Here's Lucy

Here's Lucy is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball.

She was the star of the self-produced sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life with Lucy, as well as comedy television specials aired under the title The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.

The series co-starred her long-time partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr.. She was employed at "Carter's Unique Employment Agency" by her bachelor brother-in-law Harry, played by Gale Gordon in a role similar to his Mr. Mooney role from The Lucy Show.

Gordon also appeared in I Love Lucy and had starring roles in Ball's successful third series Here's Lucy and her short-lived fourth and final series Life with Lucy.

The series co-starred her long-time partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr..

Having had walk-on roles on her mother's television series The Lucy Show, Arnaz made her acting debut in a continuing role in the series Here's Lucy from 1968 to 1974.

The series co-starred her long-time partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr..

From 1968 to 1974, Desi Arnaz and his sister Lucie co-starred opposite their mother in Here's Lucy as her children.

Mary Jane Croft, who had been a regular featured player on the last three seasons of The Lucy Show, also became a semi-regular on the new series.

Mary Jane Croft (February 15, 1916 – August 24, 1999) was an American actress best known for her roles as Betty Ramsey on I Love Lucy, Ms. Daisy Enright on the radio and television versions of Our Miss Brooks, Mary Jane Lewis on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, and Clara Randolph on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

Doris Singleton, Carolyn Appleby from I Love Lucy, has said she was originally going to be a series regular on the show as Harry Carter's secretary, but the idea was dropped when Lucy brought her children on board with the show.

In an interview in The Lucy Book by Geoffrey Mark Fidelman (Renaissance Books, p. 233), Singleton revealed that she had originally been hired to be a regular on Ball's third series, Here's Lucy, in 1968.

Desilu's successor Paramount Television (PTV) co-produced the first season, but sold its stake in the show to Ball afterwards.

The first PTV production to premiere after the re-incorporation was Here's Lucy.

Unlike Ball's character on the previous program — Lucy Carmichael, who originally lived in New York and later moved to California — in her third sitcom, Ball's character of Lucy Carter was already living in Los Angeles, and once again bore a name containing "ar" in tribute to her ex-husband Desi Arnaz.

This material includes Here's Lucy and The Mothers-In-Law, as well as many programs and specials Ball and Arnaz made independently of each other.

Unlike most sitcoms of the era, Here's Lucy was filmed before a live audience; standard practice at the time was to film an episode on a closed set and add a laugh track during post-production.

The 1970s began with the decline of rural-based shows (such as The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres and Mayberry RFD) and the rise of socially conscious programming (such as All in the Family, M*A*S*H and Maude). The resulting change also spurred the return of live audiences, starting with Here's Lucy (CBS, 1968–1974), which again starred Lucille Ball and served as a prototypal impetus to the new subject matter, and ultimately The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS, 1970–77).

It was Ball's third network sitcom following the groundbreaking I Love Lucy (1951–57) and The Lucy Show (1962–68).

Thus, in the fall of 1968, an entirely new series, Here's Lucy, debuted.

During its run, Here's Lucy featured a number of famous guest stars, many of whom were Ball's real-life friends, often playing themselves, including Ann-Margret, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Petula Clark, Eva Gabor, Helen Hayes, Dean Martin, Eve McVeagh, Vincent Price, Tony Randall, Buddy Rich, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Flip Wilson, Shelley Winters, Donny Osmond and Patty Andrews.

Along with her other guest-spots on the late-night circuit, she also made appearances in The Carol Burnett Show, had a semi-regular stint on Hollywood Squares and guest-starred in Here's Lucy.

It was Ball's third network sitcom following the groundbreaking I Love Lucy (1951–57) and The Lucy Show (1962–68).

In 1962, Ball began a six-year run with The Lucy Show, followed immediately in 1968 by six more years on a third sitcom, Here's Lucy, finally ending her regular appearances on CBS in 1974.

Ball's longtime costar Vivian Vance also made six guest appearances as Vivian Jones through the series' run.

After her departure from The Lucy Show, Vance appeared occasionally alongside Ball on reunion shows and made several guest appearances on Ball's third sitcom, Here's Lucy (1968–1974).

During its run, Here's Lucy featured a number of famous guest stars, many of whom were Ball's real-life friends, often playing themselves, including Ann-Margret, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Petula Clark, Eva Gabor, Helen Hayes, Dean Martin, Eve McVeagh, Vincent Price, Tony Randall, Buddy Rich, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Flip Wilson, Shelley Winters, Donny Osmond and Patty Andrews.

A favorite of Lucille Ball going back to I Love Lucy, she appeared with her on Here's Lucy.

(The episode reunited Ball with longtime cowriters Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll, Jr. for the first time since Pugh and Carroll had left The Lucy Show in 1964.) Another noteworthy episode was "Lucy Visits Jack Benny."

The pair also wrote episodes of Ball's subsequent series, The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and, in 1986, her final sitcom, Life With Lucy.

During its run, Here's Lucy featured a number of famous guest stars, many of whom were Ball's real-life friends, often playing themselves, including Ann-Margret, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Petula Clark, Eva Gabor, Helen Hayes, Dean Martin, Eve McVeagh, Vincent Price, Tony Randall, Buddy Rich, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Flip Wilson, Shelley Winters, Donny Osmond and Patty Andrews.

Osmond's follow-ups "Go Away Little Girl" (1971) (U.S. #1), "Puppy Love" (U.S. #3), and "Hey Girl/I Knew You When" (U.S. #9) (1972) vaulted him into international fame, further advanced by his 20 November 1972 appearance on the Here's Lucy show, where he sang "Too Young" to Lucille Ball's niece, played by Eve Plumb, and sang with Lucie Arnaz ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again").

During its run, Here's Lucy featured a number of famous guest stars, many of whom were Ball's real-life friends, often playing themselves, including Ann-Margret, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Petula Clark, Eva Gabor, Helen Hayes, Dean Martin, Eve McVeagh, Vincent Price, Tony Randall, Buddy Rich, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Flip Wilson, Shelley Winters, Donny Osmond and Patty Andrews.

His subsequent television appearances included episodes of Here's Lucy (1970), Kojak, and The Muppet Show (both 1978), all as himself.

During its run, Here's Lucy featured a number of famous guest stars, many of whom were Ball's real-life friends, often playing themselves, including Ann-Margret, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Petula Clark, Eva Gabor, Helen Hayes, Dean Martin, Eve McVeagh, Vincent Price, Tony Randall, Buddy Rich, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Flip Wilson, Shelley Winters, Donny Osmond and Patty Andrews.

In 1969, Patty appeared in Lucille Ball's third series Here's Lucy, in the sixth episode of the second season, titled "Lucy and the Andrews Sisters".

During its run, Here's Lucy featured a number of famous guest stars, many of whom were Ball's real-life friends, often playing themselves, including Ann-Margret, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Petula Clark, Eva Gabor, Helen Hayes, Dean Martin, Eve McVeagh, Vincent Price, Tony Randall, Buddy Rich, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Flip Wilson, Shelley Winters, Donny Osmond and Patty Andrews.

She was employed at "Carter's Unique Employment Agency" by her bachelor brother-in-law Harry, played by Gale Gordon in a role similar to his Mr. Mooney role from The Lucy Show.

When The Lucy Show ended in 1968, Gordon moved to Ball's new show Here's Lucy in the role of Lucy's brother-in-law, Harry Carter, a character similar in temperament and demeanor to Mooney.

During its run, Here's Lucy featured a number of famous guest stars, many of whom were Ball's real-life friends, often playing themselves, including Ann-Margret, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Petula Clark, Eva Gabor, Helen Hayes, Dean Martin, Eve McVeagh, Vincent Price, Tony Randall, Buddy Rich, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Flip Wilson, Shelley Winters, Donny Osmond and Patty Andrews.

He made guest appearances in a 1970 episode of Here's Lucy, showcasing his art expertise, and in a 1972 episode of ABC's The Brady Bunch, in which he played a deranged archaeologist.

During its run, Here's Lucy featured a number of famous guest stars, many of whom were Ball's real-life friends, often playing themselves, including Ann-Margret, Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Liberace, Petula Clark, Eva Gabor, Helen Hayes, Dean Martin, Eve McVeagh, Vincent Price, Tony Randall, Buddy Rich, Joan Rivers, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Danny Thomas, Lawrence Welk, Flip Wilson, Shelley Winters, Donny Osmond and Patty Andrews.

Wilson also made guest appearances on numerous TV comedies and variety shows, such as Here's Lucy (in which he played the role of "Prissy" in a spoof of Gone With the Wind, with Lucille Ball as Scarlett), and The Dean Martin Show, among others.

Finally, in the fall of 1981, Here's Lucy was put into broadcast syndication first by Telepictures, and in turn the rights were later transferred to Warner Bros. Television Distribution (which acquired Telepictures' successor, Lorimar-Telepictures).

In addition, Telepictures had syndicated numerous television programs such as My Favorite Martian, Here's Lucy, Love Connection, and the original The People's Court with Judge Joseph Wapner.

Largely forgotten in the late 1980s and early 1990s and rarely aired by the cable networks, Pax TV returned reruns of the series to air in 1998.

Initial programming on Pax TV consisted of first-run shows (such as the true story profile series It's a Miracle, game show The Reel to Reel Picture Show, and talk shows Woman's Day and Great Day America), along with reruns of older programming (including Highway to Heaven, Here's Lucy, The Hogan Family, Dave's World, Touched by an Angel, and new episodes and older reruns of Candid Camera, the latter of which moved to the network following the revival series' cancellation by CBS earlier in 1998).

In addition to Benny, Jackie Gleason made a surprise cameo reprising his role of bus driver Ralph Kramden.

Here's Lucy: Lucy Visits Jack Benny (September 30, 1968) as Ralph Kramden