User reviews

I spent considerable time exploring and writing about the neighborhood and the world of this story, in the eighties and early nineties. I'm still not quite sure why it took me until 2021 to watch this rather passionate, thought provoking, socially significant and insightful film. And I can't imagine why it wasn't embraced by the public and the reviewers alike. It took seeing Being the Ricardos and listening to the ten part TCM Lucy podcast to inspire me to finally track this one down.

Of course, it's harder to do great comedy, especially in front of a live audience, than it is to do serious acting, with short takes that are shot from nine different angles. Still, Lucy truly showed her acting chops, in what was to be her last film role. She'd played a serious, dramatic and memorable character opposite Henry Fonda, in The Big Street, forty plus years earlier. That's a film people remember and that pops up on classic film stations, on occasion. This one seems to have all but faded to oblivion. If Ben Mankowitz hadn't talked about this film in the last chapter of the TCM Lucy podcast, it might have been another thirty five years before I got around to it.

I give it 8 stars rather than 10 because there are a few cliches. However, cliches do tend to come from reality and I do know, from studying and exploring the subject matter that the film captured that reality.

As I said in my review of the spectacular Being the Ricardos, you will see sides of Lucy in that film that you haven't seen before. After fifty five years in Hollywood, much of which was spent playing a zany wacky character, for Lucy to transform into this street bag lady, with such truly authentic credibility, shows even more range for this truly brilliant legend. Anyone who wants to experience the full gamut of Lucille Ball needs to watch this one.

Ms. Ball was great in this made for t.v. Movie that does a good job showing homelessness in n.y.c. The film is often corny but held my interest.

It's hard to imagine Lucy as anything but a comedienne. But at the age of 74, she took on a serious role of a homeless woman trying to survive on the streets and played it authentically.

There's no glamour or comedy here. Any doubts about Lucy's acting ability are quickly dispelled.

I only saw this movie once,when it first was broadcast. I would absolutely love to own a video of this movie,it is such a departure of what you expect of Lucille Ball. I cried when I saw this movie and waited forever to see it again.

Lucille Ball was 74 when she made this movie. Not only was it shot on location in New York but it was summer time and unusually HOT. The rumors are that Lucy fainted a number of times during the filming because of the heat.

Now putting those things aside, I felt this was one of Lucy's greatest performances but as per usual many "critics", not all, had negative things to say about her performance. I have often said too many people expected to see "Lucy Ricardo" in anything that Lucy did, and frankly that wasn't fair to her but, who says Hollywood is fair!

The casting of Daphne Zuniga was a mistake. I never felt the connection between the characters was good. In truth Lucy carried this entire movie as far as I am concerned, unfortunately some areas of the movie suffer because of it.

With that said, I highly recommend this movie! Lucy is wonderful in it and it is worth a Sunday night.

Now the question is can you find the movie?

A very bleak and depressing movie about a homeless women who gets moved on wherever she roams.

An obvious made-for-TV production but displays the seldom seen dramatic acting from Lucille Ball.

Lucy carries the majority of the movie but most of the other actors are only so-so.

Quite a slow start but starts to get more interesting half way through.

Had this review been done straight after watching, I probably would have given it a 4 but after a few days when the movie's intended impression of sadness and hopelessness sank in, the score was upped to 6.

Although the ending was a happy release, a more tragic ending may have driven home the whole point of the movie.

I think our Lucy gave one of her best in this film. She is always one who was never afraid to look ugly (on film, anyway). She is just great and I am so sorry that the rest of the cast is under par and never really matches her power as a performer. I was able to view it at the Museum of Television and Radio and I highly recommend it for any one who is a fan of the first lady of television.

If you watch the "I Love Lucy" episodes and think she was funny, she is just as serious an actress as she was a comic. This is one of the most heart-touching movies I have ever seen and one of the few that has made me cry, that's saying more than I care to admit but it's true. If you ever get a chance to see this film please, don't pass up the opportunity!!

Post-graduate do-gooder, wanting to help the homeless without having any knowledge of how they survive, befriends a very popular bag-lady. TV-movie with more gloss and Hollywood-ized uplift than actual grit. Still, it's a chance to see Lucille Ball in one of her last acting roles, and Lucy commands attention even if there isn't an actual character here for her to portray (her Florabelle is so florid, she's tough to take seriously). Ball would seem to be miscast but, just as with her musical debacle "Mame", she overcomes the obviousness of the scenario and the conception of her role in it; however, also as with "Mame", she is unable to break through the plastic coating and deliver a triumph. The finale, with Florabelle getting her garden, is memorable, and the movie is interesting if not terribly successful.

Finding this listing here was very impressive in that it seems to be a hard movie to find anything about although it was unfortunately not available when I found the listing.

As Glen says, if you have any doubts at all about Lucille's true acting talent, watch this movie. A very serious rendition of living on the streets in any big city, Lucille actually put herself out on the street to live like that for a week before making the movie. If anyone reads this and knows a reliable place to get this movie please e-mail me and let me know!!

Please hurry and make it available for all who want to purchase this video, I have been looking for it for years.My husband has all Lucille Ball movies and it would be a great holiday present. Also this film represents a big part in our comunity, and I would like to put it to be seen at my ffice( I work at a physicians office where many homeless people are seen daily).

This movie has been out on DVD for about a year now. You can find it most definitely at many online DVD sites. Don't expect to find it at a DVD store--if you do you'll probably pay more than you should.

Much like many have always said already, this movie is a strong vehicle for Lucy's dramatic acting. Some critics at the time ignored the film saying that they couldn't see lovable wacky Lucy as a bag lady. Their loss. The movie is touching and heartbreaking.

It's a typical made-for-TV movie which has not aged well. The acting (literally everyone except Lucy) is hard to swallow. Casting was weak. This is Lucy's show and she delivers.

The one and only time I saw this film on UK television was in 1989 when it was (suddenly) shown as a tribute to Lucille Ball following her death. Most men are not supposed to get emotional, but I am not Most men! This film must be released on video and/or DVD without further delay. Superb in every way!

I love this movie!! Lucy put her all in it, even sacrificing her health, and brought up a problem she correctly felt our society needs to address, more. I sure would like to see it on tv, again, and be able to find it on VHS! This is a 'must-see' movie for all, so PLEASE help get it aired!

WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! How can you say the casting of Daphne Zuniga was a mistake?!Her role of Carrie Lang who learned all about the real life in the streets is so lovely and sometimes so funny that really gets to my heart! I love the job of Daphne Zuniga in this movie. I found her interesting in the movie "THE SURE THING" but when I saw "STONE PILLOW" I became her fan.