better than what they produced. It's like they really had nothing to offer audiences except for Lucille Ball but a comedian is only as good as their material. "I Love Lucy" is still infinitely re-watchable because the writing is sharp. The direction, on point. The actors are performing these gags for the first time and the comedy is fresh and tight. The perfect ensemble cast. It's virtually impossible to capture lightning in a bottle twice in a lifetime.

[@map3384]

Even Ritters brand of slapstick comedy was old and faded by 1986.

[@lawyer1165]

Watching that fourth series was painful because Lucy and her writers were still doing 1950s humor even after “All In The Family” had broken so many comedy barriers. On the other hand, I still enjoy watching “I Love Lucy” because its 1950s humor is appropriate.

[@WendyKS93]

@lawyer1165 I agree. However, like you I still love to watch the old episodes of I Love Lucy. Life With Lucy was extremely painful to see.

[@basilmanolakos4926]

Lucy did NOT approve of Archie Bunker's brand of comedy and his constant bickering with his daughter and the Meathead. She had said on several occasions that wanted no part of controversial comedy, the Norman Lears and such. I don't blame her as why does everything have the need for a message, political or otherwise?

[@basilmanolakos4926]

Because she was getting older and had been away for top long.

[@garymattscheck9066]

With "Here's Lucy",especially after Norman Lear came in with his shows,the characters seemed irrelevant.

[@lawyer1165]

@@basilmanolakos4926 Situation comedies are not required to have a message, political or otherwise, but they must be funny. The public’s sense of what’s funny changes over time. How many TV viewers today will laugh at mother-in-law jokes, which were very popular in the 1940s and 1950s? I suppose that viewers simply tire of watching and hearing the same old thing.

[@kirkhassett8726]

In addition to the problems with this show covered in the video and in the comments, there’s another one to consider. Lucille had always valued the input of her audience when doing the dress rehearsals for each episode, going back to the days of I Love Lucy. If the rehearsal audience didn’t laugh at or get a certain joke or physical gag, she would want that out of the script right away, and replaced or re-written before the taping. Sadly, this strategy proved to work against her for Life With Lucy (and to be honest, probably with much of Here’s Lucy, as well). These audiences were seeing their favorite star, the Queen of Comedy, right there in front of them in person. They were all rooting for Lucy to do well, of course, and so they laughed at EVERYTHING, even if the gags didn’t land. So she lost that valued gauge, that had forced her and her writers to do better…

[@NextWorldVR]

​@iancole931 An interesting tidbit of related info: Occasionally in some shows made around 1977-1981 in the laugh track, I can hear Lucy's very distinctive laugh and voice! Very often in Family Affair and the show called 'FAMILY' (Both can be watched for free on TubiTV !)

[@akrenwinkle]

@iancole931 I believe the longer ILL went on through the years, the more it had to rely on automated yuck-yucks. Just my opinion, everything changed- and not for the better- after the birth of Little Ricky. All the funny stuff ground to a halt when someone asked where he was, reassuring the audience he wasn't left alone. Don't worry, Mrs. Trumbull is watching him. Now, where were we...? Oh yes, being funny.

[@Attmay]

Those episodes were never my favorites, and I can see why the writers wanted a change of scenery. It’s hard to write for babies and toddlers because they can’t remember lines because they can’t read yet. Real children are naturally spontaneous, and it’s hard to translate that to a script and make it work.

[@jn8ive60]

Little Ricky was born in the middle of the second season of "I Love Lucy". The show ran for six seasons. Are you really saying that only one and a half seasons of the six season show were funny? I agree that a child didn't really fit into the series, and that most mothers are not lucky enough to have a Mrs. Trumbull to always step in so that Mom can have tons of freedom, so in that regard it was unrealistic, but the comedy "ground to a halt" because of that? Hardly@@akrenwinkle

[@akrenwinkle]

@@jn8ive60 I meant certain scenes- plenty of them- stopped in their tracks to explain where LR was so that some concerned citizen in Akron or Yakima didn't call Child Protective Services. The writers were canny enough to know LR was dead weight and so came up with ways to explain him away without having to stop the action. For examples, long domestic road trips and touring European cities without him. This enabled the quartet to return to the original concept and let the audience temporarily forget LR existed. Also, there were sexy things that Lucy and RIcky could no longer do. Once they became parents, some things seemed inappropriate. They had to grow up.

[@falcon664]

I've watched all four series, and it seems to me that something was lost in each one. There was a natural flow to I Love Lucy. Ethel comes in, Lucy says "Hey girl," Ethel picks up and nibbles on a half piece of toast. There was a relaxed, natural flow that real friends have which came through. The Lucy Show, (almost two series, Danfield versus LA), lost some of that charm and Lucy became more exaggerated and played more to the camera. Here's Lucy ended up with Lucy and the kids hollering toward each other displaying unnatural, clunky movements. Gale Gordon was mostly his old self which helped. The last series was just a mess on the levels mentioned.

[@HarleyKatz]

I totally agree. Excellent analysis.

[@doct0rnic]

I still think her best show was the Lucy Desi comedy hour

[@bobpierce115]

You're talking about the 13 hour-long '57-'60 followup series, and not the '51-'57 series? @@doct0rnic

[@tj10017]

I always felt that, in the series that followed "I Love Lucy," she was trying too hard. The original series was much more relaxed, as you noted, and thus more enjoyable to watch. Plus, we knew that whatever trouble Lucy might get herself into, Ricky would still be there for her. It's a shame that didn't prove to be true in real life. I wonder if the collapse of her marriage was one reason why she was trying so hard -- too hard -- in later series, as if she felt she had something to prove. While "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy" certainly had their moments, they pale in comparison to "I Love Lucy."

[@ptlovefit]

Agreed 🎉!

[@rongendron8705]

I'm 77 & watched "I Love Lucy" as a child, from its beginning in 1951! Don't forget, Lucy was 40 when that show started & was unusually energetic, throughout her life! However, in the 1980's, audiences were not used to seeing septuagenarians doing slapstick comedy! More recently, we are seeing actresses, e.g. Betty White, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin,etc. still performing, into their 80's

[@bryanismyname7583]

Actually, if Lucy had taken a cue from "The Golden Girls," she could have some up with a better concept for her show. Older women were getting good ratings in shows, like "Murder, She Wrote" (1984 - 1996) for example. If she had toned down the physical aspect, centered the show around a more interesting family and gotten more diverse writers, she could have had another hit show.

[@trawlins396]

Imo her age had very little to do w it. The writing was terrible. But I agree that she definitely should not have tried to do slapstick as a woman in her 80s.

[@trawlins396]

​@@bryanismyname7583exactly. The fact that she was still attempting physical comedy at her age was a horrible idea.

[@k.robertrichardson6779]

@@bryanismyname7583 The example of Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote is especially significant, since it ties in with the Mame embarrassment that had haunted Lucy for a decade by this point. In both Mame and their 1980s television shows, we can see the somewhat-younger (but still mature) Angela Lansbury tastefully doing a project which was perfect for both her and the audience ... and the borderline-decrepit Lucy trying to pull her persona out of mothballs one more time, for a project that isn't a great fit, in front of an audience that wants to be supportive but is kind of uncomfortable with the whole idea.

[@millerscuba1]

@@bryanismyname7583 Very well said. I was thinking the same thing about Golden Girls and Murder, She Wrote. Maybe if Life with Lucy had aired in syndication, like Mama's Family at the time, it would've been given a chance to develop and improve.

[@Srs-zb5qx]

Poor Lucy. Her nurse that was the last person to see her alive said the night before she died “she saw the fuss on the news and people outside the hospital gathering for her and the tv said we love Lucy and she started to cry. God let Lucy know that she was loved and then he took her”

[@PerspectiveEngineer]

Where?

[@Srs-zb5qx]

@@PerspectiveEngineer ???

[@garyfrancis6193]

I never loved her.

[@Srs-zb5qx]

@@garyfrancis6193 good for you. U want a cookie 🍪

[@JesusismyRock773]

@@PerspectiveEngineer Well, if Lucy believed in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, repented of her sins, and asked Him into her heart to lead and guide her, she is definitely in heaven. If not, she is in hell.

[@Derpy1969]

Society changed. Lucy didn’t.

[@markelijio6012]

Lucy never changed her attitude. But she's no longer working as a legend. Ever.

[@hebneh]

When this bomb was on TV, a friend of mine who was a big Lucy fan told me how terrible it was - embarrassing to watch.

[@shrapnel77]

John Ritter was great at physical comedy. Some of the stunts he did on Three's Company were well choreographed.

[@FunboyMacphallush]

I really respect Lucy's work ethic and devotion to comedy.

[@ArchibaldBagge]

Lucille Ball is just embarrassing.

[@FunboyMacphallush]

@@ArchibaldBagge "WUUUUAAAAHHHHH" - Lucille Ball

[@clarkkent1356]

It's sad when great performers don't know when to hang it up. I remember Life with Lucy being sad to watch. It reminds me of Jay Leno's joke about the crew of the Enterprise getting so old that the only place they could boldly go was Florida.

[@georgfriedrichhandel4390]

It also reminds me of an episode on the original Odd Couple when Felix tries to help Myrna, Oscar's secretary, become a dancer so he arranges an audition for her with an old producer called Franklin Lang. When her debut flops, Oscar asks Felix, "I thought (Franklin) was making a comeback" and Felix replies, "He came back but nobody cared." I believe the same is true with Lucille Ball. By this time, audiences just didn't find her funny anymore.

[@tammylewis2408]

I remember an interview back in the 70s that Lucy wanted to end Here's Lucy because she said "she was too old to run around like an idiot," and knew that sitcoms changed dramatically within the last few years between 1968 and 1974 (when Here's Lucy ran). The public wanted sitcoms that represented real life, such as All in the Family, Maude, M*A*S*H, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time, and Lucy knew her brand of comedy was passe, so she bowed out. However, with the 80s came sitcoms such as Cheers, Cosby, and Full House, which were family-oriented, and the executives wanted to bring Lucy out of retirement by making her an offer she couldn't refuse. Unfortunately, it was doomed from the start between the writing and the casting. But people are forgetting that around the time Life With Lucy was airing/canceled, Desi Arnaz Sr. died, and Lucy was devastated by his death. Even though they had been divorced for over 25 years and remarried other people, they were still there for one another and for their children. I strongly believe the cancellation and Desi's death caused her health to deteriorate leading to her death several years later.

[@Attmay]

Those shows didn’t represent real life at all, except perhaps to those who confuse realism with literalism, and that supposed “revolution“ fizzled out almost as quickly as it began. Even so, *The Mary Tyler Moore Show* made a better case for it. But as for *Cheers* being a family show, hardly. As abysmal as it was, though, *Full House* would not be on for another year, so it had no influence on this show.

[@fromthesidelines]

"FULL HOUSE" became the successful "family sitcom" for ABC that "LIFE WITH LUCY" wasn't (it lasted eight seasons), paving the way for other "sappy" comedies to follow.

[@Attmay]

And because of that, every sitcom that wasn’t from their producers got pushed off of ABC’s Friday night lineup. Meanwhile, another more lasting revolution in situation comedy was taking place: the normalization of dysfunctional families starting with *Married with Children,* which began on Fox between those two shows.

[@fromthesidelines]

Nobody believed "MARRIED WITH CHILDREN" would last. Nobody believed the Fox network itself would last. And yet.......

[@markelijio6012]

@@fromthesidelines Full House was ABC’s biggest hit in television history which last for an amazing eight seasons on the air after Life with Lucy bombed very badly.

[@dannycarrington1601]

Larry Gelbart, who had produced M*A*S*H, expressed interest in producing a series for Ball but she declined, preferring to use writers and crew members who had been with her since _I Love Lucy_ and earlier (some had worked with her in radio on _My Favorite Husband_ ). They didn't help Lucy by surrounding her with the blandest family imaginable.

[@Attmay]

Their idea of “changing with the times” meant Lucy jogging in sweatsuits and drinking fruit juice smoothies with wheat germ: i.e. what the 1980s considered healthy but was really in hindsight as big a con as Vitameatavegamin and its 23% alcohol.

[@k.robertrichardson6779]

I wonder if the bland supporting cast was Lucy shooting herself in the foot while trying to make sure that she wouldn't run the risk of being outshone by anyone else (which we all know, whether the official story admits it or not, is the real reason why Madeline Kahn was let go from the role of the nanny in Mame). In both cases, Lucy's pride stopped her from allowing herself to be surrounded with an ensemble who could have pulled their weight in the project and helped support it as a whole.

[@TheNameisPlissken1981]

Larry Gelbart was a lot more than just the producer of MASH. The guy wrote Tootsie and Oh, God! He started on Your Show of Shows with Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Carl Reiner. He was the showrunner on MASH for the first five years (when it was great), wrote the funniest episodes and made that show a hit. He has always wanted to work with Lucy because she was the one big time performer that he never wrote for. But I think that is what frightened Lucy. She chose Carroll and Davis because they were the safe bet and she knew them, felt comfortable with them. Even though one of them was really ill at the time and not doing their best work, Lucy still picked them over Gelbart?! Shame. Larry Gelbart helped resurrect George Burns career in the 70s with Oh, God. Perhaps, he could have done the same with Lucy in the 1980s.

[@moogooguypan2514]

Lucy was the best, but this show was the worst. I didn’t pack, but I wasn’t expecting humiliating drivel coming from the queen of comedy. It wasn’t funny. She wasnt funny, the scripts weren’t funny. The performances were dull and the supporting cast: barely existent at all. Larry Gelbart would’ve been the ideal writer and producer for this show. And I don’t believe people were worried about her getting hurt, they were worried about not seeing anything funny or hearing anything funny for a half an hour. Sad.😅

[@georgfriedrichhandel4390]

Television shows are like everything else; those that fail to evolve die out.

[@JanetStarChild]

Seeing John Ritter as a guest actor, it made me think how well Lucille Ball could be in a role similar to Helen Roper; less slapstick and more biting satire.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Lucille Ball hosted an hour long tribute to Three's Company.

[@warp9p659]

I'm probably in the minority, but my favorite of all of Lucy's television shows was "The Lucy Show", Seasons 1 to Season 3, when Vivian Vance co-starred and the show was set in Danfield. I have laughed and laughed and laughed and then laughed some more watching those episodes!

[@herecomesforego1787]

Yeah that's funny, over time I've come to appreciate those and even Heres Lucy more than the original... Although of course all of them are excellent anyway you look at them.. I think it was because I was born in 1960 and the latter two were contemporary

[@J-50s60smusic]

Hi, I also love THE LUCY SHOW seasons 1 to 3 with Vivian Vance when it was set in Danfield. It is my favorite of her series also and was in the top 10 every week during the 6 year run of the show from 1962 to 1968. Lucy won 2 Emmy's in a row for this show in 1967 and 1968. Millions of people had to have watched it every week to make it such a successful show. The first season was the best and my very favorite.

[@David-yw2lv]

I liked it also.

[@joejoe9435]

producers wanrted the M A S H writers but Ball wanted to use the writers from her earlier shows..Big mistake

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Lucille Ball didn't want to change with the times.

[@ascent8487]

@@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hcI agree. I love her but I believe she wasn’t understanding that what she had previously offered audiences wasn’t quite what they wanted anymore. She needed to evolve and I believe she could have, had she come to terms with that reality. But oh, the wonderful gift she managed to leave us all with can not be diminished by a few misjudgments in the latter part of her career. I will always Love Lucy.

[@paulgrimaldi1751]

Ball was old when she was very disappointed with All in the Family.

[@bugpal]

Any Lucy shows after "I Love Lucy" were far inferior. Too slapstick, to dependent on goody faces, unrealistic plot lines and pushing new talent on us. It was often so lame it was cringey.😊

[@map3384]

She was loyal to her people. Ball hadn’t realized comedy in America had moved on. Even Ritters form of slapstick comedy was past it by 1986.

[@johnharris3362]

Once something is done and done right it's hard to recapture the magic again.

[@julianmarsh8384]

I remember reading that William Powell had quit making pictures after Mr. Roberts...he said it was due to his age and a changing Hollywood: said something about if he hung around any longer, they'd be having him play Elvis Presley's grandfather....he was one of the few, apparently, who knew when to call it a day. Lucy didn't.

[@Attmay]

Lucy already retired from making movies for theaters when *Mame* proved to be a box-office failure. Between her last two TV series, she mostly made TV specials except for a TV movie called *Stone Pillow* about a homeless woman in New York City. But she was able to successfully come back to television in a way that Mary Tyler Moore couldn’t after her eponymous 1970s sitcom ended.

[@daviddavidson8050]

I had no idea that this show even existed! Love Lucille Ball! God bless.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Her last TV show was not on long enough for anyone to remember.

[@danielbullock4703]

Another thing that is overlooked is the fact all this happened the same time as Desi was dying. Despite everything that happened, she still loved him, that had to also had to affect her work as well.

[@rockyracoon3233]

She never stopped loving him and he her. As much as they couldn't be together, they could never be apart.

[@piscesempress1978]

They were soulmates.@@rockyracoon3233

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Lucille Ball should have quit when her career was on top.

[@markelijio6012]

You're right. She's gonna stop doing these things for her good and that's why she should focus on her health before her death in 1990.

[@Juice_Lover123]

​@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc She did. And then suddenly people were looking for her to return. ABC approached HER. Then Aaron Spelling came for her, who was a huge name in the 80s. She had no intention of returning but she was convinced. Aaron Spelling later admitted he had no idea how to do sitcoms as he'd only done serial dramas to that point.

[@willshad]

She wasn't even 'young' in the original Love Lucy series..she was already in her 40s.

[@steve3131]

Maybe that's why she kept trying to repeat the success of "I Love Lucy". She was a Hollywood film actress for almost 20 years before television elevated her to first tier stardom.

[@tubester4567]

@@steve3131 Yep her first movie was 1933!! She was there at the very start of Hollywood. She must have been around 20. She was already a veteran when she started her comedy show in the 50's. Incredible life really.

[@blockcl]

The fact that Lucy was competing with herself in reruns only made it worse.

[@RLucas3000]

How to make Life with Lucy a hit: 1) Hire John Ritter to be a co-star, he could be her grandson she goes to live with 2) cast Joyce DeWitt as John’s wife on the show 3) give Lucy (Rose) a supporting cast of other funny older ladies she could play off of, friends and neighbors. Mary Wicks (Dorothy or Blanche) comes to mind. Eve Arden (Dorothy or Blanche) as well. 4) Episodes could be split so one week John had the A story, the next week Lucy did. Lots of witty verbal comedy among the ladies, a la Golden Girls. Let John handle most of the physical comedy and Lucy very rarely, and not dangerous. More like the candy factory. 5) They can put a couple of cute moppets, for some heartwarming moments, but we don’t need to see them too much. (Maybe a special episode where their doggie passes and Lucy has to explain in a loving way.) 6) close to Thanksgiving or Christmas, Lucy’s daughter and son-in-law (John’s parents) come to visit, and their played by The Ropers! 7) John probably needs a buddy to play off of for some episodes, not sure who to cast?

[@shaunsteele6926]

John Ritter her grandson? more like her son I would think, he was 38 at the time

[@susietorres8600]

Robin Williams!

[@markelijio6012]

@@susietorres8600 Nice Try!

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Sorry, it wouldn't work because Lucille Ball's comedy magic was gone.

[@markelijio6012]

Like I said, nothing works. And your talent and career is over, you're gonna stop for what you're doing.

[@MatthewPippin]

The episode with Audrey Meadows as her sister has some wonderful comedy bits in it and you can see our Lucy playing with someone she deserved to be playing with. I agree with you that the supporting players weren't up to snuff, especially the children, and the one that played her daughter. I think the show would have found its stride had the viewership hung on. However, watching it recently, it really is amazing how standards for comedy have changed. Life with Lucy isn't as terrible as others remember it to be.

[@marilynwillett804]

No, you have to know when to call it quits with dignity, even comedy. It's best to leave 'em wanting more. I'm glad I never watched that geriactric production. I still have my old movies ''Long Long Trailor'' and ''Forever Darling''.

[@agnesgrep1970]

Audrey Meadows' appearance was so well received that the producers wanted to make her a regular but she declined because she and Ball did not get along, not the first time Lucy ran off a potential new sidekick. Joan Blondell was signed for what was intended to be a recurring role as Lucy's neighbor on "The Lucy Show" but Ball openly berated her on set after her second episode wrapped and "Joan Brenner" disappeared without further mention.

[@fromthesidelines]

Same with Ann Sothern, her long-time friend. She made several appearances as "Countess Framboise" {aka Rosie} during season three and four's episodes of "THE LUCY SHOW", but there was a disagreement between them after she filmed "Lucy Helps the Countess" [November 8, 1965]......and Ann never appeared with Lucy again.

[@jhhone]

Gordon had retired in an attempt to lure him back to series television he requested and received his payday upfront of 24 episodes. Very shrewd on his part since he was paid for 11 episodes that were not made.

[@jn8ive60]

I feel the episode with Audrey Meadows was just way too unrealistic and forced. Why would you just stand there with your hands at your side and WAIT for your sister to pipe cake frosting onto your face, doing nothing to try to stop her? Once you've done that to your sister, how would you be unaware that she's moving a cake onto a chair, and then why would you allow her to position you in front of the chair and then do nothing to try to stop her when she pushes you down on top of it? After you've done that, why would you just stand there and allow your sister to put frosting into your hand and then do nothing to stop her when she pushes your hand up into your face?

[@devontehuntley6274]

Watching all thirteen episodes of this last incarnation, there was really NOTHING wrong with it. I thought it was on par with what we saw in the successor shows before as far as the comedy went. You definitely saw more of a dramatic change, very light though, to keep it somewhat on level with the family shows at the time like Family Ties and Growing Pains, but it was still a Lucy show we all know and recognize. Yeah, you get the rehash of Lucy being single and her constant conflict with Gal Gordon's character which did seem to run stale at this point since we saw that on two shows now, but they made it work and I enjoyed it. However, the most important controversial thing here was Lucy herself being much older. Seems like a bad idea to do a show with an older Lucy doing her slapstick stuff, but I thought it was bold and rather refreshing because how often do you see a mid-seventy something year old even do this. Lucy was too cool to be reduced to something like The Golden Girls where she's just this normal old lady doing normal old lady things. Yes, the cast of TGG often did crazy things, but it was still grounded, not cartoony like Lucy would take her old age character. The issue really was the show being on ABC. I think had CBS had the show, as they had all the others, it would have faired better and at least been given a whole season. It made no sense to switch networks. There was nothing wrong with the slapstick in the era as often folks want to say it was dated. How so when you had movies, variety shows, etc. at the time with this same schtick and they all were doing well. Even reruns of the early Lucy shows were doing good in ratings, so millions were still finding slapstick entertaining and relevant. We would then have shows in the following decades with the same thing, Family Matters being the biggest to come to mind of the 199Os, so how was it dated of Life With Lucy....makes no sense.

[@dalegreene2756]

It Might Be Relative , -But to see a Seventies Plus woman - Do Falling and Flapping and Jerking Around “ Is SAD , Not Funny Just PATHETIC !?! People Say Red-Heads Are Most Always MAD and VAIN ! …………….

[@u571scooter3]

Her comedy was that we've seen this type of thing she's done a million times in the past and it was very old fashioned, dated and passe. She should have done the type of more grounded comedy that the Golden girls was doing, a meaningful comedy show. She did not like that kind of comedy and only thought her type of tired old comedy was what worked but again, all she did was recycle her old comedy bits that may have worked in her 1960s shows but certainly not in the 1980s. and the cast that portrayed her family in this series were nothing but background characters that not any kind of depth to them just to serve her character. Again, she should have done the type of meaningful comedy like the Golden Girls.

[@devontehuntley6274]

@@u571scooter3 But her comedy was still being done on a number of shows before, during, and after her shows so it wasn't quite dated. You can never get dated with slapstick so that was not the issue. Again, if her rerun shows can do well in syndication then why can't a new show be just as excepting. I will give you this though, I would have liked to see her in a show with some other senior ladies. The 1978 special Lucy Meets The president with her, Vivan Vance, and Mary Wickes would have been a good show revolving around those three in a similar GG fashion, maybe with some slapstick in the mix to keep the show balanced with the Lucy we know with something more grounded. However, if they were do it then, we wouldn't have Vivan for too long since she died by that following year and her dynamic with Lucy was excellent. Lucy would have to get a suitable replacement. Mary Jane Croft, Audrey Meadows, and Ann Sothern would have been good replacements. She worked with each of them on her shows and played off each other quite well. As far as the family in LWL coming off as background characters, yes I could see that. The show had too many characters. I would remove the Leonard Stoner character since he was sort of useless and made for laughs, but we have Lucy for that so he's not really needed. As much as I love the bickering between Lucy and Gale Gordon and although it didn't quite bother me seeing that yet again here, as stated above it did go stale and did not need to be done a third time so Id remove his Curtis McGibbon too. Ted would be the owner of the store with Lucy running with him and he would be in the role of Curtis. The wife would be the Vivan who Lucy plays off of. So now they have more of a role in the show and more room for them and the kids to do things especially with the guest stars that come into the mix. One more thing I'll change is having Ted and the family move in with Lucy after she loses her husband rather than the other way around.

[@3dartistguy]

@@devontehuntley6274 again she did nothing original with this series. She did care for the kind of meaningful comedy like the Golden girls did or All in the family that tacked real life issues. Just because something works in reruns doesn’t mean the public wants to see that over abd over again. My father was completely offended by this series especially the one with John Ritter. It presented nothing new or original that no one hadn’t seen before. And many of those actors you mean Ted were long gone except maybe Audrey meadows but she was too much of sn egomaniac to share the spotlight with anyone. I read that Vivian Vance was required to be overweight on their earlier series because she was never allowed to look better than Lucille ball. This series is hardly seen in syndication and for good reason.

[@stbaz]

It wasn't funny, simple as that.

[@j.sayler6330]

Anyone who likes "I Love Lucy" will appreciate her radio comedy show, "My Favorite Husband," which aired 1948-1951. They are often forgotten today, but extremely well done and hilarious. Gale Gordon played in that, too.

[@citizenken7069]

Gale Gordon was Lucy's original choice to play Fred Mertz, but he wasn't available.

[@thomasmagnum3588]

I was 26 in 1986, huge Lucy fan, she had been on the air or in reruns my whole life! So that me and my roommates actually had a watch party for that first “Life With Lucy” episode. Maybe a dozen or so people came over, we had a few drinks, and all I can recall now is ……embarrassment, cringe. An awful sick feeling. We never watched another episode, it was too painful.

[@CaliforniaGuy888]

I was 26 too when it premiered. Yes, it was painful to watch but I was rooting for Lucy.

[@jn8ive60]

I was 26 too when it premiered, and I too had always been a Lucy fan. I watched the first show from my hospital bed, as my son had been born via C section three days earlier. I remember not expecting much because I had a feeling from the get go that "Life With Lucy" was a mistake and would bomb.

[@rockyracoon3233]

​@@jn8ive60. What was sad that when LWL was canceled the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times had a headline that read "The Queen is Dead". Talk about a real kick in the gut for Lucy.😢

[@gregfrank4115]

I saw the premiere, and said to myself, this show is dated. What we used to laugh at with Lucy, we don't any more.

[@TimChaney-lr8qu]

Was

[@flenif2247]

It was a blessing in disguise. The stress of a series would have killed her earlier. This way she got to enjoy her last few years. Ego is a bitch. Trust the universe that things happen for a reason AND don't happen for a reason. Whatever happens - LEARN from it so u can move on

[@hiyahandsome]

Grew up watching I Love Lucy in its first run in glorious black & white, still the greatest sitcom of all time IMHO. The subsequent two series Lucy did were okay, not on the same level as the original series but they had their moments. Life With Lucy was a sad mistake, she should not have been doing that kind of physical comedy at her age. I believe that she made her fans nervous and we couldn't relax and enjoy the sitcom. She wanted to continue doing what she was famous for doing 35 years before. Lucy was given a sweetheart deal with creative control by Aaron Spelling that included paying her husband Gary Morton a fortune as the show's Executive Producer and she took the gamble, and unfortunately lost. It was too bad, but at least she made that spectacular final appearance at the Academy Awards and received a well-deserved standing ovation from the star-studded audience. Thanks for your insight on Lucy and her last show. Cheers~

[@Attmay]

What did Gary Morton actually do all these years when it came to the shows?

[@usforsarah]

My god, the more I read about Gary Morton the more my suspicious are proven right-- he was in it for the money.

[@usforsarah]

@@Attmay Pretended to be a business man. Lucy wanted to turn him into Desi, but he had no talent whatsoever. He had an official title as a producer at Desilu, but contributed very little. She even started doing a podcast show in the 60's so he could produce and take credit... but, again, he had no talent, so her cousin Cleo ended up producing the podcast.

[@kevinmorgan8534]

@@usforsarah A podcast in the 60's?

[@stephenr3910]

I always thought that if Lucy wanted to be on sitcoms during the 1980s, she should have done one-offs on the slew of shows..."Newhart", "Cheers", "Kate and Allie", "Night Court". She could have played a range of characters and it would have brought in an audience. I think Gary was all, "Lucy is a star. She doesn't do that".

[@shaunsteele6926]

yeah that would've been great, but I guess she didn't want to be a "guest star". Ego worked against her... I guess it was hard to accept that not only Hollywood, but the entire world had changed drastically from the 1950s-1980s. Something that Back to the Future highlighted

[@Attmay]

*Kate & Allie* did an episode parodying both Lucy and MTM.

[@Attmay]

They invented diet soda, soy lecithin, and high fructose corn syrup, that’s what happened. Even before the 1950s began, the formation of the CIA set in motion a lot of chaos.

[@usforsarah]

very plausible, gary had the worst instincts about show business and was very arrogant for a person who had no talent. he sort of pressured lucy into making "living with lucy" and managed to get a very good deal for "her" as long as she was making money and he was playing golf he was happy.

[@chuc5o]

She should have been on the Golden Girls that would have been fun.

[@robertduval3264]

I was in my teens when "Life with Lucy" premiered and I remember being really excited for the show. I was a huge fan of "Here's Lucy" and couldn't figure out why most people liked her in that old black and white show she had done before. I learned later in life why everyone loved that old black and white show as I happily joined the ranks!!! The narrator of this video said it better than I could've done. I couldn't enjoy the show and laugh while being so worried that Lucy, a television icon, would be hurt doing those crazy physical stunts she had done 30+ years prior. She was still playing the wide-eyed ingenue that didn't understand why her antics lead to trouble but the fact was she was in her 70's and that just didn't play anymore. The supporting cast was awful with the obvious exclusion of Gale Gordon. Lucy mentioned on many occasions that she respected the physical comedy of John Ritter so it is no wonder he was the high point of an otherwise basically terrible show. Over the years I've read how Lucy was devastated by the failure of the show and to this day I feel guilty because after a couple of episodes I stopped watching it. Somehow I just figured she'd come back again at some point with another, better show. I wish I had been right.

[@teastrainer3604]

Aaron Spelling greatly regretted doing the show. He realized that nobody wants to see a 75 year old woman act that way.

[@matthewa8713]

She loved physical comedy.

[@christophercurtis4945]

The series can be ordered on DVD now.

[@Tonymanero1960]

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz caught lightning in a bottle with I Love Lucy. It was the perfect show,..at the perfect time,...with the perfect cast. She tried to repeat that many times over for many years,....but it never worked. In general, Lucille Ball will only be remembered for I Love Lucy.

[@dmnemaine]

Both "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy" were good shows, and they worked. "The Lucy Show" was better than good. I will agree that "I Love Lucy" was her best, but she did have success with the two shows that came after it. "The Lucy Show" ran for 6 seasons from 1962 to 1968. "Here's Lucy" also ran for 6 seasons from 1968 to 1974. They can hardly be categorized as "never worked".

[@ticket2malibu858]

And both the lucy show and here’s lucy were big ratings hits

[@Tonymanero1960]

@@ticket2malibu858 That may be true,..but,..they were just an updated version of I Love Lucy.Also,..Carroll O'Conner will always be Archie Bunker,..and Dick Van Dyke will always be Rob Petrie.

[@TheVerbalVolley]

@@Tonymanero1960Lucy actually EMBRACED being the Lucy character, and playing her for 23 years from 1951-1974.

[@TheVerbalVolley]

@@dmnemaine "The Lucy Show" ran from 1962-1968. She decided to stop doing the show in 1968 when the show was #2 in the yearly ratings. She wanted to work with her real life children, who had developed the acting bug. She then premiered "Here's Lucy", which ran from 1968-1974 and was Top Ten at year end from 1968-1972. Her show still was a solid #15 at the end of the 1973 season (the first time that a Lucy show ever was ranked below #10 in the yearly ratings). In 1974, the show still rated very well at #29 in the year end ratings (most shows would KILL to get that rating). At the end of 1974 Lucy decided to "hang up her cleats" because she felt she was becoming too old to play the Lucy character anymore. "Life with Lucy" was actually not as bad as people stated in it's day. Many episodes were better than "Here's Lucy". Her mistake was that she was too devoted to those she had worked with throughout her television career. Signing on the same writers for "I Love Lucy" was a huge mistake, especially since Larry Gelbart, who was a writer for M*A*S*H, had been seriously considered for, and extremely interested in, writing for the series. Another big problem was the cast itself. While Gale Gordon was great, ALL of the other actors were terrible. They screamed their lines rather than recited them and their was absolutely zero chemistry among them, especially between Lucy's television daughter and son-in-law. The last episode aired, with Audrey Meadows, was probably the best: Two veteran television legends strutting their stuff. The producers wanted to hire Audrey as Lucy's female cohort, a la Vivian Vance and Mary Jane Croft, but the show wasn't given the time to do so or to develop and evolve itself. ABC should have given Lucy a FULL season to iron out the wrinkles in "Life with Lucy". I'm sure that the extra time would have allowed all of those involved to see what wasn't working and make the necessary course corrections, including a change in the time slot that the episode was aired. It ran on Sunday nights, which is the least watched night for television viewing. They should have given her her old Monday night 9:00PM to 9:30PM time slot, which she had occupied for all of her other shows.

[@zzzut]

It bombed because she went to the well once too often. You may be the best tv comic in the world, if you don’t reinvent yourself, viewers will get bored especially after 35 years of using the same formula.

[@RayPointerChannel]

The trouble was that the concept was wrong. An entirely different approach, more age-appropriate with writing more in line with THE GOLDEN GIRLS would have been better. The title, LIFE WITH LUCY suggested that Lucy was a source for advice, the voice of reasoning, or a mentor with funny solutions. Ironic situations rather than forced physical comedy for its own sake would have been a consideration. And yes, the supporting cast was nothing. All attention was on the Star and her Co-Star due to their long history together.

[@falcon664]

I'm wondering if they made the family especially bland so Lucy would appear more hip, crazy, cool by contrast. If so, that was a big mistake.

[@Attmay]

At least the dad on *ALF,* which premiered the same year, could actually act.

[@haintedhouse2990]

i remember the show, very painful. like many aging entertainers she milked it dry.

[@rpkietur]

you nailed it with jerry lewis. my thoughts exactly. its just sad when you push your act into old age.

[@Pisti846]

The cast has got to click for the show to work. From I Love Lucy to Andy Griffith to Frasier, the cast makes or breaks a show.

[@dougfredricks2017]

I concur wholeheartedly

[@WendyKS93]

I can see how and why it flopped as badly as it did. Lucy's time had clearly come and gone where television success was concerned. My family and I watched every series she had and truth to tell she was at her best when she was paired opposite Desi Arnaz. After their divorce her shows were still watchable but not nearly as good as when she was doing I Love Lucy. Seemed like she was still doing the same old thing over and over no matter the series and it was no longer working for her. By the time Life With Lucy came along my family finally said it's time to turn Lucy off and so we did. It was really hard to watch Lucy in these clips you showed. This is not the way I want to remember her and her talent.

[@Attmay]

ABC thought *the Facts of life* was going to crash and burn in the ratings without Charlotte Rae, but it still held on to a good chunk of its audience. I should know, I was part of that audience.

[@suestephan3255]

I agree her time had come and gone. She was a stubborn lady and was always in charge, Desi was ok with it because she was better at that. By the people have made comments before that Desi could not act?? He most certainly could and had impeccable timing and less of an ego. I am going sums this up by saying, this time Lucy’s ego was an interference. Pride goeth before the fall. She finally fell.

[@jamesa.romano8500]

Lucy was talented and funny but I think too many people made the mistake of thinking her original show's success was all "her" and she may have bought into the hype later in life (I would argue the combination of Lucy with the supporting cast, the writers, and just crazy good timing is what made it the success it was). She basically had one set schtick as opposed to Jackie Gleason who had multiple different personas aside from just Ralph Kramden and was able to evolve better in the decades that would follow

[@georgfriedrichhandel4390]

I suspect the producers were hoping that Lucille Ball's name recognition alone would carry this series and that her presence would be enough to attract audiences. ABC may have thought that fans of Lucy would automatically laugh at whatever she did and the network didn't make much effort to try to make the series even remotely funny, hoping that her celebrity would "carry the day". ABC simply overestimated her star quality and underestimated the audience's tastes.

[@WendyKS93]

@@jamesa.romano8500 I think I Love Lucy was so successful for several reasons, one was the time in life in which the series was in production, life was just different then. People were different and so were their tastes. Also, it wasn't just Lucy, yes she had talent but she also had superb writers and an extremely good supporting cast and they were just as important to the success of that show as she was. Just my opinion but I really believe that Desi, Vivian Vance and Bill Frawley were responsible for her great success. She never could really duplicate that in her later series, I watched all of them and they were not nearly as good.

[@laurallewien2165]

I also thought her ego by that time was over blown....and without Viv, it lacked, even when she did The Lucy Show

[@johngerard3218]

Dean Martin once said the following about Jerry Lewis: "when a young kid sticks pencils in his ears and acts stupid it is funny. when an older man does that, it is pathetic. You gotta change with the times, baby."

[@dlwseattle]

That heavy smokers voice was something else

[@OysterPir8]

Once an actor reaches the "listen kid, I'm a legend. Watch and see how it's done." stage, it really isn't fun anymore.

[@ForgivenOne]

I watched the first few shows of Life with Lucy, and knew it wasn't going to make it....I was really sad for Ms Ball because I knew that this should not have even been attempted especially at her age..I will always Love Lucy despite this last attempt - her talent and brilliant comedic style shall never be forgotten. Yes, We still Love Lucy..

[@dougfredricks2017]

Sometimes they go to the well one too...

[@richardranke3158]

I'm 68 years old. I remember reruns of I Love Lucy were on forever. I saw many new episodes of The Lucy Show and a few of Here's Lucy. I saw one episode of Life with Lucy...and it didn't last long enough for me to see any more.

[@daytripper9222]

Yes I remember watching the first episode of Life With Lucy and thinking oh no, it's over. But good for her for giving it a go anyway. I still watch I Love Lucy. Does anybody remember her third show Here's Lucy? Did you notice on that show anybody that's reading this that they shouted their lines especially her kids. Maybe back then to Mics weren't that good:-)

[@genevieveharris1120]

Yes I remember Here's Lucy. Actually I have those shows on DVD. I love her real kids too. I never notice they we're shouting their lines. I have to watch the dvd.

[@daytripper9222]

@@genevieveharris1120 I loved that band her son was in called Dino Desi & Billie.

[@MsBackstager]

@@genevieveharris1120 I noticed that her teenage kids were shouting their lines. There were mics and they weren't in a stage play so that wasn't necessary. I mentioned this somewhere else and got chewed out.... :(

[@shaunsteele6926]

do you remember the TV movie where she played a homeless person? That one traumatized me as a kid... seeing Lucy living on the streets lol

[@markelijio6012]

Q@@shaunsteele6926 The powerful Stone Pillow from 1985 on CBS. This has been her final television movie role for Fremantle Media North America.

[@dmnemaine]

I always thought that every show that Lucy did was always not quite as good as the show before it. "I Love Lucy" was a brilliant show with a brilliant cast. "The Lucy Show" was a very good show, but not as brilliant as "I Love Lucy". "Here's Lucy" was a good show, but not as good as "The Lucy Show". "Life With Lucy" wasn't a bad show, but it wasn't nearly as good as any of her three previous shows.

[@blakkat4126]

I had no idea a Lucy show existed in the 80s.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

It didn't last too long.

[@5roundsrapid263]

I’d completely forgotten about this, and I remember a lot of ‘80s failed series.

[@kevin10001]

I was only 2 when this aired so I have no memory of it but I did watch I love Lucy and the Lucy show on nick@nite and really enjoyed them cause I’m one that enjoys older programming

[@MrBuzzcut26]

I remember watching this show. I like Lucy but hated this show. I was so afraid she’d get hurt. It just wasn’t funny.

[@mpshields]

Thank you for posting. I love Lucy soooo much! ❤ I remember Lucy crying when her show was canceled & I cried too. 😢 I agree with everything you mentioned. Who cast that horrible dull family? They should have CLASSED LUCY UP! To give a sense she has become of age and her accomplishments. A winner & she deserves it! ❤💖💕

[@TonyBoyOhBoy]

You're welcome 😊

[@jn8ive60]

Lucy hired the actors (if I may be generous enough to call them that) who played her daughter and son-in-law, so the blame lies with her, unfortunately.

[@mpshields]

@jn8ive60 So, she must have gone senile in her old age, because those "supporting actors?" would have made me walk out of that show, even on an airplane!!! ✈️ 😆

[@davidclark8879]

She had made a movie in 1985 called Stone Pillow"with good reviews. The public missed her and l guess that,s one of the reasons for the come back. I still got the episodes l recorded on a VCR tape. Always a fan of Lucy, thanks for the laughs.

[@Lava1964]

I saw parts of a couple of episodes. I think another problem was the producers couldn't decide where the comedy should take place. Would it be at Lucy's home or at the store? They tried both. This meant there were way too many cast members. Anyway, it was sad to see the way Lucy's TV career ended.

[@gregmiller9710]

she had a good run...if not for her there would be no star trek...RIP Lucy

[@dr.roberts4508]

Or Andy Griffith

[@3dartistguy]

She thought Star Trek was about traveling celebrities putting on shows around the world.

[@brucebezold2714]

Plus mission impossible and the untouchables

[@MorristheMinor]

And that's the reason I have a problem watching Star Trek TOS. Every time the lift doors open on the Enterprise's bridge, I expect Lucy to come out wailing 'But Ricki, I wanna be in da show!!!!'

[@highstimulation2497]

no star trek???

[@SoulforSale]

Lucy just isnt the same without Desi going "Luuuucy.. . You got some 'splainin to do" in every episode

[@garymattscheck9066]

Having Lucy do the same things as she did with "Here's Lucy"was courting disaster.She was going through the motions.And,the problem was with the scripts.She wasn't acting her age.

[@MartinMcCauslin]

I remember the show but never watched it and I knew it would be a flop but I still hoped for the best for Lucy

[@jimtrue1465]

I watched this when it first came out, and I found it embarrassing. Lucy, with the unnatural red hair and over-the-top make-up looked horrible, and Gale Gordon clearly did not have the energy for this show. You literally could see him getting tired just standing around. This show was not well-thought out.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

It didn't work because Lucille Ball was past her prime.

[@LHSnLA]

I Love Lucy is my favorite sitcom of all time (I grew up watching the reruns) and I think The Lucy Show - her 2nd series - has some wonderful episodes too. It was also a huge hit and she won 2 more Emmys for this series. Here's Lucy is hit and miss but she still had great timing and occasionally pulled out a really solid episode. Life With Lucy is sad to watch. I admit it's not as bad as I imagined from all the stories/reviews - but it's forced and amateurish, mostly due to the supporting cast. Like others, I think if she had come back with a more modern Golden Girls vibe she could have gone on for many more seasons - or if she and John Ritter had played mother and son and had adventures together, that would have been terrific. But considering her legendary career on TV and in films, we can just overlook Life With Lucy.

[@christophercurtis4945]

I totally agree with you. I Love Lucy first, the Lucy Show and Here's Lucy more in the middle for me, and Life With Lucy last.

[@eastsidereviews727]

Hard to know when to say enough is enough and walk away. Athletes always think they have one more good season, game, or fight left. Musicians think they have another good album or song. For actors/comedians one lazt good performance. Lucy is a genuine legend and it was not pleasant watching her go out sad. Heres to her great work!

[@williamavitt8264]

I'm very happy to be just old enough to be able to remember a time when Lucy was still alive and still active in the media. She was America's grandmother when I was growing up. A role Betty White inherited in the 2000s. Sadly, I was 9 years old when Lucy passed, and I remember being so heartbroken

[@JasonSterlingRMC]

I get them wanting Lucy to show getting old doesn't mean "getting old" like The Golden Girls did and that's where it went a little wrong. She should have pulled it a little more sophisticated and not quite as much slapstick. The Golden Girls, though a little "kooky" at times, still played it as serious grown ups where Lucy's behavior was often extremely trivial and childish. The show probably could have adapted and maybe pulled itself out with enough time.

[@HC-cb4yp]

She should have tried something "meta" and autobiographical, like make a show about an aging Hollywood legend trying to make a TV show. That might have won over critics and those who didn't want to see the kind of humor used in her old shows.

[@TonyBoyOhBoy]

I like it! Much better idea!

[@tracymurray6840]

That would have been a great, and better, idea, or something in the vein of Golden Girls.

[@jacobskinner3522]

Her last comedy special, Lucy Moves to NBC, has essentially that very storyline and that was disappointing enough that it was her first and last NBC project to get on the air.

[@scottgarbo1288]

You really nailed every reason why this show was such a bad idea and, ultimately, a total flop. I love everything Lucy ever did, except of this show. It was just so difficult to watch for every reason you mentioned. The upside is that Lucy is one of the biggest, most beloved legends this country has produced, so her amazing work will continue to entertain people forever and this show will be a cautionary tale for those who are tempted to stay too long at the party.

[@Attmay]

Staying too long at a party where Nell Carter ate all the hors d’oeuvres, George Wendt drank all the beer, Bob Newhart answered an obscene call that turned out to be a wrong number, T0n¥ D@nz@ had to be forcibly removed for punching the security guard outside who would not let him in, and Bill Cosby gave all the female guests roofies, while Gary Coleman, Ricky Schroder, Emmanuel Lewis, and Soleil Moon Frye still had to sit at the kids’ table despite all of them having reached double digit ages by 1986.

[@ZX-zw3ge]

Didn't realize she was that energetic at her 70's. 😮

[@Lasuvidaboy-jp4xe]

A shame Lucy couldn’t have done a show more like The Golden Girls.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Lucille Ball didn't want to share the spotlight with anyone.

[@ptlovefit]

I love Lucy and she's always with me. She left me lots of love and hope for what my future holds. And I know she knows this now because she is still alive as her work will never be forgotten!!

[@ivane5110]

I hope John Ritter had a blast doing the show; his comedy style makes me think she was probably one of his childhood idols. I haven't seen this series, but I've seen all of her others and a few movies and radioplays of hers and loved all of them, so I think I'd enjoy it, thouhh knowing how itturned out for her, maybe with a tinge of sympathy between the smiles.

[@TonyBoyOhBoy]

I think you can find most of the episodes now on KZbin.

[@drawntomountains]

Imagine if they had worked a series for Lucy and John Ritter !! They both adored their acting abilities.

[@agnesgrep1970]

@@drawntomountains What if Lucy had guest starred on "Three's Company" as Chrissy's mother and Janet overheard a conversation between Jack and Lucy that made her suspect they were having an affair but it was all a big misunderstanding?

[@markelijio6012]

But his final television series was Disney’s 8 Simple Rules was a great comeback for him.

[@shaunsteele6926]

if Three's Company were still on the air she could've replaced Don Knotts, or maybe became his new girlfriend lol

[@casper98204]

Wow. How did she meet the demands of a grueling 16 hour day shooting schedule at 75? Amazing lady!

[@corfan99]

I think I LOVE LUCY is the best of all 3 (not counting this one) of her series, primarily because, as you mentioned, the supporting cast. Vivian Vance and William Frawley as a couple were a sitcom alone. Desi Arnaz, very underrated, was fine comic partner to Lucy. Lucille Ball after her sitcom period at CBS was a sad victim of the critics. Her attempt at a movie musical, MAME, her attempt at serious drama in the telefilm STONE PILLOW and this 'comeback' sitcom were all met with disastrous reviews from media critics.

[@DuckAvenger]

I remeber seeing this on nick at night late as a kid being excited to see more lucy and my mom basically said its trash

[@Attmay]

3:30 *Roseanne* wouldn’t be on for another two years. If anything, it was *The Golden Girls,* which premiered a year before this show and was an instant hit, that preemptively put this show at a disadvantage because it already changed how TV depicted aging. The difference is it that their humor was appropriate for characters of that age.

[@zacheryspencer]

I was born in 1986 lol But always loved Lucy and I can see what people are talking about. Really so much time and her time had passed and you just can’t repeat something. Sometimes you just have to let things be. Sad she died only a few years later

[@cactusjackNV]

I don't quite agree with this analysis. There are plenty of older actors that can continue to make great movies and shows well into their golden years. Of course it's very hard to expect to copy the original I Love Lucy and make it work. However for whatever reason Lucy wasn't fortunate enough to have another hit TV series. I will point out for reference Jackie Gleason did come back 20 years later and made a great Honeymooner's TV special in 1978. Good comedy doesn't age, but bad writing does.

[@RobertoLopezstudyis]

I remember watching Here's Lucy in the gall of 1986 on ABC on Saturday evenings when I was 14 years old. It didn't make me laugh alot like her original shows of I Love Lucy and the Lucy show of the 1960s and early 70s.

[@hcombs0104]

The only Life With Lucy episode I ever watched was the one with John Ritter. I remember thinking she was too old for this, her timing was now off. But I thought the supporting cast was particularly cringeworthy.

[@markelijio6012]

Five years later in the summer/fall of 1992, when John Ritter and Markie Post were joined forces together in "Hearts Afire," a romantic hit TV series from the Emmy nominated creators of "Designing Women" and "Evening Shade." Aired on CBS from 1992 to 1997 for Mozark Productions, Adam Productions and New World Entertainment and later moved to UPN from 1997 to 2001 for Mozark Productions and Granada America in association with 20th Century Fox Television, a News Corporation Company.

[@agnesgrep1970]

Remember "The Golden Girls," a sitcom about four women "of a certain age" had premiered to unexpected success on NBC a year earlier, and as is traditional in network television CBS and ABC scrambled to cash in with knock-offs. CBS decided they would rip off the "four women" aspect with "Designing Women" (also debuting in 1986) while ABC went for "of a certain age" in a Lucy revival, forgetting that Ball was a critical decade-plus older than both Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty, who played Arthur's mother, and also that TGG's portrayal of older women as sexual beings was revolutionary and the key to the show's success (along with the stellar acting and writing that LWL was sorely missing).

[@CaliforniaGuy888]

Weren’t the Golden Girls in their 50s? Lucille Ball was 75.

[@agnesgrep1970]

@@CaliforniaGuy888 Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Estelle Getty were in their early sixties when the show began (with Getty playing a generation older) while Rue McClanahan was in her early fifties but playing the same age as her co-stars.

[@nealwhaley63]

John Ritter is a good example of someone who evolved from slapstick to actual acting. Despite Ball’s comedic talents, I could never think of her as a serious actress.

[@TurbidTG1]

She's pretty good in Stone Pillow.

[@piscesempress1978]

I adore John Ritter. He could make me laugh and cry.

[@Oliviux78]

Have you seen her earlier movies before she got on television? She was pretty good.

[@tubester4567]

She started as a serious actress, thats how she got famous. Then she met desi and they used her money from acting to start the comedy show.

[@orbyfan]

@@Oliviux78 "Lured" is a good example; she was very sexy then, too.

[@darkridedan1]

I watched it before I knew who Lucy was and I liked the show. I think it played either when I had practice for soccer or maybe cub scouts so I didn’t usually see it. It wasn’t until afterwards that a local station ran a marathon for I Love Lucy and I was hooked.

[@linapagliari8003]

Life with Lucy was not her best show but it was still nice to see her on tv again Ty for sharing rip beautiful LUCILLE BALL😔😁🇨🇦

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

This show should not have went to air. She was warned not to do it. A lot of people Mr. Spelling, had ABC tv shows on the air.. Lot of blame to go around.

[@josephgiannini5554]

"Mother of the Bride," with guest star Audrey Meadows, was the finest episode in the series and was actually the final show to air, displaying some growth within the program...

[@drmusic3641]

I had read that producers wanted her to go in the direction of Bob Newhart or Cosby since that type of comedy had been unsuccessful for them. Unfortunately, she didnt take their advice.

[@jeannehall6546]

Simply put, nobody wanted to see a 75-year-old woman do physical comedy! Women that age should do only verbal comedy (Think “The Golden Girls”)! The “Lucy” character has always been a physical character! But it can only be done in a certain way at a certain time and unfortunately Ms. Ball was well past that point by 1986, when “Life With Lucy” premiered!

[@lilajagears8317]

Bob Newheart did have a third series called " Bob" it was fantastic, But sadly it did not last that long. I believe it aired in the late 90s or early 2000s.

[@1987tvfreak]

1992-93 actually.

[@lilajagears8317]

@@1987tvfreak I was way off, great show though.

[@greenrobot5]

That's sad, but it happens to the best of them, I've never seen any of her shows without Desi, but I doubt their as good as those black and white episodes

[@markgerard3674]

Bob Newhart tried a third and 4th series. First the series Bob. It lasted only two seasons. Then a show with Judd Hirsch. Also didn't last long. Bob went to the well once too often

[@Mokkari77]

But he got his first Emmy from a guest shot on The Big Bang Theory.

[@markgerard3674]

@@Mokkari77 ironic isn't it. I forgot to mention in the second season of Bob Betty White joined the cast but she couldn't help the ratings and the show was cancelled

[@richarddeleon8601]

You are right on! You took the words right out of my mouth.

[@chapterblaq]

Lucille stared in an 80s TV movie where she plays a homeless woman (i believe its called Stone Pillow), i saw it here on YT a couple years ago and it was so sad to me. She sorta melted into the role and so it felt to real.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Lucille Ball really looked like a bag lady in the Tv-movie.

[@marlenepearson3936]

I was sad this was canceled. Bad, bland family. It's too bad they didn't have someone like John Ritter who could do the more physical stuff. It may have worked out. 💔

[@MisterSplendy]

The fact Lucy looked like a cadaverous zombie did not help.

[@3dartistguy]

She should have done the kind of relatable meaningful comedy like the Golden Girls not the same old tired slapstick comedy of the 1960s

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Lucille Ball could have been the 5th Golden Girl.

[@3dartistguy]

@@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc unfortunately she did not care for that type of comedy that dealt with truly meaningful issues like All In The Family discussed.

[@richardswinbusk7787]

Totally agree! She should've gone into a new area but she wouldn't change

[@3dartistguy]

@@richardswinbusk7787 after her poor performance in the tv movie Stone Pillow she believed the audience only knew her best and expected her kind of slapstick comedy that she had done repeatedly in the 1950s. She didn’t realize her type of comedy was tired and cliche.

[@MisterUptempo]

In comparing Lucy to Bob Newhart, Newhart, in fact, did have three shows that bore his name. "The Bob Newhart Show" in the 70s was first, "Newhart" in the 80s was second, and the third, that most people forget, "Bob", which ran September 1992-December 1993.

[@markelijio6012]

The TV mini-series which lasted for two seasons.

[@SallySallySallySally]

It's always the writing and casting that carries any show. Always. That's why this latest iteration of "Lucy" had so much trouble although I thought that recliner scene was absolutely hilarious (it was mostly the recliner's insane movements that made the scene with Ball's reaction topping it off.) Ball still had the talent but the writers didn't know how to use it in contemporary stories. It's all water under the bridge now. Turner Classic Movies has posted their multi-part podcast here on YT under the title "The Plot Thickens: Lucy" that is a good listen.

[@brianh3253]

That plot thickens series is excellent.

[@OliverGByrne]

Their biggest mistake was to give Lucy free reign of the show. Unfortunately she did a 50s style show but in the 80s. It was an outdated slapstick farce. If they gave her some Golden Girl type writing it could have worked.

[@Swampzoid]

Bob Newhart did a third sitcom in the '90's called Bob. I think that one bombed too.

[@bloqk16]

I recall that show in the 1990s. There were attempts of stunt-casting with bringing back actors from his two previous TV series to infuse life into that lackluster TV show; even to the point, in one episode, of doing a variation of a psychology support group that was a feature in the Bob Newhart Show in the 1970s.

[@mikeoleary5444]

@@bloqk16 I could be wrong, but you may thinking of George & Leo that was a sitcom he did with Judd Hirsch. They had an episode literally called "The Cameo Episode" feature toons of cameos from Newhart's two biggest shows, "The Bob Newhart Show:" and "Newhart", and Hirsch's two biggest shows, "Taxi" and "Dear John".

[@Mandeley100]

I had the same thing with the last Indiana Jones movie. All I kept thinking was "He's gonna break a hip!!"

[@TurbidTG1]

I was bored because I knew there wasn't any real sense of danger in it. (Hope you mean DOD but if not, unintentional spoilers.) I think they wanted to fear for Indy when he gets left alone with the bad guys at his work when he yells, "Who are you people?!" Now a younger Harrison Ford would have given me a different reaction than to old Harrison Ford saying it. When old Harrison Ford said it, the first thing I thought was, "If this was taken out of context, some people might think it's the orderlies at the old folks home wanting to bring a confused old man back to his room for his meds. It doesn't work anymore.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Harrison Ford, at age 80, was too old to star in the last Indiana Jones movie.

[@michaellazzeri2069]

I too, watched an episode, mainly out of curiosity. Frankly, i felt badly for her & Gale Gordon. I could tell right away, the writing was a real problem. My God, the woman was 75 y/o ! She needed to be part of an ensemble -------a strong ensemble-------where, she could make appearances, but not have to be the main character. Otherwise, it just would never work in '86. -------MJL, 76 y/o

[@BelievingRebel]

I remember one line - she walked in on the kids kissing - and she said, “Wow, I didn’t know moving was such a turn-on!” Who would say that to their kids?!

[@YakkoWarnerTower]

I kinda preferred " I Love Lucy" more then the spin-off it's a absolutely good classic.