I Love Lucy 

A daffy woman constantly strives to become a star along with her bandleader husband and gets herself in the strangest situations.

Stars:

Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Lucille Ball	...	Lucy Ricardo 181 episodes, 1951-1957
Desi Arnaz	...	Ricky Ricardo 181 episodes, 1951-1957
Vivian Vance	...	Ethel Mertz 180 episodes, 1951-1957
William Frawley	...	Fred Mertz 180 episodes, 1951-1957

Storyline

Cuban Bandleader Ricky Ricardo would be happy if his wife Lucy would just be a housewife. Instead she tries constantly to perform at the Tropicana where he works, and make life comically frantic in the apartment building they share with landlords Fred and Ethel Mertz. The first major show to be put on film rather than kinescope.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | husband wife relationship | f rated | hit tv show | bandleader | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lucy in Connecticut

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 6625 Romaine Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Desilu Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (179 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The valentine heart figure, in the Opening Credits, Closing Credits & commercial breaks, shown in syndication, was not the original Opening Credits' scenery. When the series originally aired on CBS, the Opening Credits featured animated clay figures of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz along with the sponsor's product - Philip Morris cigarettes, for instance. The valentine heart figure was created and added for the Opening Credits and Closing Credits, when CBS began rerunning the series, in 1958.

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Goofs

For an entire season, the closing credits list Wilbur Hatch conducting the "Dezi" Arnaz orchestra. He spelled it Desi Arnaz.

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Quotes

Ethel Mertz: If I let my hair go like that you'd never let me hear the end of it.
Fred Mertz: Honeybunch, if the rest of you looked like that I wouldn't care if you were bald.

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Crazy Credits

In some of the episodes, the guest-star's name(s) are voiced over, by conductor, Wilbur Hatch, in the Opening Credits or Closing Credits.

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Alternate Versions

Many references to the sponsor, Philip Morris, were cut from the original negatives of episodes circa 1956. The DVD releases attempt to restore as many of these as possible using whatever source material exists.

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Connections

Referenced in Mike & Mike: Episode dated 1 August 2016 (2016)

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Soundtracks

Jingle Bells
Written by James Pierpont
Performed by Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley

User Reviews

"I Love Lucy " is Television!!!

The series, "I Love Lucy" could be the most classic T.V. show in the history of television!! Lucille Ball incorporated slapstick stunts in situations that would utterly appall many insufferable people!! The cast is great!! Comprising of; Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, her real life husband, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley.. Originally, the parts of Fred and Ethel Mertz were suppose to be played by Gale Gordon ("Here's Lucy") and Bea Benederitt ("Petticoat Junction").... While both of these performers were very talented, they sought other avenues, and Vivian Vance and William Frawley stepped in!! From there, the television audience could not imagine any two other people playing the role of the Mertz couple!! "I Love Lucy" was very successful for many reasons, one being that the ethnicity recognition sparked a behavioral candor which was identifiable with many people who watched television !! Special guest stars contributed to the popularity of this show tremendously!! Desi Arnaz, who was very talented, became a likable element on "I Love Lucy".. Yet, first and foremost, Lucille Ball, (An RKO Queen) and her wiles of chicanery, are what symbolized the auspicious trademark to this program!! Lucy was the lovable mischief maker who garnered a camaraderie with the small screen viewer!! Her later shows were classic as well, but, "I Love Lucy" was the show which most sticks out in everybody's mind as the stellar sitcom in Lucille Ball's career!! For years and years "I Love Lucy" has been enjoyed by generations of television viewers, and it will continue to be enjoyed by more and more generations in the future!! "I LOVE LUCY" IS TELEVISION!!