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.