Anybody else think this movie is awful? - The Long, Long Trailer (1954) Discussion

[–] FeloniousMunk 9 years ago

You're right. It just isn't really all that funny.

I had plenty of opportunities to watch this over the years. Never did, though. But my wife wanted to watch it tonight on TCM, so I joined her. What a disappointment. Nice location shots, though. Especially the old (early Fifties) trailer courts. Beautiful places, in a California that no longer exists.

To me, the only good thing about this movie was the 1953 New Moon trailer itself. I really enjoyed looking at it, and the interior shots brought back a lot of memories. My cousin lived in a New Moon trailer, down in northern Florida, in a very nice park with a lot of huge trees and all that Spanish moss hanging down. In fact, it was even called the Paradise Trailer Court. And it was.

He and his girlfriend lived in a 1948 New Moon, same nice doors and windows, and all the fixtures were exactly the same. Only his was even nicer--entirely wood-paneled throughout. All shiny with varnish. Smelled great. It was gorgeous. And in 1973-74, it was only about 25 years old. So was he.

The trailer was the real star of this film. Lucy and Desi? Not so much.

Way back in high school, there were Saturday-night dances with live bands. You could either listen to the band and dance in the gym, or go watch a movie in the auditorium. One week, they showed this "comedy"...so I watched for a few minutes, got bored, and didn't laugh. Then I went back to the lousy band. Now I know that when I walked out, I didn't miss a whole lot.

One last thing: I was under the mistaken impression that this is the movie where the driver gets a road map plastered all over his face, can't see, and nearly has a wreck. Looks like I was wrong.

What movie am I thinking of? Was it possibly Sid Caesar instead of Desi Arnaz?



🚋🚋 Just take that streetcar that's going uptown...

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[–] mwlindsey2000 9 years ago

Like you, I had seen only bits of it in the past. I watched all of it this past weekend on TCM. The scenery is great but asdie from that, I just didn't think it was a good movie.

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[–] InherentlyYours 9 years ago

Maybe because you've only seen "bits" of it. Were you checking your cell=phone and other paraphernalia while watching?

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[–] kentor404 9 years ago

It was never going to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, but it has its charms. I always liked it because it's such an early '50s time capsule, with so many scenes filmed outdoors on city streets and the open roads. To me, those scenes with all of the city streets, vehicles, and styles from that era alone make it worth watching, and the Technicolor is wonderful (thank goodness it wasn't made in black and white like many movies of that era). The story is lighthearted with some amusing moments, particularly for those who ever made a trip in a large RV. I bought it on DVD to add to our traveling library the first summer we made a cross country trip in our RV, which even though ours is a 35' motorhome pulling a car rather than the other way around, there are moments and situations in there we could definitely identify with. It's a fun little family movie that even our two young sons (7 and 10 at the time) enjoyed watching.

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[–] petegatt 9 years ago

It's not bad but it's not great either just average IMO

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[–] PrometheusTree64 9 years ago

It may be a broad comedy, but its charm is that it's an absurdist portal to the '50s.

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[–] thundercloud47 9 years ago

When I first saw this I wasn't even a teenager and I liked it.

I thought of this movie a lot when I bought a 23 foot Wilderness camper trailer in 1985. I've dumped weight out of a trailer too to make it pull easier. My wife always listened to me when we discussed loading it.

Whoever made this movie knew quite a bit about towing a trailer.The only thing they missed showing is what happens when an 18 wheeler passes you. First you get pushed to the shoulder and just as it's front end passes you it pulls your towing vehicle right towards the tractor trailer. I learned to watch my mirrors closely and pull as far right as possible to lessen the effect.

Now that I am older I don't really care for some aspects of the movie but I still rather like it. I'd love to have seen California back in that era.

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[–] mcdemuth 8 years ago

mwlindsey2000:

I am puzzled by the 7.0 rating. As much as I love Lucille Ball, this is one of her worst efforts. It isn't funny at all, very flat and forced. What am I missing here?

I don't think you really got what this movie was about... It wasn't another "I Love Lucy" Episode. It was a movie about A Long Long Trailer owned by Lucy & Desi...

kentor404:

The story is lighthearted with some amusing moments, particularly for those who ever made a trip in a large RV. I bought it on DVD to add to our traveling library the first summer we made a cross country trip in our RV, which even though ours is a 35' motorhome pulling a car rather than the other way around, there are moments and situations in there we could definitely identify with.

thundercloud47:

I thought of this movie a lot when I bought a 23 foot Wilderness camper trailer in 1985. I've dumped weight out of a trailer too to make it pull easier. My wife always listened to me when we discussed loading it.

Whoever made this movie knew quite a bit about towing a trailer.The only thing they missed showing is what happens when an 18 wheeler passes you. First you get pushed to the shoulder and just as it's front end passes you it pulls your towing vehicle right towards the tractor trailer. I learned to watch my mirrors closely and pull as far right as possible to lessen the effect.

Yes Exactly...

My parents had a motor home while I was growing up, that we used when we went on vacation to see my Grandparents... I completely identified with this movie, and enjoyed all of the stuff relating to dealing with that Long Long Trailer. It brought back a lot of fond memories.

I think that anyone who has never travelled or camped in Trailers or Motorhomes would have difficulties enjoying this movie... As pointed out by others, the Lucy and Desi Characters were not great in this, and certainly not as funny or enjoyable as their characters on "I Love Lucy". ...All that really leaves for people to enjoy is the scenery and era, which was magnificent, that the movie took place in to enjoy, and that alone won't make this movie something to remember.

The movie wasn't bad, they just did not have any specific target audience in mind, and had THREE different groups of interests (Scenery, Camping, & Acting) that did not blend well together to please most viewers, or at least modern day viewers.

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[–] DorianGray502 8 years ago

___I adore this film, for so many reasons. First, I get to see Lucy in Technicolor which she was ideal for. And, Ricky, nee Nicky, nee Desi is at his charming agitated best. I didn't miss Ba Ba Lu though, or any of his singing. It has some highly amusing moments, but it's not a half hour 'I Love Lucy' episode, so anyone going in expecting that could be disappointed. The era street scenes are priceless, as well as the supporting cast. While I loved this film, it was the follow up film that ended the Desilu film empire, at least as a couple on screen, 'Forever Darling', ugh!

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