Do you remember watching I Love Lucy?
The sitcom, which aired in black and white, lasted for six amazingly successful seasons, before ending on this day in 1957. A total of 179 episodes aired during the original run. Of course, the show remains popular all these decades later and continues to inspire younger generations who tune in each day for re-runs of the classic show.
An array of stars including, of course, Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley appeared in the show, with Lucy’s quirky personality being the centrepiece of most of the storylines. With the help of husband Ricky Ricardo (played by Ball’s real-life hubby Arnaz) and neighbours Fred and Ethel Mertz, fans couldn’t get enough of the show and the antics each character got up to.
While the main characters were loved by adoring fans, a number of big names in Hollywood also appeared as guest stars throughout the show’s six-year run. Some of the biggest names included William Holden, Charles Boyer, Janet Waldo, Richard Reeves and Aaron Spelling, just to name a few.
Lucy always seemed to get into trouble whenever she stepped out of the ‘traditional’ woman’s role and often tried the patience of her husband or other male characters, whereas many fans used to marvel that she did her housework in high heels and makeup. Watching it back, it’s funny to notice how different I Love Lucy is compared to things that play out in TV shows of today’s era.
When the show first aired, married couple Lucy and Ricky would sleep in separate beds. Despite welcoming a son in the second season of the show, words like ‘pregnant’ were taboo. In fact, Lucy dancing around the word while trying to let Ricky know she’d conceived took up a whole episode! They finally settled on the more socially acceptable word ‘expecting’ to get the idea across.
The show was groundbreaking in terms of a female taking the lead role, both on screen and behind the scenes. Some would say I Love Lucy paved the way for other sitcoms led by a female cast. And Lucille herself went on to break more ground as a comedienne, actress, television and film executive, producer and model.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPzLBSBzPI
In real life, Lucille and Desi had two children but divorced in 1960, three years after their show ended. Still, I Love Lucy continues to remain as iconic as ever. Behind Seinfeld, it was voted the second greatest TV show of all time by TV Guide magazine.
Sadly, Desi passed away in 1986, while Lucille died in 1989, but their legacy continues to live on.