Lucy in London
Encyclopedia
Lucy in London is a 1966 prime-time TV special
produced and directed by Steve Binder, co-produced and choreographed by David Winters
and sponsored by Monsanto Company. The program starred Lucille Ball
, Anthony Newley
and the Dave Clark Five and was filmed entirely on location in London
.
in an inflatable raft, ends disastrously when they collide with a rowing team and sink beneath the waters. Tony then takes Lucy to the heart of London's shopping district, where she models the latest mod fashions in a musical number based on the Phil Spector
tune Lucy in London.
Lucy is then escorted to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, where she is frightened by a curator (Wilfred Hyde-White) whom she mistakes for a haunted wax statue that comes to life. She then visits a British manor, where she plays Kate opposite actor Peter Wyngarde
in a scene from the William Shakespeare
comedy The Taming of the Shrew
. Lucy and Tony return to the Thames, where they sing Pop Goes the Weasel
as a duet. The Dave Clark Five turns up to sing London Bridge is Falling Down
.
Lucy and Tony then arrive at an empty theater, where Tony dons a tuxedo and sings a medley of songs from the Leslie Bricusse
-Anthony Newley show Stop the World, I Want to Get Off. Lucy follows him with a mime act and a song where she shows her appreciation of her London adventures.
Lucy in London came about as part of Lucille Ball's 1966-67 contract renewal with CBS. At the time, she was producing and starring in The Lucy Show
for the network. The agreement gave her the option to star in three specials that would be produced independent of her weekly program. Ball originally planned a production where she would co-star with Mitzi Gaynor
as two nuns touring Europe
, followed by a French-based production called Lucy in Paris and a Middle Eastern comedy called Lucy in Arabia. None of those projects gained footing, and instead Ball, through her company Desilu Productions, opted to shoot Lucy in London.
The concept for Lucy in London was set up in an episode of The Lucy Show called Lucy Flies to London. Much of that episode, which involved Lucy’s unfamiliarity with air travel, was based on an unsold pilot written and shot in 1960.
Laurence Olivier
was signed to appear in Lucy in London, but withdrew from the production prior to shooting.
Ball went through 15 different wigs during the production. Cleo Smith, Ball's cousin and the executive in charge of this production, later recalled that problems arose in photographing the star on the London locations, where the use of heavy stage make-up and filtered lighting that was employed for her studio-based program could not repeated. Ball's biographer Geoffrey Mark Fidelman would later remark that the actress "looked old" throughout the show due to difficulties in establishing flattering lighting for the outdoor sequences.
Lucy in London was broadcast on October 24, 1966. Reviews were poor, with Variety
complaining: "What had promised to be one of the season's major specials turned out to be a major disappointment." Ball opted not to pursue the creation of the remaining two specials in her contract. Yet, newspapers show this was tied with three other programs as the #1 program of the week.
Lucy in London will be included on the DVD
release of The Lucy Show
- The Official 5th Season.
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
produced and directed by Steve Binder, co-produced and choreographed by David Winters
David Winters (choreographer)
David Winters is an English-born American dancer, choreographer, producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. Winters has participated in, directed and produced over 400 television series, specials, and motion pictures...
and sponsored by Monsanto Company. The program starred Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
, Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley
Anthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
and the Dave Clark Five and was filmed entirely on location in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Plot
Lucy Carmichael (Lucille Ball), an American secretary, arrives in London to claim a free day trip that she won in a dog food jingle contest. She is expecting a luxury limousine tour of the city, but instead is greeted by a tour guide named Tony (Anthony Newley) who escorts her in a motorcycle with an open sidecar. Their initial stop, for punting on the River ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in an inflatable raft, ends disastrously when they collide with a rowing team and sink beneath the waters. Tony then takes Lucy to the heart of London's shopping district, where she models the latest mod fashions in a musical number based on the Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
tune Lucy in London.
Lucy is then escorted to Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, where she is frightened by a curator (Wilfred Hyde-White) whom she mistakes for a haunted wax statue that comes to life. She then visits a British manor, where she plays Kate opposite actor Peter Wyngarde
Peter Wyngarde
Peter Paul Wyngarde is an Anglo-French actor best known for playing the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist turned sleuth, in two British television series in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Department S and Jason King .-Biography:He was born Cyril Goldbert in Marseilles, France, the...
in a scene from the William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
comedy The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
. Lucy and Tony return to the Thames, where they sing Pop Goes the Weasel
Pop Goes the Weasel
"Pop! Goes the Weasel" is an English language nursery rhyme and singing game. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 5249.-Lyrics:There are many different versions of the lyrics to the song...
as a duet. The Dave Clark Five turns up to sing London Bridge is Falling Down
London Bridge is Falling Down
"London Bridge Is Falling Down" is a well-known traditional nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 502.-Lyrics:...
.
Lucy and Tony then arrive at an empty theater, where Tony dons a tuxedo and sings a medley of songs from the Leslie Bricusse
Leslie Bricusse
Leslie Bricusse is an English composer, lyricist, and playwright.Although best known for his partnership with Anthony Newley, Bricusse has worked with many other composers. He was educated at University College School in London and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge...
-Anthony Newley show Stop the World, I Want to Get Off. Lucy follows him with a mime act and a song where she shows her appreciation of her London adventures.
Production history
Lucy in London came about as part of Lucille Ball's 1966-67 contract renewal with CBS. At the time, she was producing and starring in The Lucy Show
The Lucy Show
The Lucy Show is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from 1962 until 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965-66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program...
for the network. The agreement gave her the option to star in three specials that would be produced independent of her weekly program. Ball originally planned a production where she would co-star with Mitzi Gaynor
Mitzi Gaynor
-Life and career:Gaynor was born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber in Chicago, Illinois to Pauline Fisher, a dancer, and Henry von Gerber, a violinist, cellist, and music director. The family first moved to Detroit and when she was eleven to Hollywood, California.She trained as a ballerina...
as two nuns touring Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, followed by a French-based production called Lucy in Paris and a Middle Eastern comedy called Lucy in Arabia. None of those projects gained footing, and instead Ball, through her company Desilu Productions, opted to shoot Lucy in London.
The concept for Lucy in London was set up in an episode of The Lucy Show called Lucy Flies to London. Much of that episode, which involved Lucy’s unfamiliarity with air travel, was based on an unsold pilot written and shot in 1960.
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
was signed to appear in Lucy in London, but withdrew from the production prior to shooting.
Ball went through 15 different wigs during the production. Cleo Smith, Ball's cousin and the executive in charge of this production, later recalled that problems arose in photographing the star on the London locations, where the use of heavy stage make-up and filtered lighting that was employed for her studio-based program could not repeated. Ball's biographer Geoffrey Mark Fidelman would later remark that the actress "looked old" throughout the show due to difficulties in establishing flattering lighting for the outdoor sequences.
Lucy in London was broadcast on October 24, 1966. Reviews were poor, with Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
complaining: "What had promised to be one of the season's major specials turned out to be a major disappointment." Ball opted not to pursue the creation of the remaining two specials in her contract. Yet, newspapers show this was tied with three other programs as the #1 program of the week.
Lucy in London will be included on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of The Lucy Show
The Lucy Show
The Lucy Show is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from 1962 until 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965-66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program...
- The Official 5th Season.