"Hey, there's somethin' screwy about this joint!"
After a three-month rest from the first two releases, CBS DVD and Paramount have brought us more Lucy to enjoy. Again porting over a release that was previously available only to members of the Columbia House club, this is another solid DVD with 4 great episodes of the first and still greatest sitcom ever.
The DVDs: "Season 1, Volume 3"
Continuing as with the previous releases, there are 4 installments of I Love Lucy presented here in airdate order (hooray!), although the production number of each show is noted on the back of the DVD case. These episodes were originally broadcast during December 1951, culminating in a Christmas Eve broadcast:
Men Are Messy: It's a house (well, apartment) divided, as Lucy wants no part of Ricky's messy half.
The Fur Coat: Ricky's rented prop (for the club) is misidentified by Lucy...as her anniversary gift!
Lucy is Jealous of Girl Singer: A dancer really, but Lucy thinks Ricky is ready to run off with her.
Drafted: When Ricky's "orders" come in to entertain the troops, Lucy assumes he's been drafted for real.
Video
The video on Volume 3 is comparable to that on Volume 2. A cleaned up transfer is the basis of this DVD, with nary a scratch on it. Presented in the original black-and-white 4x3 format, shading is good throughout most of the presentation. In a few places it seems too dark or too light, but not often and it's not very distracting. Some of the softness of the previous releases has been corrected, and it feels more and more like a showing that you might have experienced back when these episodes were first broadcast! A firm job done here, especially considering the age of the material.
Audio
The audio presentation this time, in its original mono format, is even better than in the previous volumes. While I can't claim absolute perfection, this is as clean and clear an audio presentation of a 50-year-old TV show as you could ever hope for. There are no dropouts or other audio artifacts that I could detect. All is crystal-clear!
A Spanish dub track is also provided as an alternative. Hard-of-hearing folk are left out in the cold, however, without any English subtitles or even closed captioning.
Missing from this volume are the Behind-the-Scenes Audio Featurette from Volume 1 and the Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery from Volume 2. Otherwise, Volume 3 features the same set of supplements that we saw on the previous releases:
1. Restored Outtakes: The series' original opening is here again. Yes, this is exactly the same Phillip Morris inspired sequence already seen on the previous two I.L.L. volumes. It seems to be Paramount/CBS DVD's intention to include this on each volume. That's not bad, as it pertains to every episode, but there's no need to spend time watching it again, even just for 47 seconds. Other restored outtakes ("Special Footage", as they refer to it) particular to these episodes are demonstrated in the way of a reference to sponsor Phillip Morris in "Men Are Messy", a long kiss that didn't get past the censors a second time at the end of "Lucy is Jealous of Girl Singer", a special Christmas greeting that closed the Christmas Eve airing of "Drafted", and descriptions of restored musical bridges. Together, 5:35 minutes.
2. A look at the Guest Cast appearing in the various episodes on this disc. It includes interesting information about these people, their appearance, and/or circumstances before and/or after the appearance.
3. There is only one "Flub" this time, and it's based on the presumption that the apartment building the Ricardos live in follow standard door numbering conventions. Good for a brief chuckle (30 seconds), but nothing great.
4. The My Favorite Husband radio show episodes are back, with two more delightful installments. This time it is "George is Messy", the broadcast that inspired the episode "Men are Messy", and also "Anniversary Presents", the show that inspired "The Fur Coat". 29 and 24 minutes long, respectively.
Summary
As I said at the start, this is another solid release that I Love Lucy fans, both hard-core and casual, will want to pick up. This sort of thing is the perfect entertainment when you have a half hour to kill and want to watch a single episode. Or on a dreary weather day, when you're shut in and need a laugh. Or anytime you want something that will amuse the entire family. At in-store prices effectively in the $10-$13 range, this is a great DVD to have around the house!
