tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post2300276568837781537..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: The I LOVE LUCY movie I would like to seeBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39986267459372763212022-01-10T20:31:49.354-08:002022-01-10T20:31:49.354-08:00re Desi inventing the 3-camera system, that is wid...re Desi inventing the 3-camera system, that is widely repeated but it's probably not true, as is the idea that the rerun didn't exist pre-Lucy (you can find the term in Variety in 1949).<br /><br />A 16mm Multicam system was developed by NBC's Jerry Fairbanks and used to film “Public Prosecutor,” (1947-48) and “Silver Theater” (1949-50), and others.<br /> <br />The 1950 pilot for "Truth or Consequences" also employed such a system, but when Al Simon joined the production he improved the system by substituting 35mm film<br /><br />The following year Simon worked on I Love Lucy, where he was responsible for the actual mechanics of filming, while Karl Freund devised the lighting.<br /><br />https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:NT9NZXeOIc4J:https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-29-ca-176-story.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us<br />Maurice M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10714259304798576902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30961519154533172112022-01-08T22:52:49.964-08:002022-01-08T22:52:49.964-08:00Amanda Bynes would have been great in this role.Amanda Bynes would have been great in this role.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68284472651381286122022-01-05T18:51:47.019-08:002022-01-05T18:51:47.019-08:00-bee: you are not the only liberal who...
I could...-bee: you are not the only liberal who...<br /><br />I couldn't stand watching TWW at the time because it was such a fantasy and jarred so badly with the reality of the day.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-55854415510117537112022-01-05T10:11:50.783-08:002022-01-05T10:11:50.783-08:00I may be the only liberal I know that really, real...I may be the only liberal I know that really, really disliked The West Wing because it seemed really phony and facile to me. Some years after it began I read an interview with Sorkin where I believe the interviewer congratulated him on how authentic the show was and asked how much time he had spent in DC and how much background research he had done and he bragged he did no research, he just imagined what it was like (kind of insinuating he was such a visionary genius he could 'intuit' the truth).<br /><br />This made me feel pretty good about my BS detector, but what I'm saying is this man has seemingly been validated over much of his career for the verisimilitude of his output so if much of this movie seems inauthentic by people familiar with the realities of the actual matters at hand I'm not surprised.<br /><br />Speaking of movies we would like to see about Lucy - the thing that always interested me was the stark difference between I Love Lucy and Lucille Ball's later sitcoms (there were two, right? The Lucy Show and something else)? I means it was the same star, she did the same kind of comedy, I think there were some of the same writers and crew, but the later shows seemed so hollow and kind of depressing (and I'm not even talking about Life with Lucy which was a whole other level of bad). How much is it because Desi was running I Love Lucy and/or him breaking her heart took the wind out of her sails?<br /><br />Not that I am expecting such a big budget movie to be made on said topic because The Lucy Show/s is still probably making money in syndication.<br /><br />-beenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34924680903402573322022-01-04T18:50:24.838-08:002022-01-04T18:50:24.838-08:00I would like to see the film about how/why Desi in...I would like to see the film about how/why Desi invented the multi-camera format. But I think it would have to be funny and entertaining to get people to see it (you're capable of doing that part). Or make it a true documentary with recreations.DyHrdMEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621011643939597497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75576446668006618202022-01-04T18:13:07.774-08:002022-01-04T18:13:07.774-08:00Great article, Ken. Glad that Amy Poehler is work...Great article, Ken. Glad that Amy Poehler is working with Imagine on a Desilu docu which, I'm sure, will set the record straight, including the creation of the 3-camera process. I enjoyed the movie enough, though yes, it was largely a missed opportunity. Dan Frischmanhttp://danfrischman.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5328092463660255542022-01-04T10:25:19.299-08:002022-01-04T10:25:19.299-08:00Typically excellent, insightful Levine analysis. ...Typically excellent, insightful Levine analysis. It's always tragic when peopole hired to recreate something only wind up showcasing their ignorance -- and arrogance. I've read comments from writers, actors and directors granted the chance to recreate magic who've gone out of their way to avoid any in-depth study of their subjects as they fear that learning the truth about something might possibly color their own warped re-imaginings. <br /> Gary Therouxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08172963780748514142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84356755455006922592022-01-04T08:26:25.870-08:002022-01-04T08:26:25.870-08:00Hi Ken,
Here's a link to photos from 1957 of D...Hi Ken,<br />Here's a link to photos from 1957 of Desi, Lucy, writers Bob Schiller & Bob Weiskopf, Bob Carroll and Madelyn Pugh Davis, director Jerry Thorpe and AD Jay Sandrich at work in Desi's office.<br /><br />https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RlAklCbs70-DqDzTskosfjanKOR7sEkk/view?usp=sharing<br />Bob Waldmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64201952850589943322022-01-04T07:52:21.368-08:002022-01-04T07:52:21.368-08:00It's normally plural and possessive both, henc...It's normally plural and possessive both, hence "the Mertzes' home"; if it's just one Mertz, then it would be "Mr. Mertz's home."gottacooknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17658114497383586812022-01-04T06:09:24.987-08:002022-01-04T06:09:24.987-08:00There’s an interview for Time Magazine with Lucy d...There’s an interview for Time Magazine with Lucy during the first season of the show where she says one of the biggest challenges of doing a weekly television situation comedy is having to memorize a new script every week. She said that during rehearsals she would sometimes say lines from the previous week’s episode.<br /><br />As you point out, Ken, this was all new. In radio, no one had to memorize a script.Bob Waldmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3051321718287928242022-01-04T06:02:55.915-08:002022-01-04T06:02:55.915-08:00I would be interested. But I grew up watching thr...I would be interested. But I grew up watching three network TV on a black and white Philco. Back then I Love Lucy aired every weekday. Would someone raised on MTV and Nickelodeon be interested? How about those who've known smartphones and I-Pads all their life? I don't think so. <br /><br />As you say, in 1951 Lucy and Desi wanted to do a network sitcom out of L.A. they encountered one problem-the TV industry there did not exist. They built one up from scratch on their own dime- and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. That's the story. <br />Jeff Boicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14600946876122022978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-5733449993763925322022-01-04T05:42:41.942-08:002022-01-04T05:42:41.942-08:00Just read Richard Brody's early review of Beco...Just read Richard Brody's early review of Becoming the Ricardos in the New Yorker (published on 12/9/21). He offers a lot of background on the project and analyzes Sorkin's "narrative framework." Best read while well caffeinated to get through Brody's at times exhausting and impenetrable prose. (Even though it's frustrating to read his long pieces he still covers a lot about film and tv history that can be interesting.) Anyway he concludes with this puzzling bit: <br /><br />"It would take a writer with a freer sense of drama and a director with an expanded analytical repertory to raise 'Being the Ricardos' to the next level of historical consciousness and subjective turmoil. Yet Sorkin’s movie does enough. In peeling away the myths of pop culture and its lovable celebrities, Sorkin reveals the source of its mighty and lasting power."<br />Spike de Beauvoirnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13021248858606193712022-01-03T21:06:40.257-08:002022-01-03T21:06:40.257-08:00Hmmmmm. "Roosevelt" is the name. The fam...Hmmmmm. "Roosevelt" is the name. The family name. It would be the "Roosevelt's mansion." It's possessive. <br /><br />Curious about "Mertzes'." Have to research. "Mertz" would be the family name. Thus, it would be "The Mertz's home." It's not the plural, but the possessive. "The Mertzes own a home." <br /><br />Curious...<br /><br />Leightonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75621915182527911292022-01-03T20:46:42.460-08:002022-01-03T20:46:42.460-08:00Ed Wynn, who gave Lucy and Desi their TV start :
“...Ed Wynn, who gave Lucy and Desi their TV start :<br />“A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny”<br /><br />I’d argue that Lucy was more an actor who did and said funny things, and was not as capable doing or saying things funny. <br /><br />Fredhttps://www.nitrateville.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37534250151444746272022-01-03T19:38:09.361-08:002022-01-03T19:38:09.361-08:00Ken and Jon are right - that would be interesting....Ken and Jon are right - that would be interesting. As a Hollywood outsider, I would love to learn more about the process. I remember watching I Love Lucy as a kid and noticing that when they ate at a table in the living room, they were either facing the camera or sideways to the camera. I thought it was odd, because who sits around the table like that? I then realized they do that for TV. The show was groundbreaking, only the car scenes really dated it.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00760229533287495672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69111866098869740372022-01-03T18:56:55.995-08:002022-01-03T18:56:55.995-08:00According to the sound groups I follow, JK Simmons...According to the sound groups I follow, JK Simmons notoriously refuses to be body mic’d, and if there are issues with getting clean audio with a boom or plant mics, tough shit. Friday question - any stories from your experience about actors whose “acting process” collides with the technical need to get the shot and the sound?McTomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08672101599685031569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70756713794237183582022-01-03T18:39:46.275-08:002022-01-03T18:39:46.275-08:00Did you ever see the I Love Lucy TV movie "Lu...Did you ever see the I Love Lucy TV movie "Lucy" from 2003? Rachel York played Lucille Ball. It's been a long time, but I remember it being pretty decent. As to the authenticity, though, I have no idea how accurate it was. There was also a Jackie Gleason TV biopic around that time with Brad Garrett. It was okay.Call Me Mikehttps://www.instagram.com/postercereal/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3829181489518183242022-01-03T16:27:28.104-08:002022-01-03T16:27:28.104-08:00Luci Arnaz has said in recent interviews that a 10...Luci Arnaz has said in recent interviews that a 10-hour documentary on the history of Desilu is being done right now, and it'll have all the "real life & factual" information about "I Love Lucy" and all their other shows, told in chronological order. While she says she liked the "Being the Ricardos" show, she admits it's a compressed/compromised version of the complicated history of her parents.Marc Wielagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12744270267337480861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24090349140804657972022-01-03T16:18:08.511-08:002022-01-03T16:18:08.511-08:00Mertzes/Mertzes'
The Roosevelts' mansion...Mertzes/Mertzes' <br /><br />The Roosevelts' mansion was grand<br /><br />***<br /><br />Jess Oppenheimer was the prime creator of My Favorite Husband and the premise for I Love Lucy. Madelyn Pugh says in her memoirs that he polished every script and often recast dialogue, so he seems to have maintained creative control and was key to the show's development. <br /><br />I haven't seen BTR yet but based on notes and comments here it seems to be full of distortions about the show and its stars and creators to a degree that it seems contemptuous of the whole enterprise. I don't get why Sorkin would even be drawn to the project or so intent on falsely portraying the people involved. <br /><br />But I don't look forward to another depiction of Lucy and Desi's marriage either. He drank and was a womanizer and they fought a lot, who wants to see that? But the evolution of Lucy and Viv's collaboration and friendship could be a great story. Or why not just focus on Lucy herself and the miracle of how she transformed from a capable and amusing actress into a comedy powerhouse? Spike de Beauvoirnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6071938825528660172022-01-03T15:51:39.426-08:002022-01-03T15:51:39.426-08:00I agree totally with every point you made. As much...I agree totally with every point you made. As much as I think Nicole Kidmann is a great actress, she didn't have the physical look or expressions as Lucy was famous for. I was very disappointed in the movie. They could have shown so much more depth in my opinion. Leave well enough alone!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07943862485540827459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54528764224696278342022-01-03T15:45:01.148-08:002022-01-03T15:45:01.148-08:00@ Ken...the possessive quote is interesting, espec...@ Ken...the possessive quote is interesting, especially during this psychotic period of "The New AP." They are rewriting grammar, because they want to, and everyone has decided to follow.<br /><br />Listen to CNN. The reporters correctly say "Congress's vote." CNN Online, will print "Congress' vote." Crazy. <br /><br />I'm too lazy right now to find the "rules." But you can refer to a place as "The Roosevelt Mansion" (proper noun?), but would correctly say, "The Roosevelt's mansion was grand" (possessive).<br /><br /> <br />Leightonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43825148421746297312022-01-03T14:32:58.657-08:002022-01-03T14:32:58.657-08:00When I went to Universal Studios Orlando several y...When I went to Universal Studios Orlando several years ago, they had a special "I Love Lucy" exhibit, and I saw a miniaturized replica of Desilu's three-camera set. For the time period, that was ingenious design. Liggienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7861493662862047942022-01-03T14:19:31.976-08:002022-01-03T14:19:31.976-08:00@ KLA 83
I certainly hope that the others did not ...@ KLA 83<br />I certainly hope that the others did not also think I had the ridiculous notion that the process of transitioning My Favorite Husband from radio to TV should have also been part of Being the Ricardos, nor was it a criticism of the film for leaving it out (how much happen in a fictional week?) <br /><br />It was intended to add to the discussion (especially about Jack Benny and three-camera sitcoms), help further the significance that Desi brought to entertainment and "inclusion" even today, and to exemplify the value of several excellent books. <br /><br />To quote a Bob Hope movie title, "Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!"Greg Ehrbarhttp://www.gregovision.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-214130020889817842022-01-03T14:16:44.475-08:002022-01-03T14:16:44.475-08:00
“Hollywood Byline” January 14, 1950
Lucille Ball ...<br />“Hollywood Byline” January 14, 1950<br />Lucille Ball 50 minute unedited radio interview by Lloyd Sloane (Hollywood Citizen News), Bob Thomas (A.P.), Darr Smith (Los Angeles Daily News) and Frances Moor (Photoplay) — shortly after her TV debut with Desi on the Ed Wynn show<br /> ( Wynn show <br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJADyg8C6vg )<br /><br />https://otrrlibrary.org/OTRRLib/Library%20Files/H%20Series/Hollywood%20Byline/Hollywood%20Byline%2050-01-14%20(04)%20Guest%20-%20Lucille%20Ball.mp3<br /><br />*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*<br /><br />• “Edward” posted the above audio link a few days ago in the comments thread of Mr Levine’s prior Lucy blog post.<br />The Hollywood Byline program is especially interesting when Lucy discusses her upcoming tour and TV plans<br />• Leonard Maltin — who got Buster Keaton’s autograph when Buster was filming Beckett’s FILM in NYC — just posted a tribute to Betty White that focused on Keaton’s three appearances on White TV shows in the 1950s.... Everyone is familiar with Harpo’s I LOVE LUCY mirror scene appearance with his former ROOM SERVICE co-star. Does anyone know if Buster — Lucy’s MGM friend in Keaton’s gagman days — was ever approached to do I LOVE LUCY? Buster and Ball only appeared together in a Stan Laurel tribute : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s5D6Rd2-RQ<br />while director Edward Sedgwick — Keaton’s MGM officemate in the late 1940s — wound up on the Desilu payroll and had his final credits there. <br /> <br /><br /><br /><br />T Quigleyhttps://www.nitrateville.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26458414741773448192022-01-03T12:49:41.894-08:002022-01-03T12:49:41.894-08:00Always felt that Desi's DOP Karl Freund had a ...Always felt that Desi's DOP Karl Freund had a lot to do with developing three cameras. One of the classic Hollywood cinematographers. But never any evidence backing that up.Bill Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06041905291496937729noreply@blogger.com