[.ca] I Love Lucy: 50th Anniversary Special

From Amazon.com:
The producers of The I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special had a tough assignment, and they triumphantly rose to the occasion. Ostensibly a vehicle for a fan-selected list of top 10 favorite "I Love Lucy" episodes (available in the Best of I Love Lucy Collection), this 2001 special covers all the requisite territory with a solid sense of history and affectionate nostalgia, combining loving reminiscence and commentary (by such luminaries as Lily Tomlin, Barbara Walters, and Dick Van Dyke) with vintage clips from the selected episodes. More substantial segments demonstrate the deeper significance of the Lucy phenomenon past and present, from Desi Arnaz's influential impact on Latino culture in America to Lucy's historic onscreen pregnancy. When surviving children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. visit their mother's childhood home, their emotions are as genuine as I Love Lucy's cultural importance, adding gentle tears to an abundance of laughter. As valentines go, this anniversary couldn't be more special. --Jeff Shannon

I Love Lucy, But Not This Special:
I LOVE Lucy. "I Love Lucy" is the greatest show ever, but this botched special celebrating the series' 50th anniversary was just bad. Who cares what Andy Garcia, Cher or Roseanne have to say? I would like to have seen more focus on William Frawley and Vivian Vance, whose on-screen chemistry with Ball and Arnaz really helped to make "I Love Lucy" so funny. It goes to show you that the days of wonderfully funny shows like "I Love Lucy" are long gone. Not one person in Hollywood today is talented enough to hold a candle to the producers and creators of "Lucy" and this \obad\c attempt at a two hour special to celebrate it is a mockery of the show's half century contribution to laughter.

Good words about Lucy:
I love Lucy, I really do... But I was disappointed by this DVD: I've purchased it to enjoy "I Love Lucy" show and got a number of celebreties talking ABOUT Lucy instead... Bits and pieces, not a single full episode on a whole DVD. Do not buy it...

LOVING LUCY'S LEGACY:
As much an homage as it is a documentary, "The 'I Love Lucy' 50th Anniversary Special" is ideal for those who would love to find out just why the legacy of Lucy lives on. The special features vintage clips from some of Lucy's funniest and famous skits, as well as interviews with those performers who have been inspired and influenced by the red-hot redhead, including Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, Paul Rodriquez, Lily Tomlin and Dick Van Dyke. Some of the guests will surprise you, such as Antonio Banderas, Andy Garcia and Larry King. \oOne interesting sidenote: Roseanne Barr Arnold makes an appearance, yet in past interviews, Arnold was quick to boast about how much she did not love Lucy. Time for penance, Rosie?\c Original "I Love Lucy" writers Madelyn Pugh Davis, Bob Carroll Junior and Bob Schiller, as well as other crew members, shed some insider insights into the Lucy legend. Desi Arnaz's genius is also honored, with a look at his Cuban background and influence on Latin music in the United States. Latin music sensation does a knock-'em dead "Babalu," on a stylized set so reminiscent of The Tropicana. Perhaps most touching is the visit Lucie Arnaz and Desi Junior make to Lucy's birthplace, Jamestown, New York ... it is Desi's first visit, and the camera doesn't shy away from the emotional experience. Add to that Desi and Lucie singing "Patria" ("Homeland"), a tune especially written for the special, with multi-Grammy winner Auturo Sandoval on trumpet. Just marvelous!

Behind the Greatest Show of all Time!!:
I LOVE LUCY!! This show was really a big hit. It was bigger than big. In this video they go behind the scenes of "I Love Lucy." They even go to Jamestown, New York to show you where Lucille ball grew up. They talk about Lucy and Rickys childhood backgrounds. This is full of information that any Lucy fan would find interresting if you don't know it already. Its worth the money. They even have celebrities who talk about what they thought about the show with Whoopi Goldberg starting out the video. This is for any Lucy fan. They also count down the top 10 most popular Lucy episodes in the video. Get it while you can. Its worth it!! This is suppose to be the VHS version.

A resonse for "A viewer from Zhukovsky, Russia ":
Read the descriptions of items before you buy them. It clearly says "...with vintage clips from the selected episodes..." Clips does not mean full episodes. Personally, I thought this was an excellent DVD about the history of "I Love Lucy." And guess what, reviewer from Russia, in order to have a history video, you must have information on the actors. This video provides accurate information about all aspects of the show, characters, actors, and the actors' personal lives. The very special part is that they got Lucie and Desi Jr., the children of Lucy and Desi, to comment on the show and on their parents, as well as sing a revitalization of "Babalu." A must have for any "I Love Lucy" enthusiast.