'I Love Lucy' fans cannot get enough of colorized version of special Christmas installment of classic series
CBS's special Christmas installment of 'I Love Lucy' aired on Friday night and fans cannot get enough of the colorized version that has been airing on the network since the 1990s.
It has become a holiday tradition that CBS airs a special of the once lost Christmas episode of 'I Love Lucy'. The famed episode titled 'The Christmas Episode' first aired in 1956 on Christmas Eve. Ever since then for decades that episode was considered lost until it turned back up in 1989 in a vault. That very following year, a colorized version of the episode aired and it has been airing every December since then.
'The Christmas Episode' was lost back when it first released because co-creator and star Desi Arnaz thought its holiday theme wouldn't work with the show's package. It was also the first TV episode to use flashbacks. Prior to this year, the flashbacks of the show remained in its original black and white format.
While adding color to white and black production had been an alienating topic during that time, Arnaz had always spoken about wanting to air 'I Love Lucy' that way. But since the technology was expensive during that time, it wasn't possible.
Taking to Twitter post the episode, fans could not contain their excitement seeing the colorized version of 'I Love Lucy'. "The colorization on this is incredible! I’m watching, are you? #ILoveLucy," a fan wrote.
"Another excellent, hilarious Christmas special! Thank you @cbs for continuing to do this. What will you colorize next year? #ILoveLucy #ILoveLucyChristmasSpecial," another fan shared. While another added, "Please colorize the ENTIRE SERIES I WILL BUY THIS ON BLU-RAY! #ILoveLucy@cbs."
"I love seeing the painting in color! And the painter is such a crook. @cbs #ILoveLucy #ILoveLucyChristmasSpecial," another said. Adding to that another shared, "Made it home in time for the colorized I Love Lucy Christmas Special; first time I've been able to watch it live!!! #ILoveLucy #ILoveLucyChristmasSpecial #Christmas."
"#ILoveLucy I'm so glad they colorized the flashback scenes along with the Christmas parts. I always thought it was weird to back and forth from color to black and white," a fan wrote.