Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-11-18
A Short Biography
OF
Lucille BulI

Having reached strdom the
hard way, Lucille Ball has great
respect for anyone who is with
out pretense and knows his bus
mess.
Her triple assets as a fine ac-
tress a rare Titan beauty and
the possessor of an outstanding
personality took her to a top
place in motion pictures, though
originally she has a tough time
making the grade. She came up
by way of the modelling routine,
one-night stands and the Broad
way stage. Currently she co-stars
with William Holden in Colum-
bias Miss Grant Takes Rich
mond."
Born in Butte, Montana, the
daughter of Henry and Desiree
Ball, Lucille was taken as an
infant to jamestown, N. Y,
where she spent her childhood.
Her mother, a concert pianist
enrolled her in the Chautauqua
Institute of Music for two sea-
sons. Later Lucille entered the
John Murray Anderson Dramatic
School in New York. After a
year, when her teacher informed
her she was wasting money by
continuing the course, she went
job-hunting.
Her first job was in a road
company of Ziegfield's "Rio
Rita" but after three weeks of
rehearsal, Lucille was fired. She
was too inexperienced, said the
manager, and, with nothing else
forthcoming she became a soda
jerk in a Broadway drugstore.
Then she got a job as a model
on New York's Fifth Avenue.
In Hattie Carnegie's famous
salon, she became famous as one
of the nations most successful
models.
Then came the tragic auto
mobile accident which almost
ended her life; doctors told her
that she would never walk
again. After three years of per-
severance, grit and unending pa
tience, she returned to model
ing.
AS 'The Chesterfield Girl' on
magazine layouts, billboards and
newspaper advertisements, she
was discovered" by Hollywood,
then given a role in Eddie Can
tors Roman Scandals"
After bit parts and extra roles,
Lucille got break in Roberta" /,
in which she attracted the at
tention of RKO officials and was
signed to a contract. She jumped
from that to Broadway where
she scored in "Hey Diddle Did
die"
Hollywood again beconed and
she appeared in "Stage Door"
and "Too Many Girls" She was
co-starred in the latter picture
with Desi Arnaz, whom she mar
ried on Nov. 80 of the same year,
1910, at Greenwich, Conn.
Her actual big break came
shortly after she returned from
her honeymoon when she was
given the starring role in "The
Big Street." a Damon Runyon
story.
In that picture, her favorite,
she portrayed a showgirl who
was paralyzed from the hips
down. So convincing was her
performance, born of personal
that nearly every
major studio bid for her services.
She has divided her time bet
ween pictures and stage appear
ances, but is now firmly set in
screen stardom. She has a con-
tract for one picture a year at
Columbia, for which studio she
previously made "Her Husbands
Affairs" with Franchot Tone.
Lucille lives on a five acre
ranch in Chatsworth, Calf,
where she and her orchestra
leader husband go in for cattle,
dogs, cats and, in a \
small way agriculture. They
both spend a great deal of time
on their boat and are enehuas-
tic fishermen.
Her recent pictures include:
Dubarry Was A Lady, Best Foot
Forward, Meet The People, Easy \
To Wed, Two Smart People,
Her Husbands Affairs, Dark \
Corner, Lover Come Back Per-
sonal Column, Miss Grant Takes
Richmond.