Make Room for Granddaddy (TV Series) Lucy and the Lecher (1971) User Reviews

Make room for Lucy (& Lucy)

[zacdawac · 6 February 2009]

Danny, Kathy and Angela were probably the only fictional characters to mix wits with both Lucy Ricardo and Lucy Carter. For that reason alone, this episode needs to be released to DVD as a companion piece to the classic LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR segment, LUCY MAKES ROOM FOR DANNY.

Interestingly enough, there was a mere twelve year gap between the two episodes. That's nothing if you consider that a program like LAW & ORDER is going into it's twentieth season. For Lucy and Danny, entire worlds seemed to have changed.

Actually, with Marlo and Tony still so active in the business, it's surprising that so much of Danny Thomas' rather brilliant television work isn't out there for all to see.

MUCH Better Than Most of Lucy's Output at the Time

[kgraovac · 7/10 · 3 January 2024]

I have only seen about 20 episodes of the original MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY series and am not a fan of its star - I was more amused by Rusty Hamer on that show. This is the only episode I have seen of this series because it appears as a bonus feature on the Season 3 HERE'S LUCY DVDs.

This script is much more modern and mature than anything we saw on HERE'S LUCY at the time. Danny arrives home late from an engagement and doesn't know houseguest Lucy is sleeping in his bed so he gives her some love pats, unknowingly. The same thing happens in the bathroom the following morning. Later, there is a wardrobe malfunction and Lucy's skirt gets ripped off. There is some very groovy background music - more hip than anything we heard on HERE'S LUCY! This is all more reminiscent of THREE'S COMPANY than anything Lucy had ever done. Ms. Ball was apparently not fond of risqué themes on TV shows, so I'm surprised that she agreed to do this. Anyway - it's great and refreshing to see her performing some more adult themes rather than her creaky old-school routines.

The last act has Lucy trying to dissuade Danny after she assumes he's got the hots for her. She puts on a pair of pants, butches it up by smoking a cigar and manspreading on the sofa while watching the fights and telling dirty jokes. She had been seen in male drag ad nauseum in her various series, but this characterization seems fresh and funny.

As a bonus, LUCY alumna Doris Singleton appears in the tag scene, looking fabulous in stylish red leather boots. Marjorie Lord delivers a sexy final line to the show and there is a quick-flash montage of all the times Danny accidentally groped Lucy.

The look of the show is very RHODA-esque. The opening credits even feature the famous red-hued NY skyline seen on RHODA in its first season.

Check this out! It's better than 80 per cent of the subpar episodes that HERE'S LUCY cranked out during its' lousy middle seasons.