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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Van Johnson, actor and friend of Lucy's passes on


With sadness, we report the passing of Mr. Van Johnson who died Friday of natural causes in an assisted living center in Nyack, NY. I Love Lucy fans will remember Mr. Johnson for his performance in one of the California episodes when Lucy got to dance in his show at the hotel to prove to her friend Carolyne Applebee that she "hob-nobbed" with the celebritties. She got to perform "How About You" with him and it was one of the few times Lucy didn't do anything silly but did a wonderful job! Mr. Johnson was an accomplished actor and dancer and was 92 years old when he passed away.

Mr. Johnson also appeared with Henry Fonda and Lucy in the hit movie Yours, Mine and Ours. He will be missed.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

DU BARRY WAS A LADY
















One of the movies that won Lucy the most acclaim was this one. It was a spectacular piece for her for wardrobe and hair as well. She was absolutely lovely in this film and shone as a comedienne as well. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy, and a photo of the real madame Du Barry too. To make a long story short, in this lively musical, a fellow gets slipped a drink and thinks he's in love with the famous courtesan on Louis XV in France. It's pretty funny so if you get a chance to rent it, give it a try.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

VITAMEATAVEGAMIN!




We all have our very favorite I Love Lucy episodes, then our "sorta-favorites", then of course our "oh, I LOVE this one" episodes, whatever you want to call this one.....it has to be on your list of top episodes somewhere! So, incase you ever want to recite the whoe Vitameatavegamin commercial at a party or as party of a trivia contest or just to show off all of your Lucy knowledge, here it is, the whole script.
Have fun with it!


"Hello friends. I'm your Vitameatavegamin girl. Are you tired, run-down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answer to all your problems is in this little bottle. Vitameatavegamin. Yes, Vitameatavegamin contains Vitamins Meat Vegetables and Minerals. Yes, with Vitameatavegamin, you can spoon your way to health. All you do is take a great big tablespoonful after every meal. Mmmmmmm..... It's so tasty, too! Tastes just like candy! So why don't you join all the thousands of happy peppy people and get a great big bottle of Vitameatavegamin tomorrow! That's Vita-meata-vegamin! (wink)"




Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Time for some Lucy trivia!




According to an older issue of Celebrity Sleuth Magazine, Lucy's measurements were: 33 - 22 1/2 - 34.




While still contemplating whether or not to do the "I Love Lucy shows in" 1951, she claimed that her good friend Carole Lombard came to her in a dream and told her to "Give it a whirl".


Would you believe that the late comedian John Belushi was a huge fan of Lucy's and knew every detail of her life and career.


As a young girl, early in her modeling career in New York, Luchy called herself Diane Belmont after the Belmont racetrack in New York.


Lucy struggled to have her children in the twenty years she and Desi were married. Suffered a miscarriage with her and Desi Arnaz's first child in 1942 a second in 1949 and a third in 1950.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Would you like to dress like Lucy?

I know it sounds crazy, and everyone knows Lucy was beautiful. Call me crazy but I just love Lucy's housewife look. When she is puttering around the arpartment dusting with her feather duster or putting things away, I think she looks so pretty. I realize it's a television show and not reality but her hair and make-up is always just so and the house dresses that ladies wore then in the 1950's were so feminine and pretty. I seemed that whenever anyone stopped by to deliver anything or visited unexpectedly you always looked great. Here are a couple of steps you could take to get the Lucy Ricardo look for yourself

Start from the top. The most distinct thing about Lucille Ball was her hair. She was a bright redhead, a colore called "apricot" when it was originally died that color at the movie studio years before. The hairstyle she was known for was called the poodle cut. There are wigs that come in this style, but you don't need red hair to get the look, or a pood cut, just sweep your own hair into an updo of some sort, making sure it's neat. Use a little spray if you need to.

Pay close attention to your makeup. Lucy was fairly pale, but she didn't try to hide that behind make-up. She actually emphasized her fair skin with powder foundation. She also was known for her signature red lips and thin shaped eyebrows. Don't alter your natural arch but shape your eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil.

Use false eyelashes. Lucy had beautiful big blue eyes and was known for these. You can get her look by applying false eyelashes and a coat of mascara. If you want to use your own lashes, be sure to curl them with an eyelash curler and use a really good thickening and lengthening mascara. Allow the lashes to dry for 20 to 30 seconds between each coat.

Wear a shirtdress. A shirtdress is a dress that buttons like a shirt and is usually belted at the waist. They are as close to those housedress we talked about earlier as we can get today. Below the waistline, it flares outward into what looks similar to a poodle skirt. In the 1950s, the narrow waist and camouflaged hip was considered very flattering.

The most popular shoe that the women of the 1950s wore was the simple pump. The pump is a high-heeled dress shoe, with a heel around 2 or 3 inches high. The toe of the shoe usually formed a point.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Desi's smart business sense does it again!


Another interesting factoid:


I Love Lucy was originally budgeted for aroung $20,000 to $25000 a show, but when Desilu Productions decided to use film rather than Kinescope for production, they naturally exceeded that budget. Because Desi thought that film was a smarter way to go for the long run, He and Lucy agreed to a $1000 a week pay cut for the 1st year and in return they got 100% ownership rights to the show.

Good move Desi!

Friday, November 7, 2008

Lucy Quote

Another quote from Lucy. This sure sounds like her.



"Id rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done!"



I think Lucy really believed that, and that's why she did so much in her life and did it with gusto! Lucky for us.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Lucy chosen as the new Chesterfield Girl!

As a young girl, Lucy modeled at Hattie Carnegies, at 49th street in New York City. Hattie's was a popular place and catered to movie stars and rich clientelle and Lucy was a popular model. Lucy was accustomed to sending a good portion of her earnings back home to her mother and grandpa Fred (whom she referred to as her father since her own father died so young and her grandpa helped to raise her). So, to earn more money, Lucy found out that posing in the evenings after work at Hatties and on weekends for commercial illustrators brought in some nice extra cash. On Hattie's suggesstion one night, a painter by the name of Ratterman painted an oil of Lucy in a chiffon dress that she borrowed from one of her modeling jobs. He sold the painting to Chesterfield cigarettes. Lucy became an overnight sensation with her face plastered on billboards all over New York and Times Square!

But that was only the beginning. As the new Chesterfield Girl, an amazing break came her way. A theatrical agent by the name of Sylvia Hahlo noticed the billboards and got in touch with her. It just so happened that Sam Goldwyn needed a dozen well-known poster girls for a new Eddie Cantor movie, Roman Scandals. He had already picked out all the girls he needed but one had backed out. Lucy jumped at the chance and within three days Lucy was on her way to Hollywood.



I couldn't find an early photo of Lucy pitching for Chesterfield, but here's on her, going back to her roots.....staying loyal to the company that gave her her start

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Lucy and her Hats

One of the MANY things I love about I LOVE LUCY is that it points out the culteral differances between the 1950's and now. Those times were so much nice. The etiquette was better, people were kinder, ladies never left the house without their "good" clothes on, they wore hats and gloves and always looked lovely. I even like the ideal of "house dresses". Why not have a pretty dress to do your housework in or a nice apron to throw on over your jeans. It just seems more gentile. Anyway, the hats were a big thing for Lucy, so here a few of her favorites!




Friday, October 24, 2008

I Love Lucy Show Emmy Awards



Just in case you ever want to mess around with your friends or are playing trivial pursuit, here's some information for:


I Love Lucy Emmys

Best Situation Comedy - 1952,1953

Best Comedienne - Lucille Ball - 1952

Best Series Supporting ActressVivian Vance - 1953

Best Actress, Continuing Performance Lucille Ball - 1955

Thursday, October 23, 2008

I Love Lucy Theme Song

ok, so even though I Love Lucy is playing somewhere in the world every 10 minutes or so, there really are some people who don't know the lyrics of the song, so, here they are....enjoy!




I Love Lucy Theme Song


"I Love Lucy" by Harold Adamson and Eliot Daniel


"I love Lucy and she loves me We're as happy as two can be
Sometimes we quarrel but then
How we love making up again

Lucy kisses like no one can She's my Mrs. and I'm her man
And life is heaven you see
'Cause I love Lucy Yes I love Lucy And Lucy loves me! "

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

LUCY DIAGNOSED WITH ARTHRITIS.



It's hard to think of our girl ever being "down" or even felling under the weather, what with all that energy and remember how physical she was with her comedy. But as a young girl, Lucy had a terrible health scare and there was talk of her never walking again.




As a 17 year old girl wanting more than anything to become an actress, Lucille Ball went to New York City with the intention of doing just that! Lucy worked hard, and did not find success easily. She struggled through theater school, worked as a chorus line girl, as a model and caught a break when she began working for Hattie Carnegie's famous dress shop as a model. Lucy then found herself in a world of rich society women and glamorous movie stars.



One day while standing for a very long fitting, Lucy felt horrible pain in both her legs, as if they were on fire. Several days before this, Lucy had a fever and a bout with pneumonia. Worried, Hattie sent Lucy around the corner to her doctor and the doctor told Lucy that the pains were possibly rheumatoid arthritis. He explained to Lucy that rheumatoid arthritis was an incurable disease that becomes progressively worse until the sufferer ends up in a wheelchair.




After being examined by an orthopedic specialist, the doctor asked for permission to try a new experimental treatment. In her biography, Lucy described this as "some kind of horse serum", but still, she agreed. After a couple of weeks of this treatment, nothing much seemed to change. Lucy's spirits were low, the pain wast still intense and her money was running out so she decided to return to her mother and Grandfather's home Jamestown, New York. There, Lucy tried to take better care of herself and her mother massaged her legs at night. Months passed by, and Lucy was still in such pain that she described the time that passed as a blur. The horse serum injections were continued. It was a highly experimental treatment, last ditch effort and Lucy felt like a guinea pig but gradually the pain grew less and less and finally one day she was able to stand up. After months of inactivity, Lucy's left leg was now shorter than her right leg and it pulled sideways. To correct this she had to wear a 20 pound weight in one of her black orthopedic shoes. Though Lucy had some pain she was able to take a part offered her with the Jamestown Players, and then later returned to New York City in search of her dreams.




Just goes to show with determination and strength of mind, as Lucy had, you can overcome pretty much anything you set your mind to. Lucille Ball. A courageous and determined woman.


Saturday, October 18, 2008

Desi Factoid...



We all know how much Lucy loved Desi, and of course, we loved him too, but not many peope relized that Desi Arnaz was much more than Lucille Ball’s husband and co-star. He was also an innovative entertainment industry genius who created the multi-camera technique, which . simply put is having more than one camera....usualy three but sometimes more, shooting the same scene at the same time, but from different angels. The idea was a brainstorm of genius in the 1950's and was completely revolutionary. Even today in our amazing age of technology, it still remains a standard in the entertainment industry.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Lucy-Desi Costar passes on


With sadness, I must report the passing of Edie Adams, the widow of Ernie Kovaks who both guest starred on the finale episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. Edie was a actress, singer and dancer. She was 81 years old when she died. Our love and sympathy to her family and loved ones.
She shared a special part in history in this very last episode. It was the last time the Ricardo's appeared together on television and it marked the end of Lucy and Desi's real-life marriage as well. Their divorce was finalized shortly after this last episode.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

ATTENTION! NEW ETHEL MERTZ DOLL RELEASED


The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center has secured a limited number of the Platinum Edition Ethel Mertz “I Love Lucy” Santa Doll and will be offered Tomorrow, October 15th, 4:30 to 5:30 PM EST. Unlike the other “I Love Lucy” dolls in the Mattel series, this doll is part of Mattel’s “Platinum Label." Just 999 of these special dolls were created worldwide! Each doll includes a numbered certificate of authenticity that is inserted inside the doll box.


For further details please visit the following page of our web site, www.lucy-desi.com <http://www.lucy-desi.com/>


Saturday, October 11, 2008

Lucy's Films

This page is a listing of Lucy's many films, from 1985 to 1933. In many of her films from the 1930s, Lucy only had small cameo appearences and she had blonde hair.

Stone Pillow (1985; CBS-TV) [Florabelle]
Mame (1974; Warner Bros.) [Mame Dennis]
Yours,Mine and Ours (1968; United Artists) [Helen North Beardsley]
A Guide for the Married Man (1967; 20th Century-Fox) [Technical Advisor; Cameo]
Critic's Choice (1963; Warner Bros.) [Angela Ballantine]
The Facts of Life (1960; United Artists) [Kitty Weaver]
Forever Darling (1956; MGM) [Susan Vega]
The Long, Long Trailer (1954; MGM) [Tracy Collini]
The Magic Carpet (1951; Columbia) [Narah]
A Woman of Distinction (1950; Columbia) [Herself; Cameo]
Fancy Pants (1950; Paramount) [Agatha Floud]
The Fuller Brush Girl (1950; Columbia) [Sally Elliot]
Easy Living (1949; RKO) [Anne]
Miss Grant takes Richmond [Grant]
Sorrowful Jones (1949; Paramount) [Gladys O'Neill]
Her Husband's Affairs (1947; Columbia) [Margaret Weldon]
Lured (1947; United Artists) [Sandra Carpenter]
Two Smart People (1946; MGM) [Ricki Woodner]
Ziegfield Follies (1946; MGM) [Specialty]
Lover Come Back (1946; Universal) [Kay Williams]
The Dark Corner (1946; 20th Century-Fox) [Kathleen]
Easy to Wed (1946; MGM) [Gladys Benton]
Abbbot & Costello in Hollywood (1945; MGM) [Herself; Cameo]
Without Love (1945; MGM) [Kitty Trimble]
Meet the People (1944; MGM) [Julie Hampton]
Best Foot Forward (1943; MGM) [Lucille]
Du Barry was a Lady (1943; MGM) [May Daly/Madame Du Barry]
Thousands Cheer (1943; MGM) [Herself; Cameo]
The Big Street (1942; RKO) [Gloria]
Seven Days' Leave (1942; RKO) [Terry]
Valley of the Sun (1942; RKO) [Christine Larson]
A Girl, a Guy and a Gob (1941; RKO) [Dot Duncan]
Look Who's Laughing (1941; RKO) [Julie Patterson]
Too Many Girls (1940; RKO) [Connie Casey]
You Can't Fool Your Wife (1940; RKO) [Carla Hinklin/Mercedes Vasquez]
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940; RKO) [Bubbles/Tiger Lily White]
The Marines Fly High (1940; RKO) [Joan Grant]
Twelve Crowded Hours (1939; RKO) [Paula Sanders]
Beauty for the Asking (1939; RKO) [Jean Russell]
Five Came Back (1939; RKO) [Peggy]
Panama Lady (1939; RKO) [Lucy]
That's Right You're Wrong (1939; RKO) [Sandra Sand]
Annabel Takes a Tour (1938; RKO) [Annabel Allison]
Room Service (1938; RKO) [Christine Marlowe]
The Affairs of Annbel (1938; RKO) [Annabel Allison]
Having Wonderful Time (1938; RKO) [Miriam]
Go Chase Yourself (1938; RKO) [Carol Meely]
Joy of Living (1938; RKO) [Salina]
Next Time I Marry (1938; RKO) [Nancy Crocker Fleming]
Hitting a New High (1937; RKO) [?]
Stage Door (1937; RKO) [Judy Canfield]
Don't Tell the Wife (1937; RKO) [Ann Howell]
Follow the Fleet (1936; RKO) [Kitty Collins]
Bunker Bean (1936; RKO) [Miss Kelly]
Dummy Ache (1936; RKO) [Actress]
The Farmer in the Dell (1936; RKO) [Gloria]
That Girl From Paris (1936; RKO) [Claire Williams]
Winterset (1936; RKO) [A Girl]
Top Hat (1935; RKO) [Flower Clerk]
I'll Love You Always (1935; RKO) [Lucille]
Roberta (1935; RKO) [Fashion Model; uncredited]
Carnival (1935; RKO) [Nurse]
His Old Flame (1935; RKO) [?]
I Dream Too Much (1935; RKO) [Gwendolyn Dilley]
The Three Musketeers (1935; RKO) [Bit Part; uncredited]
The Whole Town's Talking (1935; Columbia) [Girl; uncredited]
Three Little Pigskins (1934; Columbia) [Daisy Simms]
Broadway Bill (1934; Columbia) [Blonde telephone operator; uncredited]
The Affairs of Cellini (1934; United Artists) [Lady-in-Waiting; uncredited]
Bottoms Up (1934; Fox) [Girl]
Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934; United Artists) [Girl]
Fugitive Lady (1934; Columbia) [Beauty Operator]
Hold That Girl (1934; Fox) [Girl]
Jealousy (1934; Columbia) [Girl]
Kid Millions (1934; United Artists) [Goldwyn Girl]
Men of the Night (1934; Columbia) [Peggy]
Moulin Rouge (1934; United Artists) [Chorus Girl]
Nana (1934; United Artists) [Chorus Girl; uncredited]
Blood Money (1933; United Artists) [Bit Part; uncredited]
The Bowery (1933; United Artists) [Bit Part; uncredited]
Broadway Through a Keyhole (1933; United Artists) [Bit Part; uncredited]
Roman Scandals (1933; United Artists) [Slave Girl; uncredited]

Friday, September 26, 2008

Lucy-Desi Weekend in Jamestown May 22

Wow! Word is really getting around! I was just getting around to booking my family's reservations in Jamestown,NY for the annual Lucy-Desi weekend. It is an amazing event that fills the whole town with the most amazing Lucy fans you'll ever meet! There are scavenger hunts, contests, prizes, seminars, slide shows, films, presentations, auctions, and so much more brought to you by fans, colleagues, people that worked on the I Love Lucy Show, Some of Lucy's relatives and other well-known celebrities. This year, the celebration is May 22 - 24. Most the the hotels in downtown Jamestown are already booked up so you might find yourself staying 10-20 miles out of town but it's worth it. If you are anywhere within driving distance, this festival is well worth the trip! Rest assured, I will be reporting back with everything that happened. Also, keep in mind, there's also a huge celebration in town for Lucy's birthday in August and hotels are mostly booked up for then too so start thinking about that now and make your arrangements now!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

LUCY SIGHTINGS!

Just to keep you updated...some recent sightings. The new TV commercial celebrating Macy's 150 years in business has some clips of I LOVE LUCY shows, Target online stores is now selling an adorable line of Lucy purses and bags and Walmart is selling a very funny card that when opened up plays the infamous "friendship" song made famous by Ethel and Lucy in the twin dresses! There are also plenty of Lucy Halloween costimes and wigs to be seen. If you've seen any great Lucy sightings....keep us posted here!
Here's an example of one of the bags being sold at Target.com
I understand there is also an I Love Lucy board game
being sold there as well.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

PLAQUE PRESENTED BY DESI ARNAZ FINDS ITS WAY TO LUCY-DESI CENTER


Here is a great article sent to me from the Lucy-Desi center (I'm on their mailing list, and you can be to). This place is a MUST for any lucy fan. PLEASE try to schedule a visit there soon if you haven't been yet and let me know what you think of this article!

Jamestown, NY - Jamestown, New York, area resident Patrick Malley surprised the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center when he donated a one-of-a-kind plaque that was presented to his father in 1947 by DesiArnaz. After having the award at his home for years, the Falconer, New York,resident decided to retire it to the archives at the Lucy-Desi Center.

The exciting news is that the opening of the new Lucy-Desi Museum in downtown Jamestown, Lucille Ball's hometown, has provided the opportunity to allow this terrific artifact to be seen by the public. Patrick's father, Thomas Malley, was a successful jockey who won theBelmont Stakes riding Faireno in 1932. Desi Arnaz was an avid horseracing fan; at one time he raised horses on his California ranch. The plaque reads "Presented by Desi Arnaz to Thomas Malley, Winning Jockey on Lighthouse, Tavistock Purse 8-26-47."

In sharing the news of the gift, the Lucy-Desi Center's Ric Wyman noted, "Being able to share this artifact with our visitors is a greatway to show Desi's love for horses and horse racing. We are grateful to Patrick for his generous donation."

For more information about the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center, call or visit the Lucy-Desi Center Gift Shop, 300 North Main Street,Jamestown, NY 14701, (716) 484-0800 (toll-free: 1-877-LUCY-FAN) orvisit online at www.lucy-desi.com. The Lucy-Desi Museum at 10 W. ThirdStreet, the Desilu Playhouse at 2 W. Third Street, and the Gift Shopare open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. onSundays.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Oh, Those Mertzes!

OK, This is interesting! I can't even begin to imagine anyone else playing Fred and Ethel Mertz but they weren't even close to Lucy and Desi's first choice for the roles. The whole I Love Lucy concept was based off of the radio show, My Favorite Husband, that Lucy had done for CBS radio fro 1948 thru 1951 (**FACTOID: Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Carroll and Madelyn Pugh all worked on the hit radio show with Lucy and then went on to I Love Lucy with her**)

Gale Gordon (Mr. Mooney from Here's Lucy) and Bea Benaderet (Kate from Petticoat Junction) were the two actors who Lucy wanted to plat Fred and Ethel but they were both contractually obligated to other shows, Gordon to Our Miss Brooks - another Desi-lu production and Benaderet to the Burns and Allen Show.

We can thank Desi for finding our Ethel for us. On the advise of director Marc Daniels, Desi went to see Vivian Vance in a play she was appearing in (The Voice of the Turtle) and hired her without even checking it with Lucy but the two became fast friends and soon realized they had a natural chemistry and their work together was an amazing pairing.

Sadly, the same cannot be said of the pairing of Viv and Bill Frawley. Bill actually asked for the role of Fred. He had a great resume, was a talented actor but their were rumors about some problems with alcohol that Desi didn't want clouding his show. Desi had a talk with Bill and told him he never wanted to see any alcohol on the set, Bill said that would never be a problem and he was hired. Bill was true to his word and turned out performances that to this day are unforgettable.

Bill got along great with Lucy and Desi but relations with Vivian were strained ever since he overheard her making a comment to Lucy about playing the part of a women being married to man old enough to be her father. The tension between them never eased from that point on and in fact, only worsened. It got so bad, Viv even refused to do a spin-off series about the Mertzes when I Love Lucy ended because the thought of working with Bill without Lucy and Desi as a buffer was too stressful for her to think about.

But, there you have the most unforgettable foursome in television history. Any comments, suggestions, memories are always welcome.

Quotes from Lucy...


Our Lucy was one smart girl....Every now and then I thought I'd throw in one of her more interesting comments....they are sharp, witty and oh, so true! Let me know what you think. I love this one!

"Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead."
Lucille Ball

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Some Ricardo Trivia


Address: The Mertzes converted brownstone at 623 East 68th street, wasn't even a real address, but plots out somewhere in New York's East River. As a native New Yorker, I can tell you that 68th street stops at just about 600.

Little Ricky: Little Ricky Ricardo was born January 19,1953 - the same time as Lucy and Desi's real baby, Desi Jr came into the world. More people watched this episode than watched President Eisenhower be inaugurated the very next day. Approximately 45 million viewers to be exact!

Club Memberships: Lucy and Ethel were faithful members of the "Wednesday afternoon Fine Arts League (which, by the way, never really met on Wednesdays!) and even shared the presidency at one time. They also tried to become members of the Society Matron's League but turned that chance down when Lucy decided the ladies were being rude about "show people" while they were being looked over. Oh well, the Ricardos and the Mertzes all got to chow down on some great home-made bread and butter after they left!

Apartment: Ricky and Lucy originally lived in apartment 4A (and Mrs Trumble lived above them because she was banging on the ceiling wanting the baby to stop crying) so the Mertzes building must have had 5 floors. Wow! No wonder Fred was always so worried about heating that place! Then after the baby was born they moved across the hall from the Mertzes to apartment 3D.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Some Background Stuff...



What do you think must have been the saddest day in television history? I wasn't even born yet, but for me and other Lucy fans like me one of the saddest days had to be May 6th 1957. That was the day that the last "I LOVE LUCY" episode aired.
"I LOVE LUCY" only ran for six short seasons, from 1951 thru 1957. That's relatively short for today when shoes like Seinfeld, Cops, Americas Most Wanted and The Simpsons can go on for decades!
Our favorite show was created by Jess Oppenheimer, Bob Carrol jr and Madelyn Pugh who were also the show's writers that brought our favorite strories about the Ricardos and the Mertzes to life for us.

LUCY RICARDO born LUCILLE ESMERALDA McGILLICUDDY

Lucille was born in upstate NY and married a Cuban band-leader who was just starting to make a name for himself in show biz.

RICKY RICARDO born RICARDO FERNANDO ALBERTO RICARDO Y DE ACHA III

Ricky worked had at his show business career and was a good provider. He loved his quirky wife and wanted to make her happy.

FRED & ETHEL MERTZ born FREDERICK HOBART MERTZ


Fred was possibly born in Indiana because Ethel mentions her mother-in-law visiting from Indianapolis once per year. We knew he served in France during World War I and worked in Vaudeville with partner Barney Kurtz and also with Ethel before settling down and buying the brown stone on 68th street in Manhattan.


ETHEL LOUISE ROBERTA MAE POTTER was from Albuquerque where her father ran the candy store in town. When she left after high-school she somehow ran into Fred Mertz and joined his vaudeville act and with their marriage became the co-owner of the converted brownstone apartment building which led to her exciting life of friendship with Lucy.
There you have it, the recipe for success. 4 of the most wonderful characters of American television. In future articles, we'll delve into each character a little deeper and learn more about the people that played those great parts. Please feel free to give your input here. This site is to remember Lucy, Desi and the others because they're special to all of us......let's reminisce.

Welcome to All "I LOVE LUCY" fans!

I am so excited to be starting this new blog! I have been a fan of Lucy and this show since I was about 4 years old. By then it was already in re-runs for about ten years but it was still the mid-sixties and we only got those re-runs once a week! We weren't lucky enough to have TV-LAND or nick-at-nite!

Nearly everyday there is something that happens in my life that I can relate to an episode of "I Love Lucy". Most people would call me crazy, I call that a skill! Call it what you will but I have managed to pass on a love of this show to future generations. All of my children (4 of them ranging in age from 14 to 25) are fans and wonder of wonders, one of my sons married a girl who rivals even me in Lucy trivia. Now with two grandchildren, I've got a whole new generation to convert. This blog will help me do that. It will give me a place to get all the information down in a fun way to share with other Lucy fans.

We can talk about trips to Jamestown and the Lucy/Desi Museum, our Lucy collections, our favorite episodes and whatever else you want. I would love to have input from all of you. I would love to hear from you about your own personal trips and experiences. Its the nostalgic feeling this show brings to us all that makes it so wonderful. Let's share!