Quote from Lucille Ball

"We try to make a game of our lives--but a game without any fixed or definite pattern. We believe that too many couples allow themselves to become 'settled' and prosaic, and as a result lose the fun which drew them together in the first place, and which keeps romance alive"
- Lucille Ball, circa 1942

You can imagine how romantic and exciting the earlier years of their marriage had been. They fought like mad, and made love like crazy. They loved playing games to test each other's devotion and depth of love.

I suppose that spending too much time together was one of the reasons Desi and Lucille ultimately filed for divorce. Their marriage got routine, and their responsibilities accumulated a great deal. They spent the day working on I Love Lucy, publicity tours, etc., and the night together too. Even the closest couple need a break from each other.

That's why after the divorce, they finally realized they were each other's greatest loves. They had that break, but it was eternal.

Modern Lucille Ball

This is what Lucille Ball would have looked like if she had been born in this era.

Hope you've recognized her.

And hope you've enjoyed it.

The Arnaz Family

I know there are many negative opinions on Desi and especially Lucille that are circulating.In my opinion, given the astounding workload, amounted with the broken childhood, Lucille was the best mother she could ever be. And Desi certainly did spend quality time with his kids even though he was busy with his movie studio and the roles.

I see pictures of Lucille playing with her kids in snow or in the swimming pool, Desi and Lucille having their kids visit the I Love Lucy set, Desi and Lucille holding parties for the kids and taking the kids along on their publicity tours, the Arnaz family touring Hawaii, New York and other states and Europe, celebrating many important occasions together, etc.. And I read interviews where Lucie Arnaz said her mum was always there in the morning to say goodbye when she went to school, and there at the dinner table at night.

Tell me, after reading this, do you still think they were bad parents? Come on, they were the famous Ricky and Lucy Ricardo, how much personal time on their hands do you think they had?

The Ricardos and the Mertzes

The success of I Love Lucy is due to its fundamental principle of love, that love conquers all, that a happy ending ensues. Aren't these what human beings subconsciously aim for? The purpose of living life the way we do is to hope that a happy ending occurs.

No matter how zany Lucy Ricardo's antics are, her husband, Ricky, always forgives her. Her neighbors and best friends, Fred and Ethel Mertz always support her. And it so happens that Ricky's best friend happens to his neighbor, and Lucy's best friend happens to be her neighbor, and they're all paired up.

As long as they are honest people who work hard, it'll entail a good life, good enough to travel to Hollywood and Europe as a foursome.

It's America's dream: the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

I Love Lucy is a global treasure, really.

Lucille Ball's Handwriting

She had beautiful handwriting. So had Desi.

I Love Lucy: The Ballet

One of the classic episodes!

Mary Wickes, the woman who played Madame LeMond in The Ballet, was one of Lucille Ball's closest friends, and also one of the very few people who could really make her laugh (In the 1970s, Lucille wrote a list of the people who could make her laugh on her organizer and Mary Wickes made the list!).

Mary was considered the role of Ethel Mertz, but Mary knew Lucille's character and her working style too well to agree. She believed that if she accepted the role, it would ruin their friendship. She played Madame LeMond really well, didn't she!

Mary also accompanied Lucille on her final visit to Vivian Vance before her death in 1979. While Lucille and Viv chatted, Mary gave them some private time by sitting at a corner. When they drove home from Viv's place, they cried hysterically because it was obvious to them that they would never see Viv alive again. Viv lost her life to cancer thereatfer. 

Lucy and Lucie Arnaz

Photo's rumored to be taken by Desi Arnaz!

Desi took countless pictures and videos of Lucille throughout their marriage. He believed that that was what a loving husband should do: take evidences of his beautiful wife. As a result, they had a whole shelf of home videos and dozens of photo albums. After divorce and throughout her life, Lucille would often go down memory lane and view these media products.

I Love Lucy: The Young Fans

Desi displayed some onscreen comedic talent with his "Please keep jiggling, Peggy, keep jiggling!"

"I was terribly intimidated working with Lucille Ball because, well, she was Lucy, but she was marvelously professional. In rehearsals she was letter perfect, but I was shocked during the shoot. When the camera started rolling in front of the live audience, she just "turned on" -- she was so much bigger on camera than in rehearsal. I got the part because Madelyn called me and asked me if I would like to be on I Love Lucy. I was thrilled to do it, but there was only one problem. I was pregnant. I was playing a teenager on radio on Corliss Archer at the time and didn't show too much, so we thought it was safe. Wardrobe covered me up so I didn't show at all. Lucy knew I was pregnant, and when we rehearsed the "keep jigging Peggy" scene, she would say, "Janet, cool it. Don't do it too much now. You don't want to miscarry!""
- Janet Waldo

Lucille Ball

"Lucy will walk into a wall, forget the roast and the toast. She says she doesn't think funny, but she certainly does funny."
--Gary Morton

Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy

"I hadn't really gotten to watch I Love Lucy. Recently I had caught some of it. Well, I feel that I have a funny looking hairdo, funny looking skirt, and I look like I was forever pregnant, because I was either having one or getting rid of one. But I know that they were well-written and we had a wonderful time doing them and I think it shows. That is the essence of our comedy, and it gave me my education."
--Lucille Ball, 1977 (Babara Walters interview)

Gosh, why would Lucille Ball not know that she was funny off screen too? She certainly had a great sense of humor but she never realized it. 

I Love Lucy: The Courtroom

I love all their facial expressions. Classic, epic!

I actually enjoyed season 1 of I Love Lucy the most. It contained lots of classic episodes that were adapted from Lucille's radio show, My Favorite Husband. I feel that there was a lot of excitement exuded from all the cast members because everyone was still unsure of how the show would take. And there was a lot of love displayed by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.  

Desi and Lucille must have been so happy; otherwise, Desi Jr. wouldn't have been born, you get what I mean?

Vivian Vance and William Frawley

People always think that Vivian Vance and William Frawley hated each other outside of I Love Lucy.They did dislike each other's guts, but "hate" is simply too strong a word. You don't just hate a person fully after going through the building of a phenomenal show like I Love Lucy.

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball ignored the two when they squabbled. The crew and the writers simply rolled their eyes whenever they see Bill and Viv wrangle and tangle. All of them knew that the quarrel meant nothing, that it was like children's hatred- childish, harmless and a waste of time. Hell, even Bill's pranks on Viv was childish. For instance, he would scare her while she was rehearsing.

In fact, Bill was a gruff character: he was Fred Mertz. His bark was worse than his bite; beneath the rough and grumpy character lay a compassionate heart. He even took care of his spinster sisters until his death.

Beneath that complicated relationship Bill and Viv shared lay a grudging respect.

We often hear this famous quote that Viv made after she heard the news of Bill's death: "Champagne for everyone!" But what many of us don't know is Vivian also said this:

"There's a great big amusing light gone out of this world."

Yes, Vivian Vance said that about William Frawley.

Lucille Ball Interview (Merv Griffin Show 1980)

Look at the audience's look of reverence! I wish I had met her.

She was truly loved, and still is.

p.s. I agree with Lucille. Merv Griffin was really one of the best interviewers. He wasn't pushy, he LISTENED, he steered interviewees in the right direction. I dislike how interviewers these days are... they're so aggressive, like sharks waiting to prey on unsuspecting prey. Talk show hosts like Merv Griffin are just rare.

Quote from Irma Kusely

Here's a quote from Lucille's long-time friend and hairstylist:

"Yes, she (Lucille) was always practicing the routines over and over and over, she wanted it absolutely right. And that was why the show was a success; let's face it, it came off with perfection. Once she set her mind to accomplish things, she made sure to do them with perfection. She was the most intelligent woman I ever met."

It's true, Lucille used to lug that mean saxophone through rehearsals and it drove everyone crazy. But in no time at all, Lucille had mastered the saxophone so well that the I Love Lucy writers were afraid that her skill would spoil the whole comedic routine. They had to constantly remind her to play dumb. That was how she approached the episode where she was supposed to make Italian pizza. She had went to a chef and learned how to make pizza, and thereafter, she baked perfect ones at home and brought them to Desilu Studios for the cast and crew.

Lucille was always in awe of people who have graduated from college. She thought that she wasn't smart and she felt inferior. I wish I could tell her how intelligent she was; just read her biography and you'll know that a wise and smart person was behind those paragraphs!

Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance

"I've had stress in my life-- recently quite a bit of it. The loss of my work... just quitting work was very stressful for me, and I missed it. I was in limbo. And then Vivian died." -- Lucille Ball, Parade magazine, 1980

"I'm not going to try alone now what I've done with my partners in the past. My partners (Desi, Vivian and Bill) are in heaven. No one could take the place of Vivian Vance in my life. She was the greatest partner anyone could ever have." 

Thank You

I received a very sweet comment from a blog reader, Karina.

Thank you for leaving this lovely and sweet message. I really enjoy what I am doing, and it's perks like this that makes it even more worthwhile.

I honestly feel that in this era, human beings are handling much more than our forefathers ever went through. It's true that most of us do not go through the trauma of war, but hey, we're dying a slow death through constant pressure from school, work, peers, family, economy, politics, religion, environment, etc.. The stress that we face from all aspects of society is just phenomenal. As for me, I Love Lucy acts as a temporary sanctuary where I can put all my problems aside and just have a good, clean laugh. I wish more people would know about this wonderful situational comedy and come to appreciate the value of humor.

When a Curve Ball is Thrown at You...

...Always remember that life is never a bed of roses. And for the lucky ones who lead a smooth life, they'll never understand or appreciate certain things that we would.