There are so many off screen and on screen Old Hollywood couples that I love. Carole and Clark, Viv and Larry, Bogie and Betty, Kate and Spence (they count!)... all absolutely adorable and big favorites. But there's one couple that always come out on top for me: and yes despite the divorce, it's Lucy and Desi.
And today is their would-be 71st wedding anniversary! Alright, so they were both divorced from each other and had been married to different people at the time of their deaths, but LET'S BE FAIR: a lot of us disregard that. :) And with no disrespect to their second spouses, Edie and Gary, for I'm sure they made them very happy for those marriages did last. But these two will forever remain as Lucy and Ricky in our hearts for sure.
Lucy and Desi had met on the set of "Too Many Girls," a 1940 B movie where they did not even play one another's love interests. But the "B movie queen" and the "Cuban glamour boy" hit it off from the start. Well, actually, their first impressions of one another were not that good. Desi saw Lucy for the first time in a gold lame dress with a slit up to her thigh and a black eye, fresh off the set of "Dance, Girl, Dance." He could not believe this was the girl that was going to play an ingenue. His impression of her changed and fast later that day, when he saw her in what he would later describe: "a pair of tight fitting beige slacks and a yellow sweater, with beautiful blond hair and big blue eyes." He asked her if she would like for him to teach her how to rumba, as it "may come in handy for the picture," but it never did.
They did go out that night, for dinner and dancing. A few days later, co-star Eddie Bracken threw a beach party for those working on the picture. After this encounter they consummated their relationship and broke their engagements to their previous significant others.
Being together was rocky, however. They were barely ever able to spend time together because Desi was on the road, touring with his rumba band, while Lucy was going about the country publicizing for pictures or either back at the studio making them. They fought a lot on the phone, often accusing each other of having other affairs. The country was fascinated by their romance, but no one thought it would last and both Lucy and Desi had told themselves marriage was out of the question.
Six months after their first meeting, on November 29th, 1940, Desi returned to New York with an idea in his mind and went to Lucy's hotel room. She was busy giving a interview to a reporter entitled, "Why I Will Always be a Bachelor Girl." Desi became impatient, threw the reporter out, and then told Lucy he had everything arranged for her to elope with him that weekend if she wanted to. He'd even waived the three day permit. Lucy said, "I knew things wouldn't be normal when I started going with you," but they decided they loved each other a lot, so there wasn't much else to worry about.
They drove out to Greenwich, Connecticut the next morning. They had to hurry to be back in time for Desi's show at the Roxy. They planned to get married at the Justice of the Peace's office, but the Justice wanted something nicer so he suggested a local country club. The bride wore a black fur jacket because that was all she had, but neither seemed to care much. The wedding ring was a cheap one from Woolworth's - the ring had been the only thing Desi had forgotten about, and all the jewelry stores were closed because it was Saturday, so this was the only thing Desi's business manager was able to dig up. Lucy said, "I love it!" and kept it always, even when it turned skinny and green and Desi bought another, bejeweled ring.
So they were married: with the Woolworth ring, at the Byram River Beagle Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, about noon, on Saturday, November 30th. They were not able to make it back to the Roxy in time, and when the manager angrily asked Desi where he was, he replied in his trademark accent, "I'm in Connecticut." When the response was "CONNECTICUT??!", he said blissfully, "I've been marrying Lucille."
Friends, family, and the country gave it six weeks while personally they each gave their marriage three (weeks). But this union would last twenty years, spawn a television empire, two children, and the great television show of all time. It was a bumpy road. For years they were apart, and for the next decade they were constantly together. She would suffer many miscarriages. There was drinking and philandering. But when it was really boiled down it: you could always tell they loved each other.
Here's a walk down memory lane of their marriage. The quotes, by themselves and people who knew them, were found in various places, mostly from their autobiographies or statements made to a 1992 edition of "People" magazine. ♥
"But the telephone conversations back and forth during that time, the bills for them - Jesus, we could have bought half of AT&T....
The New York hotel operators listened to everything that went on, particularly if they knew you. They all knew Lucy and they all knew me. They were in the habit of listening to our arguments, and were accustomed to the fact that after one of us hung up on the other, five minutes later there would be another call.
One this particular night, in which this did not happen or at least did not happen yet, the operator herself, bless her soul, called Lucy and said, "Why haven't you called him back?"
["A Book" by Desi Arnaz. Desi remembers their furious fights on the phone and the bills they racked up screaming the word "WHAT?" over and over, because 1940's long distance connection was so bad.]
"After the short ceremony, we ate our wedding breakfast in front of a bright fire in the club's lounge. Outside, a fresh mantle of snow hung on the pine trees. After all the indecision we'd been through, Desi and I were dazed with happiness. We kissed each other and the marriage certificate again and again. It still has my lipstick marks on it.
'I'm going to keep this forever and ever,' I told Desi, clutching it to my black-wool covered bosom. This marriage had to work. I would do anything, sacrifice anything, to make Desi happy."
["Love, Lucy" by Lucille Ball. Lucy's account of the original November 30th]
"Before they did the series, he was a bandleader coming home at three or four in the morning. And by then, she was up and on her way to makeup at RKO. She used to say, "We just can't keep meeting in the Supulveda tunnel." [Charles Pomerantz, Lucy's publicist] "Before the show began, they had already been seperated. An actress and a bandleader. He was on the road; she was a working professional. That's the kind of marriage that has failure written all over it. You're seperated a while, and before you know it, those giblets begin to jump." [William Asher, Lucy director]
"When they were having the baby and we did the show about the birth of Little Ricky, Desi was terribly emotional about her. He was really crazy about her. You could feel how they felt."
[William Asher, Lucy director]
"Both times I was pregnant, I mooned for hours over a baby photograph of Desi, hoping by some magic I would have a baby who looked just like him. Then we did a show where Lucy tells Ricky she is having a baby. .... [describes scene].... When we did this scene before an audience, Desi was suddenly struck by all the emotion he'd felt when we discovered, after ten childless years of marriage, that we were finally going to have Lucie. His eyes filled up and he couldn't finish the song; I started to cry, too. Vivian startled to sniffle. The director wanted retakes at the end of the show, but the audience stood up and shouted, "No, no!"
["Love, Lucy"by Lucille Ball. Lucy's account of the famous pregnancy episode, in which they broke character with their tears. The scene she describes is the one that we see on TV screens everywhere today.]
"Even after she'd married Gary, whenever she'd see me, she would always take me over to a corner and say, 'Have you heard from Desi lately?' She wanted to know how he was getting along. There was always that great, great love there."
[Jim Bacon, family friend]
"Maybe I'm the romantic, but there was a great, great love there, there really was. Desi was very unhappy about the breakup, and I think she was too. I don't think either one of them ever got over it."
[William Asher, Lucy director]
"I put the phone up to Dad's ear in the bed. And he gave me a look that said, 'Who is it?' And I said, 'It's the redhead.' He just listened, and I heard what she said. She just said the same thing over and and over again. It was muffled, but you could clearly make out it was the same thing over and over again. It was, 'I love you. I love you, Desi, I love you.' You could even hear the intonations of the voice change, how she meant each one, the interpretations. And I just sat there, trying not to show him I was listening, because I had to hold the phone. I couldn't get out of the room; he couldn't hold the phone. And he said, "I love you, too, honey."
["Desilu", account by Lucie Arnaz. This event occurred on November 30th, 1986: Lucy and Desi's would-be forty sixth wedding anniversary and two days before Desi died.]
***
Take a minute to get a little "I Love Lucy" in your day today!
Ciao! :)
PS: Aren't you all thrilled Robert Osborne is coming back to TCM? I can hardly wait to hear, "I'm Robert Osborne," again!
Since my birthday posts tend to be a little aimless and rambling, I thought I would try what I used on Carole Lombard's birthday: listing my five favorite things about the person whose birthday is in question! This is going to be with a little less detail than Carole's post, because I made Vivien a video, too.
WARNING: Rianna somehow turns into a crazy cat lady (DESPITE THE FACT SHE HAS NEVER OWNED A CAT) in this post and brings up cats indubitably. Excessively. I mean it. So if you have a problem with cats, it's probably better to turn away...
Happy birthday, Vivien!
#5: Her cat smile.
I've mentioned this several times before ;-) but it's true that she does have a cat smile, doesn't she?? I'm currently reading her biography, and at one point someone recalls an incident in which Vivien was sitting and "smiling like a Cheshire Cat". :D I don't think she would mind her smile being called that, either - she once said, "I'm mad about cats!"
#4: Her eyes.
I don't want to be too repetitive and call her eyes "cat eyes", but they kind of are. I mention this because in my art class we're doing in a project to draw a single eye, and we can make it as abstract or as real as we want, etc., and I'm using Vivien's blue-green eye (complete with her famously arched eyebrow) as my model.
#3: Her love of cats.
Okay, okay, I promise this will be my last mention of cats in this post!!! (No, I'm not even a crazy cat lady or anything - I don't even own a cat, really!). I'm making her seem.... very... catty, which she was, but not in the proper sense of the word. Anyhow. ;) She really did love cats, you know. I believe she had several Siamese ones, and she and Larry once took a stray tabby cat off the street to take care of it. In her biography, I read that when she was about six or seven her parents sent her away from her home (India) to England to study at the Sacred Heart Convent. Vivien brought with her a little, tiny kitten and even though pets weren't allowed they just had to make allowances for Vivien.
Isn't she adorable with that cat???
#2: Her marriage to Larry Olivier.
Well, yes! They were married 1940-1960, just like Lucy and Desi. And though, of course, the latter couple will always been my favorite Classic Hollywood couple, "Viv and Larry" are up there as well. I learned a lot more about them after watching "Larry and Vivien: The Oliviers in Love". Certainly gossipy but worth a watch. It's on Youtube, and you can click the picture below to go to the video page.
YES, I had to use the photo of them with a cat....
#1: Scarlett O'Hara.
Well, this in it itself is pretty obvious, isn't it??? "Gone With the Wind" being one of my favorite movies and Scarlett O'Hara one of my favorite characters - and for goodness sake, this blog is called Frankly, My Dear! Anyway, I think Vivien's performance as Scarlett is exceptional, and not only does she bring justice to the Margaret Mitchell character she makes is come alive on screen. She really seems to fit the bill, if you read the actual book and Margaret Mitchell's descriptions. This is stereotypical to say, but this must be one of my favorite performances ever. And I also love the fact that when she turned down the role of Isabelle in "Wuthering Heights" (she wanted the lead, of course), the producers went something along the lines of, "Now, you're real stupid - you won't get a better role than this for your American debut!" And she went and got Scarlett O'Hara, of course.
And here is my tribute video for the lovely lady. I was planning to use "Tara's Theme", but the more I looked at the clips of Vivien I had, the more I realized that the excitement of that theme was in a sharp contrast to the more somber clips of hers. So I went with the theme from "Now, Voyager" - I adore that theme, it's got to be one of my favorite movie themes, and it seemed to fit her.
***
That's it for today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VIVIEN, and have a happy Saturday, readers! I'll leave you with a photo of Greer and Vivien, as we all know I'm currently in Greer Garson obsessive mode. Oh, and Leslie Howard, too, but I'm not exactly a huge Leslie fan...
PS: Sorry I turned in a crazy cat lady, really! I guess it's catching, maybe from all the reading I've been doing about Vivien!
PSS: Also, birthday wishes to Roy Rogers and Joel McCrea!
Okay, my title is slightly misleading. If you were to consider the first day "I Love Lucy" ever went on air (and has not gone off since), that would be about a month from now (and I've got, of course, a lot under my sleeves for that).
HOWEVER, the first episode of "I Love Lucy" was filmed on September 8th, but it would not go on air until a whole four episodes later because of complications. The first episode to air was "The Girls Want to Go to a Nightclub", and it was filmed on this date sixty years ago. Technically, that makes it the first episode and therefore I will celebrate the 60th filming anniversary on this date.
*Few*. I hope I didn't confuse the heck out of you there, though I probably did.
Anyhow, in honor of this day, I have a few tributes. The first is the top ten most classic moments of "I Love Lucy"; not exactly my favorite, I listed those here in my 100th birthday tribute for Lucy. These are the ten most iconic or classic moments that have emboldened the show into history, and keep it fresh and a favorite nearly 60 years after it first went on air.
THE TOP 10 CLASSIC "LUCY" MOMENTS
1)Vitameatavegamin – Lucy Does a TV Commercial (1952):
“And it’s so tasty, too!” Ask anyone and they’ll recount one of Lucy Ricardo’s greatest moments: Vitameatavegamin. Lucy wheedles her way into a TV commercial on Ricky’s TV spot. The product is Vitameatavegamin, a type of elixir that contains vitamins, meat, vegetables, and minerals – that promises to “spoon your way to health!” What Lucy doesn’t know is the product contains 23% alcohol. It isn’t long before Lucy is in a woozey state, – “Do you pop out at parties? Are you unpoopular?” – Therefore creating one of the most hilarious and well-known Lucy moments of all time…and sixty years later, it still has us keeling over with laughter.
2)Lucy, A Pie, and Bill Holden – LA At Last (1956):
One of the most infamous Lucy scenes in history – when Lucy and the gang finally arrive at Hollywood, the first thing Lucy, Ethel, and Fred decide to do is scope out all the movies stars at the “watering hole,” or rather, the Brown Derby. While there, Bill Holden innocently takes the booth behind Lucy, Ethel and Fred. Lucy and Ethel can’t stop drooling and eying the star until Bill tries to give them a taste of their own medicine. When he won’t stop gazing at Lucy, she gets uncomfortable, jumps up, and starts to leave – crashing into a waiter carrying a pie. The pie goes flying into Bill Holden’s face, and, well, need we say more?
3)Lucy and the Putty Nose – LA At Last (1956):
This other famous bit takes place in the same episode. After smashing a pie into Bill Holden’s face, Lucy hurries home. Whereas later on, Ricky brings Bill home to give his starstruck wife the pleasure of meeting the star, Lucy is scared to death knowing Bill Holden will recognize her as the woman who smashed a pie into his face. So she disguises herself with glasses and a scarf to cover her memorable hair, and then makes a putty nose for herself. While chatting with Bill Holden, she lights a cigarette – or rather, her nose! Her putty nose on fire another classic Lucy moment.
4)Lucy Tells Ricky She’s Pregnant – Lucy is Enceinte (1952):
In 1952, Lucille Ball made history as the first pregnant woman on TV. In fact, “I Love Lucy” was the first show to acknowledge a pregnant woman on TV – just, they couldn’t use the word pregnant. So instead they said “expecting,” or rather, “enceinte,” the French word for pregnant. In the episode which Lucy tells Ricky she is pregnant, she wants to tell him the way she’s always dreamed she would. But something or another keeps interrupting the perfect moment. Finally, she goes down to the club that night and writes an anonymous song request for the song, “We’re Having a Baby, My Baby and Me”. Ricky goes from table to table trying to find the expecting couple. When he comes to Lucy, she nods, and Ricky is ecstatic – “It’s me! I’m the father!” He and Lucy dance while he sings her the song. Actress Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, who played Ricky, were married in real life. They were so happy to be expecting another child (they already had one daughter, Lucie Desiree) after so many miscarriages they couldn’t help it; the tears came spilling out. The director filmed a more emotional take, but the audience protested – “NO! NO NO!” the original, sentimental take was used, and is considered one of the sweetest moments in TV history.
5)Lucy and Ethel are Candymakers – Job Switching (1952)
Lucy and Ethel and Ricky and Fred decide to switch places for one day. Ricky and Fred will stay home and do housework while Lucy and Ethel go out to get jobs. While Ricky and Fred struggle with cooking dinner and ironing clothes at home, Lucy and Ethel get jobs at a chocolate factory, which is where the famous scene takes place. Chocolate truffles are coming down a conveyor belt and Lucy and Ethel must wrap every single piece and put it back on the belt; not a single piece must go by unwrapped. At first, it’s easy, but when the conveyor belt becomes too fast for them, they struggle to grab all the truffles and try to hide them anywhere they can – down their shirt, in their hats, in their mouths.
6)Lucy’s Happy Little Loaf of Bread – Pioneer Women (1952):
Its boys vs. girls when the gang bets each other they couldn’t do with the modern appliances of the time. So they pretend its 1900 again and can’t use any appliances made after that year. Which means Lucy and Ethel have to bake and make their own bread and butter. While Ethel churns (so hard that her hands begin to grow to the dasher), Lucy uses one too many cakes of yeast to bake a loaf of bread – one that turns out to be 5 feet long! When Lucy opens the oven, the bread is so long it pushes her across the kitchen and forces her up against the counter! The huge loaf of bread was later shared with the studio audience.
7)Lucy Gives Birth – Lucy Goes to the Hospital (1953):
The night Lucy Ricardo gave birth, 71.7% of all Americans with televisions tuned into watch the episode. The next morning, President Eisenhower was sworn into office, and only 67.7% of people tuned into watch! The whole episode is iconic; when Lucy’s doctor tells her the baby may be coming in any day now, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred are all jittery. When Lucy goes to lie down, they even rehearse what to do when Lucy tells them, “the time has come.” When the time does come, they’re so nervous they almost forget Lucy! It’s also opening night at Ricky’s club. He’s desperate to be at the hospital while Lucy is in labor, but the setup does not allow him to do so. While he is at the club performing a voodoo number (complete with makeup) he gets a notice his wife has given birth. He rushes back to the hospital, where he is almost arrested by the hospital police because of his stage makeup. Finally, he gets to peer into the glass window to see his little baby boy – Ricky Ricardo, Jr. The same morning that day, actress Lucille Ball gave birth to she and Desi Arnaz’s second child – Desi Arnaz, Jr.! The timing turned out, well, perfect!
8)Lucy Smashes Eggs – Lucy Does the Tango (1957):
The episode which would garner the longest laugh from the studio audience in Lucy history (65 seconds – so long it had to be edited!) featured Lucy doing the tango with eggs in her shirt. It all begins when the Ricardos and Mertzes’ chickens aren’t producing any eggs, so Ricky threatens to get rid of them and get out of the egg business for good. He and Fred get into a fight, and Fred is all planned to move back to New York unless the chickens start laying eggs. Lucy and Ethel buy some eggs to put in the chickens’ nest so Ricky and Fred will think they are laying. When they bring them home, circumstances cause them to hide the eggs – in their shirts, in their back pockets. Then Ricky shows up and forces Lucy into practicing the tango they are learning for a PTA meeting at Little Ricky’s school. The end calls for Ricky to throw Lucy away from her, and then for Lucy to throw herself back at him, crushing herself against him. Knowing this is a setup for disaster, Lucy tries to wheedle her way out of it, but it doesn’t work. The eggs smash in Lucy’s shirt and the whole story spills out – along with all the yolk!
9) Lucy is a Thief - Lucy Visits Grumman’s, Lucy and John Wayne (1956)
Lucy decides to get herself the perfect souvenir from the Ricardo/Mertz trip to Hollywood: John Wayne’s footprints from Grumman’s Chinese Theater! Of course, this cannot possibly go off with a hitch and this results in a hilarious series of events which include Lucy getting stuck in some cement, the breaking of the precious footprints, and a guest visit from the Duke himself.
10) Lucy Stomps Grapes – Lucy’s Italian Movie (1956)
In order to prepare for her “movie debut” in an Italian film called Bitter Grapes, Lucy decides to go soak up some local culture. The shots of Lucy and a real Italian grape stomp-er wrestling in a vat of juicy, big grapes (with Lucy teasing her through and through, of course) is one of the most classic “Lucy” moments of all time.
A shot from the first episode to air, "The Girls Want to Go to A Nightclub"
Also, a tribute to Lucy Ricardo/Lucille Ball set to the song "Bubbly." I think this song is absolutely perfect for both Lucys. I was working on it for a while but decided to publish it on this particular day as it will have a meaning! Enjoy! :)
***
That's it for now. Take a little time for some "I Love Lucy" today! Well, you should always make room for some "I Love Lucy" in your day. But especially today. ;)
Today's post marks the fiftieth post on this blog, and a great way to celebrate would be to write about one of my favorite actresses ever, Ingrid Bergman. Though I always liked her movies, I really started paying attention to her more and liking her better around the beginning of this year. And, now, of course, she is one of my Top Five.
Also, any good Ingrid fan will know that today is also her death date (dying on her birthday, out of all 365 days of the year, makes Ingrid even awesomer). But I always like to think of August 29th as a celebration of her life, and especially since this year it will mark my last day of summer vacation, I think I'll end it on a high note -- by celebrating her life, which, frankly, my dear, was quite interesting!
Biography
Ingrid Bergman was born on August 29th, 1915 in Stockholm, Sweden. From a young age she expressed a love of acting. Her parents died when she was still young and she found her on her own in the world. When a teenager, she won a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Dramatic Theater, where Greta Garbo had also studied. She practiced there for a short period of time. After appearing in a small role as an extra in a Swedish film, she turned her love to the movies. About this time she married a family friend and dentist, Petter Lindstrom. Her career in the Swedish cinema began to flourish and she also made several films for a German studio. She gave birth to her first daughter, Pia. By then plans had already been made for Ingrid to go to Hollywood, under the guidance of the famed producer David O. Selznick (who was already deeply engrossed in the filming of "Gone With the Wind"), and make a English version of "Intermezzo". Shortly after giving birth to her daughter, she traveled to the States and thus began her American career. Movies like "Gaslight" (which would win her her first Oscar), "Notorious" (among two other pictures for Hitchcock), and "The Bells of St. Mary's" would follow, but the single movie that would embolden her into film history was her role as the luminous Isla Lund opposite Humphrey Bogart's Rick in "Casablanca", the enduring classic. One of the big stars of the Golden Era, off screen Ingrid felt trapped in her marriage and sometimes indulged in affairs... among others, with the wartime photographer Robert Capa or the director, Victor Fleming. This was in striking contrast to her movie star persona, who, no matter how controversial the role may be, was marketed as "St. Ingrid of Stockholm" - pure, natural, and virginal. In 1949, she wrote to the Italian director Roberto Rossellini and said she had watched one of his films and would love to work with him. The plans were made for Ingrid to star in Rossellini's "Stromboli" - by the time she headed to Italy to make the picture in 1950, she had begun an affair with him. This time, she became pregnant with his baby, shocking the American public off their feet. Suddenly, she was condemned and driven out the country by angry moral guardians. (One senator even took to the floor of the U.S senate to condemn her, calling her a "powerful influence for evil"). She divorced Lindstrom quickly and married Rossellini. She would live in Italy for about five years, making Rossellini pictures that did not do so well and having two more children (twins, one of which became the actress Isabella Rossellini). America forgave her with the film "Anastasia", which would win her her second Oscar. After that, she divorced Rossellini and returned to her work in American pictures. Marrying one more time and winning a third Oscar (a Best Supporting Actress for her work in "Murder on the Orient Express"), Ingrid became an enduring face. Her last role was as Golda Meir in a TV documentary, and it would win her a posthumous Emmy. She died from a cancer she had been long suffering from on her sixty-seventh birthday in 1982 (London, England).
Some Trivia
Ingrid was a movie star who embraced her job and loved it with all her heart; she once dramatically declared, "If you took acting away from me, I'd stop breathing!" (I like that.... if you took writing away from me,I'd stop breathing!)
She became orphaned at a young age. When she was two years old, her mother died. When she was thirteen, her father died. She was sent to live with an aunt, who, in succession, died shortly after as well.
As a young girl (and throughout her life), she idolized St. Joan of Arc. Not exactly for religious reasons, but for the fact that she admired Joan's enduring bravery. She would play her in a movie in the late 40's, but despite the fact she was nominated for an Oscar, it was not a success at the box office.
After watching the Richard Burton / Liz Taylor episode of "Here's Lucy", she, too became intruiged with the idea of appearing on Lucy's show. An episode was put into works but because of tax problems Ingrid was forced to back out. The episode eventually became Ginger Rogers' vehicle and was called "Tea for Two." (I read this in "The Lucille Ball FAQ" and, as much as I love Ginger, went "ARE YOU SERIOUS?? INGRID AND LUCY COULD'VE WORKED TOGETHER???". If only!!!)
And some of my favorite Ingrid pictures...
Looking all awesome and chic, probably on the set of "Indiscreet", her 1958 movie with Cary Grant
Ingrid cuddling with a kitten - how ADORABLE is that?? hmm??
Come on. This is just an awesome picture. You know it is. (I think it's for "The Arc of Triumph", her second pairing with Charles Boyer, who was yesterday's birthday boy).
Of course, I've made Ingrid a birthday video on Frankly My Dear TV. So... the song I used is "She's Like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze. Yeah, yeah, I know - it's a corny, cheesy, way too 1980s song. It really has some of the most awful lyrics ever: "She's like the wind -- through my tree" among many. But I had to pick a song, and I was running out of time, so I went with this. I think the music (forget about the lyrics) kind of fits Ingrid, doesn't it? Anyways, I also did kind of a look back at Ingrid's life, though most of the clips are from her 1940's movies, there's more variety and variation in this video then I have done before. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think ;)
Well, that's my birthday blog for Ingrid! Tomorrow is my first day of school.... s i g h. I guess I'll write about that tomorrow.
Ciao!
PS: I thought I should tell you all I saw "Now, Voyager" yesterday and I LOVED it!!! So romantic and sweet and great script. ;) More on that on Sunday.
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. ;)
Recently, Meredith of the super wonderful blog Forever Classics (it's also in my blog roll, so check it out) did her Classic Hollywood actor alphabet. A few other classic movie blogs have done the same, and I totally love the idea so I thought I'd give it a try.
Before I start, I got a BUNCH of Old Hollywood books over the past week or so (Rianna must not go to the bookstore for at least another month. Rianna must not. She mustn't...). I thought I'd start from the shortest biography and move my way up, so I'm reading "Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew" right now. But a lot of the other biographies are looking tempting - Ava's especially - so I would really appreciate if you could vote in the poll and let me know what you think I ought to read (and review) next. Thank you :)
Also, if you've been keeping up with FranklyMyDearTV on Youtube, you'll see that I've done a couple of tribute videos that I haven't shared here yet. I just finished one this morning and thought it would be nice to share:
I'm really mad because I couldn't get everyone in that video that I wanted to get in, but anyhow, it's a Classic Hollywood tribute set to "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. Hope you enjoy.
***
A is for Audrey Hepburn
B is for Bette Davis
C is for Cary Grant
D is for Doris Day
E is for Elizabeth Taylor
F is for Fred Astaire
G is for Grace Kelly
H is for Humphrey Bogart
I is for Ingrid Bergman
J is for Jean Arthur
K is for Katharine Hepburn
L is for the loveliest of them all! : Lucille Ball <3
M is for Myrna Loy
N is for Natalie Wood
O is for Olivia de Havilland
P is for Paul Newman
Okay, so obviously enough : I couldn't find any Old Hollywood actor for "Q". Sorries!
R is for Rita Hayworth
S is for Sophia Loren
T is for Tallulah Bankhead, dahhhhlings
V is for Vivien Leigh
W is for William Holden
Z is for Zsa Zsa Gabor - because there was no one else!
***
Well, in the words of Porky Pig, that's all for now, folks!...
And don't forget to vote in my poll!
PS: I'm not tagging any of the twenty-six actors in this because Blogger won't let me tag them all!
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)
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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.
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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.
