Here's the thing: saving money with Geico was almost better than playing pick up basketball, because there's always that guy who joined your game He never passes the rock he constantly bricks theories and who completely you and then put his hands up and say no foul, no foul with Geico. It's easy to switch. Save on car insurance. No, the vacant fake, an ankle sprain because you're absolutely exhausted. So which in save with back it's almost better than speed, welcome to stuff you, Mr History Class from Housetop work stuck her alone. The pot guess I'm me, for I am crazy, bewildered So we have a couple of housekeeping knows video. First in the interest of full disclosure is up stars, thereby CNN The new many serious coming up called the history,

comedy, and they approached us and asked if we would like to do an episode that might tie into that. I love comedy and company history, so am I already had many people on my list we were like here is a gigantic list of things that we have wanted to talk about for a long time. Yes, so this is a very easy kind of fits in. It made perfect sense these. This is probably an episode that would happen regardless, but in this case it is sponsored by CNN. We are going to talk about the Graham Dame of American Comedy Lucille Ball. She meta was incurred the famous she worked in modeling, radio and film, but of course, really made her mark and television and her work really set the standard for the tv sitcom going forward. We also have a little bit of a milestone on this one. It's the nine hundred episode of the show yes

We haven't been on all of those not remotely, and a very, very few of them very tiny few from way back and archive our reruns, but nine hundred is alive. Europe's it makes me realize that you know in less than a year we yet a thousand, and we should plot something high now eyes I have. I have now put into the universe, and I'm gonna feel stupid when we're in the studio- and I go oh crap, this is the thousand one, isn't it and I am pleased that Organ. I put it in the universe. I won't forget, maybe after we record, I should do the math figure out exactly when that fact I would be about a year from now minors, so weak rate is Sid. You wanna just happen to Lucille Ball story. Yes, because I love her me too,

Lucille Desert. A ball was the first styled of Henry derail ball. He went by had and Desert Hut Ball, When she was born on August, six of nineteen eleven per family not wealthy and had he was an electrician, moved them from place to place. Looking for work when Lucy was still a small He found a position in Michigan working for Michigan Bell Company as alignment, but this Pity that the job offered the family was really short, lived and completely undermine when had died of typhoid fever in February nineteen fifteen, This undoubtedly jarring event was recalled by seal ball later in life as her first memory and when she talked about it about it. She would literally go into great detail about like that. Things that were on the wall and a bird that was that she saw at a time like she remembers that moment so clearly are remembered. I should say: in addition to the loss of had Lucille,

their desert was also dealing with the fact that she was pregnant with the couple second child and she was facing a really uncertain financial future and she decided move back to Jamestown New York, which was where the balls had been living when Lucille was born after the birth of blue seals, brother Fred Desert started working in a factory to try to make ends meet, so we met and started dating a man named at Petersen. Peterson I got married. But once again, what seem like a situation that offer the families? Some stability instead ended up causing deeper fractures and the family, so ed did not want to be burdened with children, and so he Desiree move to Detroit without Lucille and Fred. Children didn't even get to stay together. Fred moved in with his maternal grandparents, and Lucille moved in with Ed Peterson's parents who were basically strangers to her and the Peter.

We're very, very poor, and they were really pretty strict with their new step granddaughter after several years of this arrangement desert an ad moved back to Jamestown once again, so the children had their mother back. And Lucy Ill really always wanted to be in show business. I saw one thing I think it's part of the package of her Kennedy Centre on her. She took him talk about later. That said that every in time. She tried to walk from their house too broad. And, of course, didn't make it, but at the age of fifteen she left high school he started drama school in New York City. At the John Murray Anderson, Robert Milton Dramatic School, begging her mother to consent to let her do this, but those to imagine the legendary redhead, which is not her natural color and we'll talk about that is well spent.

Going to stand out. She really did not farewell a drama school. She was a little too nervous and really struggle to make a name for herself later. She would describe this time of her life paying quote only learned and drama school with how to be frightened? The school even wrote to desert to let her know that her daughter was really way to sigh for the stage as a point of trivia Betty Davis with school. The same time Yeah yeah Lucille Ball was definitely and of her, so you can imagine if you're already a little uncertain, and then you have Betty Davis, who was, by all accounts powerhouse. The eager kind of probably don't feel like making a really big move to try to stand out. But while Lucille did leave drama school, she chose to stay in New York and she adopted a new stage name, which was Diane Belmont

I am less than a year after her failed started drama school. She was booking modeling jobs. She modeled clothing for the Vienna born designer Hattie Carnegie, who I would love to. So do an episode on at some point and later Chesterfield cigarettes booked her for modeling gigs, including rather large scale campaigns which got the attention of Hollywood producers after a few years, working as a model in New York. She decided to make her way to Hollywood to transition into acting. She also changed her hair from its natural chestnut Brown Blonde, just ass. She had managed with her modeling career after leaving drama school while began. That's a big, acting gigs rather quickly, although many of them in her early career were an credited starring in them in thirty three, she worked at times as a Goldwyn girl, and this was a stock group of young women who danced and entertained too here in an promote new films for Samuel Goldwyn? So in thirty three, that

he was roman scandals, which is a picture with a plot about a young man from West Room Oklahoma, dreaming that he was an ancient Rome seven girls in this particular Filmore featured as roman slave girls, other uncreated workup included appearing as a showgirl, in nineteen thirty formula ruse as a nurse and carnival in nineteen thirty five and as an extra in these slapstick version of the three musketeers starring, the comedy team, the Ritz Brothers, and Lucy continue to take small part. She had a reputation for never say no, because she knew she to make ends meet and she finally got a more substantial part in nineteen thirty, seven stage door the story about a group of aspiring actresses living together in a boarding house also featured in that cast were Catherine Hepburn engender Rogers. A couple of you know. People know intuitive know they're, not in nineteen. Forty Lucille play role of bubbles. Third bill aftermath, Marine O Hara and with Heyward in a picture called dance girl

While the movie is far from her most famous work, it did have a significant impact on her life. The movie story centred around a troop of dancers and why Judy played by Marine O Hara longs to become a ballerina bubbles. Act was burlesque the two also rivals in love and the two actresses enjoyed playing up their competitive but friendly relations it when it came Times fulfilment of fight seen between the two characters. The production actually allowed an audience to attain and they charged admission, but they donated that money to charity and after the fight over the Ladys, went to the studio commissary together for lunch, because they really were friends and it was there. That Lucy met Desiderio, a dairy out better our desi and later say of their meeting. It wasn't At first sight, it took a full five minutes, the act from the cuban bandleader appeared together involve next, maybe too many girls and their time work

together on the picture sped their courtship along those who were close to Lucy advised her to stay away from desi was pieces of advice were completely pointless, aren't as he was just twenty three at the time had a reputation for dating us. Ring of Ladys, but Debbie Lucy fell in love and got married within a year. Their wedding was on November thirtieth nineteen, forty and they, the long after the marriage in nineteen, forty, two that we see a ball dyed, her hair, the signature read that she would be known for the rest of her life. Having done so at the suggestion of movie studio, empty em for her role in Harry was a lady. The shade, however, would shift, and not from the original read, but to more apricot tone, though not for several years before we get to the next big step in loose his career, going to pause for a word from a fantastic sponsor.

Here's the thing, saving money with Geico was almost better than playing pick up basketball, because there's always that guy who joins your game. He never passes the rock he constantly bricks theories and who completely you and then put his hands up and say no foul, no foul with Geico, it's easy to switch save on car insurance, known he D, ankle sprain, because you're absolutely exhausted so which, in save with back it's almost better than speed, well seal ball had been relatively successful in film. She felt tat. Her career wasn't really reaching the level that she wanted. Starling rolls were mostly and be films rather than big budget films, and so she expanded her work into radio as well. She quickly landed a role in the comedy, my favorite husband, and it was that work that lead to see offering to.

A series along the same lines with her. The sea like great news, but things did not go well in negotiations. Lucy wanted to vote to develop a show with desi starring alongside her. An CBS was not interested in him in part because of his accent and the talks. Quick ended, but the couples desire to create a husband, wife show together, eventually developed by the two of them into the form of a vaudeville act and, as these toward this day, show they garnered a lot of attention. It was actually a huge hit. People found it so charming that the two of them were singing and dancing together, and they were very and it was so huge that CBS wanted to talk to them again and this time because they had this reputation built around them and the two of them as appear working together. Lucien Desi were in a position to make some demands and have those demands met. As I love within development. The pair decided they did not want to shoot show in New York in a move that separate

them from most other tv shows in this pretty young medium they opted to set at production in Hollywood. They also wanted to shoot on film, despite protests from CBS that can escape would be a lot more. Cost effective, but they really wanted film and they decided that they would sacrifice some of their pay to get it in renegotiated their deal, and they also make sure that they would retain rights of ownership of the project and they formed desolate productions as the umbrella company for its every. James for Lucille Ball and her husband in nineteen fifty one they had their first child Lucy. In July of that year, and then I love Lucy debuted on October, fifteenth nineteen, fifty one the show became a national success in this mix of comedy and examination of common social issues, struck a good no with the viewing audience yeah

it blew my mind when I realized that she had her kid. While they were in development friendly, your tv show like that's. It seems like a lot to be juggling and yet was just months from from the time said. The baby to when they went in like full protection schedule and Lucy was based on anything. You could ever possibly red or hear about her from her colleagues absolutely What was in her pursuit of creating the most perfect possible production? Her standards were incredibly high and she would rehearse even the most casual lines of the show until she felt that they were the absolute best they could be. She took comedy very very seriously and it's one of those things are people always think. A lot of the show is add lived, but she really rehearsed almost everything to the point that it was just perfect and you could not tell that she was not in the moment will end

Another mark that it paid off is that when you say someone, oh we're working on show about Lucille Ball. Often these things Spilling out of. There are all kinds of warrants ordinance tv show literally more than half a century yeah I mean it's been it's been on any indication forever, but the its people still watch it and laugh everything that I was one of the things that I would watch in the in the morning. While I was getting awake and ready to go to school, like my mom would be making me breakfast, be iron and syndicated in time slot before the morning news either that or the integrated showed this was North Carolina. You gotta, have some expectations have probably seen every episode of it anyway. I love Lucy

and for six years and lead all shares in the. U S: ratings. For four of them it would be broadcast and seventy eight countries, when so an episode and which Lucy gave birth to Little Ricky in nineteen. Fifty three, which aired on the same day that we are no junior, was born in real life, things to a scheduled variant section. It set ratings records surpassing audience As for the Eisenhower in yet the first instance where and actresses real life pregnancy was part of their food, all story, and while it it seemed a natural to write their relay pregnancy into the show, and their sponsor in this seems odd, now, of course, through the modern Linz Cigarette company Philip Morris was behind the idea. The decision to do so really ran into some hurdles at the network was first deeply uneasy about the idea of showing a pregnant woman on tv. They thought people might find a vulgar or distasteful, though see

Yes, eventually did go along with the plan em they consulted various experts and selling know this would be ok, they did forbid the use of the word pregnant on the show us they could never say. Lucy was pregnant and they would say she was expecting instead this and they were all titters about how does he pronounced the word yeah and they had they had to name aunt. Lucy is pregnant, but they use the french word for pregnant so that it even though the titles never appeared on the show, that's one of my favorite episodes. If you ve never seen it the whole episode centres around Lucy trying to tell Ricky that she is pregnant and he's kind of dense and not catching her hints. Let everybody knows Fred and Ethel both know like the whole. Every one connected to them already has figured out, but he just is not getting the message and she does this.

I really want to give it away because it so sweet the way that she eventually tells him in the end is through his own song. He just doesn't know it's happening to him initially in its lovely. Make me tear up a little bit me. Do I love it so much during the run of the sitcom Lucy's hair also hit the shade that would become her trademark for the rest, career according to hear stylist Irma Cozily, who worked on numerous dizzily protections quote: Lucy's hair was a golden apricots color and she used a hen erentz to achieve it. She met a very wealthy shake who had. Heard about her problem in getting the right colouring. He said that he would send her a lifetime supply of Hannah, which he did. We kept it in my garage eyes locked away in a safe, Ilsa Here that sort of told is a slightly different story where her hair color formula with secret and was kept in a safe, but according to her stylus, no, it wishes the boxes or the but ever format the tubes, or whenever that the Hannah was in

The other significant event of their wives, while I love Lucy, was rubbing, was a scam. All around loose seals, political history, the White House on American Activities Committee investigated ball due to the fact that in nineteen thirty six she had registered as a member of the Communist Party, sworn testimony before the committee. Lucille ball testified that she had registered with the party in nineteen thirty six at the request of her grandfather, Fred Hunt, and then it was nothing more than a gesture to please the elderly patriarch. Her mother and brother, a pat, apparently done the same thing you're. There was There were also stories that she had hosted some parties at her home, some get togethers for people interested in communism, but she claims she did not realise that that's what they were doing. She thought they were

like friends getting together and when she was asked by a member of the press. If she thought the matter would damage her career, Lucy responded. I have more faith in the american people, the man. I think any time you give the american people the truth there with you and in her case she was right. Her fan sent cards and telegrams of support and she and, as he told the press, that they were in fact happy to have the whole thing out in the open. I live, Lucy ended and nineteen fifty seven but Lucy, and does he continued at the helm of busily productions? The Untouchables and STAR Trek were produced there, but while they were having commercial success, their marriage didn't thrive divorce and nineteen sixty there had long been rumours of infidelity and rocky times between the two of them, but even after they call their merits, quits they remained friends and colleagues may also made some movies together. In addition,

the tv show yeah when she switch to tv when they switch the tv it wasn't as though she stopped doing movies altogether. She did them on and off throughout her career, when, when good projects came up and she also did theatre, which is how she met her second husband, Bhikshu area Gary Morton, not long after her split from desi. She had at the time been in New York to start in the Broadway shall wild cat, which ran at the eleventh either, and that was when she the comedian and they were married on November nineteenth of nineteen sixty one, so just a little more than a year after the divorce in nineteen, sixty two Lucille Ball bought out. Desi are never the interest and easily productions. After running the company for six years, she sold it in nineteen sixty seven per seventeen million dollars. The person company Gulf Western, which also Paramount pictures renamed the studio. Paramount television Lucy founded a new production company, smaller scale than dazedly called Lucille Ball productions,

while she was done with rubbing her big production company loose, certainly wasn't done with comedy. That's why she started her her second, smaller production company. Started to series in the nineteen sixties, though extra eight and if each Lucille Ball is a widow living with her divorced best friend and the two women's children, Vivian Vance, who had played Ethel on, I love you Lucy, as well as several writers from my I love you Lucy, as well as several writers for my love, Lucy, also join the production after the Lucy show ran for six years, Lucille moved on to another set com: titled. Here's Lucy in nineteen sixty She was once again playing a widow, but this time her to sit come children were played by her actual children Lucy, and does he junior here's loosely can one thousand, eight hundred and seventy three Lucy's last two projects were in nineteen, eighty five and one thousand nine hundred and eighty six

Eighty five, she took a role that was a significant departure from caught the comedy that had really made her career. She started a tv merely which was titled stone, pillow in which she played a homeless, when and after that. Well, while she got good reviews for her work on that, it wasn't a particularly successful film and she once again moved into sitcoms, because that is really what people wanted of her, so she worked with CBS one more time and she prepared life with Lucy in nineteen. Eighty six, but unlike her previous three sitcoms, it was a flop and only lasted for eight episodes. In April nineteen. Eighty nine she underwent- eight. Our open heart surgery, Cedars Sinai Medical Center after experiencing chest, pains and being diagnosed with an your aneurysm. After the procedure she initially appear,

to be recovering well, but then she experienced another aortic rapture, which claimed her life. She died on April, twenty sixth of nineteen, eighty nine and next up we're gonna talk a little bit about Lucy's legacy, but before we do we're, gonna take a quick break and here again from a fantastic sponsor,

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We bring the car rights, your house rodeo. Now that's easy. See ya over the course of her career Lucille Ball was honoured with many awards. We could never list them all, but we will talk about some of them. For one thing: she won for Emmy awards best comedian in nineteen, fifty two best actress in a continuing performance, for I love Lucy in nineteen, fifty five an outstanding continuing performance by an actress in a leading role in a comedy series, which is a mouthful of a category for the Lucy Show in both nineteen sixty seven and nineteen sixty eight. She was given two different stars on the Hollywood walk of fame, one for her work and film and one other for her work and television

And while here's Lucy was on the air, ball received the international radio and television societies, gold medal in nineteen, seventy one that made her the first woman to be honoured with that award in eighteen. Seventy eight she was honoured with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, sessile be de mille.

Lord Lucy was honoured by the Kennedy Centre on December seventh. Nineteen eighty six was a bitter sweet event, because Desi had died just five days before during the ceremony actor Robert Stack, who had starred in the desert, you show the Untouchables red remark that does he had written. I love Lucy had just one mission to make people laugh, we see, gave it a rare quality. She can perform the wildest, even the messy IST physical comedy, without losing her from her feminine appeal. The New York Times asked me to divide the credit for its success between the writers, directors and cast, I told them, give Lucy. Ninety percent of the credit divide, the other ten percent among the rest of us does it concluded. Lucy was the show

they ve Fred, and I were just props, damn good props, but props nevertheless, p S, I love Lucy was never just the title after her death in nineteen, eighty nine choose posthumously awarded the presidential metal of freedom and in two thousand one Newsweek named her the top female entertainer of the twentieth century. Three if it were not for Lucille balls. Incredibly skilled and dedicated comedic work on high level. You see we might never have had other women led comedy shows like the Merry Tyler more Emma Vernon Shirley. Many shows that make me ask: why are we still talking about whether women are funny but her influence over wide deeper than that. Really spearheaded the style of comedy, as we said at the top of the show that developed into the sit com and that's a format that continues to be a tv standard. Today, I level

He was also the first show to use three cameras in production rather than just one stationary camera, and that was a major innovation at the time as the head of dazzling production. Was he became the first woman to run a major Hollywood. Studio city was not only a trailblazer as a funny woman, but also as an executive, and if a savvy businesswoman she was employed in Hollywood for more than fifty years continuously, something that not many people can boast once said that she wasn't funny she was brave and while she had did her career as a model and was in fact a great beauty. She set herself up. Through her willingness to do crazy, stunts and look foolish being pretty. It seems was now it's important to her as being funny. She was,

owing to the broad physical comedy at a time that it was still considered the territory only of men and in doing so she opened the door for women who came after her. Also during her Kennedy said are authorised presentation. Robert stack said quote: it will always be remembered that you established a place until listen for women and to bring a kind of an interesting source. According to our, Schwarzenegger writing in his autobiography Lutes Lucy once gave him the following it is about working in Hollywood, although I think It is very good advice for almost anything in life, quote when they say no, you here. Yes, someone says we can't do this movie hug them say thank you for believing in me love that so much, and I can so here saying it fantastic I know it's very subtle, but I'm a Lucille Ball Pham Year I'll have the long long trailer. It is now these starring Lucille ball

Does the order, as they might be giant song called everything right is wrong. I really love to bury, was a lady I will say this: I have one beef with the ILO. Lucy show it so specific and the dorky and weird to dressmakers. Is an episode where she was trying to make her own dress and she The the gag was that she accidentally should at least on the floor and that she accidentally cut out the carpet, along with the fabric. Which one if you ve ever cut out fabric. You know that would be hard to do. But too well

lifted it up. It was first sight gag appeal, but it looked like the outline of address. It didn't actually look like a piece of ass pattern and I remember, as a kid seeing men be like better how you make address, so that was my pedantic moment as a childish seamstress, but the child seamstress and a childish seamstress later in life gear. Hey. We just wanted to add a quick little now at the end of this one, since we did reference Mary Tyler more at the end of the episode we recorded this before her passing. So we just wanted to acknowledge and thank her for the laughs d have listener male. Yes, I do, and it's pretty late. I have two postcards. The first one is from actually in June, and they say when clothing in history come together. I can think of no other person than you. They sent a lovely postcard from the Charleston Museum in its nineteen fifties. Jade green chiffon evening dress

it seemed kind of a good match for Lucille Ball Epizootic, as I can see her wearing something lively like that, they also say in his lovely in so many ways and each street tells a story wishing you all the best in the New Europe in. We also got a postcard from Stephanie that she sent from see Scissahs Dear Tracy, and how we thank you for all your hard work. Your podcast brings me so much join my has my honeymoon in Iceland over Christmas, and I wouldn't shut up about the cod wars and the Euro lads, both of which we know about because of you wonderfully these. Thank you. Congratulations on your nuptial Stephanie here and hurry for having similar trip to Tracy in your honeymoon. I love it. If you'd like to write to us, you can do so at history. Podcast at Helstone work start come. We are also visible across the spectrum of social media as at missed in history. That means on twitter is at missed in history, Facebook, dot, com, Slash missed in history, missed in history that tumblr com,

on Instagram is evidenced in history and on Pinterest as MR history. If you would like to learn a little bit, you just feeling curious. You can go to your parents, house of works type in almost anything in the search bar you're gonna get turn up a lot of results that are fascinating and interesting and will keep you occupied and entertained and inform you can also visit me in Tracy add, missed in history, dot com, where we have an archive of every episode of the show that has ever existed as well. As show note for every episode, the Tracy I have worked together, and so the prisoners at Helstone Works, dot, com and missed in history.

The more on this and thousands of other topics, because it has to work stock. It seems like it should be easy, but it's not just getting out of bed and getting your days started, trying to accomplish everything you need to do in your day that to do list as a lot easier when you're getting news stories and music to lift your mood and preparing for the day ahead connected to the things that make you laugh and make you think or make you want to reach out and share with a friend every morning with us, it's Elvis Doran in the morning show listen to us on cue, one or two or anywhere in the world. On the I hurt radio app.