Cheap I Love Lucy - The Complete First Season (DVD) (Lucille Ball) Price

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Customer Reviews of I Love Lucy - The Complete First Season

Not a great deal, but cut them some slack
I half-way agree with other reviews here. This set is extremely expensive, especially compared with other TV season sets on the market. However, having purchased the set, it might make you feel better to know it is not merely paying more for the same product. First, there are 36 episodes, compared to around 24 for most other TV shows of today. I Love Lucy was not originally done in season format as TV shows are filmed in today. They went week after week until they needed a break. The episodes also generally run longer than episodes from modern TV shows because of less commercial time. Second, and much more important, is the fact that this is not only the first season on DVD, but rather an excellent preservation of the series as a whole. Each DVD comes with original opening animation, deleted scenes recently found and previously considered lost, history on the show, and each disc also includes an episode from "My Favorite Husband", the Lucille Ball radio show from which I Love Lucy stems. Though some of this is only of interest to hard-core Lucy fans, it is really nice to see this material transfered to DVD and released to the public so that it can last forever.
In conclusion, I think the price could be taken down some and the sets released in a more sensible way, but I don't think it's near as horrible as other reviewers state. And despite all the extra features, it's still I Love Lucy.. and I LOVE LUCY! :-D

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We are a whiny bunch, aren't we?
It's not that bad, really. Why would Paramound simply package the nine discs that had previously been sold seperately rather than consolidate the episodes with new extras? Maybe so that fans who had already bought 2 or 3 or 8 of the individual DVDs wouldn't miss anything by simply buying the rest of the individual DVDs and not the entire season again. I know that if I had bought 7 DVDs individually (for $15 each) and then found out that the season set would contain extras, and I would have to shell out $100 for just 2 DVDs worth of episodes and the extras, I would be very upset.
The reason for the high cost of this set compared to other series' sets? I LOVE LUCY is much, much more valuable; possibly (probably) the most valuable TV series in history. More than 50 years after its start, it's still on cable almost every day. 50 years from now people will still love I LOVE LUCY, while few of today's shows will be of much interest. The value of the series makes it impossible to offer it for prices comparable to other series.
It may take a while for all the episodes to be released, but very few series are released on any faster schedule. And although DVDs may be passé by that time, two things are true: First, the DVDs will last for a lot longer than anything used before them. Second, the quality on these discs is just about as high as is possible due to the quality of the source. TV shows weren't taped at anything better than DVD quality until just the last few years.
If it's too big for you, or too expensive, watch TVLand. If you want to own the first season of TV's greatest series on DVD, buy this set. If you want to wait for a better version which may or may not ever come out, go right ahead.

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Not a Perfect Set, but Worth it
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.