I don't really like suits. I get that you wear them for job interviews, special events, maybe for some business professions. So why do they have to wear them at home?!?!
Okay, I get it, the 1950s, people wore suits a lot. But surely they took them off when they got home.
Ricky is always way over dressed to be at home.
Yes, I can't get over the number of times both he and Fred are just hanging around the apartment in suits and ties. What men wear ties at home? it doesn't seem very comfortable.
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That's the way people dressed then. Plus, Ricky had a huge ego, and was very "Brook Brothers." And, anyway, there
are tons of episodes where he's simply wearing an open collar shirt and a sports coat.
Keep in mind, too, that Desi had a weight problem, even in the beginning. Suits flattered his physique, which was
very odd.
On youtube, somebody posted their parents' home movies from the time they visited Disneyland in 1958, just
a few years after it opened here in L.A. The astonishing thing was that so many men were wearing suits and ties
(at Disneyland??) and the women skirts and high heels (!!!!). But the weirdest thing was how SLIM most of the
people were. People didn't have pizza as a staple, the way they do now. On the whole, the nation was much
slimmer. On a sad note, there are very few non-white people to be found. But this was Orange County, late
'50's.
Why is it sad not to see non-whites? Do whites make you uncomfortable? Whites were the dominate population at the time.
Um, this is two years old, but [email protected] was saying it was sad there were not MORE non-whites visible, not that it was sad to see non-whites. He was lamenting that the crowd scenes were not more diverse.
sharegb, interesting you'd mention Desi's weight and how suits were more flattering.
I was a long time fan of several soap operas. There were some actors who were on their respective shows for decades. In the case of the women, some of them were not as slim years later owing to middle age and childbearing. There were some artful changes in their wardrobes to hide the extra weight.
I used to think that the men had it so much easier. Some of them put on weight over the years. But, a big but, their suits hid a multitude of "sins". Most of the older guys on the show wore suits all the time. If you took the time to look, a lot of those suit jackets were hiding an expanding gut! haha
I'm not trying to be overly critical. Most men don't have their 25 year old waistline when they are in their fifties. But guys can have it easier in the clothing department. Suits and sports coats hide a lot.
It is true that Ricky wasn't always in a suit at home. Neither was Fred. Whenever Fred was working around the brownstone, he was in overalls. And remember how Fred was attired in the episode when the Ricardos come over to offer to paint their apartment?
Ethel told him to go "put on a tie". And he did, right over his union suit. haha
Well, as you know, PJ, I think Desi was one of the sexiest men ever. And, as an adult, I find many of his flaws -
like, say, the flaw in an Indian blanket - to be attractive. His acne scars aren't something people would seek out,
but they kind of give him that "edge." Also, he had a very nice chest, and it doesn't matter to me that he was thick in
the waist. I think Arnaz slowly lost his looks as time went on, but he's an example of class, talent, and good
looks triumphing over an odd body. (I never liked his knock knees).
I agree one hundred percent that we are far more critical of women, especially with aging. It's still very
sexist. I think it's so great now that we're realizing that many young men privately are very attracted to
older women. Years ago, that would've been unheard of. Today, it isn't. I see nothing wrong with a younger
man dating an older woman.
Oh I remember, gb, how you thought Desi was so sexy. There is a lot more to it than physical perfection.
As I wrote before, I always had a thing for Judd Hirsch, Alex on Taxi. He's far from "male model" handsome, but I always found his wit and personality very appealing. Somehow that made his quirky looks very attractive to me. I remember girls my age just went crazy over Robert Redford. He was the epitome of male beauty, but he just never did it for me!
Desi Arnaz was awfully cute in the forties. No wonder Lucy found him so appealing. Later, he was a walking example of how too much stress and too much drinking can take a toll on your looks.
I remember seeing him do a guest appearance on the show he produced in the sixties, The Mothers-in-Law. I thought he was almost seventy. In reality he was about fifty or so.
I agree that Judd Hirsch was very sexy when he was young. Extremely intelligent actor (I love him in
"Ordinary People", as the psychiatrist. Oddly enough, the film was directed by Robert Redford).
Even though Desi was very "top-heavy", even when the series began, he was still very handsome. He
carried this look through season three. But when the Hollywood shows start, there is a subtle - very
subtle - change in his looks, which appears to be from the alcohol. A casual viewer wouldn't get this,
but all longtime viewers have to do is put on Desi singing, for example, "Granada" from season three's
routine offering "Changing the Boys' Wardrobe." Then quickly change discs and put on "Ethel's Home
Town." Desi has lost something. Still handsome, but the spark is fading physically. You can see it
around his eyes and mouth, even when he's smiling.
Oddly enough, I think Desi still has that spark in early season four's "The Matchmaker", but he has
already lost something by "Lucy Cries Wolf." (Look at him in the breakfast scene). So odd, as these
two were filmed fairly close together, although I think "Matchmaker" was shot in late spring '54; "Wolf"
in very late summer. Bizarre.
Uhhhhh there are shows out there that have predominately black casts. What's your point? Quit seeing things through the prism of race, you sound like a miserable person.
share"On YouTube, somebody posted their parents' home movies from the time they visited Disneyland in 1958, just
a few years after it opened here in L.A. The astonishing thing was that so many men were wearing suits and ties
(at Disneyland??) and the women skirts and high heels (!!!!)."
I saw a special on ESPN about the original 1967 Super Bowl that included some shots of the spectators in the stands. I was surprised at the number of men wearing shirts and ties. That might be a bit too formal but it's better than what you see in public these days. The way some people dress in restaurants is enough to make you lose your appetite.
I'm all in favor of comfortable attire and am not suggesting we don formal wear to go to a fast food place. But come on!! At least have some dignity and self-respect. And remember, others have to look at you while they are eating.
I'm a little late to the party, but didn't Ward Cleaver often hang around the house in a jacket and tie? (As did Jim Anderson.)
I'm Beav's age, and that didn't look like a realistic portrayal of the '50's to me. I came from a lower middle-class background, and no one I knew dressed like that. Most men rip off their jackets and ties as soon as they get in the door.
These people struck me as "Hoity toity." In the sanctity of your own home, who do you need to impress?
Back then wearing suits outside of work or church was a sign that you arrived economically. Look at gangsters back then who cared less about social norms but still did not wear jeans at all.
shareAt least Ricky's suits made him seem much more muscular and solid (flattering) than he really was.
The trend today (which is don't get) is men wearing suits that are a size too small which look very unconformable.
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But, this is enough to "annoy!" you? What is with these EXTREME adjectives people use today? You're literally annoyed? I wish that's all I had to be annoyed about.
In the 1950s, my dad and my uncle had white-collar jobs. They wore suits with ties to work. They never wore suits and ties at home.
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How nice. Betcha they weren't entertainers like Ricky Ricardo.
It was nice. There is no more reason for an entertainer like Ricky Ricardo to wear a suit at home than there is for an office worker or anybody else. In real life in the 1950s hardly anybody, including entertainers, got up in the morning and put on a suit and tie just to hang around the house. In the show it was just BS for entertainment purposes.
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