‘Pioneer Women’ Episode of ‘I Love Lucy’ to Join Annual Holiday Special

The annual “I Love Lucy Christmas Special” this year, airing on Friday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m. ET, will feature “The Christmas Episode” and the newly colorized “Pioneer Women.”

In “Pioneer Women,” originally telecast on March 31, 1952, Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel’s (Vivian Vance) hopes of joining the posh Society Matrons’ League leads to a bet with their husbands over which sex – the men or the women – had it harder living in a bygone era. They select the turn of the last century, and as Lucy and Ethel start to bake their own bread and churn their own butter, the men become acquainted with straight-blade shaving and riding home from work on horseback. They all have some “‘splainin’” to do when two ladies from the Society Matrons’ League stop by for an unexpected visit.

Immediately following the “I Love Lucy Christmas Special,” at 9 p.m. ET, is “The Dick Van Dyke Show – Now In Living Color!,” a new one-hour special with two newly colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the 1960s sitcom. Featured will be season one episode “Where Did I Come From,” written by Carl Reiner, and the season four episode “Never Bathe on Saturday,” also written by Reiner.