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STUDIO: MPI Home Video
MSRP: $19.98
RATED: Not Rated
RUNNING TIME: 150 Minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Long-lost radio interviews with Dean Martin
• Bloopers
• Featurette with guest actor Gino Conforti
• Rare Lucy footage

The Pitch

"This set needed a few right in the kisser."

The Humans

Lucille Ball, Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason

The Nutshell

Two of Lucille Ball's television specials are featured. Lucy Gets Lucky and Three for Two.

The Lowdown

In the mid-seventies Lucille Ball starred in several television specials that was to showcase her comedic genius. Sadly, the two specials on this set only showed that Lucy had aged and she looked bored and tired. Lucy Gets Lucky and Three for Two are supposed to be comedies but they wind up being tiresome and a chore to get through.


Lucy searched high and lo for some laugh tracks.

The first special, Lucky Gets Lucky, is the best of the two which is due to Dean Martin. Lucy Collins (Lucille Ball) has come to Las Vegas with one goal - to do whatever it takes to meet her idol Dean Martin. After her first plan is ruined (by her of course) Lucy finds out that employees of the MGM Grand Casino will get to see Dean for free and what follows is her attempt at getting a job and, you guessed it, she flubs everything up and is being threatened by her boss several times only to have her job saved by Dean.

The exchanges between Lucy and Dean are supposed to be the highlight of the show but they end up stale. The comedic moments are just not there and both legends are reduced to cute little bantering which works fine but is not enough to carry an entire show. The highlight of the show is watching Dean at the end perform a couple of songs in concert at the MGM Grand, but even that is not enough to make this effort worth the wait.


Class act all the way.

Sadly, Three for Two is much worse when it comes to the laughs. This show features Lucy and Jackie Gleason in three comedy-dramas that focuses on various aspects of marriage. The first one is about Sally (Lucy) and her husband Herb (Gleason) on what is supposed to be a romantic vacation in Rome. The couple babel all night about what a marriage is supposed to be about. This was a painful viewing experience because all Lucy does in whine while Gleason gets louder and louder. The only funny moment (which last for about 10 seconds) is Gleason's Peter Lorrie impersonation. That's it!

The second bit has Rita (Lucy) searching for her lover Fred (Gleason) in a dimly-lit restaurant (the place is purposely set up like this in order for couples to have privacy). Rita and Fred just sit there and discuss two married people having an affair. Again, the comedy is just not there and this bit is all talk. The only funny moment is listening to other couples conversations at tables Rita is passing by while searching for Fred.


Lucy's audition for The Bride of Frankenstein garnered the most laughs of her career.

The final installment has Pauline (Lucy) and Mike (Gleason), a miserable married couple, trying to have a conversation with their adult children and failing at having them spend New Year's Eve with their miserable parents. Yet another unfunny skit that has no humor whatsoever. When Gleason was angry and throwing out one-liners on The Honeymooners it was comedy gold. In this skit his angry tangents are just rude and crude.

Man oh man! How I was hoping to see these three legends deliver some great performances and instead all I got was three tired performers just going through the motions.


Peter Lorrie wept.

The Package

I will have to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the extras offered.

The radio interview with Dean runs a little over ten minutes and he discusses several upcoming projects. The interview segment with Gino Conforti who was a long-time friend of Lucy's and also worked with her on many projects discusses working with the comedic legend. Gino is a class act and this interview is a definite must see.

There are several great gems that will make any Lucy fan squeal with delight. Back in the sixties Lucy had a radio show called Lets Talk to Lucy and episode #195 is featured here with Lucy talking to Dean about his career and upcoming projects. Art Linkletter had a variety show called House Party and Lucy was a guest where she discusses her new radio show Lets Talk to Lucy. Art and Lucy also do a wonderful sketch where she makes all sorts of sound effects for a radio program. Great stuff here.

The blooper reel is around five minutes of out takes from Lucy Gets Lucy and trust me, just like the show they are not funny in the least.

5 out of 10