This is an entry for the Gene Kelly Centennial Blogathon, hosted by the Classic Movie Blog Association, to celebrate the 100th birthday of one of Hollywood's best hoofers (Gene's actually birthday was the 23rd). Go here to read the rest of the very fabulous entries. Thank you to the CMBA for hosting!
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I was a little late to the party when signing up for this blogathon, and needless to say, the best of Gene's films had already been grabbed. So unfortunately, this will not be the astute opportunity for me to ramble on endlessly about my love and affection for one of my favorite movies, Singin' in the Rain (1952). Instead I have chosen for a less well known vehicle from earlier on in Gene's career, Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) - it is, alas, no where near the perfection of Singin' in the Rain, but it does costar Lucille Ball, my favorite of all people, and thus I have chosen it to discuss today.
Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) is the story of a hat check man who is in love with the beautiful nightclub headliner at the club he works for. She, in turn, has the hearts for a poor dancer, who reciprocates her affection, but she knows she must marry for money. The hat check man strikes it rich by winning the Irish sweepstakes, and asks his crush to marry him, which she agrees to, even though she doesn't love him. The moral of all of this is brought to light when the new heir gets slipped a mickey and dreams his is in 18th century Versailles, in which he is King Louis XV, adamantly pursuing Madame Du Barry.
Lucy practicing one of her dance routines
for the movie backstage
The film was more of a prominent milestone in Lucille Ball's career rather than Gene's. She was cast as the nightclub star May Daly/Madame Du Barry in what was her first film at MGM. She had failed to reach star status at RKO (though she had garnered the title as queen of B movies), and everyone knew - Lucy included - that MGM was her last chance to become an established movie star. As her introduction to the MGM corral of actors (after all, MGM had "more stars than the heavens"), she was cast in this film, which had been a successful Broadway play starring her good friend Ethel Mermen. It was called out to be a lush, Technicolor production, with a roster of songs by Cole Porter. To give Lucy a new image, MGM's chief hairstylist to the stars, Sidney Guilaroff, dyed her hair a stunning shade called "Tango Red", that popped on the Technicolor print, but Lucy herself was not quick to like in real life. (Lucy, born a brunette, had been dyed a Harlow blonde, then a strawberry blonde, which gradually darkened to mahogany brown). Critics were quick to call her "Technicolor Tessie," and declared no actress had looked better in color. Needless to say, Lucy kept this shade for the rest of her life.
This was the second film for budding star Gene Kelly, who obviously played the down on his luck hoofer, Alec Howe. Though only a year younger than his on screen love interest, Lucy had a list of films under her belt whereas this was only the second in what would prove to be a legendary show business career. (One could argue that both Gene and Lucy struck it big in the early 50s, Gene in his most well known film Singin' in the Rain - in '52 - and Lucy a year earlier with I Love Lucy.) Before this, Gene had made his screen debut with For Me and My Gal (1942), which he had made alongside bona fide star Judy Garland. Red Skelton is the third and final co-star, as the lucky hat check man Louis Blore.
The above mentioned are also supported by Virginia O'Brien, a fairly underrated actress in her own right. Jo Stafford can be spotted as a member of the "Pied Piper" bind, as well as Ava Gardner for a second or two as a perfume girl, and Lana Turner makes a guest appearance as a part of one of Red Skelton's singing sketchs.
Despite the pretty impressive cast, and the cosmetic milestone this was for Lucy, the film ultimately fails to hit the mark (despite doing well at the box office), and I don't think it was a movie that neither Lucy or Gene could look back at and fondly remember. In fact, it might as very well have been one they tried to forget. Though it would for Lucy (because of her hair color change), this movie would also hold no later prominence for the birthday boy, Gene. But as contract players must, both were cast in this film with no questions asked.
This is actually, believe it or not, a movie I own on DVD - it's a part of TCM's Lucille Ball collection. When I offered to my dad the chance to watch this again in preparation of this post, he absolutely refused. And I can't blame him, because this is a real turkey. There are some pros to this film but there are tons of cons, too. (Because, even I couldn't get myself to sit through this again).
You might put the first problem of this film in the plot, which is pretty kooky. There's nothing wrong with "fun nonsense" movies, but sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, and this time around it's a case of the latter. This film is actually decent until Red Skelton gets konked back in time where he appears as King Louis XV and Lucy as Madame Du Barry, the king's notorious mistress. There are some interesting scenes, like one in which Red's King Louis chases Lucy's Du Barry around a bedroom, which includes a shot of them jumping around the bed (which, was, in fact, a trampoline - a scene Lucy didn't very much enjoy shooting as it gave her nausea!). As you can imagine, this was a number that went under the close eye of the Hays Code Office; but this film is the squeaky clean all around besides (though, according to my Lucy at the Movies book, the play was a bit raunchier and was sanitized a little before being transferred to the screen).
A promo shot for Du Barry, 1943
I think after the main cast gets shot back to Versailles in the 1700s, the film actually becomes pretty unwatchable, or at least, that's how I remember it. Still, the plot is ridiculous anyways and you couldn't put the fault in any of the cast. Obviously, everyone on here knows what I think of Lucy and I think pretty highly of Gene Kelly and Red Skelton, too - all very talented actors, and they do the best they can. Ultimately, they are misused. Gene doesn't even get to dance as much as he could've!
So while we can conclude this is certainly not a five star movie, there are a couple of good things about this movie, too. As I said above, the actors give it their best shot. Lucy looks so gorgeous in this. It's always hard for me to pick what was period was the height of her beauty, but this would be one of the top contenders. She sports a blonde wig upon her DuBarry transformation, however, shows off her new hair color in the rest of the film, and the critics weren't kidding when they raved about the new 'Technicolor tessie.' Really, the closeup shots of her as Gene professes his love with a song are killer.
The songs in this movie are by Cole Porter and while it might not be the best work of the famed songwriter, the numbers in here are certainly decent. The most notable is probably "Friendship," the happy song-and-dance number sung by the three title actors at the end of the film. Gene obviously did his own singing, but Lucy was dubbed for all the numbers in this film by Martha Mears - with the exception of this song, for which she did her own singing. The song would also later be used on the episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy and Ethel preform on television for their women's club benefit. They sing the song while they shred each other's identical dresses to pieces! (It should be added that, unfortunately, a great deal of music from the stage play was emasculated.)
I looked long and hard to find any particularly interesting backstage stories to liven up this post about a very mediocre movie, perhaps about Lucy and the birthday boy, but I could come up with nothing. Gene Kelly, though still in the early stages of stardom, is one of the few truly notable costars Lucy worked with before she had her success in television. He and Lucy would work together three more times. In the same year, they both made appearances in Thousands Cheer, a variety film that lacks plot but is made up of skits and sketches. Then, once again in Ziegfield Follies (1946), a similar film filled with an assortment of routines, but they are in separate skits and don't share any screen time together. (Lucy is in only in it for a few minutes, but I did watch the whole movie and it was interesting - some skits are better than others; there's some nice singing by Lena Horne, Judy Garland does a fun routine that mocks Greer Garson's ladylike image, and a very notable piece where Gene and Fred Astaire dance together!). Gene Kelly also directed Lucy in her short stint in his film A Guide For the Married Man (1967). (And as for Lucy and Red Skelton - when Red won the Emmy in '52 for Best Comedian or Comedienne, he said, "You gave it to the wrong redhead tonight.")
As for Gene Kelly himself, unfortunately, this wasn't one of his better films - and so it's probably silly I chose this movie to discuss on his 100th. All the while, Gene is definitely a performer I love. He was an incredible dancer and watching him preform, he in as an art all by himself. He was very initiative when choosing his routines, and his good looks and charm made him appropriate for more sultry dance moves that Hollywood's other premiere dancer, Fred Astaire, strayed from. He also influenced so much of modern dance; Michael Jackson credited Kelly's influence numerous times. That little scar on his cheek? I've always loved it, because it added a certain degree of ruggedness and a dash of allure. Some say that Astaire was more elegant or debonair, but I think they were two entirely different dancers and it isn't very fair to compare them; they were both beautiful in their craft. And besides, Gene Kelly's lines were just as neat and pretty as Astaire's.
Gene Kelly was fabulous and I adore him to bits. This film may not be incredible, but plenty of his other movies were: first and foremost, Singin' in the Rain, but also Anchors Aweigh (1945), On the Town (1949), and An American in Paris (1951) (amongst many others, I'm sure.) So here's a big happy centennial birthday to one of Hollywood's best. Thanks for the dances, Gene (and all my apologizes for the numerous times I diverted this post over to Lucy, but I think it's okay because you worked with her enough to know how incredible she was!).
Today a lot of blogs and websites are not posting or are blacking out to protest SOPA, or "Stop Online Piracy Act". I too hope that SOPA isn't passed. It would mean a lot of terrible things for Classic Hollywood communities like ours, and hadn't it been Cary Grant's birthday, I probably would have gone ahead and done something to protest SOPA today, too.
But I just can't. It's Cary Grant's birthday, and he's my favorite actor, so I am totally against SOPA - but, today, I must...
Because you know, he just happens to be perfect and I plan on growing up and marrying Cary Grant someday. Him being dead is only a minor detail, I'm working on it. :)
Seriously, though, Cary has been my favorite actor since I saw him in "Bringing up Baby", which was at the very beginning of my classic film obsession. I honestly think he was the pinnacle of classic actors, I mean - I think very highly of classic actors. They were handsome and charming and smartly dressed and and they knew how to treat a woman. Cary had all this and then some.
So to celebrate his birthday, I'm using my usual birthday treatment, the five things I love the most about that person.
"Everyone likes the idea of Cary Grant. Everyone thinks of him affectionately, because he embodies what seems a happier time, a time when we had a simpler relationship to a performer. We could admire him for his timing and nonchalance... he appeared before us in radiantly shallow perfection and that was all we wanted... we didn't want depth from him, we asked only that he be handsome and silky and make us laugh." [-Pauline Kael]
#5: His voice.
Okay, so in the female department, Greer Garson's obviously got it, hands down - but, in the males, I think Cary had the best. You can't describe his voice, it's obviously a British accent, but then there's something else to it - anyway, I'm sure you've all heard his voice before so you know what I mean. There's just something about the way the enunciation of his words (for example - listen to Cary say, "Hello!" in any picture, just any picture and you'll get what I mean) - yes, I pay that much attention - and it always works to his advantage and gives him a really smart delivery.
#4: He was the most stylish man in films.
So today in films men dress in undershirts with a plaid shirt thrown on top of it and jeans or something - and to be fair, the women are not much better - but Classic Hollywood Actors were so different. Always a stylish tuxedo and Cary takes the cake, not just for the clothes but the way he wore them. It definitely added to that charming appeal of his, that eluded him as a true movie star. I mean honestly, how often do you see a well dressed male movie star anymore unless it's a red carpet event? (And even - to some certain extent... I don't get the whole sneakers and a tux thing...)
#3: The films and the characters in general.
So many of my favorite films star Cary Grant - like Bringing up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, Notorious, An Affair to Remember... I could just go on and on. He was a very versatile actor I think and could play such a variety of characters. Bringing up Baby and The Philadelphia Story were totally screwball and then you have much more dramatic roles, like, for example Notorious and An Affair to Remember.He played harsh characters, kind characters, romantic characters, funny characters, clever characters - though my favorite of them all certainly's got to be David from Bringing up Baby.
#2: His leading ladies.
So Cary worked with four out of my seven favorite actresses - that four being Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, and Katharine Hepburn. The three he didn't work with are Lucy, Natalie Wood, and Greer Garson. If he and Lucy had made a movie together I would just - I honestly don't know, I'd probably just die with happiness! Of course, in her movie career Lucy was more of a B actress and Cary a leading man, so I can kind of see why this didn't happen... but still :( Natalie Wood was obviously way too young and it would be weird, but GREER GARSON? So with Lucy you have the excuse of the whole B movie thing but honestly, Greer? She was the top box office draw during World War II! And they were both BRITISH! Couldn't there have been some wartime collaborationbetween the two?? This was honestly a big screw up. The only thing they did together was a radio performance of "Bedtime Story", which is all I have to cling to. ;D Out all of his leading ladies, my favorite's got to be Ingrid all the way. I've said it before, I wish they had gotten married! Though they were really good friends in real life and he accepted her Anastasia Oscar on her behalf - that's simply not going to cut it for me. Literally more than fifty percent of the photos in my Ingrid Bergman photo folder are of him and Ingrid with tags like "please get married." But seriously, though, they had wonderful chemistry!
#1: HE'S CARY GRANT.
This man was just terribly awesome in general. A face like they typically helps but I also love his personality, always grinning and most of the time he got along very well with his co-stars. "Cary Grant" has become, oftentimes, more of a label or a personality than the actual man himself. Today he's used as the posterchild for the Classic Hollywood actor, oftentimes as Marilyn is used for the Actress. This would usually annoy me and set me against Cary, but it's impossible, I like him too much! Perhaps it's just me, but I think he truly lived up to all he was made out to be, and he will always be my favorite actor. <3
Happy birthday, Cary!
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Well, there it is. I know from my own dashboard, and from taking a look at Google and Wikipedia, that much of the Internet has been silent today in honor of the fight against SOPA. I would've like to been, too. But I need to write a birthday post for Cary, I just couldn't restrain from doing so. -;)
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.
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)
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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.
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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.
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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)
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"Lucy is Enciente" - I Love Lucy
"The Handcuffs" - I Love Lucy
"First Stop" - I Love Lucy
"The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Goes to the Hospital" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Does a TV Commercial" - I Love Lucy
"Return Home from Europe" - I Love Lucy
"Stage Door" - movie
"Yours, Mine and Ours" - movie
"Lucy Fakes Illness" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Thinks Ricky is Trying to Murder Her" - I Love Lucy
"The Quiz Show" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy is Jealous of Girl Singer" - I Love Lucy
"Breaking the Lease" - I Love Lucy
"The Ballet" - I Love Lucy
"Young Fans" - I Love Lucy
"Fred and Ethel Fight" - I Love Lucy
"The Gossip" - I Love Lucy
"Pioneer Woman" - I Love Lucy
"The Marriage License" - I Love Lucy
"The Publicity Agent" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy's Schedule" - I Love Lucy
"Job Switching" - I Love Lucy
"The Anniversary Present" - I Love Lucy
"The Courtroom" - I Love Lucy
"Pregnant Woman are Unpredictable" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Hires an English Tutor" - I Love Lucy
"Sales Resistance" - I Love Lucy
"Inferiority Complex" - I Love Lucy
"The Black Eye" - I Love Lucy
"No Children Allowed" - I Love Lucy
"Ricky and Fred are TV Fans" - I Love Lucy
"Never Do Business with Friends" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress" - I Love Lucy
"Sentimental Anniversary" - I Love Lucy
"Fan Magazine Interview" - I Love Lucy
"Ricky Loses his Temper" - I Love Lucy
"Home Movies" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Writes a Novel" - I Love Lucy
"The Black Wig" - I Love Lucy
"Tennessee Ernie Visits" - I Love Lucy
"Tennessee Ernie Hangs On" - I Love Lucy
"The Golf Game" - I Love Lucy
"The Sublease" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy's Mother-in-Law" - I Love Lucy
"Ethel's Birthday" - I Love Lucy
"Getting Ready" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Learns to Drive" - I Love Lucy
"California, Here we Come!" - I Love Lucy
"Ethel's Hometown" - I Love Lucy
"L.A At Last" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Gets in Pictures" - I Love Lucy
"The Fashion Show" - I Love Lucy
"The Hedda Hopper Story" - I Love Lucy
"Hollywood Anniversary" - I Love Lucy
"The Star Upstairs" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy in Palm Springs" - I Love Lucy
"Dancing Star" - I Love Lucy
"Harpo Marx" - I Love Lucy
"Ricky Needs an Agent" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Visits Grauman's" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy and John Wayne" - I Love Lucy
"Ricky Sells the Car" - I Love Lucy
"The Great Train Robbery" - I Love Lucy
"Nursery School" - I Love Lucy
"The Passports" - I Love Lucy
"Staten Island Ferry" - I Love Lucy
"Bon Voyage" - I Love Lucy
"Second Honeymoon" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Meets the Queen" - I Love Lucy
"Paris at Last" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Gets a Paris Grown" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy in the Swiss Alps" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Gets Homesick in Italy" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Goes to Monte Carlo" - I Love Lucy
"Little Ricky Learns to Play the Drum" - I Love Lucy
"Visitor From Italy" - I Love Lucy
"Off to Florida" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy and Superman" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Hates to Leave" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Misses the Mertzes" - I Love Lucy
"Lucy Does the Tango" - I Love Lucy
"The Celebrity Next Door" - The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
"Lucy's Summer Vacation" - The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
"Too Many Girls" - movie
"The Facts of Life" - movie
"Lucy and Viv Put in a Shower" - The Lucy Show
"Lucy Gets Trapped" - The Lucy Show
"Lucy and Joan" - The Lucy Show
"Lucy Gets the Burtons' Ring Stuck on her Finger" - Here's Lucy
"The Long, Long Trailer" - movie
"Forever Darling" - movie
"Lucy's Italian Movie" - I Love Lucy
"The Big Street" - movie
"Best Foot Forward" - movie
"Easy to Wed" - movie
"Dance, Girl, Dance" - movie
"Sorrowful Jones" - movie
"Lured" - movie
"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.
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)
(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.
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!
Okay, so I think everyone has an opinion on game shows. Some people hate them, some people love them, some people are in between and others just don't care. Well, about a year ago I stumbled across vintage "What's My Line?" clips with Old Hollywood celebrities as mystery guests, and, of course, I just fell in love!
I was even more ecstatic to find that Lucy was a frequent contestant on these game shows - "What's My Line?", "I've Got a Secret" and "Password." Her appearances on these shows are just awesome and funny and wonderful, so I thought I'd share them with you for Day 3.
Enjoy!
***
"What's My Line?"
^^ I love this one, it's one of my favorites. I believe this was her first appearance, and sometime during the run of "I Love Lucy."
^^ I'm guessing that this is her second, or maybe it's her first and the latter one is second. (??) Haha! But I love this one, too. During "I Love Lucy"s run for sure. I love her 'Swedish' accent!
^^ If she seems a little different here, that's because she was doing "Wildcat" on Broadway at the time and was becoming very ill from overwork.
^^ I think this is to publicize for "Critic's Choice."
^^ 1965
^^ Aren't the audience receptions for her just ahmazzing?
"Password"
^^ Lucy, her kids, and Gary Morton. I loveeee this episode. This is just the first part; double click to go to the Youtube page to get the following parts.
^^ Another one I love, this is in 1964 with Vivian Vance, her husband, and Peter Lawford.
^^ An appearance in the 1980's with her son and Betty White... there are lots of other parts, so double click the video for the rest!
^^ In 1980, with Dick Martin... once again, click the video for more!
"I've Got a Secret"
^^ Lucy in the panel!!! This is part one. You know what do. ;)
^^ And with Johnny Carson on the panel and Lucy with "the secret."
***
Okay, that's all for Day 3.
Just a few more days!! We'll back tomorrow, and with more loving Lucy!!
Hello everyone, and welcome to day two of blogging for the birthday girl: Lucille Ball!
Of course, our favorite redhead won't turn 100 until Saturday, but that's not going to stop me. We're already celebrating here at Frankly, My Dear. Yesterday, we discussed Lucy's 100th in the news and special televised tributes (click Here to view the post.)
Today, I thought I'd go over my extensive Lucille Ball book collection by showing you what I've got and reviewing them for you... Below is a short clip of my entire collection, with the exception of the "Lucille Ball Trivia Book" by Michael Karol, which i own but could not find for some reason. (If the music sounds familiar, it's me with that "Love Story" theme again - the same one I used for the intro of my "No Sad Songs For Me" video. :P)
Yeah, I know that's not exactly the work of Hitchcock there. But anyway, I hope you got the gist of it.
So, now, I'll review each of the books. I'm not going to make these reviews very detailed because my collection is somewhat large (though it can always get huger, and I have a feeling it will), and I know you don't have all day to read posts by little old me. :)
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"Love, Lucy" by Lucille Ball
So, if you're a classic movie fan (which you probably are if you're reading this), you ought to have known by now, either through the grapevine or other bloggers or book reviews, how wonderful Lucy's autobiography truly is! This book was published posthumously by Lucy's children when they found the manuscript among her papers in the late 90's. It was originally written at some point in the 1960's (circa "Yours, Mine and Ours" if I am to set a timeline for you), with the help of a ghost writer. Lucy never published it though, likely because she didn't want to hurt people that were still alive that she spoke of - mostly, Desi, who'd she just divorced. However, Lucy needn't have worried. She speaks with such class and talks of everyone fondly. Even when it comes time to write about the divorce with Desi, she doesn't dish the dirt... And I think that was very classy of her. It's the best celebrity autobiography I have ever read, and I don't care if it sounds biased. 5/5.
"Desilu: The Story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz" by Coyne S. Sanders and Tim Gilbert
I'm not finished with this yet. So far it looks okay, but I'm seeing a lot of focus on "Desilu Studios" instead of Lucy and Desi. But I'm not even halfway through, so we'll see how it goes. And because of that, I can't give it a rating yet.
"Laughing with Lucy" by Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr.
Any good Lucy fan knows that Madelyn and Bob were the two consecutive writers of "I Love Lucy," as well as several episodes of Lucy's other shows and her 1968 box office hit "Yours, Mine and Ours." And though Bob gets credit for writing this, this is all Madelyn's book - written in first person - with little input from Bob. I have always had great interest in the brilliant writers, and this is a nice, short read featuring bits and pieces o Madelyn's and Bob's lives, and their relationship with Lucy - and Desi too. Madelyn clarifies all the stereotypes about the backstage atmosphere of the show... Lucy was the perfectionist, Desi was the charmer, etc. etc. Though most of the information isn't new, we do get to learn a few, rare and charming backstage stories - like the time Tallulah Bankhead visited the set as a guest star. According to Madelyn, Tallulah was always late, messing up her lines, and tipsy. It drove Lucy, who had a high standard, nuts. The cast decided to hold a private meeting about what to do about her. Just before they began, Tallulah wandered in and bellowed something about them forgetting to invite her. To try and break the awkwardness, Lucy complimented Tallulah on a sweater she was wearing - to which Tallulah replied, "You like, it dahhlling? You can have it," and pulled it off on the spot. Vivian cracked, "Good thing you didn't compliment her on her slacks," but then Tallulah said, "You want those too?" And the pants came down. 3.5/5
"Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia" by Michael Karol
Any Lucy fan will really enjoy this. Michael Karol is the writer of several Lucy books and founder of www.sitcomboy.com. Though he misses a few entries that he could have added, for the most part, Karol gets it all. The newest edition also comes with photographs. Over all, very nicely comprised. The presentation could have been better - Karol self publishes, which ought to explain it - so with that in mind I give it 4/5.
"The Lucy Book of Lists: Celebrating Lucy's Centennial and the 60th Anniversary of I Love Lucy" by Michael Karol
Once again, not too crazy about the presentation. ALSO, since this is supposed to be a celebration of Lucytenniel and ILL's 60th anniversary, we could have gone for something thicker... however, the written work is of great quality. Kaye Ballard also makes a "guest appearance," and my favorite segment is "Ethel Mertz A-Twitter."... (Yes, Ethel Mertz Twittering). So, still great fun. 4/5
"Lucy at the Movies" by Cindy de la Hoz
This was the first Lucy book I ever got. I found it in the bookstore on a routine shopping trip a few years ago... I was extremely excited but was disappointed to learn it was thirty-five dollars. I didn't get it, but read it everytime I visited and hid it behind other books to make sure no one would buy it. I was very excited when my friend bought it for me as a Christmas present that year, and thus my collection of Lucy books was started. This is a wonderful book, big with lots of glossy pictures and movie posters... Lucy made over 100 films and this documents each and everyone of them. It includes a mini-bio of Lucy, as well as summaries of her movies, cast and production information, and critic reviews. It also has a gorgeous photo of Lucy on the cover. An excellent job. 4.5/5
"The Lucille Ball Book of Treasures" by Cindy de la Hoz
I got this as a Bargain Book from Barnes & Noble about a year. I was sooo excited to find it and very pleased with the information. It is a biography of Lucy with a lot of pictures and pull out "treasures" - just so awesome. Just great, great memorabilia. Every Lucy fan needs to own it. 4.5/5
"Lucy & Desi: The Real Life Scrapbook of America's Favorite Television Couple" by Elisabeth Edwards
This is another excellent, excellent Lucy book. Taken straight out from the estates of Lucy and Desi, this features bits from both of their real life scrapbooks (they were avid keepers of them), as well as more "pull-outs," like the "telegram" sent to Lucy and Desi by Desi's father in Florida the day they eloped, the marriage certificate of the two (with both of them lying about their ages!), and a Valentine's Day card to Lucy written by Desi ("To my favorite wife...")... just to name a few. It is just the greatest, best thing any Lucy fan could every stumble across! 5/5
"The I Love Lucy Scrapbook" by Elisabeth Edwards
A follow up to the latter book, this is just as wonderful! This features more excerpts of their scrapbooks, except all of the written bits are about "I Love Lucy." Also, you get a chance to take a peek into "The Mockingbird Murder Mystery" (the notorious novel Lucy was reading when she thinks Ricky is going to murder her - second episode, season one), pull out Little Ricky's "birth certificate", and much, much more! It is also a little bit of an episode guide to the series. Just lovely! 5/5
"I Love Lucy: Celebrating 50 Years of Love and Laughter" by Elisabeth Edwards
If there ever was a collective episode guide to every since "Lucy" episode, this is it! Includes plot summary and lots of photos. 4/5
"Lucille Ball" by Nick Yapp
Found by me the same day I found "Lucille Ball Treasures." With a couple lengthy captions, this is a great picture book of Lucy - in black and white, sepia, color... a lot of wonderful photos. I believe I noticed some typos and misprints, but otherwise it was very well put together. Buy it for the photos alone, if not anything else... 4/5
"Lucy: A Life in Pictures" by Tim Frew
I got this for a very good price - a new copy for $6. Another picture book of Lucy... I would say the latter book has more pictures, of rarer quality, but this is a good book, too. 3.5/5
***
So, there it is. That's my collection, and that's day two of partying for Lucy! The big day gets closer... and closer...!
Before signing off, I'd like to wish a quick happy birthday to Myrna Loy, who would have turned 106 if she were still alive today. I really enjoy Myrna's movies, and I think she doesn't get enough credit. In fact, one of the first classic movies I ever saw starred Myrna (and William Powell) - a slapstick comedy called "Love Crazy." It made me laugh my head off and contributed to my following obsession with old movies.
Happy birthday, Myrna!
Well, that's all for today. We'll back tomorrow with more Lucy related fun... have a great day!
Ciao!
PS: I believe you can buy all of the mentioned books at Amazon.com
