The Lucy Show
Encyclopedia
The Lucy Show is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS
from 1962 until 1968. It was Lucille Ball
's follow-up to I Love Lucy
. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965-66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon
, who joined the program for its second season, remained. For the first three seasons, Vivian Vance
was the costar. The earliest scripts were entitled The Lucille Ball Show, but all episodes aired with the title The Lucy Show.
Ball won two Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for this show, for the years 1966-67 and 1967-68.
divorced and their final show aired (using the I Love Lucy format), Desilu Studios was struggling. Both The Ann Sothern Show
and Pete and Gladys
starring Harry Morgan
and Cara Williams
had been canceled. The red-headed Williams, in fact, had been promoted as the next Lucille Ball. So that left Desilu with only one hit series in the spring of 1962—The Untouchables
. Arnaz, as President of Desilu Studios, offered Ball an opportunity to return to television in a weekly sitcom. At that time, CBS executives were somewhat dubious as to whether Ball could not only carry a show without Arnaz, but also follow such a landmark series as I Love Lucy. According to Geoffrey Mark Fidelman (author of The Lucy Book - Renaissance Books
), it was "never intended for this program to go beyond a single season." Fidelman also writes in his book that this arrangement was "meant to be a stop-gap measure for the beleaguered studio" and that through the sale of this series, Desilu was able to "force the CBS network to invest in and air other upcoming Desilu products." It would be a strategy that Ball herself would use in the future, where instead of CBS renewing Lucy for another year, Ball would have the final say as to whether she wanted to continue her series. Nevertheless, under Arnaz's encouragement and persuasion, Ball agreed to do the show provided it be shown on Monday nights (the night on which I Love Lucy had aired), and that she would be reunited with Vivian Vance and her writers from I Love Lucy
. CBS agreed to a full season of episodes and The Lucy Show premiered on Monday night, October 1, 1962, at 8:30 P.M.
The show began with Lucille Ball as Lucy Carmichael, a widow
with two children, Chris (Candy Moore
), and Jerry (Jimmy Garrett), living in Danfield, New York, sharing her home with divorce
d friend Vivian Bagley (Vance) and her son, Sherman (Ralph Hart). In order to get Vance to commit to the series, Arnaz acquiesced to her demands for an increase in salary; co-star billing with Ball; a more attractive wardrobe; and, finally, that her character's name be called Vivian. After doing I Love Lucy, she was still being called Ethel by people on the street, much to her unhappiness. Even though the book which the show was based on (Irene Kampen
's Life Without George) centered on a divorcee with children, it was decided early on that the Lucy Carmichael character should instead be a widow, since that was thought to be more acceptable to viewers, especially in those more innocent TV days, where single parents were always widowed. Though a number of TV historians have through the years cited One Day at a Time
’s Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin
) as television's first regular running character who was a divorcée, that accomplishment actually belongs to The Lucy Show’s Vivian Bagley.
In the show's original format, Lucy had been left with a substantial trust fund by her late husband, which was managed during the first season by local banker Mr. Barnsdahl (Charles Lane
). Comedian Dick Martin
, working solo from his long-time partner Dan Rowan, was cast in ten episodes as Lucy's next-door neighbor, Harry Connors, during the show's first season. Character actor Don Briggs was also featured in six episodes as Viv's beau, Eddie Collins. The first season of The Lucy Show fully utilized the talents of Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Martin, Bob Schiller
, and Bob Weiskopf
(the original writers of I Love Lucy) in creating the first season's classic 30 episodes, and it also featured Desi Arnaz as executive producer for fifteen of the first season's thirty shows. At the end of its first season, The Lucy Show did receive rave reviews from the critics and ranked # 5 in the Nielsen ratings. Ball was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Actress In A Series, but lost to Shirley Booth
for the NBC
comedy hit Hazel
. Bolstered by great ratings, the series was renewed for a second year. But many changes were made.
At the beginning of the 1963-64 season, Desi Arnaz resigned as head of Desilu and as the executive producer of The Lucy Show. Ball took over as President of the studio and Elliott Lewis
replaced Arnaz as executive producer of Ball's series. Dick Martin (as Harry), Don Briggs (as Eddie) and Charles Lane (as Mr. Barnsdahl) left the show. The Barnsdahl character was replaced by Theodore J. Mooney
, played by Gale Gordon who would remain with the series for the remainder of its run, surviving the format change. Gordon was to have joined the series at its premiere in 1962, but he was still contractually obligated to his role as Mr. Wilson on Dennis the Menace, where he had replaced the late Joseph Kearns
for the last year of the series. It was later revealed that Ball wasn't happy with Charles Lane because of his difficulty remembering his lines in front of the studio audience, and was very eager to have Gordon join the cast. Lane then became a semi-regular on the CBS-TV sitcom Petticoat Junction
as Homer Bedloe. Even though Dick Martin felt his role of Harry was superfluous, he curiously stated that hiring Gale Gordon was a mistake and that there instead should have been a steady boyfriend written for Lucy. The show became limited in terms of creating fresh situations. Mrs. Carmichael spent so much of her time and effort trying to get Mr. Mooney to allow her to invade the principal of the trust fund for various ideas and projects, that it seemed feasible to have her work for Mooney directly as his secretary, which she eventually did a few years later, after the original format of the series changed.
Under Ball's supervision, beginning with the 1963-64 season, episodes were filmed in color, although they would continue to be broadcast in black and white up until September, 1965. Ball realized that when the series ended its prime-time run, color episodes would command more money when sold to syndication. The second season proved to be just as popular in the ratings, ranking at #6. However, with the addition of Gale Gordon and his cantankerous character of Mr. Mooney, as well as the absence of Arnaz, the quality of the scripts suffered. Also, Vance had grown tired of her weekly commute back and forth between California and her home in Connecticut. She was also unhappy with the way her character's on-screen time was reduced. In fact, Lucy Carmichael's home life as well as her interaction with her children began to be downplayed.
At the end of the second season, a disagreement erupted between Ball and head writers Bob Carroll, Jr. and Madelyn Martin regarding a particular script Ball found inferior. As a result, Carroll and Martin left the series with Weiskopf and Schiller right behind them.
At the beginning of the 1964-65 season, The Lucy Shows original staff changed. Elliott Lewis left the series and was replaced by Jack Donohue
, who also served as director. With the absence of Carroll, Martin, Weiskopf, and Schiller, Ball hired veteran comedy writer Milt Josefsberg
, who had written for Jack Benny
, as script consultant. Under Josefsberg's supervision there were no permanent writers for the series and different writers were employed each week (among them, Garry Marshall
). Ball persuaded Weiskopf and Schiller to return and write four installments.
In an interview for The Lucy Book, Candy Moore stated that around this time there was a feeling among the cast and crew that the series had lost its identity, as well as its continuity, and had begun to lose ground. An example of this was Lucy constantly changing her job situation. Episodes during the second and third season would find Lucy working as a restaurateur, hospital helper, meter maid, and policewoman. Another example was the frequent use of character or featured actors that were used regularly on the show albeit in different roles. During the first two years, actress Carole Cook
started off playing Thelma Green, a friend of Lucy's and Viv's. By the third season, Cook was playing another part - Mrs. Valance, a society lady living in Danfield. From then on, Cook, as well as veteran actress Mary Wickes
, was seen regularly on the show playing a variety of roles, depending on the scripts. Also, actress-comedienne Kathleen Freeman
was seen in three different parts during the second season - as a nurse in "Lucy Plays Florence Nightingale"; a chef in "Lucy and Viv Open A Restaurant"; and as Kathleen, another friend of Lucy's and Viv's, in "Lucy Takes A Job At The Bank" and "Lucy Enters A Baking Contest." In the third season, Freeman was featured as Miss Putnam, a domestic, in the episode "Lucy Gets Her Maid." During the first two seasons, Lucy and Viv were members of the Women's Volunteer Fire Department. By the beginning of the third year, the concept was dropped altogether, and in the installment, "Lucy Gets her Maid", Lucy and Viv became members of The Danfield Art Society.
There were further changes to the series. Vance reduced the number of episodes she appeared in to spend more time on the East Coast with her new husband, literary editor John Dodds. Lucille Ball's friend Ann Sothern
made a number of appearances during 1964 and 1965 as the "Countess Framboise" (née Rosie Harrigan) to fill Vance's absence. The Countess, who had been widowed by the death of her husband, "who left her his noble title and all of his noble debts," was always trying to get some money to pay off said debts. So she also did battle with Mr. Mooney, whom she called "Mr. Money." Because it was known that Vance would be leaving the series, Sothern was proposed as the new co-star, but it did not come to be. Apparently Sothern wanted to share top billing with Ball. She did not want to be an under-billed co-star. This was not acceptable to Ball and, though Sothern did make three more guest appearances during the following (1965-66) season, the idea of her becoming a series regular was abandoned.
Even though Candy Moore, Jimmy Garrett, and Ralph Hart were still contracted to the series, they were used minimally during the third year. In the spring of 1965, Vance wanted to quit the show. Ball desperately hoped she would change her mind, but Vance remained adamant and left the sitcom.
As a result, the 1965-66 season saw the format of The Lucy Show change dramatically. In the first episode of the season, Lucy and Jerry Carmichael and Mr. Mooney moved from Danfield to California
, where Lucy began working for Mr. Mooney at the bank, first part-time, and then full-time. Lucy's daughter Chris was said to have gone away to college and was subsequently not mentioned again. It was explained that Vance's character (Vivian Bagley) remarried and that she, along with her son Sherman and her new husband, remained in Danfield, although she would return for a few guest appearances towards the end of the series' run. Candy Moore (as Chris) and Ralph Hart (as Sherman) were dropped from the cast. Jimmy Garrett (as Jerry) would make only two appearances that year to help with the transition before he, too, was phased out of the series.
In the fourth season premiere episode, "Lucy at Marineland," Jerry was quickly shipped off to a military academy. He made one final appearance, in a Christmas-themed episode, near the conclusion of the 1965-66 season. Sothern made three more guest appearances as The Countess (a.k.a Rosie) and Joan Blondell
guest-starred in two episodes as Lucy's new friend Joan Brenner. However, Ball felt there was no chemistry between her and Blondell. As soon as she finished filming her second appearance on The Lucy Show, Blondell walked off the set when Ball (who had been known to be critical in front of a studio audience) humiliated her by harshly criticizing her performance in front of the studio audience and technicians. Finally, Lucy gained a new best friend in Mary Jane Lewis, played by Mary Jane Croft
, who had occasionally worked with Lucy over the years. In 1957, Croft had joined the cast of I Love Lucy during its final season playing Lucy Ricardo's new friend and neighbor Betty Ramsey. Croft then portrayed Lucy Carmichael's friend Audrey Simmons during the 1962-64 first format episodes of The Lucy Show and, in real life, was the wife of former producer Elliott Lewis
. Even though Croft's main purpose was to replace Vance, she did not get co-star billing, and like Roy Roberts
, who played Mooney's boss (Mr. Cheever) at the bank, she received featured billing despite being a regular character.
By January of 1966, all references to Lucy Carmichael's children, her trust fund from her late husband's estate, and her former life in Danfield were eradicated. As a result, Lucy Carmichael was firmly established as a single woman living in Los Angeles. An interesting concept was developed that season with Lucy working in films disguised as a stunt man using the name "Iron Man" Carmichael for three episodes ("Lucy The Stunt Man", "Lucy and the Return Of Iron Man", and "Lucy and Bob Crane"). However, the idea was quickly dropped and never used again.
Overall, the fourth season is regarded as being the weakest with the quality of the scripts vacillating week to week from being good to mediocre at best. Nevertheless, the show continued to receive excellent ratings and in the spring of 1966, Ball received her second Emmy nomination for The Lucy Show, losing this time to Mary Tyler Moore
for The Dick Van Dyke Show
.
For the next two seasons, the show greatly improved due to the many famous stars making guest appearances, usually playing themselves, in storylines involving their encountering Lucy while conducting bank business. This essentially turned the show into a "skit-com" as opposed to a traditional sitcom. For the 1966-67 season, Gale Gordon was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, but lost to Don Knotts
, who won for the episode "The Return of Barney Fife" on The Andy Griffith Show
. After eleven years, Ball was finally awarded an Emmy as Best Actress In A Comedy Series (She had won her first two - as Best Comedienne in 1953 and as Best Actress in a Continuing Performance in 1956 for I Love Lucy).
During the 1967-68 season, Ball's second husband, Gary Morton
, became executive producer of The Lucy Show. Lucille Ball sold Desilu Productions
(which owned and produced The Lucy Show) to Gulf and Western Industries, which meant that she no longer owned the series. In the spring of 1968, The Lucy Show won Emmy nominations for Best Comedy Series, Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Gordon). This time, Gordon lost the award to Werner Klemperer
of Hogan's Heroes
, and the show itself lost the Best Comedy Series Award to the NBC sitcom Get Smart
. For the second straight year, Ball was awarded the coveted statuette. At the end of its sixth season, The Lucy Show posted its highest Nielsen rating, ranking at #2.
In the fall of 1968, rather than continue to star in a show she no longer owned, Ball opted to create a new series, Here's Lucy
. This series featured herself and her two children, Lucie Arnaz
and Desi Arnaz, Jr.
, as well as Gordon, Croft, and Vance (in occasional guest appearances) playing "new" characters (though the returning actors played characters similar to their characters on the former series). Like I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy also ran on CBS for six seasons.
The credits list the show's basis as the novel Life Without George, by Irene Kampen
. This book was a collection of humorous pieces about two divorced women and their children living together. A next-door airline pilot neighbor, Harry Connors, became a character in the series played by Dick Martin
. The character of Chris, Lucy's daughter in the series, had the same name in the book. In a later volume of essays, Nobody Calls at This Hour Just To Say Hello, Kampen wrote a piece entitled "How Not to Meet Lucille Ball," which detailed her efforts to meet Lucy when she visited Los Angeles. Ms. Kampen and Ms. Ball never met.
, Carol Burnett
, George Burns
, Joan Crawford
, Tennessee Ernie Ford
, Dean Martin
, Frankie Avalon
, Wayne Newton
, Robert Stack
, Mel Tormé
, John Vivyan
, Jack Cassidy
, Clint Walker
and John Wayne
. Many lesser-known actors also guest starred, such as Patrick McVey
.
The episode featuring Joan Crawford
, "Lucy and the Lost Star", caused much celebrity fodder given Ball and Crawford's very public feud during the filming. According to Ball, Crawford was often drunk on the set and could not remember her lines. Ball was said to have requested several times to replace Crawford with Gloria Swanson
, who was supposed to have filled the role originally but bowed out due to health reasons. Crawford was so upset that at one point, she wouldn't leave her dressing room. According to Ball's friend, singer-comedienne Kaye Ballard
, it was Vanda Barra, a featured actress frequently used on The Lucy Show, who finally persuaded Crawford to continue with the show by giving her a much needed pep talk. As a result, Crawford sailed through the filming with nary a flaw.
The 1966 episode featuring Dean Martin (in which Lucy Carmichael accepted a blind date with Dean Martin's lookalike stunt double
, but when he could not make it, the real Dean Martin took his place on the date with Lucy) was described by Ball as her favorite episode of the series.
Lucie Arnaz, Ball’s daughter, appeared in several episodes of the show during its run: she was an extra in the first season’s third episode, "Lucy Is a Referee," the teenage best friend of Chris in "Lucy Is a Soda Jerk" and "Lucy Is a Chaperone" (though she was only 11 at the time), and later as one of her mother’s friends in the 1967 "Lucy and Robert Goulet" (although she was only 16). She was also seen briefly as a teen walking past Lucy and Mr. Mooney in the episode "Lucy and the Ring a Ding Ring.
The theme music was composed by Wilbur Hatch
, who was the show's musical director, a role he also performed on Ball's previous series I Love Lucy
.
An episode from the 1966-67 season called "Lucy Flies to London" served as the basis for a standalone one-hour special called Lucy in London
, which featured Ball with guest stars Anthony Newley
and the Dave Clark Five. Much of the "Lucy Flies to London" episode, which centered around Lucy’s lack of experience in air travel, was based on an unsold pilot written and shot in 1960.
The two special episodes to feature Ethel Merman
("Lucy Teaches Ethel Merman to Sing" and "Ethel Merman and the Boy Scout Show") were originally just one episode, "Lucy Teaches Ethel Merman to Sing". According to Geoffrey Mark Fidelman, author of The Lucy Book, this installment was a consolation prize to Merman after her Desilu-produced pilot, Maggie Brown, was rejected as a regular series by CBS. The plot was much as it remains today with Lucy and Viv trying to pass off Agnes Schmidlap as Ethel Merman, not really knowing that it is Ethel Merman, and Lucy attempts to teach her how to sing. In the original version, Lucy's voice lesson scene with Merman (which was lifted from the previous season's episode "Lucy's Barbershop Quartet" in which Hans Conreid was the instructor and Lucy the pupil) was much shorter than it is today and that episode ended with the Boy Scout show, with Jerry Carmichael hosting, Sherman Bagley dancing, and Lucy joining Viv for a brand new version of Merman's great hit "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better". But then, Desilu Productions
thought that maybe too much had been crammed into one half hour and since Ball and Vance (who both were great friends of Merman) were having such a marvelous time working with the legendary Broadway belter, they decided to expand it into two episodes, thereby taking advantage of Merman's formidable talents. So, a second filming was scheduled. In Part 1, Ethel was to be the houseguest of Lucy and Viv for a few weeks, and then in Part 2, a full blown episode was created that included scenes of Lucy once again, trying to get into the act. An all new Boy Scout Show was filmed also, with Jerry once again hosting, Sherman dancing, and Lucy, Viv, and Ethel, this time joined by Mr. Mooney, singing and dancing through a history of show business.
Just like I Love Lucy
, The Lucy Show never dropped out of the top 10 for its entire run.
The fourth and sixth seasons drew the highest ratings, and the fifth and sixth seasons garnered Emmy awards for the star.
episodes available on DVD and/or VHS (2 episodes from the first season, 21 from the fifth season, and 7 from the sixth season). These episodes have been released by different companies like Vintage Home Entertainment, Alpha Video, Digiview and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment.
CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount
) has released the first four seasons on DVD in Region 1, as of April 26, 2011. CBS announced that all the episodes have been remastered using the original 35mm negatives.
The first three official DVD releases allow you to view the original openings, closings, and cast commercials directly in the episode, while the fourth season DVD release does not allow you to view vintage elements directly in the episodes.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from 1962 until 1968. It was Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
's follow-up to I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965-66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy, The Lucy Show...
, who joined the program for its second season, remained. For the first three seasons, Vivian Vance
Vivian Vance
Vivian Roberta Jones was an American television and theater actress and singer. Often referred to as “TV’s most beloved second banana,” she is best known for her role as Ethel Mertz, sidekick to Lucille Ball on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy, and as Vivian Bagley on The Lucy...
was the costar. The earliest scripts were entitled The Lucille Ball Show, but all episodes aired with the title The Lucy Show.
Ball won two Emmy Awards as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for this show, for the years 1966-67 and 1967-68.
Premise
In 1962, two years after Lucille Ball and Desi ArnazDesi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
divorced and their final show aired (using the I Love Lucy format), Desilu Studios was struggling. Both The Ann Sothern Show
The Ann Sothern Show
The Ann Sothern Show is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for 93 episodes. The series began on October 6, 1958, and ended on September 25, 1961. The Ann Sothern Show was Sothern's second sitcom for CBS...
and Pete and Gladys
Pete and Gladys
Pete and Gladys is an American situation comedy broadcast by CBS on Monday night at 8:00pm Eastern and Pacific time for two seasons, beginning on September 19, 1960...
starring Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
and Cara Williams
Cara Williams
Cara Williams is an American film and television actress.-Biography:Born as Bernice Kamiat to an Austrian emigrant father and a mother of Romanian descent, she began her screen acting career in 1941, and was initially billed as Bernice Kay...
had been canceled. The red-headed Williams, in fact, had been promoted as the next Lucille Ball. So that left Desilu with only one hit series in the spring of 1962—The Untouchables
The Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
. Arnaz, as President of Desilu Studios, offered Ball an opportunity to return to television in a weekly sitcom. At that time, CBS executives were somewhat dubious as to whether Ball could not only carry a show without Arnaz, but also follow such a landmark series as I Love Lucy. According to Geoffrey Mark Fidelman (author of The Lucy Book - Renaissance Books
Renaissance Books
Renaissance Books is a large independent bookstore in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, specializing in used books. Founded in the early 1960s by George John and Erwin Just, it is now owned by Robert John, George's younger brother...
), it was "never intended for this program to go beyond a single season." Fidelman also writes in his book that this arrangement was "meant to be a stop-gap measure for the beleaguered studio" and that through the sale of this series, Desilu was able to "force the CBS network to invest in and air other upcoming Desilu products." It would be a strategy that Ball herself would use in the future, where instead of CBS renewing Lucy for another year, Ball would have the final say as to whether she wanted to continue her series. Nevertheless, under Arnaz's encouragement and persuasion, Ball agreed to do the show provided it be shown on Monday nights (the night on which I Love Lucy had aired), and that she would be reunited with Vivian Vance and her writers from I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
. CBS agreed to a full season of episodes and The Lucy Show premiered on Monday night, October 1, 1962, at 8:30 P.M.
The show began with Lucille Ball as Lucy Carmichael, a widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
with two children, Chris (Candy Moore
Candy Moore
Candy Moore is an American actress from Maplewood, New Jersey. Moore began her career on television series such as Leave It to Beaver and Letter to Loretta. When she was asked to play the role of Chris Carmichael on The Lucy Show, she could not resist...
), and Jerry (Jimmy Garrett), living in Danfield, New York, sharing her home with divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d friend Vivian Bagley (Vance) and her son, Sherman (Ralph Hart). In order to get Vance to commit to the series, Arnaz acquiesced to her demands for an increase in salary; co-star billing with Ball; a more attractive wardrobe; and, finally, that her character's name be called Vivian. After doing I Love Lucy, she was still being called Ethel by people on the street, much to her unhappiness. Even though the book which the show was based on (Irene Kampen
Irene Kampen
Irene Kampen was an American newspaperwoman and writer who wrote several books about events in her life....
's Life Without George) centered on a divorcee with children, it was decided early on that the Lucy Carmichael character should instead be a widow, since that was thought to be more acceptable to viewers, especially in those more innocent TV days, where single parents were always widowed. Though a number of TV historians have through the years cited One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time
One Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
’s Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin
Bonnie Franklin
Bonnie Gail Franklin is an American actress, best known for her starring role in the television series One Day at a Time.-Personal life:...
) as television's first regular running character who was a divorcée, that accomplishment actually belongs to The Lucy Show’s Vivian Bagley.
In the show's original format, Lucy had been left with a substantial trust fund by her late husband, which was managed during the first season by local banker Mr. Barnsdahl (Charles Lane
Charles Lane (actor)
Charles Gerstle Levison , better known as Charles Lane, was an American character actor seen in many movies and TV shows, and at the time of his death may have been the oldest living professional American actor. Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including You Can't Take It With You , Mr...
). Comedian Dick Martin
Dick Martin (comedian)
Thomas Richard "Dick" Martin was an American comedian and director, best known for his role as the cohost of the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.-Early life and career:...
, working solo from his long-time partner Dan Rowan, was cast in ten episodes as Lucy's next-door neighbor, Harry Connors, during the show's first season. Character actor Don Briggs was also featured in six episodes as Viv's beau, Eddie Collins. The first season of The Lucy Show fully utilized the talents of Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Martin, Bob Schiller
Bob Schiller
Bob Schiller is an American screenwriter, most notably for the television series I Love Lucy and All in the Family . For the latter series, he received an Emmy Award in 1978 as one of the writers of the episode "Cousin Liz".Schiller, born in San Francisco, California, began writing for television...
, and Bob Weiskopf
Bob Weiskopf
Bob Weiskopf 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...
(the original writers of I Love Lucy) in creating the first season's classic 30 episodes, and it also featured Desi Arnaz as executive producer for fifteen of the first season's thirty shows. At the end of its first season, The Lucy Show did receive rave reviews from the critics and ranked # 5 in the Nielsen ratings. Ball was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Actress In A Series, but lost to Shirley Booth
Shirley Booth
Shirley Booth was an American actress.Primarily a theatre actress, Booth's Broadway career began in 1925. Her most significant success was as Lola Delaney, in the drama Come Back, Little Sheba, for which she received a Tony Award in 1950...
for the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy hit Hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
. Bolstered by great ratings, the series was renewed for a second year. But many changes were made.
At the beginning of the 1963-64 season, Desi Arnaz resigned as head of Desilu and as the executive producer of The Lucy Show. Ball took over as President of the studio and Elliott Lewis
Elliott Lewis
Sir Neil Elliott Lewis, KCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of Tasmania on three occasions. He was also a member of the first Australian federal ministry, led by Edmund Barton....
replaced Arnaz as executive producer of Ball's series. Dick Martin (as Harry), Don Briggs (as Eddie) and Charles Lane (as Mr. Barnsdahl) left the show. The Barnsdahl character was replaced by Theodore J. Mooney
Theodore J. Mooney
Theodore J. Mooney is a fictional character on the 1960s CBS situation comedy The Lucy Show, he was portrayed by Gale Gordon.Mooney was the president of the local bank in Lucy Carmichael's hometown of Danfield. As such, he was also the trustee of an apparently sizable trust fund of which the...
, played by Gale Gordon who would remain with the series for the remainder of its run, surviving the format change. Gordon was to have joined the series at its premiere in 1962, but he was still contractually obligated to his role as Mr. Wilson on Dennis the Menace, where he had replaced the late Joseph Kearns
Joseph Kearns
Joseph Sherrard Kearns was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson in the CBS television series Dennis the Menace from 1959 until his death in 1962.-Biography:...
for the last year of the series. It was later revealed that Ball wasn't happy with Charles Lane because of his difficulty remembering his lines in front of the studio audience, and was very eager to have Gordon join the cast. Lane then became a semi-regular on the CBS-TV sitcom Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series...
as Homer Bedloe. Even though Dick Martin felt his role of Harry was superfluous, he curiously stated that hiring Gale Gordon was a mistake and that there instead should have been a steady boyfriend written for Lucy. The show became limited in terms of creating fresh situations. Mrs. Carmichael spent so much of her time and effort trying to get Mr. Mooney to allow her to invade the principal of the trust fund for various ideas and projects, that it seemed feasible to have her work for Mooney directly as his secretary, which she eventually did a few years later, after the original format of the series changed.
Under Ball's supervision, beginning with the 1963-64 season, episodes were filmed in color, although they would continue to be broadcast in black and white up until September, 1965. Ball realized that when the series ended its prime-time run, color episodes would command more money when sold to syndication. The second season proved to be just as popular in the ratings, ranking at #6. However, with the addition of Gale Gordon and his cantankerous character of Mr. Mooney, as well as the absence of Arnaz, the quality of the scripts suffered. Also, Vance had grown tired of her weekly commute back and forth between California and her home in Connecticut. She was also unhappy with the way her character's on-screen time was reduced. In fact, Lucy Carmichael's home life as well as her interaction with her children began to be downplayed.
At the end of the second season, a disagreement erupted between Ball and head writers Bob Carroll, Jr. and Madelyn Martin regarding a particular script Ball found inferior. As a result, Carroll and Martin left the series with Weiskopf and Schiller right behind them.
At the beginning of the 1964-65 season, The Lucy Shows original staff changed. Elliott Lewis left the series and was replaced by Jack Donohue
Jack Donohue
Jack Donohue may refer to:*Jack Donohue , Canadian basketball coach*Jack Donohue , American film director, see Chico and the Man*Molly Maguires's member, John "Yellow Jack" Donahue...
, who also served as director. With the absence of Carroll, Martin, Weiskopf, and Schiller, Ball hired veteran comedy writer Milt Josefsberg
Milt Josefsberg
Milt Josefsberg was a radio writer for Jack Benny and later for many television sitcoms, such as Archie Bunker's Place, All in the Family, Here's Lucy, The Lucy Show and The Jack Benny Show. He wrote books on the Jack Benny Show and comedy writing.-External links:*...
, who had written for Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
, as script consultant. Under Josefsberg's supervision there were no permanent writers for the series and different writers were employed each week (among them, Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
). Ball persuaded Weiskopf and Schiller to return and write four installments.
In an interview for The Lucy Book, Candy Moore stated that around this time there was a feeling among the cast and crew that the series had lost its identity, as well as its continuity, and had begun to lose ground. An example of this was Lucy constantly changing her job situation. Episodes during the second and third season would find Lucy working as a restaurateur, hospital helper, meter maid, and policewoman. Another example was the frequent use of character or featured actors that were used regularly on the show albeit in different roles. During the first two years, actress Carole Cook
Carole Cook
Carole Cook is an American actress. She has appeared in many theatrical productions, in films and on television.Born as Mildred Frances Cook, she was a protege of Lucille Ball. Ball gave her the stage name of "Carole", after her friend Carole Lombard because, Ball reportedly told Cook, "you have...
started off playing Thelma Green, a friend of Lucy's and Viv's. By the third season, Cook was playing another part - Mrs. Valance, a society lady living in Danfield. From then on, Cook, as well as veteran actress Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes
Mary Wickes was an American film and television actress.-Career:Wickes was born as Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, of German Irish Protestant extraction. She graduated at the age of eighteen with a degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis, where she...
, was seen regularly on the show playing a variety of roles, depending on the scripts. Also, actress-comedienne Kathleen Freeman
Kathleen Freeman
Kathleen Freeman was an American film, television, and stage actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed tart maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors, almost invariably to comic effect.-Early life:Freeman was born in Chicago, Illinois...
was seen in three different parts during the second season - as a nurse in "Lucy Plays Florence Nightingale"; a chef in "Lucy and Viv Open A Restaurant"; and as Kathleen, another friend of Lucy's and Viv's, in "Lucy Takes A Job At The Bank" and "Lucy Enters A Baking Contest." In the third season, Freeman was featured as Miss Putnam, a domestic, in the episode "Lucy Gets Her Maid." During the first two seasons, Lucy and Viv were members of the Women's Volunteer Fire Department. By the beginning of the third year, the concept was dropped altogether, and in the installment, "Lucy Gets her Maid", Lucy and Viv became members of The Danfield Art Society.
There were further changes to the series. Vance reduced the number of episodes she appeared in to spend more time on the East Coast with her new husband, literary editor John Dodds. Lucille Ball's friend Ann Sothern
Ann Sothern
Ann Sothern was an American film and television actress whose career spanned six decades.-Early life and career:...
made a number of appearances during 1964 and 1965 as the "Countess Framboise" (née Rosie Harrigan) to fill Vance's absence. The Countess, who had been widowed by the death of her husband, "who left her his noble title and all of his noble debts," was always trying to get some money to pay off said debts. So she also did battle with Mr. Mooney, whom she called "Mr. Money." Because it was known that Vance would be leaving the series, Sothern was proposed as the new co-star, but it did not come to be. Apparently Sothern wanted to share top billing with Ball. She did not want to be an under-billed co-star. This was not acceptable to Ball and, though Sothern did make three more guest appearances during the following (1965-66) season, the idea of her becoming a series regular was abandoned.
Even though Candy Moore, Jimmy Garrett, and Ralph Hart were still contracted to the series, they were used minimally during the third year. In the spring of 1965, Vance wanted to quit the show. Ball desperately hoped she would change her mind, but Vance remained adamant and left the sitcom.
As a result, the 1965-66 season saw the format of The Lucy Show change dramatically. In the first episode of the season, Lucy and Jerry Carmichael and Mr. Mooney moved from Danfield to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where Lucy began working for Mr. Mooney at the bank, first part-time, and then full-time. Lucy's daughter Chris was said to have gone away to college and was subsequently not mentioned again. It was explained that Vance's character (Vivian Bagley) remarried and that she, along with her son Sherman and her new husband, remained in Danfield, although she would return for a few guest appearances towards the end of the series' run. Candy Moore (as Chris) and Ralph Hart (as Sherman) were dropped from the cast. Jimmy Garrett (as Jerry) would make only two appearances that year to help with the transition before he, too, was phased out of the series.
In the fourth season premiere episode, "Lucy at Marineland," Jerry was quickly shipped off to a military academy. He made one final appearance, in a Christmas-themed episode, near the conclusion of the 1965-66 season. Sothern made three more guest appearances as The Countess (a.k.a Rosie) and Joan Blondell
Joan Blondell
Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for five decades as Joan Blondell.After winning a beauty pageant, Blondell embarked upon a film career...
guest-starred in two episodes as Lucy's new friend Joan Brenner. However, Ball felt there was no chemistry between her and Blondell. As soon as she finished filming her second appearance on The Lucy Show, Blondell walked off the set when Ball (who had been known to be critical in front of a studio audience) humiliated her by harshly criticizing her performance in front of the studio audience and technicians. Finally, Lucy gained a new best friend in Mary Jane Lewis, played by Mary Jane Croft
Mary Jane Croft
Mary Jane Croft was an American actress best known for her roles as Betty Ramsey on I Love Lucy, Mary Jane Lewis on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, and Clara Randolph on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet....
, who had occasionally worked with Lucy over the years. In 1957, Croft had joined the cast of I Love Lucy during its final season playing Lucy Ricardo's new friend and neighbor Betty Ramsey. Croft then portrayed Lucy Carmichael's friend Audrey Simmons during the 1962-64 first format episodes of The Lucy Show and, in real life, was the wife of former producer Elliott Lewis
Elliott Lewis
Sir Neil Elliott Lewis, KCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of Tasmania on three occasions. He was also a member of the first Australian federal ministry, led by Edmund Barton....
. Even though Croft's main purpose was to replace Vance, she did not get co-star billing, and like Roy Roberts
Roy Roberts
Roy Roberts was an American character actor. Over his more than 40-year career, he appeared in more than nine hundred productions on stage and screen.-Biography:...
, who played Mooney's boss (Mr. Cheever) at the bank, she received featured billing despite being a regular character.
By January of 1966, all references to Lucy Carmichael's children, her trust fund from her late husband's estate, and her former life in Danfield were eradicated. As a result, Lucy Carmichael was firmly established as a single woman living in Los Angeles. An interesting concept was developed that season with Lucy working in films disguised as a stunt man using the name "Iron Man" Carmichael for three episodes ("Lucy The Stunt Man", "Lucy and the Return Of Iron Man", and "Lucy and Bob Crane"). However, the idea was quickly dropped and never used again.
Overall, the fourth season is regarded as being the weakest with the quality of the scripts vacillating week to week from being good to mediocre at best. Nevertheless, the show continued to receive excellent ratings and in the spring of 1966, Ball received her second Emmy nomination for The Lucy Show, losing this time to Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as...
for The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
.
For the next two seasons, the show greatly improved due to the many famous stars making guest appearances, usually playing themselves, in storylines involving their encountering Lucy while conducting bank business. This essentially turned the show into a "skit-com" as opposed to a traditional sitcom. For the 1966-67 season, Gale Gordon was nominated for an Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, but lost to Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
, who won for the episode "The Return of Barney Fife" on The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
. After eleven years, Ball was finally awarded an Emmy as Best Actress In A Comedy Series (She had won her first two - as Best Comedienne in 1953 and as Best Actress in a Continuing Performance in 1956 for I Love Lucy).
During the 1967-68 season, Ball's second husband, Gary Morton
Gary Morton
Gary Morton was the second husband of Lucille Ball. He was a stand-up comedian, whose primary venues were the hotels and resorts of the Borscht Belt in upstate New York.-Relationship with Lucille Ball:...
, became executive producer of The Lucy Show. Lucille Ball sold Desilu Productions
Desilu Productions
Desilu Productions was a Los Angeles, California-based company jointly owned by actors Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, who were married to each other from 1940 to 1960....
(which owned and produced The Lucy Show) to Gulf and Western Industries, which meant that she no longer owned the series. In the spring of 1968, The Lucy Show won Emmy nominations for Best Comedy Series, Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Gordon). This time, Gordon lost the award to Werner Klemperer
Werner Klemperer
Werner Klemperer was a comedic and dramatic actor, best known for his role as Colonel Klink on the CBS television sitcom, Hogan's Heroes.-Early life:...
of Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
, and the show itself lost the Best Comedy Series Award to the NBC sitcom Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
. For the second straight year, Ball was awarded the coveted statuette. At the end of its sixth season, The Lucy Show posted its highest Nielsen rating, ranking at #2.
In the fall of 1968, rather than continue to star in a show she no longer owned, Ball opted to create a new series, Here's Lucy
Here's Lucy
Here's Lucy is Lucille Ball's third network television sitcom. It ran on CBS from 1968 to 1974.-Background:Though The Lucy Show was still hugely popular during the previous season, finishing in the top five of the Nielsen Ratings , Ball opted to end that series at the end of that season and create...
. This series featured herself and her two children, Lucie Arnaz
Lucie Arnaz
Lucie Désirée Arnaz is an American actress, singer, dancer and producer. She is the daughter of actors Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and is the sister of actor Desi Arnaz, Jr..- Early life :...
and Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr. , is an American actor and musician and the son of entertainers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.-Early life:...
, as well as Gordon, Croft, and Vance (in occasional guest appearances) playing "new" characters (though the returning actors played characters similar to their characters on the former series). Like I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy also ran on CBS for six seasons.
The credits list the show's basis as the novel Life Without George, by Irene Kampen
Irene Kampen
Irene Kampen was an American newspaperwoman and writer who wrote several books about events in her life....
. This book was a collection of humorous pieces about two divorced women and their children living together. A next-door airline pilot neighbor, Harry Connors, became a character in the series played by Dick Martin
Dick Martin (comedian)
Thomas Richard "Dick" Martin was an American comedian and director, best known for his role as the cohost of the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.-Early life and career:...
. The character of Chris, Lucy's daughter in the series, had the same name in the book. In a later volume of essays, Nobody Calls at This Hour Just To Say Hello, Kampen wrote a piece entitled "How Not to Meet Lucille Ball," which detailed her efforts to meet Lucy when she visited Los Angeles. Ms. Kampen and Ms. Ball never met.
Notable guest stars
From the 1965-66 season onward, with the change in format, a number of famous celebrities guest starred on The Lucy Show, usually playing themselves (under the premise that the Lucy Carmichael character, now living in Hollywood, crossed paths with them, either in her day-to-day life, or through her job at the bank). Famous guest stars included Jack BennyJack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
, Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
, George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
, Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
, Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment...
, Robert Stack
Robert Stack
Robert Stack was an American actor. In addition to acting in more than 40 films, he was the star of the 1959-1963 ABC television series The Untouchables and later served as the host of Unsolved Mysteries.-Early life:...
, Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
, John Vivyan
John Vivyan
John Vivyan was an American actor active primarily between 1957 and 1970. He was known for his starring role as the honest debonair gambler in the CBS adventure series Mr. Lucky.-Early life and career:Born John C...
, Jack Cassidy
Jack Cassidy
John Joseph Edward “Jack” Cassidy was an American actor of stage, film and screen.His frequent professional persona was that of an urbane, super-confident egotist with a dramatic flair, much in the manner of Broadway actor Frank Fay...
, Clint Walker
Clint Walker
Norman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker , is an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.-Life and career:...
and John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. Many lesser-known actors also guest starred, such as Patrick McVey
Patrick McVey
Patrick McVey was an American actor who starred in three television series between 1950 and 1961, Big Town, Boots and Saddles, and Manhunt.-Early life and career:...
.
The episode featuring Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
, "Lucy and the Lost Star", caused much celebrity fodder given Ball and Crawford's very public feud during the filming. According to Ball, Crawford was often drunk on the set and could not remember her lines. Ball was said to have requested several times to replace Crawford with Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
, who was supposed to have filled the role originally but bowed out due to health reasons. Crawford was so upset that at one point, she wouldn't leave her dressing room. According to Ball's friend, singer-comedienne Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard is an American musical theatre and television actress, comedienne, and singer.-Life and career:Ballard was born as Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, to an Italian American family, the daughter of Lena and Vincent James Balotta.Ballard established herself as a musical...
, it was Vanda Barra, a featured actress frequently used on The Lucy Show, who finally persuaded Crawford to continue with the show by giving her a much needed pep talk. As a result, Crawford sailed through the filming with nary a flaw.
Stunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
, but when he could not make it, the real Dean Martin took his place on the date with Lucy) was described by Ball as her favorite episode of the series.
Lucie Arnaz, Ball’s daughter, appeared in several episodes of the show during its run: she was an extra in the first season’s third episode, "Lucy Is a Referee," the teenage best friend of Chris in "Lucy Is a Soda Jerk" and "Lucy Is a Chaperone" (though she was only 11 at the time), and later as one of her mother’s friends in the 1967 "Lucy and Robert Goulet" (although she was only 16). She was also seen briefly as a teen walking past Lucy and Mr. Mooney in the episode "Lucy and the Ring a Ding Ring.
Opening credits
Throughout the series, six openings were used.- During the first season (1962-63), animated stick figures of Ball and Vance were used (similar to the ones used in the original opening sequences of I Love Lucy and of the subsequent 13 hour-long specials later syndicated in reruns as The Lucy-Desi Comedy HourThe Lucy-Desi Comedy HourThe Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour is a CBS television situation comedy. The show is a collection of occasional specials rather than a regular series and originally served as part of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse...
).
- During season two (1963-1964), stills from previous episodes were used.
- During season three (1964-1965), footage from previous episodes were featured. For the six episodes that Vivian Vance did not appear in, the "Co-Starring: Vivian Vance" voiceover, and accompanying text and still of Vivian, were omitted.
- During season four (1965-1966), a kaleidoscope opening in which footage was used of Ball in a kaleidoscope-like pattern. In the first nine episodes of season four a slightly different opening was used (the first two clips of Ball were reversed). In the episodes in which Gale Gordon did not appear, the "Co-Starring: Gale Gordon" voiceover was omitted from the audio track.
- During season five (1966-1967), an additional opening was created at the beginning of the season that featured Lucille Ball as an animated "jack-in-the-box". Ball reportedly hated it, and it was only used in a handful of episodes at the start of the season before being replaced by a slightly revamped version the kaleidoscope opening. However, due to poor editing, the theme music to this opening was left on, while the kaleidoscope opening played, for several of the early 1966 fall episodes.
- During season six (1967-1968), the kaleidoscope opening was used once again, but the theme music was reorchestrated. Also the "Glamor Shot" of Ball at the end of the opening is a different clip than season five. For the episodes that Gale Gordon did not appear in, the "Co-Starring: Gale Gordon" voiceover was omitted from the audio track.
The theme music was composed by Wilbur Hatch
Wilbur Hatch
Wilbur Hatch , was an American music composer who worked primarily in radio and television. He was born in Mokena, Illinois and died in Studio City, California.-Radio:...
, who was the show's musical director, a role he also performed on Ball's previous series I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
.
Unproduced Episodes
There were several scripts written that were never filmed. "Lucy & Viv Fight Over Harry" was set to be produced during the first season, but there were too many production problems and the episode was canceled. During season 2, both "Lucy is a Girl Friday" and "Lucy Plays Basketball" were canceled before filming began as well. The details of these "lost" episodes can be found on the official DVD sets for the first two seasons.Production notes
While filming the 1963 episode "Lucy and Viv Put In A Shower", in which the leading ladies attempted to install a shower stall (but become trapped inside, unable to shut the water off), Ball nearly drowned while performing in the tank of water. She was unable to bring herself back to the surface, and it was Vance who realized there was a problem and pulled her co-star to safety; Vance went on to ad lib until Ball could catch her breath to resume speaking her lines (all the while, cameras continued to film). Neither the film crew nor the live studio audience realized there was a problem.An episode from the 1966-67 season called "Lucy Flies to London" served as the basis for a standalone one-hour special called Lucy in London
Lucy in London
Lucy in London is a 1966 prime-time TV special produced and directed by Steve Binder, co-produced and choreographed by David Winters and sponsored by Monsanto Company...
, which featured Ball with guest stars Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley
Anthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
and the Dave Clark Five. Much of the "Lucy Flies to London" episode, which centered around Lucy’s lack of experience in air travel, was based on an unsold pilot written and shot in 1960.
The two special episodes to feature Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
("Lucy Teaches Ethel Merman to Sing" and "Ethel Merman and the Boy Scout Show") were originally just one episode, "Lucy Teaches Ethel Merman to Sing". According to Geoffrey Mark Fidelman, author of The Lucy Book, this installment was a consolation prize to Merman after her Desilu-produced pilot, Maggie Brown, was rejected as a regular series by CBS. The plot was much as it remains today with Lucy and Viv trying to pass off Agnes Schmidlap as Ethel Merman, not really knowing that it is Ethel Merman, and Lucy attempts to teach her how to sing. In the original version, Lucy's voice lesson scene with Merman (which was lifted from the previous season's episode "Lucy's Barbershop Quartet" in which Hans Conreid was the instructor and Lucy the pupil) was much shorter than it is today and that episode ended with the Boy Scout show, with Jerry Carmichael hosting, Sherman Bagley dancing, and Lucy joining Viv for a brand new version of Merman's great hit "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better". But then, Desilu Productions
Desilu Productions
Desilu Productions was a Los Angeles, California-based company jointly owned by actors Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, who were married to each other from 1940 to 1960....
thought that maybe too much had been crammed into one half hour and since Ball and Vance (who both were great friends of Merman) were having such a marvelous time working with the legendary Broadway belter, they decided to expand it into two episodes, thereby taking advantage of Merman's formidable talents. So, a second filming was scheduled. In Part 1, Ethel was to be the houseguest of Lucy and Viv for a few weeks, and then in Part 2, a full blown episode was created that included scenes of Lucy once again, trying to get into the act. An all new Boy Scout Show was filmed also, with Jerry once again hosting, Sherman dancing, and Lucy, Viv, and Ethel, this time joined by Mr. Mooney, singing and dancing through a history of show business.
Nielsen ratings
- 1962-63: #5 (29.8)
- 1963-64: #6 (28.1)
- 1964-65: #8 (26.6)
- 1965-66: #3 (27.7)
- 1966-67: #4 (26.2)
- 1967-68: #2 (27)
Just like I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, The Lucy Show never dropped out of the top 10 for its entire run.
The fourth and sixth seasons drew the highest ratings, and the fifth and sixth seasons garnered Emmy awards for the star.
DVD releases
Before July 2009, there were only 30 public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
episodes available on DVD and/or VHS (2 episodes from the first season, 21 from the fifth season, and 7 from the sixth season). These episodes have been released by different companies like Vintage Home Entertainment, Alpha Video, Digiview and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment.
CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
) has released the first four seasons on DVD in Region 1, as of April 26, 2011. CBS announced that all the episodes have been remastered using the original 35mm negatives.
The first three official DVD releases allow you to view the original openings, closings, and cast commercials directly in the episode, while the fourth season DVD release does not allow you to view vintage elements directly in the episodes.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release date | Bonus Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Official First Season | 30 | July 21, 2009 |
|
| The Official Second Season | 28 | July 13, 2010 |
|
| The Official Third Season | 26 | November 30, 2010 |
|
| The Official Fourth Season | 26 | April 26, 2011 |
|
| The Official Fifth Season | 22 | December 6, 2011 |
|