 |
| 40 secrets I love Lucy |
The
comedy drama of Lucille along-with her husband was telecasted about 70 years
ago. The program got a welcoming response from the crowds over the globe beyond
the expectations. Ages have passed since the show was on the air, however, it
is still running in the memories of masses. It has left such an impression on
the minds of people that they want to watch more episodes of the show as a
major source of entertainment. Everybody wants to know a character in real life
if he or she has an everlasting impression on them. Let us have a know-how
about the backstage scenes of I Love Lucy. Every viewer of the show
would also be keen on knowing these 40 secrets behind the scenes.
Lucille insisted upon having Desi as her companion in the show
A
previous program of Lucille Ball was aired on the radio three years prior to
this comedy show. That is how she was contacted by the managers of I Love
Lucy. Lucille agreed to do the show, however, she wanted Desi Arnaz as her
better half in the show who was also her real-life spouse. It was a tough call
for show management. They finally agreed upon her condition as they had no
choice but the show was adored more than their expectations.
Lucy escaped death while shooting
The
show contained an episode when Lucy was supposed to join a few ladies in the
container full of grapes meant for doing uproarious activities. It was one of
the most youthful acts of the show. People admired the work of Lucy and enjoyed
it too while she was in the middle of chaos. However, the most interesting fact
is the truth behind this scene. It was later revealed that Lucy nearly escaped
death while acting during this scene.
Lucille’s confrontation with Teresa
Lucy
told the media that she had a loud conversation with Teresa Tirelli who was an
opera singer in the show. Their argument went so messy that Teresa had Lucy’s
head drowned under the grapes. The fight in the scene is broadcast from the
waist level which is unreal. The actual conflict got so complex that Lucy and
Teresa could not tolerate each other standing on the same platform. Both tried
to overpower each other by any means.
Hatred between Mertzes
The
Fred and Ethel episode was high spirited on the screen. But Vance had a heated
exchange of words with Frawley. Vance had called names to Frawley. Frawley also
responded by saying too many awkward things. The show was over, however,
Mertzes could not be gentle to each other. The Mertzes controversy was still in
the air. Vance decided to end the issue by confessing that she completely
declined to work with Frawley in the future.
Lucy’s pregnancy during the show
The
later part of the show was smoothly moving ahead when Lucy became pregnant. The
situation got hysteric with this news. People got confused about how the show
would progress. Viewers of that time considered the word ‘pregnant’ as an
offense, hence, the show managers used the word ‘expecting’. On the other side,
people expecting babies in the near future got excited too. The episodes
filming the pregnancy of Lucy were thus added to the show. Lucy’s husband
employed a Catholic priest to ensure the smooth conduct of the show.
Frawley as an alternative
Lucille
Ball had plans to cast other actors as Mertzes in place of Frawley. CBS was of
the view that Frawley would not be trustworthy and can get messy on the sets.
They had approached James Gleason to act in their show. His rates were beyond
their reach, hence they had to change their plans. Frawley realized that the
spot is vacant to fill up his position in the show. He contacted Desi and the
show progressed flawlessly.
Desi’s pronunciation concern
Ricky
had difficulty in pronouncing words properly. Lucy often used to joke about his
concern ending up teasing Ricky for this. It was not a part of the show that no
one else would make fun of Ricky’s pronunciation concern except Lucy. However,
even when other characters attempted the same, viewers in the studio did not
laugh at all. They never welcomed the thought of others in the punch lines to
make jokes Ricky in place of Lucy.
Brown was the original hair color of Lucy
Lucy
is popular among the viewers with her dazzling red locks. She was naturally a
brown-headed lady and opted for blonde when she started modeling. Her
hairdresser commented about her personality being livelier than her hairstyle.
Then she decided to keep her hairstyle read headed. The idea worked for Lucy
and she decided to go with this new hair color. Hair dye used for Lucy was
carefully placed in a safe for any time use.
Relocation issue for Desi and Lucille
Philip
Morris was from the NYC area so he desired to shoot the show over there. The
show was being shot at different coasts. The quality of the footage was
deteriorating as they had to shift kinescopes from one place to another too.
Lucille and Desi were then required to relocate as their major viewers were on
the east coast. They were shooting the show with three cameras, so Desi did not
relocate saying that the same quality can be transferred with the help of these
cameras.
No cuts due to the live audience
Dezi
realized with the experience that Lucille showed the best of her talent when
she was able to receive instant comments from the views. This made him think
about having the viewers watching her live when she was shooting. He made
serious efforts to avail the crowds while Lucille was performing her acts. Due
to the fact that they were not able to reshoot or cut a scene as they were
uncertain about the response of crowds. So they had to rectify the mistakes
while finalizing the shoots.
Lucille’s perfection at work
Lucy
can hold her nerves when she is not comfortable with any act. The most popular
episode ‘TV Commercial’ was liked the most by viewers. However, in reality, it
was the least liked and most difficult one for Lucy. She could not get the feel
of the character due to the complicated dialogues of this episode. She still
managed to complete the task up to the expectations of the viewers. She also
got assistance from her scriptwriter to complete the shoot flawlessly.
Repeating episodes paid off
Once
Lucille Ball went on the afterbirth leave, the members of the show went into a
complete panic, fearing that until Lucy would return they would not be able to
telecast new shows. They opted to play earlier episodes in response to the
request of Philp Morris to have the show telecast every week. Repeating the
shows happened to be a great move for business as it helped boost the long life
of the show with some spare time for Lucy.
Scotty got slapped by Lucille
In
his novel, Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of
the Stars, Scotty Bowers wrote that Dasi was a man's beloved with a stable
heterosexual enthusiasm. He also contacted Scotty for ladies, more openhandedly
paying them than others at that time. Lucy got an idea about what was going on
between them. Scotty also mentioned in his writings the Lucy stood in front of
him in a party, humiliated him and warned him regarding serving women to her
better half. And he never dared to confront her thereafter.
Desi clarified to viewers that Ricky had no intentions of cheating
For
the season, "Lucy Tells the Truth," there was a section in the
original writing that involved Ricky messing up some numbers on his income tax
return. Desi flew into a fury as he read it. Desi was insulted because he was
considered to be a firm believer in the American dream. Desi also admitted that
there was a reasonable way to go from washing canary kennels to this NYC
evening. And he believed there was no other nation on the planet that could
offer him that possibility.
Desi was a practical man
Desi
would go additional lengths to make certain it was as realistic as possible, no
matter how unnerving the scenario in a series. For instance, there is a
plotline in the season premiere "Pioneer Women" that included an
eight feet long piece of bread. The creators found a different shop interested
in making it, rather than constructing the eight feet long object so as the
episode would look more real. The big slice was chopped up following shooting
and distributed among the witnessing crowd.
Uh-ohs in the crowd were uttered by Lucille’s mother
Maybe
you remember that whenever Lucy ran into problems, most of you would remember
from those in the general public the "uh-oh" authentic voice of a
lady. For you to know, there had been a name for this kind of "uh-oh"
lady, and that was Dede Ball, the mom of Lucille. Almost all of the parts were
from the show's pre-saved humor, and that is why on subsequent broadcasting
television shows you could still notice Dede's "uh-oh."
I Love Lucy team went mad about smoking
Showrunners
realized it would have been hard to fund the show, thus they looked at the
chance to collaborate with Philip Morris who was running a large tobacco unit.
For a few years, they funded the series, making a major contribution to the
telecasted use of cigarettes. The initial episode of the comedy series launched
with a correspondent for Philip Morris carrying a packet of cigarettes towards
the public. The representative is making an excessive drag, citing Philip
Morris's advantages from cigarettes.
Eggs scene had the lengthiest cackle of the show
After
Lucy tried to steal hundreds of eggs and held hands with Ricky, the lengthiest
cackle videotaped took place on the show. The reaction of the crowd continued
for more than a minute. It became so long that it became necessary to modify a
few of the guffaws from the last edit. When rehearsing for the episode, Lucy
and Desi decided not to start practicing with actual eggs so that at the time
they finally recorded the episode before the general public, their emotional
responses would be practical.
Height concern for Desi
In
case you have to check for the height of Desi, contradictory results will
probably be found. Desi is identified as 180 centimeters tall in many writings,
but people who collaborated with him recognize that it was only as in his
footwear he started wearing 10 centimeters lifts. Desi was 175 centimeters
tall, but when his spouse was 170 centimeters tall wore heels, she pillared
over him. Desi decided to begin using lifts in his shoes.
Amanda hit Lucille in her face while shooting
In
the series "Job Switching," Amanda Milligan, the actual-life candy
dipper employed to be Lucy's assistant, she had never seen a scene of the show
at all. Lucille was extremely concerned throughout practice sessions that
somehow the comedy of the episode might be missed as Milligan appeared
reluctant to strike her in the face as the plot required. When the footage
began to roll, Milligan struck Lucy so forcefully in her face that she thought
her nose had a serious injury.
Desi and Lucille had to sleep on separate beds during the shooting
While
Lucy and Ricky were the better halves in the series, to keep it
family-friendly, the romantic comedy managed to lessen any potential offensive
situation between them. It meant that when they filmed bedroom sequences, the
pair slept in two different beds. The Hays Code was a rigid system of
guidelines for enforcing repression in television and film produced in 1930.
There was a huge no for any offensive scene which a family could watch
together.
The went to roads for its promotion
While
playing Ricky Ricardo, Desi was in the middle of a promotion when the series
was proposed in a popular rumba group. They built a comedy bit that could be
introduced in the middle of the act of Desi with his group to motivate the team
that the long-time partners could work effectively. The viewers thundered for
the couple, undoubtedly reassuring the team that the couple was going to be a
huge telecast protest.
Lucille and Desi’s first meeting
Lucille
was 28 on the location of the movie Too Many Girls when she encountered the
Desi at the age of 23. They liked each other in the same spot. Friends agreed
it was strange to found Lucille to be strongly attracted to Desi as she was
high-headed. Ruta Lee, a fast alley of Lucille, revealed that she found it
strange because Lucille was such a robust, self-reliant woman, but she seemed
very preserved when she was to decide about Desi.
Complexities with Harpo’s working style
Desi
was very much a big supporter of Harpo Marx, even though she had difficulty
dealing once the two eventually worked alongside. As a comedy character, in
contrast to Desi, who followed the template exactly, Marx never followed the
same technique again to his workouts. In the series of "Hollywood,"
in which Desi was supposed to mirror the movements of Marx, she demanded that
the couple would follow the standard routine to be a rehearsal in advance.
Little Ricky was displayed as the cover
In
1953, the very first TV Guide Publication was unveiled, however, the cover was
not created for Lucille or Desi, but it was created for Little Ricky. Junior
Arnaz revealed that the cover was so commonly used, everybody thought he was
playing that character, and that stayed with him all through his life. His
parents added to the confusion by filming some children. Six children were
displayed in the first publication of the show for the TV Guide.
Lucille set a milestone by being the first lady to own a studio
Desilu
Productions was founded by the pair for the first time in 1950, named after the
leading characters of the show Desi and Lucille. It was the number two biggest
active video production unit in the country for the next decade. Lucille
started a new company in the year 1968 to become the first lady for owning an
international production unit. Desilu was sold in the previous year to this
when it had reached the number one spot in the country.
Jack Benny behind Lucy’s success
Jess
Oppenheimer described to Lucy's speechwriter, Charles Hugham, that she always
hid in her podcast behind the scenes, saying, "As a comedian, she did not
completely believe her abilities. He tried to convince her to stay in character
more, to enable the eye rolls he was certain she would get to take a break.
Lucy also told him that with nothing more than a story and a recorder, she
never knew what he could do. His inspirations worked for the perfections of
Lucy.
Foundation of Desilu Playhouse
It
was hard for their team to find a location that was spacious enough to manage a
live concert crowd even though it was time to start shooting for the show. It
was agreed that to overcome these obstacles they would have used a film studio
that had not been undertaken before that. To get the public from the community
for offering their support to use the space, Desi had to go house to house.
That is how the formed Desilu Playhouse.
The show topped the rankings list
I
Love Lucy was topping the list of popular shows in the country at the time of
its telecast. At the time it was over, the show was also ranked highest in the
Nielsen ratings, an achievement that the Andy and Seinfeld have only achieved
throughout their lifetime. The sitcom was broadcast and interpreted throughout
the globe into multiple languages. Even after ages, a large number of people
witnessed the show when it was played by CBS.
Lucy’s delivery in the show and real-life occurred on the same
date
Since
the first baby of Lucille, was born as a cesarean, it was proposed that the
birth of their second baby would be likewise. The surgeon of Lucille planned
all her caesareans on Monday as the show was also launched on this day.
Lucille’s real offspring was also born on the same day when they telecasted the
birth of Lucy’s baby in I Love Lucy. Record-Breaking watchers of the show were
registered on television to witness the birth of this child.
The show also included cartoon stickers
A
"cartoon sticker" would emerge as the show went through ad breaks, featuring
both Lucy and Desi cartoon images to help support smoking products of their
favorite partner, Philip Morris. All this was not undertaken for the very first
time without any doubt. The promotion of Philip Morris products was also done
during the airing of the other show The Flintstones. Cigarettes of their close
sponsor also brought the cartoon characters in I Love Lucy which is a unique
fact about the show.
Change of name from Larry Lopez to Ricky Ricardo
Ricky's
actual name was Larry Lopez, the character which was played by Desi Arnaz in
this show as the husband of Lucy, as per the newer scripts of the screenplay.
It was revealed that the public could not stand the thought of two main roles
with similar names. Hence, producers of I Love Lucy made up their minds to
replace one name as Ricky Ricardo. The show gained huge popularity among the
crowds with that name.
The first show to be shot with three cameras
I
Love Lucy became the first TV comedy series to be recorded before a live studio
crowd with three video cameras that described the art form. At a point since
doubling every show was not even thought of, second stage sitcom after Lucy's
pregnancy culminated in retransmitting some past seasons that emerged to be
popular in the polls and helped in the template for off-season broadcast on
television. No other TV serial was filmed with the help of three cameras at
that time.
An interracial couple was featured the first time
Desi
Arnaz, who acted Ricky Ricardo, was actually from Cuba whereas Lucille Ball
belonged to America. They fell in love with each other at first sight and got
married too. Desi Arnaz was very close to the heart of Lucille Ball. The same
being the reason for her instinct over having Desi act as Ricky Ricardo in the
show. At that time, they were the first couple to represent a show that
belonged to two different races.
Selection hurdles for Mertzes acts
Bea
Benaderet was preferred over William Frawley to play the character of Ethel
Mertz and Gale Gordon was preferred for the act of Fred Mertz. Lucille had
worked with both of them in her previous TV shows. She was certain about their
work quality and was keen to have them in the show for their respective roles.
Both Bea and Gale had already signed contracts with other shows being filmed at
the same time. Finally, the show had to lose its first preferences for these
two roles.
Monday was the special day for the show
Monday
had a great significance for I Love Lucy. It was the most happening day for all
the episodes of this sitcom. Even Lucy got pregnant in the show as well as in
real life on this day. The latter two comedy serials of CBS also had only
Monday as their go-to day. The second show was named The Lucy Show that was
shot in the 60s and the third show was Here’s Lucy began in the late 60s and
ended in the 70s.
A dream was the actual thought after making the show
No
one can imagine that any show would be formed out of a dream. However, the same
thing remains the truth about I Love Lucy. There was no certainty for Lucille
to participate in a TV show when she was working as an actress on the big
screen. She had a dream of a friend of hers who inspired her to work in the TV
shows. I Love Lucy ended up making so many audiences laugh who would always
like to thank Ball for this dream.
Desi had a sharp memory
Every
actor struggles while saying the script during an act. Most of them spend hours
of rehearsal before they go for the shoot. Even after so much practice, they
retake their shoots just because they fail to remember the exact phrasing of
the scripts. Desi Arnaz never faced all such hurdles because he had a superb
memory. He only read the scripts once while before shooting in I Love Lucy and
always uttered them perfectly while shooting.
Real-life characters were also included in the show
A
lot of work was required while choosing the ideal performers for the characters
Fred and Ethel also known as Mertzes. Vence and Frawley got finally selected to
perform these characters. Desi Arnaz also strictly instructed Frawley to never
be on leave except for an emergency. Else Desi could have sent him out of the
show. The reason behind being themselves so disciplined about the shooting was
that Fred Arnaz was the brother of Desi in his real-life too. And Ethel Merman
was also a real-life character.
The show followed no Ad libitum rule
The
team of I Love Lucy firmly followed the scripts. Many times we witness that an
act without prior preparation brings better outcomes and catches the attention
of crowds too. The show was being run with too many talented and experienced
actors. Even many times actual identities were included in the show to say for
instance getting an 8 feet long bread from the bakery itself. However, people
in the show filmed the show only after proper practice.
