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 | bandleader | housewife | 

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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

It is often said to be the first television show to have the Three Camera System using film. But other television shows did beforehand such as Jackie Gleason's "The Life of Riley" (1949) which also was shot with the Three Camera System using film.

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Goofs

Lucy and Ricky swap apartments with a couple downstairs; therefore, in most episodes they are in 3D (and thus on the same floor as the Mertzes), but in some they are in 4A and living upstairs from the Mertzes.

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Quotes

Ethel Mertz: Oh, Lucy, I know you're not going to move, but if you ever do move, don't move.

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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 3rd Rock from the Sun: Much Ado About Dick (1996)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Fifty years later and still one of the best

First of all, just about every aspect of this show's premise was implausible: that Lucy and Ricky would even be married to each other and that they would be best friends with the much older Mertzes. (Although William Frawley was 64 when the show started, Vivian Vance was 42, close to Lucille Ball's age, but Ethel was supposed to be much older). Anyway, the show worked in spite of, or maybe even because of this.

Almost every episode was good, except for some weak ones during the first season. And even though the show is over 50 years old, it doesn't seem dated like other old shows. It's still fresh and entertaining, even after repeated viewings.

There are many well-known stories that have to do with Lucille Ball's vanity. She didn't want Ethel to wear nice clothes, so as not to overshadow Lucy. Vivian Vance's wardrobe was purchased off-the-rack in department stores, and Lucille Ball's was designed especially for her. And then there's the rumor that Vivian Vance was contractually obligated to be at least 25 pounds heavier than Lucille Ball. When Vivian Vance returned from summer hiatus one season having lost weight, Lucille Ball said, "You're looking a little too good there, Viv, we're going to have to fatten you up real quick."

Not enough credit goes to the underrated Desi Arnaz. He was a brilliant, talented, and very, very funny man, but not in the same exaggerated over-the-top style of Lucille Ball. His facial expressions are priceless, especially when his eyes literally pop out of his head. It's too bad that he was overshadowed by his more famous wife. Even his daughter, Lucie Arnaz has been known to say that "my mother gets all the credit, but my father was the brains behind the show."