1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday. Lucille Ball got a name drop in our 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: Dorothy Arsner episode, so our episode on Lucille Ball is 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: today's Saturday classic. This episode, which I had no memory 4 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: of until re listening to it just now, also talks 5 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: a bit more about the movie Dance, Girl Dance, which 6 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: is the film that Arsner directed. This was a sponsored 7 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: episode when it first came out for CNN's documentary mini 8 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,279 Speaker 1: series The History of Comedy. I don't know if that's 9 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: available to stream anymore, but there are clips of it 10 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 1: on the CNN website. At the beginning of this episode, 11 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: we also kind of muse over the fact that it 12 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,480 Speaker 1: was our nine hundredth episode, and we talk about how 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: maybe we should figure out when our thousandth episode is 14 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: going to be and do something special. We did do that. 15 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: We had some sort of casual events online and on 16 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: our social media, and we also did a two part 17 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: episode on Satakos Sasaki's one thousandth Cranes. Those two parters 18 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: came out February twenty six and twenty eight, twenty eighteen, 19 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:11,759 Speaker 1: So enjoy Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, 20 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio. Hello, and Welcome to the podcast. 21 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Frye and I'm Tracy B. Wilson. So we 22 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: have a couple of housekeeping notes we do first, in 23 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 1: the interest of full disclosure, this episode is sponsored by CNN. 24 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: They have a new mini series coming up called The 25 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: History of Comedy, and they approached us and asked if 26 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: we would like to do an episode that might tie 27 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: into that. I love comedy and comedy history, and I 28 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: already had many people on my list. We were like, 29 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: here is a giganto list of things that we have 30 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: wanted to talk about for a long time. Yeah, so 31 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: this is a very easy kind of fit, and it 32 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 1: made perfect sense. This is probably an episode that would 33 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: have happened regardless, but in this case it is sponsored 34 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: by CNN. We are going to talk about the grand 35 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: Dame of American comedy, Lucille Ball. She, you know, was 36 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: incredibly famous. She worked in modeling, radio, and film, but 37 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,399 Speaker 1: of course really made her mark in television and her 38 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: work really set the standard for the TV sitcom going forward. 39 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: We also have a little bit of a milestone on 40 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: this one. Hmmm. It's the nine hundredth episode of this show. Yes, 41 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: we haven't been on all of those episodes, not remotely, 42 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: and a very very few of them, very tiny few 43 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: from way back in the archive are reruns. But nine 44 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: hundred is a lot. There's a lot of episodes. It 45 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: makes me realize that, you know, in less than a year, 46 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: we will be at a thousand and we should plot something. 47 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: I know now I've put that into the universe, and 48 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: I'm gonna feel stupid when we're in the studio and 49 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: I go, oh, crap, this is the thousandth one, isn't it, 50 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: And I haven't planned anything. Oh, we're gonna I put 51 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: it in the universe so I won't forget. Maybe after 52 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,519 Speaker 1: we record, I should do a little math figure out 53 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: exactly when that's happening. It'll be about a year from 54 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: now minus a week, right ish? Uh huh? So do 55 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: you want to just hop into Lucille Ball's story? Yes, 56 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:21,920 Speaker 1: because I love her me too. Luciale Desiree Ball was 57 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: the first child of Henry Durrell Ball, who went by 58 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: Had and Desiree Huntball. When she was born on August 59 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: sixth of nineteen eleven. Her family was not wealthy, and 60 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: had who was an electrician, moved them from place to 61 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: place looking for work. When Lucy was still a small child. 62 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: He found a position in Michigan working for Michigan Bell 63 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: Company as alignman, but the stability that the job offered 64 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: the family was really short lived and completely undermined when 65 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: Had died of typhoid fever in February nineteen fifteen. This 66 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: undoubtedly jarring event was recalled by Lucille later in life 67 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: as her first memory, and when she talked about it 68 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: or wrote about it, she would literally go into great 69 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: detail about like the things that were on the wall 70 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: and a bird that was that she saw at the time, 71 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: like she remembers that moment so clearly, or remembered, I 72 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,239 Speaker 1: should say. And in addition to the loss of Had, 73 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: Lucille's mother, Desiree, was also dealing with the fact that 74 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 1: she was pregnant with the couple's second child, and she 75 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 1: was facing a really uncertain financial future, and she decided 76 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: to move back to Jamestown, New York, which was where 77 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: the Balls had been living when Lucille was born. After 78 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,400 Speaker 1: the birth of Lucille's brother, Fred, Desiree started working in 79 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,239 Speaker 1: a factory to try to make ends meet. She also 80 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:43,480 Speaker 1: met and started dating a man named Ed Peterson. Peterson 81 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,279 Speaker 1: and Desiree got married, but once again, what seemed like 82 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: a situation that might offer the family some stability instead 83 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:55,159 Speaker 1: ended up causing deeper fractures in the family. So ed 84 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: Uh did not want to be burdened with children, and 85 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: so he and Desiree moved to Detroit without Lucille and Fred, 86 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: and the children didn't even get to stay together. Fred 87 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: moved in with his maternal grandparents, and Lucille moved in 88 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,480 Speaker 1: with Ed Peterson's parents, who were basically strangers to her, 89 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,600 Speaker 1: and the Petersons were very, very poor, and they were 90 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: really pretty strict with their new step granddaughter. After several 91 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: years of this arrangement, desire and Ed moved back to 92 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: Jamestown once again, so the children had their mother back, 93 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 1: and Lucille really always wanted to be in show business. 94 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,159 Speaker 1: I saw one thing, I think it's part of the 95 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:37,720 Speaker 1: package of her Kennedy Center honors, which are going to 96 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: talk about later, that said that every springtime she tried 97 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 1: to walk from their house to Broadway, and of course 98 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: didn't make it. But at the age of fifteen, she 99 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: left high school and she started drama school in New 100 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: York City at the John Murray Anderson Robert Milton dramatic 101 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,280 Speaker 1: school after begging her mother to consent to let her 102 00:05:57,279 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: do this. But though it's hard to imagine the ledg 103 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,520 Speaker 1: dary redhead, which is not her natural color, and we'll 104 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,720 Speaker 1: talk about that as well, struggling to stand out, she 105 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: really did not farewell at drama school. She was a 106 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: little too nervous and really struggled to make a name 107 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 1: for herself. Later, she would describe this time of her 108 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 1: life saying, quote, all I learned in drama school was 109 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: how to be frightened. The school even wrote to Desiree 110 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,559 Speaker 1: to let her know that her daughter was really way 111 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:27,919 Speaker 1: too shy for the stage. As a point of trivia, 112 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: Betty Davis was at school the same time. Yeah, yeah, 113 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 1: Lucille Ball was definitely in awe of her. So you 114 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: can imagine if you're already a little uncertain and then 115 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,160 Speaker 1: you have Betty Davis, who was by all accounts of powerhouse, 116 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,040 Speaker 1: you kind of probably don't feel like making a really 117 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 1: big move to try to stand out. But while Lucille 118 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: did leave drama school, she chose to stay in New 119 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: York and she adopted a new stage name, which was 120 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: Diane Belmont, and less than a year after her failed 121 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: start at drama school, he was booking modeling jobs. She 122 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:06,039 Speaker 1: modeled clothing for the Vienna Borne designer Hattie Carnegie, who 123 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 1: I would love to also do an episode on at 124 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: some point, and later Chesterfield Cigarettes booked her for modeling gigs, 125 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: including rather large scale campaigns, which got the attention of 126 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: Hollywood producers. So after a few years working as a 127 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: model in New York, she decided to make her way 128 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: to Hollywood to transition into acting. She also changed her 129 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: hair from its natural chestnut brown to blonde, just as 130 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: she had managed with her modeling career. After leaving drama school, 131 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: Bob began to book acting gigs rather quickly, although many 132 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:41,240 Speaker 1: of them in her early career were uncredited starring. In 133 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty three she worked at times as a Goldwyn Girl, 134 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: and this was a stock group of young women who 135 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: danced and entertained to appear in and promote new films 136 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: for Samuel Goldwyn. So in thirty three that movie was 137 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: Roman Scandals, which is a picture with a plot about 138 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: a young man from Westroom, Oklahoma, dreaming that he was 139 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: in ancient Rome, and the Goldwyn Girls in this particular 140 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: film were featured as Roman slave girls. Other uncredited work 141 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: included appearing as a showgirl in the nineteen thirty four 142 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: Moulin Rouge, as a nurse and Carnival in nineteen thirty five, 143 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: and as an extra and the slapstick version of The 144 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: Three Musketeers starring the comedy team The Ritz Brothers, and 145 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: Lucy continued to take small parts. She had a reputation 146 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: for never saying no because she knew she had to 147 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: make ends meet, and she finally got a more substantial 148 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: part in nineteen thirty seven's Stage Door, which was a 149 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 1: story about a group of aspiring actresses living together in 150 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: a boarding house. Also featured in that cast were Catherine 151 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 1: Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, a couple of you know people 152 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: no one's heard of. No, they're not famous at all. 153 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,319 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty, Lucio played the role of Bubbles, third 154 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: build after Maureen O'Hara and Lewis Hayward in a picture 155 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: called Dance, Girl Dance. While the movie is far from 156 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: her most famous work, it did have a significant impact 157 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: on her life. The movie's story centered around a troop 158 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: of dancers, and while Judy, played by marine O'Hara, longed 159 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 1: to become a ballerina Bubble's act was burlesque. The two 160 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: were also rivals in love, and the two actresses enjoyed 161 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: playing up their competitive but friendly relationship. Yeah when it 162 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,360 Speaker 1: came time to film a fight scene between the two characters, 163 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,679 Speaker 1: the production actually allowed an audience to attend, and they 164 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: charged admission, but they donated that money to charity, and 165 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:30,280 Speaker 1: after the fight was over, the ladies went to the 166 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: studio commissary together for lunch because they really were friends, 167 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: and it was there that Lucy met Desiderio Alberto Arnez 168 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 1: Desi Arnez, and she would later say of their meeting, 169 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,280 Speaker 1: it wasn't love at first sight. It took a full 170 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: five minutes. The actress and the Cuban band leader appeared 171 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: together in Ball's next movie, Too Many Girls, and their 172 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 1: time working together on the picture sped their courtship along. 173 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: Those who were close to Lucy advised her to stay 174 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:02,240 Speaker 1: away from Desi. Those pieces of advice were completely pointless. Arnez, 175 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: who was just twenty three at the time, had a 176 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:08,199 Speaker 1: reputation for dating a string of ladies, But Daisy and 177 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: Lucy fell in love and got married within a year. 178 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,840 Speaker 1: Their wedding was on November thirtieth, nineteen forty, and it 179 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: wasn't long after the marriage in nineteen forty two that 180 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: Lucille Ball dyed her hair. The signature read that she 181 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: would be known for the rest of her life, having 182 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 1: done so at the suggestion of movie studio MGM for 183 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: her role in Duberry Was a Lady. The shade, however, 184 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: would shift and not from that original read, but to 185 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 1: a more apricot tone, though not for several years before 186 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,319 Speaker 1: we get to the next big step in Lucy's career 187 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: went to pause for a word from a fantastic sponsor. 188 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: While Lucille Ball had been relatively successful in film, she 189 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: felt that her career wasn't really reaching the level that 190 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 1: she wanted. Her starring roles were mostly in B films 191 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: rather than big budget films, and so she expanded her 192 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,719 Speaker 1: work into radio as well. She quickly landed a role 193 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: in the comedy My Favorite Husband, and it was that 194 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: work that led to CBS offering to develop a series 195 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 1: along the same lines with her. That seemed like great news, 196 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: but things did not go well in negotiations. Lucy wanted 197 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: to develop a show with Desi starring alongside her, and 198 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: CBS was not interested in him, in part because of 199 00:11:25,679 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: his accent, and the talks quickly ended. But the couple's 200 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: desire to create a husband wife show together eventually developed 201 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:36,319 Speaker 1: by the two of them into the form of a 202 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: vaudeville act, and as they toured this stage show, they 203 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: garnered a lot of attention. It was actually a huge hit. 204 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,640 Speaker 1: People found it so charming that the two of them 205 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: were singing and dancing together, and they were very funny, 206 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 1: and it was so huge a hit that CBS wanted 207 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 1: to talk to them again, and this time because they 208 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:55,240 Speaker 1: had this reputation built around them, and the two of 209 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 1: them as a pair working together, Lucy and DESI were 210 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: in a position to make some demand and have those 211 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 1: demands meant. As I Love Lucy was in development, the 212 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 1: pair decided they did not want to shoot the show 213 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:09,199 Speaker 1: in New York, in a move that separated them from 214 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 1: most other TV shows in this still pretty young medium, 215 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:16,679 Speaker 1: They opted to set up production in Hollywood. They also 216 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: wanted to shoot on film, despite protests from CBS that 217 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: kinescope would be a lot more cost effective, but they 218 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 1: really wanted film, and they decided that they would sacrifice 219 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 1: some of their pay to get it, and so they 220 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,839 Speaker 1: renegotiated their deal, and they also made sure that they 221 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: would retain rights of ownership of the project, and they 222 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: formed Desilu Productions as the umbrella company for it. Everything 223 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 1: changed for Lucille Ball and her husband in nineteen fifty one. 224 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 1: They had their first child, Lucy, in July of that year, 225 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: and then I Love Lucy debuted on October fifteenth, nineteen 226 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:53,680 Speaker 1: fifty one. The show became a national success in this 227 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: mix of comedy and examination of common social issues really 228 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,199 Speaker 1: struck a good note with the viewing audience. Yeah, it 229 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 1: blew my mind when I realized that she had her 230 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 1: kid while they were in development for a major TV 231 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 1: show like that just seems like a lot to be juggling. 232 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,080 Speaker 1: And yeah, it was just months from the time she 233 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 1: had the baby to when they went into full production schedule. 234 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,600 Speaker 1: And Lucy was based on anything you could ever possibly 235 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: read or hear about her from her colleagues. Absolutely relentless 236 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:27,000 Speaker 1: in her pursuit of creating the most perfect possible production. 237 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:30,680 Speaker 1: Her standards were incredibly high, and she would rehearse even 238 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 1: the most casual lines of the show until she felt 239 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,440 Speaker 1: that they were the absolute best they could be. She 240 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 1: took comedy very, very seriously, and it's one of those 241 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:40,880 Speaker 1: things where people always think a lot of the show 242 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:45,280 Speaker 1: was ad libbed, but she really rehearsed almost everything to 243 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: the point that it was just perfect and you could 244 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 1: not tell that she was not in the moment. Well. 245 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 1: And another mark that it paid off is that when 246 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:59,400 Speaker 1: you say to someone, oh, we're working on a show 247 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:04,960 Speaker 1: about Lucy ol Ball, often the things that come spilling 248 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:07,720 Speaker 1: out of their mouth are all kinds of lines from 249 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 1: this TV show from literally more than half of a 250 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: century ago. Yeah. I mean it's been it's been on 251 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: in syndication forever, but it's people still watch it and laugh. Yeah, 252 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: it was the thing that I watched. One of the 253 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: things that I would watch in the in the morning 254 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,440 Speaker 1: while I was getting awake and ready to go to school, 255 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 1: like my mom would be making me breakfast. It would 256 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: be on syndicated in the time slot before the morning news, 257 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: either that or the Indie Griffith Show. Because this was 258 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 1: North Carolina, you gotta have some expectations. I've probably seen 259 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:44,800 Speaker 1: every episode of it. Anyway. I Love Lucy ran for 260 00:14:44,880 --> 00:14:48,480 Speaker 1: six years and led all shows in the US ratings 261 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: for four of them. It would be broadcast in seventy 262 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: eight countries. When the show aired an episode in which 263 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:57,200 Speaker 1: Lucy gave birth to little Ricky in nineteen fifty three, 264 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: which aired on the same day Desi Ernz Junior was 265 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: born or An in real life, thanks to a scheduled 266 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 1: cesarean section, it set ratings records, surpassing audience numbers for 267 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: the Eisenhower inauguration. Yeah, it's the first instance where an 268 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: actress's real life pregnancy was part of their fictional story. 269 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 1: And while it seemed natural to write their real life 270 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:21,400 Speaker 1: pregnancy into the show and their sponsor and this seems 271 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: odd now of course, through the Modern Lens cigarette company 272 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:28,320 Speaker 1: Philip Morris was behind the idea. The decision to do 273 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 1: so really ran into some hurdles at CBS. The network 274 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 1: was first deeply uneasy about the idea of showing a 275 00:15:35,440 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: pregnant woman on TV. They thought people might find it 276 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: vulgar or distasteful. Those CBS eventually did go along with 277 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: the plan, and they consulted various experts and felt like, no, 278 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,880 Speaker 1: this would be okay. They did forbid the use of 279 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: the word pregnant on the show, so they could never 280 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: say Lucy was pregnant and they would say she was 281 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: expecting instead, And there were also titters about how Dosy 282 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: pronounced the word yeah, and they had to name it 283 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: Lucy is Pregnant, but they used the French word for pregnant, 284 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,160 Speaker 1: so that even though the titles never appeared on the show. 285 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: That's one of my favorite episodes if you've never seen it. 286 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 1: The whole episode centers around Lucy trying to tell Ricky 287 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: that she is pregnant, and he's kind of dense and 288 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 1: not catching her hints for wrong time. I love it, 289 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 1: and everybody knows. Fred and Ethel both know, like the 290 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: whole everyone connected to them already has it figured out, 291 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 1: but he just is not getting the message. And she 292 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 1: does this. I don't even want to give it away 293 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,880 Speaker 1: because it's so sweet. The way that she eventually tells 294 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: him in the end is through his own song. He 295 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: just doesn't know it's happening to him initially, and it's lovely, 296 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: making me tear up a little bit me too. I 297 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:45,560 Speaker 1: love it so much. During the run of the sitcom, 298 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: Lucy's hair also hit the shade that would become her 299 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,840 Speaker 1: trademark for the rest of her career. According to hairstylist 300 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:56,080 Speaker 1: Irma Cousley, who worked on numerous Dazil productions, quote, Lucy's 301 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 1: hair was a golden Apricot color and she used a 302 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: Hannah rense to achieve it. She met a very wealthy 303 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:04,440 Speaker 1: sheik who had heard about her problem in getting the 304 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: right coloring. He said that he would send her a 305 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: lifetime supply of Hannah, which he did. We kept it 306 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: in my garage, locked away in a safe. Yeah, you'll 307 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 1: sometimes hear that sort of told as a slightly different 308 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,680 Speaker 1: story where her hair color formula was secret and was 309 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:24,479 Speaker 1: kept in a safe. But according to her stylists, no, 310 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: it was just the boxes or the whatever format, the 311 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 1: tubes or whatever that the Hannah was in. The other 312 00:17:30,119 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 1: significant event of their lives while I Love Lucy was 313 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 1: running was a scandal around Lucille's political history. The White 314 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:42,320 Speaker 1: House Unamerican Activities Committee investigated Ball due to the fact 315 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,439 Speaker 1: that in nineteen thirty six she had registered as a 316 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,360 Speaker 1: member of the Communist Party and sworn testimony before the committee. 317 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:52,480 Speaker 1: Lucille Ball testified that she had registered with the party 318 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty six at the request of her grandfather, 319 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,119 Speaker 1: Fred Hunt, and then it was nothing more than a 320 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: gesture to please the elderly patriot. Her mother and brother 321 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: had apparently done the same thing. Yeah, there was also 322 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:09,159 Speaker 1: there were also stories that she had hosted some parties 323 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,679 Speaker 1: at her home, some get togethers for people interested in communism, 324 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: but she claimed she did not realize that that's what 325 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: they were doing. She thought they were just like friends 326 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 1: getting together. And when she was asked by a member 327 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: of the press if she thought the matter would damage 328 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: her career, Lucy responded, I have more faith in the 329 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: American people than that. I think any time you give 330 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: the American people the truth, they're with you. And in 331 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,119 Speaker 1: her case, she was right. Her fans sent cards and 332 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:39,159 Speaker 1: telegrams of support, and she and Dezi told the press 333 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: that they were in fact happy to have the whole 334 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: thing out in the open. I Love Lucy ended in 335 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:47,040 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty seven, but Lucy and Dezi continued at the 336 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:50,720 Speaker 1: Helm of Dezi Lee Productions. The Untouchables and Star Trek 337 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: were produced there, but while they were having commercial success, 338 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,200 Speaker 1: their marriage didn't thrive, and they divorced in nineteen sixty. 339 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 1: There had long been rumors of infidelity and rocky times 340 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 1: between the two of them, but even after they called 341 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: their marriage quits. They remained friends and colleagues. They also 342 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,919 Speaker 1: made some movies together in addition to the TV show Yeah, 343 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: when she switched to TV. When they switched to TV, 344 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,439 Speaker 1: it wasn't as though she stopped doing movies altogether. She 345 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 1: did them on and off throughout her career when good 346 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: projects came up, and she also did theater, which is 347 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 1: how she met her second husband. She remarried Gary Morton 348 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:29,719 Speaker 1: not long after her split from Desi. She had at 349 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:31,159 Speaker 1: the time been in New York to star in the 350 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:34,399 Speaker 1: Broadway show Wildcat, which ran at the Alvin Theater, and 351 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: that was when she met the comedian and they were 352 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 1: married on November nineteenth of nineteen sixty one, so just 353 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:41,840 Speaker 1: a little more than a year after the divorce. In 354 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,639 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty two, Lucille Ballt bought out Desi Arnezza's interest 355 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: in Desi Leap Productions. After running the company for six years, 356 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: she sold it in nineteen sixty seven for seventeen million dollars. 357 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:57,120 Speaker 1: The person company Gulf Western, which also owned Paramount Pictures, 358 00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: renamed the studio Paramount Television. Lucy founded a new production 359 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:05,919 Speaker 1: company smaller and scale than Desilu, called Lucille Ball Productions. 360 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 1: While she was done with running her big production company, 361 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: Lucy certainly wasn't done with comedy. That's why she started 362 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:16,199 Speaker 1: her second, smaller production company. She starred in two series 363 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: in the nineteen sixties. The Lucy Show ran on CBS 364 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: from nineteen sixty two to nineteen sixty eight, and it 365 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 1: featured lucial Ball as a widow living with her divorced 366 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:28,199 Speaker 1: best friend and the two women's children. Vivian Vance, who 367 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:30,880 Speaker 1: had played ethel on I Love Lucy, as well as 368 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: several writers from I Love Lucy, also joined the production. 369 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:37,680 Speaker 1: After The Lucy Show ran for sixty years, Lucille moved 370 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:41,160 Speaker 1: on to another sitcom titled Here's Lucy in nineteen sixty eight. 371 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,119 Speaker 1: She was once again playing a widow, but this time 372 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: her two sitcom children were played by her actual children, 373 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:51,400 Speaker 1: Lucy and Desi Junior. Here's Lucy continued until nineteen seventy three. 374 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 1: Lucy's last two projects were in nineteen eighty five and 375 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty six. So in eighty five she took a 376 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:01,480 Speaker 1: role that was a significant depart from the comedy that 377 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:04,879 Speaker 1: had really made her career. She started in a TV 378 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,440 Speaker 1: movie which was titled Stone Pillow, in which she played 379 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:11,440 Speaker 1: a homeless woman. And after that, while she got good 380 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 1: reviews for her work on that, it wasn't a particularly 381 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 1: successful film, and she once again moved into sitcoms because 382 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: that is really what people wanted of her. So she 383 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: worked with CBS one more time and she premiered Life 384 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: with Lucy in nineteen eighty six, but unlike her previous 385 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: three sitcoms, it was a flop. It only lasted for 386 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 1: eight episodes. In April nineteen eighty nine, she underwent an 387 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: eight hour open heart surgery at Cedar sign A Medical 388 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 1: Center after experiencing chest pains and being diagnosed with an 389 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 1: aortic aneurism. After the procedure, she initially appeared to be 390 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: recovering well, but then she experienced another aortic rapture which 391 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:55,639 Speaker 1: claimed her life. She died on April twenty sixth of 392 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty nine. And next up, we're going to talk 393 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,240 Speaker 1: a little little bit about Lucy's legacy. But before we do, 394 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 1: we're going to take a quick break and here again 395 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: from a fantastic sponsor. So over the course of her career, 396 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 1: Lucille Ball was honored with many awards. We could never 397 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:20,160 Speaker 1: list them all, but we will talk about some of them. 398 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 1: For one thing. She won four Emmy Awards, Best Comedian 399 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty two, Best Actress in a Continuing Performance 400 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,680 Speaker 1: for I Love Lucy in nineteen fifty five, an Outstanding 401 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 1: Continuing Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in 402 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: a Comedy Series, which is a mouthful of a category 403 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,159 Speaker 1: for The Lucy Show. In both nineteen sixty seven and 404 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:44,080 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty eight, she was given two different stars on 405 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:46,240 Speaker 1: the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for her work in 406 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 1: film and the other for her work in television. And 407 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: while Here's Lucy was on the air, Ball received the 408 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:57,200 Speaker 1: International Radio and Television Society's Gold Medal in nineteen seventy one, 409 00:22:57,680 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: that made her the first woman to be honored with 410 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 1: that award. In nineteen seventy eight, she was honored with 411 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:08,320 Speaker 1: the Hollywood Foreign Press Association cecilby de Mill Award. Lucy 412 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: was honored by the Kennedy Center on December seventh, nineteen 413 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: eighty six. It was a bittersweet event because Desi had 414 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:19,439 Speaker 1: died just five days before. During the ceremony, actor Robert Stack, 415 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,879 Speaker 1: who had starred in the Desilu show, The Untouchables read 416 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 1: remark that Desi had written I Love Lucy had just 417 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 1: one mission to make people laugh. Lucy gave it a 418 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,040 Speaker 1: rare quality. She can perform the wildest, even the messiest, 419 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 1: physical comedy without losing her feminine appeal. The New York 420 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: Times asked me to divide the credit for its success 421 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,560 Speaker 1: between the writers, directors, and the cast. I told them 422 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: give Lucy ninety percent of the credit. Divide the other 423 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: ten percent among the rest of us. Desi concluded Lucy 424 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,960 Speaker 1: was the show. Viv Fred and I were just props 425 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:59,439 Speaker 1: Sam good props, but props. Nevertheless, ps I Love Lucy 426 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,480 Speaker 1: was an just the title. After her death in nineteen 427 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: eighty nine, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 428 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 1: and in two thousand and one, Newsweek named her the 429 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:13,920 Speaker 1: top female entertainer of the twentieth century. If that were 430 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:18,320 Speaker 1: not for Lucy Elleball's incredibly skilled and dedicated comedic work 431 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: on I Love Lucy, we might never have had other 432 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: women led comedy shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show 433 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:28,159 Speaker 1: and Laverne and Shirley. The many shows that make me 434 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: ask why are we still talking about whether women are funny? 435 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:38,919 Speaker 1: But her influence goes a lot deeper than that. She 436 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,679 Speaker 1: really spearheaded this style of comedy, as we said at 437 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:43,800 Speaker 1: the top of the show, that developed into the sitcom, 438 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: and that's a format that continues to be a TV 439 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: standard today. I Love Lucy was also the first show 440 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,080 Speaker 1: to use three cameras in production, rather than just one 441 00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: stationary camera, and that was a major innovation at the time. 442 00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:59,320 Speaker 1: As the head of Desilu Productions, Lucy became the first 443 00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,439 Speaker 1: woman to run a major Hollywood studio, so she was 444 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:05,880 Speaker 1: not only a trailblazer as a funny woman, but also 445 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: as an executive and a savvy businesswoman. She was employed 446 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 1: in Hollywood for more than fifty years continuously, something that 447 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:17,479 Speaker 1: not many people can boast. She once said that she 448 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:20,439 Speaker 1: wasn't funny, she was brave, and while she had started 449 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 1: her career as a model and was in fact a 450 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:25,919 Speaker 1: great beauty, she set herself apart through her willingness to 451 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: do crazy stunts and look foolish. Being pretty, it seems, 452 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:32,399 Speaker 1: was not as important to her as being funny. She 453 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,360 Speaker 1: was willing to do broad physical comedy at a time 454 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 1: that it was still considered the territory only of men, 455 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 1: and in doing so, she opened up the door for 456 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: women who came after her. Also during her Kennedy Center 457 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:46,679 Speaker 1: Honors presentation, Robert Stack said, quote, it will always be 458 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:50,359 Speaker 1: remembered that you established a place in television for women. 459 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,920 Speaker 1: And to bring up kind of an interesting source. According 460 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: to Arnold Schwarzenegger, writing in his autobiography, Lucy once gave 461 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:02,639 Speaker 1: him the following advice about working in Hollywood, although I 462 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,680 Speaker 1: think it is pretty good advice for almost anything in life. 463 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,720 Speaker 1: Quote when they say no, you hear yes, someone says 464 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:12,520 Speaker 1: we can't do this movie, hug them and say thank 465 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:16,680 Speaker 1: you for believing in me. I love that so much, 466 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: and I can so hear her saying it fantastic. I 467 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: know it's very subtle, but I'm a lucial ballfan. Yeah, 468 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:29,359 Speaker 1: I love the long, long trailer. It is both the 469 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:34,199 Speaker 1: movie starring Lucille Ball and Dozy Arnett and they might 470 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:38,119 Speaker 1: be giant song called everything Right Is Wrong Again. I 471 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:42,200 Speaker 1: really love de Berry was a lady, and I will 472 00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:44,359 Speaker 1: say this, I have one beef with the I Love 473 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: Lucy show. Oh yeah, it's so specific and nerdy and 474 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: dorky and weird to dressmakers. There was an episode where 475 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,360 Speaker 1: she was trying to make her own dress, huh, and 476 00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:00,879 Speaker 1: she The gag was that she accidentally she had it 477 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: laid out on the floor, and that she accidentally cut 478 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,520 Speaker 1: out the carpet along with the fabric, which one, if 479 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,560 Speaker 1: you've ever cut out fabric, you know that would be 480 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:12,160 Speaker 1: hard to do. But two, when they lifted it up, 481 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: it was for sight gag appeal, but it looked like 482 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 1: the outline of address. It didn't actually look like a 483 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 1: piece of address pattern. And I remember as a kid 484 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: seeing that and being like, that's not how you make 485 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: a dress. So that was my pedantic moment as a 486 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:31,560 Speaker 1: childish seamstress, both a child seamstress and a childish seamstress 487 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: later in life. Yeah, thanks so much for joining us 488 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 1: on this Saturday. If you'd like to send us a note, 489 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:47,080 Speaker 1: our email addresses History podcast at iHeartRadio dot com, and 490 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:49,840 Speaker 1: you can subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio app, 491 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.