4 favorite episodes to mark ‘I Love Lucy’s’ 64th anniversary
Happy "I Love Lucy" Day.
That's right. It was 64 years ago today, on Oct. 15, 1951, that the classic sitcom "I Love Lucy" premiered.
The now-iconic show ran until May 6, 1957, on CBS, and it's been running in reruns virtually every day ever since then.
Sure, there were other sitcoms before the Ricardos and the Mertzes hit the tube, but "I Love Lucy" connected with audiences in a way few previous shows had. And, thanks to syndication, generations of comedy lovers have had the chance to appreciate the talents of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (along with, of course, co-stars William Frawley and Vivian Vance).
But what if you somehow never have caught even a single episode of "I Love Lucy"? What episodes would best illustrate the show's appeal?
Four favorites
"I think everyone has their own personal favorite episodes," says Steve Neilans of the Lucy Desi Museum & Center for Comedy (www.lucy-desi.com) in Ball's hometown of Jamestown, N.Y. "That what makes 'Lucy' Lucy."
Nonetheless, here are a few of Neilans' picks:
1. "Lucy's Italian Movie" perhaps better-known as, Neilans says, "the grape-stomping episode."
2. "Job Switching," the much-parodied second-season episode in which Lucy and Ethel are confounded by a candy-wrapping assembly line.
3. "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," the classic in which an increasingly plowed Lucy promotes an alcoholic health tonic called Vitameatavegamin.
4. "Lucy Goes to the Hospital," also known as "the episode where Little Ricky was born," Neilans says. "They were the first couple ever to be pregnant on television, even though they couldn't say 'pregnant' on television. They had to say 'expecting.' Saying 'pregnant' at the time was a little too much."
Today, more than a half-century later, "I Love Lucy" continues to showcase its "lasting appeal," Neilans says.
"Here at the museum today, people are commenting on how it's as relevant today as it seems like it was 64 years ago. They're watching it today, and it's still funny."
Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280 or follow @JJPrzybys on Twitter.
