Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

She's having a baby.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 29, 2015

It's truly a sign of the Blu-ray format's established place in the market and proliferation in the home when studios open up the vault and take a chance on releasing aged, but no worse for wear; and costly, but well-worth the price of admission; television titles onto Blu-ray. And for fans and admirers of the classics, such releases are nothing short of heartwarming. It was only a little over one year ago that Paramount and CBS dug deep back into the era of classic, vintage television to release a trio of spectacular Blu-ray sets of three of the most cherished vintage programs in the vault: The Honeymooners, The Andy Griffith Show, and I Love Lucy. And it's Lucy that's first out of the gate with a second season on Blu-ray, with The Honeymooners already complete and Andy Griffith still waiting for a shot at seeing more of its tradition-laden stories appear in high definition. And why not Lucy? Arguably never has there been a more timeless television show, a more iconic character, a more beloved series. Lucille Ball was, and arguably remains, the face of classic television. I Love Lucy, exceedingly popular in its day, soared to record ratings and still today remains cherished by both longtime fans and newcomers alike who cannot escape the show's simple charms, its cast's chemistry and comedic timing, and countless classic moments that defined an era and reshaped television and popular culture history forever.

The new arrival.

Lucy's second season premiered on September 15, 1952 with "Job Switching," an episode that would be remembered as, in many circles, not only the show's finest but one of the most memorable in television history, ranking near, or at, the top of countless "best of" TV lists across the decades since its premiere. In it, Lucy lands a job at a chocolate manufacturing plant where it's her against the conveyor belt in one of the simplest, yet funniest, moments in television history. While nothing else in the season proves quite so humorously memorable, season two is probably better known as the season in which Lucy's real-ife pregnancy deeply influenced the show's course with a mid-season run that began with "Lucy Is Enceinte" ("enceinte" a French word for "pregnant," used in lieu of the English word due to studio uncertainty over whether the word "pregnant" was in good taste; how times have changed!), following on with several episodes that deal with the issue from both Lucy's and Desi's perspectives, and culminating with the January 19, 1953 airing of "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" in which the character births her child; the real life Lucille Ball gave birth on the same day, hours before the episode's broadcast (however, the episode was shot in November of 1952). That episode rated 1.5x more viewers than President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inaugural address to the nation, which took place the day afterward.

Otherwise, season two is much more of the same, playing on the same formula of over-the-top chaos between Lucy and her husband Desi, he a top entertainer and she desperate to break into the business in away she can, and usually by going behind his back and employing various underhanded methods in the process. Lucy efforts to finagle her way into his act on several occasions throughout the season, whether trying to take up the Saxophone or portray an Indian, but much of the action also takes place on the Arnaz home front. Indeed, domestic issues fill many of the episodes, whether Lucy battling a neighbor over her baby's noise or the family's spats with the neighboring Mertz family over broken televisions and washing machines. Every episode is a winner not necessarily due to scripted details but rather the cast's -- Ball's in particular -- ability to find just the right tone but, more than that, just the right timing, facial expressions, and keen understanding of who the characters are and what the audience expects of them. Ball's ability to project over-the-top physical comedy with an understated in-character sense of humor and maintain a relatable real-life persona is the show's greatest asset and certainly the key ingredient to its original success and long-standing, and well-deserved, heritage and place as television royalty.

Below is a list of all season two episodes. Summaries are provided courtesy of the Blu-ray insert. Episodes are available with original commercial content included or with the ads removed.

Disc One:

• Job Switching: After Ricky and Fred get upset about the girls' spending, Lucy and Ethel go to work in a candy factory while the boys do the housework. Original air date: 9/15/52.
• The Saxophone: Lucy doesn't want to be left home when Ricky goes on tour, so she tries to convince him that she is a talented saxophone player. When that doesn't work, she tries to make him so jealous that he won't leave her by herself. Original air date: 9/22/52.
• The Anniversary Present: For their anniversary, Ricky secretly tries to buy some pearls for Lucy through a neighbor lady who works at a jewelry store. Lucy finds out just enough to think there's something going on between them. Original air date: 9/29/52.
• The Handcuffs: Lucy attaches herself to Ricky using old handcuffs from Fred. She doesn't know he never had a key for them. Original air date: 10/6/52.
• The Operetta: The Ricardos and Mertzes perform in an operetta for a club benefit. Original air date: 10/13/52.
• Vacation from Marriage: Lucy convinces Ethel that both of their marriages are in a rut. They decide to take some time away from their spouses. Lucy moves in with Ethel and Fred moves in with Ricky. By Saturday night they all get bored and both attempt to check the activity of the other pair at the same time. Lucy and Ethel almost get caught spying and end up getting locked on the roof in their night clothes. Original air date: 10/27/52
• The Courtroom: The Ricardos buy the Mertzes a television set for their 25th wedding anniversary. When Ricky accidentally breaks it, Fred breaks the Ricardos' TV and both couples end up suing each other. Original air date: 11/10/52.

Disc Two:

• Redecorating: Lucy and Ethel are both sick of their furniture, so they enter a contest where the grand prize is five rooms of new furniture. Original air date: 11/24/52.
• Ricky Loses His Voice: Ricky gets a sore throat just before a show for the new owner of the Tropicana. Original air date: 12/1/52.
• Lucy Is Enceinte: When Lucy learns that she's going to have a baby, she tries to find the right way to tell this to Ricky. Original air date: 12/8/52.
• Pregnant Women are Unpredictable: Ricky does his best to deal with pregnant Lucy's emotional needs. Original air date: 12/15/52.
• Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song: Pregnant Lucy insists on being in a barbershop quartet skit at the club with Ricky and the Mertzes. Original air date: 12/22/52.
• Lucy Hires an English Tutor: Lucy is worried that their unborn child will someday ask a lot of difficult questions, so she hires a tutor to teach her, Ricky, and the Mertzes. Original air date: 12/29/52.
• Ricky Has Labor Pains: Ricky develops psychosomatic labor pains. Original air date: 1/5/53.

Disc Three:

• Lucy Becomes a Sculptress: Lucy decides to explore her artistic side and takes up sculpting. Original air date: 1/12/53.
• Lucy Goes to the Hospital: Lucy has her baby! Original air date: 1/19/53.
• Sales Resistance: Lucy seems to be unable to resist buying junk from fast-talking salesmen. Original air date: 1/26/53.
• The Inferiority Complex: Ricky and the Mertzes try to pull Lucy out of an emotional slump. Original air date: 2/2/53.
• The Club Election: Lucy and Ethel run against each other for president of their women's club. Original air date: 2/16/53.
• The Black Eye: Ricky and the Mertzes recall when Ricky accidentally gave Lucy a black eye. Original air date: 3/9/53.

Disc Four:

• Lucy Changes Her Mind: When Ricky gets upset about Lucy constantly changing her mind and never finishing anything, he tells her that she has to finish everything she starts. When she finds an old, incomplete love letter to a former boyfriend, she decides to finish it. Original air date: 3/30/53.
• No Children Allowed: Lucy has a difficult night with little Ricky crying constantly. A neighbor, Mrs. Trumbull, complains and says the lease does not allow children. Ethel says the lease does not matter and the Ricardos can stay. Original air date: 4/20/53.
• Lucy Hires a Maid: Lucy needs help with the baby and housekeeping, but she hires a maid who turns out to be more than a little domineering. Original air date: 4/27/53.
• The Indian Show: Ricky is planning an Indian show at the club and needs to find a few Indians to be included. Of course, Lucy, Fred and Ethel want to be part of it. Ricky hires Fred and Ethel but not Lucy, so Lucy has to resort to trickery to be included. Original air date: 5/4/53.
• Lucy's Last Birthday: Lucy is depressed when she thinks everyone forgot her birthday and wanders off while her surprise party waits at the club. Original air date: 5/11/53.
• The Ricardos Change Apartments: Lucy tries everything to convince Ricky to let them move to a bigger apartment. Original air date: 5/18/53.
• Lucy Is Matchmaker: Lucy and Ethel play matchmaker for one of Fred's friend who is visiting from out-of-town, but things get complicated. Original air date: 5/25/53.

Disc Five:

• Lucy Wants New Furniture: Ricky insists that Lucy use her allowance to pay for new furniture she bought without his approval. Original air date: 6/1/53.
• The Camping Trip: Lucy wants to go with Ricky and Fred on their camping trip. Original air date: 6/8/53.
• Ricky and Fred are TV Fans: The girls get fed up with the boys watching the fights on television. Then they try to do something to distract them and end up getting arrested. Original air date: 6/22/53.
• Never Do Business with Friends: The Ricardos sell their old washing machine to the Mertzes after they buy a new one. It's the Ricardos vs. the Mertzes when it breaks down before the Mertzes pay for it. Original air date: 6/29/53.

I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2 arrives on Blu-ray with an attractive 1080p presentation that retains the series' original broadcast 4x3 aspect ratio, placing "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 HD frame. Much like season one's transfer, season two offers a healthy, mostly organic image. Originally photographed on 35mm film, the image holds up very well. Grain retention is always obvious and helps accentuate a broad spectrum of general details, including basic facial and clothing textures but also finer details around the Ricardo apartment, including some of the wear and flaws evident on set pieces. However, the image isn't crisp enough to make out finer pinpoint details, such as newspaper print (headlines, not fine print). The grayscale is well balanced, yielding attractive blacks, crisp whites, and an effortless gradation between the extremes. Minor aliasing is evident on some more challenging surfaces, like a finely dotted dress, and minor bits of wear and tear creep in but never do any serious damage, and certainly not enough to distract from the experience. The image takes on a mildly processed look at times, where it's less organic and a little flat, pasty, and even mildly blocky, but far more often than not the pleasantly crisp and natural film quality shines through. This is easily the best the show has ever looked for home consumption, and by a healthy measure. Fans and newcomers alike should be thrilled with the results.

I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2's LPCM 2.0 soundtrack pushes towards the middle, creating a mono-like faux-center sound image that carries the material nicely enough. Dialogue is the primary component, and despite a mild underlying sharpness and infrequent light hiss underneath, clarity and definition satisfy throughout the season. The laugh track is more than a glob of sound but by no means immersive and naturally clear. A few stray chuckles and guffaws are evident when one audience member breaks from the group. These prove a bit more polished than the collective, if only because they're competing with less noise. Music -- the opening title sequence, various bits on Desi's television program stage -- enjoy good basic instrumental definition. Minor sound effects like opening and closing doors are also delivered with fair basic definition but, obviously, never approach any kind of tangibly realistic flavor.

I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2 contains a number of special features scattered throughout the entire set. Each extra appears with a detailed text summary of what it's showing in the greater context of the show's history.

Disc One:

• 1952 Promo (480i, 1:56): A promotional piece highlighting I Love Lucy's second season. Original air date: August 25, 1952.
• Flashbacks (1080p): When Ball left the show to have a baby, old episodes were re-aired with new introductory scenes. Included here are "The Quiz Show" (2:00), "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her" (1:54), and "The Fur Coat" (1:59).
• Audio Commentary (1080p, 29:27): Director William Asher, Writers Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Davis, Stage Manager Herb Browar, and TV Historian Bart Andrews discuss the episode "Job Switching." From the Criterion Collection's I Love Lucy LaserDisc and recorded in 1991. Also included in this tab is a Bart Andrews text profile.
• "Job Switching:" Colorized Version (1080p, 25:03): A colorized version of the fan-favorite episode that originally aired on December 7, 2014 as part of CBS' I Love Lucy Christmas Special.
• "Job Switching:" French-Canadian Version (1080p, 25:01): A rare translated version of the episode that originally aired in Canada.
• The Handcuffs: 1955 Repeat (Open & Close) (480i, 2:42): This episode was re-aired on June 27, 1955 at the end of season four. This supplement shows the new open with Ray Rowan and the new close with Lucy and Desi.
• Flubs (1080p): Happy accident highlights from the show. Included are One Good Slip... from "Job Switching" (0:24), Not Yet, Lucy from "Job Switching" (0:24), The Magic Necktie from "The Handcuffs" (0:28), and Backstage Boo Boo from "Vacation from Marriage" (0:26).
• Lucy on the Radio (Audio Only) (1080p): My Favorite Husband radio episodes. Included are "Liz & George Handcuffed," which aired on CBS Radio on December 30, 1949 and inspired the episode "The Handcuffs," and "Women's Rights (Part 2)," which aired on CBS Radio on March 12, 1950 and inspired the episode "Job Switching." Both episodes play in-menu.
• Meet William Asher (1080p): A text-based bio on the show's director.
• Guest Cast Profiles (1080p): Text-based biographies for co-stars from various episodes. Included are Alvin Hurwitz, Elvia Allman, and Amanda Milligan from "Job Switching;" Charles Victor and Herb Vigran for "The Saxophone;" Gloria Blondell and Herb Vigran for "The Anniversary Present;" Will Wright, Veola Vonn, and Paul Dubov for "The Handcuffs;" Myra Marsh for "The Operetta;" and Moroni Olsen, Harry Bartell, and Robert B. Williams for "The Courtroom."
• Sponsor Talent (1080p): A text-based biography of Johnny Roventini, the face of Phillip Morris' I Love Lucy advertising campaign.
• Missing Scene (1080p): An additional scene from "The Operetta," presented in script form.
• Production Notes (1080p): Several pages of season two information presented in text form.
• Photo Gallery (1080p): Still from the show.
• Take a Bow (1080p): Disc credits.

Disc Two:

• Stars in the Eye (480i, 5:34): The I Love Lucy cast appears on a variety show celebrating the opening of CBS Television City on November 15, 1952. Presented by way of a Kinescope recording.
• CBS Eye (480i, 0:14): The CBS Network logo promotes I Love Lucy as seen on the December 29, 1952 airing of "Lucy Hires an English Tutor."
• Syndicated Version (Open & Close) (1080p, 1:12): Bookend clips from an international syndicated version of "Redecorating."
• Flubs (1080p): Happy accident highlights from the show. Included are Get Back, Fred from "Redecorating" (0:34), The Wrong Name from "Ricky Loses His Voice," (0:11), Cue, Please! from "Lucy Is Enceinte" (0:29), and McCall's Loves Lucy from "Ricky Has Labor Pains" (0:14).
• Lucy on the Radio (Audio Only) (1080p): My Favorite Husband radio episode. Includes "Mrs. Cooper Thinks Liz Is Pregnant" from CBS Radio, May 21, 1950. The episode plays in-menu.
• Behind the Scenes (Audio Book Featurette) (1080p): Excerpts from the audio book version of Laughs, Luck...and Lucy by Jess Oppenheimer with Gregg Oppenheimer. Included are Writing 'Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song' and Writing 'Lucy Is Enceinte'. Both play in-menu. Also included in this section is Larry Dobkin Profile, a brief one-page text bio of the show's guest star.
• Guest Cast Profiles (1080p): Text-based biographies for co-stars from various episodes. Included are Hans Conried, Florence Halop, and Margie Liszt for "Redecorating;" Arthur Q. Bryan, Hazel Pierce, Gertrude Astor, Barbara Pepper, Helen Dixon, and Marco Rizo for "Ricky Loses His Voice;" William Hamel and Richard J. Reeves for "Lucy Is Enceinte;" Bennett Green for "Pregnant Women Are Unpredictable;" Pepito the Clown, Jerry Hausner, and Vernon Dent for "Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song;" Hans Conried for "Lucy Hires An English Teacher;" and Jerry Hausner, Lou Merrill, and Hazel Pierce for "Ricky Has Labor Pains."
• Sponsor Talent (1080p): A text-based biography of Johnny Roventini, the face of Phillip Morris' I Love Lucy advertising campaign. This supplement repeats from the previous disc.
• Production Notes (1080p): Several pages of season two information presented in text form.
• Photo Gallery (1080p): Still from the show.
• Take a Bow (1080p): Disc credits.

Disc Three:

• Welcome Little Ricky (1080p, 0:47): Phillip Morris foregoes a commercial to celebrate a new arrival. Originally aired January 19, 1953.
• Heart Fund PSA (1080p, 1:08): Lucy and Desi pitch The Heart Fund on a public service announcement following a rerun of "The Séance" on March 23, 1953.
• Flashbacks (1080p): When Ball left the show to have a baby, old episodes were re-aired with new introductory scenes. Included here are "The Diet" (2:11), "Men Are Messy" (3:12), "The Audition" (2:21), "The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub" (2:22), and "The Séance" (1:37).
• Flubs (1080p): Happy accident highlights from the show. Included are Nothing To Get Upset About from "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" (0:16), Another Number Please! from "Sales Resistance" (0:15), and Name Changes from "The Inferiority Complex" (0:13).
• Lucy on the Radio (Audio Only) (1080p): My Favorite Husband radio episode. Included is "Liz Becomes a Sculptress," which aired on CBS Radio on October 7, 1950 and inspired the episode "Lucy Becomes a Sculptress." The episode plays in-menu.
• Behind the Scenes (Audio Book Featurette) (1080p): An excerpt from the audio book version of Laughs, Luck...and Lucy by Jess Oppenheimer with Gregg Oppenheimer that covers Lucy's pregnancy. Also included in this section is Larry Dobkin Profile, a brief one-page text bio of the show's guest star. This supplement repeats from the previous disc.
• Meet Karl Freund (1080p): A text-based bio of the cinematographer.
• Guest Cast Profiles (1080p): Text-based biographies for co-stars from various episodes. Included are Leon Belasco, Shepard Menken, and Paul Harvey for "Lucy Becomes a Sculptress;" Charlie Lane, Peggy Rea, Adele Longmire, Barbara Pepper, Hazel Pierce, Ruth Perrott, Bennett Green, Ralph Montgomery, William Hamel, and James John Ganzer for "Lucy Goes to the Hospital;" Sheldon Leonard and Verna Felton for "Sales Resistance;" Gerald Mohr for "The Inferiority Complex;" Lurene Tuttle, Doris Singleton, Peggy Rea, Margie Liszt, Ida Moore, Hazel Pierce, and James John Ganzer for "The Club Election;" and Bennett Green for "The Black Eye."
• Sponsor Talent (1080p): A text-based biography of Johnny Roventini, the face of Phillip Morris' I Love Lucy advertising campaign. This supplement repeats from the previous two discs.
• Production Notes (1080p): Several pages of season two information presented in text form.
• Photo Gallery (1080p): Still from the show.
• Take a Bow (1080p): Disc credits.

Disc Four:

• The Red Skelton Show (Clip) (1080p, 5:24): A Skelton sketch on the popularity of Lucy merchandise. From May 3, 1953.
• Flashbacks (1080p): When Ball left the show to have a baby, old episodes were re-aired with new introductory scenes. Included here are "Lucy Is Jealous of a Girl Singer" (1:21) and "Lucy Fakes Illness" (1:28).
• Spanish Main Title (1080p, 0:23): The Spanish-language title from "Lucy Hires a Maid."
• Flubs (1080p): Happy accident highlights from the show. Included are Good Old Mrs. Turnbull from "No Children Allowed" (0:11), Ghostly Numbers from "Lucy Hires a Maid" (0:53), Shadow on the Wall from "The Indian Show" (0:21), and Switching Bands from "Lucy's Last Birthday" (0:41).
• Lucy on the Radio (1080p): My Favorite Husband radio episodes. Included are "Liz Changes Her Mind," which aired on CBS Radio on June 24, 1949 and inspired the episode "Lucy Changes her Mind," and "Trying to Marry Off Peggy Martin," which aired on CBS Radio on December 2, 1950 and inspired the episode "Lucy Is Matchmaker." Both episodes play in-menu.
• Meet Richard & Ronald Lee Simmons (1080p): Text-based bio of the babies who portrayed "Little Ricky" on the show.
• Special Baby Photo Gallery (1080p): Stills featuring the Simmons twins.
• Guest Cast Profiles (1080p): Text-based biographies for co-stars from various episodes. Included are Frank Nelson, Johnny Hart, Sally Corner, and Phil Arnold for "Lucy Changes Her Mind;" Elizabeth Patterson, Vivi Janiss, Charlotte Lawrence, Margie Liszt, Peggy Rea, June Whitely, and Kay Wiley for "No Children Allowed;" Verna Felton for "Lucy Hires a Maid;" Carol Richards, Frank Gerstle, Richard J Reeves, Elizabeth Patterson, Ransom Sherman, Byron Foulger, William Hamel, Jerry Hausner, and Barbara Pepper for "The Indian Show;" Norma Varden for "The Ricardos Change Apartments;" and Hal March, Doris Singleton, Peggy Rea, Phil Arnold, William Hamel, and Bennett Green for "Lucy Is Matchmaker."
• Sponsor Talent (1080p): A text-based biography of Phillip Morris Pitchman Johnny Roventini and Announcers Bob Shepard and Frank Simms. The first repeats from the previous three discs.
• Production Notes (1080p): Several pages of season two information presented in text form.
• Photo Gallery (1080p): Still from the show.
• Take a Bow (1080p): Disc credits.

Disc Five Movie Tab:

• I Love Lucy: The Movie (1080p, 1:21:11): From the disc: "In 1953, three classic first season I Love Lucy episodes ("The Benefit," "Breaking the Lease," and "The Ballet") were edited together with newly-filmed connecting scenes to create this feature-length film. Lucy's old friend, director Edward Sedgwick, supervised the project."
• Meet Edward Sedgwick (1080p): A text-based bio of the director.
• Movie Guest Bios (1080p): Text-based biographies for Ann Doran, Benny Baker, Roy Rowan, Mary Wickes, Barbara Pepper, Hazel Pierce, Frank Scannell, and Bennett Green.
• Movie Notes (1080p): Several pages of movie information presented in text form.

Disc Five Special Features Tab:

• Flashback (480i): To allow the cast to enjoy a holiday vacation during season four, season two episodes were re-aired in their place. Included here is "The Camping Trip" (1:03).
• Flubs (1080p): Happy accident highlights from the show. Included are Hearts or Diamonds? from "The Camping Trip" (0:15), Movies or Fights? (0:26), Ethel's Old Machine from "Sales Resistance" (0:44), and Bouncing Tumble (0:13).
• Guest Cast Profiles (1080p): Text-based biographies for co-stars from various episodes. Included are Doris Singleton and June Whitley from "The Camping Trip;" Frank Nelson, Allen Jenkins, and Larry Dobkin for "Ricky and Fred Are TV Fans;" and Elizabeth Patterson and Herb Vigran for "Never Do Business with Friends."
• Sponsor Talent (1080p): A text-based biography of Phillip Morris Pitchman Johnny Roventini and Announcer Bob Shepard. The first repeats from all previous discs. The second repeats from the previous disc.
• Production Notes (1080p): Several pages of season two information presented in text form.
• Photo Gallery (1080p): Still from the show.
• Take a Bow (1080p): Disc credits.

I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Television doesn't get any more storied than I Love Lucy, and Blu-ray packages don't get much better than this. Though the real highlight, obviously, is the second season and all its unforgettable moments presented in beautiful 1080p, the set also comes packed with a treasure trove of supplements, presented with a level of TLC rarely found on even the priciest home video releases. There's enough here for fans to enjoy for a long time, and all things considered this release truly lives up to the term "ultimate." I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 2 earns my highest recommendation.