Rating: 
Summary: "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" is enjoyable from cover to cover!
Review: "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" is written by Jess Oppenheimer andhis son, Gregg Oppenheimer. Jess Oppenheimer worked formany of the legends of old time radio, including Fanny Brice, Fred Astaire, and Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarthy. This book tells of Mr. Oppenheimer's career in writing radio scripts, and specifically deals with his writing for Lucille Ball. He wrote first for her when she performed in "My Favorite Husband," and then he tells about his creation of "I Love Lucy," the television series starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Mr. Oppenheimer not only created the idea for the series, he was also the head writer and producer of the program. Because of his unique inside perspective, Mr. Oppenheimer is able to provide information about Lucy and Desi that no one else could. There are a few things that make this book absolutely unique... Several appendices are included in the book which are very interesting. The first appendix shows an actual script (complete with hand-written changes) that was used during the production of "My Favorite Husband." But, what makes this book fascinating is the fact that a 65-minute audio CD is included, composed of twelve different tracks. The first track is a recording of the presentation of the script for "My Favorite Husband" included in Appendix A of the book. Another real plus for this book is the number of photographs that are included. The photos provide another dimension to this richly-composed book. This book is not only informative, it is very entertaining! Anyone who has ever seen an episode of "I Love Lucy" will want to own this book. It now occupies a prominent place in our family library. "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" will be read and re-read many times in our home.
Rating:
Summary: "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" is enjoyable from cover to cover!
Review: "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" is written by Jess Oppenheimer andhis son, Gregg Oppenheimer. Jess Oppenheimer worked formany of the legends of old time radio, including Fanny Brice, Fred Astaire, and Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarthy. This book tells of Mr. Oppenheimer's career in writing radio scripts, and specifically deals with his writing for Lucille Ball. He wrote first for her when she performed in "My Favorite Husband," and then he tells about his creation of "I Love Lucy," the television series starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Mr. Oppenheimer not only created the idea for the series, he was also the head writer and producer of the program. Because of his unique inside perspective, Mr. Oppenheimer is able to provide information about Lucy and Desi that no one else could. There are a few things that make this book absolutely unique... Several appendices are included in the book which are very interesting. The first appendix shows an actual script (complete with hand-written changes) that was used during the production of "My Favorite Husband." But, what makes this book fascinating is the fact that a 65-minute audio CD is included, composed of twelve different tracks. The first track is a recording of the presentation of the script for "My Favorite Husband" included in Appendix A of the book. Another real plus for this book is the number of photographs that are included. The photos provide another dimension to this richly-composed book. This book is not only informative, it is very entertaining! Anyone who has ever seen an episode of "I Love Lucy" will want to own this book. It now occupies a prominent place in our family library. "Laughs, Luck...and Lucy" will be read and re-read many times in our home.
Rating:
Summary: Funny!
Review: As an true lover of Lucy, I found this book to be very enjoyable and it was great to learn the history behind the creation of my absolute favorite show. It was interesting to hear about the days of radio, and what led Jess to TV and the history of his family and I felt I was taken back in time, and with him, from his journey from his youth, to the exciting time in Hollywood and on. There was some surprises as to what else he invented-don't want to give it away!! It was also interestingto get another's perspective on Lucy-and the diva that she was-and how he stood up to her. I highly recommend this to any Lucy admirer...
Rating:
Summary: Loved this book!!
Review: As an true lover of Lucy, I found this book to be very enjoyable and it was great to learn the history behind the creation of my absolute favorite show. It was interesting to hear about the days of radio, and what led Jess to TV and the history of his family and I felt I was taken back in time, and with him, from his journey from his youth, to the exciting time in Hollywood and on. There was some surprises as to what else he invented-don't want to give it away!! It was also interesting to get another's perspective on Lucy-and the diva that she was-and how he stood up to her. I highly recommend this to any Lucy admirer...
Rating:
Summary: A must have for a Lucille Ball fan.
Review: Everything you have ever wanted to know about our favorite show, "I Love Lucy." This book covers all aspects of Lucy. A must have for Lucy fan's
Rating: 
Summary: If you love Lucy, e-mail me for a FREE Chapter!
Review: I grew up on I LOVE LUCY. Yes, I know--YOU did, too. But in my family, it was different. For me, watching I LOVE LUCY has always been a little like watching home movies - and not just because I grew up in and around Desilu Studios. As creator, producer and head writer of I LOVE LUCY, my father infused the show with his own unique sense of humor - something he wielded with equal skill at the studio, at our dinner table, and on family outings. His greatest delight was to crack us up with comical off-the-cuff remarks and funny stories. Many of them ended up on I LOVE LUCY, and the best have made their way into LAUGHS, LUCK...AND LUCY. So this book, which Dad and I began together, is my own "gift of laughter" to Lucy fans everywhere.
Rating:
Summary: Great nostalgic journey to the golden age of radio and t.v.
Review: I Love Lucy - Behind the Scenes is a fabulous look back at the career and antics of one of t.v. and radios funniest ladies. With all of the demoralizing venues on the "boob-tube" today, it is refreshng to recall a time-gone-by when good clean fun could still be funny. Jess and Gregg Oppenheimer have compiled a wonderful memory book of everyone's favorite comidianne. The reader - Larry Dobkin who as I understand it, was a guest actor on several I Love Lucy episodes, delivers this story with the warmth and humor it so deserves. I give this audiobook 5 stars!
Rating:
Summary: Behind the Scenes of the Best TV Show Ever
Review: I'd like to start with a clarification: this book is not a biography of Lucy, it is the creator's (Jess Oppenheimer) memoir. As such, there are many parts of the book that have nothing to do with Lucy, including episodes from Oppenheimer's childhood and young adult life.
However, this is still a GREAT book! It is well-written and full of entertaining annecdotes. "Laughs, Luck, and Lucy" follows Oppenheimer's slow rise to the top in the Hollywood radio industry. He describes Lucille Ball's program, "My Favorite Husband," which became the basis for "I Love Lucy." The book also includes some behind the scenes information about the making of "I Love Lucy." The included audio cd is fun because it has clips from both "I Love Lucy" and "My Favorite Husband." If you are only interested in information specifically about Lucille Ball, this might not be the book for you (try her autobiography, "Love, Lucy"). However, if you (like me) are fascinated with everything surrounding "I Love Lucy" and the Hollywood entertainment industry of the 1940s and 1950s, this is a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Behind the Scenes of the Best TV Show Ever
Review: I'd like to start with a clarification: this book is not a biography of Lucy, it is the creator's (Jess Oppenheimer) memoir. As such, there are many parts of the book that have nothing to do with Lucy, including episodes from Oppenheimer's childhood and young adult life. However, this is still a GREAT book! It is well-written and full of entertaining annecdotes. "Laughs, Luck, and Lucy" follows Oppenheimer's slow rise to the top in the Hollywood radio industry. He describes Lucille Ball's program, "My Favorite Husband," which became the basis for "I Love Lucy." The book also includes some behind the scenes information about the making of "I Love Lucy." The included audio cd is fun because it has clips from both "I Love Lucy" and "My Favorite Husband." If you are only interested in information specifically about Lucille Ball, this might not be the book for you (try her autobiography, "Love, Lucy"). However, if you (like me) are fascinated with everything surrounding "I Love Lucy" and the Hollywood entertainment industry of the 1940s and 1950s, this is a great read!
Rating:
Summary: the best book on the best television show
Review: I've read many books about Lucille Ball, I Love Lucy, and other members of the cast. I have to say, they've all bored me except for this one, and I'm a diehard "I Love Lucy" fan. It starts off as an autobiography of Jess Openheimer, but ends up explaining in great detail the wonderful show he produced. You'll learn a lot about Lucille Ball, other cast members, and the making of the series. It's a great book for real I Love Lucy fans.
|
