By Reid
Apparently affected by the “nostalgia” theme of Trendsetter’s current specials, I found myself browsing the web for stories about American entertainment icons. There was person one that stood out. Before Tina Fey, Bette Midler, Carol Burnett, even Joan Rivers and Mary Tyler Moore, Lucille Ball blazed the trail for women to succeed in comedy. She was the very definition of a true original.
I find her determination and willingness to do things different to be the most fascinating aspects of her story.
Lucille Ball’s path to success was unlikely. Ball was born August 6, 1911 (Btw, Happy Belated Birthday, Lucy!) and was mostly raised in a modest setting by her grandparents in a small town in New York State. She dropped out of high school at age 15 and enrolled at the John Murray Anderson School for the Dramatic Arts in New York City. Outshined by peers such as Bette Davis, Ball was sent home on the premise that she had no talent and, believe it or not, was deemed far too shy to succeed as a performer.
She soon returned to the City and began a long period of paying her dues. She found her first work as a model and later on Broadway (but was quickly fired). Still undeterred, Ball moved to Hollywood in 1933 and began a prolific yet under-appreciated career acting. Though her penchant was for comedy, Hollywood was more interested in beautiful starlets than comediennes, and Ball took almost any role she could find. She would become known in many Hollywood circles as, “Queen of the B’s”.
She achieved moderate success in 1940 with the musical “Too Many Girls” (where she met future husband and co-star Desi Arnaz) and in 1942 starring across from Henry Fonda in the film “The Big Street”. Ball married the younger Arnaz in 1940. The two would lie about their true ages for years because it was considered less acceptable for a woman to marry a younger man.
It wasn’t until the late 40s that Ball would begin to demonstrate her comedic talents to larger audiences in “My Favorite Husband”, a radio show for CBS in which Ball played a wacky wife (sound familiar?). CBS was interested in a television adaptation, but Ball insisted on working with Arnaz. The couple formed their own production company, Desilu Productions, in 1950 and produced a pilot. However, CBS was not impressed enough to be convinced that the masses would be won over by an American/Cuban couple. The couple responded by deciding to take the show on the road as a vaudeville act, and the tour proved to be a hit. CBS was finally convinced and the “I love Lucy”show first aired in 1951.
The rest is history.
Some accomplishments of Lucille Ball and trivia:
· “I Love Lucy” was the first show to use multiple cameras in front of a live studio audience.
· “I Love Lucy” is one of the most popular TV shows of all time, being the most watched show in America 4 of its 6 seasons. There were 3 seasons in which over half of the nations’ TV sets were tuned in to the show.
· When Lucille Ball became president of Desilu Productions in 1962, she became the first woman to run a major production company.
· Desilu Productions was home to many hit shows, including Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, Mission Impossible, and the Dick Van Dyke show.
· In 1968, Lucy was reported to be the richest woman in television.
· TV Guide picked Ball as the Greatest TV Star of All Time.
· Lucy appeared on the cover of the first issue of TV Guide in 1952.
· Ball registered to vote in 1936 and 1938 as a Communist. In 1953, she was subpoenaed by McCarthy’s House Committee on Un-American Activities. Arnaz famously quipped to a studio audience that year, “the only thing red about Lucy is her hair, and even that's not legitimate.”
· Also in 1953, Lucy broke ground by insisting on writing her pregnancy into the script of “I love Lucy.” CBS relented and allowed the episode to happen, but only if the word “pregnant” was not used on-air.
· Ball’s numerous accolades include 4 Emmy wins and 13 nominations.
I’ll conclude this article with my favorite two Lucille Ball quotes:
· “I’m not funny. What I am is brave.”
· “I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.”
