I Love Lucy - TV-G
TV Rating: TV-G
Network: Syndicated, TV Land Cast: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance
Genre: Comedy
Available on: 
DVDDownload
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this still-hilarious (and ubiquitous) 1950s comedy classic is entirely tame by contemporary standards, though some episodes do show the characters smoking or drinking. In one famous episode, Lucy gets more and more drunk as she films a commercial for Vegameatavitamin, showing alcohol consumption in a funny light. Also, old-fashioned family stereotypes (like the clueless housewife and the patronizing husband) form the basis of the show's narrative structure, and some racial stereotyping occurs, with Ricky's Cuban accent often becoming the butt of jokes.
Families can discuss the difference between families in the 1950s and today. What do kids notice was different in the '50s, as demonstrated by the show? How have things changed for the better (or the worse)? Specifically, how have the role of women and minorities changed? What changes have parents been most affected by? Also, what makes Lucille Ball so funny?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sierra Filucci
Lucille Ball was one of the all-time greatest comic actors. As Lucy Ricardo in I LOVE LUCY, the spunky redhead charmed audiences with her clownish pranks and vaudevillian charades, making the pioneering show one of the top sitcoms in TV history.
Ball stars alongside her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, who played Lucy's husband, Cuban bandleader/musician Ricky Ricardo. Willian Frawley and Vivian Vance co-star as the Ricardos' neighbors/landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz, who are often recruited into Lucy's many schemes.
Lucy, a housewife, has great ambition, despite a lack of real talent. A running thread in the series is her attempts to get a part in Ricky's nightclub show. She tries all manner of disguises and tricks but never manages to secure a real role in show business. (Of course, the irony of this storyline is that Ball was one of the most talented and groundbreaking women in show business at the time.)
In one of the show's most famous episodes, Lucy and Ethel get jobs at a candy factory on the assembly line. As the conveyor belt begins to move faster and faster, the duo can't keep up with the chocolates. Eventually Lucy starts popping the candies into her mouth, and hilarity ensues. Other classic moments include Lucy's (increasingly drunken) attempts to film a commercial for Vegameatavitamin and her determined grape-stomping efforts.
Despite its dated references and old-fashioned family dynamics, I Love Lucy remains hilariously entertaining. Ball's physical comedy is timeless. If younger viewers can get past the black-and-white presentation, even the littlest kids will enjoy her goofy faces and silly mishaps.
Fans might also enjoy other classic sitcoms like Bewitched and The Addams Family.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentNone. They couldn't even say the word "pregnant." Lucy does vamp it up and use her "wiles" on Ricky from time to time, but it's all totally innocent. |
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ViolenceSlapstick stuff -- poking behinds, bonking heads, etc. |
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Social BehaviorA product of its time -- some racial stereotyping, lots of gender sterotyping. The Ricardos' mixed-race marriage was groundbreaking for 1950s TV. |
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CommercialismEarly episodes were sponsored by a tobacco company, but references to this are no longer shown. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoSmoking in some rarely seen episodes. Some drinking for comic effect or in the background. |
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