62nd Anniversary of I LOVE LUCY (CBS comedy of 1950s) -- re-airing of Xmas Episode this December

Article from online South Bend Tribune (S. Bend, IN): By YVONNE VILLARREAL Los Angeles Times (MCT) SouthBendTribune.com | 0 comments LOS ANGELES -- There was never any doubt that I Love Lucy was full of color. But for those whose imaginations need some help, CBS will air in December a one-hour special featuring two newly colorized classic episodes of the 1950s series. The I Love Lucy Christmas Special will consist of the seldom seen “Christmas Episode” and the grape-stomping classic “Lucy’s Italian Movie,” airing at 8 p.m. Eastern Dec. 20, 2013 for CBS across the country. The show — which featured Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, and Vivian Vance and William Frawley as the Ricardos’ friends and landlords, Ethel and Fred Mertz — is celebrating its 62nd anniversary. The holiday episode, which has the Ricardos and Mertzes reminiscing while decorating a Christmas tree, was first broadcast in December 1956 and went into hiding. It was rediscovered in 1989, with select airings since then. “Lucy’s Italian Movie” was originally broadcast in March 1956 and became an instant classic in the art of talking with one’s hands and the finesse in slathering crushed grapes across a foe’s face. The episode finds the Ricardos and Mertzes in Rome, where Lucy is invited by a famous Italian film director to appear in his next picture, “Bitter Grapes.” There will be no interruption between episodes, with the main titles and end credits of the two episodes coming at the beginning and end of the hour. http://www.southbendtribune.com/entertainment/inthebend/article_9c41885a-3eee-11e3-b5c9-0019bb30f31a.html