Definitely, one of the classics. Here’s just one of my favorites (I’ll touch on more “I Love Lucy” episodes in future blog entries):
* “Job Switching”: Lucy and Ethel trade places with Ricky and Fred. The men stay home and try to become domestic divas while the ladies head out into the work force.
Some of the highlights from this episode: Ricky telling Fred you don’t iron silk stockings, you starch them, as he holds up a pair of now-petrified stockings. But, he was right—no creases. And they can certainly be stored away neatly in the closet. Or when he holds up a piece of Lucy’s clothing he’s ironed, with the burned imprint of the iron on it. I have three pairs of dress shirts just like it. Trust me, it’s a definite fashion statement. I am the envy of all of my friends, relatives and co-workers, and I’m waiting for Kmart to contact me any day about developing my own “Brad’s Burnt Iron” clothing line.
But, the laughs really come when Lucy and Ethel go to work in a chocolate factory (yes, they landed my dream job … I’d last about two days—OK, probably more like two hours--before they kicked me out for eating almost as much as I made.) My mouth is watering and my stomach is growling just thinking about Lucy dipping candy in that chocolate. And it only even funnier when Lucy and Ethel are put on the candy wrapping station and the conveyor belt sends candy through at warp speed. They look like chipmunks as they stuff the candy their mouths (I would have loved to have been a stunt double for that)—as well as in their hats and shirts.
In the end, the couples decide that the men are better off making the money, and the women are better of spending it.
All this writing has made me hungry. I’m off to the vending machine. But, before I go, how about you? Would you trade places with your spouse/significant other if you could? How do you think you’d do … and how do you think THEY would do? And, what’s YOUR favorite “I Love Lucy” episode?
*
Source for series duration: http://epguides.com/ILoveLucy/
*
In addition to posting directly on this blog (and please do!), you can e-mail me your comments at: bwadlow@gannett.com. Please put "Totally TV" in the subject field. You can also write to me: Brad Wadlow, Courier News, 1201 Route 22 West, PO Box 6600, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Be sure to put: "Totally TV" on the envelope, too. You can also fax me at (908) 707-3252, or give me a call at (908) 707-3131. I look forward to hearing from you!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Welcome to "Totally TV"
Step back with me for a minute as we take a ride back in time. Don’t worry, I’ll get you back in time to meet your next work deadline (unless you want to miss it), or by the time you need to take little Johnny or Janie to Little League, soccer, horseshoe or vocal practice (or all of them).
Let’s go back in time when life, looking back, seemed so much simpler. There were no Internet predators, because, well, there was no Internet, everyone in the family crowded around one set, and the family’s idea of the remote control was the youngest one sitting in front of the television turning the dial.
And forget one hundred-plus channels. “Back in the day” (OK, I’m starting to feel old now), there were Channels 2 through 13, and three major networks. (Yes, that would be ABC, CBS and NBC). Sure, cable began to emerge back in the 1970s, but it wasn’t omnipresent in almost every household like it is today.
In this blog, I’ll touch on television shows of my childhood (the late '60s and '70s), trends and holiday customs, television theme songs we just can’t seem to forget, no matter how hard we try, and more.
We'll also step out of the time machine and take a look at some of today’s shows, too.
But, I want to hear from you as well! I want to know your favorite shows were growing up and your memories of them. Did you play Lone Ranger for hours on end, “galloping” endlessly up and down on a broomstick which subbed as “Silver”? Did you pretend to be Dinah Shore (yes, that’s before the days of Oprah and Ellen) and hold mock talk shows with your siblings and neighborhood friends?
What are your favorite skits from Burns & Allen? Abbott & Costello? Or your favorite episode of “Cagney & Lacey”? And what present television shows do you refuse to miss … or tape … or TiVo? And which ones can’t you stand?
And, what would a television blog be without discussing commercials, too? How many months in the mid-1980’s did you go around saying, “Where’s the beef?” How many women are still soaking in a Calgon bath to escape “the dog … the boss …the kids”? Did you feel compelled to buy Bounty paper towels because Rosie, portrayed by Nancy Walker, extolled, “It’s the quicker picker-upper!”
I’d love to hear your thoughts on your favorite and not-so-favorite shows and commercials from yesterday to today (Wow, I sound like a radio station).
In addition to posting directly on this blog (and please do!), you can e-mail me your comments at: bwadlow@gannett.com. Please put "Totally TV" in the subject field. You can also write to me: Brad Wadlow, Courier News, 1201 Route 22 West, PO Box 6600, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Be sure to put: "Totally TV" on the envelope, too. You can also fax me at (908) 707-3252, or give me a call at (908) 707-3131. I look forward to hearing from you!
Let’s go back in time when life, looking back, seemed so much simpler. There were no Internet predators, because, well, there was no Internet, everyone in the family crowded around one set, and the family’s idea of the remote control was the youngest one sitting in front of the television turning the dial.
And forget one hundred-plus channels. “Back in the day” (OK, I’m starting to feel old now), there were Channels 2 through 13, and three major networks. (Yes, that would be ABC, CBS and NBC). Sure, cable began to emerge back in the 1970s, but it wasn’t omnipresent in almost every household like it is today.
In this blog, I’ll touch on television shows of my childhood (the late '60s and '70s), trends and holiday customs, television theme songs we just can’t seem to forget, no matter how hard we try, and more.
We'll also step out of the time machine and take a look at some of today’s shows, too.
But, I want to hear from you as well! I want to know your favorite shows were growing up and your memories of them. Did you play Lone Ranger for hours on end, “galloping” endlessly up and down on a broomstick which subbed as “Silver”? Did you pretend to be Dinah Shore (yes, that’s before the days of Oprah and Ellen) and hold mock talk shows with your siblings and neighborhood friends?
What are your favorite skits from Burns & Allen? Abbott & Costello? Or your favorite episode of “Cagney & Lacey”? And what present television shows do you refuse to miss … or tape … or TiVo? And which ones can’t you stand?
And, what would a television blog be without discussing commercials, too? How many months in the mid-1980’s did you go around saying, “Where’s the beef?” How many women are still soaking in a Calgon bath to escape “the dog … the boss …the kids”? Did you feel compelled to buy Bounty paper towels because Rosie, portrayed by Nancy Walker, extolled, “It’s the quicker picker-upper!”
I’d love to hear your thoughts on your favorite and not-so-favorite shows and commercials from yesterday to today (Wow, I sound like a radio station).
In addition to posting directly on this blog (and please do!), you can e-mail me your comments at: bwadlow@gannett.com. Please put "Totally TV" in the subject field. You can also write to me: Brad Wadlow, Courier News, 1201 Route 22 West, PO Box 6600, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Be sure to put: "Totally TV" on the envelope, too. You can also fax me at (908) 707-3252, or give me a call at (908) 707-3131. I look forward to hearing from you!
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