The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era (and then some)

Hi everyone,

I've got some interesting trivia from one of my movie books for you today, but before I start there are two things I wanted to mention. One has got to do with Lucy (because she's always in my day, no matter what). Anyhoo, about two years ago one of my friends gave me this really wonderful framed picture of Lucy, Ricky, Ethel and Fred in that famous shot of them in the car, driving to California and singing (at the end of "California, Here We Come!"). I have been remodeling my bedroom since, and this morning (while I was at school), Lucy and the gang joined Audrey Hepburn on my bedroom wall.

Also, I happened to catch this in IMdb yesterday - it's a new film that's coming out in November called "The Artist." It is a French film and it won an award at the Cannes Film Festival, but get this --

IT'S A SILENT FILM.. AND IT'S IN BLACK AND WHITE. AND IT'S A 2011 MOVIE.

Isn't that just the most awesome thing ever??? I wanted to blog about it right then and there, but I had already blogged for the day so I held out. Right now I just realized that Sally of the always entertaining Flying Down to Hollywood had written about it already, and I wanted to share, too. It takes place in the 1920s, and I think it's about an actor who is having his heyday in silent films when he comes across a young fan who is actually desperate to get into pictures herself; as they make the transition into talkies, the actor's career begins to deteriorate while the fan's career begins. It sounds a little like "All About Eve", doesn't it? Perhaps the actor gets "Eved." I don't know. Here's the trailer --

It may turn out to be a hot mess or it may turn out to be really good, but either way, I can hardly wait to see it!

Also, isn't the poster gorgeous and so film noir-ish? When I saw it on the IMdb homepage, it instantly attracted me to click on the trailer.

 Count me in!

What do you all think? Think you'll see it?

***

So, as we all know, I am currently reading right now Lauren Bacall's autobiography, "By Myself and Then Some". You voted for it and so that's the book I've got my nose into. I'm not that far in but so far I'm enjoying myself and I hope to finish it within a week or so - then I'll get a review up for it.

However, before voting closed on the poll.... well, I know I promised I wouldn't go and get more books because my stack of books to-read is really quite large. But there's this big mall in the next state over, and it's pretty huge (it's actually two malls - one mall has all the usual chains and the more casual stuff, and the next mall over has the boutiques and the designer labels... awesome, yes!). It also happens to have this large Barnes & Noble which always carries a lot of great books with a wide selection. This mall is about an hour or so away, and though we have a lot of great malls where I live, every so once in a while I like to make a trip here with a friend. I went about two weeks ago and I could not resist going into the humongous Barnes & Noble, and I was ecstatic to find that they had a copy of TCM's "The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era".

I had wanted to get this for a while but my local bookstores didn't have a copy, so I had to buy it. I finished it last night and I must say, I enjoyed it! Though I think it would be extremely hard to pick the top 50 actresses of the Studio Era,  I think they came up with the perfect list (it is complied by TCM, my go-to-television channel) - WITH the exception that they didn't include Lucy. I understand that she had the most success in television, but she made over 100 movies and considering  all she achieved in the field of acting (forget about TV and movies and whatnot), I think she ought to have been included. That said, however, I think it was the perfect list (though I would have fought to the death for Lucy to be in it... hmm...)

The book is really polished and for the most part I didn't find that many errors in it. It has beautiful pictures and the format is really easy to read. There is about four pages devoted to each actress, front and back, with a little biography as well as the usual stats like their birth name, birthday, date of death, and all their husbands and children. On the next page there are the "five essential films" of the actress, with a little summary for each, some style notes, and some trivia in  "behind the scenes". Also, at the end of the book is an index of each actress's complete filmography.

I'm going to make a big plug for it. I know I totally bawled TCM out for their scrawny "Now Playing" earlier this month, but this book was really fantastic and I enjoyed it. So: EVERYONE GO OUT AND BUY IT.

There is a lot of great trivia in this book, which inspired me to write a post with a one nugget of trivia from each of the fifty actresses. Depending on the actress, some of it I knew before and others I didn't. Either way, I thought I'd share. The name of the actress is in bold so you can see the fifty chosen ones - and unfortunately, I can't possibly tag them all  in this post (and this is also a little reminder that I always try and tag my posts carefully, but you can also use the little search box on my sidebar, which gives great results).

***

(Listed in alphabetical order)

1. Jean Arthur, as sweet and as awesome as she was, once tore a wig and a suit on the set of a movie that she wasn't pleased with.
2. While dating him, Lauren Bacall was gifted a bracelet with a gold whistle from her beau (and soon-to-be-husband), Humphrey Bogart. It was in memory of Lauren's famous, "You know how to whistle, don't you?" line in "To Have and Have Not," - they had fallen in love on set.
3. Ingrid Bergman was discovered (in Hollywood, anyway) when an elevator boy remarked to a woman in the building he worked at that his parents (Swedes), had seen a fabulous Swedish girl in a picture they'd recently watched. The woman was a talent scout for David O. Selznick.
4. After her mother tried to kill her in her sleep, Clara Bow became a life long insomniac.
5. When Louise Brooks's film career began to decline, she took to the stage under an assumed name, Linda Carter. A talent scout from 20th Century Fox found her and offered her a screen test.
6. Claudette Colbert famously bathed in milk in "The Sign of the Cross" (1932). Claudette hated it because the milk smelled, but it inspired thousands of women across America to do the same.
7. Joan Crawford was born Lucille Le Sueur. Her name was changed by the studio when they felt her surname sounded too much like "sewer." So they held a contest in a movie magazine to rename the starlet, and "Joan Crawford" was chosen. Joan never much liked the name; she felt it like "crawfish."
8. The playful Marion Davies once got President Coolidge drunk by feeding him wine all while assuring him it was just fruit juice!
9. In 1941, the indestructible Bette Davis became the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
10. Doris Day earned the nickname "Clara Bixby" when Billy De Wofle remarked to her on the set of "Tea for Two" that she didn't look much like a Doris Day but rather a Clara Bixby; it stuck and her good friends still call her that.
11. A practical joke was played on Clark Gable on the set of "Gone With the Wind" with the help of Olivia de Havilland, who agreed for them to put weights in her already heavy 19th century style dresses for a scene in which Clark was to carry (a frail Melanie) up a flight of stairs.
12. Marlene Dietrich, who always held a firm clenched jaw, can credit her taut stance to the lemons she used to suck on before going on screen.
13. Cary Grant remembered Irene Dunne as the "sweetest smelling" actress he'd ever worked with.
14. Greta Garbo, who never married, had an affair with fellow actor John Gilbert. He wanted to elope with her and she agreed, but in the last moment she backed out and locked herself in the laboratory to hide.
15. Those sultry glances the beautiful Ava Gardner often struck was natural; Ava needed glasses but never wore them on screen, causing her to squint.
16. Judy Garland was immortalized into film history with her role as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz". It is said the day she died, a tornado hit Kansas.
17. The famously redheaded Greer Garson had her living room decorated in a beautiful emerald green so it would go well with her famous locks.
18. Lillian Gish never once had a haircut. Her hair was below her waist all her life!
19. Clara Bow spotted a pretty young extra named Jean Harlow on the set of one of her films and wanted her kicked out because she was "too beautiful." They eventually became great friends.
20. Also a redhead, Susan Hayward wore a gorgeous emerald green dress in one of her last public appearances at the 1974 Oscars... she was buried in the dress a year later.
21. Despite Ginger Rogers being his most famous dance partner, Fred Astaire chose Rita Hayworth as his favorite.
22. Gregory Peck was dubious to play against an unknown in a 1953 Paramount film called "Roman Holiday" - but when he met the young, strikingly beautiful Audrey Hepburn he changed his mind and insisted she receive top billing.
23. When campaigning for the role of Scarlett O'Hara, producer David O. Selznick told Katharine Hepburn: "I can't imagine Clark Gable chasing you for ten years." In which Kate icily replied, in her typical style, "I may not appeal to you, David, but there are men with different tastes!"
24. When studio executives began giving dark skinned beauty Lena Horne stereotypical roles for African American actresses, her father called up the studio and angrily reminded them, "I can hire a maid for her; I don't need to her act as one!"
25. Forever the blue blood, Grace Kelly's voice had a beautifully memorable elegant tone with a hint of British incision, despite being an American girl. She spent years working on her dialect to achieve this (in place of her original, nasal tone) - needless to say, she mastered it.
26. The beautiful, British Deborah Kerr was visiting fellow English actor Rex Harrison during World War Two. They did not think much of an aircraft warning until a bomb was dropped in the actor's garden and the cottage went black. Rex announced he may need a drink; but a true Brit, Deborah insisted, "Alcohol is not good for one when they have had a shock. Can we have tea?"
27. During the 1940s, it was Hedy Lamarr, with her gorgeously sculpted features, that women most asked plastic surgeons to replicate for them.
28. Vivien Leigh, who suffered quite badly from manic depression (known better today as bipolar disorder), would receive shock treatment for this. Hours later she would go on stage and give a brilliant performance without missing a beat.
29. Infamous for her swearing, Carole Lombard picked up her salty way of speaking when she realized her cussing would leave male authority figures (who otherwise tried to walk all over her) in shock, and set them straight, too. She asked her brothers to teach her all the words they knew.
30. Sophia Loren happened to wear a tiara to an 1954 English opening night which caused a ruckus... the problem? Queen Elizabeth was also in attendance. The British press called her  "Queen Sophia." 
31. Sticking up for her fellow actors, Myrna Loy demanded of narrow minded studio heads to know why African Americans were always given stereotypical roles as maids or butlers. "What about a black person walking up to the steps of a courthouse with a briefcase?" Myrna wanted to know.
32. Feisty Shirley MacLaine was the inspiration for Frank Sinatra's song, "The Second Time Around." One of his accompanists wanted Shirley to leave her husband for him.
33. Though she made famous the "dumb blond", Marilyn Monroe was actually quite intelligent. She had a IQ of 168 (significantly higher her lover, President Kennedy's 129) and enjoyed reading books.
34. Helping her to stand out from the crowd, Columbia marketed Kim Novak as a "lavender blond" - even tinting her hair the shade.
35. Marilyn Monroe was able to talk Irish beauty Maureen O'Hara into hiding (and then popping out of) a box for husband Joe DiMaggio's birthday, so he would "finally stop talking about Maureen O'Hara", whom he had a big crush on. The prank was canceled when Marilyn and DiMaggio broke up before his birthday.
36. The movie screen's first close up centered on America's sweetheart, Mary Pickford, in the 1912 movie "Friends."
37. When Debbie Reynolds won the title of Miss Burbank in 1948, talent scouts from both MGM and Warner Brothers in the audience wanted her. So they flipped a coin and Warner Brothers won. When Warner gave her up in following years, MGM snatched her and made her a star.
38. Ginger Rogers loved the gorgeous gowns with feathers, beads, and much more that she and designer Edith Head would scheme up for her dance routines. But her other half, Fred Astaire, did not. The ornaments on the dress would slap him black and blue. 
39. LIFE magazine had a bad habit of photographing Rosalind Russell, but then not using the photos. When, for the third time they requested to photograph the movie star, she appeared on her driveway in her slacks and told them to just take the picture because they weren't going to use it anyway. They did, and they put her on the cover. But in the end it turned out to be an embarrassment for LIFE - that was the same week Hitler invaded Poland.
40. Norma Shearer, a true product of the Roaring 20's, used to invite author F. Scott Fitzgerald (among others) to her house over the weekends for rambunctious parties. Fitzgerald wrote one of his most celebrated works, "Crazy Sunday", based on events at Norma's house.
41. The girl with the oomph, Ann Sheridan, had to cap her teeth to cover a big gap she had between her two front teeth!
42. Whilst filming "Forty Guns", a stuntman refused to do a scene in which she was to be dragged by a horse, calling it "too dangerous." The real actress, the bold Barbara Stanwyck, rolled her eyes and did it herself in a few takes - albeit, with several bruises. 
43. In 1950 (and fresh off her "Sunset Boulevard" revival) the forever fashionable Gloria Swanson debuted her own clothing line, "Gowns by Gloria." It was a hit.
44. Violet eyed Elizabeth Taylor was the highest paid actress of the 1960's (number two happened to be Natalie Wood), and the first to request a million dollars for her salary. The job was "Cleopatra", playing the title role, of course.
45. Gene Tierney suffered tragedy in her life. She contracted German measles from a fan who should have been quarantined while pregnant with her daughter, and her daughter was, because of this, born blind and with several development defects.
46. Always the glamour girl, when Lana Turner's apartment building caught on fire and she only had a few moments to grab her most precious possessions, Lana grabbed lipstick, eyeliner, and her hair dryer.
47. During World War Two, inflatable life jackets were referred to as "Mae Wests", pleasing the busty actress very much.
48. The studio would keep America's mermaid, Esther Williams's, hair looking beautiful underwater by lathering her hair with baby oil and petroleum jelly. Esther claimed she was as "waterproof as a mallard" when she was let free from hair and makeup.
49. Passionate and humorous Natalie Wood proved these qualities when the Harvard Lampoon named her the "Worst Actress of the Year" -- she showed up in person to accept the award.
50. Loretta Young had strong feelings about etiquette and despised swearing (wonder how she would have gotten along with Carole Lombard! They both had a thing for Clark Gable, didn't they?). She established a swearing box on the studio lot, charging any of her peers for profanity. Robert Mitchum used to stuff several bills into the box to cover him for the day, and it is said that Joseph Mankiewicz and Barbara Stanwyck payed their dues to Loretta, as well.

***

I hope you enjoyed the post - it was a long one, but thanks for sticking with me. ;)

You know you're obsessed with "I Love Lucy" when...

So, today was my first day of school. It was only a half day, which is just what it sounds like, and you come home from school before lunch. Tomorrow is another half day but by Thursday I'll be getting back into "the swing of things" with my first full day and classes and all of that. I think I was truly depressed when I changed back into that usual plaid skirt and blouse (yep, I go to a private school) and my new school shoes (with little bows at the toe - oh! Something to get excited about!).

Over all, though, this is going to be my last year in a school which I have pretty much been going to forever, so I guess I ought to enjoy it (and with all the perks that come from being on the top of the heap). I have a really nice homeroom teacher (she was my teacher last year and I was thrilled to pieces when I found out I'd have her for homeroom again), and even the same classroom because of that reason. My class is really tiny (just twelve of us.  The Destructive Dozen??? The Dangerous Dozen??) , which I really like because we all know each other quite well and it's more of a little family then a class.

So, yeah. I'm not all that thrilled about going back, but if there is one good thing about back to school it is that FALL IS COMING! Okay, don't think ill of me, and and you'll probably be all, "Wow, Rianna's so weird" but fall (and winter - yes, winter too) are my favorite seasons. You may call me partial for liking the cold weather so much because I'm a February baby, but I don't do it to be different or anything - I actually love the fall and winter. I love all the sweaters and all the warm, fashionable coats and not to mention I have an obsession with boots. I love staying in on cold days with the leaves turning golden-red and watching an old movie or curling up with a book (and a cup of hot chocolate). Most of all, I love snow and I love Christmastime, which is my favorite time of the year (another reason for me to love fall/winter - all the holidays! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's... and my birthday, of course. ;]).

Well, call me crazy, but I love it. And so despite the fact it's still August, it's nearly September, which means only two weeks until fall, and yes I really do <3 it that much!

***

So, you've probably seen those kind of lists like "You know you're obsessed with Harry Potter" or insert any other kind of culture phenomenon like "Twilight" or whatever. I was disappointed to find that I could not find a list like that applying to "I Love Lucy" (hmph. Well. of course. What would you expect?).

But since I know so much about the show, I'm like why not write one myself? Brilliant! So... here it is. If you have watched all the episodes you ought to understand all of them, if you're more of a casual fan you'll understand most but perhaps not all. Anyway, I hope it makes sense... and I hope you enjoy ;)

YOU KNOW YOU'RE OBSESSED WITH "I LOVE LUCY" WHEN...

• Whenever you see a golf game or someone watching golf you feel the great urge to tell out, "Dormie!"
• You randomly find yourself saying "dun't" instead of "don't."
• You often find yourself sawing "dawnsy" when someone asks you, "How are you feeling?"
• The word "Tropicana" does not evoke thoughts of orange juice,  but more appropriately, a nightclub.
• You find that you can sing along to every Ricky Ricardo song word for word.
• Whenever you hear a saxophone playing it sounds like "Glo Worm" to you, even if it isn't.
• "I tippy tippy toed through my garden..."
• You keep waiting for "Real Gone With the Wind" to come out.
• The last name "McGuilicuddy" holds a special place in your heart.
• The names "Flo Pauline Lopos", "Marian Strong", "Carlotta Romero" and "Joe Harris" all sound familiar to you.
• You teared up when Lucy and Ricky cried at the end of  Ricky's "We're Having a Baby, My Baby and Me".
• You have always wanted to stomp grapes with your feet.
• You have ever wanted a bottle of "Vitavetavegamin."
• Forget about Tennessee Williams; it's Tennessee Ernie.
• "623 East 68th Street, Apartment 3D" is more than just an address to you. (If this address was real, then the Ricardos and Mertzes would be living in the East River!)
• You know how to speak Martian.
• "The time has come" sounds really familiar.
• You always wonder who the real Madame X was.
• Lucy Ricardo wasn't born in Jamestown, New York. She was born in West Jamestown (which, in reality, does not exist).
• The words "hatchet" and "water cress" go together.
• Stealing John Wayne's footprints from Grumman's Chinese Theater makes a lot of sense to you.
• When you think of a nightclub, you do not think of dimly lit lounges with techno music pulsing through it, but Club Babalu.
• "Black lace blue jeans" rings a bell.
• You know all the lyrics and the dance steps to Lucy and Van Johnson's "How About You?"
• You stopped subscribing to TV Guide when they put "I Love Lucy" second on their list of "The Greatest TV Shows of All Time."

***

I hope you enjoyed my little list. I had fun making it, and if it gets a good response I may do more editions in the future or similar lists with different obsessions. ;)

For my mom on her birthday... :)

Hi everyone,

Today's my mom's birthday. And though this is probably one of the biggest cliches to say, she IS the best mom EVER, not to mention she is one of the biggest supporters of this blog. Hurricane Irene has rained on our parade here (actually, she hasn't even gotten here yet but that's okay because I'm already DUNNE with her. Get it??? ;D) .... anyhow, I thought I'd write the loveliest mom in the world a birthday blog before Irene knocks out our power (God forbid).

I thought I'd tie Old Hollywood in with writing a birthday blog for her. So.... because it's her birthday, I decided to do a little picture gallery sort of thing with her favorite Old Hollywood stuff.

Roman Holiday - my mom's favorite movie

I guess it runs in the family...

Cary Grant. I guess that runs in the family, too.

She also loves --

And since it's her birthday, this also gives me chance to do a Cary Grant tribute I've been wanting to do for a while (since, after all, he is my favorite actor, too).... in dedication to her, of course.

Happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's all for today, and wish me good luck with Ms. Dunne... lol. ;)

"Desilu" Book Review

Bonjour!

So today, I'm finally going to share with you my first book review. (I love books, but since this is a classic movie blog I'm restricting myself to only writing reviews about classic movies and their stars!). It's for "Desilu" by Coyne Sanders and Tom Gilbert (or something like that). I finished it a couple days ago, but held out until now because I thought you all would want some variety (from the multitude of Lucy related posts I wrote last week for her 100th). But now, I'm like "what the heck?" You all know how much I love Lucy so let's consider it okay.

Before I start, I guess you all must have noticed a change on my blog.  I've changed the header. The original header

was a little too busy for me. And you can't really see the title properly. So I spent all of last night and today working with this software (it's free, and offers a lot of the same features that Photoshop does. It's quite awesome!). Finally, after many revisions and frustrations, I came up with what you see above us.

I am not one hundred percent pleased with it. I tried both sephia and black and white, and B&W I think looks better, but I'm not still completely sold. It's pretty big, for one thing. I know lots of blogs have big headers, but... I don't know. So. I would really appreciate it if you could leave me some comments telling me what you think of it, and if it's better than the last, and if you know of any way I could improve it. (By the way, I had to abort Cary from the header because I thought it would be kind of cruel to outline him in pink!! So Cary and Grace are in my favicon... or at least they will be as soon as it updates).

Also, the very kind Natalie (or "StanwyckFan") of "In the Mood" (it's in my blog roll, you should see it!) has informed me about Film Classics (film-classics.com)'s contest for this season. This season you basically have to write some kind of a post about film noir. Even though film noir isn't my very best subject, I'm hoping to give it a try. For more information, go here:

Film Noir Contest

Thanks, Natalie, for telling me all about it!

Okay, now, as promised, without any further ado, is my review for "Desilu."

***

As you can probably tell from the title, Desilu promises to tell "the story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz."

If only they had.

I'm not going to say this book was awful, because it wasn't... Though, to be truly honest, I did have several problems with it.

The first was the authors pretty much skip over how Lucy and Desi first met, or their lives before they met each other. They briefly recount it in a crammed first chapter - all events preceding 1946. I thought this was awful. I was looking for a lot of build up on how they met, how they purchased the ranch in California, etc. But the authors breeze over this by using a couple of excerpts from Desi's autobiography. In a page or two, they basically say, "Desi said, 'Do you want to get married?' And Lucy said, 'Sure, why not.' And then they went to Connecticut, eloped, and that's all."

Uhm...

The authors are much more excited to talk about the bad days of Lucy and Desi's marriage: the fighting, the screaming, Desi's drinking, etc. Like they want to write a depressing book of sorts. Look, I know that Lucy and Desi's marriage was most certainly not picture perfect, but they did have some happy days with each other.

More than anything, the only thing the authors really care to talk about are Desilu Studios. The purchasing and buying of shows, stockholders meetings, hiring people - every time I saw a "$" in the book, I went, "Oh no!" WAY, WAY, WAY too much focus on the Studios. It should have been a balance between Lucy and Desi, the people, and the Studios - or, if you had to go either way, more focus on Lucy and Desi. But the book is about 80% Desilu Studios and 20% Lucy and Desi.

I thought it was interesting to learn about the Studios, but it should have been written in a clearer, more understandable way so those of us who are not experts on the subject, or do not own a Studio ourselves, can understand what they mean. Too many figures. On every page you'd find numbers and you'd be lucky to find "Lucy" and "Desi" in the same sentence together.

I have a few more bones to pick. The writers downplay any of their successes. "I Love Lucy" was - and is - one of the biggest phenomenal of television and likely the most successful show to come out of television. Yet it's not really such a big deal to the writers. And though "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy" cannot compare to "I Love Lucy", they were both respectively successful shows themselves. But the writers make them sound like screwball messes strung together.

They on several occasions contradict themselves. On one page, they say that Lucille Ball was very "conservative," and disapproved of movies with explicit language, violence, etc. On another - "she had a very raunchy sense of humor." Uhm, I don't think it's possible for someone to be both. 

Towards the end of the book, they do their best to make Lucille Ball sound like a monster. I hate whenever an author begins to trash it's subject. This was one of these cases. "Lucille Ball was not a funny woman." "Lucille Ball threatened to fire Joan Crawford and she burst into tears" (yeah, I would've threatened to fire her too if she didn't bother to show up on set because she "overslept"). "Lucille Ball started screaming at people on the set." I got SO fed up. Not just because I love Lucy so much, but I know that this is all exaggerated. They say she brought Sammy Davis, Jr. to tears. Yeah, she tortured him so much that years later when they threw the "All Star Party for Lucille Ball," he gave a lovely, touching speech calling her a "gift from God." Wow, he must've been totally bullied by her.

I say exaggerated because I am sure Lucy was just trying to do her job. She was very professional and by the time she did her later shows, she had a very high standard for those she worked with. She did not except tardiness, lack of effort, etc. She was a total perfectionist. And who can blame her? By then, she deserved total respect on set for all she had achieved. It's easy to understand why Lucy believed in hard work: she had to work so hard to get to where she'd gotten. 

What would have made this book better? More focus on their lives before "I Love Lucy." The writers chose to skip this part of their lives, but detail their lives all the way up to their death after 1950 (with much more focus on Lucy than Desi - in fact, he disappears into thin air). What would have been interesting is a look at what they were doing in their separate lives in a certain year. For example, when Lucy was pounding the pavement in New York, Desi was cleaning canary cages in Miami. It would explain to casual fans what different personalities they had, and what different backgrounds.

More focus on their glory years at the Desilu Ranch would have been nice, too. For example, later on in the book someone says something about remembering how they had been at the Ranch when Lucy was pregnant, and Lucy had been all girlish and excited, and had pulled the person's hand to her bulging stomach when she felt the baby kick, her eyes lighting up. "It's wonderful!" she'd exclaimed. If only the authors had shared more sweet stories like that. 

The authors don't share much new or insightful information. However, in reading I kept in mind that this book is considerably old. Well, it's less than 20 years old which isn't very old, but in book years it is. When it was written in the early 90's, the Internet was not as developed as it was now, and not everybody had common use with it. So even though the facts they pull out in the book look old to us today, they were probably new and shocking for readers in the early 90's (wow, I'm making the 90's sound ancient!).

Lucie Arnaz was interviewed for the book and she provides the best stories. Though she cannot attest much about her parents' divorce or anything preceding that, she does share nice information about the later years. In the last pages of the book, she shares a touching story about how Lucy was one of the last people Desi spoke to - and what she said was that she loved him (repetitively). 

In the Epilogue, the authors share some depressing information about how Lucy dies.  However, it's pretty amazing to see how the world reacted at the time. Her death was treated with the importance of when a state of head dies, and the New York Times headline for the day was, in big, huge, black letters: "LUCY DIES." Depressing, but just goes to show you how much everyone loved Lucy.

Over all, this is a good book for anyone interested in Desilu Studios. In fact, it's the perfect book for you. Also, if you want to read about the lows of their marriage - but you'll only find repeated information, anyway.

It's not a terrible book. The final chapter and the Epilogue was touching, if anything. But the bottom line remains that it sends the principal subjects (and their relationship) in an unflattering light many times, depresses the reader on several occasions, and doesn't provide anything new. I'll give it a 3 out of a 5. 

***

That's all for today. Hope you enjoy my first book review, and like my new site header.

Ciao!

Reflecting Back on Lucytenniel

Okay, so I hope you all don't mind me talking about Lucy just a little bit more this week.... Yesterday, August 6th, was Lucytenniel and it was so amazing and literally one of the best days ever, so I felt the need to just reflect back on it a little!

The first thing was I participated in my first blogathon. "The Loving Lucy Blogathon," hosted by True Classics, was so fun to be a part of! My blog was only one of so many that honored Lucy... and I got to read so many different, interesting posts about the most intriguing aspects of Lucy's life, career, even her radio show! Also, I got to read touching personal tributes with people expressing their love for Lucy... It was just so great.

Besides that, I finally got some traffic to my blog! I got a couple comments and, according to my newly installed hit counter (see the sidebar), I got a few visitors. That's totally great! Thanks for commenting/visiting, and I hope you'll subscribe or come back and visit Frankly again.

I was so happy with the way the media turned out for Lucytenniel. Especially television, because it totally owes her! One of my personal favorites was the Google homepage. If you didn't catch it, here's a screenshot:

You could move the little dial for six different clips of Lucy - from "We're Having a Baby, My Baby and Me" to the famous candy scene in "Job Switching."

Needless to say, I adored it! I seriously wish it was like that all the time. Maybe they'll make a webpage for it, like some past animated Google Doodles.

"Lucille Ball" was top searched on both Yahoo and Google (her keyword was "on fire", accordingly!), which filled me with childish pride - on Google, it was quickly followed with "I Love Lucy." I heard about Lucytenniel on all the major news stations, and there were dozens of articles from news services everyplace - not to forget TCM's 24 hour long block of movies devoted to her (I tuned in for most of them), and Hallmark's marathon for her, which is all weekend long.

I'm glad she's remembered. Isn't it kind of amazing? She died 22 years ago, but everyone still loves her and thinks of her... on her 100th. <3

Another highlight of this most awesome day was the success of my Youtube video. I posted it a little bit before 1 AM on August 6th. It had 25 views by then. When I checked in the morning, it had reached 225 - and as I refreshed the page, it had hit 250. Last night, when 24 hours were completed, it was raging at 572 (I think), and now, as I check, is nearly at 800 with 792 views and 25 likes (and 0 dislikes). You're amazing, Lucy! I also discovered, after curiously searching the title of my video, that it's been shared by just random people who happened to come across it on Youtube on Facebook... 29 times, I think. So awesome! Wonderful to be a part of the spreading of the Lucy love.

How did I celebrate Lucytenniel? I kept up with the TCM marathon through, and through - and on my laptop enjoyed other Lucy tributes... then I talked my dad into watching "The Facts of Life" with me... no, not the TV show (though I do enjoy a visit to Peekskill), but the 1960 movie with Lucy and Bob Hope. I also tuned in for "I Love Lucy" on several occasions, of course, and on my DVR I have "Panama Lady" (too early in the morning for me!), "Miss Grant Takes Richmond" (I came in just for the ending), and "The Affairs of Annabel" (too late at night... 3 AM.)

I was just dizzy with all the Lucy love!

Last night on ABC news, the anchor said, "Today is a big day for anyone who loves Lucy." And it sure was.

Before I leave you, I found this totally awesome video on Youtube, starring Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck (best friends, if you didn't know), set to Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)." It's always cool to see old movies set to modern songs (I plan on doing one pretty soon... stay tuned!), and this one is just perfect and amazing, lyric to lyric.

And finally, some classic movie humor for you that I picked up when rewatching the "The Long, Long Trailer." Towards the end of the movie, when Lucy and Desi are taking that perilous flight up the mountain, they're trying to make some (very nervous) short talk about a book Lucy was reading. Apparently, she stopped reading it because they had seen the movie.

LUCY: It had what's-his-name in it... You know, he was married to the beautiful brunette girl who likes squirrels?

DESI: Michael Wilding?

LUCY: Yeah, him.

I really lol'ed at this. And if you're puzzled, Michael Wilding was married to Elizabeth Taylor - AKA, the beautiful brunette girl who likes squirrels.

Well, I think I'll go and catch the rest of that Hallmark marathon, so I'll say goodbye for now. But Lucytenniel was amazing, wasn't it? Happy birthday, Lucy!

Ciao!

Happy One-Hundredth, Lucy!!!!! (Day Six of Her Birthday Bash)

Where I live, it's a little after midnight, which means that it is officially August 6th, 2011.

And 100 years to the day of Lucille Ball's birth - which makes our beloved redhead officially 100 years old!


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT'S FINALLY HERE!

Lucy is 100! 

♥♥♥

Actually, I've been blogging for Lucy for five days now (today is day sixth!), all in celebration of her big 100.

Here's a quick review of what I've already blogged about Lucy for her birthday....

Day One:

I discussed Lucy tributes on TV, on the web, in press releases.... etc. Btw, since that post (which I wrote on Monday), the coverage on Lucy's 100th has doubled. Among many, you can check out LIFE.com for a gallery of "Lucy's many faces," "I Love Lucy," and my personal favorite, unpublished photos of Lucy taken by LIFE. Also, Access Hollywood honored Lucy on their Friday, August 5th show with loving words about her from Mary Tyler Moore and  Carol Burnett, who are just a few of the many television actresses, and actresses in general, who benefited from what Lucy has given us, as well as their five favorite "Lucy" moments. It's on their website, so check it out. That's not all - just Google "Lucille Ball," and you'll be hit with articles from top news services everywhere.

Day One of Lucy's Birthday Bash: Your Guide to Celebrating Lucy's 100th

Day Two:

I showed you my Lucille Ball book collection and reviewed every book.

Day Two of Lucy's Birthday Bash: My Lucille Ball Book Collection

Day Three:

I Blogged about Lucy's numerous appearances on the game shows "What's My Line?", "I've Got a Secret," and "Password."

Day Three of Lucy's Birthday Bash: Lucy, The Game Show Queen

Day Four

I shared with you "Finding Lucy," one of my very favorite documentaries about the Queen of Comedy.

Day Four of Lucy's Birthday Bash: "Finding Lucy"

Day Five

And yesterday, I shared some old articles about everyone's favorite redhead from my "Lucy Desi" scrapbook.

Day Five of Lucy's Birthday Bash: My Lucy Archive

So, I thought long and hard about how to make this post on her actual birthday a really awesome tribute to the funniest lady that ever lived. I'm going to be sharing a couple things with you (And I'm really sorry if this gets a little long.... you're welcome to stop and turn away at any time, because I'm not that interesting. Well, actually, this is about Lucy. Well, Lucy and me. But anyway, it's just - I really wanted to make it an awesome post so everything will come spilling out sort of).... about why I love Lucy, what "I Love Lucy" and Lucille Ball/Lucy Ricardo means to me, and, of course, a tribute video from Frankly My Dear TV. (You expected, that right?)

(from LIFE magazine)

♥♥♥

How Lucille Ball Became My Favorite Actress of all Time,

And how "I Love Lucy" Became my Favorite TV Show, and all of That Jazz

The first time I ever actually watched an episode of "I Love Lucy," (and not just in passing), was when I was nine years old. That was the same year I fell in love with classic movies - but that's another story, for another day.

The thing is, even though it wasn't until then that I'd actually watched an episode, I'd always heard of "I Love Lucy" - even before I loved classic film and all things Golden Age. It was a show that my mother loved and I think, really, even if you don't watch the show, is simply the show that comes to everyone's mind when you think of "classic television." There are other shows, other shows that are wonderful -- but "I Love Lucy," holds a place in our hearts, minds, memories, etc. that other shows are forced to compete with.

The episode was "Return Home from Europe." I did not know much more than Lucy and Ricky were married - I didn't even know who Fred and Ethel were! How embarrassing is that? But it was just after dinner, and I sat down to watch it. I didn't understand where they'd been (Europe) or where they were going (New York) but I decided to watch. needless to say, I'm very thankful for watching!

That's the episode where Lucy wants to bring a heavy, Italian cheese home to her mother, who, with Mrs. Trumbell, has been watching Little Ricky back in New York. However, Ricky's not about to pay for the pricey cheese's airfare, so Lucy disguises it as a baby, thinking it will fly for free in her arms. Needless to say, the results are priceless - especially when Lucy is seated next to a fellow "mother", played by the woman who would later become Betty Ramsey in the Connecticut episodes (Mary Jane Croft, I believe). 

From the opening credits of the satin heart, to the moment where Ricky finds melted cheese in an instrument in the band, I could not stop laughing. I just couldn't get over how plain funny it was. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. Up until that point, I'd seen Disney Channel and was used to sarcastic humor that you could only chuckle at - but Lucy was different. The laughter I got from her was the type that makes you clutch your stomach, with tears running out of your eyes. I loved laughing like that.

That was really all it took. After that, every day after school I'd settle in for two episodes of "I Love Lucy", to make myself laugh like mad. (Those were the days when homework was just a "worksheet".) No episode failed me. I was religious. I was quickly drawn into the show and the characters in ways I'd never felt with another show (I still stand on that, by the way) - why can't Fred buy Ethel a new dress??? Why can't Ricky just let Lucy be in the show??? 

By November of that year, they began to air the pregnancy episodes. I was so excited and happy for Lucy and Ricky. I didn't even know anything about Lucy and Desi's real marriage, and the reason that they began to tear up in the end of "Lucy is Enciente." Even though I already knew that the baby would be a boy and his name would be Little Ricky, I was excited and almost on the edge of my seat in the "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" episode... I acted as if this was a new show, airing for the first time.

I loved seeing Lucy Ricardo, the mother. As a young kid I often paralleled TV characters with my own life, and for me to like them, or love them in this case, they needed to be likable characters... characters I could relate to. In the episodes with Lucy and Little Ricky, I was happy about the way Lucy cared for Little Ricky. Take the episode "Lucy and Superman," for example. Lucy is willing to climb out onto the ledge with all of New York City below her (and in a helmet and cape, mind you!) just to keep a promise to Little Ricky. With this episode, i could feel her love for Little Ricky in the ways my own mother loves me, and keeps her promises. 

Of course, as a nine year old, I was not analyzing this as I watched. It was somewhere in the back of my brain, someplace I couldn't understand yet - but it was there. And I knew I loved Lucy because I loved to laugh, but also because I loved to smile. It's impossible to watch an episode without smiling. All of these episodes were new to me when I first watched them, despite being so old, and I anxiously awaited to see what Lucy, Ricky, and the Mertzes would be up to next... I knew "I Love Lucy," was classic. But it hadn't really yet registered in my brain how important it was in history, and all of that... I just knew I liked it.

Then there was Lucille Ball, the actress who played Lucy Ricardo. I wasn't a great researcher, as most nine years old aren't, and I didn't know much about her... it took a while for that to come. But I loved her show, and so it was as simple as that: Lucille Ball was my new favorite actress.

Over the years came the books, the TV specials, the documentaries, and the Googling... but then it was very simple. I just loved Lucy.

It's still that way. It's always going to be that way. I just can't imaging not loving Lucy, and not needing to watch the show. Because sometimes I need to - sometimes I think we all need to. Whenever I'm feeling stressed or just need cheering up, a single episode of "I Love Lucy" does the trick.

♥♥♥

I guess I'm not a Lucy expert, but I'm pretty close! I've read books, watched documentaries and interviews... I know a lot. So I thought it would be appropriate to give you a brief biography of her, and some of my favorite trivia (like I did on Natalie Wood's birthday).

Biography

Lucille Desiree Ball was born on August 6th, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Her parents were Desiree "DeDe" and Henry Durrell Ball. DeDe was a beautiful pianist and was working to that profession when she met Henry. She was seventeen when she married him (it was common of those days to be married so young), and became pregnant with their first child - Lucille. Not long after she was born, Lucille and DeDe traveled to Detroit, where her father was holding down a job. There the family was united, but soon after they traveled to Michigan for a softer change of scenery. It was here where Henry worked as a telephone linesman. He worked through a rough winter storm and caught the grippe - not much longer after, he died. DeDe was about nineteen, pregnant with their second and, obviously, last child. Lucille was not yet four. They went back to New York to live with DeDe's parents, Fred and Florabelle, who raised Lucille when DeDe was gone, holding down jobs wherever she could get them. Fred, Lucille's brother, was born soon after. Lucy's childhood was tough, often parceled off from relative to relative. They were also quite poor. But she maintained a strength that she would carry with her for the rest of her life, and developed a love of acting, putting on "plays" in her front yard with friends. When she was fifteen, DeDe sent her rebellious daughter to acting school in New York. However, everyone there was too enchanted by the star pupil, Bette Davis, and did not think Lucille had any talent - she was sent home. Lucille was not discouraged, and it was not long after when she was on her way to Hollywood as one of Samuel Goldwyn's "Goldwyn Girls." She made a home there, and after she had enough money, sent for her family. She did her best to climb up the Hollywood chain. Eventually she was getting lead roles in B movies; the public dubbed "RKO's Queen of the B's." It was in 1940 when she met a Cuban drummer named Desi Arnaz on the set of one of these B movies, "Too Many Girls." They fell in love and six months later they were married. Their union proved to be a tumultuous one. They were often separated, which resulted in nasty fights. They wanted children; but Lucille suffered many miscarriages. Desi called her "Lucy," and the name stuck. Lucy continued to be the Queen of B movies, her career stuck. It was not until the late 1940's, when her radio show "My Favorite Husband" was turned into a TV show - it was called "I Love Lucy." (We don't really need to get into that, do we?) It was an amazing success. In 1960, the Arnazes ended the show and divorced. Lucy got custody of the two kids they eventually were able to have - Lucie and Desi, Jr. She did two more television shows, "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy" - successful and popular in their own right, but not with the same impact of "I Love Lucy." She also made a few movies. She continued to be insanely popular with the public. She died on April 26th, 1989, at the age of 77 from a ruptured aorta. 

Once again, that's just a brief little biography... there are lots of books about Lucy's life, most notably her autobiography, "Love, Lucy." So you should be sure and check that out to learn more.

Some Trivia

• Carole Lombard was her favorite actress - Carole and husband Clark Gable would often come over to Lucy and Desi's ranch in the years before Carole's death, and vice versa.
• She made over 100 movies, most of them B movies before "I Love Lucy" turned her into a sensation. Her own personal favorite was "The Big Street," where she played a beautiful yet cold hearted chanteuse... her co-star was Henry Fonda.
• TV Guide says her face has been seen by more people than any human being who ever lived. (How awesome is that????!!!)
• "I Love Lucy" went on air in 1951, and thanks to reruns, has never been off since. It plays on television someplace in the world, every day, and every day, someone's watching it. It is dubbed in twenty-two different languages.
• There is a Lucille Ball Diabetes Research Library, named after her when she was honored by the Variety Club ("All Star Party for Lucille Ball.")
• Her favorite song was "Make Someone Happy."
• She loved the show "Three's Company," and even made a guest appearance.
• Whoismorefamous.com (a little lame sounding - but they have a substantial list of "the most famous people of all time") lists Lucille Ball as the 103rd most famous person of all time.
• After Desi Arnaz gave up his position as president of Desilu Studios, Lucy ran the company - she was the first woman to do so.
• Her favorite episode of "I Love Lucy" is the one in which she dresses up as Queen of the Gypsies.. "The Operetta."
• When Americans were polled a few years ago, they named Lucille Ball the most missed deceased celebrity.

♥♥♥

Okay, so this is the first of my two special tributes for Lucy.... since she is turned one hundred, I thought I'd share with you my top 100 favorite TV episodes and movies starring Lucy. I promise not to go into detail. I'll just list them. Because if I did go into detail, you'd be here forever... and I've already blabbed for too long! (But it's Lucy blabbing... so... I think that makes it better. I hope!)

Oh, and by the way - after the first few, it's kind of in no particular order. I mean... these are my one hundred favorite, just I didn't want to get into the technicalities after about the first ten. 

MY TOP 100 LUCILLE BALL APPEARANCES 

(in films and movies)

----

1. "Lucy is Enciente" - I Love Lucy
2. "The Handcuffs" - I Love Lucy
3. "First Stop" - I Love Lucy
4. "The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub" - I Love Lucy
5. "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" - I Love Lucy
6. "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" - I Love Lucy
7. "Return Home from Europe" - I Love Lucy
8. "Stage Door" - movie
9. "Yours, Mine and Ours" - movie
10. "Lucy Fakes Illness" - I Love Lucy
11. "Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her" - I Love Lucy
12. "The Quiz Show" -  I Love Lucy
13. "Lucy is Jealous of Girl Singer" - I Love Lucy
14. "Breaking the Lease" -  I Love Lucy
15. "The Ballet" - I Love Lucy
16. "Young Fans" - I Love Lucy
17. "Fred and Ethel Fight" -  I Love Lucy
18. "The Gossip" - I Love Lucy
19. "Pioneer Woman" - I Love Lucy
20. "The Marriage License" - I Love Lucy
21. "The Publicity Agent" - I Love Lucy
22. "Lucy's Schedule" - I Love Lucy
23. "Job Switching" - I Love Lucy
24. "The Anniversary Present" - I Love Lucy
25. "The Courtroom" - I Love Lucy
26. "Pregnant Woman are Unpredictable" - I Love Lucy
27. "Lucy Hires an English Tutor" - I Love Lucy
28. "Sales Resistance" - I Love Lucy
29. "Inferiority Complex" - I Love Lucy
30. "The Black Eye" - I Love Lucy
31. "No Children Allowed" - I Love Lucy
32. "Ricky and Fred are TV Fans" - I Love Lucy
33. "Never Do Business with Friends" - I Love Lucy
34. "Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress" - I Love Lucy
35. "Sentimental Anniversary" - I Love Lucy
36. "Fan Magazine Interview" - I Love Lucy
37. "Ricky Loses his Temper" - I Love Lucy
38. "Home Movies" - I Love Lucy
39. "Lucy Writes a Novel" - I Love Lucy
40. "The Black Wig" - I Love Lucy
41. "Tennessee Ernie Visits" - I Love Lucy
42. "Tennessee Ernie Hangs On" - I Love Lucy
43. "The Golf Game" -  I Love Lucy
44. "The Sublease" - I Love Lucy
45. "Lucy's Mother-in-Law" - I Love Lucy
46. "Ethel's Birthday" - I Love Lucy
47. "Getting Ready" - I Love Lucy
48. "Lucy Learns to Drive" - I Love Lucy
49. "California, Here we Come!" - I Love Lucy
50. "Ethel's Hometown" - I Love Lucy
51. "L.A At Last" - I Love Lucy
52. "Lucy Gets in Pictures" - I Love Lucy
53. "The Fashion Show" -  I Love Lucy
54. "The Hedda Hopper Story" -  I Love Lucy
55. "Hollywood Anniversary" - I Love Lucy
56. "The Star Upstairs" - I Love Lucy
57. "Lucy in Palm Springs" - I Love Lucy
58. "Dancing Star" - I Love Lucy
59. "Harpo Marx" -  I Love Lucy
60. "Ricky Needs an Agent" - I Love Lucy
61. "Lucy Visits Grauman's" - I Love Lucy
62. "Lucy and John Wayne" -  I Love Lucy
63. "Ricky Sells the Car" -  I Love Lucy
64. "The Great Train Robbery" -  I Love Lucy
65. "Nursery School" - I Love Lucy
66. "The Passports" - I Love Lucy
67. "Staten Island Ferry" - I Love Lucy
68. "Bon Voyage" - I Love Lucy
69. "Second Honeymoon" - I Love Lucy
70. "Lucy Meets the Queen" - I Love Lucy
71. "Paris at Last" - I Love Lucy
72. "Lucy Gets a Paris Grown" - I Love Lucy
73. "Lucy in the Swiss Alps" - I Love Lucy
74. "Lucy Gets Homesick in Italy" -  I Love Lucy
75. "Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo" - I Love Lucy
76. "Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drum" - I Love Lucy
77. "Visitor From Italy" - I Love Lucy
78. "Off to Florida" -  I Love Lucy
79. "Lucy and Superman" - I Love Lucy
80. "Lucy Hates to Leave" - I Love Lucy
81. "Lucy Misses the Mertzes" -  I Love Lucy
82. "Lucy Does the Tango" - I Love Lucy
83. "The Celebrity Next Door" - The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
84. "Lucy's Summer Vacation" - The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
85. "Too Many Girls" - movie
86. "The Facts of Life" - movie
87. "Lucy and Viv Put in a Shower" - The Lucy Show
88. "Lucy Gets Trapped" - The Lucy Show
89. "Lucy and Joan" - The Lucy Show
90. "Lucy Gets the Burtons' Ring Stuck on her Finger" - Here's Lucy
91. "The Long, Long Trailer" - movie
92. "Forever Darling" - movie
93. "Lucy's Italian Movie" - I Love Lucy
94. "The Big Street" - movie
95. "Best Foot Forward" - movie
96. "Easy to Wed" - movie
97. "Dance, Girl, Dance" - movie
98. "Sorrowful Jones" - movie
99. "Lured" - movie
100. "Mame" - movie

If you're wondering why there is a lack of "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy" episodes, it's because i haven't seen that actual many. I can't find it on TV and not all the seasons our on DVD yet, so whatever I watch is usually whatever I can find on YouTube. Also, some of these movies, like "The Big Street" and "Mame" aren't actually good movies... but I enjoyed Lucy's performances in them.

(from LIFE magazine)

♥♥♥

Finally, I of course made a special tribute for her on Youtube... I'm still getting used to this tribute thing. I have this really old, unfortunate version of Windows Movie Maker that for some reason sticks at the beginning of clips, which really annoys me - but there's nothing I can do about it. * sigh *...and the ending is choppy, too. I really wanted this to be good and perfect, because it's Lucy's birthday, and it's her 100th!!! So I worked on it for several days... and yep. I used clips from several "I Love Lucy" episodes, and the movies "The Big Street," "Dance, Girl, Dance," "Too Many Girls," "Du Barry was a Lady" and "Beauty for the Asking".... as well as a few clips from "Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie."

I decided to use the song "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder. Okay, so, I know the song is about a baby girl being born - you can tell from the lyrics... Just one minute old! - BUT I just liked the feel of it.... and maybe since it's a birthday tribute, it's somewhat appropriate.  I know at times the lyrics don't work, but I really wanted to use this. I decided to use Lucy's "pretty" moments from her movies and television shows, and "Isn't She Lovely" just went very well. Besides. She was lovely..

So.... yep. I really hope you enjoy it and I hope it captures... I don't know the word. "Birthday spirit"? Lol.

♥♥♥

Soo, there it is. I hope I was able to give Lucy a little bit of the 100th birthday tribute she deserves!!!!

Lucille Ball was - and is - truly amazing. She's inspirational, too. She had a spirit in her that never gave up. And she inspires me to do the same... She was just a girl growing up in a small town in New York, struggling a little, and she was able to make herself famous around the whole world! Chances are, I'm not likely to become an actress like she. But I love to write. And Lucy proves to me that with handwork and determination, anything is possible - and if I want to write, I'll write.

Thanks a billion, Lucy. And happy birthday. <3

One of my favorite photos of Lucy

I can hardly wait to see other blogger's tributes, and I hope you've enjoyed mine. I'll be watching Lucy all day long, and I've got a feeling I won't be the only one.

Happy, happy, happy birthday Lucy. 

♥♥♥

Day Five of Lucy's Birthday Bash: My Lucy Archive

JUST ONE MORE DAY.

Less than 24 hours.

So, today I'm just going to share with you some interesting articles about the redhead  that I have from my two "scrapbooks" about her (I wrote about them in my Day Two post)... these are not rare in any way, but I thought they'd just be sort of interesting to share with you for those of you who don't own the books... you know.

Of course, I haven't written ANY of this, don't own it, take no credit, etc. etc. Now with that out of the way, let's get started.

***

From my "Lucy-Desi" Scrapbook:

August 1911, in a section of birth notices. (Which newspaper, I am not sure of).

BALL - At Jamestown, N.Y, Aug. 6 1911, to Henry D. and Desiree Hunt Ball, 123 Stuart Avenue, a daughter.

Dancing School - Lucy and Desi become dance instructors (1940's)

(I made this so fantastically huge so you can try to read it... you may still have to squint. I'm sorry! But typing it all up would have taken quite a while...)

Movie Contracts Say 'No,' But Lucy and Desi Wed (December 1940)

When love has been laughing at locksmiths for centuries, what chance has an old Hollywood marriage clause got?

About equal to that of the snowball in perdition, i twas amply proved yesterday at the Byram River Beagle Club in Greenwich, Conn. by Lucille Ball, the film actress, and Desi Arnaz, Cuban dancer. 

They were married there by Justice Joseph J. O'Brien.

Just eight days ago, Miss Ball, who is 26 and a Butte, Montana native (ha! Both lies!) sighed at the Stork Club:

"Love? Of course it's love. Desi and I very much want to get married, but we have three year contracts with the same studio and both contracts have no marriage clauses, so..."

So they just went ahead and got married.

The bridgeroom, in fact, ducked his 12 o'clock show in the Roxy for the dash to Greenwich and they bought a ring in a 5-and-10 cent store.

Lucille Ball Sues Sgt. Desi Arnaz for Divorce (Summer of 1944)

An explosive romance formula - a redheaded woman and a fiery Latin - blew up yesterday when Lucille Ball filed suit for divorce against Staff-Sgt. Desi Arnaz.

 The "blast" rocked Hollywood as the titian tressed actress and her actor soldier husband were considered one of the film colony's most devoted couples.

"I can't believe it," said a friend of the couple. "I had a dinner date with them for tonight."

CRUELTY CHARGED

Filed in Superior Court by Atty. David Tannenbaum, the action charges extreme cruelty, but is barren of details. No community property was involved and they have no children.

Sgt. Arnaz, a Cuban, is serving in the special service office at the Army's Birmingham General Hospital near Van Nuys, but was not off duty yesterday and was unavailable for comment.

Miss Ball's attorney said that, 'We expect Sgt. Arnaz to waive his right to postpone trial of the suit until after he leaves the service.'

Married Nov. 30th, 1940 in Greenwich, Ct., they separated only last Wednesday, according to the complaint. It was the first marriage for each. 

 Notice for Lucy and Desi's rexchange of vows, 1949

 Lucille Ball will adopt Desi Arnaz' religion and they'll be married again in a church service. RKO, incidentally, ordered her to leave her bridegroom and fly back to Hollywood for work, and Desi, who is under contract to the same studio, is sizzling.

 Variety, 1950

Lucille Ball's bow out of "The Greatest Show on Earth" because of impending motherhood, "caused a number of repercussions in the DeMille production offices," Paramount flackery exhuded yesterday. "Thousands of dollars in costumes for Miss Ball may have to be discarded if her successor is a different size," the blubbery panted. "The script itself will be affected on certain portions which were written to suit Miss Ball's personality and acting technique." From Miss Ball's corner came this: "I was very excited over the opportunity of working for C.B, but there will be other times; at least, I hope so, and the baby is more important."

Hubby and Wife Together, At Last, Thanks to Video (plus other bits and pieces!) (1951)

Lucille Ball Tells Diet, Perfume, Voice, Hair Dyeing, and Complexion Secrets

(I know, I'm sorry - you probably can't read that...)

There are plenty more to share, but it would take forever to type up or scan them all! 

So, that's it.

ONE MORE DAY. LESS THAN 24 HOURS... until Lucytennial.

Just can't wait!!!!!!

PS: I bought a lot of books and DVDs to add to my Old Hollywood collection recently. I'm still waiting for some of them to come through the mail, but when Lucytenniel's over, I'll do a blog on it.

Day Four of Lucy's Birthday Bash: "Finding Lucy"

It's Day 4!

Lucytennial is so close I can just TASTE it!!!

This is my fourth day of blogging for Lucy, the birthday girl. On Day One, we discussed tributes and press releases in this news for Lucy's big 1-0-0- (read it here). After that, I shared with you reviews of my extensive Lucille Ball Book Collection (see here), and finally, yesterday the topic was Lucy's appearances on game shows (here).

Today's post will be a little shorter. I often watch biographies, and I've seen several of Lucy's. A few days ago I stumbled upon one I hadn't seen - "Finding Lucy," by American Masters. It is an incredible tribute to everyone's favorite redhead.

^^ This is part one

I think it did an excellent, excellent job of showing Lucy's life, and all her hardships, successes, marriage and divorce with Desi, and just the amazing person she was... It was beautifully filmed, with special little touches here and there that make it all the more wonderful to watch. It also has a great many special guest stars to take about Lucy, like:

• Fran Drescher of "The Nanny"
• Dean Martin
• Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll, Jr. ("I Love Lucy" writers)
• Maury Thompson (family friend and involved with the production of "I Love Lucy")
• Van Johnson
• Edie Adams
• Carol Burnett

It just really felt like a loving, warm tribute to Lucy. My very favorite part of all was a montage of Lucy's clips in the end, set to "My Funny Valentine," followed by excerpts of Lucy's eulogy, written and read by Diane Sawyer (entitled "Is There Laughter in Heaven?").  It was sooo moving.

^^ Last part, with "My Funny Valentine" bit at the end

Everyone who speaks has a lot of respect for her; the producers do not criticize her but praise her... they remind you of how wonderful she really was, and what an impact "I Love Lucy" made on the American public and just history in general. and I really got shivers down my spine watching the last part! So far, it is one of the best Lucy documentaries I have ever seen.

Here are some screencaps:

"TV Guide says the face of Lucille Ball has been seen by more people than the face of any human being who has ever lived... She reigned as the First Lady of Television for 35 years."

- 'Finding Lucy'

^^ From the "My Funny Valentine" montage.

***

It's really a loving, wonderful documentary... and so if you want to watch some Lucy related in honor of her birthday, this is a good thing to add to your lineup.

Well, that's all for today. Just two more days!

Ciao!

PS: As a good American citizen, i guess I find it my duty to wish our President a happy birthday... he turns 50 today. Happy Birthday!