Holiday Gift Guide: The Lucille Ball Collection

Available on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment is The Lucille Ball Collection (Not Rated; 10 hours 22 minutes; $14.98), featuring 4 feature films, 10 episodes of The Lucy Show, "The Story of Lucy Ball" documentary, and several rare vintage commercials.

The movies on the 2-disc set include:

Her Husband Affairs (1947; 84 minutes) - Directed by S. Sylvan Simon, the film centers on newlyweds Bill and Margaret Weldon (played by Franchot Tone and Lucille Ball), who are constantly delaying their honeymoon because Bill's get rich schemes keep getting them into trouble.

Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949; 87 minutes) - Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the film stars Lucy Ball as Ellen Grant, the worst student at the Woodruff Secretarial School who surprisingly lands a job at a realty company, which is run by con artist Dick Richmond (played by William Holden).

The Fuller Brush Girl (1950; 85 minutes) - Directed by Lloyd Bacon, the film centers on Humphrey Briggs and Sally Elliot (played by Eddie Albert and Lucille Ball), an unmarried couple who had put a down payment on their dream house just before Sally is fired from her receptionist job. Desperate for money, she becomes a door-to-door saleswoman for a Fuller Brush franchise. Let's just say she doesn't have a very good first day, as she ends up as the #1 suspect in a murder case.

The Magic Carpet (1951; 84 minutes) - Directed by Lew Landers, the film centers on Ramoth (played by John Agar), a young man who disguises himself as "The Scarlet Falcon" to fight against Grand Vizier Boreg al Buzzar (played by Raymond Burr), Princess Narah (played by Lucille Ball), and their army.

Episodes from The Lucy Show include:

Lucy with George Burns

Lucy Gets a Roommate

Lucy and Carol in Palm Springs

Lucy Get Caught Up in the Draft

Lucy and John Wayne

Viv Visits Lucy

Lucy the Fight Manager

Lucy Meets the Berles

Lucy Gets Jack Benny's Account

Lucy Meets Robert Goulet

Final Thoughts

I know this isn't the first time Mill Creek Entertainment has released these four films starring Lucille Ball to DVD, but I believe it might be the first time the films have been bundled up with episodes from The Lucy Show. (Though I could be completely wrong. If I am, please let me know!). Either way, the films on this release were completely new to me.

Don't expect the greatest picture quality as the four films are shoved onto one disc! There are no special features, unless you count the 9 Lucy & Desi commercials as extras.

Overall, I enjoyed watching The Lucille Ball Collection DVD. Her Husband's Affairs, Miss Grant Takes Richmond, and The Fuller Bush Girl were fun to watch. I didn't care too much for The Magic Carpet, though others might like it. The Lucy Show episodes were also fun to watch!

The Lucille Ball Collection would make a good gift this holiday season for any Lucille Ball fan.