I Love Lucy


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

Tabs

About

I Love Lucy debuted on CBS in October 1951 and was an immediate sensation. It spent four of its six prime-time seasons as the highest-rated series on television and never finished lower than third place. Eisenhower's presidential inauguration in January 1953 drew twenty-nine million viewers, but when Lucy gave birth to Little Ricky in an episode broadcast the next day forty-four million viewers (72% of all U.S. homes with TV) tuned in to I Love Lucy. When it ceased production as a weekly series in 1957, I Love Lucy was still the number one series in the country. And its remarkable popularity has barely waned in the subsequent decades. Since passing into the electronic museum of reruns, I Love Lucy has become the Mona Lisa of television, a work of art whose fame transcends its origins and its medium.

Television in the 1950s was an insistently domestic medium, abundant with images of marriage and family. The story of I Love Lucy's humble origins suited the medium perfectly, because it told of how a television program rescued a rocky marriage, bringing forth an emotionally renewed and financially triumphant family. After a relatively successful career in Hollywood, Lucille Ball had spent three years with actor Richard Denning in a CBS radio sitcom, My Favorite Husband. When CBS asked her to move into television, she agreed--but only if her real husband, Desi Arnaz, were allowed to play her TV husband. Arnaz, a one-time contract performer at RKO Pictures, was a moderately successful musician and orchestra leader who specialized in Latin pop music. His touring schedule placed a tremendous strain on the marriage, and they wanted to be together in order to raise a family. The network and prospective sponsors balked at the casting of Arnaz, fearing that his Cuban accent--his ethnic identity--would alienate television viewers. To dispel doubts, Ball and Arnaz created a nightclub act and toured during the summer of 1950. When the show proved to be a huge success CBS agreed to finance a pilot starring husband and wife.

In 1951 agent Don Sharpe negotiated a contract with CBS and sponsor Philip Morris cigarettes for Desilu, the couple's new production company, to produce I Love Lucy. CBS and the sponsor insisted that the program be broadcast live from New York, to take advantage of network production facilities in what was still predominately a live medium. For personal reasons Ball and Arnaz wanted to stay in Hollywood, but they also wanted to take advantage of movie industry production facilities and to ensure the long-term value of their series by capturing it on film. Syndication of reruns had not yet become standard procedure, but television's inevitable growth meant that the return on serious investment in a television series was incalculable. The network finally agreed to the couple's demands, but as a concession asked Ball and Arnaz to pay the additional cost of production and to accept a reduced fee for themselves. In exchange Desilu was given one-hundred percent ownership of the series--a provision that quickly turned Ball and Arnaz into the first millionaire television stars.

I Love Lucy reflected the couple's own family life in the funhouse mirror of a sitcom premise. To this extent I Love Lucy resembled several other vaguely autobiographical showbiz family sitcoms of the 1950s, such as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950-58), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-66), and The Danny Thomas Show (1953-64). Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, a young married couple living in a converted brownstone on the upper east side of Manhattan. Ricky is the orchestra leader for the Tropicana nightclub; Lucy is a frustrated housewife who longs to escape the confinement of her domestic role and participate in a larger public world, preferably to join Ricky in show business. They were joined by Vivian Vance and William Frawley, who played Ethel and Fred Mertz, former vaudeville performers who are the Ricardos' landlords.

Conflicts inevitably arise when Lucy's fervent desire to be more than a housewife run up against Ricky's equally passionate belief that such ambitions in a woman are unseemly. This dynamic is established in the pilot episode--when Lucy disguises herself as a clown in order to sneak into Ricky's nightclub act--and continues throughout the entire series. In episode after episode Lucy rebels against the confinements of domestic life for women, the dull routines of cooking and housework, the petty humiliation of a wife's financial dependence, the straightjacket of demure femininity. Her acts of rebellion--taking a job, performing at the club, concocting a money-making scheme, or simply plotting to fool Ricky--are meant to expose the absurd restrictions placed on women in a male-dominated society. Yet her rebellion is forever thwarted. By entering the public sphere she inevitably makes a spectacular mess of things and is almost inevitably forced to retreat, to return to the status quo of domestic life that will begin the next episode.

It is possible to see I Love Lucy as a conservative comedy in which each episode teaches Lucy not to question the social order. In a series that corresponded roughly to their real lives, it is notable that Desi played a character very much like himself, while Lucy had to sublimate her professional identity as a performer and pretend to be a mere housewife. The casting decision seems to mirror the dynamic of the series; both Lucy Ricardo and Lucille Ball are domesticated, shoehorned into an inappropriate and confining role. But this apparent act of suppression actually gives the series its manic and liberating energy. In being asked to play a proper housewife, Lucille Ball was a tornado in a bottle, an irrepressible force of nature, a rattling, whirling blast of energy just waiting to explode. The true force of each episode lies not in the indifferent resolution, the half-hearted return to the status quo, but in Lucy's burst of rebellious energy that sends each episode spinning into chaos. Lucy Ricardo's attempts at rebellion are usually sabotaged by her own incompetence, but Lucille Ball's virtuosity as a performer perversely undermines the narrative's explicit message, creating a tension which cannot be resolved. Viewed from this perspective, the tranquil status quo that begins and ends each episode is less an act of submission than a sly joke; the chaos in between reveals the folly of ever trying to contain Lucy.

Although I Love Lucy displayed an almost ritualistic devotion to its central premise, it also changed with each passing season. The first season presented the Ricardos as a young couple adjusting to married life and to Lucy's thwarted ambitions. The second and third seasons brought the birth of Little Ricky and focused more often on the couple's adjustment to being parents--particularly the question of how motherhood would affect Lucy's ambition. The fourth season saw Ricky courted by a Hollywood studio. The Ricardos and Mertzes took a cross-country automobile tour and eventually landed in Hollywood, where Lucy wreaked havoc in several hilarious encounters with celebrity guest stars. During the fifth season the Ricardos returned to New York, but then soon left for a European tour--a sitcom variation of Innocents Abroad. The sixth and final season found the Ricardos climbing the social ladder as the series shifted toward family issues. Ricky bought the Tropicana nightclub, renaming it Club Babalu. Little Ricky (Richard Keith) became a five-year old, and plots began to revolve around him. Finally, the Ricardos joined the exodus to the suburbs, abandoning New York for a country home in Connecticut, where they were joined by the Mertzes and by new neighbors Betty and Ralph Ramsey (Mary Jane Croft and Frank Nelson).

The creative team behind I Love Lucy was remarkably consistent over the years. Writers Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll, Jr. had written My Favorite Husband on radio, and they accompanied Ball to television. Oppenheimer served as the series producer, while Pugh and Carroll were the writers. Together the three would sketch out episode ideas--many of which were based on scripts from the radio series. Pugh and Carroll would write the script, and Oppenheimer would edit it before production. This pattern continued, regular as clockwork, for four entire seasons in which the trio wrote each and every episode--an incredible achievement considering the pace of television production. In the fifth and sixth seasons Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf joined as a second writing team. Jess Oppenheimer left to take a job at NBC after the fifth season, and Desi Arnaz, who had served as executive producer since the beginning, stepped in to replace him as producer. While in production as a weekly series, I Love Lucy had only three directors: Marc Daniels (1951-52), William Asher (1952-55, 1956-57), and James V. Kern (1955-56). Much of the quality of the series is a result of this unusually stable production team.

The production process was unique for filmed television. Recognizing the economic importance of the work they produced, Arnaz and Ball still faced the difficulty that shooting the series on film generally meant shooting with one camera on a closed soundstage. But they also wanted to capture the spontaneity of Ball's comic performances, her interaction with other performers and her rapport with a live audience. Arnaz recruited famed cinematographer Karl Freund to help solve the problem. Freund was a respected Hollywood craftsman who had begun his career in Germany working with directors Robert Weine and Fritz Lang. In the United States he had a long career at MGM, where he shot several films with Greta Garbo and won an Academy Award in 1937 for "The Good Earth." Freund adapted the live-TV aesthetic of shooting with multiple cameras to the context of film production--a technique already used with limited success by others in the telefilm industry. Freund developed a system for lighting the set from above, since it would not be possible to change the lighting during a live performance. With three cameras running simultaneously in front of a studio audience, I Love Lucy was able to combine the vitality of live performances with the visual quality of film. Although the technique was not generally used outside of Desilu until the 1970s, it is now widely used throughout the television industry.

During the network run of I Love Lucy, Desilu became the fastest rising production company in television by capitalizing on the success of I Love Lucy, which earned over $1 million a year in reruns by the mid-1950s. From this foundation Desilu branched out into several types of production, a process of expansion that began with an investment of $5,000 in 1951 and saw the staff grow from twelve to eight hundred in just six years. Desilu produced series for the networks and for syndication (December Bride, The Texan) and contracted to shoot series for other producers (The Danny Thomas Show). In October 1956 Desilu sold the rights to I Love Lucy to CBS for $4.3 million. With the help of this windfall profit, Desilu purchased RKO studios--the studio at which Ball and Arnaz had once been under contract--for $6.15 million in January 1958. The success of I Love Lucy created one of the most prolific and influential television production companies of the 1950s. By 1957, Arnaz, Ball, and the entire production team had grown weary of the grinding pace of series production. Desilu ceased production of the weekly series after completing 180 episodes. The familiar characters stayed alive for three more seasons through thirteen one-hour episodes, many of which appeared as installments of the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958-1960).

-Christopher Anderson

CAST

Lucy Ricardo........................................... Lucille Ball

Ricky Ricardo......................................... Desi Arnaz

Ethel Mertz ..........................................Vivian Vance

Fred Mertz....................................... William Frawley

Little Ricky (1956-1957)........................ Richard Keith

Jerry ...................................................Jerry Hausner

Mrs. Trumbull .............................Elizabeth Patterson

Caroline Appleby............................... Doris Singleton

Mrs. MacGillicuddy ...............................Kathryn Card

Betty Ramsey (1957) .........................Mary Jane Croft

Ralph Ramsey (1957)........................... Frank Nelson

PRODUCERS

Jess Oppenheimer, Desi Arnaz

PROGRAMMING HISTORY

179 Episodes

CBS

October 1951-June 1957   Monday 9:00-9:30

April 1955-October 1955   Sunday 6:00-6:30

October 1955-April 1956   Sunday 6:30-7:00

September 1957-May 1958   Wednesday 7:30-8:00

July 1958-September 1958   Monday 9:00-9:30

October 1958-May 1959   Thursday 7:30-8:00

July 1959-September 1959   Friday 8:30-9:00

September 1961   Sunday 6:30-7:00

FURTHER READING

Anderson, Christopher. Hollywood TV: The Studio System in the Fifties. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1994.

Andrews, Bart. The "I Love Lucy" Book. New York: Doubleday, 1985.

Doty, Alexander. "The Cabinet of Lucy Ricardo: Lucille Ball's Star Image." Cinema Journal (Urbana, Illinois), 1990.

Mellencamp, Patricia. "Situation Comedy, Feminism and Freud: Discourses of Gracie and Lucy." In, Modleski, Tania, editor. Studies in Entertainment. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1986.

Schatz, Thomas. "Desilu, I Love Lucy, and the Rise of Network TV." In Thompson, Robert J., and Gary Burns, editors. Making Television: Authorship and the Production Process. New York: Praeger, 1990.

Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Highlights
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the development of I Love Lucy
12:25
Doris Singleton on working with Lucille Ball and on the process of filming an episode of I Love Lucy
02:14
Barbara Eden on her guest appearance on the I Love Lucy episode "Country Club Dance"
02:57
Jay Sandrich on Desi Arnaz's innovative use of shooting film with three cameras for I Love Lucy
02:27
Actor Keith Thibodeaux on playing "Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy; on some of the key guests, directors, and episodes
22:08
Dixon Dern on the legacy of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball
02:07
Who talked about this show

Howard Anderson, Jr.

View Interview
Howard Anderson Jr. on doing titles for I Love Lucy 
02:45
Howard Anderson Jr. on working with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy
11:31
Howard Anderson Jr. on editing with three cameras on I Love Lucy
01:52

Lucie Arnaz

View Interview
Lucie Arnaz on I Love Lucy
01:40
Lucie Arnaz on how "Lucy" and "Ricky Ricardo" differed from Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
02:51
Lucie Arnaz on problems faced on I Love Lucy due to her father, Desi Arnaz, being Cuban
01:05
Lucie Arnaz on visiting the set of I Love Lucy
02:52
Lucie Arnaz on Keith Thibodeaux who played "Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy
01:04
Lucie Arnaz on the 60th Anniversary of I Love Lucy
01:18
Lucie Arnaz on the the legacy of I Love Lucy and her efforts to preserve it
04:42
Lucie Arnaz on the future of I Love Lucy
01:26

William Asher

View Interview
Director William Asher on specific episodes of I Love Lucy
11:43
William Asher on Bewitched and I Love Lucy being his career highlights
03:32

Dann Cahn

View Interview
Editor Dann Cahn on editing the famous candy factory episode of I Love Lucy entitled "Job Switching"
02:14
Dann Cahn on his path to getting a job on I Love Lucy by way of Republic Films
05:20
Film editor Dann Cahn on the beginnings of I Love Lucy
25:03
Film editor Dann Cahn on the production aspects of the first episodes of I Love Lucy
28:14
Film editor Dann Cahn on editing I Love Lucy
27:49
Editor Dann Cahn on leaving I Love Lucy after Jess Oppenheimer left
18:54
Editor Dann Cahn on editing the famous Vitameatavegamin episode of I Love Lucy entitled "Lucy Does a TV Commercial"
01:28

Alexander Courage

View Interview
Alexander Courage on Bill Hatch composing for the radio program My Favorite Husband, the radio precursor to I Love Lucy, and Bill becoming head of the music department at Desilu
02:46

Warren Cowan

View Interview
Publicist Warren Cowan on working with Lucille Ball
00:54

Richard Crenna

View Interview
Richard Crenna on playing "Walter Denton" on Our Miss Brooks starring Eve Arden, and on appearing on I Love Lucy
06:28

Dixon Dern

View Interview
Dixon Dern on the legacy of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball
02:07

Patty Duke

View Interview
Patty Duke on copying a famous scene from I Love Lucy on The Patty Duke Show
00:30

Barbara Eden

View Interview
Barbara Eden on her guest appearance on the I Love Lucy episode "Country Club Dance"
02:57

Ralph Edwards

View Interview
Ralph Edwards on I Love Lucy adopting a filming process similar to that of Truth or Consequences (a technique credited to Al Simon)
01:16

Rod Erickson

View Interview
Rod Erickson on the sponsorship of I Love Lucy by Phillip Morris and later by Jello
03:36
Rod Erickson on the technical aspects of putting filmed content on early television and realizing the need for audience laughter on I Love Lucy
06:11

George Faber

View Interview
George Faber on selling I Love Lucy to overseas markets
01:14

June Foray

View Interview
June Foray on her voiceover role in an episode of I Love Lucy
00:45

Frank Inn

View Interview
Frank Inn on training "Little Ricky's" dog on I Love Lucy
02:01
Frank Inn on "Little Ricky's" dog on I Love Lucy, and on working with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball
07:49

Irma Kusely

View Interview
Irma Kusely on hairstyling for I Love Lucy
03:14
Irma Kusely on working with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on I Love Lucy
06:03
Irma Kusely on doing Lucille Ball's hair for I Love Lucy
02:09
Irma Kusely on coloring Lucille Ball's hair for I Love Lucy
05:09
Irma Kusely on working with Vivian Vance on I Love Lucy
02:27
Irma Kusely on her name being in the credits of I Love Lucy
01:58
Irma Kusely on working with various people on I Love Lucy and the sponsors of the show 
02:36
Irma Kusely on the birth of "Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy
00:56
Irma Kusely on the Harpo Marx episode of I Love Lucy
02:27
Irma Kusely on the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy's Italian Movie"
01:51
Irma Kusely on the egg crushing incident on I Love Lucy
00:26
Irma Kusely on Lucille Ball's changing hairstyle on I Love Lucy
01:45
Irma Kusely on her favorite episodes of I Love Lucy
04:20

Ann Marcus

View Interview
Ann Marcus on I Love Lucy director Marc Daniels
02:00

Barney McNulty

View Interview
Barry McNulty on doing cue cards for I Love Lucy for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
04:21

Thomas W. Moore

View Interview
Thomas W. Moore on the freeze of FCC licences for television stations in 1949

Anne Nelson

View Interview
Anne Nelson on radio's "My Favorite Husband," starring Lucille Ball, and on the creation of I Love Lucy
04:32

Carroll Pratt

View Interview
Carroll Pratt on working on sound in the postproduction of I Love Lucy
02:40
Carroll Pratt on the "uh-oh" sound in the laugh track for I Love Lucy
02:16

Madelyn Pugh Davis

View Interview
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on meeting Lucille Ball when they were writers on her radio show
02:28
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the development of I Love Lucy
12:25
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on transitioning from radio's My Favorite Husband to TV's I Love Lucy
02:21
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the inspiration for the pizza-making scene in the "Visitor From Italy"  (aired October 29, 1956) episode of I Love Lucy
01:08
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on working with Desi Arnaz; they also detail the production of I Love Lucy
11:33
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing I Love Lucy
13:36
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the show being sold; and writing the scripts for I Love Lucy
08:34
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on Lucy Ricardo's pregnancy storyline on I Love Lucy
04:29
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the decision to move the Ricardos to Hollywood on I Love Lucy
02:28
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing for guest stars on I Love Lucy and how the episode, "L.A. at Last" (aired February 7, 1955) with William Holden 
00:30
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing specific classic episodes of I Love Lucy
08:38
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the timelessness of I Love Lucy
01:37
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on meeting Lucille Ball when they were writers on her radio show
02:28
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the development of I Love Lucy
12:25
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on transitioning from radio's My Favorite Husband to TV's I Love Lucy
02:21
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the inspiration for the pizza-making scene in the "Visitor From Italy"  (aired October 29, 1956) episode of I Love Lucy
01:08
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on working with Desi Arnaz; they also detail the production of I Love Lucy
11:33
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing I Love Lucy
13:36
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the show being sold; and writing the scripts for I Love Lucy
08:34
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on Lucy Ricardo's pregnancy storyline on I Love Lucy
04:29
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the decision to move the Ricardos to Hollywood on I Love Lucy
02:28
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing for guest stars on I Love Lucy and how the episode, "L.A. at Last" (aired February 7, 1955) with William Holden 
00:30
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on writing specific classic episodes of I Love Lucy
08:38
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the timelessness of I Love Lucy
01:37
Bob Carroll, Jr. & Madelyn Pugh Davis on the development of I Love Lucy
12:25

Gene Reynolds

View Interview
Gene Reynolds on acting on I Love Lucy
03:03

Ted Rich

View Interview
Ted Rich on editing I Love Lucy
03:01

Glenda Rovello

View Interview
Glenda Rovello on production design for the Will & Grace episode "We Love Lucy" which recreated sets from the I Love Lucy episodes "Job Switching," "Lucy Does a TV Commercial," and "Lucy's Italian Movie"
03:16

Jay Sandrich

View Interview
Jay Sandrich on Desi Arnaz's innovative use of shooting film with three cameras for I Love Lucy
02:27
Jay Sandrich on how he was hired on I Love Lucy by Jack Aldworth because of his father's past working relationship with Lucille Ball, and on the subject of nepotism
01:34
Jay Sandrich on working as a first assistant director on the set of I Love Lucy during the tumultous period when Lucille Bal and Desi Arnaz were fighting off-screen, and how he survived this and learned from the experience
05:09
Jay Sandrich on the crew of I Love Lucy: Bill Asher, Jack Aldworth, Madeline Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, and how they welcomed him on the set as an assistant director with very little experience
03:47
Jay Sandrich on the working relationship and particular talents of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on I Love Lucy
04:40
Jay Sandrich on memorable episodes of I Love Lucy, where he was assistant director
02:11

Bob Schiller

View Interview
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on how they came to write for I Love Lucy in its fourth season
02:42
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on classic episodes they wrote on I Love Lucy, including "Lucy's Italian Movie" with the famous stomping of the grapes scene
01:59
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on becoming replacement writers on I Love Lucy - the most popular show on TV at the time
17:03
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on their style of writing for I Love Lucy - "backwards plotting"
00:32
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on working with Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy
01:00
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on their I Love Lucy scripts, Lucille Ball's performances, and working with Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley
13:09
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the writing process on I Love Lucy and why Jess Oppenheimer left the show
03:31
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the I Love Lucy writing process
10:09
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the rehearsal process on I Love Lucy and how little rewriting there was on the show
05:02
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on below-the-line crew on I Love Lucy
00:32
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on working with CBS and sponsors on I Love Lucy
00:24
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on staff members on I Love Lucy
00:52
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on guest stars on I Love Lucy
03:11
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on some of the storylines on I Love Lucy - aging "Little Ricky" and moving the "Rircardos" to the country
02:48
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the "Lucy Does the Tango" episode of I Love Lucy
02:00
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on classic episodes they wrote on I Love Lucy
03:14
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the final episode of I Love Lucy and their favorite episodes
05:15
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the "classic" title given to I Love Lucy, and how much they got paid
03:00
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on a photo of the writing staff of I Love Lucy
00:26

Cybill Shepherd

View Interview
Cybill Shepherd on watching I Love Lucy when she was younger
00:26

Doris Singleton

View Interview
Doris Singleton on working with Lucille Ball and on the process of filming an episode of I Love Lucy
02:14
Doris Singleton on her character "Carolyn Appleby" on I Love Lucy
02:01
Doris Singleton on her role in I Love Lucy and the start of the three-camera technique
01:51
Doris Singleton on her salary for her role in I Love Lucy
01:11
Doris Singleton on the importance of the audience feedback on I Love Lucy and the challenges of performing for three cameras
02:07
Doris Singleton on the basic premise of I Love Lucy
01:18
Doris Singleton on working with the cast, writers, and guest stars on I Love Lucy
07:10
Doris Singleton on memorable episodes and her favorite episodes of I Love Lucy
12:40
Doris Singleton on still being recognized as "Carolyn Appleby" from I Love Lucy
01:47
Doris Singleton on the popularity of I Love Lucy and Lucille Ball
05:43
Doris Singleton on a photo of her with I Love Lucy cast members in the episode "Lucy Tells the Truth"
00:18
Doris Singleton on a photo of her with Harpo Marx on I Love Lucy
00:18

Mark Snow

View Interview
Mark Snow on how his interest in music started because his parents said they would let him watch I Love Lucy if he took piano lessons 
01:41

Herbert F. Solow

View Interview
Herbert F. Solow on the change from I Love Lucy to The Lucy Show
02:27

Aaron Spelling

View Interview
Aaron Spelling on acting in I Love Lucy
00:23

Caroll Spinney

View Interview
Caroll Spinney on the popularity of I Love Lucy
00:55

Frank Stanton

View Interview
Frank Stanton on where CBS stood in relation to NBC in the earliest days of television, and on eventually surpassing them with I Love Lucy
04:23

Keith Thibodeaux

View Interview
Actor Keith Thibodeaux on playing "Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy; on some of the key guests, directors, and episodes
22:08
Keith Thibodeaux on auditioning for I Love Lucy; on his role of "Little Ricky"; on his professional name "Richard Keith"; on learning how to act; on working with Lucille Ball
19:44
Actor Keith Thibodeaux on the last episode of I Love Lucy; on the legacy of the series; on the fans of the show; on seeing Lucille Ball for the last time
13:50
Actor Keith Thibodeaux on being on the "Lucy and Superman" episode of I Love Lucy (airdate: January 14,1957)
02:09
Actor Keith Thibodeaux on being on the "Lucy Meets the Moustache" (the last) episode of I Love Lucy 
01:13

Matthew Weiner

View Interview
Matthew Weiner on not being allowed to watch much TV as a kid; on being told I Love Lucy was sexist
01:21

Bob Weiskopf

View Interview
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on their style of writing for I Love Lucy - "backwards plotting"
00:32
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on how they came to write for I Love Lucy in its fourth season
02:42
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on becoming replacement writers on I Love Lucy - the most popular show on TV at the time
17:03
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on working with Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy  
01:00
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on their I Love Lucy scripts, Lucille Ball's performances, and working with Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley
13:09
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the writing process on I Love Lucy and why Jess Oppenheimer left the show
03:31
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the I Love Lucy writing process
10:09
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the rehearsal process on I Love Lucy and how little rewriting there was on the show
05:02
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on below-the-line crew on I Love Lucy 
00:32
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on working with CBS and sponsors on I Love Lucy  
00:24
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on staff members on I Love Lucy  
00:52
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on guest stars on I Love Lucy  
03:11
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on some of the storylines on I Love Lucy - aging "Little Ricky" and moving the "Rircardos" to the country
02:48
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on classic episodes they wrote on I Love Lucy, including "Lucy's Italian Movie" with the famous stomping of the grapes scene
01:59
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the "Lucy Does the Tango" episode of I Love Lucy
02:00
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on classic episodes they wrote on I Love Lucy
03:14
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the final episode of I Love Lucy and their favorite episodes
05:15
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on the "classic" title given to I Love Lucy, and how much they got paid
03:00
Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf on a photo of the writing staff of I Love Lucy
00:26

All Shows

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
L
M
N
P
R
S
T
W