Lucille Ball: The First Lady of Comedy

[Jimmy Todd]

There are so many stories about how mean and ornery Lucy could be, especially when she got older. Has anyone heard any stories about when she was kind, down to earth and gracious to a fan or non-celebrity?

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

There are so many stories about how mean and ornery Lucy could be, especially when she got okder. Has anyone heard any stories about when she was kind, down to earth and gracious to a fan or non-celebrity?

Oh, sure.

 

[ClassyCo]

Lucille Ball had a long, successful TV career -- perhaps the most successful, in fact.

I LOVE LUCY was highly influential and became one of the most well-known and popular TV shows of all time. It spent four of its six seasons from 1951 to 1957 as the #1 series on network television. I LOVE LUCY was innovative for its multi-camera filming set-up, allowing Ball to perform before a live studio audience. There were other "firsts" the show set: Lucy wearing pants on TV and pregnancy shown on camera.

The show set Ball up as a TV star, but it all ended (after I LOVE LUCY morphed into THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY HOUR) in 1960 when she and Desi Arnaz split up for good. They'd remain friends (sharing kids Lucie and Desi Jr.) until Desi passed away in 1986.

Ball agreed to do THE LUCY SHOW (which my dad always remembers being called "The Lucille Ball Show") as a favor to CBS in 1962, but there wasn't any consideration the show would go beyond its inaugural season. When ratings flew through the roof, the show was retained and even survived a mid-series shift in tone and premise before ending in 1968. THE LUCY SHOW placed #2 for its final season, but was cancelled when Ball decided to sell her ownership in the show after selling Desilu Studios to Gulf+Western.

She immediately went into HERE'S LUCY, which debuted without a pilot episode in 1968. It spent four consecutive seasons in the Top 10, at which time Ball considered ending the show in 1972. Because of the show's high Nielsen ratings, Fred Silverman persuaded Ball to continue with the show through 1974.

Ball did a few TV specials throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was the dramatic TV movie STONE PILLOW (1985) that convinced ABC and producer Aaron Spelling to bring Lucy back with LIFE WITH LUCY in 1986. The show premiered amid much fanfare, but viewership dropped off steadily. It was cancelled after airing just eight episodes.

Lucy's TV career is full and fun to browse.

 

[Seaviewer]

It was the dramatic TV movie STONE PILLOW (1985) that convinced ABC and producer Aaron Spelling to bring Lucy back with LIFE WITH LUCY in 1986.

That's interesting You'd think that would have inspired them to try a dramatic series instead of trying to revive the slapstick sitcom format. It's hard to believe they couldn't foresee that she was too old for it.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

That's interesting You'd think that would have inspired them to try a dramatic series instead of trying to revive the slapstick sitcom format. It's hard to believe they couldn't foresee that she was too old for it.

Well, they couldn't have gotten Lucy on an '80s nighttime soap; she said at the time that the genre "ought to be selling mattresses" instead of soap.

 

[Crimson]

That's interesting You'd think that would have inspired them to try a dramatic series instead of trying to revive the slapstick sitcom format. It's hard to believe they couldn't foresee that she was too old for it.

Lucille's entire post-I LOVE LUCY career was alternating between trying to branch out and then retreating back to the familiarity of "Lucy". She tried different things, even drama, on TV, on the screen, and on stage, but felt the public only wanted "Lucy". And of course as she got older, she couldn't really do "Lucy" anymore either, putting her in a Catch-22.

 

[ClassyCo]

Well, they couldn't have gotten Lucy on an '80s nighttime soap; she said at the time that the genre "ought to be selling mattresses" instead of soap.

I love your alternate DYNASTY world where she plays Alexis's mother. Oh, how that would've been wonderful to see!

Lucille's entire post-I LOVE LUCY career was alternating between trying to branch out and then retreating back to the familiarity of "Lucy". She tried different things, even drama, on TV, on the screen, and on stage, but felt the public only wanted "Lucy". And of course as she got older, she couldn't really do "Lucy" anymore either, putting her in a Catch-22.

Yes, she did branch out some, but always fell back on the tried and true "Lucy" persona. It's a shame, too. She was a good actress (as we've noted before), but boxed herself into what sold.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I love your alternate DYNASTY world where she plays Alexis's mother. Oh, how that would've been wonderful to see!

Jesus, what are you talking about??

 

[ClassyCo]

Jesus, what are you talking about??

Am I remembering wrong? I thought you had a version of early Season 7 where Lucy comes in right as Blake is choking Alexis. Lucy is Alexis's mother.

Evidently, I am wrong.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Am I remembering wrong? I thought you had a version of early Season 7 where Lucy comes in right as Blake is choking Alexis. Lucy is Alexis's mother.

Evidently, I am wrong.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, someone else may have said it.

That said, Lucille Ball showing up just as Blake is strangling Alexis is funnier.

 

[ClassyCo]

Giving you the benefit of the doubt, someone else may have said it.

That said, Lucille Ball showing up just as Blake is strangling Alexis is funnier.

It had to be someone else, but I cannot remember who. However, I do remember reading it here somewhere.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

It had to be someone else, but I cannot remember who. However, I do remember reading it here somewhere.

I'm not sure who I'd pictured Lucy being -- although someone zany-but-brittle seems inevitable:

 

[ClassyCo]

I'm not sure who I'd pictured Lucy being -- although someone zany-but-brittle seems inevitable:

View attachment 55372

Now I must find where someone mentioned what I was thinking about.

I love your alternate DYNASTY world where she plays Alexis's mother. Oh, how that would've been wonderful to see!

@Snarky Oracle! Our friend @stevew said this in this very thread back on February 7, 2018:

I loved Lucy as a comic. I even liked her in Mame singing and I’m not a musical fan. And in Stone Pillow she was excellent, imo. At her age going for drama as a comeback would have made more sense.

At the time I watched bits and pieces of Dynasty with my grandmother as she was in and out of the hospital. It never fully caught my attention, but in all fairness having watched the first two seasons much later on (I hadn’t seen any of them in their first run) I must say, I’d have been hooked if I’d started from the beginning. Anyway, when I heard Spelling was bringing Lucy back I pictured her in Dynasty. I said to my grandmother she should be Alexis’s American mother.

Picture her walking into the entry of the Carrington Mansion as Blake chokes Alexis and Ben holds back Krystal. She smells the flowers on the way in and says, “Way to kill two birds with one stone, Blake.” Blake turns and looks at her. Let’s go of a chocking Alexis, we all knew wasn’t going to dye, and says, “Oh my God.” Alexis lunges for Blake and the two go off the balcony. Now? Is Alexis going to die? Joan replaced with Lucy, would have been a cliff hanger keeping us on our toes. BTW I don’t think she should have replaced her but it could have added to the drama especially with rumors of contract negotiations. And Alexis with a mother to explain some stuff could have been fun.

 

[Seaviewer]

even liked her in Mame singing and I’m not a musical fan.

She was okay singing but her voice was too much like Bea Arthur's when they duetted. Angela Lansbury was the original Mame on Broadway and the song "Bosom Buddies" from the cast album sounds better with the contrasting voices. (Just my opinion )

 

[ClassyCo]

She was okay singing but her voice was too much like Bea Arthur's when they duetted. Angela Lansbury was the original Mame on Broadway and the song "Bosom Buddies" from the cast album sounds better with the contrasting voices. (Just my opinion

As much as I love Lucy, Angela Lansbury was robbed of playing Mame on the screen.

 

[Crimson]

It was the dramatic TV movie STONE PILLOW (1985)

I recently rewatched this movie for the first time in ages. It's an interesting but misguided performance by Lucille, showing both her strengths and weaknesses. There's a strong attention to characterization detail, which is what made her comedy work so well. It's also a very old-fashioned performance; her acting was firmly rooted in the inspirations of her youth, Silent movies and vaudeville. Even in a movie attempting gritty social realism, she couldn't avoid Chaplin-esque schmaltz and mugging. It's why she was so good at comedy and even, when given the chance, melodrama but grounded acting was not really in her wheelhouse.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Desilu Studios developed "Mission:Impossible", "Star Trek" and "Mannix"

 

[ClassyCo]

Desilu Studios developed "Mission:Impossible", "Star Trek" and "Mannix"

THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW was filmed at Desilu Studios.

 

[ClassyCo]

THE LUCY SHOW morphed into HERE'S LUCY in 1968. Lucille Ball sold Desilu Studios to Gulf+Western and she decided to end THE LUCY SHOW since she no longer owned it outright.

Still, CBS wanted to keep Lucy on their lineup. She was given the go ahead for HERE'S LUCY with no pilot screening necessary. The show premiered in the same time slot THE LUCY SHOW had left vacant, and employed a similar premise.

HERE'S LUCY spent from 1968 to 1972 in the Nielsen Top 10, before viewership slowly started to dwindle. I've read Lucy and intended on ending the show in 1972, but that this was likely a ploy for more money. So, what about 1973, when she was apparently going to end the show again? Lucy and Gale Gordon even filmed a series finale without a studio audience. It was Fred Silverman, or so I read, that encouraged her to do one more season. HERE'S LUCY would end in 1974 after six seasons and 144 episodes, but it seems CBS had tired of the show. They wrangled with how to cancel Lucy, who had been one of the defining stars for the network, but felt it was pivotal to their longevity to incorporate new shows into their lineup.

 

[ClassyCo]

Ok, I'm finally going to do it. Tomorrow I'm going to start a complete watch of I LOVE LUCY. I want to get every single episode in the can this year.

For real. I mean it this time.