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I'm almost positive that's Mary Tyler Moore.
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When I first saw the photo -- which was sometime ago -- I wasn't entirely sure who the lady in question was, either. Her hairdo through me a little as well, but indeed it is Mary Tyler Moore.
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I wonder why Sally Struthers looks so upset.
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Wasn’t happy out in California with the Meathead I guess
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Even Michele Lee once called herself "a Mary Tyler Moore type". It's that Aries Rising, don'tchya know.
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The new documentary, LUCY AND DESI on Amazon Prime, is a solid recounting of that famous relationship. There's really no new information here, although it's been interesting to watch Lucie Arnaz's evolving perspective of her parent's failings; she's become much more forgiving and understanding of their own pain as she's gotten older. The documentary is a bit of an overly romanticized view of that rather toxic pairing, but it does address both of their personality defects.
The most interesting aspect for me was so much previously unseen footage: home movies, screen tests, backstage film. I've seen a few small clips of behind-the-scenes of I LOVE LUCY but watching Lucille and Desi dressed as Lucy and Ricky on the set but stepping out as themselves felt almost surreal.
Overall, Lucie's documentary from the early 90s is better.
The most interesting aspect for me was so much previously unseen footage: home movies, screen tests, backstage film. I've seen a few small clips of behind-the-scenes of I LOVE LUCY but watching Lucille and Desi dressed as Lucy and Ricky on the set but stepping out as themselves felt almost surreal.
Overall, Lucie's documentary from the early 90s is better.
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I watched this last night. It was a good documentary that relied mainly on audio from interviews by Lucy and Desi rather than talking heads. I hadn't realised that both their second marriages lasted longer than their time with each other.
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Trivia
George Reeves wore his Superman suit on an episode of "I Love Lucy"
He tells Ricky "You've been married to her for 15 years... and they call me Superman!"
en.wikipedia.org
www.imdb.com/title/tt0609289/movieconnections
George Reeves wore his Superman suit on an episode of "I Love Lucy"
He tells Ricky "You've been married to her for 15 years... and they call me Superman!"
Lucy and Superman - Wikipedia
www.imdb.com/title/tt0609289/movieconnections
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I was watching a documentary on Martin & Lewis this morning and they showed some clips of their COLGATE COMEDY HOUR series from the early-'50s. I was a little shocked that -- close to 70 years ago -- Jerry Lewis was shown shirtless on television. But then, I thought to myself, "Wait. Didn't Ricky appear shirtless on I LOVE LUCY too?"
Yeah, he did.
I know it's probably not a big deal to anyone else, especially considering what's shown on TV now. But I just find it quite interesting that men were allowed to appear shirtless on TV at practically the birth of the medium, but yet Lucy wasn't allowed to say she was "pregnant" because that was unsuitable for family audiences.
What's the difference?
Yeah, he did.
I know it's probably not a big deal to anyone else, especially considering what's shown on TV now. But I just find it quite interesting that men were allowed to appear shirtless on TV at practically the birth of the medium, but yet Lucy wasn't allowed to say she was "pregnant" because that was unsuitable for family audiences.
What's the difference?
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Interesting point. The word "pregnant" couldn't be used, but there were other things that evaded three censors:
Lucy refers to a dancer as a "Sexy Cuban girl." I'm surprised "sexy" was allowed
A funny elderly lady named Minnie asks Lucy if her last name is "Kinsey" when Lucy says she's taking a poll.
Lucy pretends she's a masseuse for John Wayne in a racy scene (for the 1950s).
Ethel makes a joke about how Fred can "do anything in under ten seconds," which in the way it's presented seems full of innuendo.
They were probably super cautious of the word "pregnant" because Lucy's pregnancy coincided with Ms. Ball's and was getting national publicity
These other things were more "blink and you missed them."
Interesting point. The word "pregnant" couldn't be used, but there were other things that evaded three censors:
Lucy refers to a dancer as a "Sexy Cuban girl." I'm surprised "sexy" was allowed
A funny elderly lady named Minnie asks Lucy if her last name is "Kinsey" when Lucy says she's taking a poll.
Lucy pretends she's a masseuse for John Wayne in a racy scene (for the 1950s).
Ethel makes a joke about how Fred can "do anything in under ten seconds," which in the way it's presented seems full of innuendo.
They were probably super cautious of the word "pregnant" because Lucy's pregnancy coincided with Ms. Ball's and was getting national publicity
These other things were more "blink and you missed them."
Lucy refers to a dancer as a "Sexy Cuban girl." I'm surprised "sexy" was allowed
A funny elderly lady named Minnie asks Lucy if her last name is "Kinsey" when Lucy says she's taking a poll.
Lucy pretends she's a masseuse for John Wayne in a racy scene (for the 1950s).
Ethel makes a joke about how Fred can "do anything in under ten seconds," which in the way it's presented seems full of innuendo.
They were probably super cautious of the word "pregnant" because Lucy's pregnancy coincided with Ms. Ball's and was getting national publicity
These other things were more "blink and you missed them."
Interesting point. The word "pregnant" couldn't be used, but there were other things that evaded three censors:
Lucy refers to a dancer as a "Sexy Cuban girl." I'm surprised "sexy" was allowed
A funny elderly lady named Minnie asks Lucy if her last name is "Kinsey" when Lucy says she's taking a poll.
Lucy pretends she's a masseuse for John Wayne in a racy scene (for the 1950s).
Ethel makes a joke about how Fred can "do anything in under ten seconds," which in the way it's presented seems full of innuendo.
They were probably super cautious of the word "pregnant" because Lucy's pregnancy coincided with Ms. Ball's and was getting national publicity
These other things were more "blink and you missed them."
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For the staid 1950s, I LOVE LUCY could be surprisingly risqué. Sure, "pregnant" was verboten and Ricky & Lucy initially slept in separate beds, but (suspected) infidelity was a fairly common motif. Few scenes are funnier than Ricky and Fred "catching" Lucy and Ethel in a salesman's hotel room wearing negligees.
Fred to Ethel: "You! Here! Dressed like that! He must be out of his mind!"
Can anyone imagine June Cleaver or Margaret Anderson in such a situation?
Fred to Ethel: "You! Here! Dressed like that! He must be out of his mind!"
Can anyone imagine June Cleaver or Margaret Anderson in such a situation?
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And Ethel's response: "Do you mean....? Do you think...that we....Well!" Ethel says this with a big grin, implying she's thrilled they thought she could be having sex, especially since she's always implying her marriage was seller's.
You're right. There were quite a few episodes about suspected infidelity among the four or guest characters. Odd that adultery could be discussed, but they had to be cautious of the word "pregnant."
I wonder if the cast and the writers had a good laugh behind the scenes about all the things they slipped by the censors and the general public.
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I'm still a little puzzled when I hear Lucy utter the word "sexy". I'm like, "How'd that slide pass the powers-that-be?"
Come to think of it, I LOVE LUCY was quite risqué for the era. Until reading these last few comments, some of these scenes slid right past my mind too. For such a new, family-friendly medium, early TV -- through the courtesy of Lucy -- had some racy moments.
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Then there was the episode when they were on the ocean liner to Europe and Fred was bitten by the love bug, and it was heavily implied he and Ethel were finally getting frisky.
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It's easy to overlook how progressive I LOVE LUCY was for its era. Sure there are aspects of the series that are extremely dated (Ricky's occasional spanking of Lucy is basically domestic abuse), but the series broke against a lot of the norms of its time. From having a non-White lead to showing a pregnancy, even if they tap danced around the word, ILL was unlike any other show of its time. The entire premise was basically a married woman rebelling against the limitations society/her husband placed on her. For 1950s TV, that was practically subversive. Other women on TV were either placidly domestic (June, Donna) or loveless career gals (Ann, Eve). I don't think even Lucy's closest peers, Gracie and Joan, were as rebellious as she was.
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It is very easy to overlook the progressiveness of I LOVE LUCY, especially considering it premiered 71 years ago -- that's 14 years older than my father. We often hear about how innovative the show was behind-the-camera, and it did initiate several "firsts" for TV. Desi Arnaz revolutionized the way TV comedies were filmed, employing a three-camera set-up that photographed beautifully and allowed for Lucy to play off a live audience, something she viewed as essential to her performance. The way I LOVE LUCY was filmed allowed it to be better preserved, which is why we have such beautifully restored versions available on both DVD and Blu-ray here in 2022.
Arnaz basically invented the rerun with I LOVE LUCY as well. Beforehand, few shows -- if any -- were saved to be re-broadcast at a later date. The TV studios were new and didn't realize the monetary value of selling their properties into syndication. They simply felt that once a program had aired once, the audience hadn't any interest in seeing it again. Boy, were they wrong with that assumption. I LOVE LUCY is probably the most syndicated series in the history of TV. Shows like GILLIGAN'S ISLAND and BEVERLY HILLBILLIES boast of healthy after lives in syndication, but LUCY squanders them when measured numerically.
I LOVE LUCY had several pre-production hiccups. CBS was weary of casting the All-American Lucille Ball and Cuban-American Desi Arnaz as an on-air TV couple, even though the two had been married in real-life for over a decade. The Arnazes were insistent on doing the series together, and even toured the country in a Lucy-esque roadshow to prove to the network head-honchos that the audience would accept them.
The issue of Ball's pregnancy was probably the show's biggest hurdle. There had never been a pregnant woman on TV before, and as usual, it's always harder to do something when you're the first one doing it. The writers and producers decided to incorporate Lucille Ball's pregnancy into the life of Lucy Ricardo on TV. To their surprise, the powers-that-be at CBS gave their support, albeit cautiously. The network censors were persistent that the word "pregnant" never better uttered. They had to use the word "expecting" instead, which, as I've read, was picked because they could have Ricky pronounce funny and get a laugh from the audience. Little Ricky's birth on I LOVE LUCY was a monumental event: it was watched by 71.7% of the American viewing audience at the time. For years, it was the highest-rated TV episode ever.
As a TV character, Lucy Ricardo was quite progressive herself. She persistently dreamed of a life outside of the home, which went against the gender norms of the time. Most wives -- whether on TV or in reality -- were typically housewives that managed their homes and looked after their children. Lucy, however, was ambitious and dreamed of a life in the spotlight. And those dreams didn't go away when she gave birth to her son. If anything, she fueled her son's interest in show business, and sought ways to bring him along on her endless parade of disastrous auditions. Other TV wives of the era paled in comparison to Lucy's outright disobedience to her husband.
Arnaz basically invented the rerun with I LOVE LUCY as well. Beforehand, few shows -- if any -- were saved to be re-broadcast at a later date. The TV studios were new and didn't realize the monetary value of selling their properties into syndication. They simply felt that once a program had aired once, the audience hadn't any interest in seeing it again. Boy, were they wrong with that assumption. I LOVE LUCY is probably the most syndicated series in the history of TV. Shows like GILLIGAN'S ISLAND and BEVERLY HILLBILLIES boast of healthy after lives in syndication, but LUCY squanders them when measured numerically.
I LOVE LUCY had several pre-production hiccups. CBS was weary of casting the All-American Lucille Ball and Cuban-American Desi Arnaz as an on-air TV couple, even though the two had been married in real-life for over a decade. The Arnazes were insistent on doing the series together, and even toured the country in a Lucy-esque roadshow to prove to the network head-honchos that the audience would accept them.
The issue of Ball's pregnancy was probably the show's biggest hurdle. There had never been a pregnant woman on TV before, and as usual, it's always harder to do something when you're the first one doing it. The writers and producers decided to incorporate Lucille Ball's pregnancy into the life of Lucy Ricardo on TV. To their surprise, the powers-that-be at CBS gave their support, albeit cautiously. The network censors were persistent that the word "pregnant" never better uttered. They had to use the word "expecting" instead, which, as I've read, was picked because they could have Ricky pronounce funny and get a laugh from the audience. Little Ricky's birth on I LOVE LUCY was a monumental event: it was watched by 71.7% of the American viewing audience at the time. For years, it was the highest-rated TV episode ever.
As a TV character, Lucy Ricardo was quite progressive herself. She persistently dreamed of a life outside of the home, which went against the gender norms of the time. Most wives -- whether on TV or in reality -- were typically housewives that managed their homes and looked after their children. Lucy, however, was ambitious and dreamed of a life in the spotlight. And those dreams didn't go away when she gave birth to her son. If anything, she fueled her son's interest in show business, and sought ways to bring him along on her endless parade of disastrous auditions. Other TV wives of the era paled in comparison to Lucy's outright disobedience to her husband.
Desi Arnaz was Caucasian, of Spanish descent. It was certainly progressive to see an American wife married to a non-American husband on TV, but it wasn’t an interracial marriage.
‘Cuban-born Alex Abella, a CBS creative consultant on the I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special, says, “If Desi were black or had black blood, he wouldn’t have had any success or been allowed on the air. Americans could accept him because—like it or not—he was white.”’
‘Cuban-born Alex Abella, a CBS creative consultant on the I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Special, says, “If Desi were black or had black blood, he wouldn’t have had any success or been allowed on the air. Americans could accept him because—like it or not—he was white.”’