Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American actress, comedian, model, entertainment studio executive and producer. She was the star of the self-produced sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life with Lucy, as well as comedy television specials aired under the title The Lucy-…
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Why was Lucille Ball important in the 1950s?
More than just an actress, Lucille Ball was the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu, which produced a number of popular television shows including Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and The Andy Griffith Show.
What was Lucille Ball's biggest accomplishment?
Lucille Ball was an American radio, television, and film actress. She is best remembered for her television comedy series I Love Lucy, which aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from 1951 to 1957. Ball won an Emmy Award for her performance on the show in 1956.
Why was I Love Lucy so groundbreaking?
I Love Lucy was pioneering for its use of multiple, simultaneously filming cameras and a live studio audience. It was also one of the first TV shows to be shot on 35mm film, rather than broadcast live.
Who did Lucille Ball influence?
She was a television pioneer and her artistic and business decisions have shaped the entire landscape of 21st century pop culture. Sure, it's easy to see how Lucille Ball's comedy stylings influenced the likes of Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
What impact did Lucille Ball have on society?
Ball's talent for both verbal and slapstick comedy paved the way for future television women. In addition to opening new doors for women in front of the camera, Ball was also a powerful female figure behind the scenes. As co-owner of Desilu, she became the first woman to head a production studio.
What disease did Lucille Ball have?
She was diagnosed with a dissecting aortic aneurysm and underwent surgery to repair her aorta and a successful seven-hour aortic valve replacement. Shortly after dawn on April 26, Ball awoke with severe back pain, then lost consciousness; she died at 5:47 a.m. PDT at the age of 77.
How did I Love Lucy impact American culture?
I Love Lucy helped create a culture that revolved around television, sitcoms, and the values they supported. The American values that were marketed by these sitcoms, however, excluded the lower classes of society and created apathetic attitudes to crucial social and political problems of the time.
In what ways did I Love Lucy reflect American society and family life of the 1950s?
An aspect of popular culture in the 1950s that is depicted by I Love Lucy is an aspect of gender roles that defined relationships. In which, daily routines of women consisted of cooking and wait for their husbands while they brought home the money.
Why do you think that I Love Lucy was so popular?
Aside from Lucille Ball's great comedic talents, what made the show so appealing? Added to the fact that the show was enormously funny, I Love Lucy had enormous heart. The Ricardos and their friends the Mertzes really did love each other and that came across. It was something that people wanted in their living rooms.
What is Lucille Ball's legacy?
Lucille Ball's legacy is one of power and determination Ball, in addition to running Desilu Studios, went on to star in TV shows like Here's Lucy and The Lucy Show. She also became a Broadway star, producing and starring in the hit musical Wildcat from 1960 through 1961.
What else did Lucille Ball do?
Lucille Ball was an American actress and pioneer in comedy. She was the star of the popular television series, I Love Lucy. As an entertainer and businesswoman, Ball continuously broke barriers for women in entertainment business. Lucille Ball was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York.
Why did Lucy and Desi divorce?
Why did Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz divorce? Ball first filed for divorce from Arnaz in 1944 after four years of marriage. In her 1989 memoir, Love, Lucy, Ball revealed that she filed for divorce from Arnaz due to his drinking problem and alleged infidelity.
How old was Lucille Ball when she started Lucy?
40 years oldBall was 40 years old when she started filming “I Love Lucy,” and she'd devoted herself to her career.
How many shows did Lucille Ball have?
LUCY'S TV SHOWS She starred in five different TV shows during her career; the original, I Love Lucy (1951-57), became one of the great TV landmarks of the 1950s and continues today on TV across the world.
When was Lucille Ball inducted into the Hall of Fame?
2001Lucille Ball / Hall of fame induction
When did Lucille Ball first air?
I Love Lucy is an American television 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 show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with Vivian Vance and William Frawley.
Why can't Lucy say she is pregnant?
Lucy's character was pregnant, but the show couldn't actually say the word "pregnant" because, according to site The A.V. Club, "CBS deemed [it] too vulgar." Executives reportedly called for a priest, minister and rabbi to approve the scripts before they gave permission for the storyline to air.
Who played Ricky and Lucy in I Love Lucy?
Lucille Ball had to fight the network to portray Lucy and Ricky’s multiethnic marriage. While Lucy and Ricky’s relationship on “I Love Lucy,” played by the then-real life couple Ball and Arnaz, is arguably the most important relationship in the show, Ball had to fight the network to get Arnaz the role of her husband. Advertisement.
When did I love Lucy come out?
You probably love Lucy. Since “I Love Lucy” premiered in 1951, star Lucille Ball has been one of America’s most worshipped performers. Long after the show went off the air, new generations continue to discover her hilarity in syndicated “I Love Lucy” episodes. Advertisement.
Did Lucy and Ethel ever cooperate?
But even though it was sometimes Lucy and Ethel versus the world (or just Ricky and Fred), they always cooperated with each other. They were around the same age, from similar economic backgrounds, and were both happily married. Their relationship existed on an essentially even playing field, so stereotypical female competitiveness plots -- over men or status -- never entered the picture. Whether they were snooping, spying, scheming, or going on wild adventures, their relationship was a source of constant mutual support. (In that respect, Lucy and Ethel’s escapades often passed the Bechdel Test before it even existed.)
Did Ball buy Arnaz?
After the "I Love Lucy" era of Desilu, and the divorce of Ball and Arnaz, Ball ended up buying Arnaz out of the company. With this move, she became the first female head of a major production company. While Ball was at the helm, the company produced hits like "Star Trek" and "Mission Impossible."
Who was the first female comic?
It’s no secret that Ball was one of the first comic female leads on television. But the weight of her power in the industry may be lost on current viewers. Ball not only starred in “I Love Lucy,” but co-owned its production company, Desilu, with her husband Desi Arnaz. The company — which produced other hits during Ball and Arnaz’s co-ownership, including “The Ann Sothern Show” and “The Untouchables” — laid the groundwork for the invention of syndication, and was a catalyst for moving American television production from New York to LA.
Did I Love Lucy have a pregnancy?
Though “I Love Lucy” was not the very first TV show to feature a pregnancy, it was an early one, and broke barriers with the huge success of the storyline. In fact, the episode in which Lucy gives birth to Little Ricky aired the day before President Eisenhower’s inauguration, and drew substantially more viewers than his swearing-in.
What is the most influential sitcom?
Of all the sitcoms ever aired, I Love Lucy might be the most influential. Released during a time when women were expected to be wives and mothers and nothing else, Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo shattered that conservative notion by wanting and pursuing more. TV had seen nothing like it before, and without I Love Lucy , other influential television shows like Seinfeld wouldn't have been made.
What was the selling point of I Love Lucy?
Lucille Ball's physical comedy was the main selling point, though there were several other factors that made the show so groundbreaking for its time. Apart from the consistent humor, I Love Lucy made a mark on television history by having the first multiethnic relationship on the small screen, as Lucy is white and Ricky is Cuban.
How many seasons of I Love Lucy?
I Love Lucy premiered on CBS in 1951 and ran for 6 seasons, chronicling Ricky and Lucy Ricardo's marriage and Lucy's frequent hijinks with her best friend and neighbor Ethel. Ricky is a successful nightclub owner and Lucy is a flighty housewife searching for fame.
What is the relationship between Lucy and Ethel?
Lucy and Ethel are the ultimate embodiment of female friendship, which has influenced so many other classic sitcom relationships. Another significant event was Lucy and Desi Arnaz's real-life pregnancy, which was eventually written into the show with the guidance of religious figures.
Why was I Love Lucy so influential?
I Love Lucy was, and continues to be, an influential TV show, mostly because its titular character does more than just being a housewife. Of all the sitcoms ever aired, I Love Lucy might be the most influential.
How many people watched I Love Lucy?
Nearly 45 million viewers tuned in to the birth episode, 19 million more than President Eisenhower's Inauguration the following day. I Love Lucy was also the first show to have a live studio audience instead of using canned laughter.
Where was I Love Lucy filmed?
Even though Desi and Lucy opted to film in Los Angeles to raise their daughter and took a pretty sizeable cut in income, they earned millions back in reruns. I Love Lucy inspired and continues to inspire an emphasis on women's friendships, exploring beyond societal norms, and genuinely hysterical slapstick humor.
