Pretty Good

Captivating movie !

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Sorry, no laughs in this flick. Is it possible to watch a whole movie and not find one thing worth laughing at? This movie was made at the height of the I Love Lucy TV popularity. I'm sure the Arnazes thought they could crank out a movie quickly and make a bundle. With their names changed slightly (Ricky is Nicky and Lucy is Tacy) the "plot" such as it is revolves around them buying a trailer and going on a honeymoon trip with the thing. Lots of "merriment" ensues. You'd never guess that things weren't going to go wonderfully. What a shock when accidents happen. Yes, I was a huge Lucy fan way back when. Many of the I Love Lucy TV shows are still funny. This movie isn't. They use every stale gag in the book. The only thing I found interesting was the vehicles in the movie. And the movie was in color. Skip it unless your idea of funny is somebody falling into a swimming pool. Which thankfully doesn't happen in this movie.

Released in 1954 - The Long, Long Trailer (TLLT, for short) was very much like watching a very, very long, long episode (90 minutes) of the highly-popular "I Love Lucy" TV Show of the early 1950's.Now, don't get me wrong here - I can certainly enjoy watching an extended episode of "I Love Lucy"', now, and again. But I found that with TLLT there seemed to be something slightly out of kilter with its story - Something oddly unbalanced.It seemed to me that TLLT was missing a vitally important element in its "comedy relief" department.What I'm talking about here is, of course, the much needed input of actors William Frawley and Vivian Vance, as Fred and Ethel Mertz, into TLLT's comic story. Believe me, these 2 characters were most desperately needed several times throughout the course of TLLT as a buffer to counter the often amusing, but sometimes annoying, domestic squabbles of Nicky and Tracy (aka Ricky and Lucy Ricardo).But, with that all said - TLLT was still fairly entertaining as far as comedies go. But it certainly wasn't great.

The Long Long Trailer has something for everyone as you watch in amazement of what was considered to be modern conveniences in 1953. The story of newlyweds traveling in their home on wheels is excellent, lovely and hilarious. For Lucy Ball and Desi Arnaz they shine as flirtatious yet humorous actors. Both actors are delightful to watch and have always been among my personal favorites to watch on TV. It is wonderful watching them in a full length comedy film. After their wedding, Tacy and Nicky have different opinions about where they should live as they begin their life together as man and wife, which creates a conflict. Nicky reminds Tacy of their budget for their first year of marriage and how they should save to buy a home. Tacy has her heart set on a Excelsier trailer home on wheels after seeing a trailer show. She talks Nicky into going $100 over budget and purchasing the trailer home of her dreams. He surprises his bride with the title to the 28 foot trailer as a wedding gift.

Newlyweds sink all their money into a home on wheels; it almost sinks their marriage. One can sense that Clinton Twiss' book was re-conceived with stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in mind--it feels tailored to them both as a real-life couple and as their "I Love Lucy" counterparts the Ricardos. However, their characters here--Tacy and Nicky Collini--aren't as interesting or as dimensional as either the Arnazs or the Ricardos, and director Vincente Minnelli sets up laughs which never come. Some of the slapstick is indeed colorful or visually amusing, but these bickering sweethearts are awfully selfish, and no one they meet on their journey is able to lighten the load. Bits and pieces of it are sprightly, but this comedy about marital discord is far too prickly (and truthful) to yield big success as a rollicking romance on the open road. ** from ****