The Lucy Show - (1962-1968) - Starring Lucille Ball as Lucy Carmichael (a widow) and Vivian Vance as Vivian Bagley (a divorcee) sharing a house with their three kids in upstate New York.
The original title of the series was 'The Lucille Ball Show' for the first month (and known among people in the biz as 'The Dykes Sans Dick Show' because it featured two women living together).
Lucille Ball wasn't anxious to go back into series television without her former husband and partner in comedy, Desi Arnaz, so Desi produced the first season of Lucy's 'solo' series, and his guidance led to some strong scripts and genuinely funny situations for Lucy and her pal Vivian.
Blustery Gale Gordon (as 'Mr. Mooney') joined the cast in 1963, and the stories began centering more on Lucy outside the home, as the lovable redhead found herself getting in trouble with the easily aggitated skinflint Mr. Mooney, her new banker. (Lucy Carmichael was living on a meager trust left by her dead husband, and Mr. Mooney was in charge of that trust.)
Many fans feel that the second season of 'The Lucy Show' was the beginning of a long quality slide in the 'Lucy' product line because the scripts started getting weaker. As the years went on, 'Lucy Carmichael' found herself in more preposterous and forced situations (Lucy becomes a stewardess, maid, fireman - and a stunt woman twice). Also, the comedienne began to rely more on cue cards at this point, and this dampened the spontaneity somewhat.
Veteran 'Lucy' writers Bob Carroll, Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Martin quit after the second year and Vivian Vance left 'The Lucy Show' in 1965 after the third season, returning only once or twice a year to visit after that.
In real life, Vivian Vance had a new husband and home in Connecticut and didn't want to continue commuting to Hollywood. Despite that loss, CBS could count on 'The Lucy Show' to be in the top ten most watched programs almost every week for the entire six-year run of the series.
With no Vivian around for the fourth season, Lucy conveniently dumped the kids and moved from Danfield to Los Angeles, California - where (coincidently) her banker Mr. Mooney just moved. She becomes his secretary at the bank and situations were now built around Lucy in the workplace.
After trying out Ann Sothern (the Countess Frambroise) as Lucy's sidekick the year before, Mary Jane Croft was brought in as Lucy's regular best friend 'Mary Jane Lewis' (the actresses' real married name) in 1965. Croft had also appeared as Lucy Ricardo's friend Betty Ramsey on 'I Love Lucy'.
When asked for her favorite episode of The Lucy Show, Lucille Ball chose the one with Dean Martin as the guest-star - from Valentine's Day, 1966.
In the show, Lucy has a date with Dean Martin's stunt double - but the double is called away at the last minute to shoot a scene and Dean takes his place on the date. Of course, Lucy doesn't believe for one minute that he's the real Dean Martin and the usual confusion results. It's a pretty funny show, with comedy vets Dean and Lucy gliding through the script with a warm, infectious charm.
Lucille Ball ended 'The Lucy Show' when she sold the her studio (Desilu) to Paramount Studios.
Rather than continue and not own the production, she cancelled the top-ten rated show, changed the format slightly and renamed it 'Here's Lucy'.