One of the best episodes of the season has to be “Lucy Gets Jack Benny’s Account.” In this one, Mr. Mooney and Lucy target the notoriously thrifty Benny as a possible customer for the bank. Benny keeps his money in a safe at home, which is better guarded than Fort Knox. He tells Lucy that if the Westland Bank can provide better security, he would be willing to give them the account. Jack and Lucy have great chemistry together, and this show is a real joy to watch. It turns out that the quicksand set that was built for the final scene was the most expensive one in The Lucy Show’s six-year history.
The extras include production notes for many of the shows, which provide some fascinating glimpses into what went on behind the scenes. There are also outtakes, photo galleries, and vintage openings and closings. The openings and closings include sponsor spots, along the lines of “Pepsodent presents, The Lucy Show.”
Perhaps the most important element of these DVDs is the presentation of the programs. They have all been remastered, and the color looks absolutely gorgeous. The Lucy Show was still riding high in the ratings, and had been renewed for a seventh season. But Lucille Ball thought that her character needed to interact with younger characters. This led to the format of The Lucy Show being abandoned, and that of Here’s Lucy being developed. Here’s Lucy would feature her real life children Desi Arnaz Jr. and Lucie Arnaz, and would debut the following year.
The Lucy Show was a great follow-up to I Love Lucy, and has never looked better than it does in this set. It is well worth a look for fans of classic TV.
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