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(More customer reviews)The two episodes included on this tape, "Lucy Raises Tulips", and "The Ricardo's Dedicate a Statue", were the final pair of episodes in the long running series of "I Love Lucy" which had delighted audiences since the early 1950's with Lucille Ball's unique form of wacky comedy and hilarious pratfalls. By this time both Lucille Ball and husband Desi Arnaz were tiring of the weekly grind of turning out a highly successful comedy series and during the next three seasons reduced the series to occasional specials with a longer running time. Like any long running series the freshness of the original idea does begin to pale abit as the years progress and that is what we see in this final collection of episodes which are a mismatched pair with the first, "Lucy Raises Tulips", still retaining the old Lucy magic while the second, and last episode of the regular series "The Ricardo's Dedicate a Statue" sadly lacking the old energy funny situations and clever dialogue.
"Lucy Raises Tulips", tells a very amusing story that brings back the memories of "I Love Lucy's" earlier days as Lucy finds herself in hot competition with uppity neighbour Betty in the local best garden competition. Annoyed that Ricky and Fred sneak off to a ball game instead of mowing the lawns before the judges arrive Lucy decides to do the job herself using a borrowed mower that quote "seems to have a mind of it's own"! Of course Lucy being Lucy disaster strikes and she finds herself on a run away mower that ends up, after going on an unscheduled trip through the town, plowing through Betty's garden demolishing her prize Tulip bed. This scene is hilarious and indeed is one of the more memorable Lucy stunts filmed. Frantic over the accident Lucy replaces Betty's tulips with wax ones only to have her own tulips destroyed by Ricky when he returns and feeling guilty tries to finish the lawn mowing in the dark. Ricky replaces Lucy's tulips also with wax ones however just when the judges arrive the next day the blooms begin to melt in the hot sun disqualifying her from the competition.
The second episode of the tape "The Ricardo's Dedicate a Statue", is however a disappointment after the previous story. The episode has a very padded out feel to it and the story of Lucy's highjinks at the town's Yankee Doddle Day celebrations seems tired and unoriginal. An annoyingly drawn out scene of the Ricardo's getting their dog Fred to show the manners he learnt at obedience school seems merely designed to fill out the running time and even Lucy's destroying the statue that is about to be unveiled with her taking it's place on the pedestal dusted over with white powder to look like the soldier seems very unfunny and is a sad way for the classic series to end. A point of interest in this final episode is the only appearance by young Desi Arnaz Jnr as a child in the crowd in the last scene. It marked his only appearance on his parent's series.
This volumne of "I Love Lucy", is essential viewing for all fans of the series like myself however the "Lucy Raises Tulips", episode is the one which carries the tape. It still displays the genius of Lucille Ball and shows that even at this late stage in the series she could still create a classic scene as is witnessed during the classic lawn mower sequence. The cast of "I Love Lucy", Lucille, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley were a wonderful team of talented professionals that the whole world had an enduring affection for. They could make any wacky situation seem believable and their own commitment to their work succeeded in making "I Love Lucy" an enduring classic. While not the two best episodes of the series "Tulips" and "Dedicate a Statue" are essential viewing for all Lucy fans and should of course be part of any "I Love Lucy", collection. Enjoy!
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