I Don't Love Lucy

The popular TV show "I Love Lucy" aired from 1951 to 1957. When I checked on Google, the website said 93% of respondents liked the show. I wonder what's wrong with them? Personally, I definitely do not love Lucy.

Starring Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo and Desi Arnaz as her husband and Cuban bandleader Ricky Ricardo, the series was an early situational comedy. Unfortunately, they only had one situation: Lucy gets in trouble.

Desi and Lucy were married in real life too, of course. They were divorced in 1960, not long after the show ended. Perhaps no longer receiving $2,000 weekly each (big money in the 1950s) had something to do with it.

Most of the non-plots revolved around Lucy, as "Ricky's" wife (she actually was) tries to get in a show involving her husband (he was), the Cuban bandleader (he was). They certainly didn't go out on a limb, imagination-wise. Lucy would often dress up in drag, masquerading as a male. This was considered absolutely hilarious in the 1950s. I think it's because no one in the audience could ever imagine cross dressing. These days, half of the people at Mardi Gras would qualify.

Typically, Lucy was joined as a substitute man by her neighbor, Ethel Mertz (played by Edsel Merman). Having two females dressed as males, sometimes involving fake mustaches, etc. doubled the hilarity -- in theory, at least. They would invariably be found out, of course, which was also supposed to be funny.

Many of the jokes in "Lucy" were based on physical humor, also known as "sight gags." You'd see someone trip or make a funny face or slap someone on the back, causing them to almost fall over. The key word is "see" -- remember, this is the infancy of television, so seeing someone at all was still something of a novelty. Radio shows were still big, but they relied heavily on the listeners' imaginations. TV required a lot less.

Probably the most famous comedy scene in the show involved Lucy and Ethel as candy makers, trying to keep up with all the chocolates sliding by on the production belt. They eat some, stuff them everywhere possible, and are finally overwhelmed. It is a funny segment, although one of the few in the series, in my opinion. There's also a good scene where Harpo Marx and Lucy, dressed as Harpo (a male, of course) mimic each other as if looking in a mirror.

Outside of these few good scenes, Lucy's main claim to fame was her ability to cry in a funny way. At least, many found it funny ("WAAAH!"). I was not one of them. Besides that, Lucy couldn't sing or dance or play a musical instrument. I never even thought she was a good actress. But she could play herself, at a time when there was very little competition.

When I asked friends about other "unfunny" TV comedies, a few (bad) shows got multiple mentions. For example, "Family Affair" got several votes. Buffy and Jodie have to be the two dumbest kids in television history, followed closely by "The Rifleman's" kid, Mark. "Maude" also received votes. And I've always thought that "Alf" wasn't the slightest bit amusing, unless, of course, you watch it in Japanese. Everything is funny in Japanese.

After a few transitional comedies improved the TV sitcom scene, the genre finally came into its own in the 1960s and 1970s with classics like "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Beverly Hillbillies" and others. These were truly funny shows, with good writing in general.

TV sitcoms peaked, in my opinion and many others', with the show "Seinfeld" (1989-1998). Several friends used to gather every Thursday evening to watch new episodes and share food and drink for almost the entire series. "Mr. Fancy Pants doesn't need the early bird special. My boys need a home! Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Now that's comedy!

These days, there are a plethora of comedy shows. But love Lucy or hate Lucy, I think we can all agree humor is the best medicine. It's not a vaccine, but it's absolutely COVID-19 proof. So laugh, people, at anything you find amusing! The whole world will laugh with you.

~Rob is a retired Southern Illinois University instructor who lives on his family's farm in Union County, Illinois. His mother Joan, who is a nice person, lives in Cape Girardeau.