Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
‘They’re In The Movies NOW!’ proclaimed MGM’s ads heralding the arrival on the big movie screen of America’s favorite television couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Filmed during hiatus between seasons of their landmark CBS sitcom I Love Lucy, The Long, Long Trailer gave 1954 audiences a chance to see Lucy and Desi in a first-class comedy, based on a best-selling book under the inspired direction of the masterful Vincente Minnelli. MGM bought the screen rights to the 1951 Clinton Twiss novel which was adapted for the specific comedic gifts of Lucy & Desi by screenwriters Albert Hackett & Frances Goodrich. Instead of being Lucy & Ricky as on TV, their characters are Tacy and Nicky, newlyweds who begin their wedded bliss traveling with their not-so-mobile home, an enormous trailer. The studio’s trepidation over whether or not audiences would pay to see Lucy & Desi on the big screen were happily unfounded. The film was one of MGM’s biggest box office hits of 1954, and continues to be an evergreen favorite of audiences of all ages.
REVIEW
Full disclosure — I am an unabashed fan of I Love Lucy and everything Lucy did that followed (yes, I even like Life With Lucy, the ill-fated sitcom she did for ABC), so I am looking at this film from that tough perspective. When the film was released in 1954 it gave their fans their first look at the couple in color on the big screen — which was why their The I Love Lucy Movie was put on the shelf for decades as MGM didn’t want the black-and-white film to draw attention away from their in color debut) — but did it deliver on their expectations for comedy from the duo? That is debatable. Lucy & Desi as Lucy & Ricky as Tacy & Nicky take the pair just far enough from their TV series but perhaps not far enough. Maybe in 1954 it wasn’t hard to watch Tacy & Nicky constantly bicker, putting their new marriage in jeopardy, but watching it today is a little more difficult because you really do get the sense that these two are not going to make it as a couple. The movie does play out like an overly long episode of their TV series, but there just isn’t much that’s laugh-out-loud funny (Lucy’s big slapstick scene inside the moving trailer goes into overkill territory). I have seen the movie now a couple of time, even on the big screen, and it just doesn’t work. In fact, with this most recent viewing, I found it incredibly stressful, from the bickering to the several near-disasters they have with the absurdly long trailer. The film’s structure is also broken down into ‘episodes’ if you will including preparing to leave and packing the trailer (with the most annoying group of friends Tacy could have), their first night in a trailer park (with the most annoying group of neighbors anyone could have), getting stuck in the woods, meeting Tacy’s (annoying) family, and driving up the steepest mountain road possible. Each episode leads to some kind of verbal spat, and at one point Tacy won’t even speak to Nicky. And all because Nicky’s job would take them to locations around the country and Tacy wanted to have a home they could call their own no matter where they were. Even though their home is mobile, it really was meant to be parked in one place. To me, it’s just not as funny as it could have been.
That’s not to fault the performances of Lucy and Desi, even if they are just playing Lucy & Ricky with just slight differences. They are certainly game for anything the script throws at them but it doesn’t expand on their already established TV personae. The script also makes Nicky more inept than he should be when it come to hauling that trailer around. The scene where he’s trying to park in the driveway of Tacy’s relatives goes on for too long and ends in unnecessary destruction for comedic purposes. The entire family screaming directions at him is a constant theme in the film, from Tacy’s shrill friends helping her pack to the loud denizens of the trailer park all barging into the new arrivals’ home. I don’t know if the problem is the source novel, but the screenwriters did not live up to their past works including The Thin Man films, It’s a Wonderful Life, Easter Parade, and Father of the Bride among them. The Long, Long Trailer was too-tailored to its stars and the story just doesn’t flow that well. The choice of Vincente Minnelli is also an odd one considering his main credits to this point at MGM were musicals (and the classic comedy Father of the Bride). Maybe it was a smaller budget and exteriors obviously shot on a soundstage, but his direction just feels a bit hampered, almost as if he’s just doing an episode of a TV show with a slightly wider aspect ratio. It’s a shame the studio didn’t opt to shoot the movie in Cinemascope (which had been introduced a year earlier), which would have made it feel less like a glorified TV show. On the one hand, it’s great to have a record of Lucy & Desi together in a big screen comedy in vibrant color. It’s just a shame the end product wasn’t funnier. I think the pair is represented better in 1956’s Forever, Darling and I hope Warner Archive sees fit to give that one the Blu-ray treatment too (as well as their first film ‘together’, 1940’s Too Many Girls, all of which had been collected together in a single DVD set many years ago).
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
VIDEO
The new Blu-ray release of The Long, Long Trailer is stunning. The opening titles look a little soft, but once past that point the film itself is gorgeous, with lovely, realistic colors (Minnelli chose to shot the film in the relatively unpopular Ansco Color format for its speed and color reproduction) and a 4K scan with full restoration and clean-up that makes the image sharp and gives it a beautiful film-like quality. Minnelli also chose to shoot the film in the unusual aspect ratio of 1.75:1, which translates well to a 16×9 display. Perhaps the quality of the restoration highlights the differences between the location and the studio-bound shots (like the breathtaking Yosemite National Park footage), but that’s just typical 1950s filmmaking. As far as the image quality, there is nothing to complain about.
AUDIO
The film’s original one-channel mono soundtrack has been nicely adapted for the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix. It’s not going to give your sound system a workout, but it does nicely balance the dialogue with sound effects and music — there are even a couple of songs — for an absolutely perfect audio presentation to match the visuals. The feature film also includes English (SDH) subtitles (but not the extras).
SPECIAL FEATURES
The extras on the disc are … fine, but unrelated to the film except for the trailer and that they are all from 1954. What this release could have used was an audio commentary. Isn’t there someone out there who has some historical knowledge related to the making of the film? It would have been nice to get a little background information on the production but as these films get older and older, getting first-hand accounts of the production are going to be harder and harder to come by. What Warner Archive did include are:
- Ain’t It Aggravatin’? (8:20) – Another episode of MGM’s long-running ‘Pete Smith Specialty’ series, this one from 1954 highlights every day annoyances, but ends up being a bit annoying and unfunny. It has been upscaled to 1080p but not restored.
- Dixieland Droopy (7:47) – A cute Tex Avery cartoon featuring Droopy Dog as ‘John Pettibone’, a Dixieland Jazz loving hound who annoys everyone with his record. When it breaks, he finds a new way to enjoy the music … and annoy everyone around him. I’m seeing a theme here. This 1954 short was previously included on Warner Archive’s Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 2 Blu-ray.
- Theatrical Trailer (3:10) – A short, short version of The Long, Long Trailer upscaled to 1080p but completely unrestored, offering a nice contrast to the work done on the film itself.
OVERVIEW
As a life-long Lucy fan, I have to admit The Long, Long Trailer isn’t one of my favorites. Perhaps its one of those movies that needs to be seen with an audience. Or perhaps it’s better enjoyed by someone who has never seen an episode of I Love Lucy. Your mileage my vary. What is indisputable is the outstanding presentation the film itself has received thanks to the care given by the folks at the Warner Archive. I wish there could have been more on the bonus side of things that related to the film (even a Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill commentary would have been welcome), but seeing the film presented so beautifully is a reward in and of itself. For classic film lovers, and lovers of Lucy & Desi, this Blu-ray is certainly worth adding to your collection.
Warner Archive generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes.
The Long, Long Trailer has a running time of 1 hour 36 minutes and is not rated.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
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