Lucille Ball - Biography - IMDb Lucille Ball Biography Showing all 159 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trade Mark (4) | Trivia (90) | Personal Quotes (38) | Salary (19) Overview (5) Queen of the B movies The First Lady of Television Lucy 5' 6½" (1.69 m) Mini Bio (1) The woman who will always be remembered as the crazy, accident-prone, lovable Lucy Ricardo was born Lucille Desiree Ball on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Her father died before she was four, and her mother worked several jobs, so she and her younger brother were raised by their grandparents. Always willing to take responsibility for her brother and young cousins, she was a restless teenager who yearned to "make some noise". She entered a dramatic school in New York City, but while her classmate Bette Davis received all the raves, she was sent home; "too shy".

She found some work modeling for Hattie Carnegie 's and, in 1933, she was chosen to be a "Goldwyn Girl" and appear in the film Roman Scandals (1933). She was put under contract to RKO Radio Pictures and several small roles, including one in Top Hat (1935), followed. Eventually, she received starring roles in B-pictures and, occasionally, a good role in an A-picture, like in Stage Door (1937) or The Big Street (1942). While filming Too Many Girls (1940), she met and fell madly in love with a young Cuban actor-musician named Desi Arnaz . Despite different personalities, lifestyles, religions and ages (he was six years younger), he fell hard, too, and after a passionate romance, they eloped and were married in November 1940. Lucy soon switched to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where she got better roles in films such as Du Barry Was a Lady (1943); Best Foot Forward (1943) and the Katharine Hepburn - Spencer Tracy vehicle Without Love (1945).

In 1948, she took a starring role in the radio comedy "My Favorite Husband", in which she played the scatterbrained wife of a Midwestern banker. In 1950, CBS came knocking with the offer of turning it into a television series. After convincing the network brass to let Desi play her husband and to sign over the rights to and creative control over the series to them, work began on the most popular and universally beloved sitcom of all time. With I Love Lucy (1951), she and Desi pioneered the 3-camera technique now the standard in filming sitcoms, and the concept of syndicating television programs. She was also the first woman to own her own studio as the head of Desilu Productions. Lucille Ball died at home, age 77, of an acute aortic aneurysm on April 26, 1989 in Beverly Hills, California. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tommy Peter Spouse (2) Red hair and blue eyes Famous for her fake wailing when something bad happens to her Husky voice Her trademark 'spider face' when something goes wrong for her, accompanied by an "eugh" sound.

Trivia (90) Received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award posthumously in 1990. Originally interred at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California, USA, Columbarium of Radiant Dawn, Court of Remembrance. In 2003, she was re-interred in the Ball family plot in Lake View Cemetery, Jamestown, New York. A comment from a member of the preview audience of Follow the Fleet (1936) about bit-player Ball: "You might give the tall gum chewing blonde more parts and see if she can't make the grade - a good gamble." Ball and Barbara Pepper met early in their careers when they were both "Goldwyn Girls" and remained lifelong friends. During a Barbara Walters interview, Jane Fonda claimed that her father, Henry Fonda , was deeply in love with Lucille Ball and that the two were "very close" during the filming of Yours, Mine and Ours (1968). Was the first woman to own her own film studio as the head of Desilu Productions.

Was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6436 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Television at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. She signed her first promotional agreement with Max Factor in 1935 and again in 1942. Of all the stars, she had the longest association with the Max Factor company. Once registered as a voter for the Communist party as a favor to her grandfather Frederick Charles Hunt (July 24, 1865-January 9, 1944). Lucy and her son, Desi Arnaz Jr. , appeared together on the very first cover of "TV Guide" magazine in 1953. Died the morning of April 26, 1989, the fifty-sixth birthday of her friend Carol Burnett . That afternoon Burnett received the flowers that Ball had ordered for her birthday. During the 1933 filming of Roman Scandals (1933), young Lucille Ball, portraying a slave girl, needed to have her eyebrows entirely shaved off. They never grew back.

Before her movie career, Lucille was a model at Hattie Carnegie 's in New York. She mainly modeled heavy fur coats, because she was startlingly thin as a young lady. Lucy and Desi Arnaz began I Love Lucy (1951) in the hopes of saving their crumbling marriage. She was fired from working at an ice cream store because she kept forgetting to put bananas in banana splits. She put her Chesterfield cigarettes in a Philip Morris package to please her sponsor (of the I Love Lucy (1951) show). TV Guide picked her as the greatest TV star of all time. Was one of the 20 original "Goldwyn Girls", along with Virginia Bruce ; Ann Dvorak ; Paulette Goddard and Betty Grable . Born at 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time zone. Second cousin of actress Suzan Ball . For many years during their marriage, Lucy and Desi Arnaz hid the fact that she was six years older than he by splitting the difference in their ages.

She (born in 1911) said she was born in 1914 and he (born in 1917) also said he was born in 1914. Was known for a while as Dianne Belmont back when she was a model. Pictured on a 34¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, issued 6 August 2001. Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2002. Her favorite movie she made was The Big Street (1942). Up to her dying day, she resented AMPAS for not recognizing her performance in the movie by including her for an Academy Award nomination. One of her last television appearances was in 1989 on the 62nd Academy Awards, with Bob Hope , announcing the nominations and winner of Best Picture. Stricken by rheumatoid arthritis early in her modeling career and spent 2 years re-learning how to walk. Filed for a divorce from husband Desi Arnaz , the day following the last day of filming The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957).

[March 1960] Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. pg. 35-37. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387. Felt that she did not deserve the title of "Queen of Comedy" and felt that it belonged to her idol, Carole Lombard . While still contemplating whether to do the I Love Lucy (1951) shows, she claimed that in her dream, Carole Lombard came to her and told her to "Give it a whirl". Was Frank Sinatra 's first choice for the role of Laurence Harvey 's mother in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He was only dissuaded when John Frankenheimer took him to see Angela Lansbury in a play. Disliked any false form of a bird, she preferred to see them in person so she banned all pictures of birds from her house and any hotel room she was staying in.

Had a superstition about the letters A and R, which is why her character was named Lucy RicARdo in I Love Lucy (1951); Lucy CARmichael in The Lucy Show (1962); Lucy CARter in Here's Lucy (1968) and Lucy BARker in Life with Lucy (1986) (she was also married to 'Desi ARnaz'). She believed she didn't have luck in her career until she changed her name to Arnaz. First cousin of Cleo Morgan , though they were raised as sisters. Related by marriage to Vanda Barra . Was of Irish, Scottish, French, and English descent. Suffered three miscarriages with husband Desi Arnaz . First miscarriage was in 1942. Second miscarriage was in 1949. Third and last miscarriage was in 1950. Comedian John Belushi was a fan of her and knew every detail of her life and career. She was proud of her family and heritage. Her genealogy can be traced back to the earliest settlers in the colonies.

One direct ancestor, William Sprague (1609-1675), left England on the ship "Lyon's Whelp" for Plymouth/Salem, Massachusetts. They were from Upwey, Dorsetshire, England. William, along with his 2 brothers, helped to found the city of Charlestown, Massachusetts. Other Sprague relatives became soldiers in the Revolutionary War and 2 of them became governors of the state of Rhode Island. Lucy and Desi Arnaz were married a second time in 1946 in a church because his mother believed that the reason they didn't have children yet was because they were never married in the Catholic Church. Lucy and Desi Arnaz were married at the Byram River Beagle Club in Connecticut in 1940. Lucy filed for divorce from Desi Arnaz in the 1940s, but didn't go through with it because they reconciled. Not long after the Arnazes bought their house on 1000 North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills, California, it was first featured in episode, I Love Lucy: The Tour (1955).

Richard Widmark guest-starred and she climbs over the fence to pick a grapefruit, from his backyard. She named herself Diane Belmont after the Belmont racetrack in New York. The day she first met Desi Arnaz , she had a black eye and a torn dress from filming a fight scene for Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) and he didn't find her at all attractive until they met again later in the day when she had changed into her own clothes and makeup. His oft-quoted first impression of her extraordinary beauty was "That's a hunk o' woman". The original Desilu was her and Desi Arnaz 's ranch in Chatsworth, California. They used the same method of naming it that Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford 's did when they named their estate "Pickfair". Was once known as the "Chesterfield Girl" because she was the spokesmodel for Chesterfield cigarettes. Was tutored in comedy by Buster Keaton . When they were first married in 1940, Desi Arnaz had to give Lucy a ring from a drugstore because all jewelry stores were closed. She wore it for the rest of their marriage.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 63-66. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. Her younger brother, Fred Ball (1915-2007), moved from their hometown of Jamestown, New York, to join Lucy in Hollywood in the 1930s. Fred often accompanied Desi Arnaz 's band on tour during the 1940s and 1950s, and was also on the Board of Directors of Desilu Productions. In later years, Fred and his wife Zo operated a motel in Cottonwood, Arizona, where he died. Fred also shared the same birthday as his niece Lucie Arnaz . In Italy, her films were often dubbed by Lidia Simoneschi or Wanda Tettoni , notably in the hilarious The Long, Long Trailer (1953). She was occasionally dubbed by Rosetta Calavetta , Dhia Cristiani , Rina Morelli and Renata Marini (in Stage Door (1937)).

Was in frail health following a heart attack in May 1988. In 1966, it was reported in an annual stockholder's meeting that her salary as President of Desilu Productions (1962-1967) was $100,000. Her acting fees for 1966 were $130,172. In 1968, she was reported to be the richest woman in television, having earned an estimated $30 million. In 1962, she purchased Desi Arnaz 's holdings in Desilu holdings for $3 million, as he wanted to retire to his horse ranch in Corona, California, and lead a more stress-free life. In July 1967, she sold Desilu Productions, consisting of 36 sound stages, 2000 employees and 62 acres adjacent to Paramount, to Gulf + Western Industries for $17 million. She received $10 million in Gulf + Western stock for her 60% of Desilu, the remaining $7 million being distributed to 3878 stockholders.

Profiled in "Killer Tomatoes: Fifteen Tough Film Dames" by Ray Hagen and Laura Wagner (McFarland, 2004). When her subsequent series The Lucy Show (1962) and Here's Lucy (1968) became popular, Jess Oppenheimer , a co-creator of I Love Lucy (1951) alleged that her character Lucy Carmichael/Carter was in fact Lucy Ricardo re-named and threatened to sue. Rather than go to court, she settled for $220,000. Her 1960 divorce from Desi Arnaz was quite amicable. They divided their $20 million television empire equally, each retaining 25% Desilu stock (282,800 shares), she got the homes in Beverly Hills and Rancho Mirage, and Desi got the beach house in Del Mar, California and his Horse Ranch in Corona, California. In addition, they agreed to joint custody of their children with him paying $450/month child support.

In 1958, in order to raise funds for their various investments, she and Desi Arnaz took Desilu public on the NYSE at $10 per share. She and Desi each retained 25% of the company, while each selling 25%. She took her $2,500,000 windfall, paid $600,000 in capital gains taxes and, always frugal, invested the remainder into bonds and securities. When she and Desi Arnaz moved to 1000 North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills, Caliifornia, Jack Benny , was their next-door neighbor, residing at 1002 North Roxbury Drive. Was offered the role of Angel in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), but was forced to turn it down due to pregnancy. Gloria Grahame was later cast instead. Appears on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Early Television Memories issue with Vivian Vance , as Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz, in a scene from I Love Lucy: Job Switching (1952). The stamp was issued 11 August 2009.

Was good friends with 6 other actresses. They are Mary Jane Croft , Carole Lombard , Ginger Rogers , Ann Sothern , Vivian Vance , and Mary Wickes . Among them, only Croft and Sothern were biological mothers. Wickes never married and was always listed as single. Became very good friends with Maureen O'Hara during the making of Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) and continued being friends until Ball's death. O'Hara was with Lucille when Lucille first met her first husband, Desi Arnaz . Profiled in a book, "Funny Ladies", written by Stephen M. Silverman in 1999, titled Funny Ladies: 100 Years of Great Comediannes. Though starring in many successful 1940s musical comedies for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, her contract allowed her to honor her prior commitments. She starred in two film classics, The Dark Corner (1946) for 20th Century Fox and the independently produced Lured (1947).

Lucy launched the movie producer career of David Winters, one of the stars of West Side Story, whose first producer job was to co-produce and choreographed her television special Lucy in London (1966). There are 2 stamps with Lucille Ball on them. A 34 cent stamp, in 2001 and a 44 cent stamp, in 2009. Lucille suffered from ornithophobia, the fear of birds. Lucille Ball had an East bungalow office suite adjacent the main Desilu Production offices located on Gower Street, (main reception entrance on Gower Street). Cleo Morgan, Lucille's first cousin, was Lucille's secretary, scheduling meetings, dealing with clients and agents for the Desilu CEO Lucille Ball. Cleo remained with the Desilu management team the entire period of operation. Bud Brooks was in charge of the Desilu Production Art department, located in the top floor of the main entrance building. In the early part of her career, Ball said she was born in Butte, Montana, where her father died. Because of that she was nicknamed 'Montana.'.

It was at the urging of "Roman Scandals" dance director Busby Berkely that Sam Goldwyn had Ball put under contract. The producer initially nixed the idea. She used the name of Diane Belmont while modeling professionally. Gave birth to her first child, Lucie Desiree Arnaz at age 39, July 17, 1951. Gave birth to her second child, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV at age 41, January 19, 1953. Was a Girl Scout. Was the mentor of her protégé Carole Cook and to her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. . Best remembered by the public for her starring roles as the title characters in each of her 3 series: I Love Lucy (1951), The Lucy Show (1962) and Here's Lucy (1968). Was an acting mentor to Actress and Comedian Ruth Buzzi and Carol Burnett . Her acting mentors were Comedians Buster Keaton and Red Skelton . She discovered actor and dancer Ken Berry . Delivered her children Lucie and Desi via Caesarean section.

Broderick Crawford and _Lucille Ball_ announced their engagement in 1936. They never got as far as the altar. It was claimed that RKO fronted this story to cover her affair with studio producer _Pandro S. Berman_, who was married. Was 6 years older than her first husband and 13 years older than her second. Her company, Desilu Productions, produced The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible and Star Trekj. Personal Quotes (38) I think knowing what you cannot do is more important than knowing what you can do. In fact, that's good taste. One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore faith in yourself. I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't. The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. I'm not funny. What I am is brave.

Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead. I'd rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not. A man who correctly guesses a woman's age may be smart, but he's not very bright. In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by. [About her meeting Desi Arnaz for the first time]: It wasn't love at first sight. It took a full five minutes. Desi ( Desi Arnaz ) was the great love of my life. I will miss him until the day I die. [About Edith Head ]: Edie knew the truth about all of us. She knew who had flat fannies and who didn't -- but she never told. [on Liza Minnelli ] She's a great trouper, Liza, I wish I had her talent. If anybody's going to take over from me, it's her. She's got a mind like a trip hammer and huge vitality. She's great. [on Bob Hope ] You spell Bob Hope C-L-A-S-S. [on Audrey Hepburn ] She's a tomboy and a fine comedienne.

You'd never think of her being able to do my type of comedy. But she can. She has great energy, frail as she looks. But, well, she's so beautiful, so ethereal, it would be sacrilege to put her through it. You were taken in charge and trained. They have none of that today any place. I regret the passing of the studio system. I was very appreciative of it because I had no talent. Believe me. What could I do? I couldn't dance. I couldn't sing. I could talk. I could barely walk. I had no flair. I wasn't a beauty, that's for sure. [on Julie Andrews ] I mean, you in Britain have some of the best comediennes. Julie Andrews is a comedienne -- oh yes she is! [on Buster Keaton ] He taught me most of what I know about timing, how to fall and how to handle props and animals. [Defending her "singing" performance in the film Mame (1974)] Mame stayed up all night and drank champagne! What did you expect her to sound like? Julie Andrews ? I have an everyday religion that works for me.

Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line. [About her friend Maureen O'Hara ] Maureen O'Hara is one of the people I love the most out all the people I know. Give yourself first and everything else will fall into line. [on Vivian Vance ] I find that now I usually spend my time looking at Viv. Viv was sensational. And back then, there were things I had to do-I was in the projection room for some reason, and I just couldn't concentrate on it. But now I can. And I enjoy every move that Viv made. She was something. Life takes guts. I died my hair this crazy red to bid for attention. It has become a trademark and I've got to keep it this way. [About her drama school experience in 1926] I was a tongue-tied teenager spellbound by the schools star pupil - Bette Davis. I'm grateful for what motion pictures did for me even though, except for on or two pictures, I've never done any I liked. [on Arnold Schwarzenegger ] I take full credit for this man. He's going to become a big star. [on Hollywood] When they say no, you hear yes.

Someone says we can't do this movie, hug them and say thank you for believing in me. In many ways, marrying Desi was one of the boldest things I ever did. I had always gone with older men. I had also achieved some kind of stability in Hollywood, and Desi with his beautiful girls and good times seemed headed in another direction. Yet I sensed in Desi a great need. Beneath the dazzling charm was a homeless boy who had no one to care for him, worry about him, love him. And I wanted him and only him as the father of my children. It's so hard to believe he is gone. I'm the only one left now. I remember the very last time I spoke with him. It was November 30th, our anniversary and he was in Del Mar with Lucie. He was very weak. Lucie held the phone up to his ear, and we said I love you over and over again to each other. On December 2nd, 1986 I was in the car coming home from taping an episode of Password when I heard Desi died. I could not stop crying. I felt lost, and like my own life had come to some kind of end.

Lucie arranged the funeral and Danny Thomas gave the eulogy. It was funny and touching, but so very hard for me to sit through. With Desi's passing I lost my youth, my great success and the only man I ever wanted to be father of my children. Besides Dede, Fred & Cleo, he was the one person who had been in my life the longest and made the greatest impact. I didn't want to even consider what my life would've been without him. I hate failure. And that divorce was the number one failure in my eyes. Desi and I have never been the same since. If you don't believe he's a great producer, I got two little Arnaz's at home to prove it. I knew there was nobody in the world for me but Desi. We may have our ups and downs just as many people have. I would rather quarrel and make up with him more than anyone else in the world. [on Desi Arnaz] Life with Desi is crazy and exciting, but our love is deep and changeless. I'm not sure that I want to be without some lack of confidence. If you are too sure of yourself, you don't grow.

You may feel confident in some things, but other fields come up as a challenge. And if you don't anticipate trouble, you will be in trouble. [on Desi Arnaz] He did make me happy, and I really want people to know that. Salary (19) Lucille Ball Biography - life, children, name, death, history, school, mother, information, born, movie, husband, marriage Lucille Ball Biography Los Angeles, California American actress and comedienne The face of comedienne Lucille Ball, immortalized as Lucy Ricardo on the television program I Love Lucy, is said to have been seen by more people worldwide than any other. Known as "Lucy" to generations of television viewers who delighted at her rubber-faced antics and zany impersonations, she was a shrewd businesswoman, serious actress, and Broadway star as well. A struggling star Born Lucille Desiree Ball on August 6, 1911, she and her mother, DeDe, made their home with her grandparents in Celoron, outside Jamestown, New York. Her father died in 1915 of typhoid fever, a sometimes deadly disease that spreads through milk or water.

Along with her brother, Lucille was then raised by her mother and grandparents, who took her to the theater and encouraged her to take part in her school plays. Lucy's mother also strongly encouraged her daughter's love for the theater. The two were close, and DeDe Ball's laugh can be heard on almost every I Love Lucy sound track. But from Lucy's first unsuccessful foray to New York, New York, where she lost a chorus part in the musical Stepping Stones, through her days in Hollywood, California, as "Queen of the B's" (grade B movies were known for their lower production values), the road to I Love Lucy was not an easy one. In 1926 Lucy enrolled at the John Murray Anderson/Robert Milton School of Theater and Dance in New York. Her participation there, unlike that of star student Bette Davis (1908–1989), was a terrible failure. The school's owner even wrote to tell Lucy's mother that she was wasting her money. Lucy went back to high school in Celoron. After a brief rest, Lucy returned to New York City with the stage name Diane Belmont.

She was chosen to appear in Earl Carroll's Vanities, for the third road company of Ziegfeld's Rio Rita, and for Step Lively, but none of these performances materialized. She then found employment at a Rexall drugstore on Broadway and later she worked in Hattie Carnegie's elegant dress salon, while also working as a model. Lucille Ball's striking beauty always set her apart from other comediennes. At the age of seventeen, Lucy was stricken with rheumatoid arthritis, a severe swelling of the joints, Lucille Ball. Library of Congress . and returned to Celoron yet again, where her mother nursed her through an almost three-year bout with the illness. Returning to New York Determined, Ball found more success in New York the next time, when she became the Chesterfield Cigarette Girl. In 1933 she was cast as a last-minute replacement for one of the twelve Goldwyn girls in the Eddie Canter movie Roman Scandals, directed by Busby Berkeley. (Ball's first on-screen appearance was actually a walk-on in the 1933 Broadway Thru a Keyhole.

) During the filming, when Ball volunteered to take a pie in the face, the legendary Berkeley is said to have commented, "Get that girl's name. That's the one who will make it." Favorable press from Ball's first speaking role in 1935 and the second lead in That Girl from Paris (1936) helped win her a major part in the Broadway musical Hey Diddle Diddle, but the project was dropped after the premature death of the male lead. It would take roughly another fifteen years for Ball to gain stardom. Ball worked with many comic "greats," including the Three Stooges, the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, and Buster Keaton (1895–1966), with whom she developed her extraordinary skill in the handling of props. She gave a solid performance as a rising actress in Stage Door (1937), and earned praise from critic James Agee for her portrayal of a bitter, handicapped nightclub singer in The Big Street (1942).

Lucy goes red Ball first acquired her flaming red hair in 1943, when Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) officials signed her to appear opposite Red Skelton in Cole Porter's (1891–1964) DuBarry Was a Lady. (Throughout the years, rumors flew as to the color's origin, including one that Ball decided upon the dye job in an effort to somehow rival actress Betty Grable.) It was on the set of a small film, Dance, Girl, Dance, that Lucille Ball first met her future husband, Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz (1917–1986). Married in 1940, they were separated for much of the first decade of their marriage because of Desi's travels. The union, also plagued by Arnaz's work schedule, alcohol abuse, and outside affairs, dissolved in 1960. I Love Lucy Determined to work together and to save their marriage, Ball and Arnaz developed a television pilot (one show developed to sell to studios). Studio executives were not ready.

The duo was forced to take their "act" on the road to prove its potential and to borrow five thousand dollars to found Desilu Productions. (After buying out Arnaz's share and changing the corporation's name, Ball eventually sold it to Gulf Western for $18 million.) It worked, and I Love Lucy premiered on October 15, 1951. Within six months the show was rated number one. It ran six seasons in its original format and then evolved into hour-long specials. It won over twenty awards, among them five Emmys, the highest award for television programming. The characters Lucy and Ricky Ricardo became household words, with William Frawley (1887–1966) and Vivian Vance (1909–1979) superbly cast as long-suffering neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz. More viewers tuned in for the television birth of "Little Ricky" Ricardo than for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's (1890–1969) inauguration (swearing in as president). The show was the first in television history to claim viewing in more than ten million homes.

It was filmed before a studio audience and helped revolutionize television production by using three cameras. Lucy's legacy The Lucy Ricardo character may be viewed as a downtrodden housewife, but compared to other situation comedy wives of television's "golden years," she was free of regular household duties. The show's premise was her desire to share the showbiz limelight with her performer husband and to leave the pots and pans behind. Later series featured Ball as a single mother and as a working woman "up against" her boss. Following her retirement from prime time in 1974 Ball continued to make many guest appearances on television. Broadway saw her starring in Mame (1974), a role with which she identified. (Her other Broadway appearance after her career had "taken off" was in Wildcat in 1960.) Her last serious role was that of a bag lady in the 1983 made-for-television movie Stone Pillow. Ball was married to comic Gary Morton from 1961 until the time of her death on April 26, 1989, eight days after open-heart surgery.

She was survived by her husband, her two children by Arnaz, Luci and Desi Jr., and millions of fans who continue to watch her in reruns of I Love Lucy. For More Information Lucille Ball + Desi Arnaz | Tru Love Stories The Tempting: Seducing The Nephilim Lucille Ball + Desi Arnaz Tags: celebrity romance , Desi Arnaz , love stories , luci , Lucille Ball , romance books , romance ebooks , romance stories , true romance Perhaps it’s not the most classic vision of contemporary marriage, but a fiery redhead and a smooth Latin lover managed to make it work, capturing our hearts every weekend on TV and becoming one of the most loved couples in Hollywood history.Lucille Ball was born August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Her dreams of Hollywood drew her west, and after an uncredited stint as one of the Goldwyn Girls in Roman Scandals (1933) she made Hollywood her permanent home so that she could pursue a career in films.

She appeared in many small movie roles in the ‘30s as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures, including a two-reel comedy short with the Three Stooges(Three Little Pigskins, 1934) and a movie with the Marx Brothers (Room Service, 1938). She had heard a lot about a Latin lover from New York City, but when Lucille Ball first laid eyes on the Cuban-born Desi Arnaz on the set of the 1940’s musical Too Many Girls, she concluded that someone had sold her a bill of goods. “Desi was in greasy makeup and old clothes, and I thought he wasn’t so hot,” Lucy later recalled. The feeling was mutual. “This is an ingénue?” Desi asked director George Abbott when he saw Lucy’s bedraggled costume and fake black eye. “I had started calling her Lucy shortly after we met; I didn’t like the name Lucille. That’s how our television show was called I Love Lucy, not Lucille.” –Desi Arnaz When they got past the makeup, though, the chemistry was irresistible.

“You could tell the sparks were flying with Lucy,” says Eddie Bracken, a costar in the film. “It happened so fast it seemed it wouldn’t last. Everybody on the set made bets about how long it would last.” But the 28-year-old B-movie queen and the 23-year-old Cuban bandleader were enthralled. “She talked about Desi all the time,” recalls her friend, actress Maureen O’Hara. “I said, ‘Go ahead and marry him if you love him.’” Six months later they did, forming a union that would produce an entertainment empire, two children, and one of the most popular television series of all time. “How I Love Lucy was born? We decided that instead of divorce lawyers profiting from our mistakes, we’d profit from them.” –Lucille Ball Desperate for a way to spend more time together, which meant getting Desi off the road, the pair created I Love Lucy. To prove that they could make the sitcom work, Arnaz and Ball formed Desilu Productions (the very first independent television production company) and used $5,000 of their own money to produce the pilot for I Love Lucy.

In doing so, Arnaz and Ball made themselves their own bosses, and provided their product to CBS rather than working directly for the network or a sponsor, which was then the common practice in television. “I’m sometimes scared of everything that has happened to us. We didn’t think Desilu Productions would grow so big. We merely wanted to be together and have two children.”–Lucille Ball The shooting schedule gave them a chance to work on their relationship and finally have children. “All their hopes, plans and dreams for a happy future were wrapped up in that TV sitcom,” writes daughter Lucie Arnaz in her introduction to the recent book, I Love Lucy. But as their dynasty grew, Desi worked 14-hour days and spent weekends on his boat with his latest “hot tamale.” The stress wore on the marriage, with Desi often exploding in abusive fits of temper. Once Lucy aimed a gun at Desi’s head and even pulled the trigger. When only a tiny flame spurted from the muzzle, Desi stepped up and lit his cigar.

“Lucy and I would love furiously and fight furiously.”–Desi Arnaz “It got so bad that I thought it would be better for us not to be together,” Lucy said in court when they divorced in 1960. Lucy enjoyed a fulfilling, 28-year-marriage to comedian Gary Morton; Desi retired, selling his share of Desilu Studios to his ex-wife, and married his neighbor Edie Hirsch. But Lucy remained Desi’s loyal defender, visiting his deathbed in 1986. Ten years earlier, in his autobiography, Desi wrote of Lucy, “All I can say is that I loved her very much and, in my own peculiar way, I will always love her.” “I hate failure and that divorce was a Number One failure in my eyes. It was the worst period of my life. Neither Desi nor I have been the same since, physically or mentally.”–Lucille Ball Arnaz was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1986. He died several months later on December 2, 1986, at the age of 69.

Lucille telephoned him two days before his death, on what would have been their 46th wedding anniversary. They shared a few words, mostly “I love you.” She said, “All right, honey. I’ll talk to you later.” “When we got married, nobody gave it more than two weeks. There were bets all over the country, with astronomical odds against us.”–Desi Arnaz Lucille Ball Blog Lucille Ball Lucille Ball was an American comedienne and actress with flaming red hair. She was known during the 1930s and 1940s as the ï¿½Queen of the `B` movies." She was far better known for her starring role with her husband Desi Arnaz in the sitcom, I Love Lucy. She became one of the most well-known and loved entertainers of all time. Beginnings Lucille Dï¿½sirï¿½e Ball was born as a brunette on August 6, 1911, in Celoron, New York, to Henry Durrell Ball and Desiree "DeDe" Eve Hunt.

Her father was a telephone lineman for the Bell Company, and by the time Lucy was three years old, they had moved several times. When her mother was pregnant with their second child, her father contracted typhoid fever and died in 1915. Following her fatherï¿½s death, Lucy, her little brother Fredrick, and her mother moved back to Celoron to live with the maternal grandparents. Her grandfather, Fred Hunt, enjoyed vaudeville , and encouraged Lucy to take part in school plays. Lucy dropped out of high school when she was 15. In 1925, she enrolled in the John Murray Anderson School for the Dramatic Arts, with her mother`s approval. However, she was told by the drama coaches that she "had no future at all as a performer." First stab at fame Lucille Ball moved to New York City to become an actress, and found some work as a fashion model for designer Hattie Carnegie, and then as a Chesterfield (cigarette) girl.

Ball began her career on Broadway, using the stage name, ï¿½Dianne Belmont." In 1933, Ball found herself in Hollywood, appearing as one of 12 slave girls in the Eddie Cantor film, Roman Scandals. {Why was she fired? If you can`t find out, get rid of the sentence. Removed the sentenc.} Ball signed a contract with RKO Studios and appeared in several small roles, including Top Hat in 1935. She received numerous starring roles in `B` movies and the occasional `A` film, including Stage Door in 1937. In the early 1940s, Ball signed with MGM, which landed her better roles, including, Du Barry Was a Lady in 1943, Best Foot Forward, also in 1943, and Without Love, which starred Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in 1945. In 1940, while filming Too Many Girls, Ball met and fell in love with Desi Arnaz, a Cuban actor and musician. Following a passionate romance, they eloped in November 1940.

In 1942, Arnaz was drafted into the Army. He was classified for limited service owing to a knee injury, which allowed him to stay in Los Angeles. He organized and performed USO shows for wounded GIs returning from the war. Because of an extra-marital affair Arnaz had gotten into, Ball filed for a divorce in 1944; however, the couple reconciled. I Love Lucy In 1948, Ball was cast as a zany wife in the CBS radio show, My Favorite Husband. The show ran for two years and was a huge success, so much so, that CBS asked her to help develop it for television. Ball agreed, but insisted on working with her husband. The show was called I Love Lucy and was produced by the couple`s Desilu company, which was established in 1951. Ball gave birth to the couple`s first child, Lucie Desiree Arnaz, on July 17, 1951, just a month shy of her 40th birthday. She had suffered several miscarriages prior to the joyous day. With I Love Lucy in full swing, Ball`s second pregnancy was written into the script.

The network was not ready to ï¿½show a pregnant woman on television." After much negotiation, the couple and the networked compromised and used the pregnancy in the script; however, the word ï¿½pregnant" was replaced with ï¿½expecting." When Lucy gave birth to their son, Desiderio Albert Arnaz IV, in January 1953, it was a first for television, and the birth made the cover of of TV Guide`s first issue. I Love Lucy ran for 10 years, and was one of the greatest weekly shows to grace the little screen. However, when the pressure of the production and public life became too much for the couple, they canceled the show and were subsequently divorced in May 1960. Shortly following the divorce, Ball bought out Desiï¿½s share of Desilu and became the company president. That made her the first woman to become president of a production company. Desi and Lucy remained friends until his death in 1986. Moving on In 1961, Ball married comedian Gary Morton; the couple remained married until her death in 1989.

Following I Love Lucy, she made a few more movies, including Yours, Mine and Ours with Henry Fonda in 1968, and Mame in 1974. However, Ball`s true home was on the small screen, where audiences loved her the most. She produced two more successful sitcoms. From 1962 to 1968, she starred in The Lucy Show with her friend and past co-star, Vivian Vance. Carol Burnett and Ball were good friends; Burnett appeared on The Lucy Show several times. Hereï¿½s Lucy, which featured Ball`s real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., ran from 1968 to 1974. Ball attempted to revive her television career during the 1980s with a dramatic television movie, Stone Pillow, in 1985, which was well received. However, her 1986 Life With Lucy was a flop and was canceled less than two months into its run. That pitched her into a deep depression, and, other than a few public appearnces, she dropped out of the public eye.

A star with flaming red hair is snuffed out Lucille Ball died on April 26, 1989, of a ruptured aorta at the age of 77. Her remains were originally interred in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, but her children later moved them to the Lake View Cemetery, in Jamestown, New York. The consummate comedienne was inducted into the National Women`s Hall of Fame in 2002. Off-site search results for "Lucille Ball"... Home With 'I Love Lucy' History For Sale Home With 'I Love Lucy' History For Sale {{article.article.images.featured.caption}} Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Full Bio The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. Loading ... This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}. Subscribe Photos: Photo Archive/Getty Images; Nick Springett (2) Well-loved stars of the beloved TV show, “I Love Lucy,” Lucille and Desi Arnaz once lived in this large, classic Hollywood Hills home that is now for sale.

The couple reportedly lived in 602 N Roxbury St while their house down the street was being constructed. Built in the mid-1920s, this Spanish-style stunner has been renovated to exceed modern expectations. The 6-bedroom, 7-bathroom home is 4,126 square feet and has been updated in a tasteful and thoroughly modern manner. A formal entrance, step-down dining room, entertaining space and a contemporary eat-in kitchen occupy the first floor. The bathrooms have been updated with modern, nearly futuristic toilets and basins, fully-tiled walls and sleek showers. Three sets of French doors open onto a lovely loggia and patio which features a pool and outdoor fireplace. The landscaped lawn is perfect for entertaining. There is a five-car garage and gated motor court. Guests can stay in a lovely guest home on the third of an acre property. Arnaz and Ball, who were married in real life for 20 years from 1940-1960, played husband and wife on the long-running classic comedy show “I Love Lucy.” Ball was born in Jamestown, NY but came to Hollywood in the 1930s to pursue her acting career.

In 1948, Ball auditioned for a CBS radio show called “My Favorite Husband” and was cast as the wife. The radio program was a hit and in 1951 turned into the beloved “I Love Lucy” television program, which ran until 1957. The program then morphed into The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. The house with classic mid-century Hollywood pedigree and contemporary amenities is currently listed for $6.985 million. The Agency in Beverly Hills holds the listing , which was first announced in the Los Angeles Times. Desilu Studios | Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy Race Desilu Studios Desilu Studios is devoted to the “I Love Lucy” TV series. It is home of original props, costumes, memorabilia and more. Inside, you’ll also find complete re-creations of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo’s New York City apartment and the Hollywood hotel suite where Lucy pantomimed with Harpo Marx and set her nose on fire with William Holden! You’ll also find an interactive Vitameatavegamin set, a screening area, and showcases filled with vintage memorabilia as well as costumes that were worn on the show.

I Love Lucy Sets Desilu Studios is the permanent home of the “I Love Lucy” 50th Anniversary Tour Sets that traveled the country in 2001-2002 to celebrate the most popular show ever on television. Exhibited at convention centers, state fairs, music festivals, casinos, and more, it featured exact reproductions of the original sets. Following the tour, the exhibit was stored in Houston, Texas until it was moved to Jamestown, NY. This acquisition, and its installation as a significant attraction, was made possible by funding from William and Mary Rapaport. In the summer of 2005, five 53’ tractor trailers moved the exhibit to Lucille Ball’s hometown, where it was installed and named Desilu “Playhouse” after the studio that was rented at 847 Lillian Way in Hollywood to film the first few seasons of “I Love Lucy”. In 2012, the production-focused portion of the Jamestown attraction was renamed “Desilu Studios.” We hope your visit will make you feel like you were a part of the studio action!

I Love Lucy Displays & Exhibits My Favorite Husband Radio Studio Set: When CBS asked Lucille Ball to bring her wildly popular radio program, My Favorite Husband, to the new medium of television, she agreed–as long as her real life husband, Desi Arnaz, could play her television husband. Desi was traveling the country most of the year with his popular Latin band, making it difficult for the Arnazes to achieve their dream of starting a family. CBS declined, believing that the public would not accept this “mixed marriage” of an all-American woman to a Cuban with a heavy accent–despite the fact that the couple had in fact been married for several years. With this one-of-a-kind exhibit, you can pick up the headsets and listen to excerpts from this radio show! “I Love Lucy” Episode #6–“The Audition”: To prove to CBS that the American public would accept them, Lucy and Desi created a vaudeville show that they took on the road in 1950. In one of their touring skits, Lucy plays “The Professor,” trying to break into Desi’s night club act with an audition on her special cello.

After six months of tremendously positive live audience response, Lucy and Desi produced a pilot episode and CBS agreed to Desi’s playing Lucy’s husband. “The Professor” skit was part of the pilot as well as “I Love Lucy” episode #6, “The Audition.” CBS Columbia Square Studio A Door: In 1949, after being converted into a television studio from a radio studio, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz used Studio A for their first TV appearance together, on The Ed Wynn Show. They would return in 1951 to produce a pilot for a new show they were working on, I Love Lucy. Many Hollywood stars of the time (including the cast of I Love Lucy) would step foot through this very door, including Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Gregory Peck, and Red Skelton to name a few. 623 East 68th Street, The New York Apartment: This was Lucy and Ricky Ricardo’s apartment after the birth of Little Ricky.

Their first apartment, which did not have a window over the piano in the living room, was too small for the three of them, so they moved upstairs to a larger apartment (episode #61, “Ricardos Change Apartments”). Extensive research went into recreating the sets you see here. Hollywood prop houses were scoured to find exact replicas of the props, from kitchen items to lamps. (With the Hollywood tradition of recycling props, it is possible that some of our items may have been part of the original show!) Where none existed, new items were created, such as the upholstered furniture and Oriental figurines seen on the mantle. Artifacts: Among the costumes and props on display from “I Love Lucy” are the original cello and professor costume from the show’s pilot and episode 6, “The Audition,” as well as a 13-piece clown outfit and a lion tamer ensemble worn by Pepito, the Spanish Clown in episode 52, “Lucy’s Show Biz Swan Song.” Beverly Palms Hollywood Hotel: When Ricky was cast in the motion picture Don Juan, he took the whole gang (Lucy, Fred, Ethel, Little Ricky, and his mother-in-law) to Hollywood with him.

During this period from 1955-56, the Ricardos lived in the Beverly Palms Hotel. It was on this set that Lucy burned her nose while meeting William Holden. Harpo Marx also re-enacted one of his most famous movie scenes here with Lucy, in what later became one of her favorite episodes, #124, “Harpo Marx.” Wall Mural: Enlarged from a 4×5” image, this wall shows the studio audience at a taping of “I Love Lucy.” Desi Arnaz can be seen (back to camera) “warming up” the audience, and both Lucy and Desi’s mothers are in the top row near the center. “3-Headed Monster”: Lost for years, this is the custom-made editing machine known as the “three headed monster” that film editor Dann Cahn used to edit the most popular show ever on television. Episode #30, “Lucy Does a TV Commercial”: do you pop out at parties? Don’t be tired and listless or unpopular! This hands-on exhibit allows all “Vitameatavegamin” lovers to give it a try. The dialogue is in front of you.

Here you can amuse your fellow visitors with your own version of “Vitameatavegamin.” Live Like Lucy! Bedroom Set: An example of the popularity of the First Couple of Comedy, the “I Love Lucy” bedroom set seen here was advertised in Life magazine in 1953 for $198.00. Purchased in 1953 by Gladys Viola Bladys of Springville, New York, this set was donated to the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center by her son, Don Bladys, in 2004.

Question: Who was Lucille Ball's real-life husband, 1940-1960?
Answer: Desi Arnaz