She would have been 100 years old today -- Aug. 6 -- but even 22 years after her death at the age of 77, Lucille Ball remains one of the most beloved and gifted comediennes to have ever tickled our collective funny bone. Her iconic sitcom, I Love Lucy, which aired from 1951 to 1960, set the standard for comedic series and was, arguably, the first taste of reality television to hit the small screen.
From her zany antics, slapstick physicality and her fiery marriage to Cuban bandleader Ricky -- who was, of course, her real-life husband Desi Arnaz and who was the perfect straight man to her big-eyed goofiness -- Ball was responsible for many television firsts.
Her Desilu studio, which she owned with Desi (and which she bought from him after their 1960 divorce), produced the show and thus called all the shots. When I Love Lucy ended, Desilu went on to produce many others hit television series, including Our Miss Brooks, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy, The Andy Griffith Show and Star Trek. And Ball continued to act, in several reprise shows as well as other appearances.
She was also the first female head of a production company, and Desilu introduced a number of industry firsts, including the use of several cameras with a live studio audience and the building of adjacent sets for filming. Ball was also among the first television stars to reap the benefits of residuals from syndication.
But Lucille Ball was more than just the madcap character of Lucy Ricardo (who was based on a character from a 1948 radio show she had done), more than just the kooky, fiesty flame-haired wife of the hot-tempered singer. She was also a stage actress, a radio star, a B-movie queen and, of course, a mother to Lucie and Desi Jr. -- she wrote the second pregnancy into the series, and actually gave birth to Desi on the same day that Lucy Ricardo gave birth to Ricky Ricardo Jr. on the show.
And she once starred in the movies alongside with the likes of the Marx Brothers and The Three Stooges.
There are many reasons to celebrate Lucille Ball's centenary, and in my column in today'sVancouver Sun, you'll find just a few of the reasons I love Lucy.
And for those who have forgotten, or maybe have never had the pleasure, check out this video of one of the funniest scenes from I Love Lucy, in which Lucy and her best friend/landlord Ethel Mertz land a job in a candy factory and are assigned to the chocolate-wrapping conveyor best.
This is why they called it the golden age of televison.
From her zany antics, slapstick physicality and her fiery marriage to Cuban bandleader Ricky -- who was, of course, her real-life husband Desi Arnaz and who was the perfect straight man to her big-eyed goofiness -- Ball was responsible for many television firsts.
Her Desilu studio, which she owned with Desi (and which she bought from him after their 1960 divorce), produced the show and thus called all the shots. When I Love Lucy ended, Desilu went on to produce many others hit television series, including Our Miss Brooks, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy, The Andy Griffith Show and Star Trek. And Ball continued to act, in several reprise shows as well as other appearances.
She was also the first female head of a production company, and Desilu introduced a number of industry firsts, including the use of several cameras with a live studio audience and the building of adjacent sets for filming. Ball was also among the first television stars to reap the benefits of residuals from syndication.
And she once starred in the movies alongside with the likes of the Marx Brothers and The Three Stooges.
There are many reasons to celebrate Lucille Ball's centenary, and in my column in today'sVancouver Sun, you'll find just a few of the reasons I love Lucy.
And for those who have forgotten, or maybe have never had the pleasure, check out this video of one of the funniest scenes from I Love Lucy, in which Lucy and her best friend/landlord Ethel Mertz land a job in a candy factory and are assigned to the chocolate-wrapping conveyor best.
This is why they called it the golden age of televison.
