HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''I Love Lucy'' is an American
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
that aired on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with 180 half-hour episodes across six seasons. The series starred
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
and her husband
Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in whi ...
, along with
Vivian Vance Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
and
William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom ''I Love Lucy.'' Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of t ...
, and follows the life of Lucy Ricardo (Ball), a young, middle-class housewife living in New York City, who often concocts plans with her best friends and landlords, Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vance and Frawley), to appear alongside her bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo (Arnaz), in his nightclub. Lucy is depicted trying numerous schemes to mingle with and be a part of show business. After the series ended in 1957, a modified version of the show continued for three more seasons, with 13 one-hour specials, which ran from 1957 to 1960. It was first known as ''The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show,'' and later, in reruns, as ''
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour'' is a collection of thirteen black-and-white one-hour specials airing occasionally from 1957 to 1960 (as opposed to the thirty-minute regular series, ''I Love Lucy''). The first five were shown as specials during t ...
''. ''I Love Lucy'' became the most-watched show in the United States in four of its six seasons and it was the first to end its run at the top of the
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. As of 2011, episodes of the show have been syndicated in dozens of languages across the world and remain popular with an American audience of 40 million each year. A
colorized Film colorization (American English; or colourisation/colorisation [both British English], or colourization [Canadian English and Oxford English]) is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia, or other monochrome m ...
version of its Christmas episode attracted more than eight million viewers when CBS aired it in prime time in 2013, 62 years after the show premiered. The showwhich was the first scripted television program to be filmed on 35 mm film in front of a studio audience, by cinematographer
Karl Freund Karl W. Freund, A.S.C. (; January 16, 1890 – May 3, 1969) was a German Bohemian and American cinematographer and film director. He is best known for photographing ''Metropolis'' (1927), ''Dracula'' (1931), and television's ''I Love Lucy'' (1 ...
won five
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
and received many nominations and honors. It was the first show to feature an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...
. As such, it is often regarded as one of the most influential television programs in history. In 2012, it was voted the 'Best TV Show of All Time' in a survey conducted by
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
and ''People'' magazine. In 2013, the
Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...
ranked it #12 on their list of the 101 Best Written TV Series.


Premise

Originally set in an apartment building in New York City, ''I Love Lucy'' centers on
Lucy Ricardo Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Luc ...
(
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
) and her singer/bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo (
Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in whi ...
), along with their best friends and
landlord A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord appli ...
s,
Fred Mertz Frederick Hobart Mertz, played by William Frawley, is a fictional character in the 1950s American sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Character Fred was born and raised on a farm in the Midwest; in one episode, Ethel says that Fred's mother comes to visit ...
(
William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom ''I Love Lucy.'' Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of t ...
) and
Ethel Mertz Ethel Mae Mertz (née Potter) (alternately Ethel Louise, Ethel May, and Ethel Roberta), played by Vivian Vance, is one of the four main fictional characters in the highly popular 1950s American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Ethel is the middl ...
(
Vivian Vance Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
). During the second season, Lucy and Ricky have a son named Ricky Ricardo Jr., who usually goes by "Little Ricky" and is portrayed by multiple actors throughout the seasons. His birth was timed to coincide with the real-life birth of Ball's son, Desi Arnaz Jr. Lucy is naïve and ambitious, with a hunger for stardom and a knack for getting both herself and her husband into trouble whenever she yearns to make it big in show business. The Ricardos' best friends, Fred and Ethel, are former
vaudevillians Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramati ...
. The Mertzes' history in entertainment only strengthens Lucy's resolve to prove herself as a performer, though she often feels excluded, as her industry involvement is limited relative to that of Ricky, Fred, and Ethel. Though charismatic, throughout the series, she is depicted as having few marketable performance skills, and she is often portrayed as being tone deaf, struggling to perform anything other than off-key renditions of songs such as "
Glow Worm Glowworm or glow-worm is the common name for various groups of insect larvae and adult larviform females that glow through bioluminescence. They include the European common glow-worm and other members of the Lampyridae, but bioluminescence also o ...
" on the saxophone, and many of her performances end in disaster. However, to say she is completely without talent would be untrue, as on occasion, she is shown to be a good dancer and a competent singer. She is also at least twice offered contracts by television or film companiesfirst in the season 1 episode "The Audition", when she replaces an injured clown in Ricky's act at the Tropicana nightclub, and later in the season 5 episode "Lucy and the Dummy", when she dances in Hollywood for a studio party using a rubber Ricky dummy as her dancing partner. Little information was offered about Lucy's past. A few episodes mentioned that she was born in
Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamesto ...
(Ball's real-life home town), later specified to be West Jamestown, that she graduated from Jamestown High School, that her maiden name was "McGillicuddy" (indicating a Scottish or Irish ethnicity, at least on her father's side, though she once mentioned her grandmother was Swedish), and that she met Ricky on a cruise with her friend from an agency she once worked for. Her family was absent, other than occasional appearances by her scatter-brained mother Mrs. McGillicuddy (
Kathryn Card Kathryn Card (October 4, 1892 – March 1, 1964) was an American radio, television, and film actress who may be best remembered for her role as Mrs. McGillicuddy, Lucy's mother on ''I Love Lucy''. Radio Born in Butte, Montana as one of the four ...
), who could never get Ricky's name right. Lucy was also secretive about her age and true hair color, and tended to be careless with money, in addition to being somewhat materialistic, insisting on buying new dresses and hats for every occasion and telling old friends that she and Ricky were wealthy. She was also depicted as a devoted housewife, adept cook, and attentive mother. As part of Lucy's role was to care for her husband, she stayed at home and took care of the household chores, while her husband Ricky went to work. During the post-war era, Lucy took jobs outside of the home, but in these jobs the show portrayed her as being inept outside of her usual domestic duties. Lucy's husband, Ricky Ricardo, is an up-and-coming
Cuban American Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States after Mexican Americans, Stateside ...
singer and bandleader with an excitable personality. His patience is frequently tested by his wife's antics trying to get into showbiz, along with her exorbitant spending on clothes and furniture. When exasperated, he often reverts to speaking rapidly in Spanish. As with Lucy, not much is revealed about his past or family. Ricky's mother (played by actress Mary Emery) appears in two episodes; in another, Lucy mentions that he has five brothers. Ricky also mentions that he had been "practically raised" by his Uncle Alberto (who was seen during a family visit to
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
), and that he had attended the
University of Havana The University of Havana (UH; ) is a public university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of Cuba. Founded on 5 January 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originall ...
. A
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
strongly associated with Ricky is "''Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do"'' (sometimes ''"Lucy, you got a lotta splainin to do"''), whenever something Lucy had kept a secret from Ricky that turned into a complicated, problematic situation and was finally revealed to him. The line is still often mentioned in articles about ''I Love Lucy'' and printed on official merchandise, despite the fact that Ricky never says this phrase in any episode. An extended flashback segment in the 1957 episode "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" of ''The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show'' filled in numerous details of how Lucy and Ricky met and how Ricky came to the United States. The story, at least insofar as related to newspaper columnist
Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...
, is that the couple met in Havana when Lucy and the Mertzes vacationed there in 1940. Despite his being a university graduate and proficient in English, Ricky is portrayed as a driver of a horse-drawn cab who waits for fares at a pier where tourists arrive by ship. Ricky is hired to serve as one of Lucy's tour guides, and the two fall in love. Having coincidentally also met popular singer
Rudy Vallée Hubert Prior Vallée (July 28, 1901 – July 3, 1986), known professionally as Rudy Vallée, was an American singer, saxophonist, bandleader, actor, and entertainer. He was the first male singer to rise from local radio broadcasts in New York Ci ...
on the cruise ship, Lucy arranges an audition for Ricky, who is hired to be in Vallée's orchestra, thus allowing him to emigrate to the United States on the very ship on which Lucy and the Mertzes were returning. Lucy later states that Ricky played for Vallée only one night before being traded to
Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; ; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was an American musician and bandleader who was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. Originally from Girona, Spain, he spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba, before arriving i ...
's orchestra. The extended flashback segment "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" and the story of how Lucy and Ricky met is inconsistent with the season 4 episode "Don Juan and the Starlets". At one point in that episode, Lucy, after finding out that she was not invited to join Ricky at a movie premiere, bemoans that she made a mistake fifteen years before when her friend Marion Strong asked her if she would like to go on a blind date with a Cuban drummer, to which she said "yes." Throughout the series, Lucy is usually found with her best friend, Ethel. A former singer and actress in
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
, Ethel tries to relive her glory days in
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
. Ricky is more inclined to include Ethel in performances at his nightclub because, unlike Lucy, she can sing and dance rather well. The show mentions that Ethel's husband, Fred, served in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, and lived through the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. As such, in the series, Fred is depicted as being very stingy with money and as being an irascible, no-nonsense type. However, he also reveals that he can be a soft touch, especially when it comes to Little Ricky, to whom Fred is both godfather and honorary "uncle." Fred can also sing and dance, and he often performs duets with Ethel. The
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
building they all lived in before their move to
Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Located in the Gold Coast (Connecticut), Gold Coast along the Long Island Sound, it is northeast of New York City and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connec ...
during the sixth season was addressed at a fictional 623 East 68th Street, at first in apartment 4A, then moving to the larger apartment 3B (subsequently re-designated ''3D''; the Mertzes’ apartment is then numbered ''3B''), on the
Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by 96th Street (Manhattan), 96th Street to the north, the East River to the e ...
of
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. In actuality, however, the addresses go up only to the 500s before the street terminates at the
East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...
.


Cast

*
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
as Lucy McGillicuddy Ricardo *
Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in whi ...
as Ricky Ricardo *
Vivian Vance Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
as
Ethel Mertz Ethel Mae Mertz (née Potter) (alternately Ethel Louise, Ethel May, and Ethel Roberta), played by Vivian Vance, is one of the four main fictional characters in the highly popular 1950s American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Ethel is the middl ...
*
William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom ''I Love Lucy.'' Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of t ...
as
Fred Mertz Frederick Hobart Mertz, played by William Frawley, is a fictional character in the 1950s American sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Character Fred was born and raised on a farm in the Midwest; in one episode, Ethel says that Fred's mother comes to visit ...
* Richard Keith as Ricky Ricardo Jr. (Little Ricky) * Twins Mike Mayer and Joe Mayer played Little Ricky as a toddler *
Kathryn Card Kathryn Card (October 4, 1892 – March 1, 1964) was an American radio, television, and film actress who may be best remembered for her role as Mrs. McGillicuddy, Lucy's mother on ''I Love Lucy''. Radio Born in Butte, Montana as one of the four ...
as Lucy's mother Mrs. McGillicuddy (also Minnie Finch in the earlier episode "Fan Magazine Interview") *
Mary Jane Croft Mary Jane Croft (February 15, 1916 – August 24, 1999) was an American actress best known for roles as Betty Ramsey on ''I Love Lucy'', Miss Daisy Enright on the radio and television versions of ''Our Miss Brooks'', Mary Jane Lewis on ''The L ...
as Betty Ramsey and various characters * Frank Nelson as Freddie Fillmore and various characters *
Jerry Hausner James Bernard Hausner (May 20, 1909 – April 1, 1993),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . Pp. 122-123. known professionally as Je ...
as Ricky's agent Jerry (except in "The Handcuffs" in which the role was played by
Paul Dubov Paul Dubov (October 10, 1918 – September 20, 1979) was an American radio, film and television actor as well as screenwriter. He frequently appeared in the works of Sam Fuller. Biography Among Dubov's radio credits include the 05/02/1953 ...
. Hausner also played Joe in "
Lucy Does a TV Commercial "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" is the 30th episode of the 1950s television sitcom ''I Love Lucy,'' airing on May 5, 1952. It is considered to be the most famous episode of the show. In 1997, ''TV Guide'' ranked it #2 on their list of the " 100 Grea ...
") *
Doris Singleton Dorthea "Doris" Singleton (September 28, 1919 – June 26, 2012) was an American actress, perhaps best remembered as Lucy Ricardo's frenemy, Carolyn Appleby, in ''I Love Lucy''. Early life and career Singleton, born in New York City, trained ...
as Carolyn Appleby (she was originally named Lillian; but after her first appearance in "The Club Election", her name was changed to Carolyn) *
Shirley Mitchell Shirley J. Mitchell (November 4, 1919 – November 11, 2013) was an American radio, film, and television actress. Early life Mitchell was born in Toledo, Ohio, the daughter of Sam Mitchell & Mary Ann Daniels, Jews who emigrated to America to esc ...
as Marion Strong, a role originated by
Margie Liszt Margie Liszt (March 2, 1909August 24, 1992) was an American actress. She made 37 television and movie appearances, including ''I Love Lucy'' and several Three Stooges films. Edwin Schallert wrote in the ''Los Angeles Times'', "Miss Liszt is rep ...
* Elizabeth Patterson as Mrs. Trumbull (also Mrs. Willoughby in the earlier episode "The Marriage License") *
Tennessee Ernie Ford Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991), known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American singer and television host who enjoyed success in the country and western, pop, and gospel musical genres. Noted for ...
as Cousin Ernie in "Tennessee Ernie Visits", "Tennessee Ernie Hangs On" and "Tennessee Bound" *
Bob Jellison Robert Dow Jellison"Illinois, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP79-2YNK : Sat Mar 09 16:08:44 UTC 2024), Entry for Robert Dow Jellison and National Broadcasting Co, 16 ...
as Bobby the Bellboy in six of the episodes that take place in Hollywood (also Milkman in the earlier episode "The Gossip") *
Ross Elliott Ross Elliott (born Elliott Blum; June 18, 1917 – August 12, 1999) was an American television and film character actor. He began his acting career in the Mercury Theatre, where he performed in Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of ''The War o ...
as Ricky's Publicity Man in "Don Juan and the Starlets", "Bull Fight Dance" and "Hollywood Anniversary" (also The Director in the earlier episode "Lucy Does a TV Commercial") * William Hamel as Maitre D' at the Tropicana nightclub in "Lucy Is Enceinte", " Lucy Goes to the Hospital", "Lucy's Last Birthday" and "Lucy Is Matchmaker"
Gale Gordon Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor who was Lucille Ball's longtime television foil, particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J ...
and
Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that s ...
, supporting cast members on ''
My Favorite Husband ''My Favorite Husband'' was an American radio program and network television show. The original radio show, starring Lucille Ball, shaped into the famous sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. The series was based on the novels ''Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Recor ...
'', were originally approached for the roles of Fred and Ethel, but neither could accept, owing to previous commitments. Gordon did appear as a guest star, playing Ricky's boss, Mr. Littlefield, in two episodes of ''I Love Lucy'', and later a civil court judge in an episode of ''The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show''. Gordon was a veteran from the classic radio days in which he perfected the role of the exasperated character, as in ''
Fibber McGee and Molly ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime American husband-and-wife team radio comedy program. The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most popular ...
'' and ''
Our Miss Brooks ''Our Miss Brooks'' is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a Old Time Radio, radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became ...
''. He would go on to co-star with Ball in all of her post–''I Love Lucy'' series (''
The Lucy Show ''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to ''I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct ...
'', ''
Here's Lucy ''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's third ...
'' and ''
Life with Lucy ''Life with Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. Created by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis, the series aired for one season on ABC from September 20 to November 15, 1986. It is the only Lucille Ball sitcom to not air on CB ...
''). Benaderet was a guest star in one episode as elderly Miss Lewis, a neighbor of the Ricardos.
Barbara Pepper Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom '' Green Acres''. Early life and career Marion Pepper ...
(later featured as Doris Ziffel in the series ''
Green Acres ''Green Acres'' is an American television absurdist sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to ''Petticoat Junction'', the series was first br ...
'') was also considered to play Ethel, but Pepper had been drinking very heavily after the death of her husband, Craig W. Reynolds. Her friendship with Ball dated back to the film ''
Roman Scandals ''Roman Scandals'' is a 1933 American black-and-white pre-Code musical film starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold and David Manners. It was directed by Frank Tuttle. The film features a number of intricate production ...
'' (1933), in which both appeared as
Goldwyn Girls The Goldwyn Girls were a musical stock company of female dancers employed by Samuel Goldwyn. Famous actresses, dancers, and models whose career included a stint in the Goldwyn Girls include Lucille Ball, Virginia Bruce, Claire Dodd, Paulette Godda ...
. She did, however, turn up in at least nine episodes of ''I Love Lucy'' in bit parts. Many of the characters in the series were named after Ball's family members or close friends. For example, Marion Strong was one of her best friends and a roommate for a time in New York, and she also set Ball and Arnaz up on their first date. Lillian Appleby was a teacher of Ball's when she was in an amateur production on the stage. Additionally, Pauline Lopus was a childhood friend, while ''Fred'' was the name of both Ball's brother and her grandfather. Ball and Arnaz had a business manager by the name of Mr. Andrew Hickox, and in the first episode of season 4, called "The Business Manager", Ricky hires a man named Mr. Hickox.


Primary production team

* Directors:
Marc Daniels Marc Daniels (January 27, 1912 – April 23, 1989), born Danny Marcus, was an American television director. He directed on programs such as ''I Love Lucy'', ''I Married Joan'', ''Gunsmoke'', ''Star Trek'', ''Mission: Impossible'', ''Hogan's He ...
(33 episodes, 1951–53);
William Asher William Milton Asher (August 8, 1921 – July 16, 2012) was an American television and film producer, film director, and screenwriter. He was one of the most prolific early television directors, producing or directing over two dozen series. Wi ...
(101 episodes, 1952–57);
James V. Kern James V. Kern (September 22, 1909, New York City, New York – November 9, 1966, Encino, California) was an American singer, songwriter, screenwriter, actor, and director. Educated at the Fordham Law School, Kern worked for a while as an attorn ...
(39 episodes, 1955–57) * Producers:
Jess Oppenheimer Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer � ...
(153 episodes, 1951–56); Desi Arnaz (exec. producer124 episodes, 1952–56; producer26 episodes, 1956–57) * Writers: Jess Oppenheimer (head writer, seasons 1–5),
Madelyn Pugh Davis Madelyn Pugh (March 15, 1921 – April 20, 2011), sometimes credited as Madelyn Pugh Davis, Madelyn Davis, or Madelyn Martin, was an American television writer who became known in the 1950s for her work on the ''I Love Lucy'' television se ...
and Bob Carroll Jr. (All seasons including ''Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour''),
Bob Schiller Robert Achille Schiller (November 8, 1918 – October 10, 2017) was an American screenwriter. He worked extensively with fellow producer/screenwriter Bob Weiskopf on numerous television shows in the United States, including ''I Love Lucy'' (195 ...
and
Bob Weiskopf Bob Weiskopf (March 13, 1914 – February 20, 2001) was an American screenwriter and producer for television. He has credits for ''I Love Lucy'' which he and his writing partner Bob Schiller joined in the fifth season. They also wrote for '' Th ...
(seasons 5–6 and ''Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour'') * Original Music:
Wilbur Hatch Wilbur Hatch (May 24, 1902 – December 22, 1969), was an American music composer who worked primarily in radio and television. He was born in Mokena, Illinois, and died in Studio City, California.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: A ...
(33 episodes, 1951–54); Eliot Daniel (135 episodes, 1952–57);
Marco Rizo Marco Rizo Ayala (November 30, 1920 – September 8, 1998) was a Cuban and American pianist, composer, and arranger. He mastered the 19th century works of composers Manuel Saumell and Ignacio Cervantes. He is best known for his role as pianist, ...
(1951–1957) *
Cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...
:
Karl Freund Karl W. Freund, A.S.C. (; January 16, 1890 – May 3, 1969) was a German Bohemian and American cinematographer and film director. He is best known for photographing ''Metropolis'' (1927), ''Dracula'' (1931), and television's ''I Love Lucy'' (1 ...
(149 episodes, 1951–56) *
Costume design Costume design is the process of selecting or creating clothing for a performers. A costume may be designed from scratch or may be designed by combining existing garments. "Costume" may also refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a ...
: Elois Jenssen (57 episodes, 1953–55), Edward Stevenson (66 episodes, 1955–60) * Film Editors: Dann Cahn,
Bud Molin Henry David "Bud" Molin, A.C.E., (May 26, 1925 – May 21, 2007) was an American film editor and television director. Biography Early life and career Born in Los Angeles, California, Molin enlisted in the United States Army, and served in Wo ...


Background and development


Background

Lucille Ball came to Hollywood after a successful stint as a New York model. She was chosen by
Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...
to be one of 16
Goldwyn Girls The Goldwyn Girls were a musical stock company of female dancers employed by Samuel Goldwyn. Famous actresses, dancers, and models whose career included a stint in the Goldwyn Girls include Lucille Ball, Virginia Bruce, Claire Dodd, Paulette Godda ...
to co-star in the picture ''
Roman Scandals ''Roman Scandals'' is a 1933 American black-and-white pre-Code musical film starring Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Gloria Stuart, Edward Arnold and David Manners. It was directed by Frank Tuttle. The film features a number of intricate production ...
'' (1933), with film star
Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...
. Enthusiastic and hard-working, Ball had been able to secure film work briefly at the
Samuel Goldwyn Studio Samuel Goldwyn Studio was the name that Samuel Goldwyn used to refer to the lot located on the corner of Formosa Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, as well as the offices and stages that his company, Samuel Goldw ...
and
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
and then eventually at
RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...
. It was at RKO that Ball received steady film work, first as an extra and bit player and eventually working her way up to co-starring roles in feature films and starring roles in second-rate
B pictures A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, ...
, collectively earning her the nickname "Queen of the B's". During her run at RKO, Ball gained the reputation for doing physical comedy and stunts that most other actresses avoided, keeping her steadily employed. In 1940, Ball met Desi Arnaz, a Cuban bandleader who had just come off a successful run in the 1939–40 Broadway show '' Too Many Girls''. RKO, after purchasing film rights to the show, cast Ball as Arnaz's love interest in the picture. The duo began a whirlwind courtship, leading to their elopement in Connecticut in November 1940. Despite their marriage, however, their careers kept them separated, with Ball's film work keeping her anchored in Hollywood, while Arnaz's nightclub engagements with his orchestra kept him on the road. Despite steadily working in pictures, Ball's movie career never advanced to the level of a headlining feature-film actress. Nevertheless, she remained popular with film audiences. Ball came to the attention of
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
after receiving critical acclaim for her starring role in the 1942
Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American journalist and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway theatre, Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Proh ...
film ''
The Big Street ''The Big Street'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, based on the 1940 short story "Little Pinks" by Damon Runyon, who also produced it. It was directed by Irving Reis from a screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass ...
'', which bought out her contract. It was under contract with MGM, however, that Ball, who had previously been a blonde,
dye Juan de Guillebon, better known by his stage name DyE, is a French musician. He is known for the music video of the single "Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical ele ...
d her hair red to complement the Technicolor features that MGM planned to use her in. MGM cast Ball in a variety of films, but it was her work with fellow comedian
Red Skelton Richard Bernard Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national old-time radio, radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelto ...
in the 1943 film ''
DuBarry Was a Lady ''Du Barry Was a Lady'' is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and the book by Herbert Fields and Buddy DeSylva.
'' that brought Ball's physical comedy to the forefront, earning her the reputation as "that crazy redhead”, which Ricky would later call her on the show. Nonetheless, Ball's striking beauty was in sharp contrast to the physical antics she performed in her films. Throughout her career, MGM tried to utilize her in multiple different film genres that did little to highlight her skills. Given their difficulties in casting her, MGM chose not to renew her contract when it expired in 1946. Ball began working as a freelance artist in films and also began to explore other venues. Before and during World War II, Ball made several notable and successful guest appearances on several radio programs, including both
Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1898 – June 6, 1979) was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer, drummer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 193 ...
's radio show and bandleader
Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily Royster Kyser ...
's radio program. These appearances brought Ball to the attention of CBS, which, in 1948, enlisted her to star in one of two new half-hour situation comedies in development, ''
Our Miss Brooks ''Our Miss Brooks'' is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a Old Time Radio, radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became ...
'' and ''
My Favorite Husband ''My Favorite Husband'' was an American radio program and network television show. The original radio show, starring Lucille Ball, shaped into the famous sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. The series was based on the novels ''Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Recor ...
''. Choosing the latter, Ball portrayed Liz Cugat (later anglicized to Cooper), the frustrated and scheming housewife of a
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
banker, played originally by actor
Lee Bowman Lee Bowman (December 28, 1914 – December 25, 1979) was an American film and television actor. According to one obituary, "his roles ranged from romantic lead to worldly, wisecracking lout in his most famous years". Career Born in Cincinnati, ...
in the series pilot, and later by
Richard Denning Richard Denning (born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr.; March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including ''Unknown Island'' (1948), ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' ( ...
. Based on the novel ''Mr. and Mrs. Cugat'', by Isabel Scott Rorick, ''My Favorite Husband'' was produced by
Jess Oppenheimer Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer � ...
and written by Oppenheimer,
Madelyn Pugh Madelyn Pugh (March 15, 1921 – April 20, 2011), sometimes credited as Madelyn Pugh Davis, Madelyn Davis, or Madelyn Martin, was an American television writer who became known in the 1950s for her work on the ''I Love Lucy'' television se ...
, and Bob Carroll Jr. Premiering on July 23, 1948, and sponsored by
General Foods General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the United States by C. W. Post, Charles William (C. W.) Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The company changed its name to "General Foods" in 1929, a ...
, ''Husband'' became a hit for CBS. During the run of the radio program, Ball also appeared in two feature films with Bob Hope, ''
Sorrowful Jones ''Sorrowful Jones'', also known as ''Damon Runyon's Sorrowful Jones'', is a 1949 American comedy-drama film directed by Sidney Lanfield. The film stars Lucille Ball and Bob Hope. ''Sorrowful Jones'' was a remake of a 1934 Shirley Temple film, ...
'' in 1949, and '' Fancy Pants'' in 1950. Both films were box office and critical successes, further cementing Ball's reputation as a top-notch, first-rate comedian. They also highlighted her growing popularity with audiences, enticing CBS to further use her skills. In 1950, CBS asked Ball to take ''My Favorite Husband'' to television with co-star
Richard Denning Richard Denning (born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr.; March 27, 1914 – October 11, 1998) was an American actor who starred in science fiction films of the 1950s, including ''Unknown Island'' (1948), ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' ( ...
. Ball saw a television show as a great opportunity to work with Arnaz, however, and she insisted that he play her husband, much to the dismay of CBS, which was reluctant to cast Arnaz in that role, as he was Cuban. CBS executives did not think audiences would buy into a marriage between an all-American girl and a Latin man. To prove CBS wrong, the couple developed a
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
act, written by Carroll and Pugh, that they performed at Newburgh, NY's historic Ritz Theater with Arnaz's orchestra. The act was a hit and convinced CBS executive
Harry Ackerman Harry Stephen Ackerman (November 17, 1912 – February 3, 1991) was an American television producer, credited with creating or co-creating twenty-one series, seven of which were at one time being broadcast simultaneously. Some of the sitcoms in ...
that a Ball–Arnaz pairing would be a worthwhile venture. At the same time, rival networks
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
,
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
, and DuMont were showing interest in a Ball–Arnaz series, which Ackerman used to convince CBS to sign the duo. A pilot was ordered and kinescoped in Hollywood in March 1951, which coincided with Ball's first pregnancy, and the ending of ''Husband'', which aired its last radio show on March 31, 1951. Ball and Arnaz used the same radio team of Oppenheimer, Pugh, and Carroll to create the television series that was named ''I Love Lucy''. The couple's agent, Don Sharpe, brought the pilot to several advertising agencies with little luck, but finally succeeded with Milton H. Biow's agency, The Biow Company, which convinced its client, cigarette giant Philip Morris, to sponsor the show. Every episode of ''I Love Lucy'' would be filmed in front of a studio audience consisting of 300 members, with Desi Arnaz acting as emcee before every episode filming. One notable filming, which occurred when Ball was being investigated for potential Communist sympathies in 1953, involved Arnaz telling the audience "Now I want you to meet my favorite wife, my favorite redhead. In fact, that's the only thing red about her. And even that's not legitimate, Lucile Ball."


Production

During the spring and summer of 1951, ''I Love Lucy'' moved into production. Oppenheimer, Pugh, and Carroll began fine-tuning the premise of the show and writing the series' first scripts. The trio chose to adapt many storylines for television using the backlog of episodes of ''My Favorite Husband''. In addition, the series' ensemble cast and crew were assembled. Arnaz retained his orchestra, which was used in the series' musical numbers and to score the show's background and transitional music. Arnaz's childhood friend
Marco Rizo Marco Rizo Ayala (November 30, 1920 – September 8, 1998) was a Cuban and American pianist, composer, and arranger. He mastered the 19th century works of composers Manuel Saumell and Ignacio Cervantes. He is best known for his role as pianist, ...
arranged the music and played the piano for the show, while
Wilbur Hatch Wilbur Hatch (May 24, 1902 – December 22, 1969), was an American music composer who worked primarily in radio and television. He was born in Mokena, Illinois, and died in Studio City, California.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: A ...
conducted the orchestra. After Philip Morris signed on to sponsor the show, two problems that would ultimately change the fate of ''I Love Lucy'' arose. Ball and Arnaz had originally decided that the series would air biweekly, like ''
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', is a half-hour television sitcom broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in entertainm ...
''. Philip Morris, however, was insistent that the show air weekly, thus diminishing the possibility of Ball continuing her film career alongside a television show. Another problem lay in the fact that Philip Morris wanted the series to originate from New York rather than Hollywood. At the time, most television shows were produced from New York and broadcast live for eastern and Midwest audiences. West Coast viewers were able to view live programs only through low-quality
kinescope Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...
s, which derived their images by using a 35 mm or 16 mm film camera to record the show from a television monitor. Although the pilot film shown to Philip Morris had been a kinescope, the sponsor did not want the lucrative East Coast market, accustomed to quality broadcasts, to see a low-quality kinescope film. Owing to the impending birth of their first child, both Ball and Arnaz insisted on staying in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
and producing the show on film, something a few Hollywood-based series had begun to do. Both CBS and Philip Morris initially balked at the idea, because of the higher cost that filming the show would incur, and acquiesced only after the couple offered to take a $1,000-a-week pay cut in order to cover the additional expense. In exchange, Ball and Arnaz demanded, and were given, 80% ownership in the ''I Love Lucy'' films (the other 20% went to Oppenheimer, who then gave 5% to Pugh and 5% to Carroll). Shooting the show on film, however, would require that Ball and Arnaz become responsible for producing the series themselves. Union agreements at the time stipulated that any production filmed in a studio use film studio employees. CBS staff were television and radio employees and thus fell under different union agreements. Thus, Arnaz reorganized the company he created to manage his orchestra bookings and used it as the corporation that would produce the ''I Love Lucy'' shows. The company was named
Desilu Desilu Productions, Inc. () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', '' The Lucy Show'', '' Mannix'', '' The ...
, from the combination of both of their first names, ''Desi'' and ''Lucille''. Though some television series were already being filmed in Hollywood, most used the
single-camera In filmmaking, television production and video production, the single-camera setup or single-camera mode of production (also known as portable single crew, portable single camera or single-cam) is a method in which all of the various shots and c ...
format familiar from movies, with a laugh track added to comedies to simulate audience response. Ball wanted to work in front of a live audience to create the kind of comic energy she had displayed on radio. The idea of a film studio that could accommodate an audience was a new one for the time, as
fire safety Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent wikt:ignition, the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread a ...
regulations made it difficult to allow an audience in a studio. Arnaz and Oppenheimer found the financially struggling
General Service Studios Sunset Las Palmas Studios, formerly General Service Studios and Hollywood Center Studios, is an American independent entertainment production lot located at 1040 North Las Palmas Avenue in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. It has stage f ...
located on Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood. Studio owner Jimmy Nasser was eager to accommodate the Desilu company and allowed them, with the financial backing of CBS, to renovate two of his studios so that they could accommodate an audience and be in compliance with local fire laws. Another component to filming the show came when it was decided to use three 35 mm film cameras to simultaneously film the show. The idea had been pioneered by
Jerry Fairbanks Gerald Bertram Fairbanks (November 1, 1904, San Francisco - June 21, 1995, Santa Barbara, California) was a producer and director in the Hollywood motion picture and television industry. Biography Fairbanks survived the 1906 San Francisco earthq ...
, and it had been used on the live anthology series ''The Silver Theater'' and the game show ''
Truth or Consequences ''Truth or Consequences'' is an American game show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards (1940–57) and later on television by Edwards (1950–54), Jack Bailey (1954–56), Bob Barker (1956–75), Steve Dunne (1957–58), Bob Hi ...
''. Ralph Edwards's assistant Al Simon was hired by Desilu to help perfect the new technique for the series. The process lent itself to the ''Lucy'' production as it eliminated the problem of requiring an audience to view and react to a scene three or four times in order for all necessary shots to be filmed. Multiple cameras would also allow scenes to be performed in sequence, as a play would be, which was unusual at the time for filmed series. Retakes were rare and dialogue mistakes were often left in the episodes. Ball and Arnaz enlisted the services of
Karl Freund Karl W. Freund, A.S.C. (; January 16, 1890 – May 3, 1969) was a German Bohemian and American cinematographer and film director. He is best known for photographing ''Metropolis'' (1927), ''Dracula'' (1931), and television's ''I Love Lucy'' (1 ...
, a cinematographer who had worked on such films as ''Metropolis (1927 film), Metropolis'' (1927), ''Dracula (1931 English-language film), Dracula'' (1931), ''The Good Earth (film), The Good Earth'' (1937), and ''
DuBarry Was a Lady ''Du Barry Was a Lady'' is a Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, and the book by Herbert Fields and Buddy DeSylva.
'' (1943) (which also starred Ball), as well as directed ''The Mummy (1932 film), The Mummy'' (1932), to be the series cinematographer. Although at first Freund did not want anything to do with television, it was the personal plea of the couple that convinced him to take the job. Freund was instrumental in developing a way to uniformly light the set so that each of the three cameras would pick up the same quality of image. Freund noted that a typical episode (20–22 min.) was shot in about 60 minutes, with one constant concern being the shades-of-gray contrast in the final print, as each stage of transmission and broadcast would exaggerate the contrast. Freund also pioneered ''flat lighting'', in which everything is brightly lit to eliminate shadows and the need for endless relighting. Audience reactions were live, which created a more authentic laugh than the Laugh track, canned laughter used on most filmed sitcoms of the time. Regular audience members were sometimes heard from episode to episode, and Arnaz's distinctive laugh could be heard in the background during scenes in which he did not perform, as well as Ball's mother, DeDe, whose distinctive "uh oh" could be heard in many of the episodes. In later years, CBS would devise a laugh track from several ''I Love Lucy'' audiences and use them for canned laughter on shows done without a live audience. ''I Love Lucys pioneering use of Multicamera setup, three cameras led to it becoming the standard technique for the production of most sitcoms filmed in front of an audience. Single-camera setups remained the technique of choice for sitcoms that did not use audiences. This led to an unexpected benefit for Desilu during the series' second season when it was discovered that Ball was pregnant. Not being able to fulfill the show's 39-episode commitment, both Desi and Oppenheimer decided to rebroadcast popular episodes of the series' first season to help give Ball the necessary rest she needed after she gave birth, effectively allowing fewer episodes to be filmed that season. Unexpectedly, the rebroadcasts proved to be ratings winners, effectively giving birth to the rerun, which would later lead to the profitable development of the rerun syndication market. The show's original opening and commercial bumpers were animated caricatures of Ball and Arnaz. They were designed and animated by MGM character designer, and future "Flintstones" cartoonist, Gene Hazelton (1917–2005) and were produced under a contract that producer William Hanna had secured privately. The program sponsor, Philip Morris cigarettes, was incorporated into many of these sequences, so when ''I Love Lucy'' went into repeats, the sponsor material was replaced by the now-familiar heart logo. However, Hazelton's original animation survives and can be seen in the DVD boxed set as originally presented. Desilu Productions, jointly owned by Ball and Arnaz, would gradually expand to produce and lease studio space for many other shows. For seasons 1 and 2 (1951–1953), Desilu rented space and filmed ''I Love Lucy'' at General Service Studios, which eventually became known as Hollywood Center Studios. In 1953, it leased the Red Studios Hollywood, Motion Picture Center at 846 Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood, renaming it ''Desilu Studios'', to shoot seasons 3–6 (1953–1957) of ''I Love Lucy''. After 1956, it became known as ''Desilu-Cahuenga Studios'' to avoid confusion with other acquired Desilu locations. In an effort to keep up with the studio's growth, and need for additional sound stages, Arnaz and Ball purchased RKO Radio Pictures from General Tire in 1957 for over $6 million, effectively owning the studio where they had started as contract players. Desilu acquired RKO's two studio complexes, located on Gower Street in Hollywood and in Culver City (now part of the Paramount Pictures, Paramount lot and Culver Studios respectively), along with the Culver City back lot nicknamed "RKO Forty Acres, Forty Acres". The sale was achieved by the duo selling their ownership of the once-thought-worthless ''I Love Lucy'' films back to CBS for over four million dollars. In 1962, two years after their marriage dissolved, Ball bought out Arnaz's shares of Desilu, becoming the studio's sole owner. She eventually sold off Desilu in 1967 to Gulf+Western, owners of Paramount Pictures. After the sale, Desilu-Cahuenga became a private production company and was known as Ren-Mar Studios until 2010, when it was acquired by the Red Digital Cinema Camera Company and renamed Red Studios Hollywood.


The Mertzes

As with ''My Favorite Husband'', ''I Love Lucy'' writers decided that the Ricardos needed an older couple to play off. While performing in ''Husband'', veteran character actors
Gale Gordon Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor who was Lucille Ball's longtime television foil, particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J ...
and
Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that s ...
had played Rudolph and Iris Atterbury, an older, more financially stable couple as Mr. Atterbury had been George Cooper's boss. Ball had initially wanted both actors to reprise their roles on television; however, both were unavailable at the time the show went into production as Benaderet was already playing Blanche Morton on ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Burns and Allen Show'', and Gordon was under contract by CBS to play Mr. Conklin on both the radio and television versions of ''
Our Miss Brooks ''Our Miss Brooks'' is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a Old Time Radio, radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became ...
''. Casting the Mertzes, as they were now called (the surname taken from a doctor that ''I Love Lucy'' scriptwriter Madelyn Pugh knew as a child in Indianapolis), proved to be a challenge. Ball had initially wanted character actor James Gleason, with whom she appeared in the
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
film ''Miss Grant Takes Richmond'' (1949), to play Fred Mertz. However, Gleason wanted nearly $3,500 per episode to play the role, a price that was far too high to sustain. Sixty-four-year-old
William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom ''I Love Lucy.'' Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of t ...
, a seasoned vaudevillian and movie character actor with nearly 100 film credits to his name, was a long shot to play Fred Mertz and only came into consideration after he telephoned Ball personally to ask if there was a role for him on her new show. Ball, who had only briefly known Frawley from her days at RKO, suggested him to both Arnaz and CBS. The network objected to the idea of casting Frawley, fearing that his excessive drinkingwhich was well known in Hollywoodwould interfere with a commitment to a live show. Arnaz nonetheless liked Frawley and lobbied hard for him to have the role, even to the point of having Lucy scribes re-tailor the role of Fred Mertz to be a less financially successful and more curmudgeonly (in contrast to Gordon's Mr. Atterbury) character to fit Frawley's persona. CBS relented only after Arnaz contractually bound Frawley to complete sobriety during the production of the show, and reportedly told the veteran actor that if he ever appeared on-set more than once in an intoxicated state he would be fired. Not once during ''I Love Lucys nine seasons did Frawley's drinking ever interfere with his performance, and over time Arnaz became one of Frawley's few close friends. The role of Ethel Mertz also took quite some time to cast. Since Lucy's ''Husband'' co-star Bea Benaderet was not available, Mary Wickes, a longtime friend, was offered the role but declined because she did not want to strain her friendship with Ball. Actress
Barbara Pepper Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom '' Green Acres''. Early life and career Marion Pepper ...
, who was a close friend of Ball, was also considered for the role. The two had a long history together, as Pepper had been one of the Goldwyn Girls who came to Hollywood with Lucy in 1933. Pepper was ruled out by Ball and Arnaz because she too had a drinking problem like Frawley.
Vivian Vance Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
became a consideration on the recommendation of ''I Love Lucy'' director Marc Daniels. Daniels had worked with Vance in New York on Broadway in the early 1940s. Vance had already been a successful stage star performing on Broadway for nearly 20 years in a variety of plays, and in addition, after relocating to Hollywood in the late 1940s, had two film roles to her credit. Nonetheless, by 1951, she was still a relatively unknown actress in Hollywood. Vance was performing in a revival of the play ''The Voice of the Turtle (play), The Voice of the Turtle'' in La Jolla, California. Arnaz and
Jess Oppenheimer Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer � ...
went to see her in the play and hired her on the spot. Vance was reluctant to give up her film and stage work for a television show yet was convinced by Daniels that it would be a big break in her career. Ball, however, had many misgivings about hiring Vance, who was younger and far more attractive than the concept of Ethel as an older, somewhat homely woman (Vance was two years older than Ball). Ball was also a believer in the Hollywood adage at the time that there should be only one pretty woman on the set and Ball, being the star of the show, would be it. Arnaz, however, was impressed by Vance's work and hired her. The decision was then made to dress Vance in frumpier clothing to tone down her attractiveness. Eventually realizing that Vance was no threat and was professional, Ball began to warm to her. In 1954, Vance became the first actress to win an Emmy Award for ''Outstanding Supporting Actress''. Vance and Ball developed a close, lifelong friendship with Ball frequently listening to Vance's input during episode productions. In 1962, after the end of ''I Love Lucy,'' Ball would ask Vance to co-star in her new series ''
The Lucy Show ''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to ''I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct ...
''. Vance and Frawley disliked each other. However, they were always professional while performing on the show. Frawley derisively described Vance's appearance as "a sack of doorknobs." It was reported that Vance, who was 22 years younger than Frawley, was not really keen on the idea that her character Ethel was married to a man that was old enough to be her father. Vance also complained that Frawley's song-and-dance skills were not what they once were. Frawley and Vance had an adversarial relationship during the entire run of the show.Sanders, Coyne Steven; Gilbert, Tom (1993). ''Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz''. William Morrow & Company, In 1957, ''I Love Lucy'' was re-tailored into an hour-long show originally titled ''The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show'' that was to be part of an anthology series called the ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse''. The hour-long ''Lucy–Desi'' show was to alternate monthly with other hour-long ''Playhouse'' shows. The new series put a much heavier emphasis on big-name guest stars and, although the Mertz characters continued into the new series, their roles became somewhat diminished. Although a lighter workload was welcomed by Frawley, Vance came to somewhat resent the change. Arnaz, in an effort to please Vance, for whom he had much respect, proposed doing a spin-off from ''I Love Lucy'' called ''The Mertzes''. Seeing a lucrative opportunity and the chance to star in his own show, Frawley was enthused. Vance, however, declined for a number of reasons, the biggest factor being that she felt she and Frawley could barely work together on the ensemble show they were doing at the time, so it would be much less likely the two could work together on their own series. Vance also felt that the Mertz characters would not be as successful without the Ricardos to play off, and despite being her biggest success, she was becoming interested in playing more glamorous roles rather than Ethel. During the thirteen-episode run of the ''Lucy–Desi'' hour-long shows, Vance was given a lot more latitude to look more attractive as Ethel, something she was denied during the run of the ''I Love Lucy'' episodes. Frawley's resentment of Vance intensified after she declined to do the spin-off show and the two rarely talked to each other outside of their characters' dialogue with one another.


Pregnancy and Little Ricky

Just before filming the show, Ball and Arnaz learned that she was once again pregnant (after multiple miscarriages earlier in their marriage) with their first child, Lucie Arnaz. They filmed the original pilot while Lucy was "showing" but did not include any references to the pregnancy in the episode. This was because
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
thought that talk of pregnancy might be in bad taste and because an ad agency told Arnaz not to show a pregnant woman. Later, during the second season, Ball was pregnant again with second child Desi Arnaz Jr., and this time the pregnancy was incorporated into the series' storyline. (Contrary to popular belief, Ball's pregnancy was not television's first on-screen pregnancy, a distinction belonging to Mary Kay Stearns 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. In addition, sponsor Philip Morris made the request that Ball not be seen smoking during the pregnancy episodes. The episode "Lucy Is Enceinte" first aired on December 8, 1952 ( being French for ''expecting'' or ''pregnant''). One week later, on December 15, 1952, the episode titled "Pregnant Women Are Unpredictable" was aired (although the show never displayed episode titles on the air). The episode in which Lucy Ricardo gives birth, " Lucy Goes to the Hospital", first aired on January 19, 1953, which was the day before the inauguration of Dwight Eisenhower as President of the United States. To increase the publicity of this episode, the original air date was chosen to coincide with Ball's real-life delivery of Desi Jr. by Caesarean section. "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" was watched by more people than any other television program up to that time, with 71.7% of all American television sets tuned in, topping the 67.7 rating for the inauguration coverage the following morning. Unlike some programs that Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome, advance the age of a newborn over a short period, ''I Love Lucy'' at first allowed the Ricardos' son Little Ricky to grow up in real time. America saw Little Ricky as an infant in the 1952–53 season and a toddler from 1953 to 1956. However, for the 1956–57 season, Little Ricky suddenly aged by two years, becoming a young school-age boy from 1956 to 1960. Five actors played the role, two sets of twins and later Keith Thibodeaux, whose stage name when playing Ricky Ricardo Jr. was Richard Keith (actor), Richard Keith. (In "Lucy and Superman", Little Ricky is mentioned as being five years old but it had been less than four years since the airing of "Lucy Goes to the Hospital".)
Jess Oppenheimer Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer � ...
stated in his memoir, ''Laughs, Luck...and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time'', that the initial plan was to match the sex of the Ricardo's baby with Ball's real baby, inserting one of two alternative endings into the broadcast print at the last minute. When logistical difficulties convinced Oppenheimer to abandon this plan, he advised Desi Arnaz that as head writer, he would have Lucy Ricardo give birth to a boy. Desi Arnaz agreed, telling Oppenheimer that Ball had already given him one girl, and might give him anotherthis might be his only chance to get a son. When the baby boy was born, Desi Arnaz immediately called Oppenheimer and told him, "Lucy followed your script. Ain't she something?", to which Oppenheimer replied "Terrific! That makes me the greatest writer in the world!".


Opening

The opening familiar to most viewers, featuring the credits superimposed over a "heart on satin" image, was created specifically for the 1959–67 CBS daytime network rebroadcasts and subsequent syndication. As originally broadcast, the episodes opened with animated matchstick figures of Arnaz and Ball making reference to whoever the particular episode's sponsor was. These sequences were created by the animation team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who declined screen credit because they were technically under exclusive contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM at the time. The original sponsor was cigarette maker Philip Morris, so the program opened with a cartoon of Lucy and Ricky climbing down a pack of Philip Morris cigarettes. In the early episodes, Lucy and Ricky, as well as Ethel and Fred on occasion, were shown smoking Philip Morris cigarettes. Lucy even went so far as to parody Johnny Roventini's image as the Philip Morris "bellhop" in the May 5, 1952, episode, "Lucy Does a TV Commercial". Since the original sponsor references were no longer appropriate when the shows went into syndication, a new opening was needed, which resulted in the classic "heart on satin" opening. According to a 2003 interview conducted by the Television Academy Foundation with optical effects specialist Howard Anderson Jr., Anderson’s studio handled the post-production of the “heart on satin” title cards used in syndicated rebroadcasts of I Love Lucy. The original design of the heart motif and its typography was created by Verdun Philip Cook, an African American typographer and animator who collaborated with Desilu Productions during the show’s original run. Other sponsors, whose products appeared during the original openings, were Procter & Gamble for Cheer (brand), Cheer and Lilt Home Permanent (1954–57),
General Foods General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the United States by C. W. Post, Charles William (C. W.) Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The company changed its name to "General Foods" in 1929, a ...
for Sanka (1955–57), and Ford Motor Company (1956–57). The later ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show'' was sponsored by Ford Motor Company (1957–58) and Westinghouse Electric (1886), Westinghouse Electric Corporation (1958–60), as part of the ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse''. The original openings, with the sponsor names edited out, were revived on TV Land showings, with a TV Land logo superimposed to obscure the original sponsor's logo. However, this has led some people to believe that the restored introduction was created specifically for TV Land as an example of kitsch. The animated openings, along with the middle commercial introductory animations, are included, fully restored, in the DVDs. However, the openings are listed as special features within the disks with the "heart on satin" image opening the actual episodes. The complete original broadcast versions of Seasons 1 and 2, as seen in 1951–1953 with intros, closings, and all commercials, are included on their respective Ultimate Season Blu-ray editions.


Theme song

The ''I Love Lucy'' theme song was written by two-time Academy Award, Oscar-nominee Eliot Daniel. Lyrics were later written by five-time Academy Award, Oscar-nominee Harold Adamson, for
Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in whi ...
to sing in the 1953 episode "Lucy's Last Birthday":
''I love Lucy and she loves me.''
''We're as happy as two can be.''
''Sometimes we quarrel but then''
''How we love making up again.''

''Lucy kisses like no one can.''
''She's my missus and I'm her man,''
''And life is heaven you see,''
'' 'Cause I love Lucy, Yes I love Lucy, and Lucy loves me!''
"I Love Lucy", sung by Desi Arnaz with Paul Weston and the Norman Luboff Choir, was released as the B-side of "There's a Brand New Baby (At Our House)" by Columbia Records (catalog number 39937) in 1953. The song was covered by Michael Franks (musician), Michael Franks on the album ''Dragonfly Summer'' (1993). In 1977, the Wilton Place Street Band had a Top 40 hit with a disco version of the theme, "Disco Lucy".


Episodes


Broadcast history

''I Love Lucy'' aired Mondays from 9:00 to 9:30 PM ET on CBS for its entire first run. Each year during its summer hiatus its timeslot was occupied by various summer replacement series. Beginning in April 1955 CBS added reruns from the show's early years to its early evening weekend schedule. This would be the first of several occasions when ''I Love Lucy'' reruns would become part of CBS's evening, prime time, and (later on) daytime schedules. In fall 1967, CBS began offering the series in off-network syndication. , the reruns air on the Hallmark Channel and MeTV networks and scores of television stations in the U.S. and around the world. It is currently on Paramount+. In addition, CBS has run numerous specials, including a #Annual colorized specials, succession of annual specials which feature episodes which have been newly colorized. On February 14, 2023, Pluto TV launched a 24-hour ''I Love Lucy'' channel in the United States. The show also reruns on Catchy Comedy.


Nielsen ratings

The episode " Lucy Goes to the Hospital", which first aired on Monday, January 19, 1953, garnered a then-record rating of 71.7, meaning that 71.7% of all households with television sets were tuned to the program, the equivalent of some 44 million viewers. That record is surpassed only by Elvis Presley's first of three appearances on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', which aired on September 9, 1956 (82.6% share, 60.710 million viewers and a 57.1 rating ). The overall rating of 67.3 for the entire 1952 season of ''I Love Lucy'' continues to be the highest average rating for any single season of a TV show.


Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations

;1952 * Best Comedy ShowNominated (Winner: ''The Red Skelton Hour'') ;1953 * Best Situation ComedyWon * Best Comedienne: Lucille BallWon ;1954 * Best Female Star of a Regular Series:
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
Nominated (Winner: Eve Arden for ''
Our Miss Brooks ''Our Miss Brooks'' is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a Old Time Radio, radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952–56), it became ...
'') * Best Series Supporting Actor:
William Frawley William Clement Frawley (February 26, 1887 – March 3, 1966) was an American vaudevillian and actor best known for playing landlord Fred Mertz in the sitcom ''I Love Lucy.'' Frawley also played "Bub" O'Casey during the first five seasons of t ...
Nominated (Winner: Art Carney for ''The Jackie Gleason Show'') * Best Series Supporting Actress:
Vivian Vance Vivian Vance (born Vivian Roberta Jones; July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress best known for playing landlady Ethel Mertz on the sitcom ''I Love Lucy'' (1951–1957), for which she won the 1953 Primetime Emmy Award for Outs ...
Won * Best Situation ComedyWon ;1955 * Best Actress Starring in a Regular Series: Lucille BallNominated (Winner: Loretta Young for ''The Loretta Young Show'') * Best Situation Comedy SeriesNominated (Winner: ''The Danny Thomas Show'') * Best Supporting Actor in a Regular Series: William FrawleyNominated (Winner: Art Carney for ''The Jackie Gleason Show'') * Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series: Vivian VanceNominated (Winner: Audrey Meadows for ''The Jackie Gleason Show'') * Best Written Comedy Material:
Jess Oppenheimer Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer � ...
, Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn DavisNominated (Winners: James B. Allardice, Jack Douglas (writer), Jack Douglas, Hal Kanter and Harry Winkler (writer), Harry Winkler for ''The George Gobel Show'') ;1956 * Best Actor in a Supporting Role: William FrawleyNominated (Winner: Art Carney for ''The Honeymooners'') * Best ActressContinuing Performance: Lucille BallWon * Best Comedy Writing: Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Davis, Bob Carroll Jr.,
Bob Schiller Robert Achille Schiller (November 8, 1918 – October 10, 2017) was an American screenwriter. He worked extensively with fellow producer/screenwriter Bob Weiskopf on numerous television shows in the United States, including ''I Love Lucy'' (195 ...
and
Bob Weiskopf Bob Weiskopf (March 13, 1914 – February 20, 2001) was an American screenwriter and producer for television. He has credits for ''I Love Lucy'' which he and his writing partner Bob Schiller joined in the fifth season. They also wrote for '' Th ...
for "L.A. at Last"Nominated (Winners: Nat Hiken, Barry E. Blitzer, Arnold M. Auerbach, Harvey Orkin, Vin Bogert, Arnie Rosen, Coleman Jacoby, Tony Webster (screenwriter), Tony Webster and Terry Ryan (writer), Terry Ryan for ''The Phil Silvers Show'': "You'll Never Get Rich") ;1957 * Best Continuing Performance by a Comedienne in a Series: Lucille BallNominated (Winner: Nanette Fabray for ''Caesar's Hour'') * Best Supporting Performance by an Actor: William FrawleyNominated (Winner: Carl Reiner for ''Caesar's Hour'') * Best Supporting Performance by an Actress: Vivian VanceNominated (Winner: Pat Carroll (actress), Pat Carroll for ''Caesar's Hour'') ;1958 * Best Continuing Performance (Female) in a Series by a Comedienne, Singer, Hostess, Dancer, M.C., Announcer, Narrator, Panelist, or any Person who Essentially Plays Herself: Lucille BallNominated (Winner: Dinah Shore for ''The Dinah Shore Show'') * Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic or Comedy Series: William FrawleyNominated (Winner: Carl Reiner for ''Caesar's Hour'') * Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy Series: Vivian VanceNominated (Winner: Ann B. Davis for ''The Bob Cummings Show'')


In other media


Radio

There was some thought about creating an ''I Love Lucy'' radio show to run in conjunction with the television series as was being done at the time with the CBS hit show ''Our Miss Brooks''. On February 27, 1952, a sample ''I Love Lucy'' radio show was produced, but it never aired. This was a pilot episode, created by editing the soundtrack of the television episode "Breaking the Lease", with added Arnaz narration (in character as Ricky Ricardo). It included commercials for Philip Morris, which sponsored the television series. While it never aired on radio at the time in the 1950s (Philip Morris eventually sponsored a radio edition of ''My Little Margie'' instead), copies of this radio pilot episode have been circulating among Golden Age of Radio, old-time radio collectors for years, and this radio pilot episode has aired in more recent decades on numerous local radio stations that air some old-time radio programming.


Merchandise

Ball and Arnaz authorized various types of ''I Love Lucy'' merchandise. Beginning in November 1952, ''I Love Lucy'' dolls, manufactured by the American Character Doll Company, were sold. Adult-size ''I Love Lucy'' pajamas and a bedroom set were also produced; all of these items appeared on the show. File:I love lucy doll 1952.jpg, ''I Love Lucy'' doll File:I love lucy bedroom set 1953.JPG, ''I Love Lucy'' bedroom set File:I love lucy pajamas 1953.jpg, ''I Love Lucy'' pajamas


Comic book and comic strip

Dell Comics published 35 issues of an ''I Love Lucy'' comic book between 1954 and 1962 including two try-out Four Color issues (#535 and #559). King Features Syndicate, King Features syndicated a comic strip (written by Lawrence Nadel and drawn by Bob Oksner, jointly credited as "Bob Lawrence") from 1952 to 1955. Eternity Comics in the early 1990s issued comic books that reprinted the strip and Dell comic book series.


After ''I Love Lucy''


Hour-long format

After the conclusion of the sixth season of ''I Love Lucy'', Ball and Arnaz decided to cut down on the number of episodes that were filmed. Renamed ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show'', also known as ''
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour'' is a collection of thirteen black-and-white one-hour specials airing occasionally from 1957 to 1960 (as opposed to the thirty-minute regular series, ''I Love Lucy''). The first five were shown as specials during t ...
'', the program was extended to an hour and included guest stars in each episode. Thirteen episodes aired from 1957 to 1960. The main cast, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley and Little Ricky/Richard Keith (birth name Keith Thibodeaux), were all in the show. ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour'' is available on DVD, released as ''I Love Lucy: The Final Seasons 7, 8, & 9''. On March 2, 1960, Arnaz's birthday.


Vivian Vance and William Frawley

As previously mentioned, Vance and Frawley were offered a chance to take their characters to their own spin-off series. Frawley was willing, but Vance refused to ever work with Frawley again since the two did not get along. Frawley appeared once more with Lucille Ballin an episode of ''
The Lucy Show ''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to ''I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct ...
'' in 1965, which did not include Vance (who by then had ceased to be a regular on that show). This was his last screen appearance with Ball. Frawley died in Hollywood on March 3, 1966, of a heart attack at age 79.


Lucille Ball's subsequent network shows

In 1962, Ball began a six-year run with ''The Lucy Show'', followed immediately in 1968 by six more years on a third sitcom, ''
Here's Lucy ''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's third ...
'', ending her regular appearances on CBS in 1974. Both ''The Lucy Show'' and ''Here's Lucy'' included Vance as recurring characters named Viv (Vivian Bagley Bunson on ''The Lucy Show'' and Vivian Jones on ''Here's Lucy''), so named because she was tired of being recognized on the street and addressed as "Ethel". Vance was a regular during the first three seasons of ''The Lucy Show'' and continued to make guest appearances through the years on ''The Lucy Show'' and on ''Here's Lucy''. In 1977, Vance and Ball were reunited one last time in the CBS special ''Lucy Calls the President'', which co-starred
Gale Gordon Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor who was Lucille Ball's longtime television foil, particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J ...
, whom Ball had known for very many years and who had appeared as a regular on her television shows since 1963, becoming even more prominent once Vance left ''The Lucy Show'' in 1965. In 1986, Ball tried another sitcom, ''
Life with Lucy ''Life with Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. Created by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis, the series aired for one season on ABC from September 20 to November 15, 1986. It is the only Lucille Ball sitcom to not air on CB ...
''. The series debuted on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
to solid ratings, landing in Nielsen's Top 25 for the week. Its ratings quickly declined, however, and resulted in a cancellation after eight episodes.


Legacy, critical acclaim and other honors

In 1989, the never-seen pilot episode of ''I Love Lucy'' was discovered and revealed in a CBS television special, hosted by Lucie Arnaz, becoming the highest-rated program of the season. In 2012, Emily VanDerWerff of ''The A.V. Club'' wrote retrospectively:
''I Love Lucy'' […] is one of the two foundational texts of American TV comedy, along with ''The Honeymooners''. The series is legitimately the most influential in TV history, pioneering so many innovations and normalizing so many others that it would be easy to write an appreciation of simply, say, the show’s accidental invention of the TV rerun.
''I Love Lucy'' continues to be held in high esteem by television critics and remains perennially popular. It was one of the first American programs seen on British televisionwhich became more open to commerce with the September 1955 launch of ITV (TV network), ITV, a commercial network that aired the series. In 1982, the launch of a second terrestrial TV station devoted to advertising-funded broadcasting (Channel 4) saw the show introduced to a new generation of fans in the UK, with the ''Channel 4'' network repeating the program several times between 1983 and 1994. , meanwhile, it remains the longest-running program to air continuously in the Los Angeles area, almost 60 years after production ended. However, the series is currently aired on KTTV on weekends and now KCOP-TV, KCOP on weekdays because both stations are a duopoly. KTTV was the original CBS-affiliated station in Los Angeles until 1951, just before ''I Love Lucy'' premiered on KNXT Channel 2 (now KCBS-TV) when CBS bought that station the same year. In the US, reruns have aired nationally on TBS (American TV channel), TBS (1980s–1990s), Nick at Nite (1994–2001), and TV Land (2001–2008) in addition to local channels. TV Land ended its run of the series by giving viewers the opportunity to vote on the show's top 25 greatest episodes on December 31, 2008, through the network's website. Unlike some shows, to which a cable channel is given exclusive rights to maximize ratings, ''I Love Lucy'' has been consistently broadcast on multiple channels simultaneously. Hallmark Channel is now the home for ''I Love Lucy'' in the United States, with the show having moved to the network on January 2, 2009, while the national version of Weigel Broadcasting's MeTV digital subchannel network has carried the program since its debut on December 15, 2010, depending on the market (in markets where another station holds the rights, ''The Lucy Show'' is substituted). The show is seen on Fox Classics in Australia. In addition to Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations, ''I Love Lucy'' has many honors including the following: * The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum in
Jamestown, New York Jamestown is a city in southern Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 28,712 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Situated between Lake Erie to the north and the Allegheny National Forest to the south, Jamesto ...
is a museum memorializing Lucy and ''I Love Lucy'', including replicas of the NYC apartment set (located in the Desilu Playhouse facility in the Rapaport Center). * In 1990, ''I Love Lucy'' became the first television show to be inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. * In 1997, the episodes "
Lucy Does a TV Commercial "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" is the 30th episode of the 1950s television sitcom ''I Love Lucy,'' airing on May 5, 1952. It is considered to be the most famous episode of the show. In 1997, ''TV Guide'' ranked it #2 on their list of the " 100 Grea ...
" and "Lucy's Italian Movie" were respectively ranked No. 2 and No. 18 on ''TV Guides list of the 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. * In 1999, ''Entertainment Weekly'' ranked the birth of Little Ricky as the fifth greatest moment in television history. * In 2002, ''TV Guide'' ranked ''I Love Lucy'' No. 2 on its list of the 50 greatest shows, behind ''Seinfeld'' and ahead of ''The Honeymooners'' (According to ''TV Guide'' columnist Matt Roush, there was a "passionate" internal debate about whether ''I Love Lucy'' should have been first instead of ''Seinfeld''. He stated that this was the main source of controversy in putting together the list.) * In 2007, ''Time'' magazine placed the show on its unranked list of the 100 best television shows. * In 2012, ''I Love Lucy'' was ranked the Best TV Comedy and the Best TV Show in ''Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time''. * In 2013, ''TV Guide'' ranked ''I Love Lucy'' as the third greatest show of all time. * In 2015, a survey of 2,800 actors, producers, directors, and other industry people conducted by ''The Hollywood Reporter'' named ''I Love Lucy'' as their #8 favorite show. * In 2023, ''Variety (magazine), Variety'' chose ''I Love Lucy'' as the greatest TV show of all time.


Documentaries and dramatizations

On April 28, 1990, CBS aired a television movie titled ''I Love Lucy: The Very First Show'' hosted by Lucie Arnaz, daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, with commentary that showed the original unaired pilot episode of ''I Love Lucy'' that was produced by Ball and Desi Arnaz themselves and found after 40 years. The movie was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Award as an "Outstanding Informational Special". On February 10, 1991, CBS aired a television movie titled ''Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter'', about the lives of Ball and Desi Arnaz. The movie recreated a number of scenes from classic ''I Love Lucy'' episodes, including "Lucy Thinks Ricky Is Trying to Murder Her" and "Lucy Does a TV Commercial". Frances Fisher starred as Ball and Maurice Benard as Desi Arnaz. On May 4, 2003, CBS aired a television movie titled ''Lucy (2003 film), Lucy'', portraying the life of Ball and recreating a number of scenes from classic ''I Love Lucy'' episodes, including "
Lucy Does a TV Commercial "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" is the 30th episode of the 1950s television sitcom ''I Love Lucy,'' airing on May 5, 1952. It is considered to be the most famous episode of the show. In 1997, ''TV Guide'' ranked it #2 on their list of the " 100 Grea ...
", "Lucy Is Enceinte", and "Job Switching". Near the end of the movie, a selection of ''TV Guide'' covers is seen in a hallway, showing ''I Love Lucy'' franchises on their covers. Also included is close-up of a ''New York Post'' article about the birth of Little Ricky. Rachel York starred as Ball and Danny Pino as Desi Arnaz. In October 2011, the stage play ''I Love Lucy Live on Stage'' premiered to sold-out houses at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles. Staged and directed by Rick Sparks, the show featured the performance of two ''I Love Lucy'' episodes"The Benefit" and "Lucy Has Her Eyes Examined", presented to the theater audience as though they were attending a filming at the Desilu Playhouse in the 1950s. In 2012, the show began a national tour which lasted until 2015. In July 2018, ''I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom'', a behind-the-scenes comedy about ''I Love Lucy'' by Gregg Oppenheimer (son of series creator
Jess Oppenheimer Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom ''I Love Lucy''. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer � ...
), had its world premiere in a Los Angeles production by L.A. Theatre Works. Recorded before a live audience at the James Bridges Theater, UCLA, the production, directed by Michael Hackett, aired on public radio and was released on audio CD and as a downloadable file in September of that year. The performance starred Sarah Drew as Ball, Oscar Nuñez as Desi Arnaz, and Seamus Dever as Oppenheimer. A serialized version, titled ''LUCY LOVES DESI: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom'', was produced in August 2020 by Jarvis & Ayres Productions and aired in the UK on BBC Radio 4, starring Anne Heche as Ball, Wilmer Valderamma as Desi Arnaz, Jared Harris as Oppenheimer, Stacy Keach as William Frawley, and Alfred Molina as CBS Executive
Harry Ackerman Harry Stephen Ackerman (November 17, 1912 – February 3, 1991) was an American television producer, credited with creating or co-creating twenty-one series, seven of which were at one time being broadcast simultaneously. Some of the sitcoms in ...
. In January 2023, L.A. Theatre Works mounted a 22-city U.S. national tour of the play as ''LUCY LOVES DESI: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom.'' In November 2023, Next Stage Press published the play's script, making performance licenses available to schools, community theater groups, and local theater companies. In the spring of 2020, NBC's sitcom ''Will & Grace'' paid tribute to ''I Love Lucy'' with a special episode titled "We Love Lucy". During the episode Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, along with Ethel and Fred Mertz, appear in dream sequences based on scenes from the 1951 CBS series. Lucie Arnaz made a cameo in the episode in the role originated in the "Job Switching" episode by actress Elvia Allman as the Factory Foreperson. In 2021, ''Being the Ricardos'', a film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, about the relationship between ''I Love Lucy'' stars Ball and Desi Arnaz, was released. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Ball and Desi Arnaz, while J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, and Clark Gregg are featured in supporting roles. It received a limited theatrical release by Amazon Studios in the United States on December 10, 2021, prior to streaming worldwide on Prime Video on December 21, 2021. In 2022, Amazon Prime Video released the documentary ''Lucy and Desi''. Directed by Amy Poehler, it was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.


In color

Several classic episodes of ''I Love Lucy'' have been
colorized Film colorization (American English; or colourisation/colorisation [both British English], or colourization [Canadian English and Oxford English]) is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia, or other monochrome m ...
. Star and producer Desi Arnaz had expressed interest in airing the show in color as early as 1955, but the cost of such a presentation was prohibitive at the time. The first episode to be colorized was the List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep164, Christmas special, which had been feared to be lost for many years, as it was not included in the regular syndication package with the rest of the series. A copy was discovered in 1989 in the CBS vaults and was aired by CBS during December of that year in its original black-and-white format. In 1990, this episode was again aired in the days prior to Christmas, but this time the frame story, framing sequence was in color, while the clips from earlier episodes remained in black and white. The special performed surprisingly well in the ratings during both years and aired on CBS each December until 1994. In 2007, as the "Complete Series" DVD set was being prepared for release, DVD producer Gregg Oppenheimer decided to have the episode "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep144, Lucy Goes to Scotland" digitally colorized (referencing color publicity stills and color "home movies" taken on the set during production), making it the first ''I Love Lucy'' episode to be fully colorized. Four years later, Time Life released the "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep150, Lucy's Italian Movie" episode for the first time in full color as part of the "Essential 'I Love Lucy'" collection. The colorized "Lucy Goes to Scotland" episode has never aired on television, but that episode, along with the Christmas special and "Lucy's Italian Movie", were packaged together on the 2013 "I Love Lucy Colorized Christmas" DVD. In 2014, Target Corporation, Target stores sold an exclusive version of the DVD that also included "Job Switching". As of 2025, a total of 18 episodes are known to have been colorized, 17 of which have been released on some form of home media.


Annual colorized specials

On December 20, 2013, CBS revived an annual holiday tradition when it re-aired the Christmas special for the first time in nearly two decades. The Christmas special's framing sequence was colorized anew. The network paired this special with the color version of "Lucy's Italian Movie" episode. This special attracted 8.7 million people. Nearly a year later, on December 7, 2014, the Christmas special was again aired on CBS, but this time paired with the popular episode "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep36, Job Switching", which was newly colorized for that broadcast. That episode appeared on the "I Love Lucy: The Ultimate Season 2" Blu-ray edition released on August 4, 2015. CBS aired the Christmas special again on December 23, 2015, with the flashback scenes being colorized for the first time, and with a colorized "
Lucy Does a TV Commercial "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" is the 30th episode of the 1950s television sitcom ''I Love Lucy,'' airing on May 5, 1952. It is considered to be the most famous episode of the show. In 1997, ''TV Guide'' ranked it #2 on their list of the " 100 Grea ...
" replacing "Job Switching". CBS next aired the Christmas special on December 2, 2016, this time paired with the newly colorized "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep116, Lucy Gets in Pictures". On December 22, 2017, the Christmas episode was followed by a newly colorized episode, "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep117, The Fashion Show". On December 14, 2018, the Christmas episode was paired with a newly colorized episode, "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep25, Pioneer Women". On May 17, 2015, CBS began a new springtime tradition when it aired two newly colorized episodes in an "I Love Lucy Superstar Special" consisting of "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep114, L.A. at Last" and "Lucy and Superman", which attracted 6.4 million viewers. A DVD of this special was released on October 4, 2016. A second "Superstar Special" containing the newly colorized two-part episode "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep128, Lucy Visits Grauman's" and "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep129, Lucy and John Wayne" aired on May 20, 2016 and was released on DVD on January 17, 2017. A third "Superstar Special" aired on May 19, 2017, featuring two more newly colorized Hollywood-based episodes: "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep124, The Dancing Star" featuring Van Johnson, and "List of I Love Lucy episodes#ep125, Harpo Marx". A two-episode "Funny Money Special" was introduced on April 19, 2019, featuring the episodes "The Million-Dollar Idea" and "Bonus Bucks", both from early 1954. On December 20, 2019, CBS aired its annual ''I Love Lucy'' Christmas episode along with a new colorized episode, "Paris At Last". ''The I Love Lucy Christmas Special'' scored a 4.9 million in the ratings, becoming the night's most-watched show on television.


Colorized feature film

On August 6, 2019, Ball's would-be 108th birthday, a one-night-only event took place in movie theaters around the United States, ''I Love Lucy: A Colorized Celebration'', a feature film consisting of five colorized episodes, three of which contain never-before-seen content. The episodes included are: "The Million Dollar Idea" (1954), "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" (1952), "Pioneer Women" (1952), "Job Switching" (1952) and "L.A. at Last!" (1955). A short documentary on the colorization process of the episodes was also included. The film proved to be very successful, grossing $777,645 from 660 theaters across the country, coming in at #6 at the domestic box office and beating Disney's ''Aladdin (2019 film), Aladdin''.


Home media

Beginning in the summer of 2001, Columbia House Television began releasing ''I Love Lucy'' on DVD in chronological order. They began that summer with the pilot and the first three episodes on a single DVD. Every six weeks, another volume of four episodes would be released on DVD in chronological order. During the summer of 2002, each DVD would contain between five and seven episodes on a single DVD. They continued to release the series very slowly and would not even begin to release any season 2 episodes until the middle of 2002. By the spring of 2003, the third season on DVD began to be released with about six episodes released every six weeks to mail-order subscribers. All these DVDs have the same features as the DVDs eventually released in the season box sets. By the fall of 2003, season-four episodes began to be offered by mail. By the spring of 2004, season-five DVDs with about six episodes each began to be released gradually. Columbia House ended the distribution of these mail-order DVDs in the Winter of 2005. They began releasing complete season sets in the summer of 2004 every few months. They stated that Columbia House subscribers would get these episodes through mail before any box sets with the same episodes were released. Columbia House finally ended gradual subscriptions in 2005, several months before season 5 became available in retail. Columbia House then began to make season box sets available instead of these single volumes. CBS Home Entertainment, CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, Paramount) has released all six seasons of ''I Love Lucy'' on DVD in DVD region code#1, Region 1, as well as all 13 episodes of ''The Lucy and Desi Comedy Hour'' (as ''I Love Lucy: The Final Seasons7, 8, & 9''). Bonus features include rare on-set color footage and the "Desilu/Westinghouse" promotional film, as well as deleted scenes, original openings and interstitials (before they were altered or replaced for syndication), and on-air flubs. These DVDs had features and content identical to that of the mail-order single sets available until 2005. In December 2013, the first high-definition release of ''I Love Lucy'' was announced, with the Blu-ray edition of the first season scheduled for May 5, 2014. The Second Season Ultimate Blu-ray was released on August 4, 2015. On September 25, 2024, it was announced that a Blu-ray box set of the complete series would be released on November 5, 2024.


Other releases

* ''I Love Lucy's Zany Road Trip: California Here We Come!'', a compilation of 27 episodes, released by CBS/FOX Video on VHS in 1992 * "''I Love Lucy''Season 1" (9 separate discs labeled "Volumes", the first volume released July 2, 2002, final volume released September 23, 2003) * "''I Love Lucy''Season 1" (9 Volumes in a box set, released September 23, 2003) * "''I Love Lucy''50th Anniversary Special" (1 disc, released October 1, 2002) * "''I Love Lucy'': The Movie and Other Great Rarities" (1 disc, released April 27, 2010) (Also included as a bonus disc in the complete series set.) * "The Best of ''I Love Lucy''" (2 discs: 14 episodes, released in June 2011 in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the series and Lucille Ball's 100th birthday; sold exclusively through Target.) The DVD releases feature the syndicated heart opening and offer the original broadcast openings as bonus features, except the season 6 DVD allows viewers to choose whether to watch the episodes with the original opening or the syndicated opening. The TV Land openings are not on these DVDs. Initially, the first season was offered in volumes, with four episodes per disc. After the success of releasing seasons 2, 3, and 4 in slim packs, the first season was re-released as a seven-disc set, requiring new discs to be mastered and printed to include more episodes per disc so there would be fewer discs in the set. For the complete series box set, the first season would be redone again, this time to six DVDs, retaining all bonus features. The individual volume discs for the first season are still in print but are rare for lack of shelf space and because the slim packs are more popular. In 2012, all-season sets were reissued in slipcovered clear standard-sized Amaray DVD cases, with season 1 being the six-disc version as opposed to the seven-disc version. Episodes feature English closed captioning but only Spanish subtitles. In Australia and the UK, the first three seasons were finally released in Region 2 & Region 4 on August 3, 2010, by CBS, distributed by Paramount. Season 1 includes the pilot and all 35 Season 1 episodes in a seven-disc set. Season 2 includes all 31 Season 2 episodes in a five-disc set. Season 3 includes all 31 Season 3 episodes in a five-disc set. Season 2 and 3 are in a slimline pack. All three seasons have been restored and digitally remastered. All episodes appear in order of their original air dates, although it is stated that some episodes may be edited from their original network versions. It is unknown if the remaining seasons will be released individually. A complete-series box set titled ''I Love Lucy: Complete Collection'' was scheduled for release on April 6, 2016, and in the UK on May 30, 2016. This collection contains 34 DVDs with all six seasons of ''I Love Lucy'' and all 13 episodes of ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour''. In September 2018, Time Life released a DVD, ''Lucy: The Ultimate Collection'', which collected 76 episodes of ''I Love Lucy'', ''
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour ''The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour'' is a collection of thirteen black-and-white one-hour specials airing occasionally from 1957 to 1960 (as opposed to the thirty-minute regular series, ''I Love Lucy''). The first five were shown as specials during t ...
'', ''
The Lucy Show ''The Lucy Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1962 to 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to ''I Love Lucy''. A significant change in cast and premise for the fourth season (1965–1966) divides the program into two distinct ...
'', ''
Here's Lucy ''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's third ...
'', and the short-lived ABC TV series ''
Life with Lucy ''Life with Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. Created by Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Davis, the series aired for one season on ABC from September 20 to November 15, 1986. It is the only Lucille Ball sitcom to not air on CB ...
'' (which had at the time never before been released to home media), plus a wide variety of bonus features. A DVD collection, ''I Love Lucy: Colorized Collection'', was released on August 13, 2019. It contains every colorized episode of ''I Love Lucy'' aired as of its release date. On November 5, 2024, a colorized version of "Lucy and the Loving Cup" was first released on the ''I Love Lucy: The Complete Series'' Blu-ray Collection. This means that "Paris at Last", which aired as part of the December 2019 edition of the Christmas Special after the colorized DVD collection had been released, is the only colorized episode currently not available on home media.


See also

* Statue of Lucille Ball (Celoron, New York), Statue of Lucille Ball * Ricky ("Weird Al" Yankovic song), Ricky (song)


Notes


References


Further reading

* Joe Garner (author), Garner, Joe (2002). ''Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments'' (Andrews McMeel Publishing) * Andrews, Bart (1976). ''The 'I Love Lucy' Book'' (Doubleday & Company, Inc.) * Sanders, Coyne Steven; Gilbert, Tom (1993). ''Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz'' (William Morrow & Company, Inc.) * McClay, Michael (1995). ''I Love Lucy: The Complete Picture History of the Most Popular TV Show Ever'' (Kensington Publishing Corp.) * Jess Oppenheimer, Oppenheimer, Jess; with Oppenheimer, Gregg (1996). ''Laughs, Luck...and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time'' (Syracuse Univ. Press) * Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Pérez Firmat, Gustavo. "I Love Ricky", in ''Life on the Hyphen: The Cuban-American Way''. Austin: The University of Texas Press, 1994. Rpt. 1996, 1999. Revised and expanded edition, 2012. * Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Pérez Firmat, Gustavo. "Cuba in Apt. 3-B", in ''The Havana Habit''. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2010. * Karol, Michael; (2008). ''Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia'' (iUniverse) * Edelman; Rob; Kupferberg, Audrey (1999). ''Meet the Mertzes'' (Renaissance Books)


External links

* * * {{Authority control I Love Lucy, 1950s American multi-camera sitcoms 1951 American television series debuts 1957 American television series endings American comedy radio programs American English-language television shows Black-and-white American television shows CBS sitcoms Hispanic and Latino American sitcoms Nielsen ratings winners Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series winners Television series about marriage Television series about show business Television series based on radio series Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Desilu Productions Television shows adapted into comics Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows set in Connecticut Television shows set in Europe Television shows set in Los Angeles Television shows set in Manhattan