Today, August 6, 2019, is the birthday of Lucille Ball who starred, with her Cuban, English-destroying husband, Desi Arnaz, . . .
Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz -1950's
. . . in the groundbreaking I Love Lucy sitcom which ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the CBS network.
She
was born Lucille Désirée Ball on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York. She left home at the age of fifteen to study drama in New York City and began her
early entertainment career with stints as a model and Goldwyn Girl. As well as a comedian,
she was an actress, model, entertainment studio executive and
producer. She was the star of the self-produced sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life with Lucy, as well as comedy television specials aired under the title The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.
Her career began in 1929 when she was a model. Shortly thereafter, she began her performing career on Broadway using the stage names
Diane Belmont and Dianne Belmont. She began her film debut in 1933 as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures. She became known as the “Queen of the B’s” for her numerous roles in B-movies. She appeared in more than 75 films.
In 1951, Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz, launched a comedy television series, I Love Lucy, based on their own lives. The show pioneered technical aspects of a comedy show, using three cameras, a set, and a live audience. It was also the first time a visibly pregnant woman was seen on television.
In 1951, Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz, launched a comedy television series, I Love Lucy, based on their own lives. The show pioneered technical aspects of a comedy show, using three cameras, a set, and a live audience. It was also the first time a visibly pregnant woman was seen on television.
Cast members from left, standing:
Through
the years I have watched episodes over and over but have never gotten
tired of them; the show is dated in look but the situations are everyday
human
life which never grow old. There are so many episodes that I love: doing the Vitameatavegamin commercial, in the chocolate factory with Ethel, stomping grapes in Italy, Lucy and Superman. I could go on forever.
"Lucy and Superman" - January 14, 1957
Her talents extended beyond the realm of comedy, she became the first female studio head in Hollywood. As president of Desilu Productions, she broke the glass ceiling for women executives in the film and television industry and her shows live on in syndication.
Ball went on to garner thirteen Emmy nominations and four Emmy Awards for her work. In 1986, she received a Kennedy Center Honor for her contributions to the world of entertainment. In 1989, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
On April 18, 1989, Ball complained of chest pains at her home in Beverly Hills and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with dissecting aortic aneurysm and underwent an eight-hour aortic transplant. Shortly after dawn on April 26, Ball awoke with severe back pains then lost consciousness; she died at 5:47 a.m. PDT at the age of 77. Doctors determined that Ball had succumbed to a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm not directly related to her upper aneurysm and surgery. Ball had been a heavy smoker most of her life, increasing her risk of abdominal aneurysm.
On April 18, 1989, Ball complained of chest pains at her home in Beverly Hills and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with dissecting aortic aneurysm and underwent an eight-hour aortic transplant. Shortly after dawn on April 26, Ball awoke with severe back pains then lost consciousness; she died at 5:47 a.m. PDT at the age of 77. Doctors determined that Ball had succumbed to a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm not directly related to her upper aneurysm and surgery. Ball had been a heavy smoker most of her life, increasing her risk of abdominal aneurysm.
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