The Dancing Star


Caught this entry last night, as I'm reviewing the Hollywood saga again.

Although this has never been a fave (Odd, too, that this episode was broadcast right
after the local TV news announced Ball's death), I am always reminded how special it
really is.

After years of begging Ricky to "be in the show", Lucy takes matters into her own hands.
Though it may have involved begging Van Johnson, and only to impress Carolyn, it doesn't change the
fact that Lucy Ricardo finally got her moment to shine DANCING with a celebrity (as
opposed to staring at him in a restaurant booth, or hiding under his lunch table!).

Ricky really is the last to know, and it's kind of nice to see HIM take a call from a celebrity
for LUCY. She may have been nervous, but she pulls it off, in a nicely staged take of
"How About You?"

The comedy here is also great. Lucy "acting out" a silent conversation with Johnson; four-
eyed Carolyn, suddenly boasting her GLASSES!

Nice lead in to the next - and more classic - offering, "Harpo Marx"

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I've always liked this episode. I love the moment where, after the performance, Lucy goes back stage and for a moment she's alone, and she's so excited, thats such a great moment. Of course the moment when she's pretending to talk to Van is priceless. I also like the part when she flubbed a line and said "vanced' by mistake, Desi makes fun of her and she has to turn her head away from the camera because she's laughing! That was great.

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Lucy "vanced with Dan". I love that flub. It's a lot funnier that way.

I like when Lucy glides out of the room. "I'm off to rehearsal."

Interesting that Lucy really COULD dance. But we were always supposed to believe that she had no talent whatsoever. She tells Van Johnson that she has seen his act about, what was it, 14 times? So that's how she knew the steps.
I could never learn steps just by watching someone dance. I have the proverbial two left feet!

The early scene when Lucy is "talking" to Van Johnson by the pool is funny. Even funnier, he wakes up and Lucy is almost nose to nose with him carrying on her phony conversation.

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Actually, Lucy was never a great dancer, and admitted this. The steps are actually very simple.

Curiously, Ball later stated the only time she got stressed doing the show was when there was a musical
sequence, particularly dance steps. She said it took her a long time to learn routines, and they only had
four days to rehearse before the filming on Thursday nights.

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I give a lot of credit to actors who aren't good at something, but jump in and do their best anyway. I didn't realize Lucy wasn't much of a dancer.

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I never thought Lucy was a "great" dancer. But to me, anyone who can do dance steps and not trip over their feet, is a "good" dancer. Those steps may have been easy, but Lucy did them very gracefully.

Maybe it's just a case of me being impressed by people who can do things that I have trouble with. Over the years I bought many exercise tapes. A lot of the routines are fairly simple, but the ones with aerobic dance steps were always so hard for me to master. Lucy had four days to rehearse? It used to take me weeks to get the moves down. It was so frustrating. i used to have to stop the tape and rewind!

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Well, Lucy was a pro. She was under contract to RKO, then MGM. In those days, the actors had to learn
"everything" as well as they could. One of the benefits of the studio system. But, yes, even as a kid, I
recognized how extremely simple that "How About You?" number was. Same with the jitterbug in "Lucy
Has Her Eyes Examined", and even "Cuban Pete" in "The Diet." But, yes, Lucy looks so graceful with
Johnson. Of course, it's her acting that sells it. It takes her a while to get comfortable on stage.

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It makes me think of "Dancing with the Stars." I've never watched it, but I give a lot of credit to those who were game to give it a go.

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