In 1953, three classic first season I Love Lucy episodes (The Benefit, Breaking the Lease, and The Ballet) were edited together with newly-filmed connecting scenes to create this never-before-released feature-length film. The film had only a single test screening in 1953 at a small theatre in Bakersfield, attended by the Arnazes. But Lucy and Desi had just signed a deal with M-G-M to do The Long, Long Trailer, and M-G-M, fearing competition, insisted that they shelve the film. And that's literally what happened. I Love Lucy: The Movie was put back on a shelf, in a mislabeled can, and was lost for nearly half a century, until it was discovered in the Paramount vault by Dann Cahn in 2001.