It broke boundaries, set standards, and generally taught Hollywood how to make a sitcom during television's infancy. Today I Love Lucy continues to draw new generations of fans. This book, a success in hardcover and now available in paperback with a complete redesign, is jam-packed with rare photos, fan letters, inspiring celebrity tales, fun facts, and is a complete, chronological guide to each and every beloved episode of America's all-time favorite sitcom. Whether Lucy is hawking Vitameatavegamin, stuffing chocolates in her mouth, or doing some 'splainin to Ricky for her kooky adventures, she made us literally laugh 'til it hurt, ensuring that the world will always love Lucy.

An analysis of I Love Lucy, one of the best loved sitcoms in the history of American television. I Love Lucy aired for six seasons between 1951 and 1957 as a top-rated weekly sitcom, and its characters appeared in thirteen hour-long specials between 1958 and 1960. In I Love Lucy, author Lori Landay investigates the groundbreaking series and its highly charismatic stars, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, to consider the program's impact on the conventions of the sitcom, television culture, and wider postwar culture. In chapters that proceed chronologically through the life of the series, Landay takes an interdisciplinary cultural studies approach to understanding the wider phenomenon of I Love Lucy, with an emphasis on a variety of issues as they arise from different phases of the show. She examines the program's efficient production system, compelling narrative formula, hilarious writing, and the technical genius behind the scenes that put it onto film. Landay also considers the show's clever plots within a familiar situation, magnificent comic performance, and the remarkable chemistry of its actors. In addition, she studies the end of the series and its continued place in popular culture. I Love Lucy is perhaps the most popular television show of all time, and its stars are some of the most recognizable in television history. For scholars of American television history as well as the series' many fans, I Love Lucy will be an enjoyable and informative read.

The world loves Lucy. And now, here is the ultimate tribute to the most popular show in television history. Readers will have a behind-the -scenes look at the show's creation and its unbelievable meteoric success as it reinvented the rules and business of television. Over 35 classic episodes are celebrated with detailed plot synopses and photo montages from exclusive production skills - and a complete 'TV-ography' offers a look at every one of 179 episodes and 13 one-hour specials featuring the Ricardos and Mertzes.

This book looks at how the classic television series fits into the cultural milieu of mid-century America. I Love Lucy incorporates key themes of the 1950s American political scene and classic American values of family, social mobility, community, individualism and work, keeping in mind that “Luck” as Machiavelli said “is the arbiter of half of what we do.” As the beloved American TV queen, Lucy Ricardo is a psychologically complicated character, conflicted between her role as a 1950s housewife and her wish to be a star. She is an icon of social mobility, going from a small New York City apartment to a country house in a swanky suburb, and an example of the “transitional” woman who wants to have it all. Is she a feminist? Is she a conformist? Does she prefer the country to the city? Whether she is working on the chocolate factory assembly line, baking bread, or achieving the American dream, Lucy is always “speeding it up!”

Learn to feast like Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel and entertain in retro style with this collection of craveable classic recipes inspired by one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Recipes include: Cuban dishes such as Ricky Ricardo's Arroz con Pollo and Tropicana nightclub favorites Chocolate treats and other sweet delicacies inspired by Kramer's Kandy Kitchen Mid-century Hollywood's finest fare, from episodes set in the sunny film capital Classic dishes from season three's "The Diner" "Pioneer Women" Fresh-Baked Bread (easy on the yeast!) Classic cocktails to toast life's big events -- plus a recipe for Vitameatavegamin, so you can spoon your way to health! The I Love Lucy Cookbook brings to scrumptious life food featured on the show, as well as tantalizing dishes inspired by classic episodes such as "Lucy's Italian Movie," "Job Switching," and "Paris at Last." Filled with photos and illustrations, the book is also an exuberant celebration of an era and unforgettable television moments.

Recapture 50 unforgettable episodes from the world's favorite television comedy in I Love Lucy®: The Classic Moments . This hilarious tribute is arranged chronologically by episode number, including title, original air date, and plot line, and is accompanied by more than 100 black-and-white photographs. The introduction provides fascinating background about the show's cultural significance and explains why America still loves Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred. Tom Watson is president of the We Love Lucy Fan Club.

In less than a century, the flickering blue-gray light of the television screen has become a cultural icon. What do the images transmitted by that screen tell us about power, authority, gender stereotypes, and ideology in the United States? Television, History, and American Culture addresses this question by illuminating how television both reflects and influences American culture and identity. The essays collected here focus on women in front of, behind, and on the TV screen, as producers, viewers, and characters. Using feminist and historical criticism, the contributors investigate how television has shaped our understanding of gender, power, race, ethnicity, and sexuality from the 1950s to the present. The topics range from the role that women broadcasters played in radio and early television to the attempts of Desilu Productions to present acceptable images of Hispanic identity, from the impact of TV talk shows on public discourse and the politics of offering viewers positive images of fat women to the negotiation of civil rights, feminism, and abortion rights on news programs and shows such as I Spy and Peyton Place. Innovative and accessible, this book will appeal to those interested in women's studies, American studies, and popular culture and the critical study of television. Contributors. Julie D'Acci, Mary Desjardins, Jane Feuer, Mary Beth Haralovich, Michele Hilmes, Moya Luckett, Lauren Rabinovitz, Jane M. Shattuc, Mark Williams