The TV Column

CBS to air two more colorized episodes of Lucy

CBS rolls out New I Love Lucy Superstar Special at 7 p.m. Friday. The two colorized classic episodes star (from left) John Wayne, Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance and William Frawley.
CBS rolls out New I Love Lucy Superstar Special at 7 p.m. Friday. The two colorized classic episodes star (from left) John Wayne, Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance and William Frawley.

One of my fondest childhood memories is of the family gathered in the living room to watch I Love Lucy. We all loved Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo.

And we also loved TV's first and best wacky neighbors, William Frawley and Vivian Vance and Fred and Ethel Mertz.

We watched the show on a boxy 1953 Motorola Model 21T4 (genuine mahogany plastic cabinet!) that we got after Dad returned from his second stint in the Army, that time during the Korean War.

The TV squatted on a heavy, swiveling wrought iron stand that served the family almost 35 years in various capacities. I believe it ended its life as a plant stand before disappearing in Mom's last move to the condo.

I Love Lucy was magical even on a fuzzy, 21-inch black-and-white screen. The series, which ran on CBS from 1951 to 1957, was always in black-and-white. Also in black-and-white were the 13 hour-long CBS specials that aired 1957-60 and are now known collectively as The Lucy--Desi Comedy Hour.

The show is even more amazing all these decades later remastered as colorized specials on CBS.

The network presents New I Love Lucy Superstar Special at 7 p.m. Friday. It consists of two colorized back-to-back classic episodes, "Lucy Visits Grauman's" and "Lucy and John Wayne."

In the first episode, the gang is in Hollywood and Lucy whines that she doesn't have enough souvenirs. When she and Ethel (Vance) visit the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater, they notice that the concrete slab with John Wayne's footprints is loose, so they pry it out of the sidewalk and take it back to the hotel.

In the second episode, Ricky gets a call from the cops. They plan to throw the book at Lucy and Ethel if the footprints aren't returned. Naturally, the slab is broken. What will they do?

Say it with me: "Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do!"

Movie legend John Wayne guest stars as himself.

The two episodes, which will run as one continuous story, aired Oct. 3 and Oct. 10, 1955, so I must have seen them first time around, although I don't recall. I was only 6 years old.

Trivia: I Love Lucy was voted the best TV show of all time in a 2012 viewer poll conducted by People magazine and ABC News. No argument here. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

SEASON FINALES

• Grey's Anatomy, 7 p.m. today on ABC. Season 12 concludes with Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) and Callie (Sara Ramirez) dealing with the effects of their custody arrangement. The series, created by Shonda Rhimes, has already been given the green light for Season 13.

• The Blacklist, 8 p.m. today on NBC. With the episode "Alexander Kirk: Conclusion," Season 3 ends with fans still wondering whether Liz (Megan Boone) is really, really dead. I get email. I don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell.

The series will return for a fourth season.

The Catch, 8 p.m. today on ABC. The season wraps with a two-hour finale featuring the episodes "The Happy Couple" and "The Wedding." I love the stars, Mireille Enos and Peter Krause, and the premise, but this series has backed up on my DVR waiting for a rainy day.

• Mom, 8 p.m. today on CBS. Anna Faris and Allison Janney head home for the summer in an episode where Christy (Faris) realizes how much it will cost to become a lawyer and Bonnie (Janney) tries to discipline granddaughter Violet (Sadie Calvano). The sitcom will return for a fourth season.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow, 7 p.m. today on The CW. Season 1 concludes with Rip (Arthur Darvill) deciding our heroes have sacrificed enough and returns them to Central City to pursue their destinies. The series will return for a second season.

The 100, 8 p.m. today on The CW. Part 2 of the Season 3 finale "finds the heroes facing the harsh reality of their situation as all parties gear up for the final face-off." The 100 will return for Season 4.

• Grimm. 7 p.m. Friday on NBC. It's a two-episode wrap-up for the fifth season. In "Beginning of the End: Parts 1 and 2," Adalind (Claire Coffee) and Renard (Sasha Roiz) "try to adjust to their new reality."

I'd explain what that new reality is, but it would take up way too much room. NBC has renewed Grimm for a sixth season.

Shark Tank, 8 p.m. Friday on ABC. This is it for Season 7. There will be an eighth.

The Originals, 8 p.m. Friday on The CW. Season 3 ends with lots of vampish violence. Season 4 has been ordered and promises more of the same.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Weekend on 05/19/2016

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