Some stars mentioned in the opening credits by the announcer as "starring" do not actually appear in new tributes, but only in archival footage. Those stars include: Patty Andrews, Jack Benny (died 1974), Ken Berry, John Bubbles, George Burns, William Holden, Harpo Marx (died 1964), and Wayne Newton.
Some of those absent from archival footage include Mary Jane Croft, Kathryn Card, Doris Singleton, Charles Lane, Frank Nelson, Ann Sothern, and Sid Gould, all of whom made many appearances opposite Lucille Ball over the years.
The program was very well received and received a 29 rating and 39 share of audience. Because of the anniversary theme of the show, it was never repeated.
The special was issued on DVD by Image Entertainment. The cover photo is of Lucille Ball at the Emmy Awards, although CBS used other artwork, one inexplicably based on her costume from "Lucy Goes To Scotland" (S5;E17).
For the DVD release, eight minutes of the show were trimmed for a total running time of 97 minutes Among the missing segments was a tribute to the late William Frawley, hosted by Gale Gordon, featuring Frawley and Vivian Vance singing "Carolina in the Morning." Also missing is Lucy's soft-shoe of "Makin' Whoopee" with Eddie Albert.