The Long, Long Trailer (1953)

The Long, Long Trailer (1953) – A soon to be married couple decide to buy a trailer and begin their married life on the road.  Turns out married life and life on the road have more challenges than they expected.

Directed by Vincente Minelli                                  Starring – Lucille Ball, Desi Arnez

In 1953 “I Love Lucy” was the #1 television show in America.  Lucy and Desi were big stars and this was their first foray as a couple onto the big screen.  Lucy had been working in the movies since the early 1930s.  Her career had never really taken off.  She and Desi met on the set of the movie “Too Many Girls”.  Desi had starred in the show on Broadway.  CBS had liked a zany wife character that Ball had created for a radio program and wanted to develop it for television.  Lucy fought to include Desi as the husband and ended up creating television history.

This movie will feel very familiar to fans of “I Love Lucy”.  Arnaz’s character is “Nicky” instead of “Ricky” but the essential characters are familiar.  Lucy’s  character “Tacy” is full of big dreams with the flimsiest of foundations to hold them up.  Nicky wants to make his wife happy but she drives him crazy.  You’ll get all the standard Lucy touchstones – Desi breaking into strings of Cuban “profanity”, Lucy pouting, the squabbles and the inevitable making up.  The only thing I looked for and didn’t see was the patented Lucy  “Waaaaaaaah”.  The chemistry between the two stars feels very real.  By the time, they would make their second movie (“Forever Darling” in 1956), that magic would be gone.  They would divorce in 1960.

But at this moment in time, they were on top of the world.  MGM didn’t think that people would pay to see TV stars on the big screen.  Desi made a $25,000 bet that their movie would outperform the reigning top grossing comedy (1950’s “Father of the Bride” which was also directed by Minelli and starred Spencer Tracey and Elizabeth Taylor).  He won the bet comfortably.

Why I Liked It : Nothing will surprise you here, it’s all pretty stock.  But the chemistry between real life husband and wife made for some great, sweet comedy on both the small and big screens.

Why You Will Like It : This is a comedy from a more innocent age.  There’s no subtext here to decipher, no cynicism to endure.  It’s just simple, lightweight, straightforward fun.

Rating – **** Recommended