Finally on DVD: Complete first season of “The Lucy Show” starring Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance

This has me almost as excited as Designing Women coming to DVD. On July 21, The Lucy Show: The Official First Season, will be released. Lucy fans may have some episodes from this 1962-68 series but never in complete seasons and only a handful from the first year. There has been some kind of public domain issue I believe that seems to have been resolved.

While not the classic that I Love Lucy was, Lucille Ball’s The Lucy Show was really terrific in its first 2-3 seasons or so. Mostly because it also starred Vivian Vance and focused on two women (Lucy a widow, Vivian a divorcee) sharing a home, raising their kids, and getting into all kinds of trouble as they tried to install a shower, fix the rooftop antenna, or start a caramel corn business.

Vivian Vance left after three years and the show became something or a cartoon and had none of tbe heart of I Love Lucy or the earlier seasons and relied on silly gimmicks as time went on. And let’s face it, Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) the banker was not as good an oppressor as Ricky was – he just came off as a meanie. And Mary Jane (Mary Jane Croft) was no Viv.

But anyway, this first season is stellar and I’m very excited about owning it! Desi Arnaz was the executive producer this first year and there are 30 episodes in the collection – most of which have been very rarely seen in recent decades. The first season also featured Dick Martin as the next door neighbor, a pilot who would come back from a trip and find the single moms in a whole heap of trouble.

Miss Ball would go on to win two best actress Emmys for this series.