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 | bandleader | housewife | redheaded woman | cuban american | 

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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

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

All three sponsors of I Love Lucy (1951), were Philip Morris Cigarettes, Procter & Gamble's Cheer Detergent and Lilt Home Permanent.

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Goofs

The Ricardos are said to live in an apartment at 623 East 68th Street, which in real life would be located in the East River. This is not actually a 'goof' because it was done deliberately to avoid legal issues with an actual address.

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Quotes

Ricky Ricardo: Did Ricky give you a tough day?
Lucy Ricardo: No, just the same as any other day: after breakfast, I put on his snow suit. I pull on his galoshes. I slip on his mittens. I walk him to the park. He chases the pigeons. I chase after him. He runs after the squirrels. I run after him. He get's on the swing. I push the swing. We go on the teeter-totter. He teeters, I totter. Then we leave the park and we walk home. I pull off his galoshes. I pull off his mittens. I pull off his snow suit. I tell him to go into ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

In the series' finale: I Love Lucy: The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue (1957), "Yankee Doodle Dandy" music is played, as the episode goes to & comes from a commercial break.

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Alternate Versions

The famous opening credit sequence, where the names appear over a heart, was not a part of the original series run. Originally, various cartoons related to the show and the show's sponsor were used. The version everyone knows today was created for syndication. TV Land "restored" the original opening for its broadcasts. However, the references to the sponsor were replaced with a TV Land logo; as such these openings have only been seen on telecasts on said network, and by the early-2010s, TV Land started reinstating the "heart" credits on its reruns.

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Connections

Spoofed in Saved by the Bell: Screech's Spaghetti Sauce (1992)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Superb show

The great female comedian Lucille Ball performed Lucy Ricardo who got herself in some strange situations in this comedy show that ran from 1951 to 1957.Desi Arnaz played her husband Ricky and the neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz were played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance.I Love Lucy may be nearly fifty years old but the humor in it is timeless.It works no matter how old the show was.The actors were great and everything else was also great in this show.Everybody should watch I Love Lucy no matter how old or young you were.