the sun never sets on lucille ball

“She and I took her grandson, Simon, to see The King and I in New York, and during intermission people kept coming up and saying, ‘Oh, Lucy, we love you!’ I asked how it felt to be called Lucy. She said, ‘It always gives me a thrill. I don't know how I could even answer if they called me Miss Ball.’” (x)

Did you really call her that?

Now what makes you think that's what I wanted to know! And what is it?!

"You know, when I was married to the Cuban, I never had to worry about a thing. Desi was so damn smart about everything - scripts, cameras, lighting, costuming, you name it. I would simply waltz in on Monday mornings and the cast and I would read a perfect script, all ready for rehearsal. All I had to do was be Lucy. Desi took care of the rest. We made a great team. Plus, it didn't hurt that we we were crazy about each other."

"I kept waiting for Ethel to say trick or treat!"

Nothing! I just love you, that's all.

Ugh.

"I said to him, 'Are you still in love with her?' He said, 'Yeah.' He never stopped loving her." - Marcella Rabwin

"It was passionate, romantic, everything you could imagine in a love affair." - Lillian Briggs Winograd

"[Quoting Lucy's second husband, Gary Morton, following her death] I guess she's happy now. She's with Desi." - Paula Stewart

"I was with my father when he died and my mother was the last person that he spoke to. And, all she said to him was "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you." She just wanted to let him know that she loved him, and he said, “I love you too, honey.” And ten minutes later, he closed his eyes and he went into a coma and he was gone within twenty-four hours. And then I didn’t realize it until the next day that that was their anniversary. It was November 30th, because he died within twenty-four hours, the early morning of December 2nd. They loved each other forever." - Lucie Arnaz

Never mind.

The first episode of I Love Lucy premiered on CBS on Monday, October 15th, 1951 at nine o'clock and hasn't gone off air since. As I Love Lucy has been passed down from generation to generation, it has been translated into seventy-seven languages, produces millions of dollars for CBS each year, and has been estimated to be the most watched television show of all time. Desilu Productions, run by married stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, pioneered and perfected the live audience, the three camera system, and the rerun. During its original run from 1951 - 1957, I Love Lucy enjoyed such immense popularity that business owners would close their stores on Monday nights. Telephone companies confirmed that phone calls plummeted to a minimum during the Lucy half hour. Parents adjusted bedtimes so families could stay up to watch Lucy. Tuesday morning conversations consisted of, "Did you see 'the show' last night?" And when Lucille Ball gave birth to her television son - the night of the day she gave birth to her real life son - sixty eight percent of American viewers tuned in, easily trumping the number of those who watched the inauguration of the president the following day. The show's continuing popularity is a result of its timeless principles: friendship, laughter, and love.