Rating: 
Summary: "A Real Treasure!"
Review: This is comedy writing at its best, to say nothing of the excellent acting. Of course, not all episodes are equally as good, but there is brilliance here! Also, having grown up in the 1950's, I love seeing all the wardrobe, furniture, accessories, and references to things I remember well from my childhood. The other thing that makes this show stand out from all other comedies is that Lucy and Ricky are really married to each other, and there's a naturalness about the show that adds to the authenticity and pleasure in watching.
Rating: 
Summary: Corporate greed at its worst
Review: "I Love Lucy--the Complete First Season" represents corporate greed at its absolute worst. Shame on CBS video for what it did to "Lucy" fans everywhere. First, they cut the season up into nine parts and sell them for $15 apiece, making fans wait nearly a year to get the entire season, but then they finally package it in one set and sell it for $120, which is outrageously expensive for a vintage TV collection, especially one that everyone has seen countless times over the past 50+ years. Luckily, the justifiable anger of fans has been answered with the release of "I Love Lucy--the Complete Second Season," which has been released as a complete set with more compact packaging and at roughly half the price.
As for the show itself, I must admit I'm not a big fan of the first season, as I find the performances, plots, and execution to be overly broad, and the production values are, to be honest, awful, especially in the first few episodes. Granted, the show was pretty much under construction and can be forgiven because the producers and cinematographer Karl Freund were essentially inventing the sitcom, but compare the production values to the highly professional and polished episodes in Season three or four and you'll see what I mean. As for the performances, it is obvious the actors are in the process of developing their characters and finding their footing (which is true of most shows today, admittedly) and have a tendency to mug for the camera, especially William Frawley as lovable Fred Mertz. I'm sure this is unfair criticism, but I'm not reviewing the show's entire run, which I think rates it as at least one of the top five series in TV history, but this season in particular. Still, the episodes pack many laughs and hint at the brilliance to come.
As for the performances, Lucille Ball plays Lucy Ricardo much more of a child-woman than she does in later seasons, and Desi Arnaz plays husband Ricky almost as a father figure instead of a partner. Scenes with Ricky "punishing" Lucy with a spanking are especially offensive, although they must be put in context with the times this show was shot. As for Frawley and Vivian Vance as best friends and landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz, Vance doesn't mug nearly as much as Frawley, but her constantly changing hairstyle, her rather ugly, dowdy wardrobe, and constantly changing personality is definitely distracting, especially in an early show in which she shows an interest in the paranormal that is totally out of character when contrasted with the more level-headed Ethel Mertz that she eventually morphed into.
As for the extras, they are great. The package is stuffed with special features, including flubs, special long-lost introductory footage, cast lists, etc. The long-lost animated sequences featuring eye-opening Phillip Morris tobacco product placement are also a great deal of fun. But they still don't justify the ridiculous price of the package.
In all, "I Love Lucy" is one of the greatest shows in TV history with some of the most loyal fans of all-time, some of whom (myself included) have been fans since childhood and have stayed loyal for decades. They deserve much better than the shoddy, greedy treatment they received from CBS video on this particular product. *** (out of *****)
Rating:
Summary: Not a Perfect Set, but Worth it
Review: I love "I Love Lucy." Whenever I find it on TV, I watch and find myself laughing. Naturally, it was one of the first shows I knew I wanted on DVD. This set has good and bad points. In reality, I'd probably give it 4.5 if I could. But since I can't, I rounded up.The biggest drawback is the price. It's expensive! Even though I've found it cheaper other places, it still costs a lot of money. Of course, you do get 9 DVD for the price. And if you bought the discs as they came out, you have no reason to get this set since you already have all the material. On the plus side, you get the 35 official season 1 episodes plus the "lost pilot" that was found and released several years ago. The episodes have been restored and I doubt they looked this good when they first aired. Picture is original full frame black and white and sound is original mono. Bonus features include behind the scenes trivia and photos, guest cast information, restored footage (some of which is a hoot), the original animated opening, and at least one episode per disc of Lucy's radio show "My Favorite Husband" that inspired certain episodes. For me, I find some of the episodes near the start of season 1 to be rather slow and not as funny. This is a common complaint of mine with most TV shows. The writers and actors need time to find the characters before things really take off. Still, there are some early gems like "The Diet" and "The Fur Coat." The second half more then makes up for the first with many classic moments and hilarious episodes like "The Ballet," "Breaking the Lease," "The Gossip," "Pioneer Women," "The Freezer," and "Lucy's Schedule." I can watch these episodes over and over again and laugh myself silly every time. Of course, this doesn't mention the single most famous episode of season 1 - "Lucy Does a TV Commercial." If this title doesn't ring a bell, I have just one word for you. Vitameatavegamin. Is this a perfect set? No, and its flaws are a little more obvious then most. The good news is that future seasons of this classic show will be released in cheaper to buy full season sets. In the end, if you love Lucy, you will be glad you spent the money to get this set.
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