What a wonderful episode, and so deeply touching, so much about all the shows they did together...how much she needed him was so deeply expressed, she really meant it...If only she'd had the chance to do that with Vivian. Ann Dusenberry does a miraculous job with a rather thankless part. One of Lucille's greatest attributes was her loyalty to her collaborators. Tough for new people, but if someone was good, she kept them on for the rest of her life. I wonder if she had Gale Gordon under personal contract at all times...
Yes, this show was very unremarkable compared to Lucille Ball’s previous work, but her chemistry with long time comedic sidekick Gale Gordon was still great. It’s a shame that this show was canceled, as it was actually getting better. The supporting cast was largely forgettable, but Ball and Gordon shined.
The thing about all the "Lucy" shows, is that they were always a copy of a copy of a copy. "I Love Lucy" being the original copy, and then the other ones to follow. And all getting a bit inferior as they went along, and "Life With Lucy" being the absolute worst. I think at this point, Lucy needed to become more of a supportive character, instead of having the plot centered around her. She was at an age here where people aren't really interested in what an old lady is doing during the day. Each show got worse as time went on, relying on old/played-out jokes and gags that couldn't keep up with the times. She never really outgrew her original character or stretched her acting chops: she was forever "Lucy Ricardo", trapped in 1951. "Life With Lucy" was an idea that should've been left on the cutting-room floor: her heart wasn't in it, anyway, because Desi was dying at the time. At some point as a Hollywood actor, you have to hang it up and realize you've had your time already: you're too old and/or washed-up. LET IT GO!
now I know why viewers did not appreciate this last Lucy series the whole premise of the Lucy character was that by hook or by crook she managed to extricate herself from the predicaments she herself got herself into But in this Life with Lucy series she is defeated by circumstances in every episode ,and left feeling sorry for herself .That's what didn't sit well with her fans .They wanted their Lucy to triumph no matter what .And seeing that she looked old and frail made it all seem too real ,Lucy defeated at last after happily coming out on top in her earlier avatars ,Bob and Madeline obviously didn't have full control over the scripts and may have had to change their tried and trusted formula in deference to the new channel which did not have the confidence in Lucille Ball to wait for the series to grow on the public as CBS did
Interesting take, Deepa. Lucy ultimately triumphs in every episode, but she does get down during part of the show and finds a way to pull out of it. In some ways, that's realistic. Someone in her 70s probably does get depressed a lot. Overall, I think the show portrayed a very positive image of people like Lucy and Curtis/Gale, as people who were still vital and active and ran a successful (most of the time) small business. The "happy ending" part is really evident in this episode when Curtis comes back.
