From the manufacturer

The Long, Long Trailer (1954) [Blu-Ray]

Synopsis

“They’re In The Movies NOW!” proclaimed M-G-M’s ads heralding the arrival on the big movie screen of America’s favorite television couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Filmed during hiatus between seasons of their landmark CBS sitcom I LOVE LUCY, THE LONG, LONG TRAILER gave 1954 audiences a chance to see Lucy and Desi in a first-class comedy, based on a best-selling book under the inspired direction of the masterful Vincente Minnelli. M-G-M bought the screen rights to the 1951 Clinton Twiss novel which was adapted for the specific comedic gifts of Lucy & Desi by screenwriters Albert Hackett & Frances Goodrich. Instead of being Lucy & Ricky as on TV, their characters are Tacy and Nicky, newlyweds who begin their wedded bliss traveling with their not-so-mobile home, an enormous trailer. The studio’s trepidation over whether or not audiences would pay to see Lucy & Desi on the big screen were happily unfounded. The film was one of M-G-M’s biggest box office hits of 1954, and continues to be an evergreen favorite of audiences of all ages.

Lucille Ball

One of the greatest legends in show business history, Lucille Ball established herself as television’s queen of comedy. Born in Jamestown, N.Y. in 1911, her professional career began with modeling in New York, then heading to Hollywood to become a “Goldwyn Girl” , followed by a long stint under contract to RKO Radio Pictures. At RKO, known as “Queen of the B’s” she appeared in several low-budget comedies and melodramas while also occasionally appearing in several “A” pictures including STAGE DOOR, ROOM SERVICE and THE BIG STREET. It was in 1940 was the leading lady in TOO MANY GIRLS, based on the Rodgers & Hart Broadway musical. It was on the set of that film that fell in love with a young performer who had been in the Broadway production…Cuban singer (and later bandleader) Desi Arnaz. After moving to M-G-M in 1943, studio hairstylist Sydney Guilaroff dyed her hair with henna rinse, starring in such films as DuBARRY WAS A LADY and BEST FOOT FORWARD. At Metro, with her glamorous looks, she garnered the nickname “Technicolor Tessie”. Later radio beckoned and she hit big with a sitcom called MY FAVORITE HUSBAND on CBS. When the network wanted to transfer the show to television, Lucy insisted that her co-star be her husband Desi. Mr. and Mrs. Arnaz presented CBS with a pilot, and on October 15, 1951, I LOVE LUCY debuted on CBS, and the rest is history. Lucy would spend most of the next twenty plus years as a fixture on Monday nights, winning 5 Emmy Awards during her career. She became the first woman to run a Hollywood studio, when she eventually assumed leadership of Desilu Studios shortly after her divorce from Desi Arnaz. During her television career she made notable big screen appearances including THE FACTS OF LIFE with Bob Hope and YOURS, MINE AND OURS with Henry Fonda. The world mourned her sudden passing in 1989 at the age of 77, but decades later the laughter continues as “Lucy” continues to be discovered by new generations of fans.

Desi Arnaz

The multi-talented Desi Arnaz is best remembered today for his role as Ricky Ricardo on I LOVE LUCY. That series brought him great fame and fortune, but getting there wasn’t easy. Desi Arnaz was born into a very wealthy and prestigious family in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917. His highly-respected father eventually became the Mayor of Santiago. His childhood was one of privilege, but all of the good fortune came crashing down with the 1933 Cuban revolution led by the vicious Fulgencio Batista. Under that regime, the Arnaz family lost all of their wealth and possessions, and the family emigrated to Miami, Florida. Teen-aged Desi eventually began to earn money for the family as a musician, eventually joining Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra. It was while working for Cugat that Arnaz gained notoriety for his flair with a conga drum and powerful singing talents. Soon thereafter, he left Cugat to form The Desi Arnaz Orchestra. The new group headed to New York, where they became a sensation at a hot nightclub called “La Conga”. Arnaz was such a sensation that he landed a role in director George Abbott’s Broadway musical TOO MANY GIRLS which opened in 1939. With a Rodgers and Hart score, the show was popular enough to be turned into a movie by RKO, and Desi was one of several cast members who headed to Hollywood for the film. The leading lady of the film was Lucille Ball, and she soon would become Mrs. Arnaz. Desi made several other screen appearances, most notably in MGM’s 1943 WWII drama BATAAN. After military service during WWII, Arnaz brought his orchestra back together again. The next years were filled with frequent radio and nightclub appearances. When the opportunity arose for Desi and his wife to star in their own situation comedy on CBS, it was Desi who decided to form Desilu Productions to make the shows for CBS, while owning the rights. It was also Desi’s idea to film the episodes using 3 cameras on 35mm film, in front of a live audience. I LOVE LUCY became a smash hit and was the first of several series to come from Desilu. Arnaz functioned as both performer and studio executive. Eventually the size of the company’s output led Desilu to purchase the RKO studio lots when they were up for sale in 1957. The irony was that Mr. and Mrs. Arnaz bought the very studio where they first made a film together years earlier. Arnaz sold his interest in the studio to Lucille Ball soon after they divorced, and subsequent years found him in semi-retirement. Arnaz died of lung cancer in 1986 at the age of 69.

Vincente Minnelli

One of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors, Vincente Minnelli, was born into a show business family. His mother had been an actress, and his father’s family had a traveling tent show. His professional career began in costume and set design on the stage, first in Chicago, and eventually in New York where he landed a job at Radio City Music Hall. This led to several years directing musicals on Broadway, where his talents made a big impression on M-G-M producer Arthur Freed. Formerly a studio lyricist, Freed had just moved into producing at Metro, and was building a stable of talents. Minnelli spent several years learning about filmmaking before Freed gave him his first directorial assignment: CABIN IN THE SKY. This cinematic adaptation of the Broadway hit, with Ethel Waters re-creating the leading role she played on the stage was an auspicious debut. The following year he cemented his directorial reputation with the Technicolor classic MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. The film starred Judy Garland, who had never looked lovelier on the screen. Garland and Minnelli fell in love and eventually married in 1945, and their daughter Liza was born in March of 1946. Now highly prized at M-G-M, Minnelli continued to direct musicals for Freed (AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, THE BANDWAGON), but also proved adept at comedy (FATHER OF THE BRIDE) and drama (MADAME BOVARY, THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL). His crowning achievement was 1958’s GIGI, the Lerner & Loewe musical that earned him his Academy Award as Best Director, and earned Freed another Best Picture Oscar. Minnelli’s tenure at M-G-M came to an end after 1965’s THE SANDPIPER. His reunited with Alan Jay Lerner at Paramount to direct Barbra Streisand in ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, and his final film was 1976’s A MATTER OF TIME, starring his daughter Liza, and Ingrid Bergman. Vincente Minnelli died in 1986 at the age of 83.

From the manufacturer

The Long, Long Trailer (1954) [Blu-Ray]

Synopsis

“They’re In The Movies NOW!” proclaimed M-G-M’s ads heralding the arrival on the big movie screen of America’s favorite television couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Filmed during hiatus between seasons of their landmark CBS sitcom I LOVE LUCY, THE LONG, LONG TRAILER gave 1954 audiences a chance to see Lucy and Desi in a first-class comedy, based on a best-selling book under the inspired direction of the masterful Vincente Minnelli. M-G-M bought the screen rights to the 1951 Clinton Twiss novel which was adapted for the specific comedic gifts of Lucy & Desi by screenwriters Albert Hackett & Frances Goodrich. Instead of being Lucy & Ricky as on TV, their characters are Tacy and Nicky, newlyweds who begin their wedded bliss traveling with their not-so-mobile home, an enormous trailer. The studio’s trepidation over whether or not audiences would pay to see Lucy & Desi on the big screen were happily unfounded. The film was one of M-G-M’s biggest box office hits of 1954, and continues to be an evergreen favorite of audiences of all ages.

Lucille Ball

One of the greatest legends in show business history, Lucille Ball established herself as television’s queen of comedy. Born in Jamestown, N.Y. in 1911, her professional career began with modeling in New York, then heading to Hollywood to become a “Goldwyn Girl” , followed by a long stint under contract to RKO Radio Pictures. At RKO, known as “Queen of the B’s” she appeared in several low-budget comedies and melodramas while also occasionally appearing in several “A” pictures including STAGE DOOR, ROOM SERVICE and THE BIG STREET. It was in 1940 was the leading lady in TOO MANY GIRLS, based on the Rodgers & Hart Broadway musical. It was on the set of that film that fell in love with a young performer who had been in the Broadway production…Cuban singer (and later bandleader) Desi Arnaz. After moving to M-G-M in 1943, studio hairstylist Sydney Guilaroff dyed her hair with henna rinse, starring in such films as DuBARRY WAS A LADY and BEST FOOT FORWARD. At Metro, with her glamorous looks, she garnered the nickname “Technicolor Tessie”. Later radio beckoned and she hit big with a sitcom called MY FAVORITE HUSBAND on CBS. When the network wanted to transfer the show to television, Lucy insisted that her co-star be her husband Desi. Mr. and Mrs. Arnaz presented CBS with a pilot, and on October 15, 1951, I LOVE LUCY debuted on CBS, and the rest is history. Lucy would spend most of the next twenty plus years as a fixture on Monday nights, winning 5 Emmy Awards during her career. She became the first woman to run a Hollywood studio, when she eventually assumed leadership of Desilu Studios shortly after her divorce from Desi Arnaz. During her television career she made notable big screen appearances including THE FACTS OF LIFE with Bob Hope and YOURS, MINE AND OURS with Henry Fonda. The world mourned her sudden passing in 1989 at the age of 77, but decades later the laughter continues as “Lucy” continues to be discovered by new generations of fans.

Desi Arnaz

The multi-talented Desi Arnaz is best remembered today for his role as Ricky Ricardo on I LOVE LUCY. That series brought him great fame and fortune, but getting there wasn’t easy. Desi Arnaz was born into a very wealthy and prestigious family in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917. His highly-respected father eventually became the Mayor of Santiago. His childhood was one of privilege, but all of the good fortune came crashing down with the 1933 Cuban revolution led by the vicious Fulgencio Batista. Under that regime, the Arnaz family lost all of their wealth and possessions, and the family emigrated to Miami, Florida. Teen-aged Desi eventually began to earn money for the family as a musician, eventually joining Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra. It was while working for Cugat that Arnaz gained notoriety for his flair with a conga drum and powerful singing talents. Soon thereafter, he left Cugat to form The Desi Arnaz Orchestra. The new group headed to New York, where they became a sensation at a hot nightclub called “La Conga”. Arnaz was such a sensation that he landed a role in director George Abbott’s Broadway musical TOO MANY GIRLS which opened in 1939. With a Rodgers and Hart score, the show was popular enough to be turned into a movie by RKO, and Desi was one of several cast members who headed to Hollywood for the film. The leading lady of the film was Lucille Ball, and she soon would become Mrs. Arnaz. Desi made several other screen appearances, most notably in MGM’s 1943 WWII drama BATAAN. After military service during WWII, Arnaz brought his orchestra back together again. The next years were filled with frequent radio and nightclub appearances. When the opportunity arose for Desi and his wife to star in their own situation comedy on CBS, it was Desi who decided to form Desilu Productions to make the shows for CBS, while owning the rights. It was also Desi’s idea to film the episodes using 3 cameras on 35mm film, in front of a live audience. I LOVE LUCY became a smash hit and was the first of several series to come from Desilu. Arnaz functioned as both performer and studio executive. Eventually the size of the company’s output led Desilu to purchase the RKO studio lots when they were up for sale in 1957. The irony was that Mr. and Mrs. Arnaz bought the very studio where they first made a film together years earlier. Arnaz sold his interest in the studio to Lucille Ball soon after they divorced, and subsequent years found him in semi-retirement. Arnaz died of lung cancer in 1986 at the age of 69.

Vincente Minnelli

One of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors, Vincente Minnelli, was born into a show business family. His mother had been an actress, and his father’s family had a traveling tent show. His professional career began in costume and set design on the stage, first in Chicago, and eventually in New York where he landed a job at Radio City Music Hall. This led to several years directing musicals on Broadway, where his talents made a big impression on M-G-M producer Arthur Freed. Formerly a studio lyricist, Freed had just moved into producing at Metro, and was building a stable of talents. Minnelli spent several years learning about filmmaking before Freed gave him his first directorial assignment: CABIN IN THE SKY. This cinematic adaptation of the Broadway hit, with Ethel Waters re-creating the leading role she played on the stage was an auspicious debut. The following year he cemented his directorial reputation with the Technicolor classic MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. The film starred Judy Garland, who had never looked lovelier on the screen. Garland and Minnelli fell in love and eventually married in 1945, and their daughter Liza was born in March of 1946. Now highly prized at M-G-M, Minnelli continued to direct musicals for Freed (AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, THE BANDWAGON), but also proved adept at comedy (FATHER OF THE BRIDE) and drama (MADAME BOVARY, THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL). His crowning achievement was 1958’s GIGI, the Lerner & Loewe musical that earned him his Academy Award as Best Director, and earned Freed another Best Picture Oscar. Minnelli’s tenure at M-G-M came to an end after 1965’s THE SANDPIPER. His reunited with Alan Jay Lerner at Paramount to direct Barbra Streisand in ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, and his final film was 1976’s A MATTER OF TIME, starring his daughter Liza, and Ingrid Bergman. Vincente Minnelli died in 1986 at the age of 83.