I Love Lucy

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Image:Lucy.jpg (1)

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Contents

[edit] The Beginning

"On Monday, October 15, 1951, in the nine-o' clock time slot... 'I Love Lucy' made its debut on CBS television network" (Andrews 64.)"Everyone warned Desi and me were committing career suicide by giving up highly paid movie and band commitments to go for broke on TV, but it was either working together or good-bye marriage" (Andrews 17). Desi and Lucille had such a hard time getting 'I Love Lucy' started that they agreed to a pay cut if they were allowed 100% ownership of the rights to 'Lucy'. That decision that was a surprise to many later cost CBS five million dollars to buy back the rights to the 179 episodes in 1957 (Andrews 31).

Besides their enduring popularity in constant reruns around the world, the original 180 half-hour episodes of "I Love Lucy" introduced several television innovations. These include shooting from three cameras simultaneously before a live audience, as well as on film, and overcoming technical challenges through improvements in lighting, set design and editing. "I Love Lucy" was also the first television show ever rerun(2). 9:00PM, October 15, 1951. From that minute forward, I Love Lucy went on the air, and has never been off since (6w).


[edit] CAST

  • Lucy Ricardo............. Lucille Ball
  • Ricky Ricardo...................... Desi Arnaz
  • Ethel Mertz .......................Vivian Vance
  • Fred Mertz.................. William Frawley
  • Little Ricky (1956-1957)............... Richard Keith
  • Jerry ..............................Jerry Hausner
  • Mrs. Trumbull ................Elizabeth Patterson
  • Caroline Appleby.................... Doris Singleton
  • Mrs. MacGillicuddy .................Kathryn Card
  • Betty Ramsey (1957) ..............Mary Jane Croft
  • Ralph Ramsey (1957)................ Frank Nelson

(3w)

• Executive Producer: Jess Oppenheimer | Desi Arnaz

• Producer: Lucille Ball

• Associate Producer: Al Simon

• Editor: Bud Molin (5w)

3 Lucy & Ricky (Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz)
3 Lucy & Ricky (Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz)


(17) Philip Morris the company that finally sponsored 'I Love Lucy' wanted a show every week instead of every other that was the original concept. "It was a custom in those days, ad agencies tended to become actively involved with the shows they sponsored or we considering sponsoring In fact, advertisers and their agencies often developed their own shows and brought them to the networks, all packaged" (Andrews 23).
(17) Philip Morris the company that finally sponsored 'I Love Lucy' wanted a show every week instead of every other that was the original concept. "It was a custom in those days, ad agencies tended to become actively involved with the shows they sponsored or we considering sponsoring In fact, advertisers and their agencies often developed their own shows and brought them to the networks, all packaged" (Andrews 23).

Image:Ilovelucycast.jpg

Ethnicity • Ethnicity was typically popular so long as it was a portrayal of first generation European immigrants; Black, Hispanic and Asian family life were almost never dealt with. When they were they were the butt of the joke such as the Cuban Ricky Ricardo with his Latin temper. (3w)

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• When the show was being formulated the characters of Fred and Ethel Mertz were originally meant to be played by Gale Gordon and Bea Benadert. William 'Bill' Frawley got the part after calling Lucille and asking if there was a role for him in her new show. Vivian Vance got the role of Ethel after a member of the team working on the show suggested her.

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[edit] Nielsen Ratings

• The episode "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" first aired on Monday, January 19, 1953. It garnered a record 71.7 rating, meaning 71.7% of all television households at the time were tuned in to the program. To this day, that record is surpassed only by Elvis Presley's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 (82.6% rating).

  • 1951-52: #1
  • 1952-53: #1
  • 1953-54: #1
  • 1954-55: #1
  • 1955-56: #2
  • 1956-57: #1

(4w)

(10) "Job Switching". Lucy and Ethel get jobs packaging candy that is delivered on a conveyor belt. The work seems easy enough when they are shown what to do by their supervisor, but then the pace picks up and the women soon fall further and further behind. In desperation, they resort to comical means to try to keep up. The skit, a variation of an old vaudeville routine, has been parodied numerous times. (4w) "Episode #39 Filmed on Friday, May 30, 1952." "This is one of Luccille Ball's favorite "I Love Lucy" episodes" (Andrews,257)
(10) "Job Switching". Lucy and Ethel get jobs packaging candy that is delivered on a conveyor belt. The work seems easy enough when they are shown what to do by their supervisor, but then the pace picks up and the women soon fall further and further behind. In desperation, they resort to comical means to try to keep up. The skit, a variation of an old vaudeville routine, has been parodied numerous times. (4w) "Episode #39 Filmed on Friday, May 30, 1952." "This is one of Luccille Ball's favorite "I Love Lucy" episodes" (Andrews,257)
(11)"Lucy Does a TV Commercial". Lucy is hired to act as the "Vitameatavegamin girl" in a TV commercial, to promote a health tonic that contains healthy amounts of vitamins, meat, vegetables, minerals — and a less-than-healthy dose of 23% alcohol. Lucy becomes progressively more drunk, but gamely keeps on pitching the product. In November 2001, fans voted this episode as their favorite, during a 50th anniversary I Love Lucy television special. (4w)"Episode 30 filmed on Friday, March 28, 1952" (Andrews, 249)
(11)"Lucy Does a TV Commercial". Lucy is hired to act as the "Vitameatavegamin girl" in a TV commercial, to promote a health tonic that contains healthy amounts of vitamins, meat, vegetables, minerals — and a less-than-healthy dose of 23% alcohol. Lucy becomes progressively more drunk, but gamely keeps on pitching the product. In November 2001, fans voted this episode as their favorite, during a 50th anniversary I Love Lucy television special. (4w)"Episode 30 filmed on Friday, March 28, 1952" (Andrews, 249)

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[edit] Pregnancy and Little Ricky

• Just before filming the show, Lucy became pregnant with her and Desi's first child, Lucie Arnaz. They actually filmed the original pilot while Lucy was "showing", but did not include any references to the pregnancy in the episode. Later, during the second season, Lucy was pregnant again with second child Desi Arnaz, Jr., and this time the pregnancy was incorporated into the series' storyline. Despite popular belief, Lucy's pregnancy was not television's first on-screen pregnancy. That distinction belongs to Mary Kay on the late 1940s sitcom, Mary Kay and Johnny. CBS would not allow I Love Lucy to use the word "pregnant", so "expecting" was used instead.[5] The episode "Lucy Is Enceinte" first aired on December 8, 1952 ("enceinte" being French for "expecting" or "pregnant"). The episode in which Lucy gives birth, "Lucy Goes to the Hospital," first aired on January 19, 1953.

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(16)"Mail that reached Desilu was more pro than con. Only 207 letters arrived disapproving of pregnancy on television... After [the] baby was born, [Lucille Ball] recieved thiry thousand congraulatory) telegrams and letters" (Andrews 105)
(16)"Mail that reached Desilu was more pro than con. Only 207 letters arrived disapproving of pregnancy on television... After [the] baby was born, [Lucille Ball] recieved thiry thousand congraulatory) telegrams and letters" (Andrews 105)

(14) To increase the publicity of this episode, the original air date was chosen to coincide with Lucille Ball's real-life delivery of Desi, Jr. by Caesarean section.[6] "Philip Morris put its two cents in. They requested that during Lucille's pregnant state, she should not be viewed smoking cigarettes." (Anrews 97) "Far from ridiculing motherhood, 'I Love Lucy' has made it appear one of the most natural things in the world. (Andrews 104). "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" was watched by more people than any other TV program up to that time, with 68% of all American television sets tuned in. America saw Little Ricky as an infant in the 1952-53 season, a toddler from 1953 to 1956, and finally a young school-age boy from 1956 to 1960. However, five actors played the role, two sets of twins and later Keith Thibodeaux. (4w)

(12) "Three thousand outlets carried Lucille Ball dresses, sweaters, and blouses...He and She pajamas which the Arnazes were obliged to wear on the show according to merchandising agreements, Desi Denims, Lucy Lingerie, costum jewelry, desk and chair sets... nursery furniture (after Little Ricky was born)... A comic strop that began running December 8, 1953, was the work of artist Bob Oskner and writer Lawernce Nadler and ran in 132 newspapers through King Features Syndicate. 35 'I Love Lucy' comic books were released from1954-1963 by Dell Comics" (Andrews 108-109).
(12) "Three thousand outlets carried Lucille Ball dresses, sweaters, and blouses...He and She pajamas which the Arnazes were obliged to wear on the show according to merchandising agreements, Desi Denims, Lucy Lingerie, costum jewelry, desk and chair sets... nursery furniture (after Little Ricky was born)... A comic strop that began running December 8, 1953, was the work of artist Bob Oskner and writer Lawernce Nadler and ran in 132 newspapers through King Features Syndicate. 35 'I Love Lucy' comic books were released from1954-1963 by Dell Comics" (Andrews 108-109).

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• Many actors of the 'I Love Lucy' show were often times approached by fans of the show and were referred to by the name of their character. This was especially hard for Vivian Vance who "throughout the series history, psychiatrists dealt with Vivian's dislike of Ethel by carefully disassociating 'the character' from 'the actress' in Vivian's subconscious. Lucy helped by building Ethel, making her larger than life giving her laughs, and constructing whole scens around her. Finally, Viv no longer minded when people called her Ethel on the street. She realized that the fans were just being friendly, and came to recognize Ethel as merely a part - though perhaps the best part ever written for a supporting player in televison history" (Andrews 46).

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  • In 1953 at the beginning of the third season of 'I Love Lucy' Lucille Ball was dealing with having been accused of being a Communist. Though cleared shortly after it all started it caused a great deal of stress and apprehension for all apart of the show. (Andrews 126).
  • "Lucy was very concerned that the character be dressed appropriately, emphasizing that each outfit would be worn often. She didn't want 'high style' or anything that didn't typify an all-American housewife" (Andrews 122).

Desilu Productions

[1]

  • By 1955, Desilu had become a complex operation with many officers resonsible for the day-to-day operations ofa studio that was producing as much film as one of the town's major motion picture studios (Andrews 162).
  • "From the start, the 'Lucy' writers were held in an esteem at Desilu uncommon in television" (Anderson 140).
  • Desi was a shrewd businessman who lead the Desilu company to great success. He was known to play hard ball and was unafraid to stand up to powerful people to get what he wanted. *

[edit] Fun Links to Explore

http://www.lucy-desi.com/

http://www.lucy-desi.com/info/playhouse.html

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=y1pXKrPW0DoC&dq=desilu&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=gjxNdMkLjk&sig=W_BpWoRAgWC-NnQokqHcwF_57iU#PPA5,M1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_Lucy

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043208/

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/I/htmlI/ilovelucy/ilovelucy.htm


[edit] Websites:

1w. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/I/htmlI/ilovelucy/ilovelucy.htm

2w. http://www.lucyfan.com/lucyinwestport.html

3w. http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/familyontel/familyontel.htm

4w. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_Lucy#Premise

5w. http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing?channel=1695

6w. http://www.tvland.com/shows/lucy/

[edit] Bibliography

  • Anderson, Christopher. Hollywood TV: The Studio System in the Fifties. Austin, Texas: University of TexasPress, 1994.
  • Mellencamp, Patricia. "Situation Comedy, Feminism and Freud: Discourses of Gracie and Lucy." In, Modleski,Tania, editor. Studies in Entertainment. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1986.
  • Schatz, Thomas. "Desilu, I Love Lucy, and the Rise of Network TV." In Thompson, Robert J., and Gary Burns, editors. Making Television: Authorship and the Production Process. New York: Praeger, 1990.

Above from: http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/I/htmlI/ilovelucy/ilovelucy.htm)

  • Joe Garner, Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments (Andrews McMeel Publishing; 2002) ISBN 0-7407-2693-5
  • Coyne Steven Sanders & Tom Gilbert, Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (William Morrow & Company, Inc.; 1993)
  • Michael McClay, "I Love Lucy: The Complete Picture History of the Most Popular TV Show Ever" (Kensington Publishing Corp., 1995)

Above from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_Lucy

  • Doty, Alexander. "The Cabinet of Lucy Ricardo: Lucille Ball's Star Image." Cinema Journal (Urbana, Illinois), 1990. (jstor)
  • Andrews, Bart. Lucy and Ricky and Fred and Ethel. New York: Dutton, 1976. (from:http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/B/htmlB/balllucille/balllucille.htm)
  • Andrews, Bart. The "I Love Lucy" Book. New York: Doubleday, 1985.
  • Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

[edit] Photos from:

1st, 2nd : http://www.sitcomsonline.com/ilovelucy.html

3ed : http://www.time.com/.../artists/profile/lucy.html

4th : http://www.virginmedia.com/.../us-sitcoms.php?ssid=9

5th : http://www.watchingsitcoms.com/.../aliens-in-america/

6th : http://www.imdb.com/rg/title-top/photos/gallery/mptv...

7th : http://www.allposters.com/-sp/I-Love-Lucy-Posters_i311730_.htm

8th : http://bp1.blogger.com/_pJA9xzwtOyM/Rlxgjmv5SyI/AAAAAAAAAEs/hFYwZzuj1Tc/s1600-h/i-love-lucy.jpg

9th: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_Ball

10th: http://www.memphisflyer.com/binary/55c5/I-Love-Lucy-Poster-Card-C10204654.jpeg

11th: http://images.art.com/images/-/I-Love-Lucy--C10230236.jpeg

12th: http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/I-Love-Lucy-Poster-Card-C10204698.jpeg

13th: http://www.classicsitcoms.com/shows/lucy3.html

14th: http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/I-Love-Lucy-Note-Card-C12043456.jpeg

15th: http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/I-Love-Lucy-Poster-Card-C10225964.jpeg

16th: http://www.lucyfan.com/ilovelucy51doll2.jpg

17th: http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0oGkivK2kVIbGsBpI1XNyoA?ei=UTF-8&p=Phillip%20Morris%20AND% 20i%20love%20lucy&fr2=tab-web&fr=moz2

                                              (Sara Abbott)
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