''The Long, Long Trailer'' is a 1954 American

Ansco Ansco was the brand name of a photography, photographic company based in Binghamton, New York, which produced photographic films, photographic paper, papers and cameras from the mid-19th century until the 1980s. In the late 1880s, Ansco's pred ...

color

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

based on a novel of the same name written by Clinton Twiss in 1951 about a couple who buy a new

travel trailer A caravan, travel trailer, camper, tourer or camper trailer is a Trailer (vehicle), trailer towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent (although there are popup camper, fold-down ...

home and spend a year traveling across the United States.'' Variety'' film review; January 6, 1954, page 52. The film stars

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

and

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in whi ...

. It also features

Marjorie Main Mary Tomlinson (February 24, 1890 – April 10, 1975), professionally known as Marjorie Main, was an American character actress and singer of the Classical Hollywood period, best known as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s and 1 ...

Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his wikt:stock-in-trade, stock-in-trade; though he rarely carried the leading actor, lead role, h ...

, Bert Freed,

Moroni Olsen Moroni Olsen (June 27, 1889November 22, 1954) was an American actor. Life and career Olsen was born in Ogden, Utah, to Latter-day Saint parents Edward Arenholt Olsen and Martha ( Hoverholst) Olsen, who named him after the Moroni found in the ...

, Gladys Hurlbut, Madge Blake, Howard McNear, and

Walter Baldwin Walter Smith Baldwin Jr. (January 2, 1889 − January 27, 1977) was an American character actor whose career spanned five decades and 150 film and television roles, and numerous stage performances. Baldwin was born January 2, 1889, in Lima, O ...

. The film was directed by

Vincente Minnelli Vincente Minnelli (; born Lester Anthony Minnelli; February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American Theatre director, stage director and film director. From a career spanning over half a century, he is best known for his sophisticated innovat ...

, working from a

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich.

Plot

Nicholas Collini lands a new civil engineering job which will require travel. His fiancée Tacy comes up with the idea of buying a trailer so that they can travel together to his various work projects, as well as to save money that would otherwise be spent on a house. They intend to haul the trailer themselves to Nicky's first job site in Colorado, as part of their honeymoon trip through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Nicky isn't so keen on the idea of buying a trailer, but he does so. The honeymoon trip, as well as events leading up to it, rapidly becomes a series of disasters. Shortly after arriving at a trailer show, Tacy and Nicky see a large trailer home, with which Tacy instantly falls in love, and pressures Nicky to buy. Even though the trailer is over their budget, Nicky gives in. Then they learn that to tow the trailer, the Collinis will have to buy a new powerful car and a trailer hitch, and the expenses continue to rise. Nicky gifts the trailer to Tacy as a wedding present. Driving the convertible towing a huge trailer is a big challenge, and early in the trip the Collinis are jeered at by others on the road. The first night, their wedding night, the Collinis are swamped by friendly but overbearing trailer park neighbors who take over their trailer and finally leave after giving Tacy a sleeping pill. Tacy wakes up the next day and decides they should leave the trailer park, and instead camp in the woods. However, after they turn onto an old logging road during a rainstorm, the trailer gets stuck in the mud, and it lists dramatically. Nicky tries to level it, which leads to more problems. The next day, after spending more money to free the trailer and clean it up, the Collinis visit Tacy's relatives. Nicky attempts to back the trailer into their hosts' carport, but destroys it as well as a prized rose bush. As they're about to leave, they're handed an envelope containing a wedding present check, and Tacy is upset with Nicky when he declines it because of the damage they've done. As Tacy and Nicky continue their travels, Tacy tries to make the trailer into a home, and collects dozens of mason jars full of fruits and vegetables, as well as huge rocks to decorate their patio when they arrive at their ultimate destination in Colorado. Tacy decides that she wants to drive, but after Nicky criticizes her for fast and reckless driving, Tacy furiously jumps in the back seat and gives him the silent treatment. The fight continues that evening as neither one wants to sleep with the other in the bedroom, and they squabble about who will sleep on the couch. The next day, they make up. That afternoon, Tacy decides to cook dinner in the trailer while Nicky drives the car, hoping to have dinner ready once he parks for the night. The ride proves to be rough, and the dinner ends up ruined. After that disaster, Nicky decides to accept an offer on the trailer, hoping he and Tacy can move into an actual house. But Tacy is determined to keep the trailer, and refuses to sell it. That evening, Nicky orders Tacy to get rid of all the large rocks and jars she has collected before they make a cliffhanging drive on a narrow road through mountains that will rise to 8,000'. Tacy, reluctant to throw away what she considers precious memories of their honeymoon, decides to hide the items. As they undertake the harrowing mountain drive, everything Tacy has hidden rolls around inside the trailer, making a big mess. When they reach the top of the mountain, the trailer, weighed down by all of the possessions, gets stuck and its wheels spin. Nicky discovers the rocks and jars, and in a rage, he takes everything Tacy has collected and throws it off the mountaintop. Tacy storms off in a huff. As their marriage deteriorates, Nicky meets up with Tacy as she prepares to sell the trailer and move back home. Nicky wants to apologize, but doesn't know where to start, and Nicky leaves. As he drives away in the pouring rain, Tacy runs to catch up with him. The two finally forgive each other, and tearfully reconcile.

Cast

as Tacy Bolton-Collini *

as Nicholas Carlos 'Nicky' Collini *

as Mrs. Hittaway *

as Policeman * Gladys Hurlbut as Mrs. Bolton *

as Mr. Tewitt * Bert Freed as Foreman * Madge Blake as Aunt Anastacia *

as Uncle Edgar * Herb Vigran as trailer salesman

Emory Parnell Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Parnell was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He spent eight months in the Arct ...

has a small, uncredited role as a policeman.

Production

The trailer used in the film is the 1953 36-foot Redman New Moon model, which sold for . The new car used to tow the trailer is a 1953

Mercury Monterey The Mercury Monterey is a series of full-size cars that were manufactured and marketed by the Mercury (automobile), Mercury division of Ford Motor Company, Ford from 1950 to 1974. Deriving its name from Monterey Bay, the initial Mercury Monte ...

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a Car, passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air drivin ...

with a 125 HP flathead

V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight- cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. Origins The first known V8 was the Antoinette, designed by Léon Levavasseur, a ...

. Opening scenes were shot on

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

's Stage 12, the same location at which Arnaz played his first film scene in ''

Bataan Bataan (, , , ; ) , officially the Province of Bataan, is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entire Bataan Peninsula ...

'', eleven years before. The dangerous mountain highway featured is Whitney Portal Road, which leads up to Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada mountains in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The

hairpin turn A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal ha ...

offers scenic views of the

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Mono language (California), Mono: ''Payahǖǖnadǖ'', meaning "place of flowing water") is an arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States. It is located to the east of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra ...

. During the scenes of Nicky and Tacy pulling their trailer in the mountains, their 1953 Mercury Monterey convertible is replaced with a larger but similar appearing 1953 Lincoln Capri convertible. The distinct Lincoln grille is clearly evident in a shot as the car rounds a curve. The more powerful Lincoln (which is equipped with a 205 HP OHV Y-block V8 engine) was needed to pull the heavy New Moon trailer up and over the steep grades of the Sierra Nevada where the scenes were filmed. Other scenes were shot on the Pines to Palms Scenic Byway (State Route 74) in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, California. The city is located in the Colorado Desert arm of the Sonoran Desert, about east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The popula ...

. The residence of Tacy's aunt and uncle (where the porch and rosebush are destroyed by the trailer) is the '' Meet Me in St. Louis'' John Truett house on the MGM Backlot, next door to the Smith Family house. The house where the trailer was parked and being chaotically packed with housewares by Tacy's friends appears to be Lucy and Desi's actual home on Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills. The closing credits thank the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

for permission to film in

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...

. There is one memorable scene where the car and trailer emerge from a tunnel to a view of Yosemite Valley, complete with a panorama of

El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...

, Half Dome, and Bridalveil Fall as the stars sing a duet. Later, there is a view of a full-flowing Yosemite Falls.

Reception

According to

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...

' host,

Robert Osborne Robert Jolin Osborne (; May 3, 1932 – March 6, 2017) was an American film historian, author, actor and the primary television host for the premium cable channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for over twenty years. Prior to hosting at TCM, Os ...

, the studio was not sure whether this film would be a success because it was thought people would not pay money to see Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in a movie when they could watch the couple on television for free (''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian ...

''). Arnaz made a $25,000 bet with the studio that the movie would make more money than the current highest-grossing comedy at that time ('' Father of the Bride'', starring

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the ...

and

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

and also directed by

). Arnaz won the bet. The characters Nicky and Tacy were remarkably similar to Ricky and Lucy; thus, the film gave audiences an opportunity to see Arnaz and Ball in color when ''I Love Lucy'' was in black and white. According to MGM records the film earned $3,978,000 in the US and Canada and $1,007,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $3,550,000. It was a triumphant return to MGM by Lucille Ball, who had felt underused by the studio when she was under contract in the 1940s, according to Michael Feinstein, who hosted a TCM showing of the film. She was given

Lana Turner Julia Jean "Lana" Turner ( ; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. ...

's old dressing room and Desi was given

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

's.

Home media

''The Long, Long Trailer'' was released on VHS in 1982, and again in 1990 by MGM/UA Home Video and

Turner Entertainment Turner Entertainment Co. is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner on August 2, 1986. Purchased by Time Warner Entertainment on October 10, 1996, as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was lar ...

. It was released on DVD in 2006, this time by

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

in Region 1 coding for the U.S. and Canada. It was released as a single disc and as a part of a 3-DVD set featuring two other Ball/Arnaz movies, '' Forever, Darling'' and '' Too Many Girls''. The film was also released in Region 4 coding for Australia. It was released on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

by the

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

in January 2023.

In popular culture

The film is referenced in the

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants, often abbreviated as TMBG, is an American alternative rock and Children's music, children's band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as ...

song "Everything Right Is Wrong Again" which contains the lyrics "Everything right is wrong again / Just like in The Long, Long Trailer / All the dishes got broken / The car kept driving / And nobody would stop to save her".

References

External links

* * * *
''The Long, Long Trailer''
at Trailerite.com
Full-text of the Twiss novel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Long Trailer, The 1954 films 1954 comedy films 1950s comedy road movies American comedy road movies Films based on American novels Films shot in California Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Vincente Minnelli Films produced by Pandro S. Berman Films scored by Adolph Deutsch 1950s English-language films 1950s American films