I wish i could go back in time & made Lucy & Desi stay married & make it work & don't have any problems. They were always married in a way. I'd do anything to change the past so they would stay married forever. They were always in love. They are together in heaven & will be forever. Also she had the same high voice in The Long Long Trailer & Forever Darling & when her & Desi appeared together on What's My Line she had her high voice.
@ilovelucyfan7, In "The Long Long Trailer"& "Forever Darling," Lucille Ball was acting, playing characters similar to Lucy Ricardo. She was not being herself. (Duh.) She was playing young newlyweds, when she herself was over 40. She rarely spoke in her natural voice in public during those years, and if you had read much about I Love Lucy, you would know she played that character speaking in a higher voice than her own to try to sound younger.
@ilovelucyfan7 , also, Desi wrote in his autobiography that early in their marriage she did screaming exercises in the car to deepen her voice because Katharine Hepburn had told her it was too high. By the time of "I Love Lucy," she'd been smoking for about 25 years. All this, plus 5 days a week, 30 weeks a year, rehearsing for I Love Lucy with that unnatural voice all took a toll. Plus, Keith Andes said she destroyed it further in Wildcat by not projecting properly when she sang.
@defundthewar , apparently I typed that last comment when I was tired. It should have read: "I did not say the Spanish "s" is pronounced the same way everywhere; I simply said it was never pronounced like an "z" ANYWHERE. Your suggestion was that in some regions the "s" might have a "z" sound. I said that's not true and I stand by that: it's not true." That's consistent with what I was saying previously. Desi Arnaz is pronounced Dessi Arrr-nahs.
They are truly soulmates. They had hard times which lead to a divorce but Id say they are together now. Shame now everytime you hear about a divorce that one person loses millions and the media harps on it FOREVER.
You can sense the strong bond Lucy still had with Desi even though they divorced. The way she smiled when Johnny told him what Desi said in his book about her. She smiled from eat-to-ear. They were the best.
Until someone pointed it out to me, I never noticed that she pronounced Desi's first name with an "s" sound, instead of a "z" sound (like almost everyone else does). "Dessi" must have been the correct way to say it, not "Dezzi."
@fidelio1980 , correct. There is no "z" sound in Spanish. Also, people mispronounce his last name, Arnaz, as well. Non-Spanish speakers are always pronouncing it "ahr-nez" when it's really "ahrrr-nahs" There is no "e" sound in his last name, and no "z" sound, either.
@defundthewar , no, Spanish does NOT have a "z" sound. They have the letter z, but it's NEVER pronounced like we pronounce a z in English. The "z" in La Paz, Azul and Venezuela is pronounced in Spanish like the letter s.
@cestlaverite I didn't say it's the same z sound as in English. But- maybe it's a dialect/regional thing- s and z, at least to me, are close but not identical. In any event, I've heard Desi's name mangled for decades, generally "Dezzi Arnez" and in fact, on the end credits of at least one I Love Lucy show, I saw, "Wilbur Hatch Conducting the Desi Arnez Orchestra."
@defundthewar , no, this is not dialect or region thing. In no region in either continental Spanish or Latin American Spanish is there a z sound. The "z" sound is a vocalized "s." In Spanish, the there is no vocalization of the "s" in any word; thus, there is no "z" sound in Spanish, anywhere. Period.
Isn't she like a teenager when he tells her "I still love Lucy and he meant you, not the series". She reminds me of a teenager, madly in love with a boy and just finding out he loves her back. Her smile literally goes from ear to ear.
One night during the run of Wildcat, she sat in her dressing room and thought about Desi and she wanted to call him and ask him to come to New York (but she didn't do it). I wonder what would have happened if she had..
Interesting... I know Desi produced Wildcat, so they continued working together professionally. They made some changes in the script because the Wildcat was supposed to be very youthful, and it was evident that Lucy wasn't quite so youthful as she appeared on I Love Lucy. They also created some slapstick elements to please the Lucy fans.
@sosforever It is quite funny, everyone smoked back then, you went to someone's house and they had boxes and crystal dishes full of cigarettes. And alcohol as well, I had a friend who's parents would not let her watch bewitched because they were always drinking, not just drinking, always, "make mine a double.
I really do love lucy and desi!!! there the best and the show is the best!! they dont make them with class anymore!! there loved all around the world and if u dont know about this show or them, then ur not on earth...and thats the truth!!! everybody knows about I love lucy!!!
@redheadonfire2 Same reasons a lot of people divorce...he had affairs, drank to excess but she had things that I'm sure got under his skin too.But up until the day he died...they talked on the phone everyday. He was very protective of her and she of him. Read the book ' Desilu.' It details a lot more. They had good times, bad times but mostly good.
@libralady1010 there was a very touching clip from one of Lucie Arnaz' home movies, a short time before Desi died, with Lucy and Desi in Lucie's swimming pool, playing with one of their grandchildren. The affection and love were always there, it just worked better for them at a distance.
@Jibbie49 , she turned 48 in August 1959. She and Desi filed for divorce seven months later, in March 1960, and two months after that it became final. She didn't turn 49 until 3 months after the divorce became final.
Yes, you could always tell that she loved Desi, heart and soul. I'm always happy to hear how they remained friends after they divorced. Lucy seemed very practical, and to her the divorce was a necessity for her and her kids' survival and happiness, but she seemed protective of Desi's problems that he couldn't be strong enough to overcome. I'm glad she came to realize they were his demons, and not something that was her doing, as occurs in some abusive relationships.
Lucy almost divorced Desi in 1944 and 1949; one reason "I LOVE LUCY' was specificially created was so that they could stay [and work] together. By 1959, however, he was too busy running Desilu (and seeing other women), while she was busy trying to keep from being lonely...the marriage simply unraveled in March 1960. They remained friends, however, right up until his death in 1986.
It was honestly only the stress of business that caused their divorce. It is so obvious that they were still in love after all was said and done. It was so revealing to see each of their faces light up when they were together. It was definitely true love. They are soul-mates, no doubt about it. I bet even now, wherever they may be, they have been reunited, as the true and perfect matches that they are for each other. <3
I hope they'll be back together again when they are resurrected in the new system.(Something we believe will happen soon) They were a beautiful couple, true love certainly can never die. Their faces always lit up when talking about each other even after they divorced. I hope they will get back together in the new world.
Miss Ball was a great actress--Lucy Ricardo was a complete invention because in real life Lucy was a tough, hard bitten veteran. I respect her great performances but what really impresses me is how as President of Desilu that great company produced Desilu: Mission Impossible, Star Trek, Mannix, and the smash hit Desilu movie Yours Mine and Ours. Also believe Desi was the great love of her life.
I LOVE LUCY!!! I personally think she is the greatest actress the world has ever produced. Many may disagree with me, but that's how I picture it. And, in truth, I love Lucy!
That's not accurate. She chose to concentrate on comedy, but her early career in movies probably involved more drama than comedy, and she always got great reviews for her dramatic performances. It's also not accurate to say she was a minor star before TV. She was already a major star before TV; I LOVE LUCY just catapulted her to superstardom. Search Lucille Ball on Googl Nws in the 1930s and '40s. You'll find tons of articles on her from back then, often referring to her as a "big star."
@tezman1990 If it was'nt bacause of lucy and her stardom and only allowing Desi star as her husband on I love lucy, so my point being if it was'nt bacause of Lucy desi would most likely not be known today.
I dont think Lucille Ball was arogant. She was a very nice, giving and funny lady. Back in the you know it was a man's world. Lots of men were cheating back then and women just excepted it. Although I beloved Desi loved her. He was still a skirt chaser. Lucy had to be tough to make back then. I think also she felt obligated to give the public the happy/funny Lucy. I believed she handled a her tough situation with class.
Most people commenting in here are very knowledgeable about Lucy. There has been speculation that Lucy and Desi gave birth to a baby girl in "47 which they gave away for fear of her career derailing. You can google regarding this. I tend to believe it. Her "grand daughter" is trying to get Lucie and Desi jr. to submit to DNA testing but they are refusing. This daughter was killed in 2003. Hit by a bus. Very sad. Who knows anything about this? Anyone?
Yeah, I've heard about that. The story seems pretty far out, and the dates don't line up. Lucy was busy making movies and public appearances during the time she was allegedly pregnant. Besides, how would a her career have been derailed by having a baby given that she had been married seven years by that point? And a year or two later she was trying desperately to have a baby.
One reason they might be refusing to submit to DNA testing is the possibility of unknown offspring of Desi being out in the world. He was known to fool around with a lot of women.
I'm having trouble doing what I'm supposed to because of this woman. She's so fascinating and so loveable I can't seem to leave her to go to work lol
LOVE LUCY ♥
I believe Lucy and Desi are together now. They were soul mates. They never stopped loving each other and I truly believe they are a union now like they always were on Earth. ♥
You wanna see smoking? Type in Bette Davis. Theres a bitch that smokes. She would have sucked down three of them in the time it took for this clip to start and finish. She lived to be 81. Remarkable.
@gordondelma; I know some people who worked with Lucille Ball. No dis to Lucy intended here, but in reality, she was not humble at all. She was an extreme perfectionist; temperamental, arrogant, and extremely demanding.
I don't think she was mean spirited; it's just that Lucille Ball knew her craft to exceptional degrees. She became easily frustrated working with others (scale actors & actresses, technical staff, etc.) who were less versed. Her standards were exceptionally and unbelievably high.
My Bad. It just seemed that way to me, because in interviews in her later life, she just seemed to not take much credit for the shows sucsess. It was Desi, she said.( I still think she was a comedic genius ).
@gordondelma, I agree with you. I just posted my own thoughts about this in response to Outlaw1257. Yes, she was tough on the set and expected perfection from everyone but not, IMO, because she was arrogant, but because she was so insecure and relied on people like Desi, Vivian Vance, Gale Gordon and her writers because she didn't believe enough in herself. An appearance of arrogance is often put on and a cover for deep insecurity.
@vidayverdad2; Arrogance is much like a superiority complex; it's a reflection of one's personal insecurities. Lucy was her most severe critic. I didn't know her, never worked with her, never even met her; so my perspectives are limited to what I've been told.
As I stated, I don't think Lucy was mean spirited; but to those less accomplished people who worked with her (which would include most everyone else; she knew her craft to the very highest degree) she could be very difficult and impatient.
@Outlaw1257, I also know some people who worked with Lucille Ball. I don't know if humble is the proper word, but she certainly seemed had an inferiority complex, which is what made her such a perfectionist on the set: she was terrified of failure. She was hard on others, and equally hard on herself. But when enough people told her she failed at something, she took it to heart (e.g., when critic ravaged MAME, she never made another theatrical feature. When Life with Lucy failed, she gave up TV).
She could never really give herself sufficient credit for her success, because I don't think she fully understood her personal contribution to it. On her success in TV, she'd always point to her writers. On her business success, she would give all the credit to Desi and to great advisors. And whenever she would move on to a new project, whether a TV series or whatever, she ALWAYS brought along with her folks she had already with with before who she trusted. Never had the courage to go it alone.
The reason she always had ppl she trusted was because as you may know, she was HUGE on family (with the desilu ranch parties for her co workers etc.) and to her those ppl were like family.
Lucille didn't become "arrogant" until after the divorce from Desi. While never a door-mat, she was content for him to have control, defered to him, and always gave him credit for the success of "I Love Lucy", which he deserved. He virtually created the format of the situation comedy. After the divorce she became somewhat "harder" and even more of a perfectionist because she felt the sole burden of her career and the pressure to maintain it. And no, she never stopped loving Desi.
Outlaw1275 you are absolutely right on the nose. One of my best friends worked with her back in the 70's and has absolute horror stories to tell about Lucy. Again I in no way say this to dishearten any Lucy fans but she was hard as nails and I guess had to be. A woman in Hollywood running a studio in a man's game back then...she had to rise above the rest. Think Crawford, Davis etc.
Smoking was not deemed as Unhealthy during her time... its not her fault she didnt know it was bad.. Unfortunateley smoking is BAD and maybe thats why she died much too soon. Calling somebody a bitch (especially Lucille Ball) cause they smoked is the most idiotic comment anybody can make... because of your comment you have no idea how many people will hate you.
Right on, my dad smoked until 1982 had been for 40 years, I was around the smoke people did not know it is was bad as it is back then. How rude to call somebody that for anyreason, all of us have fault and not pefect. Let us find the good in everyone and this will be a much better world to live in.
OK, I just got Lucy's autobiography from the library (Love, Lucy, 1964). I haven't finished it, but from what I have read so far, when she was first starting out in show business, her voice was high and squeaky & her voice teacher had her bring it down five tones...I'm going to assume that Lucy Ricardo is her original voice, but her voice became used to the lower tone...that's what I'm guessing...
No, the Lucy Ricardo voice wasn't her original voice. Her voice was already lower by the time she did I LOVE LUCY. Around the time she met Desi, she was doing screaming exercises on the freeway to lower her voice. But when she played Lucy Ricardo years later, she would speak in an unnaturally high pitch, pushing her voice higher, to regain the girlish vocal quality. This practice, which is very hard on the vocal chords, is one of a number of things she did that ultimately damaged her voice.
Oh. Well all I know is what I read in her autobiography...the early years of her life she had a high-pitched squeaky voice. In her early showbiz years like (like, the early 1930s) her voice was high & Ginger Rogers' mother, Lela Rogers, her theatre mentor told her to bring it down five tones...
I heard that she faked the squeaky voice because the three packs of chesterfields a day scratched her voice all up. I love lucy's voice is different than when she is giving interviews etc.
You are right, Lucy has so much talent, nothing like her will come along again, and thats mostly true from all the stars from then, Liz Montgemry, John Wayne, Mary Tyer Moore, back then everybody smoked it seemed like. I miss them all, we still have Mary. You hit it right on. Thanks for the post, my spelling is not the best. but I tried.
If I had to say, the most Itelligent woman even in show business and what talent and she loved her fans. Classy is the perfect word for Lucy. I love lucy.
hey you have the rest of this episode?? i remember her totally roasting elizabeth on this.. they used to have it posted complete... now i can't find it. it's so refreshing to see lucy so candid
She made the most beautiful face when she heard about Desi. True love never dies, love is long and complicated and just because two people have to separate dosent mean it goes away. I think they loved each other till death and they're in heaven somewhere making people laugh. They will always be the greatest T.V couple of all time:)
And to, may I add, there's this wonderful home movie taken by either Lucy Jr. or her husband of Lucy and Desi in the pool, playing with their grandchild...oh you can't fake that kind of love. Desi always said that he always loved Lucy!
When she heard Desi was dieing in 1986 she flew to where he was and was with him until he died. I don't know if you knew that. Now that really says something about Lucy. They never stopped loving each other.
Not exactly true. She visited him in person one day while he was in his final weeks of living. Lucie Arnaz arranged the meeting and Lucy and Desi spent their time watching I Love Lucy on tape. Lucy didn't see him again but did speak with him via phone a couple of days before he died ... ironically that day was the date of what would have been their 46th wedding anniversary, November 30, 1986 ... he died on December 2nd.
Thanks for correcting me, and sharing that with me. I really believe they never stopped loving each other. I wonder when they were alive if they knew the impact of the lives they touched. I come home from a hard or bad day, and put in a I Love Lucy DVD and it takes me back to happier times and they worked very hard to bring us a show each week. Thanks for the memoies Lucy and Desi.
@1969pontiac1 - check out the video called ""Desi Arnaz Today" - Entertainment Tonight (1982)" ... Desi talks about that he still loves Lucy. We have the whole series on DVD and my daughter is wearing them out! She loves them and it gives me comfort that it's "safe" viewing for the kids today : )
This comes to show, how GREAT Lucy was... she did not have to curse or refer to sex to make people laugh... her comedy is UNIVERSAL (intended for everyone) which is why it is just as funny now as it was nearly 60 years ago... todays comedians have got nothing on Lucille Ball... especially the female comedians.. they owe their whole success to Lucy for setting the stage so they can follow
She had a low voice because she said she fell out of a tree when she was young and injured her voice box. Reminds me of when Archie criticized Edith's singing by saying it sounded like someone dropped on her throught when she was a baby.
Lucy's voice became lower over the years as all voices do naturally. Smoking probably made it worse.
@defundthewar Her voice was always low even in the fifties. She would hide it as she was able to speak in a higher register. But it wasn't her natural voice. It was a Lucy voice. If you see her in interviews or other roles you can hear it even 50 years ago.
@defundthewar This was a story I heard her talk about on the Dinah Shore talk Show in the 70s. She said she injured her voice box. Another way to notice it is when she tries to sing.
Actually, defundthewar, her voice in I Love Lucy was not her "normal" voice. She had a deeper voice, even at that time, but pushed her voice to a high pitch when she played Lucy Ricardo because she wanted the character to have more of a girlish quality. But speaking in an unnaturally high voice over a long period of time takes a toll on the vocal chords, as does a lot other abusive things she did when she performed (e.g., improper singing techniques in Wildcat).
I don't know if it's still on youtube, but there was Lucille & Desi at the premiere of A Star Is Born, and Lucy's voice was pretty high. No, folks, please don't tell me that she purposely made her voice high when she was interviewed so she would sound like Lucy, or that she forgot where she was and thought she was doing Lucy. Ball would tell anyone who'd listen that she didn't smoke so much, and "never inhaled." But Lucille & Desi were both victims of smoking, there's no getting around it.
She made her voice deeper, because she was told her voice was really high. So, whenever she drove down a road at full speed, she'd scream and let the wind hit into her throat, which deepened her voice quite a bit.
All that is explained in Desi Arnaz's autobiography
OK, if Desi wrote it, I believe she did it, but not necessarily that it worked. Please watch the Star is Born Premiere where Lucy spoke and cut poor Desi off. I think it's Part 3. It's a great video anyway, sort of a time capsule into 1954. A few folks are still with us, like Doris Day, but few others. Listen how high Lucy's voice is, and how similar it is to her voice on I Love Lucy. My opinion: She was done in by her beloved Philip Morris cigarettes. Period.
@defundthewar - Lucy and Desi were outside and having to project their voices. When you project your voice, your tone naturally goes higher, unless you are purposefully trying to keep it low (try it!). Check out Lucy in a normal speaking voice on What's My Line (look for title "What's My Line" (w/ guest Lucille Ball, Deborah Kerr) 3/3" and you will definitely hear her natural, lower voice. In her autobiography, she specifically says that she used a higher pitch when playing "Lucy Ricardo"
@mkrobinson95 I just watched Lucy on WML (not for the first time), and no, her voice wasn't all that low, and during the part where she asks for charitable donations, toward the end, it is as high as it was on ILL. Now, if you check out Lucy & Desi at the A Star is Born premiere, her voice was as high as it was on ILL, and she certainly didn't attend the premiere as Lucy Ricardo. Sinatra said this: he didn't want to drink water or breathe air. I think Lucy had the same mindset!
@defundthewar - Here is a quote from Lucy, talking about the first ILL filmed after her "red scare" situation in 1953. "My years of rigid self-discipline paid off that night. I lost myself in *Lucy*, and clowned and cavorted without a sign of strain. At the end of the show, the cast came out as usual for a farewell bow. My 'Lucy Ricardo' voice - that high, bubbly, childlike voice - dropped to my normal, low tones. 'God bless you for being so kind,' I told them" [ referring to the audience]
@mkrobinson95 Aside from the Star Is Born premiere where her voice was as high as Lucy Ricardo's, you can check out her voice right here on youtube in The Big Street, or any of her pre-Lucy film work. As much as I loved Lucy as a performer, no, I don't regard her as a great source of information about herself, just as the last person I'd believe about Crawford and Davis would be Crawford and Davis. Let us agree to politely disagree. I believe Lucy's basso profundo was 90% smoke/10% drink.
@defundthewar - I agree that her voice in later years was the result of smoking mostly, but yes, we will have to disagree on this, though it's well documented that she altered her voice for ILL, most obviously during the first few seasons, in my observation.
A fan asked Lucie Arnaz on her website if Lucy really sang "Breezin' Along" in TLLT. Her answer, "That is absolutely my mother's voice in 'Breezin.' I thought they sounded great together in that number. You can tell that when she wasn't having to pretend to have no talent (as Lucy Ricardo) and before all the years of vocal abuse ruined her voice, she was a lovely singer. That 'Lucy' high-pitched, screamy caricature, and decades of smoking destroyed that ability though. Isn't that a shame?"
At least we are keeping it civil! No, I don't believe Lucille as a lovely singer & she was accurate at least once when she said she couldn't sing, dance, or act, so she HAD to be a star. She was not a fine actress, but the best at what she did, 50's screwball ensemble comedy. Watch her in "Mame." It's true she was old & injured, but still... it shows she improved little from experience. Non-singers at MGM were often coached to sing, but Lucy always dubbed... hopeless. But we loved her.
@defundthewar - yes, civility at all costs : ) Speaking of Lucy's singing voice being dubbed ... while at RKO she did a picture called "Dance, Girl, Dance" where she does a number called "The Jitterbug Bite" (it's on youtube). Do you think she's dubbed here? It's sort of a nothing song, not requiring a good singing voice. It sounds like it *could* be her ... so if it's a dub, they picked a good voice to match what hers would presumably sound like. imdb.com doesn't say anything about it.
@mkrobinson95 It is the sort of sing-talking or talk-singing that Marlene Dietrich and some others did. It used to be called "diseur" (male) or "diseuse" (female) style, sort of talking on key. (You could say Yul Brynner and Rex Harrison were exponents of that also.) Yes, I think it's really Lucille Ball performing the audio for the Jitterbug number, not a dub. But in numbers in her films that called for real singing, that was another matter.
@defundthewar Lucy was a fine actress. As they say, comedy is serious business. Performing comedy and making it look effortless as Lucy, or the other greats, requires a tremendous talent. Most "brilliant" dramatic actors have trouble with comedy because it's that difficult to execute.
@ithl123 There's no disputing the old saying, "Dying is easy; comedy is hard." And there's no denying Lucy was a superb comedy technician, totally skilled, and could pull things off no one else could. But that's not exactly the same thing as being a fine actress.
@defundthewar Actually, yes it is... because Lucy wasn't just a "comedian". She was an actress that performed comedy. Which are two entirely different things. I find that in the entertainment industry and also in the general public, actors that perform comedy mostly aren't considered as "credible" as actors that perform mostly in dramatic pieces. As I hinted at earlier, drama is actually the easiest of the two art forms. Most actors will tell you this without hesitation.
@defundthewar I also find that whenever critics want to "gauge" Lucy's abilities as an actor they refer to the dramatic roles she did pre -"Lucy" or the few dramatic pieces she did after ILL. Which confirms what I said, that the industry and people in general consider drama to be the more "credible" form of acting. Which is completely backwards. A gifted comedic actor is usually an adept dramatic actor (which Lucy was). They same usually isn't the case for those that mostly perform in drama.
A good example is this little scene from Auntie Mame and Mame. The very pregnant Gooch says, "I wish I had somebody to look after." Roz Russell, who WAS a fine actress said casually, as Mame, "You will." Lucille Ball wails loudly, "You will!" as Lucy. It's seems like just a little thing, but it's telling. Russell could THINK like Mame, Lucy could not. Speaking of Roz, she was outrageously funny in some of her films, but this didn't cost her respect. Meryl Streep's also adept at both.
@defundthewar What you just described is subjective, depends entirely upon personal taste, and is not a very good example of who a fine actor is and who isn't.
That's comparing performances and giving your opinion about which you preferred. That is however not an example of a fine actor and one that is not.
For instance, I could turn it around and say I preferred how Lucy played that scene and that particular moment as oppose to Rosalind (and I have seen both adaption of the film).
@defundthewar That however wouldn't mean Rosalind wasn't a fine actor...it's just an opinion about a particular performance, more specifically who played a particular moment in a scene better...hence, it not being a good example of who a fine actor and who isn't.
@ithl123 On matters of the arts, there is no right or wrong, as it is in the world of say, mathetmatics or science. And then even in science, there is opinion. For example, I am convinced there is climate change. Yet there are those- generally who cause climate change- who'll say there is no climate change. That said, I appreciate Ball enormously for the hundreds of hours of entertainment she's given me, far more than Russell, whom I find a better actress. I value both.
@defundthewar True, there is no right or wrong when subject concerns the arts. However, I find that most people give more "credibility" to a certain types of actors and acting styles (and it usually involves drama). For instance, the Oscars usually honor and give more attention to dramatic pieces and dramatic actors. Usually a comedic actor has to do something dramatic before they are taken "seriously" and considered to be "great actors" in the industry and by the public.... it's unfortunate.
@defundthewar - I know we don't agree, but I just wanted to provide that last quote from Lucie Arnaz, whom I'm sure you will disregard as well : ) See you on another thread defund
. . . and because she used loud voice projection when performing her shows (playing to the back rows of the studio audience); and because she used improper singing techniques in Wildcat and Mame; and because she spoke in an unnaturally high pitch on I Love Lucy; and because early in her career she did screaming exercises to deepen her voice; and because she never gave her voice a rest because she performed every role on the set (actor, director, producer), which required her to talk constantly.
Lucy Ball was honored by the Kennedy Center in Washington right after Desi's death...and Robert Stack read a letter that Desi wrote just before he died to be read at the gala...he said..."To Me I Love Lucy was not the name of a TV show, I love you Lucy" the audience gasped...they were the true great loves of each others lives.
Yes, in an interview from 1982 with Entertainment Tonight (when ET was legitimate haha). It's posted on YouTube. Desi says something like, "We're still very close, we talk on the phone 2 or 3 times every other week. I still love her very much." Do you know of any others?
Actually, Desi did not write those lines for Lucy's Kennedy Center Honors night ... rather, this is an excerpt from his autobiography "A Book", published in 1976. He also made this comment several times when being interviewed.
Sometimes we wonder...they made it 20 years...but I think it was circumstances. If Desilu hadn't grown to the size it had, and demanded so much time, and energy, I think maybe they would have made it through.
Desi started drinking alot and he was tired from ovrworking on I Love Lucy and that started alot of arguments and he was a womanizer. That is what he said happened.
Desi Threw himself into working hard he also was a womenizer and he did drink. Lucy was a very strong willed person the day after the last Lucy Desi Comdey hour aired she filed for Divorce. They still remained clos friends. he even directed the pilot of her 2 t.v. show. The Lucy Show.
Class act
feriwarlock 5 hours ago
I wish i could go back in time & made Lucy & Desi stay married & make it work & don't have any problems. They were always married in a way. I'd do anything to change the past so they would stay married forever. They were always in love. They are together in heaven & will be forever. Also she had the same high voice in The Long Long Trailer & Forever Darling & when her & Desi appeared together on What's My Line she had her high voice.
ilovelucyfan7 2 weeks ago
@ilovelucyfan7, In "The Long Long Trailer"& "Forever Darling," Lucille Ball was acting, playing characters similar to Lucy Ricardo. She was not being herself. (Duh.) She was playing young newlyweds, when she herself was over 40. She rarely spoke in her natural voice in public during those years, and if you had read much about I Love Lucy, you would know she played that character speaking in a higher voice than her own to try to sound younger.
RememberingLucy 1 week ago
@ilovelucyfan7 , also, Desi wrote in his autobiography that early in their marriage she did screaming exercises in the car to deepen her voice because Katharine Hepburn had told her it was too high. By the time of "I Love Lucy," she'd been smoking for about 25 years. All this, plus 5 days a week, 30 weeks a year, rehearsing for I Love Lucy with that unnatural voice all took a toll. Plus, Keith Andes said she destroyed it further in Wildcat by not projecting properly when she sang.
RememberingLucy 1 week ago
Her voice is so different!
ilovetodance821 3 months ago
They are probably together now :)
woah455 6 months ago
R.I.P desi and lucille
DethMetalDoll 7 months ago
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@defundthewar , apparently I typed that last comment when I was tired. It should have read: "I did not say the Spanish "s" is pronounced the same way everywhere; I simply said it was never pronounced like an "z" ANYWHERE. Your suggestion was that in some regions the "s" might have a "z" sound. I said that's not true and I stand by that: it's not true." That's consistent with what I was saying previously. Desi Arnaz is pronounced Dessi Arrr-nahs.
cestlaverite 7 months ago
they were a great couple as married people and on movies .. R.I.P to of them ..
we miss them.
dukk77777 8 months ago
who was sitting next to her was it Desi
2012leandra 8 months ago in playlist I Love Lucy 2
who is the host?
jozylyn 10 months ago
who is the host?
jozylyn 10 months ago
@jozylyn , Irv Kupcinet
Richii2 10 months ago
did you see the clips of Desi and Lucy in the pool playing with their grandchild...it was so touching...
sp8211a 1 year ago
They are truly soulmates. They had hard times which lead to a divorce but Id say they are together now. Shame now everytime you hear about a divorce that one person loses millions and the media harps on it FOREVER.
DeadSleepers 1 year ago
You can sense the strong bond Lucy still had with Desi even though they divorced. The way she smiled when Johnny told him what Desi said in his book about her. She smiled from eat-to-ear. They were the best.
szqsk8 1 year ago
@szqsk8 , Johnny?
rachelazw 1 year ago
Divorce is a dirty word....lol Please should be deleted from the American dictionary
and everyday life. Write congress and let them know about your anti-divorce laws...lol
jpsmart59 1 year ago
"I Still Love Lucy" :) 4 words that have already brightened my day
LovinxoxoLife 1 year ago
oh my you could tell lucy was sick. her voice is much deeper
popprincess6253 1 year ago
Lucy truly was a class act.
davidls11 1 year ago
i think she always loved desi
bvg83 1 year ago 4
Until someone pointed it out to me, I never noticed that she pronounced Desi's first name with an "s" sound, instead of a "z" sound (like almost everyone else does). "Dessi" must have been the correct way to say it, not "Dezzi."
fidelio1980 1 year ago
Comment removed
cestlaverite 1 year ago
@fidelio1980 , correct. There is no "z" sound in Spanish. Also, people mispronounce his last name, Arnaz, as well. Non-Spanish speakers are always pronouncing it "ahr-nez" when it's really "ahrrr-nahs" There is no "e" sound in his last name, and no "z" sound, either.
cestlaverite 1 year ago
@cestlaverite Of course Spanish has a z sound. La Paz. Azul. Venezuela. But it's true most Anglos made hash out of Desi's name.
defundthewar 8 months ago
@defundthewar , no, Spanish does NOT have a "z" sound. They have the letter z, but it's NEVER pronounced like we pronounce a z in English. The "z" in La Paz, Azul and Venezuela is pronounced in Spanish like the letter s.
cestlaverite 7 months ago
@cestlaverite I didn't say it's the same z sound as in English. But- maybe it's a dialect/regional thing- s and z, at least to me, are close but not identical. In any event, I've heard Desi's name mangled for decades, generally "Dezzi Arnez" and in fact, on the end credits of at least one I Love Lucy show, I saw, "Wilbur Hatch Conducting the Desi Arnez Orchestra."
defundthewar 7 months ago
@defundthewar , no, this is not dialect or region thing. In no region in either continental Spanish or Latin American Spanish is there a z sound. The "z" sound is a vocalized "s." In Spanish, the there is no vocalization of the "s" in any word; thus, there is no "z" sound in Spanish, anywhere. Period.
cestlaverite 7 months ago
great vid
Dean1806 1 year ago
If divorces have to happen, it should be done with this amount of grace and respect for the other person.
JBmiddleOFnoWHERE 1 year ago 35
Isn't she like a teenager when he tells her "I still love Lucy and he meant you, not the series". She reminds me of a teenager, madly in love with a boy and just finding out he loves her back. Her smile literally goes from ear to ear.
One night during the run of Wildcat, she sat in her dressing room and thought about Desi and she wanted to call him and ask him to come to New York (but she didn't do it). I wonder what would have happened if she had..
misswings83 1 year ago 15
@misswings83
Interesting... I know Desi produced Wildcat, so they continued working together professionally. They made some changes in the script because the Wildcat was supposed to be very youthful, and it was evident that Lucy wasn't quite so youthful as she appeared on I Love Lucy. They also created some slapstick elements to please the Lucy fans.
whewfan 1 year ago
@misswings83 awwww, i love getting the behind-the-scenes info. i hope they both came to know just how much they still meant to each other.
meetdiamond 11 months ago
HaPpY BiRtHdAy LUCiLLE BALL born on this day (6th Aug) in 1911 ~ 1989 R.i.P & HERE'S LUCY:
MERVskilton 1 year ago
don't smoke or you'll voice will get bad..poor lucy. i love her but she shouldn't have smoked (although everyone smoked back then)
sosforever 1 year ago
@sosforever I couldn´t agree more ! It´s really sad !
intrepidame 1 year ago
@sosforever It is quite funny, everyone smoked back then, you went to someone's house and they had boxes and crystal dishes full of cigarettes. And alcohol as well, I had a friend who's parents would not let her watch bewitched because they were always drinking, not just drinking, always, "make mine a double.
RobNLynchburgVA 1 year ago
I really do love lucy and desi!!! there the best and the show is the best!! they dont make them with class anymore!! there loved all around the world and if u dont know about this show or them, then ur not on earth...and thats the truth!!! everybody knows about I love lucy!!!
MURA1243 1 year ago
Lucy is brilliant and her star will always shine in the fermiment
jnmklo9 1 year ago
@killbillrules Harrison Ford is 68. I am pretty sure this is a joke post.
Fluttercry 1 year ago
@killbillrules That's really dumb. Lucille Ball would be like 99. a lot of nonsmokers die by the time they are 99.
Fluttercry 1 year ago
why did they divorce?
redheadonfire2 1 year ago
@redheadonfire2 Same reasons a lot of people divorce...he had affairs, drank to excess but she had things that I'm sure got under his skin too.But up until the day he died...they talked on the phone everyday. He was very protective of her and she of him. Read the book ' Desilu.' It details a lot more. They had good times, bad times but mostly good.
libralady1010 1 year ago
@libralady1010 there was a very touching clip from one of Lucie Arnaz' home movies, a short time before Desi died, with Lucy and Desi in Lucie's swimming pool, playing with one of their grandchildren. The affection and love were always there, it just worked better for them at a distance.
mthivier 1 year ago 3
@libralady1010
you are so right . I read the book too.
mseti1 1 year ago
@cracksoup
Are you talking about Lucile Ball because I believe she had 2 or 3 children....
superfanfrom94 1 year ago
She adored Desi and loved him. He lived in her guest cottage many years later after she remarried.
Jayla60 1 year ago
I TRULY BELIEVE THEY LOVED EACH OTHER UNTIL THEY DIED. I LOVED I LOVE LUCY.
lori5288 1 year ago
God I miss that amazing lady.
GoldwingQueen1 1 year ago
Who's the other woman they show on the panel?? Is that Elizabeth Ashely?
1Th1617 1 year ago
how old was lucille ball when she divorce desi??
terlos07 1 year ago
@terlos07 , 48.
rachelazw 1 year ago
@terlos07 She was born in 1911, married him in 1940 and divorced him in 1960 at age 49. He was 6 yrs younger than her. She was SO beautiful.
Jibbie49 1 year ago
@Jibbie49 , she turned 48 in August 1959. She and Desi filed for divorce seven months later, in March 1960, and two months after that it became final. She didn't turn 49 until 3 months after the divorce became final.
rachelazw 1 year ago
where did you find this video i would love to see the rest of it?
jane441995 1 year ago
Yes, you could always tell that she loved Desi, heart and soul. I'm always happy to hear how they remained friends after they divorced. Lucy seemed very practical, and to her the divorce was a necessity for her and her kids' survival and happiness, but she seemed protective of Desi's problems that he couldn't be strong enough to overcome. I'm glad she came to realize they were his demons, and not something that was her doing, as occurs in some abusive relationships.
italoman9 1 year ago
Lucy almost divorced Desi in 1944 and 1949; one reason "I LOVE LUCY' was specificially created was so that they could stay [and work] together. By 1959, however, he was too busy running Desilu (and seeing other women), while she was busy trying to keep from being lonely...the marriage simply unraveled in March 1960. They remained friends, however, right up until his death in 1986.
fromthesidelines 1 year ago
@killbillrules because people did not know the bad habits of cigarette smoke until the late 70's genius
TRESBELA 1 year ago
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I WANNA DIG HER UP AND EAT HER OUT
Phokhotic 1 year ago
It was honestly only the stress of business that caused their divorce. It is so obvious that they were still in love after all was said and done. It was so revealing to see each of their faces light up when they were together. It was definitely true love. They are soul-mates, no doubt about it. I bet even now, wherever they may be, they have been reunited, as the true and perfect matches that they are for each other. <3
VidGiRL221 1 year ago
That smile at 1:36 is so revealing. It just says it all. They never got over each other.
misswings83 1 year ago 2
I hope they'll be back together again when they are resurrected in the new system.(Something we believe will happen soon) They were a beautiful couple, true love certainly can never die. Their faces always lit up when talking about each other even after they divorced. I hope they will get back together in the new world.
ChandlerandMonica83 1 year ago
Agree with blybeardgo!
ChandlerandMonica83 1 year ago
Classy Lady...We All Love Lucy...!!!
xanadu77 1 year ago
Miss Ball was a great actress--Lucy Ricardo was a complete invention because in real life Lucy was a tough, hard bitten veteran. I respect her great performances but what really impresses me is how as President of Desilu that great company produced Desilu: Mission Impossible, Star Trek, Mannix, and the smash hit Desilu movie Yours Mine and Ours. Also believe Desi was the great love of her life.
ToughXArmy69 1 year ago
Mitt Will be the Next PresiDent of the U S A.......
FireYourJOB 1 year ago
Both Desi and Lucy were great actors separately. However, their personalities and talent made them amazing together.
-A I Love Lucy Fan
Aeidial17 1 year ago
I LOVE LUCY!!! I personally think she is the greatest actress the world has ever produced. Many may disagree with me, but that's how I picture it. And, in truth, I love Lucy!
jesusluv1996 1 year ago 4
She was a comedienne NOT a real actress. And in any case if it wasn't for Desi, she would have only been a minor tsar. B Grade.
tezman1990 1 year ago
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That's not accurate. She chose to concentrate on comedy, but her early career in movies probably involved more drama than comedy, and she always got great reviews for her dramatic performances. It's also not accurate to say she was a minor star before TV. She was already a major star before TV; I LOVE LUCY just catapulted her to superstardom. Search Lucille Ball on Googl Nws in the 1930s and '40s. You'll find tons of articles on her from back then, often referring to her as a "big star."
vieetverite 1 year ago 4
@tezman1990 she was in like 50 dramatic movies. She was multi talented.
Fluttercry 1 year ago
@tezman1990 If it was'nt bacause of lucy and her stardom and only allowing Desi star as her husband on I love lucy, so my point being if it was'nt bacause of Lucy desi would most likely not be known today.
tyler5wy1 1 year ago
I dont think Lucille Ball was arogant. She was a very nice, giving and funny lady. Back in the you know it was a man's world. Lots of men were cheating back then and women just excepted it. Although I beloved Desi loved her. He was still a skirt chaser. Lucy had to be tough to make back then. I think also she felt obligated to give the public the happy/funny Lucy. I believed she handled a her tough situation with class.
AndreaClark1973 1 year ago 5
Most people commenting in here are very knowledgeable about Lucy. There has been speculation that Lucy and Desi gave birth to a baby girl in "47 which they gave away for fear of her career derailing. You can google regarding this. I tend to believe it. Her "grand daughter" is trying to get Lucie and Desi jr. to submit to DNA testing but they are refusing. This daughter was killed in 2003. Hit by a bus. Very sad. Who knows anything about this? Anyone?
sitedezynz 1 year ago
Yeah, I've heard about that. The story seems pretty far out, and the dates don't line up. Lucy was busy making movies and public appearances during the time she was allegedly pregnant. Besides, how would a her career have been derailed by having a baby given that she had been married seven years by that point? And a year or two later she was trying desperately to have a baby.
vidayverdad2 1 year ago
One reason they might be refusing to submit to DNA testing is the possibility of unknown offspring of Desi being out in the world. He was known to fool around with a lot of women.
vidayverdad2 1 year ago
I'm having trouble doing what I'm supposed to because of this woman. She's so fascinating and so loveable I can't seem to leave her to go to work lol
LOVE LUCY ♥
I believe Lucy and Desi are together now. They were soul mates. They never stopped loving each other and I truly believe they are a union now like they always were on Earth. ♥
misswings83 1 year ago 30
Well not a whore...considering she was a virgin when she married her first husband, but anyway...
itsjustme2919 1 year ago
You wanna see smoking? Type in Bette Davis. Theres a bitch that smokes. She would have sucked down three of them in the time it took for this clip to start and finish. She lived to be 81. Remarkable.
itsjustme2919 1 year ago
@killbillrules She would be 99 years old this year and the least of her worries would be smoking.
kimmieanne1 2 years ago 6
Lucille Ball was one of the most humble stars in history!!
gordondelma 2 years ago
@gordondelma; I know some people who worked with Lucille Ball. No dis to Lucy intended here, but in reality, she was not humble at all. She was an extreme perfectionist; temperamental, arrogant, and extremely demanding.
I don't think she was mean spirited; it's just that Lucille Ball knew her craft to exceptional degrees. She became easily frustrated working with others (scale actors & actresses, technical staff, etc.) who were less versed. Her standards were exceptionally and unbelievably high.
Outlaw1257 1 year ago 2
My Bad. It just seemed that way to me, because in interviews in her later life, she just seemed to not take much credit for the shows sucsess. It was Desi, she said.( I still think she was a comedic genius ).
gordondelma 1 year ago
@gordondelma, I agree with you. I just posted my own thoughts about this in response to Outlaw1257. Yes, she was tough on the set and expected perfection from everyone but not, IMO, because she was arrogant, but because she was so insecure and relied on people like Desi, Vivian Vance, Gale Gordon and her writers because she didn't believe enough in herself. An appearance of arrogance is often put on and a cover for deep insecurity.
vidayverdad2 1 year ago
@vidayverdad2; Arrogance is much like a superiority complex; it's a reflection of one's personal insecurities. Lucy was her most severe critic. I didn't know her, never worked with her, never even met her; so my perspectives are limited to what I've been told.
As I stated, I don't think Lucy was mean spirited; but to those less accomplished people who worked with her (which would include most everyone else; she knew her craft to the very highest degree) she could be very difficult and impatient.
Outlaw1257 1 year ago
@gordondelma; No "bad" on your part at all!! There was a very loving side of Lucy as well. I think Desi Arnaz summed up their relationship so well.
He once said that "Lucy is the only woman I've ever known who could make me want to make love to her, and laugh, all at the same time".
Outlaw1257 1 year ago
@Outlaw1257, I also know some people who worked with Lucille Ball. I don't know if humble is the proper word, but she certainly seemed had an inferiority complex, which is what made her such a perfectionist on the set: she was terrified of failure. She was hard on others, and equally hard on herself. But when enough people told her she failed at something, she took it to heart (e.g., when critic ravaged MAME, she never made another theatrical feature. When Life with Lucy failed, she gave up TV).
vidayverdad2 1 year ago
She could never really give herself sufficient credit for her success, because I don't think she fully understood her personal contribution to it. On her success in TV, she'd always point to her writers. On her business success, she would give all the credit to Desi and to great advisors. And whenever she would move on to a new project, whether a TV series or whatever, she ALWAYS brought along with her folks she had already with with before who she trusted. Never had the courage to go it alone.
vidayverdad2 1 year ago
The reason she always had ppl she trusted was because as you may know, she was HUGE on family (with the desilu ranch parties for her co workers etc.) and to her those ppl were like family.
caloscalante1518 1 year ago
Lucille didn't become "arrogant" until after the divorce from Desi. While never a door-mat, she was content for him to have control, defered to him, and always gave him credit for the success of "I Love Lucy", which he deserved. He virtually created the format of the situation comedy. After the divorce she became somewhat "harder" and even more of a perfectionist because she felt the sole burden of her career and the pressure to maintain it. And no, she never stopped loving Desi.
mark121959 1 year ago 4
Outlaw1275 you are absolutely right on the nose. One of my best friends worked with her back in the 70's and has absolute horror stories to tell about Lucy. Again I in no way say this to dishearten any Lucy fans but she was hard as nails and I guess had to be. A woman in Hollywood running a studio in a man's game back then...she had to rise above the rest. Think Crawford, Davis etc.
sitedezynz 1 year ago
@Outlaw1257 Who do you know that worked with her?
Fluttercry 1 year ago
aw its such ashame that they split up! at least we know that they really always did love eachother :)
sugarlipz96 2 years ago 4
why?
dpisceslady 2 years ago
Smoking was not deemed as Unhealthy during her time... its not her fault she didnt know it was bad.. Unfortunateley smoking is BAD and maybe thats why she died much too soon. Calling somebody a bitch (especially Lucille Ball) cause they smoked is the most idiotic comment anybody can make... because of your comment you have no idea how many people will hate you.
caloscalante1518 2 years ago 6
Right on, my dad smoked until 1982 had been for 40 years, I was around the smoke people did not know it is was bad as it is back then. How rude to call somebody that for anyreason, all of us have fault and not pefect. Let us find the good in everyone and this will be a much better world to live in.
1969pontiac1 2 years ago
May I ask WHY you think that about Lucille Ball?? Man you sure are ignorant
caloscalante1518 2 years ago 2
OK, I just got Lucy's autobiography from the library (Love, Lucy, 1964). I haven't finished it, but from what I have read so far, when she was first starting out in show business, her voice was high and squeaky & her voice teacher had her bring it down five tones...I'm going to assume that Lucy Ricardo is her original voice, but her voice became used to the lower tone...that's what I'm guessing...
awarren92 2 years ago
No, the Lucy Ricardo voice wasn't her original voice. Her voice was already lower by the time she did I LOVE LUCY. Around the time she met Desi, she was doing screaming exercises on the freeway to lower her voice. But when she played Lucy Ricardo years later, she would speak in an unnaturally high pitch, pushing her voice higher, to regain the girlish vocal quality. This practice, which is very hard on the vocal chords, is one of a number of things she did that ultimately damaged her voice.
rachelazw 2 years ago
Oh. Well all I know is what I read in her autobiography...the early years of her life she had a high-pitched squeaky voice. In her early showbiz years like (like, the early 1930s) her voice was high & Ginger Rogers' mother, Lela Rogers, her theatre mentor told her to bring it down five tones...
awarren92 2 years ago
I heard that she faked the squeaky voice because the three packs of chesterfields a day scratched her voice all up. I love lucy's voice is different than when she is giving interviews etc.
itsjustme2919 1 year ago
good god - what a bunch of judgemental people out there. a generation of judgemental , overly opinionated [ and not very educated ] whiners.
people used to smoke. a lot. it was considered normal.
surely the most important thing about lucille ball was her talent! no?
sglynch 2 years ago 5
You are right, Lucy has so much talent, nothing like her will come along again, and thats mostly true from all the stars from then, Liz Montgemry, John Wayne, Mary Tyer Moore, back then everybody smoked it seemed like. I miss them all, we still have Mary. You hit it right on. Thanks for the post, my spelling is not the best. but I tried.
1969pontiac1 2 years ago
Very very Realistic and Itelligent Woman with incredible Business Savvy! First to ever own a Motion Picture Studio. She is one classy Woman
NFitalianGuy 2 years ago 34
If I had to say, the most Itelligent woman even in show business and what talent and she loved her fans. Classy is the perfect word for Lucy. I love lucy.
1969pontiac1 2 years ago 3
hey you have the rest of this episode?? i remember her totally roasting elizabeth on this.. they used to have it posted complete... now i can't find it. it's so refreshing to see lucy so candid
coffeecub 2 years ago
She made the most beautiful face when she heard about Desi. True love never dies, love is long and complicated and just because two people have to separate dosent mean it goes away. I think they loved each other till death and they're in heaven somewhere making people laugh. They will always be the greatest T.V couple of all time:)
blubeardgo 2 years ago 66
And to, may I add, there's this wonderful home movie taken by either Lucy Jr. or her husband of Lucy and Desi in the pool, playing with their grandchild...oh you can't fake that kind of love. Desi always said that he always loved Lucy!
damone77 2 years ago 4
Desi also said " I Love Lucy was NEVER just a title" nuff said.
caloscalante1518 2 years ago 5
When she heard Desi was dieing in 1986 she flew to where he was and was with him until he died. I don't know if you knew that. Now that really says something about Lucy. They never stopped loving each other.
1969pontiac1 2 years ago 4
Not exactly true. She visited him in person one day while he was in his final weeks of living. Lucie Arnaz arranged the meeting and Lucy and Desi spent their time watching I Love Lucy on tape. Lucy didn't see him again but did speak with him via phone a couple of days before he died ... ironically that day was the date of what would have been their 46th wedding anniversary, November 30, 1986 ... he died on December 2nd.
mkrobinson95 1 year ago 2
Thanks for correcting me, and sharing that with me. I really believe they never stopped loving each other. I wonder when they were alive if they knew the impact of the lives they touched. I come home from a hard or bad day, and put in a I Love Lucy DVD and it takes me back to happier times and they worked very hard to bring us a show each week. Thanks for the memoies Lucy and Desi.
1969pontiac1 1 year ago 2
@1969pontiac1 - check out the video called ""Desi Arnaz Today" - Entertainment Tonight (1982)" ... Desi talks about that he still loves Lucy. We have the whole series on DVD and my daughter is wearing them out! She loves them and it gives me comfort that it's "safe" viewing for the kids today : )
mkrobinson95 1 year ago
This comes to show, how GREAT Lucy was... she did not have to curse or refer to sex to make people laugh... her comedy is UNIVERSAL (intended for everyone) which is why it is just as funny now as it was nearly 60 years ago... todays comedians have got nothing on Lucille Ball... especially the female comedians.. they owe their whole success to Lucy for setting the stage so they can follow
caloscalante1518 1 year ago 3
@caloscalante1518 agreed. it's such good quality compared to a majority of tv today.
emms25 1 year ago
@blubeardgo Amen! =D
brunettesdoitbettr 1 year ago
@blubeardgo That´s such a beautiful thought ! God bless you !
intrepidame 1 year ago
@blubeardgo Totally agree with you!! My perfect heaven involves them together again, this time forever. :D
maniandpink 1 year ago
Wow, Lucy's "thank you" says it all. Even then, they were still in love.
Sage1217 2 years ago 6
She had a low voice because she said she fell out of a tree when she was young and injured her voice box. Reminds me of when Archie criticized Edith's singing by saying it sounded like someone dropped on her throught when she was a baby.
Lucy's voice became lower over the years as all voices do naturally. Smoking probably made it worse.
dachille1 2 years ago
How could a childhood injury show up decades later? In I Love Lucy, her voice was normal, even a bit on the high side.
But yes, the natural lowering of the voice with time makes sense, as does the smoking.
defundthewar 2 years ago
@defundthewar Her voice was always low even in the fifties. She would hide it as she was able to speak in a higher register. But it wasn't her natural voice. It was a Lucy voice. If you see her in interviews or other roles you can hear it even 50 years ago.
dachille1 2 years ago 3
@defundthewar This was a story I heard her talk about on the Dinah Shore talk Show in the 70s. She said she injured her voice box. Another way to notice it is when she tries to sing.
dachille1 2 years ago
Actually, defundthewar, her voice in I Love Lucy was not her "normal" voice. She had a deeper voice, even at that time, but pushed her voice to a high pitch when she played Lucy Ricardo because she wanted the character to have more of a girlish quality. But speaking in an unnaturally high voice over a long period of time takes a toll on the vocal chords, as does a lot other abusive things she did when she performed (e.g., improper singing techniques in Wildcat).
vidayverdad2 2 years ago
I don't know if it's still on youtube, but there was Lucille & Desi at the premiere of A Star Is Born, and Lucy's voice was pretty high. No, folks, please don't tell me that she purposely made her voice high when she was interviewed so she would sound like Lucy, or that she forgot where she was and thought she was doing Lucy. Ball would tell anyone who'd listen that she didn't smoke so much, and "never inhaled." But Lucille & Desi were both victims of smoking, there's no getting around it.
defundthewar 2 years ago 3
There's a clip of Lucy on What's My Line in 1954 and her voice is low.
vidayverdad2 2 years ago 2
She made her voice deeper, because she was told her voice was really high. So, whenever she drove down a road at full speed, she'd scream and let the wind hit into her throat, which deepened her voice quite a bit.
All that is explained in Desi Arnaz's autobiography
OohcoolProductions 2 years ago
OK, if Desi wrote it, I believe she did it, but not necessarily that it worked. Please watch the Star is Born Premiere where Lucy spoke and cut poor Desi off. I think it's Part 3. It's a great video anyway, sort of a time capsule into 1954. A few folks are still with us, like Doris Day, but few others. Listen how high Lucy's voice is, and how similar it is to her voice on I Love Lucy. My opinion: She was done in by her beloved Philip Morris cigarettes. Period.
defundthewar 2 years ago
@defundthewar - Lucy and Desi were outside and having to project their voices. When you project your voice, your tone naturally goes higher, unless you are purposefully trying to keep it low (try it!). Check out Lucy in a normal speaking voice on What's My Line (look for title "What's My Line" (w/ guest Lucille Ball, Deborah Kerr) 3/3" and you will definitely hear her natural, lower voice. In her autobiography, she specifically says that she used a higher pitch when playing "Lucy Ricardo"
mkrobinson95 1 year ago
@mkrobinson95 I just watched Lucy on WML (not for the first time), and no, her voice wasn't all that low, and during the part where she asks for charitable donations, toward the end, it is as high as it was on ILL. Now, if you check out Lucy & Desi at the A Star is Born premiere, her voice was as high as it was on ILL, and she certainly didn't attend the premiere as Lucy Ricardo. Sinatra said this: he didn't want to drink water or breathe air. I think Lucy had the same mindset!
defundthewar 1 year ago
@defundthewar - Here is a quote from Lucy, talking about the first ILL filmed after her "red scare" situation in 1953. "My years of rigid self-discipline paid off that night. I lost myself in *Lucy*, and clowned and cavorted without a sign of strain. At the end of the show, the cast came out as usual for a farewell bow. My 'Lucy Ricardo' voice - that high, bubbly, childlike voice - dropped to my normal, low tones. 'God bless you for being so kind,' I told them" [ referring to the audience]
mkrobinson95 1 year ago
@mkrobinson95 Aside from the Star Is Born premiere where her voice was as high as Lucy Ricardo's, you can check out her voice right here on youtube in The Big Street, or any of her pre-Lucy film work. As much as I loved Lucy as a performer, no, I don't regard her as a great source of information about herself, just as the last person I'd believe about Crawford and Davis would be Crawford and Davis. Let us agree to politely disagree. I believe Lucy's basso profundo was 90% smoke/10% drink.
defundthewar 1 year ago
@defundthewar - I agree that her voice in later years was the result of smoking mostly, but yes, we will have to disagree on this, though it's well documented that she altered her voice for ILL, most obviously during the first few seasons, in my observation.
mkrobinson95 1 year ago
A fan asked Lucie Arnaz on her website if Lucy really sang "Breezin' Along" in TLLT. Her answer, "That is absolutely my mother's voice in 'Breezin.' I thought they sounded great together in that number. You can tell that when she wasn't having to pretend to have no talent (as Lucy Ricardo) and before all the years of vocal abuse ruined her voice, she was a lovely singer. That 'Lucy' high-pitched, screamy caricature, and decades of smoking destroyed that ability though. Isn't that a shame?"
mkrobinson95 1 year ago
At least we are keeping it civil! No, I don't believe Lucille as a lovely singer & she was accurate at least once when she said she couldn't sing, dance, or act, so she HAD to be a star. She was not a fine actress, but the best at what she did, 50's screwball ensemble comedy. Watch her in "Mame." It's true she was old & injured, but still... it shows she improved little from experience. Non-singers at MGM were often coached to sing, but Lucy always dubbed... hopeless. But we loved her.
defundthewar 1 year ago
@defundthewar - yes, civility at all costs : ) Speaking of Lucy's singing voice being dubbed ... while at RKO she did a picture called "Dance, Girl, Dance" where she does a number called "The Jitterbug Bite" (it's on youtube). Do you think she's dubbed here? It's sort of a nothing song, not requiring a good singing voice. It sounds like it *could* be her ... so if it's a dub, they picked a good voice to match what hers would presumably sound like. imdb.com doesn't say anything about it.
mkrobinson95 11 months ago
@mkrobinson95 It is the sort of sing-talking or talk-singing that Marlene Dietrich and some others did. It used to be called "diseur" (male) or "diseuse" (female) style, sort of talking on key. (You could say Yul Brynner and Rex Harrison were exponents of that also.) Yes, I think it's really Lucille Ball performing the audio for the Jitterbug number, not a dub. But in numbers in her films that called for real singing, that was another matter.
defundthewar 11 months ago
@defundthewar Lucy was a fine actress. As they say, comedy is serious business. Performing comedy and making it look effortless as Lucy, or the other greats, requires a tremendous talent. Most "brilliant" dramatic actors have trouble with comedy because it's that difficult to execute.
ithl123 8 months ago
@ithl123 There's no disputing the old saying, "Dying is easy; comedy is hard." And there's no denying Lucy was a superb comedy technician, totally skilled, and could pull things off no one else could. But that's not exactly the same thing as being a fine actress.
defundthewar 8 months ago
@defundthewar Actually, yes it is... because Lucy wasn't just a "comedian". She was an actress that performed comedy. Which are two entirely different things. I find that in the entertainment industry and also in the general public, actors that perform comedy mostly aren't considered as "credible" as actors that perform mostly in dramatic pieces. As I hinted at earlier, drama is actually the easiest of the two art forms. Most actors will tell you this without hesitation.
ithl123 8 months ago
@defundthewar I also find that whenever critics want to "gauge" Lucy's abilities as an actor they refer to the dramatic roles she did pre -"Lucy" or the few dramatic pieces she did after ILL. Which confirms what I said, that the industry and people in general consider drama to be the more "credible" form of acting. Which is completely backwards. A gifted comedic actor is usually an adept dramatic actor (which Lucy was). They same usually isn't the case for those that mostly perform in drama.
ithl123 8 months ago
A good example is this little scene from Auntie Mame and Mame. The very pregnant Gooch says, "I wish I had somebody to look after." Roz Russell, who WAS a fine actress said casually, as Mame, "You will." Lucille Ball wails loudly, "You will!" as Lucy. It's seems like just a little thing, but it's telling. Russell could THINK like Mame, Lucy could not. Speaking of Roz, she was outrageously funny in some of her films, but this didn't cost her respect. Meryl Streep's also adept at both.
defundthewar 8 months ago
@defundthewar What you just described is subjective, depends entirely upon personal taste, and is not a very good example of who a fine actor is and who isn't.
That's comparing performances and giving your opinion about which you preferred. That is however not an example of a fine actor and one that is not.
For instance, I could turn it around and say I preferred how Lucy played that scene and that particular moment as oppose to Rosalind (and I have seen both adaption of the film).
ithl123 8 months ago
@defundthewar That however wouldn't mean Rosalind wasn't a fine actor...it's just an opinion about a particular performance, more specifically who played a particular moment in a scene better...hence, it not being a good example of who a fine actor and who isn't.
ithl123 8 months ago
@ithl123 On matters of the arts, there is no right or wrong, as it is in the world of say, mathetmatics or science. And then even in science, there is opinion. For example, I am convinced there is climate change. Yet there are those- generally who cause climate change- who'll say there is no climate change. That said, I appreciate Ball enormously for the hundreds of hours of entertainment she's given me, far more than Russell, whom I find a better actress. I value both.
defundthewar 8 months ago
@defundthewar True, there is no right or wrong when subject concerns the arts. However, I find that most people give more "credibility" to a certain types of actors and acting styles (and it usually involves drama). For instance, the Oscars usually honor and give more attention to dramatic pieces and dramatic actors. Usually a comedic actor has to do something dramatic before they are taken "seriously" and considered to be "great actors" in the industry and by the public.... it's unfortunate.
ithl123 8 months ago
@defundthewar - I know we don't agree, but I just wanted to provide that last quote from Lucie Arnaz, whom I'm sure you will disregard as well : ) See you on another thread defund
mkrobinson95 1 year ago
She still loved him, she didn't deny it in that interview.
tlf243 2 years ago 10
I agree, Lucy's tone when she said "thank-you" tells all.
EmmaLoveJen 2 years ago 6
Her voice deepened though the years because she was a heavy smoker
alliecat1941 2 years ago 7
. . . and because she used loud voice projection when performing her shows (playing to the back rows of the studio audience); and because she used improper singing techniques in Wildcat and Mame; and because she spoke in an unnaturally high pitch on I Love Lucy; and because early in her career she did screaming exercises to deepen her voice; and because she never gave her voice a rest because she performed every role on the set (actor, director, producer), which required her to talk constantly.
rachelazw 2 years ago 4
also aging too. But yes she was a heavy smoker..
Mrmathis909 2 years ago 4
omg she died the year i was bor 1989... wow her voice!!! i love watching i love lucy my ass off so bad !!!!!
yesenia1070 2 years ago
she died when i was five
cage987 2 years ago
that looks like David Mamet on the couch looking bored 1:17
is it Mamet or someone else?
abemagic10 2 years ago
Comment removed
vidayverdad2 2 years ago
Yes, it's Mamet. Google "The Irv Kupcinet Show (1977) - Footage Offline - 11/20/07"
vidayverdad2 2 years ago
Lucy Ball was honored by the Kennedy Center in Washington right after Desi's death...and Robert Stack read a letter that Desi wrote just before he died to be read at the gala...he said..."To Me I Love Lucy was not the name of a TV show, I love you Lucy" the audience gasped...they were the true great loves of each others lives.
RlrbladeMan07 2 years ago 4
That is not what was said, Desi wrote "I Love Lucy was never just a title" which he also said in his 1977 autobiography.
EmmaLoveJen 2 years ago
In an interview, however, he did say he still loved Lucy.
meleahrubino 2 years ago
Yes, in an interview from 1982 with Entertainment Tonight (when ET was legitimate haha). It's posted on YouTube. Desi says something like, "We're still very close, we talk on the phone 2 or 3 times every other week. I still love her very much." Do you know of any others?
EmmaLoveJen 2 years ago 6
This has been flagged as spam show
Actually, Desi did not write those lines for Lucy's Kennedy Center Honors night ... rather, this is an excerpt from his autobiography "A Book", published in 1976. He also made this comment several times when being interviewed.
mkrobinson95 1 year ago
@RlrbladeMan07 Now I am crying my eyes out. So very sad yet so tender and beatiful. .
missgibbdreamer 1 year ago
@missgibbdreamer She was reminising about when Desi had a coughing spell, coughed up his spleen and died!
Lindawatcher 1 year ago
I love lucy's face after what desi said in his book. It proved that even though they were both married, their true love was eachother.
lucy3142 2 years ago 5
why did they get divorced anyhow?
greenpurpleorangesod 2 years ago
Sometimes we wonder...they made it 20 years...but I think it was circumstances. If Desilu hadn't grown to the size it had, and demanded so much time, and energy, I think maybe they would have made it through.
EmmaLoveJen 2 years ago 2
Desi started drinking alot and he was tired from ovrworking on I Love Lucy and that started alot of arguments and he was a womanizer. That is what he said happened.
1simaddict1 2 years ago
Desi Threw himself into working hard he also was a womenizer and he did drink. Lucy was a very strong willed person the day after the last Lucy Desi Comdey hour aired she filed for Divorce. They still remained clos friends. he even directed the pilot of her 2 t.v. show. The Lucy Show.
Lucy4Ever11 2 years ago
I know all this Im a huge Lucy fan and thats pretty much what I said.
1simaddict1 2 years ago 3