Dear reader,
I have for you another memoiresque vignette about one of my idols, and the redhead that made America and my family laugh. Thanks for reading!
Stay charming,
M
There’s no actual need for this.
I don’t need to write this and consequently, you don’t need to read this.1
Lucky for all of us, there are now a number of documentaries, films, and TV movies, streaming or otherwise, about her. She’s no mystery to anyone, not in 2023. Her name isn’t reduced to one or two mentions in history books. Footage of her work hasn’t been lost or reduced to ash in an unfortunate fire. And she’s certainly no forgotten actress of a bygone era collecting dust in a television and film archive located in someone’s basement in North Hollywood.
Much to my delight, everyone is now aware of her name, her work, and the mark she’s left on American culture. She was a comedic legend. A trailblazing studio head. And an unwavering icon in the face of sexism, dubious criticism, and a famous divorce.
And since the premiere of her landmark television debut, just a scant 70 years ago, she was and will always be my number one comedic idol.
The one, the only, the incomparable: Lucille Ball.
My path to discovering her was no accident or happenstance. One could say it was in my genes. And well, gene expression is very strong in my family. Once a trait pops up, it never seems to skip a generation.
There are many things that I have inherited — and this is going to seem so random but it couldn’t be more true — but my obsession with the groundbreaking 1950’s sitcom, I Love Lucy, has to be the strangest of them all. Definitely, the most peculiar. Unique. Perplexing of all oddities passed down the family tree?
Whether nature versus nurture, the show that turned the tables on primetime TV programming, with a power couple at the helm of it, became a cornerstone in the mind palace of creativity I was building as a wee lass.
I know, so random. My family could have picked anything to expose to my palette. And with not a moment’s hesitation, they chose this:
Plentiful are memories of sitting around a dinky television set with my nuclear family plus a combination of grandparents, uncles, and cousins. It was truly a family affair. And the reverence! Off the charts. The world stopped for Lucy. No adult was going to help with you anything because they were all far too busy engrossed in the magic of reruns.2 And then the whole house would shake from the uproarious laughter that would spout from the living room. Old Faithful can’t hold a candle to my family when the channel is set to Lucy.
But that’s the power of the show. A true testament to the comedic genius of Ball, Desi Arnaz, the rest of the cast, and the writers — my grandparents barely spoke any English and they adored the show. They wouldn’t have missed the reruns for the world. I can still hear my abuelita’s infectious cackling ringing in my ears.3
Not knowing any different, I too became an adoring fan of the show and it’s effervescent leading lady, Lucille Ball.
As a 5 year old, I was completely unaware of the fascinating life Ball had before Lucy aired. The fact that her husband on the show and in real life, Arnaz, was 5 years younger than she. The fact that she was 40 years old at the start of the show’s run. And the fact that she gave birth to their 2 children in her 40’s all the while acting in and producing America’s “best TV show of all time.”4 All of this eluded me until my teen years. And it really wasn’t until college when the real investigative work began.
The seeds to her meteoric rise to household name were sown way back in the 1930’s, a little after the introduction of talkies. She played a lot of “girls” in “uncredited” roles as a contract player in the studio system. She was “lent out” to several studios and by the late 1940’s, she would star in nearly 70 films. As the well-told story goes, she tried and tried to fit the mold but alas, her talent and image were never truly embraced by Hollywood.
Consequently, she was dubbed, ”Queen of the B Pictures.” A big fish in a much smaller pond.
Stage Door (1937) is one of my favorite movies and in part because she’s in it. A young, wise-cracking Ball goes toe-to-toe with Ginger Rogers and Katherine Hepburn. Movie magic at its finest. With her tall stature and coarse delivery, she’s not the most intimidating star standing next to a petite Rogers or an elegant Hepburn — but that comedic timing! The speed, the gestures, the voices. It’s admirable to see what she did with a supporting role in a very large ensemble cast.
But she always made it work, showing up to every gig she was assigned to with a can-do attitude and a lot of charisma. She never complained. She just got right down to business and honed her craft. And it ultimately served her well by the time a little phenomenon called television began to take hold of the industry they called show.
The stage before a live studio audience was set. Television broadcasting, American comedy, and 5 year old me would never be the same.
When she was on the screen, big or small, you sensed she could make the impossible happen. Could turn any sour face into a goofy smile. Mesmerizing was her seemingly boundless energy, no matter how leading or supporting the role. And because of this magnetism, in 1951, eyes across America were glued to screens every week quickly making I Love Lucy a record breaking show.
She finally gained the recognition and stardom deserving of her work ethic, intellect, and skill. She could play any gender. Any age. Could wear any costume. Master any prop. Portray the spectrum of the human experience. And convincingly, too. With all the warmth and integrity of your ideal protagonist.
We must never forget our Lucy and all the joy, tears, and inspiration her life and her work continue to give us.
Like all our heroes, she reminds us that the world is complex but also very simple. And sometimes, a good laugh is all you really need.
She reminds me to not take life too seriously. That silliness and comedic chops can be badges of honor. She makes me want to keep striving. Keep toiling for the ultimate creative expression.
Because, even though we’re not 5 anymore, who doesn’t want to be their idol?
Further watching:
Finding Lucy (2000) - documentary, it’s currently free to watch on YouTube
The 1977 Barbara Walters Special with Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett & Lucie Arnaz on The Dick Cavett Show
Lucy And Desi: Before The Laughter (1991) - a TV movie drama, it’s also currently free to watch on YouTube
PBS’s Pioneers of Television episode on Lucille Ball
Being the Ricardos (2021) - the latest biopic about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, directed by Aaron Sorkin
Lucie Arnaz’s interview for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
I’m not weaving a tapestry of self-deprecation either — this yarn has been spun before and many times over the past few years.
Reruns they had seen hundreds of times by the way.
These are some of the things I (will always) remember her by: her crazy laugh and her love of Lucy. She would hum along to the theme song. And of course, “I love lucy” was in her limited wheelhouse of English vocabulary.
https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Best_In_TV/love-lucy-voted-best-tv-show-time/story?id=17263942
DADDY'S GONNA BE A TREE! DADDY'S GONNA BE A TREE! DADDY'S GONNA BE A TREE!
A hero of mine as well!