“I LOVE LUCY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL,” A NEW ONE-HOUR
SPECIAL FEATURING TWO EPISODES OF THE CLASSIC SERIES, TO BE BROADCAST
FRIDAY, DEC. 14 ON CBS
“The Christmas Episode” and the Newly Colorized “Pioneer Women” to Be
Seamlessly Combined
I
LOVE LUCY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, a new one-hour special featuring two
back-to-back colorized episodes of the classic series, will be broadcast
Friday, Dec. 14 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
I LOVE LUCY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL features “The Christmas Episode” and the
newly colorized “Pioneer Women.” Both were colorized with a nod to the
1950s period in which they were filmed. The main titles and end credits
are seamlessly combined into one set at the beginning and end of the
hour, with no interruption between the episodes.
“The
Christmas Episode” finds the Ricardos and Mertzes decorating Lucy and
Ricky’s Christmas tree and reminiscing about how their lives have
changed since the arrival of the Ricardos’ son, Little Ricky (Keith
Thibodeaux). Flashbacks recall the night Lucy tells Ricky she is
pregnant, the time Lucy shows up unexpectedly as part of a barbershop
quartet, and the day Ricky and the Mertzes rehearse taking Lucy to the
maternity ward.
“The
Christmas Episode” was first broadcast on CBS on Christmas Eve, 1956.
The episode was not included in the series’ long history of
rebroadcasts, first on CBS Daytime and later in syndication. Long
thought to be lost, the program was rediscovered by CBS in 1989.
In “Pioneer Women,” Lucy and Ethel’s hopes of joining the posh Society
Matrons’ League leads to a bet with their husbands over which sex – the
men or the women – had it harder living in a bygone era. They select the
turn of the last century, and as Lucy and Ethel start to bake their own
bread and churn their own butter, the men become acquainted with
straight-blade shaving and riding home from work on horseback. They all
have some “‘splainin’” to do when two ladies from the Society Matrons’
League stop by for an unexpected visit.
“Pioneer Women” was originally broadcast on March 31, 1952, and became an immediate viewer favorite.
“I
Love Lucy” Christmas specials have aired on the Network the past five
years, each combining the holiday-themed episode with a different comedy
classic. Beginning in 2015, “The Christmas Episode” has been shown
colorized in its entirety, with fully-colorized flashback scenes that
had previously been presented in black-and-white.
“I
Love Lucy” was broadcast on the Network from Oct. 15, 1951 through June
23, 1957. It was voted “The Best TV Show of All Time” in a 2012 viewer
poll conducted by People magazine and ABC News. “I Love Lucy” stars
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo and Vivian Vance
and William Frawley as the Ricardos’ friends and landlords, Ethel and
Fred Mertz.
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