Everybody Loves Lucy

Lucy's Favorite Boss, Gale Gordon

2011-01-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

Gale Gordon, whose real name is Charles Aldrich, was born in 1906 and was one of Lucy's favorite actors (and friends) to work with for over forty years.

Gale and Lucy began working together on Lucy's radio show "My Favorite Husband" in 1948 and continued all the way through to her final television show "Life With Lucy" in 1986.

By 1933 Gale was the highest paid radio actor in Hollywood. Among his most famous roles were Flash Gordon and Inspector Lestrade along with Basil Rathbone in Sherlock Holmes. Gale also joined the cast of the "Fibber McGee and Molly" show in 1941 and remained for 12 seasons. His television career began with Eve Arden's show "Our Miss Brooks" (fun fact, my dad was a frequent extra on that show), which led to "Dennis the Menace".

Gale was actually Lucy's first choice to play Fred Mertz but other contractual obligations kept him from taking the job so Lucy had to settle for the occasional guest appearance as Ricky's boss at the Tropicana.

Gale Gordon died at the age of 89 in July of 1995 of lung cancer.

Looks Like Fun!

2010-11-30T16:06:00.003-05:00

I was asked to post this for all I love Lucy fans, so if you are looking for a great vacation, check this out!

PRICE LIST ATTACHED!

“I LOVE LUCY”™ DIAMOND JUBILEE CRUISE

COME ABOARD ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S OASIS OF THE SEAS
DEPARTING FROM FT. LAUDERDALE FOR A SEVEN NIGHT CRUISE TO THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN
PORTS OF CALL: LABADEE, HAITI - FALMOUTH, JAMAICA – COZUMEL, MEXICO
NEWS FLASH!!
FIRST 100 PEOPLE MAKING DEPOSIT AND COMING ON CRUISE WILL BE IN A DRAWING FOR A CHANCE
TO WIN “DINNER WITH THE RICARDO’S”**
IN ONE OF THE WONDERFUL SPECIALITY RESTAURANTS ONBOARD OASIS OF THE SEAS

YOUR SPECIAL “I LOVE LUCY” PACKAGE INCLUDES*
60TH ANNIVERSARY COCKTAIL PARTY FOR THE “I LOVE LUCY” SHOW
CELEBRATE LUCY’S LIFE AT-“NIGHT AT THE TROPICANA”
CONGA BAND-BUBBLY-SOME CAKE, AND EVEN SOME DANCING
GUEST CELEBRITIES-DECORATE YOUR CABIN DOOR CONTEST-TRIVIA CONTEST-
LUCY FORUM-BOOK SIGNING-LOOK A LIKE CONTEST-PHOTO OPS-
LIMITED EDITION COMMEMORATIVE PIN AND T-SHIRT-“I LOVE LUCY”™ STORE-
COLLECTOR’S CORNER-SPECIAL PARTY BOAT EXCURSION-
SURPRISES AROUND EVERY CORNER AND LOTS MORE JUST FOR OUR LUCY FANS

CABINS ARE LIMITED SO DON’T DELAY-BOOK YOURS TODAY!
CALL BARB AT 877.278.9386 OR DANIELLE AT 866.403.1318
TO BOOK YOUR CABIN OR GET MORE INFO ON THIS
ONCE IN A LIFETIME CRUISE EVENT!

I LOVE LUCY and related marks are trademarks of CBS Broadcasting Inc., © 2010-2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Images of Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz are licensed by Desilu, too, LLC. Unforgettable Licensing.
*SUBJECT TO CHANGE
**THE RICARDO’S ARE IMPERSONATORS

TIPPING POLICY
Royal Caribbean International
The Process: With one key exception, Royal Caribbean continues the traditional process of handing out gratuities to crewmembers on the last night of the cruise. The line recommends $3.50 per person, per day to the dining room waiter and to the cabin steward ($5.75 for suite attendant); $2 per person, per day to the assistant waiter; and $0.75 per person, per day to the head waiter. Guidelines are the same for all passengers regardless of age.

Alternatives: Passengers who opt for Royal Caribbean's My Time Dining (flexible dining) rather than set-seating dining must pre-pay gratuities. Those who haven't selected My Time Dining but otherwise wish to pre-pay gratuities can also do so, either before or during their cruise.

Extra Charges: A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to all bar bills.

Barb Shulman-Memory Maker
Cruise Planners
LUCYCRUISE@cox.net
6249 Romo St., San Diego CA 92115
619.548.1289 or 877.278.9386 Toll Free

Such a Scandal!

2010-11-20T11:09:00.000-05:00

Can you remember what Lucy's first movie role was? Lucy played a showgirl in the 1933 film, "Roman Scandals".

Trivia Time!

2010-11-02T11:03:00.000-04:00

After I LOVE LUCY, a sitcom featuring William Frawley entitled "Fit as a Fiddle" was briefly considered and then canned. It was then that Bill joined the cast of "My Three Sons" in 1960 and stayed with that cast for five years.

Comic Strips and Comic Books

2010-10-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

Collectors be on the lookout, this information was news to me. Did you know that there was a daily I LOVE LUCY comic strip that ran in newspapers while the show was on the air, beginning in 1952? I did know that there were I LOVE LUCY comic books printed during this time period being published by DELL. It might be fun to dig around in a comic book store to see what you might find.

Butte, Montana

2010-10-14T10:44:00.002-04:00

According to the book, "Lucy A to Z" written by Michael Karol, as a young starlet Lucy told the press she hailed from Butte, Montana for publicity purposes. One 1953 Cosmopolitan article dubbed her "the Beaut from Butte".

Bea Benaderet - Lucy's first choice to play Ethel Mertz

2010-08-11T11:43:00.003-04:00

A friend of Lucy's and a popular character actress of the day, Bea Benaderet made only one guest appearance on I LOVE LUCY playing Miss Lewis, Lucy's old lady neighbor who was smitten with neighborhood grocer played by Edward Everett Horton in "Lucy Plays Cupid".

Interestingly enough, Ms. Benaderet also played the part of Jethro's mom on the Beverly Hillbillies, and was also the original voice of Betty Rubble on the Flinstones before landing the role of Kate on Petticoat Junction, the role she held until her death in 1968.

We have a winner!

2010-06-16T16:40:00.002-04:00

We have a winner in our first summer give-a-way. The new proud owner of our two Lucy bears is none other than Stacy Michelle! Stacy, you need to contact me with your e-mail adress and snail mail address asap so we can send these little cuddlies out to you. Thanks for reading and tell your friends about "Evarybody Loves Lucy"!

New Contest for Faithful Lucy Fans!

2010-05-09T12:57:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! I know I haven't been writing much lately but I have managed to squeeze in a trip to Jamestown New York and to bring home a bunch of goods for some fun summer-time give-a-ways!

Anway, Of course I stopped into the Lucy-Desi museum and saw these adorable little bears. These will be the prize for contest #1 which will begin today, Sunday May 9 through June 15, 2010. The contest prize will be the set of bears, not just one!

To enter the contest, you need to become a follower of this blog. If you already are a follower, you may become a subscriber. You will also need to leave a comment on this post telling everyone who is your favorite Neighbor of Lucy and Ricky's.

I hope you all have fun and look forward to winning!

The Longest Laugh

2010-04-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

Can you guess which episode of I Love Lucy go the biggest laugh out of all the episodes ever shown? No, it's not the vitametavegamin episode, It's not "Job Switching", and it's not when the one with Bill Holden.

The episode that got the logest laugh was when the Ricardos buy a house in Connecticut and were trying to start a chicken farm eith the Mertzes. Lucy and Ethel had to buy a bunch of eggs to sneak out under the chickens so Ricky would think that the chickens had started laying so they stuffted their blouses and all of their pokets with raw eggs.

Of course, Ricky picks that moment, while Lucy's clothes are filled with raw eggs, to practice the tango they are going to perform at a beneft the following night. Thought Lucy protested, Ricky wouldn't take no for an answer. Naturally, Ricky SMASHED into Lucy and broke dozens of raw eggs all over Lucy. That was the longest laugh in the history of I Love Lucy. Just as the laughter started to settle down, Ethehl got her eggs (That were in her pants pockets) smashed all over her backside when Fred came in and slammed the door into her. That started the laughter all over again.

That was a funny episode

Lucy's Lady Writer

2010-04-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr. wrote radio scripts for Lucy's radio show "My Favorite Husband" which co-starred Lucy's dear friends Gale Gordon and Bea Benadaret. Madelyn, who now lives in Marion, Indiana; admitted to a habit that she and Bob Carroll had of counting the laughs of the audience during each radio show. The most they ever go was 91. When the watched the first I Love Lucy show they wrote, there was 92 laughs and they knew they were working on something great. They had no idea at the time they would become a part of history.

For more great information on Lucy, Desi and the I Love Lucy show, be sure to pick up Madelyn's book, Laughing with Lucy. It's a great book brimming with information any Lucy lover would treasure.

A Beautiful Clown

2010-04-02T06:40:00.000-04:00

Lucy's writers often called her a "beautiful clown". No matter how ugly or frumpy the script called for, Lucy didn't care. In fact, she loved dressing up and putting on wigs and makeup that were, shall we say, less then flattering. Lucy was different than most actresses of the day. Most of them would be horrified if any role would require them to have their hair mussed or anything to ruin their make up or in fact, do anything to make them in anyway unattractive.

Not Lucy! She would do anything the script called for, no matter how awful it made her look, in order to get a laugh and thereby entertain her audience.

"It should Have Been Lucy"

2010-03-26T18:48:00.004-04:00

In 1952, at the Emmy Award Banquet, Red Skelton won the award for Best Comedy Performance. He accepted the award saying, "I don't deserce this. It should go to Lucille Ball."

The Desi-lu Ranch

2010-03-23T06:15:00.000-04:00

When it was time for Lucille and Desi to pull away from the rumble and roar of Beverly Hills, they went looking for some property to fit the bill. What they found was a beautiful ranch house set on five acres of land at 19700 Devonshire Street, complete with white fence and orange groves. They christened it the "Desi-lu" ranch, and they paid $16,900 for it.

This picture is of Lucy and Desi at the ranch

2010-03-17T06:22:00.000-04:00

An interesting piece of information if they ever come out with an I LOVE LUCY version of Trivial Pursuit, There are two very important and unrelated "LUCY" facts about the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel at 7100 Hollywood Blvd. First, this was the hotel in which Desi spent his first night in Hollywood and second, Here's where you'll find Vivian Vance's star. Just look down and smile.

Did you know?

2010-03-15T07:15:00.000-04:00

Famous gossip columnist Hedda Hopper lived close by to Lucy's 1000 North Roxbury Drive address in Beverly Hills, California. When Hedda died, she left her beautiful dark blue Rolls Royce to Lucy who always noted that Hedda was (next to Viv Vance) her "best girlfriend ever"

Check out my new blog!!!

2010-03-10T12:46:00.002-05:00

Hi Lucy fans. I hope wherever you are reading this that it feels a little bit like Spring. I'm writing you from Northeast Indiana and it's actually nice here. We are having "Fake" Spring. That's what I call it when the elements trick you into thinking that the bad weather is all gone. It's been 50 degrees here for the last few days and it's forcasted to be the same for the next few. We'll all get used to that and then BAM! More snow! Happens every year and I always fall for it!

Anyway, no Lucy facts for you today. This is just a totally selfish post. I have a new blog and I'd love to get some readers pointed in that direction. You can find it at Youreverydayhousewife.blogspot.com I'd love it if you would leave a comment over there and tell me what you think of it. If I get enough feed back I'd love to host a contest soon!

Thanks for your indulgence. Back to Lucy next post, I promise!

Just a little bit of trivia...

2010-03-09T10:08:00.002-05:00

I've always known that Lucy was an amazing women and took the world by storm, but as far as her career was concerned, she did it a little different than most. Most actors will do TV for a while and after making a name for themselves will leave their television shows and try to get a part in a movie. Quite a few of them never make it to the big screen and are forced to back to TV.

Lucy did it backwards, and with results that made her the most famous and most beloved females in television history!

Did you know that Lucy had made more than 70 movies before moving into television! After Lucy and Desi divorced, Lucy became the President of Desi-Lu studios and is responsible for many of our best know TV shows such as Star Trek, and Mission Impossible.

As I said in the title, just a little bit of trivia.

More Great I Love Lucy Stuff!

2010-02-13T21:10:00.003-05:00

Who can forget The infamous Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League that Lucy and Ethel belonged to? It was for them that Lucy wrote her famous operetta and gave us that great gypsy queen image we'll never forget as well as Ethel's famous number "Lilly of the Valley". It was for the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League that the girls fought over who would be president and wound up being co-presidents, where Lucy cajoled Ricky into emceeing benefit shows and where they had many of their famous "breakups" only to cry, hug and be best friends again.

Some more facts about I Love Lucy

2010-02-13T20:46:00.003-05:00

Did you know that the beautiful face of Lucy has been seen by more people and more often than any other face of any other person who ever lived!

Did you also know that to this day "I Love Lucy" is still shown in more than 70 countries and is dubbed in more than 22 different languages!

It would seen that there are very intelligent people all over the world!

I LOVE LUCY APRON FOR SALE

2010-01-19T17:55:00.006-05:00

Hi folks,

Just to let you know I have a couple of adorable I LOVE LUCY aprons for sale over on EBAY made out of the LUCY liscensed fabric. Here's the link to one of them if you feel like checking it out.

Give me an idea what you think of it! Be honest fellow Lucy lover!

MY LUCY APRON

Funny Quotes from I LOVE LUCY

2010-01-09T20:10:00.003-05:00

Here's one of my favorites between Ricky and Fred from "JOB SWITCHING" When Ricky and Fred are discussing cooking dinner for the girls:

Ricky: What do you know about rice?
Fred: Well, I had it thrown at me on one of the darkest days in my life!

And here's a real great one from when the foursome is in England wanting to meet the Queen. I love this one.

Ethel : Imagine me meeting a Queen face to face, I'm scared.
Fred : You're scared? Think of the Queen!

A little trivia about Lucy's radio show

2010-01-06T04:53:00.000-05:00

Prior to I LOVE LUCY, Lucy starred in a radio show with Richard Denning which was called "My Favorite Husband". In fact, I LOVE LUCY was originally based on that radio show. At the time, Ozzie and Harriet was a successful Television series so the network borrowed their writers, Fox & Davenport, to write the first 10 episodes of the radio show. When they had to return to Ozzie and Harriet, they were replaced by Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carrol Jr. and history, as we know it, was made!

Co-stars for My Favorite Husband, playing the best friends, (most of the time)were Gale Gordon and Bea Benaderet who were both good friends of Lucy and whom were her first choices to play Fred and Ethel Mertz. Due to previous contract conflicts, they were unable to accept her offers which cleared the way for Vivian Vance and William Frawly (Whew!) to come on board. Gale and Bea did appear on I LOVE LUCY in several episodes though, enjoying acting with their dear friend.

Don't you love trivia~

Lots of fan mail over little Ricky!

2010-01-02T15:42:00.003-05:00

After Lucy gave birth to her baby Desi in real life and little Ricky Ricardo in television land, she received over 30,000 letters of congratulation. WOW! Unfortuneatly, she also received about 2 dozen from cranky, nasty people who had nothing better to do but complain about her showing up pregnant on TV! Some people just can't ever be happy!

Lucy and Desi's Lost Christmas Episode

2009-12-22T22:35:00.005-05:00

**The Following Great Information is taken from a wonderful website, TVPARTY.COM which has great information about some wonderful old TV shows. Be sure to take the time to check them out.

On Christmas Day, 1959, The Desilu Playhouse (1958-1960) presented a special Christmas broadcast starring the whole I Love Lucy gang, in addition to the Desilu Players and numerous stars of other popular Desilu productions like George Murphy, Spring Byington, Lassie, Danny Thomas, Hugh O'Brien and Ann Sothern. Even Hollywood hag Hedda Hopper made an appearance!

The wrap-around plot had Hollywood gossip queen Hedda Hopper interviewing Lucy and Desi about the Desilu Players and the show they recently staged. This led to flashbacks of Lucy (who was directing the stage show) creating chaos backstage between the musical numbers.

This Desilu Christmas special was produced and (essentially) directed by Lucille Ball herself. This is the only Desilu production I can think of that features the I Love Lucy cast members playing "themselves."

The juxtaposition of the 'real' Lucy with the Lucy character is slightly confusing and, though Vivian Vance is referred to as "Vivian" here, her personality is basically Ethel's with more attitude.

If you ever get the opportunity to watch this hour-long special, look for the scene where William Frawley (as himself?) tries to pick up one of the young girls in the show. How's this for a come-on: "Miss Lovell, do you feel about older men the way I feel about younger women?"

This program is significant because it's one of the last appearances of the four I Love Lucy cast members together, Lucy and Desi filed for divorce just a few months after this special was filmed. They only appeared together in one more Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Show; they never again acted together on any another TV show.

The Desilu Players was a pet project of Lucille Ball's, who hand-picked each of the versatile performers as her protégés (they actually were appearing in a stage revue that she produced in LA around the time of this broadcast). The musical and comedy numbers from the live show were filmed almost exactly as originally staged, but only the musical numbers ended up in the Christmas special's final edit.

One of those musical numbers ('I'm Only Happy When I'm Singin' the Blues') featured some wild art direction and garnered excellent revues for the sterling performances by Carole Cook and Dick Kallman as singing/dancing coffeehouse beatniks.

Carole Cook went on to become a life-long friend of Lucy's, appearing on Broadway and several times on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy. Dick Kallman starred in the fondly remembered TV series Hank in 1965. He also embarked on a promising Broadway career before being tragically murdered in his New York apartment in 1980.

Also in the Desilu Playhouse cast: Majel Barrett (Nurse Chappell on Star Trek another Desilu show) and Robert Osborne (the Classic Movie Channel host and erstwhile writer for the Hollywood Reporter

I Love Lucy episodes often mirror real life

2009-11-11T13:51:00.002-05:00

The Club Election (Episode #47)

Lucy often used inserted events and people from hers and Desi's life into Lucy and Ricky Ricardo's life on I Love Lucy. This particular episode was full of names of real life people who were near and dear to Lucy's heart.

Originally aired on February 16, 1953

You will remember that the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League is having its annual club election and Lucy and Ethel both wind up running for club president. Unfortunately, the vote is split pretty evenly between the club members which means the newest member Ruth Knickerbocker (with the cut glass punchbowl and matching cups) will have the deciding vote.

Guest Cast In This Episode: Doris Singleton (Lillian Appleby whose name is later changed to Carolyn Appleby); Ida Moore (Mrs. Knickerbocker); Margie Liszt (Marion Strong); Hazel Pierce (Grace Munson); Lurene Tuttle (outgoing club president); Peggy Rea (Pauline Lopus)

Interestingly, this was the first episode to feature Doris Singleton as Lucy and Ethel's friend... In this story, she is called Lillian Appleby. In real life, Lillian Appleby was one of Lucy's Jamestown, NY teachers. Marion Strong, Grace Munson, and Pauline Lopus were all good personal friends of Lucy.

Here's a funny clip of Lucy talking about Marion Strong's hat and her "cackling" laugh! This one is from "Lucy Tells The Truth"

Fell Like Shopping?

2009-11-05T11:33:00.007-05:00

Feel like shopping? I love collecting Lucy memorobilia and there's no better place to get it than the Lucy-Desi online gift shop run by the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown New York. They sell the same great stuff on-line that you can get if you visit but you get to pre-order new and up-coming items that are just in the planning stages. I'm gonna show you a few here. I have a hunch they're gonna be really popular and if they come out in time for Christmas, look out. Pre-order what you like now so you are sure to get them in time. Here's the link. Go to lucy-desi.com to check all the goodies out for yourself!

I Love Lucy Disposable Camera

Have your picture taken with Lucy anytime and anywhere! This clever camera contains 12 different "I Love Lucy" scenes that will surround you in smiles!

Price: $14.95

"Peppy People" Travel Mug

You will definitely be a "peppy person" when taking this sturdy ceramic Lucy travel mug full of coffee! Stands 6.5" high.

Price: $12.95

I Love Lucy Fabric (there are a lot of different fabrics, so check out the link!)

These fantastic fabrics will allow any Lucy-Desi fan's imagination to run wild! Create pants to curtains, aprons to quilts using these long awaited fabrics.

(You'll even find a quilting kit which includes all necessary fabric and instructions!)
PLEASE INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF YARDS IN THE QUANTITY AREA. PRICE INDICATED IS PER YARD.

Price: $9.95 per yard

Well, there's a few ideas to 'whet your whistle'. I've already pre-ordered the camera. I can't wait for it to come in! If you order anything, let us all know!

Lucy's Wardrobe

2009-11-05T09:53:00.004-05:00

I know we've mentioned it before, especially when talking about our Paper Doll give-a-way. Most Lucy lovers agree, we loved Lucy's I Love Lucy wardrobe from her cocktail dress right down her house dresses and even her weird "I'm gonna get Ricky back for that!" outfits! We owe the majority of those lovely creations to Eloise Jenssen who was Lucy's dress designer, on and off the set, for many years.

Eloise died on Valentines day in 2004. This is an excerpt of the 2004 "Still In Love With Lucy newsletter that was written by Thomas Watson for the Lucy - Desi Museum contributors and members. Thomas had run a previous article about Eloise. These are the readers comments. I thought you might enjoy reading them. I did.

"Many thanks for the nice e-notes regarding fashion/costume designer Elois Jenssen, who passed away February 14. One fan wrote: "I always loved the outfits that Miss Jenssen did for Lucy... Even her everyday clothes were suddenly smart and spiffy. Many of the outfits Lucy wore in the real early episodes were a little on the dowdy side..."

Another said: "Elois did not just dress Lucy... She seemed to participate in the creative process, because in some instances, her outfits WERE the joke. I am thinking particularly of the Charm School get-ups that Lucy and Ethel wore. Whatta riot!"

Author Allan Glaser agrees... "There are many times that Elois' contributions 'made the moment.' I am thinking particularly of the breakaway outfits Lucy and Ethel wore for the 'Friendship' number, the Marilyn Monroe outfit, and the heavy showgirl headdress Lucy tried to wear in Hollywood. The outfits made the comedy moments believable."

If you want to have some fun and go through some old newsletters, you can get to them through this link. Go to lucyfan.com to find some interesting information. If you like what you read and find anything you'd like to share, leave a comment on this post for everyone else to read.

I'll have more information on Eloise in a later post.

WE HAVE OUR WINNER!!!

2009-11-01T20:13:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Lynn! She's the winner of the beautiful I Love Lucy paper dolls give-a-way! Thanks to everyone else who entered. We still have our other contest going on right now for the second season of I Love Lucy on DVD so be sure to enter!

Early Desi information

2009-10-28T15:12:00.000-04:00

Young Desi Arnaz first started his 'rhumba band' when he came to America at a very young age. He became very attracted to the musical rhythms of his own nationality and decided he wanted to work in the nightclub business. Even though it eventually became a long running joke, Desi began a partial partnership with fellow bandleader Xavier Cugat and Cugat promised Desi that he would send him a few band members.

Instead of experienced Spanish musicians, Cugat sent band members alright,but each man came from a completely different background. Not one of them even knew any Latin songs, so Desi had to start from scratch and teach them. The men didn't get along very well at first, however, with some hard work their personalities melded and Desi would soon developed his own actual rhumba band.

NEW FALL CONTEST!!! I Love Lucy - The Complete Second Season from 1951

2009-10-22T18:14:00.006-04:00

To wish my wonderful "Lucy" readers a Happy Fall season, I've decided to have another contest! Yes, that's right! This time, we'll be giving away the boxed set of I Love Lucy - The Complete Second Season (1951 on DVD.

All you have to do to enter is follow these two simple steps:

1. either subscribe to this blog OR become a follower of it. Either way, you'll receive automatic notifications of updates.

2. Leave a comment on this post telling us which one of the "supporting" cast of characters on the show was your favorite. For example; Mrs. Trumble, Freddie Filmore, Ernie Ford, Teensie or Weensie, Marion Strong, Caroline Appleby...or any of the many others.

That's it! That's all there is to it! The contest will run through Midnight of Friday November 27, 2009. After all of that Christmas shopping, some lucky reader will be getting a nice gift for themselves! The winner will be chosen at random. There will be only ONE winner and the contest is only for those in the Unites States.

So, tell your friends and REMEMBER....there's still time to enter our PAPER DOLLS contest. That one runs until Halloween so happy entering!

Lucy, Hollywood's Technicolor Tessie

2009-10-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

Back in the day, according to LIFE magazine, Cameramen and technicians both referred to our lovely Lucy as "Technicolor Tessie" because she was so colorful and looked so beautiful on film. With her gorgeous hair that was described as every color from strawberry blond to apricot, her beautiful deep cornflower blue eyes and her famous red lips, Lucy was made for the camera.

Lucy's skin was so fair, she always looked natural in front of the camera, no matter what look the make-up artist was going for. For technicolor films, three times more light was needed than for black and white films. Makeup needed to be thinner and lighter in order for it not to look mask-like on camera. Lucy carried it off because of her beautiful, flawless skin.

These photographs are proof that Lucy deserves the title bestowed on her by the studios. They were taken by photographer Walt Sanders. She is wearing nothing more than everyday street makeup, and they were done with everyday lighting and not special effects.

These beautiful pics were originally shown in LIFE magazine, the August 9, 1943 issue

Old Suspense Radio Shows Starring Lucy and others!

2009-10-19T04:34:00.000-04:00

PERFECT LUCY TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!

I've come across this wonderful website that I think you will love. It features wonderful stars from the "good old days" of Hollywood doing thriller/horror shows on radio in the 1940's. There are some from Lucy and other big names like Olivia DeHavilland, Orsen Wells, Susan Haywood,Vincent Price and tons more. Check!k it out. It's perfect for Halloween. Just click on the link, go down the list and open the file you want to listen to. Many thanks to the owner of this site for putting together such a gem!

obscurehorror.com

More I Love Lucy Trivia

2009-10-17T10:50:00.000-04:00

From the comments I receive, I know you guys like trivia, so here you go. Comments are always welcome!

This tidbit makes me sad but it is interesting. Desi Arnaz had wanted Episode #153, Return Home From Europe to be the last episode of the series, but he was persuaded to stay on for another season. It's sad because even though the series went on, this episode has many lines that give a sense of closure and fans could sense the end was coming. Also of note, it was the last I Love Lucy episode that involved Jess Oppenheimer(Producer). Oppenheimer later went on to sue Desilu after the The Lucy Show came on the air saying that "Lucy Carmicheal" was really "Lucy Ricardo" with a different last name.

Episode #172, Lucy Does The Tango, has the longest laugh ever recorded in I Love Lucy history - sixty-five seconds long!

In Episode #4, The Diet, we have the first on-screen appearance by Marco Rizo, the accomplished pianist who was also Desi's long-time friend. We also hear the song "Cubn Pete/Sally Sweet" which was part of Lucy and Desi's 1950 vaudeville tour, which was, in part what helped convince CBS honchos to invest in I Love Lucy.

Jack Benny's Favorite Lucy Episode

2009-10-15T11:04:00.004-04:00

Here's a little I love Lucy movie star trivia for you:

Did you know that Episode #114, L.A. At Last!, where Lucy sets her nose on fire in front of Bill Holden was Jack Benny's favorite episode?

In Episode #125, The Dancing Star,Ray Bolger (best known for playing the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz) was originally to have been "The Dancing Star," but couldn't make it due to other obligations, so Lucy's long time friend and fellow red head Van Johnson filled in for him.

And speaking of Van Johnson, in episode #122, The Star Upstairs, Van Johnson was originally going to play that part instead of Cornell Wilde but due to a sponsor conflict (I Love Lucy was sponsored by Philip Morris, Johnson was sponsoring Lucky Strike)was unable to do so. Only 28 days later, when his contract for Lucky Strike was completed he filmed the episode #125, "The Dancing Star."

I hope you enjoyed that little bit of trivia. Stay tuned for more, and don't forget it's not too late to enter our Paper Doll contest so tell your friends and spread the word.

Trivia Game

2009-10-09T07:07:00.000-04:00

If you like trivia, and I know you do, I just found an actual I Love Lucy trivia game on Amazon. Check it out and see if you can pick one up for yourselves. Here's what it looks like.

Lucy and Gary Morton

2009-10-07T09:09:00.000-04:00

In 1960, she starred in the Broadway musical, Wildcat, with actress Paula Stewart, who introduced her to Gary Morton, a stand-up comic whom she married in 1961. Wildcat ended its run after only 171 performances when Lucy, suffering from a virus and chronic fatigue, became too ill to

Lucy met second husband Gary Morton in 1960 while starring in the Broadway musical Wildcat with Paula Stewart. Gary was a stand-up comedian then. The two married in 1961 and remained married until Lucy's death in 1989.

"Be A Pal" Season 1, Episode 2

2009-10-05T06:06:00.000-04:00

Did any of you think this on is as funny as I do? Be A Pal. I even love the Ethel reads the book as she sits at Lucy's kitchen table. that Lucy looks so funny in those big old baggy pajamas and her hair up in curlers. I have an aunt that dresses just like that!

Anyway, here's some interesting trivia about that episode. Do you remember when Lucy's last resort was thinking that Ricky just missed Cuba and missed his mother and maybe wanted Lucy to be more like her? So she dressed up like Carmen Miranda and lip syncs "Mama Eu Quero" which is a Brazilian song, not a Cuban song. The other funny part about this episode is this, do you remember when Lucy is having all of the little kids running out of the bedroom area (acting like they are Ricky's younger siblings) and she's telling them about all the delicious food they'll be eating such as tacos etc... Well, in that whole string of food she mentions, none of the food is Cuban!

Since it was only the second episode of the show and the audience was live, certain celebrity friends of Lucy and Desi showed up to show their support. Among them was Jack Benny and his wife, Van Johnson, her close friend Ginger Rogers, Eve Arden Carmen Miranda herself and Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Macrae. The real studio audience had a real treat that night!

NEW GIVE-AWAY!! HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE I LOVE LUCY PAPERDOLLS!!! RARE AND MUCH SOUGHT AFTER!!!

2009-10-02T20:57:00.011-04:00

OK, I am excited bout this! I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of the I Love Lucy paper dolls set. These came out in 2004 and now they are SOOOOOO hard to get. Check it out for yourself on Amazon....they are going for over $120 - $140 dollars a pop....and sometimes that's for used ones.

For this give-away, You can win a new set of the same I Love Lucy Paper dolls I am talking about. You get two Lucy paper dolls and 25 of her MOST FAMOUS I Love Lucy outfits! There is also LOTS of information about the show and Lucille herself.

I was so excited when this book of paper dolls arrived, I was tempted to keep it myself!

***So, here's the scoop. This contest will run until Halloween night, 12 midnight Eastern Standard Time.

***To enter:

1) Become a follower or a subscriber
2)Leave a comment telling us about your favorite Lucy Outfit! Serious or funny, just tell us one you loved:-)
3)Leave your First name and e-mail address in the comment.

That's it!!!

I hope you'll spread the word about the contest. It's a great chance for someone to get their hands on a great collectible that's worth a substantial amount of money. Contest begins now, so start your engines and let's go!

Here's some photo's from the book so you have an idea of what your shooting for:

Lucy's birthday celebration if Jamestown, NY

2009-10-01T06:25:00.000-04:00

This is the "must-go-to" festival for every Lucy fan. Every year Jamestown pulls out all the stops and celebrates Lucy's birthday better than the year before and EVERYONE is invited. And I mean everyone from around the country and around the world. This year will be no exception. I hope I can get a hotel room!

This year the festivities are scheduled from August 7 through August 9. Let me give you a run-down. Ever year there is the "Komedy Kollege" where participants can get a quick class in how to perform from wacky comedy such as Lucy did, then later that same day they perform a scene from one of the better known I Love Lucy episodes. There are outdoor evening screenings of I Love Lucy episodes, A picnic in the back yard of what was Lucy's childhood home, extended narrated tours of Jamestown outlining where Lucy spent her formative years. There's tons of impersonators, Collectors from all over showing their amazing collections, There's even auctions of some real Lucy-Desi memorabilia. In addition, you can take a cruise on Chautauqua Lake, win hundreds of dollars in valuable prizes and see many surprise guests.

Consider this the best "heads-up" a Lucy Lover could get. If you are taking a summer vacation, this could be it. Make your plans now and get a little closer to seeing the real Lucy.

More trivia....Test your knowledge

2009-09-29T07:38:00.002-04:00

There were three episodes of I Love Lucy that were colorized. Can you name them?

1. Lucy goes to Scotland
2. LA at Last!
3. Christmas Special (from season 6)

Apparently the colorized version of LA at last was lost for a while so it has not been included as a bonus on any of the DVD sets. So, lets do a short reader poll here.

So you think that all of the other I Love Lucy episodes should be colorized? If not, why? Let's try to get some good fan input on this so tell your friends!

By the way, I'm working hard on digging up a really good prize for our next contest so stay tuned!

(By the way, the picture above is of one of the I Love Lucy collectible bears. This one is from episode #144 - Lucy Goes To Scotland, and was limited to 1500 made)

Hillarious trivia!

2009-09-28T05:54:00.000-04:00

I don't know if this is true or not, but according to the Internet gossip site IMBD.com when she was young, Lucy was once fired from her job at an ice cream store because she kept forgetting to put bananas in the bananas splits! I just love that!

Lucy and Max Factor

2009-09-26T13:14:00.005-04:00

Did you know that Lucy signed her first endorsement contract with Max Factor in 1935 and renewed it again in 1942. Of all of the Hollywood celebrities of the time, Lucy had the longest association with the Max Factor company and Max Factor himself was credited for the make-up on the I LOVE LUCY television show.

In Lucy's day, Max Factor was highly sought after not only for his talent as an artist but for his knowledge and inventiveness with makeup. He is responsible for two very important developments in makeup back then. In 1940 he invented Max Factor's True Colour Lipstick which was considered the first lipstick where the color didn't irritate or change after it is applied, and in 1947 Max Factor developed Pan Stick Makeup for television. Max is also credited for creating the false eyelash and the eyebrow pencil.

Lucy was a Leo, Desi was Pisces

2009-09-24T12:46:00.002-04:00

Since we all love interesting facts about the people we love, I thought it might be fun to note the astrological signs of Lucy and Desi. Lucy was a Leo
, the sign of the lion.

People born under the star sign of Leo are generally confident, ambitious, generous, loyal and encouraging to others. That sums up Lucy pretty well if you ask me. Some of the weaker points to a Leo's personality can be the tendency to be stubborn and melodramatic. I think, if Lucy had those traits, they served her well. In order to succeed the way she did, she would have had to be stubborn not to give up, to keep pushing, to prove that she was right in doing things the way she wanted. Her way. And, every actress or actor has to have a little melodrama in their personality. It's what makes them an artist in my opinion.

Desi was born under the sign of Pisces the fish. This would mean that Desi would have tended to be passionate,accepting, devoted and imaginative. For those who go for this kind of thing, they would also tell you that the stars would have read Desi to have been over-sensitive and somewhat indecisive.

Does all of this astrology talk remind any of you of episode 7 in season 1 where Lucy and Ethel become interested in Numerology and Astronomy? To make a long story short, Lucy almost ruins Ricky's chances of starring in a new musical so to make amends she goes to visit "Mr. Merriweather" (played by Jay Novello) who is also very interested in these same activities. Somehow, everybody is involved in a seance, with Ethel acting as medium, in order to contact "Tilly" (Mr. Merriweather's beloved cockerspaniel) and then Mrs. Merriweather! Anyway, this episode is known as "The seance" episode and usually gets high points on the perverbial laugh meter.

Really fun I Love Lucy Trivia I Thought You Might Like...

2009-09-22T09:50:00.000-04:00

Did you know that during the time that the Ricardos lived in in their New York City apartment they had three different telephone numbers! If you can think back, You will remember Lucy and Ricky giving their numbers as "Murray-hill 5-9975", CIrcle-7-2099, and MUrray-hill 5-9099. These numbers were really telephone numbers that went unused by the New York Bell Telephone Company. Why so many changes you ask? When the numbers had to be used, the telephone numbers would call the shows producers and give them a new unused number!

Did you know....

2009-09-20T15:18:00.000-04:00

That in March of 1977 a Disco version of the I Love Lucy theme actually became a hit single. It even stayed on the dance charts for three months and on the pop charts for seven weeks! 1977 was the year I graduated high school (uh oh--dating myself here) and I sure can't remember this. I'm ashamed of myself!

Hotels (well, fake hotels) involved in Ricky and Lucy Ricardo's life

2009-09-18T06:58:00.001-04:00

THE BEVERLY PALMS HOTEL
The Ricardos stayed in Room 315 and the Mertzes in Room 317 at this hotel. Of course, there's no listing for this hotel in the phone book because it was made up for the show. This is where everyone stayed when Ricky took the gang to Hollywood to film "Don Juan". No matter that it was as fake as Lucy's nose in the Bill Holden scene it was beautiful and you can see a replica of it at the Lucy-Desi playhouse in Jamestown.

How about THE BROADWAY HOTEL, HOLLYWOOD
True I Love Lucy fans know that we could see this hotel sign out of Lucy and Ricky's hotel window. I couldn't find any listing for this hotel in the phone book so I don't think it was real. Anyone have an info to the contrary, please be sure to let us know.

Hattie Carnegie's Jewelry

2009-09-16T07:07:00.004-04:00

As mentioned in an earlier post, Hattie designed a line of costume jewelry that is still highly collectible and sought after today. I would have loved to have seen Lucy in some of these. I wonder if she had worn any of these pieces? It's fun to think that she did.

Some Hattie Carnegie Dresses

2009-09-14T06:37:00.000-04:00

To continue on with our Hattie Carnegie storey so we can get a better glimpse of Lucy's modeling days spent with her, here a few photos of Hattie's designs:

WE HAVE A WINNER!

2009-09-12T10:29:00.002-04:00

Well, out first contest has concluded and we have a winner! Chosen totally at random, our winner is "Jim W." who, like many of you, choose the Chocolate Factory episode as his favorite. The winning prize was the complete first season of I Love Lucy on DVD. Congratulations Jim! For everyone else, I truly thank you for your entries.

I loved reading about every one's favorites! The chocolate factory and Vitametavegamin came in about tied. The grape stomping and Lucy with Bill Holden in Hollywood were close runner ups. John Wayne's footprints got a lot of votes as did the episode where Lucy told Ricky she was pregnant and where little Ricky was born. You all did a great job. I am planning more contests for the future so please stay tuned. You won't be sorry.

Lucy and Hattie Carnegie

2009-09-12T07:44:00.002-04:00

We "Lucy lovers" almost have to credit the famous Hattie Carnegie and her salon with the start of Lucy's career. Hattie was born on 15 March 1889 in Vienna and came to New York where she eventually based her fashion empire.

She rose to fame in the 20's and 30's which was the era of hats for women and Hattie started out as a milliner where owned a beautiful shop on East Tenth street. She called it Carnegi-Ladies Hatter. After that, she turned her attention to her dress shop which she opened in a much ritzier neighbor hood on the upper West side at 42ND and 49Th streets. Now close to Saks Fifth Avenue, the Hattie Carnegie boutique began to cater to a much different clientele. Hattie sold dresses that were her own design as well as dresses from designers such as the famous Chanel and Dior as well as a costume jewelry line she also designed herself. Believe it or not, she even sold cosmetics, but under a different name.

It wasn't long before Hattie's designs were a major success and her client list began to include movie stars and royalty such as the Duchess of Windser and Joan Crawford. Hattie died in 1956 but her dresses, hats and jewelry are still prized and highly collectible even today and often go for outrageous prices and they are worth every Penny!

When young Lucy graduated from high school and went to New York City looking for work and to make her mark on the show-biz world, she thought she'd try her hand at acting but when some teachers at the actors studio told her she was basically talentless (can you imagine!!!), knowing she needed to eat, Lucy decided to give modeling a try. Thinking that the name "Diane Belmont" (after the famous race track in New York) sounded sophisticated, she applied for a job at the famous salon. Because of her height and slim figure, she was hired.

Hattie took a instant liking to the skinny, long-legged girl and saw something in her that that others didn't. She used Lucy more often than her other models because she never complained, worked hard and always maintained a sense of humor. She also had the body to carry off all the looks in the salon. Hattie also recommended Lucy for the "Chesterfield Girl" billboard ad campaign. It seems as if it was a match made in heaven. This photo is one of our Lucy modeling. I can't be sure if this is a shot where she is wearing one of Hattie's designs or not, but it is beautiful and so is our girl. Despite the fact that Lucy was a redhead (for most of her life anyway)and "they" say redheads should wear pink, Lucy adored pink and looked gorgeous in it. This particular Hattie Carnegie dress did NOT belong to Lucy but she would have looked gorgeous in it!

Women from Mars! New Lucy and Ethel Kelly doll Set coming SOON!

2009-09-11T07:48:00.000-04:00

There are the most adorable Lucy and Ethel Kelley doll sets I have EVER seen, and the Women from Mars episode is one of my favorites (and no one mentioned it in the contest). The last set I bought was the "Lucy and Ethel get Paris gowns" when Ricky and Fred make those horrible burlap sack dresses. Anyway, you can pre-oder these dolls at Cathy's Closet or from the Lucy - Desi museum gift shop. Both links are under "my favorite links" to the right side of this blog. Don't miss out. These are very collectible. Remember, "It's a moo-moo"

More Jamestown fun....

2009-09-10T06:16:00.002-04:00

I'll be you didn't know that New York State's largest community theater is named after Lucy! The theater's season runs October through May so if you do take that Fall trip you can check it out. The Lucille Ball Little Theater of Jamestown can be found at 18 E 2nd Street.

Now, for my favorite two place, almost anywhere. I never get tired of going here. My family thinks I'm crazy but I could go here every day because I find something new and amazing every time I go here. Once, at the Lucy-Desi museum, the exhibited one of Lucy's hairbrushes with some of her hair still in it. I know that makes me sound like one of those crazy Elvis people that save a piece of old meat that he ate that still has his bite marks in it but this is different. I Love Lucy was in black and white and to see the actual color of that famous red hair was truly amazing to me.

Anyway, The Lucy-Desi museum is located at 212 Pine street and is an incredible way to spend a few hours. You will get a truly inside look at Lucy and Desi. Although the exhibits keep changing, I have seen and was able to read personal letters sent between the two that has brought me to tears, I have seen costumes both had worn in episodes on the show, seen some of Lucy's favorite gowns, dishes that Lucy owned, furniture from the Desilu studios, and so much more. It is definitely worth the price of admission, and speaking of admission, you get a discount on both if you also go to the Desilu playhouse which is on 2 West 3rd Street and you won't want to miss it.

The playhouse is named after the studio where I Love Lucy and countless other TV shows were filmed. When you visit this place, it is like stepping into the lives of the Ricardo's and you will NOT want to leave. There are EXACT replicas of the Ricardo's apartment right down to the fireplace, the mantle, the kitchen, the dishes, the knick-knacks, every single thing in that apartment we know so well is right there in front of us and believe me, you will want to jump right over that rope and become part of it.

They have also replicated the Hollywood hotel suite down to every last minute detail. I don't know how they did it. Every last detail is perfect. You can see the tiny bicycle that Pepito the clown rode on one of the I Love Lucy episodes, costumes from some of the shows and there is even an area where you can act out the Vitametavegaamin commercial yourself. And if you love dolls, there is an extensive doll collection with everything from baby dolls to Mattel barbie dolls.

After stilling through both of these, you can visit the gift shop, one of the most complete Lucy stores anywhere, that also has an extensive mail-order catalog. Every penny of the proceeds goes towards upkeep of the Lucy-Desi Center. Check it out at www.lucy-desi.com

So, there you go, the highlights of the trip. Jamestown, NY should be put on your to-do list. If you have any questions, fire away and prepare to have the time of your life!

If Your Are Going to Jamestown....

2009-09-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

I might have mentioned this before, but I am from upstate New York and Jamestown (Lucy's hometown)is just about the halfway mark between where I live now and where my family is in New York so we will often meet in Jamestown.

I love Jamestown. Much like many places in upstate New York, it's a homey little place with old brick houses and a great little downtown with neat shops, cozy little eateries and fun pubs. We usually stay at the Holiday Inn (only because we have preferred customer cards) and there is a gorgeous oil painting of Lucy hanging behind the front desk that once hung in Lucy's own home in California.

The home where Lucy was born still stands at 69 Stewart Avenue and the home where she lived as a child is there as well at 59 Lucy Lane (which was formerly called 8Th Street) in Celeron (just a hop,skip and a jump from Jamestown).

Most of the things you will read will tell you that Lucy is interred in California, but that is not the truth. Lucy's ashes are in the Hunt family plot in the Jamestown Cemetery with her other family members, and you can drive thru the small cemetery and pay your respects.

If you have read any biographies, you know she spent a lot of time at Celeron Park (she even got a job there as a young teenager) which was a major amusement park in the area. It is now the Lucille Ball Memorial Park and is on Chautaqua Lake and only a short drive from Jamestown.

I would suggest a trip to Jamestown anytime between now and the third week of October or so because you have never seen fall color as you will in Upstate New York at that time of year. The mountain scenery is ablaze and any camera buff or "Lucyite" will be thrilled. If you do make the trip, please report back. I'll tell you more about Jamestown in my next post.

More news about Desi

2009-09-07T20:20:00.005-04:00

Of was course we all know that Desi Arnaz was born in Cuba, but did you know he was born into a very wealthy and privileged family. Desi's father, Desiderio Arnz II, became the mayor of Santiago, Cuba in 1923 when Desi was just a boy of 4. His mother, Dolores de Acha was thought to be one of the most beautiful women in all of Latin America and was heiress to the Barcadi rum empire.

According to all reports, Desi was a very spoiled little boy, yet showed the promise of quite a mind for business even then. His father put him in control of about 100,000 acres, a large number of race horses and was making plans to attend the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Wow, that one really shocked me.

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy this photograph of Lucy, her mom, Desi and his mother Dolores. If you look really close, I think she looks a little bit like the little lady that played Ricky's mom on I Love Lucy.

Desi's real name anyone? and other interesting facts about out favorite Cuban band learder.

2009-09-05T18:07:00.003-04:00

If you know the answer to these questions, you'll be ready for any trivia contest regarding Lucy and Desi so study up! You never know when you might win something exciting! Desi's birth name was officially "Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha" which he thought would be too long to catch on.
"Cuban Pete" wasn't just a song that his alter ego Ricky Ricardo sang on I Love Lucy, but was a movie Desi start in where he earned the name "Rhumba-King".
Lucy and Ricky were actually married twice...the first time was in Connecticut because the two were so in love they couldn't bear to be out of each other's sight. The second one was an official Catholic ceremony back in California to please Desi's mother who was a very devout women. (actually, if you want to be a stickler, you could say they were married three times because there original marriage was loosely re-enacted on one of the episodes of the show).
Desi bought Lucy's first wedding ring was bought for $5.00 at Woolworth's!
Desi was once the bandleader for Bob Hope's radio show. He and Lucy remained life-long friends of Bob.
Desi's first major part that brought him acclaim was for the hit show "Too Many Girl's" on Broadway. When he went to Hollywood to re-create the roll for the Movie version, it was there that he
Born: Mar 02, 1917 in Santiago, Cuba
Died: Dec 02, 1986 of lung cancer
The photo of Desi and Lucy's wedding is taken from a Saturday evening post magazine, May 31, 1958.
met Lucy and things were never the same again!

Did you know that Desi and Lucy were dog lovers?

2009-09-03T17:01:00.002-04:00

Early in their marriage, Ricky and Lucy owned a 5 acre ranch in the San Fernando Valley which they named Desilu. Among other animals they raised chickens, cows and had about 5 or 6 dogs. Ricky and Lucy were such animal lovers that although they ate their chicken's eggs and drank their cow's milk, they never killed their animals for food but treated them all like pets. Their dogs were coddled. Lucy had a toy poodle she named Tinker which frequently traveled with her. In fact, she had a succession of five toy poodles, all of which she named Tinker and she loved them all dearly. Just another reason to love Lucy.

Little known facts about William Frawly

2009-09-02T11:16:00.002-04:00

In 1928, William was fired from the Broadway show `She`s My Baby` starring Beatrice Lillie for allegedly punching Clifton Webb in the nose.
Bill always loved to sing and did a lot of it in his career in his earlier days. This was a big surprise when I found this out, but supposedly, it was Bill, and NOT Al Jolson who introduced the son "My Mammy" to vaudeville audiences!
Never got along with Vivian Vance and in fact, they detested each other!
Was Catholic, was born in Iowa, and his first job was that of a stenographer for a railroad. William Frawly was in more than 100 movies!

My Very Favorite Episode!

2009-08-31T07:30:00.000-04:00

As promised, while the contest is still going on, I'm gonna tell you about some of my favorite episodes. My first and foremost, very favorite episode has not been mentioned by anyone in the contest, which kind of surprises me, but here goes.
It's not really shown very often and occurs in season 5. I think the title is RETURN HOME FROM EUROPE
The European tour has come to an end and the girls are packing up to go home. Lucy has bought souvenirs for everyone but her luggage is over the airlines weight limit so Ricky says she can't take stuff on the plane but would have to ship it by mail. Lucy just refuses to do this because she wants to present people with their gifts as soon as they return, especially her mother, to whom she has promised a 25# of special Italian cheese. She just has to get that cheese on the plane.
Well leave it to Ethel...for once, she has a bright idea. She tells Lucy that it's too bad it wasn't a baby, because babies fly for free, which gives Lucy the wonderful idea to put a bonnet on the cheese and to wrap it in a blanket.
She actually takes it on the plane and passes it off as a baby. Unluckily for her, a woman with a real baby sits next to her and the fun begins. The woman is very curious to see Lucy's baby. She shares her formula with her, which Lucy drinks and makes the same face and body shivers that she makes when tasting that awful vitametavegamin! There's just too many funny things too list but to make a long story short, she finds out you do have to pay for babies and afraid that Ricky will kill her, Lucy and Ethel try to eat the cheese. When they realize that they can't. they decide to stuff the cheese in the instruments of Ricky's band members. If you get a chance to watch it, please do. It's really funny!

Don't leave your little girl out of the fun!

2009-08-30T10:19:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but all of my four children were raised on Lucy. Sometimes the boys wish they weren't. My oldest son is a dective and wishes he couldn't whip into "sweet sue" at a moment's notice infront of all of his cop friends when the name "Sue" happens to come up, or say "You've got some 'splainin' to do" when he arrests a drug pusher....but what can I say. The girls have more appreciation.

If you're like me, your girls will too, so here is a great costume for your little girl and a wig made espesciall to fit little heads. Check it out!

Thinking ahead for Halloween, Lucy Style

2009-08-29T09:50:00.002-04:00

It's never to earlier to start thinking of Halloween. This year, there are bunch of new "Lucy" costumes around to delight us Lucy fans. The classic polka-dot dress has been around awhile, but I'm including the picture here anyway because I still like it, but here's some new costumes for your to check out, available all over the web for you to get early and probably at your local costume stores that should be opening soon.

ARROZ CON POLLO! Ricky's favorite dish!

2009-08-27T20:43:00.000-04:00

Ricky's favorite dish and usually Lucy's favorite bribe!
When Ricky and Fred switch roles with Lucy and Ethel (called "Job Switching" which first aired on September 15, 1952), Ricky decides he wants to surprise the girls when they come home after a hard days work and make his native Cuban arroz con pollo for dinner. Obviously they have no idea how to cook. The Ricardo's kitchen is not big enough to hold one pound of rice per person! I don't know about you, but I don't like my chickens on the ceiling, on the floor or scrubbed with scouring powder, so here's a better recipe you could try.

For chicken
3 large garlic cloves, chopped coarsely
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For rice
1 lb onions, chopped (2 1/2 cups)
2 bell peppers, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 bay leaf
1 (14- to 15-oz) can diced tomatoes, including juice
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (12 fl oz)
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups long-grain white rice (3/4 lb)
1 cup frozen baby peas (not thawed; 5 oz)
1/2 cup small or medium pimiento-stuffed green olives (2 oz), rinsed
1/4 cup drained chopped bottled pimientos (2 oz), rinsed

To Prepare chicken:
Purée garlic, orange and lime juice, salt and pepper in a blender. Put chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the purée over them while turning them to coat. Marinate the chicken, covered, turning occasionally. Put in the fridge 1 hour.

Transfer the chicken, letting the rest of the marinade go back into the bowl, to paper towels, then pat dry. Save the marinade.

Heat the oil and butter in 6- to 7-quart pot over medium high heat and then brown chicken in 2 or 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken when its done to a plate.

Prepare rice and bake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.

Sauté onions, bell peppers, and garlic in fat in pot over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally and scraping up brown bits from chicken, until vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

While vegetables cook, heat saffron in a dry small skillet over low heat, shaking skillet, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.

Add cumin and salt to vegetables and cook over medium heat, stiring, 2 minutes. Stir in saffron mixture, bay leaf, tomatoes (with juice), broth, water, and reserved marinade and bring to a boil.

Add all chicken except breast pieces, skin sides up, and gently simmer, covered, over low heat 10 minutes. Stir in rice, then add breast pieces, skin sides up, and arrange chicken in 1 layer. Return to a simmer.

Cover pot tightly, then transfer to oven and bake until rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Scatter peas, olives, and pimientos over rice and chicken (do not stir) and let stand, pot covered with a kitchen towel, until peas are Throw bay leaf away.

There you have it! Ricky's favorite dish! I don't know if my kitchen skills are up for this, but if you're brave enough, give it a try and pass the recipe along. I'd love to hear how this turns out so keep us posted.

*******DON'T FORGET, THERE'S STILL TIME TO ENTER THE CONTEST SO CHECK THE SIDEBAR TO THE RIGHT OR GO THROUGH THE OLDER POSTS TO FIND THE CONTEST. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN I LOVE LUCY'S FIRST SEASON ON DVD!BE SURE TO TELL ANY OTHER LUCY LOVERS THAT YOU KNOW TO ENTER!
****

More quotes from Lucy

2009-08-27T18:09:00.002-04:00

"Heaven, no. I was shy for several years in my early days in Hollywood until I figured out that no one really gave a damn if I was shy or not, and I got over my shyness."

"I don't do T & A very well because I haven't got much of either"

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced"

I don't know about you, but these seem like things to live by!

Lucy's Jewels to be auctioned - Some proceeds to go to Museum at Jamestown!

2009-08-26T20:35:00.000-04:00

Celebrity jewels are being auctioned this fall. This sale will be held in New York City on October 16 and will include more than $25 million worth of jewels including some of the property from the estate of our beloved Lucy. This awe inspiring collection features some signed jewelry by Van Cleef & Arpels including a yellow sapphire and diamond necklace, a pair of earrings and a ring. A portion of the proceeds from this collection go to the The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York.
Also being sold will be a variety of important diamonds including a diamond estimated to sell for $2,300,000-$2,500,000 and several other colored diamonds such as a pear-shaped fancy blue-gray diamond of almost 8 carats estimated to sell for $1,000,000. There is also a pear-shaped fancy orangy-yellow diamond of 12.55 carats with an estimate worth of $800,000-$1,200,000.
One of the favored piece of the 40-piece collection is a brooch by the Tiffany & Co. Shaped like a Maltese cross with a stained glass design of sapphires, gold and diamonds around a central square-cut aquamarine, this gorgeous piece weighs in a almost 20 carats and has an estimated value of $15,000 - $25,000. Here's a picture. It would have looked beautiful on Lucy!

Not Exactly I LOVE LUCY, but still our favorite redhead...

2009-08-24T05:44:00.000-04:00

I know some readers of this blog are not only I Love Lucy fans but are just fans are anything that Lucy did in her long and wonderful career. In light of that, I thought I'd let you know about the release of the first season of the Here's Lucy show. This is the one Lucy did with her kids, Lucy and Desi Jr. The full first season on DVD goes on sale in a couple of days, August 25.
Look for the price to be somewhere around $29.99 or so.

2009 Postage Stamps of 1950's Television Shows

2009-08-22T22:02:00.002-04:00

It finally happened. Sorry for the late notification, but during the week of August 13th, the post office finally released the long foretold collection of television shows of the 1950's, including Howdy Doody, Dragnet, Burns and Allen, Texico Star Theater, Kukla Fran and Ollie, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lone Range, Ozzie and Harriet, Perry Mason and least but not least.....da da ..da da....(drum roll)
I Love Lucy. For those of you (like me!) who haven't gotten your stamps yet, here's the official picture:

Update on Contest So Far. DON'T FORGET IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO ENTER THE CONTEST. TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

2009-08-22T21:03:00.006-04:00

Well, It would seem from your posts that (so far) your top three favorite I Love Lucy episodes are:
When Lucy and Ethel get Jobs (The Chocolate Factory)

When Lucy and Ethel steal John Wayne's Foot prints and
Lucy Does a Commercial (Vitametavegamin)

All great episodes, and I love all three. One or two of you have mentioned the Hollywood episode with William Holden when Lucy set her nose on fire, the episode from Italy when Lucy when grape stomping and a couple of you got really creative and mentioned the episode with Lucy's awful maid and the episode when they were on their way to Hollywood and stopped at that awful old shack of a hotel with the trains going by and beds moving across the floor.

No one has mentioned my very very favorites. I'm going to wait for a few more entries and then I'll post about a few of my favorites. Don't forget to enter the contest, and tell your friends too.

To enter, just leave a comment under the contest post (you can find it on the side bar on the right of this blog)telling what your favorite I Love Lucy episode is and why. And, leave your email address. That's it. You can win the whole first season of I Love Lucy on DVD!

I'm so excited about this blogs first contest and can't wait to have more, so tell all the I Love Lucy fans you know

Brand New I Love Lucy Merchandise to Buy!

2009-08-20T10:21:00.018-04:00

Wow! I can't believe all the new I Love Lucy items you can buy for the new season! There are just tons of stuff that can be bought at the Lucy/Desi museum shop in Jamestown New York (where part of your purchase goes to the upkeep of the museum). The link for this site is on the sidebar of my blog under "favorite links". You can also get them from your own favorite online site at pretty reasonable prices. here's some great photos of my favorite photos. Have fun checking these out!

A P.S. To The "Friendship" Post

2009-08-20T10:01:00.003-04:00

I found this awesome NEW 2010 calendar that is new to the I Love Lucy merchandise that can be yours for the buying at your favorite I Love Lucy On-line stores. It features Lucy and Ethel practicing their "friendship" number we talked about the other day so I thought his would fit in nicely as a P.S. to that post. Here's a great picture to whet your whistle. You'll find it in the $15 - $20 range at most places. You can also check out the Lucy/Desi museum at my Favorite Links sites on the right side bar on this blog. Here's a picture for you.

Mrs. Lucy Ricardo on Twitter!

2009-08-17T09:27:00.003-04:00

If you guys are into Twittering, or even if you are not, this is a good reason for you to start. Someone had a really good idea and set up a twitter account as if it was really Lucy Ricardo's and it is hilarious. You can twitter back and make it even better. I definitely suggest you become a follower. It's a lot of fun!

Just go here and if you aren't already a member it's really easy to sign up, if you already are, just click "follow". Let me know what you think of it.

http://twitter.com/MrsLucyRicardo

Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress - Episode 69

2009-08-16T23:52:00.004-04:00

I thought since with my contest going on and I am asking everyone to name their favorite episode, I would write about a few of mine here. Actually, I have more than a few, so I'm gonna talk about a dozen or so. Sorry! But I guess we are all Lucy fans so you shouldn't mind too much.
Anyway, This episode aired on October 19 1953 in the third season. Carolyn Applebee's husband gave the girls a thirty minute spot on his TV station and Ethel and Lucy decided to do the duet "friendship" to close the show, so they practice and practice and even Ricky and Fred have to admit it's a pretty cute number even if it is a little bit corny. The decide to wear formals and oddly enough, they wind up shopping for their dresses alone, Ethel went to Macy's and Lucy went to Gimbles, but they both wound up with the same dress.
After they discuss what to do, the girls decide they should both return the dresses and buy something different. On the night of the performance, however, they find out that neither one of them has returned the dress. Too late to do anything about it now, they go on stage so angry with each the other for wearing ‘her’ dress, you can almost see steam coming out of their ears! While singing their song ‘Friendship’, they can't stand it anymore and they start to take their anger out on each other by ripping parts of each other’s dress off - in time to the music!
Ricky and Fred have to stop all this by coming out on stage, and dragging the two girls off.
Would you think that the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League would have learned their lesson by now? Every single show they have put on had bombed, largely because of Lucy, but still, they are a very untalented bunch of girls!

Here's a little trivia for you that goes with this episode:

Q: In what movie and with what co-star did Lucy sing "friendship" with before she ever sang it in this episode?

A: Lucille Ball had previously sung the ‘Friendship’ duet with Red Skelton in the 1942 movie, DuBarry Was A Lady

By the way, there are Barbie dolls of Lucy and Ethel made from this episode wearing these dresses.

NEW!! A CONTEST FOR MY READERS! I Love Lucy - The Complete First Season (1951)

2009-08-13T08:49:00.003-04:00

That's right! Every one of my readers has the chance to win the complete first season of the I Love Lucy show on DVD. All you have to do is leave a comment on this board telling what your favorite Lucy episode was and why your liked it! That's all. The contest will run through September 11, 2009 with winners being notified that weekend. Winners will be notified by email so be sure to leave your email addresses when you leave your comment! Prizes will be mailed out on Monday, September 14.

I hope you have fun with this and enjoy. Look for more fun and contests in the future. Please feel free to leave your thoughts and ideas. I'm thinking the next one will be a trivia contest, Just in time for Halloween.

More writing for any fans out there...if there are any?????

2009-08-12T13:08:00.002-04:00

Hello fellow Lucy fans...I've had several articles published on Associated Content.com you might want to check out. Also, if you like writing yourself, it's a nifty way to pick up some extra cash! Just use this link and search my name and all my articles will pop up. Happy reading, and let me know what you think!

Associatedcontent.com

Search: Kathleen Barron

Babalou! Desi's famous Number

2009-07-23T22:55:00.004-04:00

Babalu
Babalu
Babalu aye
Babalu aye
Babalu
Jungle drums were madly beating,
In the glare of eerie lights;
While the natives kept repeating
Ancient jungle rites.
All at once the dusky warriors began to
Raise their arms to skies above
And a native then stepped forward to chant to his Voodoo Godess of love.
Ah!

CHORUS
Great Babalu!
I'm so lost and forsaken.
Ah, great Babalu!
Bring back the love you've taken.
You can restore all the dreams that once were mine
If only you'll use some mystic sign.
Ah! Great Babalu!
Bring her back to me.
Ah!

2nd VERSE (CONCLUSION)
[Repeated 10 times:]

Babalu a ye!

Do you remember Frank Nelson?

2009-07-23T22:55:00.002-04:00

Frank Nelson was a very a familiar friend to us o n the I Love Lucy show, playing a multitude of parts from Freddy Filmore, to a disgruntled waiter and a Hollywood agent to Ralph Ramsey. Whatever part he played we loved his famous voice and the way he played his part with the cast. He also was a regular on the Jack Benny show who was also a friend of Lucy's. We remember him fondly and his wonderful contributions to our favorite show.

A Funny Ethel and Fred Quote

2009-07-18T20:12:00.007-04:00

Have you ever met a man that did not just LOVE Fred Mertz and think he was hilarious? Well, I haven't. Women think his mean quips at Ethel are horrible, mostly directed at her weight. Poor Ethel wasn't even fat! Anyway, as a salute to the character that most likely spawned the Married With Children character "Al Bundy", I thought I'd put some famous Fred and Ethel retorts here every now and then.

Ethel : Imagine me meeting a Queen face to face, I'm scared!
Fred : You're scared? Think of the Queen!

Ethel : Gee, this high altitude sure gives me an appetite.
Fred : What's your excuse at sea level?

Ethel : If I let my hair go like that you'd never let me hear the end of it.
Fred : Honeybunch, if the rest of you looked like that I wouldn't care if you were bald!

Do You Remember Teensy and Weensy?

2009-07-16T23:17:00.002-04:00

You know them as Teensy and Weeny but their real names are Roz & Marilyn Borden, the Borden Twins(no relation to Lizzie!). These lovable girls are well known for their appearance on I Love Lucy in 955, Episode Number 112, entitled "Tennessee Bound," with their now famous song and dance number, "Ricochet Romance". The girls actually recreated this scene at the 50th Anniversary of the Lucy Reunion.
Amazingly, the twins started their show business careers at the young age of three, singing on Uncle Ed's Children's Hour,a radio show that came out of Connecticut that was hosted by Ed Begley, Sr.
The first national TV show was in 1952 with Spike Jones and his band. They became so popular, they also appeared on several Colgate Comedy Hour shows and the Ed Wynn Show, where they first met their idol, Lucille Ball. In the 1950s they began a 7-year association with Jimmy Durante, where they appeared on quite a few of his TV shows and traveling with his nightclub act. In the early 1960s, the twins changed their stage name to "Hotsy and Totsy" -- the and in the 1980s they traveled with Bob Newhart as part of his nightclub act.
As the got older, their popularity actually grew and their TV appearances included Maude, Rhoda, The Ropers, CHIPS, The Phil Silvers Show,and Out of This World.
For me, no matter what else you can say these girls did, I will always remember them as Teensy and Weensy, square dancing and singing with the gang and Ernie Ford. Those were fond memories and the good old days!

Lucy-Desi Festival Days

2009-03-06T17:00:00.000-05:00

Just a note of things to come. The annual Luci-Desi Festival will be taking place in Jamestown, New York this year on Friday May 22 through Sunday May 24, 2009.

Most details are still unavailable about this years festival, but my family and I are going. This festival is so amazing, in order to get a room we had to book it last August! Anyway, I will keep you posted and will be sure to give a full report of the great fun going on that weekend!

Goodbye TV land, Hello Hallmark Channel

2009-03-04T11:16:00.003-05:00

It took me a long time to admit it, I thought they were just shuffling their schedule, but I can't deny it any more. TV land has dropped I Love Lucy from their schedule. The good news (for you I hope, but not for me. We only have the basic, basic cable) is that the Hallmark Channel has picked I Love Lucy up.
Hallmark is running the show at 2:00am, 8:00am and 8:30am Monday through Friday, but check their website to be sure of the time in your area.

I hope TV land changes their mind and gets this new rotation squared away....or put away and gets back to basics. I for one, can do without High School Reunion and some of the other newer shows that seem out of place on TV land. To quote Collin Quinn, "that's my story and I'm sticking to it". Anyone have an opinion on this?

All about Mrs. Trumble

2009-03-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

It was in season 3 when character actress Elizabeth Patterson made her first appearance as the Ricardo's' neighbor and often time babysitter Mrs. Trumble. She became a well loved, and often appearing visiter to the Ricardo's home often offering her help so Lucy could be free to work up her crazy plans with Ethel.

Mrs. Trumble remained on the show until Season 5, where the last episode she was shown in was the Bon Voyage episode where Lucy misses the boat to Europe and has to be flown over it on the helicopter (episode 13). Well, that was her last visit on the show, but did you know (of course you did!) that her first time on the show was not as Mrs, Trumble but as Mrs. Willoughby, the wife of the Greenwich, Connecticut justice of the peace who re-marries Ricky and Lucy after she finds an error on their marriage license? I guess Lucy and Ricky liked her so much they made a recurring role for her. Here's some more info on our favorite little old neighbor.

Elizabeth Patterson was born on November 22, 1875, the daughter of a Confederate soldier in Hardin County Tennessee. Even as a young girl, all Elizabeth wanted to do was have a career on the stage but her parents strongly disapproved so they sent her to France hoping she would find something to otherwise occupy her thinking. After a few times taking in some plays and the

comedie Francaise, Elizabeth was more sure than ever of what she wanted. Upon her return home she used a small inheritance to move to Chicago where she joined a theatrical troupe to learn her craft.

Her first big break came in 1913 in the form of her first Broadway role in the show Everyman. In 1926, at the age of 51, Patterson was cast in her first movie, The Boy Friend. Other movie credits include A Bill of Divorcement, Tarnished Lady, Dinner at Eight, High, Wide and Handsome, Intruder in the Dust, Little Women, My Sister Eilene, and Pal Joey with Frank Sinatra later in her career.

Elizabeth Patterson never married. She lived to the age of 90, dying from complications of pneumonia in Los Angeles. She is buried in her home town of Savannah Tennessee

Let's meet Vivian Vance

2009-02-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

Our favorite next-door neighbor seems destined to always take a back seat to Lucy Ricardo, but not hear, not today. We're gonna give her all the space she deserves.

Here you go, everything you ever wanted to know about Vivian Vance!!

Name: Vivian Roberta Jones

Born: July 26, 1909 Cherryvale, Kansas

Died: August 19, 1979 Belvedere, California of Cancer

Parents: Robert Andrew Jones and Euphemia Mae Ragan Jones

Siblings: Venus; Dorothy; Maxine (Mickey); Robert, Jr.; Lou Ann

Married: Joseph Danneck, Jr. (divorced)

George Koch (divorced)

Philip Ober (divorced)

John Dodds

Film Appearances: The Secret Fury (1950, RKO)

The Blue Veil (1951, RKO)

The Great Race (1965, Warner Bros.)

Stage Appearances, Broadway: Music in the Air (opened November 8, 1932)

Anything Goes (opened November 21, 1934)

Red, Hot and Blue! (opened October 29, 1936)

Hooray for What! (opened December 1, 1937)

Skylark (opened October 11, 1939)

Out from Under (opened May r, 1940)

Let's Face It (opened October 29, 1941)

It Takes Two (opened February 3, 1947)

The Cradle Will Rock (opened December 26, 1947)

My Daughter, Your Son (opened May 13, 1969)

Television Appearances, Series: "I Love Lucy" (1951-1957, CBS)

"The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour" (1957-1960, CBS)

"The Lucy Show" (1962-1965, CBS)

Television Appearances, with William Frawley"Stars in the Eye" (November 13, 1952, CBS)

"The Milton Berle Show" (May

"Toast of the Town" (October 3, 1954, CBS)

"Show of Stars" (episode titled "High Pitch") (May 12, 1955, CBS)

"The Bob Hope Chevy Show" (October 24, 1956, NBC)

"The Desilu Revue" (December 15, 1959, CBS)

Other Principal Television Appearances: "The Lucy Show" (episode titled "Viv Visits Lucy") (January 9, 1967, CBS)"

The Lucy Show" (episode titled "Lucy and Viv Reminisce") (January 1, 1968, CBS)

"The Lucy Show" (episode titled "Lucy and the Lost Star") (February 26, 1968, CBS)

"Here's Lucy" (episode titled "The Matchmaker") (December 16, 1968, CBS)

"Here's Lucy" (episode titled "Lucy and Lawrence Welk") (January 19, 1970, CBS)

"Here's Lucy" (episode titled "Lucy and Viv Visit Tijuana") (January 26, 1970, CBS)

"Here's Lucy" (episode titled "Lucy Goes Hawaiian, Pt. 1") (February 15, 1971, CBS)

"Here's Lucy" (episode titled "Lucy Goes Hawaiian, Pt. 2") (February 22, 1971, CBS)

"Here's Lucy" (episode titled "With Viv as a Friend, Who Needs an Enemy?" (February 14, 1972, CBS)

"CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years" (November 28, 1976, CBS)

"Lucy Calls the President" (November 21, 1977, CBS)

Awards: Best Series Supporting Actress Emmy Award, 1953

Award Nominations: Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series Emmy nomination, 1954. Best Supporting Performance by an Actress Emmy nomination, 1956. Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy Series Emmy nomination, 1957.

An eerie, little known "I Love Lucy Fact"

2009-02-26T22:04:00.000-05:00

The cast of "I Love Lucy" died in the order of their casting call. First Fred then Ethel, Ricky and finally Lucy.

Mertz and Kurtz.....Oh by Jingo?

2009-02-24T01:13:00.004-05:00

Mertz and Kurtz—I Love Lucy season 4, episode 102, originally aired October 11, 1954

This is the episode when we finally get to meet Fred's old vaudeville partner, Barney (although he is referred to as "Ted" in a previous episode) as Lucy pretends to be the Mertz's maid to help Fred and Ethel keep up with all the accomplishes Barney has told them he has made since leaving the act. As it turns out, Barney hasn't really done to well, he's just a cook in a diner, and now his grandson is coming to visit so the gang arranges for him to headline in a show at Ricky's club.....also starring Fred, Ethel, Ricky and of course Lucy! Among some other musical numbers, at the dinner table....Fred and Barney treat us all to one of their oldies but goodies....."Oh By Jingo". I found the Lyrics for this song on line the other day and was flabbergasted. Here they are! Enjoy!

Song lyrics to ‘Oh, by Jingo’ - words by Lew Brown, music by Al Von Tilzer

In the land of San Domingo Lived a girl called Oh By Jingo
From the fields and from the marshes
Came the young and oh by goshes
They all spoke with a different lingo
But they all loved Oh By Jingo
and every night, they sang in the pale moonlight
Oh by gee by gosh by gum by Jove Oh By Jingo won’t you hear our love
We will build for you a hut
You will be our favorite nut
We will have a lot of little Oh By Gollies
And we’ll put them in the follies
By Jingo said “By gosh by gee
By Jiminy please don’t bother me”
So they all went away singing
Oh by gee by gosh by gum by Jove By Jingo By gee,
you’re the only girl for me.
Oh by gee by gosh by gum by Jove
Oh By Jingo won’t you hear our love
We will build for you a hut
You will be our favorite nut
We will have a lot of little Oh By Gollies
And we’ll put them in the follies
By Jingo said “By gosh by gee
By Jiminy please don’t bother me”
So they all went away singing
Oh by gee by gosh by gum by Jove
By Jingo By gee, you’re the only girl for me.

Lucy and her friend Mary Wickes

2009-02-24T00:17:00.002-05:00

A great picture of Lucy, Viv Vance, Mary Wickes, Mary Jane Croft, Hazel Pierce, and Carole Cook in an episode of The Lucy Show.

Mary Wickes was a veteran character actress and comedienne of numerous stage and film performances. Some of her most memorable rolls include:
Emma the housekeeper in the holiday classic White Christmas
Nurse Preen in The Man Who Came to Dinner
and Sister Mary Lazarus in Sister Act

but, one of my favorite roll of hers was that of Madame LeMonde, the dance instructor who attempted to teach Lucy Ricardo the basics of ballet in a first season episode of "I Love Lucy". Lucy's antics opposite Mary were hilariously memorable (I can still see her hanging off that bar up-side-down!). From that first show together, Lucy and Mary remained life-long friends.

Mary's last roll was that of the voice of gargoyle Laverne in the animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She completed taping only 3 days before she died, with over 50 years of acting under her belt. We miss her, but happily have her wonderful legacy to remember her by.

Lucy and Ethel on a new postage stamp

2009-01-26T11:18:00.003-05:00

Looks like sometime this year, maybe late summer, the US Postal Service will be putting out a set of black and white stamps....one of which will be honoring our two favorite girls (in the candy factory no less!) Since there will be an expected rate increase this May, I can't tell you that this stamp will be 42 cents or not....but the other stamps in this salute to black and white TV will be a Joe Friday from Dragnet stamp and a Groucho Marx stamp, all on the same sheet with Ethel and Lucy.

Managing your money like Lucy in 2009?

2009-01-06T23:02:00.002-05:00

With all the grim financial news we are hearing for the 2009 year, it's kind of scary to think about money and what lies ahead. I prefer to leave the money issues to those who know a lot more about it than myself. I still live (much to my husband's dismay!) in what I call my "Lucy Ricardo" world of money.

Remember her way of deciding which bills get paid and which ones don't? Throwing the whole stack up into the air and only paying the ones that land face up? That makes sense to me! Hey, Lucy couldn't bypass a beautiful new hat just because their were bills to pay. I can sympathize. Sometimes there are just some items that reach out of those shop windows and grab me....forcing me to buy them.

Maybe I need a business manager like Mr. Hickcox. He worked well for a little while until Lucy outsmarted him too with her own little grocery shopping business. I would have loved that little side business. In fact, "The business Manager" is one of my favorite episodes. I wish Lucy Ricardo were my neighbor. I'd love to share a freezer with an entire cow's worth of beef to save money I think she had some great ideas!

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

2008-12-16T18:03:00.003-05:00

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.

DU BARRY WAS A LADY

2008-11-29T19:59:00.004-05:00

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.

VITAMEATAVEGAMIN!

2008-11-20T20:28:00.004-05:00

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)"

Time for some Lucy trivia!

2008-11-19T00:11:00.003-05:00

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.

Would you like to dress like Lucy?

2008-11-12T19:50:00.004-05:00

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.

Desi's smart business sense does it again!

2008-11-10T21:47:00.003-05:00

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!

Lucy Quote

2008-11-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

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.

Lucy chosen as the new Chesterfield Girl!

2008-11-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

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

Lucy and her Hats

2008-10-28T21:45:00.000-04:00

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!

I Love Lucy Show Emmy Awards

2008-10-24T20:17:00.000-04:00

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

I Love Lucy Theme Song

2008-10-23T19:56:00.000-04:00

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! "

LUCY DIAGNOSED WITH ARTHRITIS.

2008-10-22T23:08:00.000-04:00

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.

Desi Factoid...

2008-10-18T22:26:00.000-04:00

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.

Lucy-Desi Costar passes on

2008-10-17T17:23:00.000-04:00

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.