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  • Anybody else here get the feeling that that night probably seemed a bit like "The Kennedy Center Honors Lucille Ball............and the rest!" (insert Gilligan's Island theme song, HERE ).

    No disrespect for ANY of the other talented people being honored then.......but come on, if you happened to be receiving this prestigious honor, would YOU want to be the guy/gal unlucky enough to (try to) follow Lucy ???

    There's a reason America, and many people around the world, Love Lucy!!!

  • Lucy was so happy during that song Bea Arthur sang, that was so beautiful, We all STILL love you Lucy we miss you so much!!!!

  • After Desi's words were read, watching Lucy makes me want to cry because she's crying. 'I Love Lucy was never just a title' and I'd like to add 'in any of our hearts.' And then after the tears have formed, and the guy announces for Bea to enter, so to speak, she gets all excited, like a little girl. And THIS is why we have and always will love Lucy(:

  • I had tears in my eyes when i watched this. When the letter was read, anyone can see that it really touched her deeply. Its good see that couples who had to split can still love each other.

  • RIP Lucy and Desi, Bea Arthur, Robert Stack, Ray Charles, Walter Cronkite, and President Ronald Reagan. Thumbs up if your agree.

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  • I wonder how her husband, Gary Morton, sitting behind her, felt about this?

  • @ripdaddyinthehouse , he referred to Desi as his ex-husband-in-law.

  • @ripdaddyinthehouse probably like you may have loved her but i got her in the end

  • Aww Her And Ray Charles

  • Desi's words are short yet poignant and very sweet and loving. You can see Lucy trying to hold back the tears.

    The song routine was very lovely and cheered me up, though! Awesome to see Bea Arthur saluting my favorite actress of all time because "The Golden Girls" is another show I love. :)

  • who dared click on dislike wtf are u INSANE.........DING DONGS

  • Tears come to my eyes when the letter is being read, but everytime I hear "P.S..... I love Lucy was never just a title" I start bauling like a baby.

    Desilu forever <3

    I love Lucy....and Desi too :)

  • Yesterday I watched The Plumber episode and it was hilarious, and the Butterfly dance, brilliant

  • Pros, all of them.

  • P.s I Love Lucy was never just a title. the only thing that has ever made me cry. and to tell the truth I Love Lucy was never just a title for every one of any age (im 16 and i believe this)

  • @PinkCowgirl925 Very nicely said young lady. I'm turning 45 at the end of this year, and my earliest memories of childhood include seeing reruns of "I Love Lucy". I'm very pleased to have 5 of the 6 seasons of the show on DVD, but more pleased to see that people who are age 90, or 65, or 44, or even 16 all love Lucille Ball. The magic that is Lucy permeates all space & time, and will last for at least 10 thousand generations.

  • @BatmanFan1966 that it will in my acting class at school last year we said that Lucy was the number one comedian of all time fallowed by Carol Burnett

  • One thing is for sure after watching this. Lucy never stopped loving Desi, and vice-versa.

  • @MegaSpume

    Wow, you can really watch the candy-factory and wine-stomping scenes and not laugh? That's pretty impressive, I must say.

  • @MegaSpume Your not normal then..sorry.

  • She was really holding back those tears !!! Very emotional night for her .

  • "I love lucy was never just a title" that brings tears to my eyes everyone

  • desi and lucy i thank you for letting us in to ur life!!! i cant imagine a world with out i love lucy!!! the title is true i really do love lucy and a comedy queen she is and no one can duplicate or even come close to her and desi he had his faults but everyone makes mistakes but they both look good together and u can tell that they did love one another so thank u!!! u guys r hollywood royalty!!!! R.I.P

  • Thanks so much for posting this! I had never seen this before.

  • she loved him .. :-(

  • These shows are soooo well done.

  • lucille's such a strong lady <3

    i love her.

  • I LOVE LUCY! 

  • "I love Lucy was never just a title"... THAT is real love

  • just about all these people are dead, kind of depressing

  • "I Love Lucy" was never just a title." Desi said it best. For himself in particular, and for the rest of the world, myself included. I Love Lucy never was just a title. It's the truth! I love you Lucy! <3 Know you are still inspiring young people like me, and making people laugh.

  • I never noticed when this first aired on TV, and this is my second or third time to watch on YT, but Robert Stack, while reading what Desi wrote, said around 1:22 that "Viv, Fred and I were just props" referring to the show "I Love Lucy". I'm sure that Desi was physically drained when he wrote that as opposed to writing "Viv, Bill (ie William Frawley) and I were just props". Desi was a great comedian, and often you can hear him laughing in the background in scenes that Lucy's in and he's not.

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  • Desilu produced "The Untouchables", and Robert Stack was in an episode of "The Lucy Show". I thought it was so nice when Robert Stack, who my Mother loved, read what Desi wrote about Lucy how "I Love Lucy" wasn't just a title. You know that Lucy was about to cry because Desi was the love of her life and not Gary Morton who was sitting behind her. I miss so many of the stars of yesteryear that are no longer with us. I really miss my simple childhood, and I miss and I Love Lucy.

  • @Beautifulmusiclistnr , Lucy was about to cry because Desi had died just a few days before this. She had to fly out to DC almost immediately after his funeral. This honor had to be an incredibly bittersweet occasion for her.

  • @rachelazw You're right. Lucy was about to cry because Desi had just died a few days earlier, and had he not died a few days earlier, I believe she would have been ready to cry also because she loved him so much, and she knew he loved her.

  • When Lucille Ball died in 1989, the whole wide world stopped and cried. I was one of them. She will always be the First Lady Of Comedy! Thank you for posting this!

  • When Lucille Ball died in 1989, the whole wide world stopped and cried. I was one of them. She will always be the First Lady Of Comedy!

  • read her autobiography read her autobiography must must must! it's called "love, Lucy" wonderful book

  • Great bit! I never would have thought either Pam Dawber oR Valerie Harper could sing, woww! I wonder how they decided to put these three together..anyone know?

    footnote: I saw Tim Curry playing Bill Simpson at The Pantages in L.A.. 1983 ;)

  • Sir(s): If I may, at this Date and Time, state here and attest how Ms. Lucille BALL did her best, and she did the best she could as an American and Red-haired Dame. Thank you. Et Merci beaucoups Aujourd'hui. --J. D., SATX 78202 U. S. A. "No Shame Intended."

  • You can tell that Lucy was struggling to maintain her composure when the letter from Desi Arnaz was said. It brought tears to my eyes....

  • ahh just remembered bea arthur was in Mame with lucy so thats a connection and lol why the hell is reagans name the third tag????

  • @squeaky00 becase reagan was a great president, who was president during this honor, stfu.

  • @AntaresInScorpius you are a special person i can tell.!!.....i love you and respect you ...hugs ...bff pinky promise!

  • It is nice to see her getting recognition as she deserved it so well.

    I agree that TV has become too bad over the years and the Golder years of television with the white nice comedy are never coming back again sadly, it will only get worse.

    Aftrer all they went through to keep friendship and love it means a lot between her and Desi.

  • lucys face when they announced bea arthur was PRICELESS!

  • Brilliant. I think this is the only time I liked Reagan, or Nancy, for that matter.

  • Another person here who was glad she was born in the 60s to appreciate and know the talent who appears in this clip. We won't see the likes of any of this again.

  • i do believe ms pam dawber is wearing a "banana clip" ..and really why are pam dawber and valerie harper up there ....lol...bea auther is understandable but the other two?

  • @squeaky00 , I don't know about Pam Dawber, but Valerie Harper was on stage in Wildcat with Lucille Ball in 1961.

  • @vidayverdad2 i know alot about pan dawber she played on mork and mindy shes is a great actress besides lucy and bea

  • @squeaky00 , this was 1986 and Bea, Valerie and Pam were all starring in sitcoms at the time: Bea on THE GOLDEN GIRLS, Valerie on VALERIE, and Pam on MY SISTER SAM. So they were three then-current female sitcom stars paying tribute to the original female sitcom star.

  • @Beejjjjjj Valerie Harper had worked with her in a Broadway production (I think) and Bea had worked with Lucy in the "Mame" movie.....so the choice of honorers wasn't completly random

  • @VintageTelevision863 , yes, I know that. (Valerie Harper was in Wildcat.) But the question I was addressing was about Pam Dawber. The thing all three of these women (including Dawber) had in common with Lucille Ball was that they were female sitcom stars.

  • @Beejjjjjj Yes, I guess so. What your saying does make sense. :)

  • pam dawber is a great singer and a great actress

  • Thank you so much for posting this! What a wonderful tribute.  A thousand thanks.

  • Luv this vid wonderful :D

  • LOVE it :(

    love bea & lucille

  • @CenturianRule LOL! Thanks CenturianRule....it's always nice to have someone agree with you (me).  All the best to you always!

  • Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the great loves of each others life. Miss Ball was a great CEO at Desilu and thru Lucy's bulling thru her board of Directors Mission Impossible and Star Trek became the iconic shows they have become.

    RIP Lucy

  • This is such a solid proof Lucy and Desi never stopped loving each other. It always breaks me to see her struggle to keep the tears away. I really do hope they are together now ♥

  • I don't want anyone getting mad at me but as a rabid Lucy fan, I get furious when I hear certain people in the media say Debra Messing is like LUCILLE BALL! ARE THEY KIDDING? She's awful---I THINK.  Don't compare Debra Messing to Lucille Ball---PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • I agree with you. NO ONE can EVER be compared to Lucille Ball. She was unique. A gift from Heaven. She was class. ♥

  • That was a touching and sweet note from Desi...

  • @Bdaychick I agree. Every time I watch this it still makes me cry. I don't know how Lucy held up.  They truly loved each other.

  • @tlf243 She did her best to stay composed, but she couldn't quite make it. She was really broken up and justifiably so.

  • for some reason this video is not working for me and i really wnat to watch it. it just stays paused and when i click on it it won't work.

  • Thank you Robert Stack for that touching tribute from that underated genius Desi Arnaz.

  • Lucille Ball is wonderful. No one can compare to her!

  • Who didn't love lucy?

  • bea arthur was amazing i'm pretty sure she was one of the mames and she was in mame with lucy. i might be wrong. i read it somewhere in the tv guide of something. i don't remember. and did u see lucy face when he said bea arthur? i'm sure she was in mame with her but i'm not sure if she was one of the mames. i know there were alot. but i'm not sure she was one of them.

  • At age 20, Valerie Harper was in the chorus of Lucy's Broadway show, "Wildcat", which premiered December 1960.

  • Goosebumps!!! I love Bea <3

  • Lucy, simpre te amaré eras y sigues siendo "GENIAL"

  • thank you soooo much for this wonderful, entertaining and likewise touching take! bea arthur is simply wonderful!!!

  • Those were the days and the best TV we will ever see. Lucy and am I wrong or is my other favorite behind me on te comments Mary? If you are her? love you, Gary

  • I cried when i saw this. i still cry time after time

  • Stack's tribute from Desi is so touching. Desi was great and Lucy was the greatest.

  • bea is so camp its gorgeous

  • I don't care what they said or did. Lucy and Desi could never really stop loving eachother. No matter how hard they tried to hide it, they were always deeply in love. Meant to be together and always will be in my heart. haha, I love lucy.

    P.S

    I Love Lucy, was never just a title <3

  • aw, lucy almost made me cry, and then she got so excited when they came out. i love lucy

    @willjustice89 i wonder if that's true

  • Can somebody fill me in on something?? Although Bea seemed to have given Lucille some respect here.... I've been hearing that something happened between the two,,, and Bea Arthur said something cruel about Lucille. I can't figure out what happened though. Anyone?

  • I've never heard that. I know that Bea accepted an award on Lucy's behalf several months after Lucy died.

  • I think you're refering to the issues over the casting of Mame. Angela Lansbury and Bea were in the broadway production of Mame together and were very close friends. But for the movie they chose to cast Lucille as auntie mame over Angela. Because of this choice Bea did not want to be in the movie but felt obligated to since her then husband was the director. She never said anything cruel to Lucille and she really respected her but she always made it clear that she did not like the casting.

  • I love Valerie's singing!

  • what year was this originally broadcast???

  • December 1986

  • omg she tried so hard not to cry

  • P.S I Love Lucy was never just a title. That was so well put!!!!!

  • Desi wrote that on his death bed. Lucy was the last person that he talked to before he died.

  • Wow I didn't know that thanks 1simaddict1

  • I know! Wasn't that the most lovely moment of the entire ceremony. **tear** :(

  • I know!!! Wow you can just see all the emotions going through her when she heard that.....I really believe they loved eachother forever <3

  • @ExodusPessoa --omg i started to tear up when he read that last sentence

    "i love lucy was never just a title" ...*sigh*

  • @ExodusPessoa Very well said.

  • OMG in my opinion Desi had the best last words that anyone could say (or write)! That was so sweet that I started crying a little when I watched this! That is proof that Desi never stopped loving Lucy, and the fact that Lucy is about to cry while the guy is reading Desi's letter is proof that she never stopped loving him! I'm sure that they both are in heaven now, making up for the 36 years that they spent apart after their divorce (and probably making the angels laugh with ILL reenactments).

  • I could not agree more. Desi died just five days prior to this event. So Lucy is hearing what Desi wrote Just before he died. I wish they'd never divorced.

  • Uh! Sorry everybody, I just realized that I said 36 years when it should be 26. This is what happens when you type a comment when your very sleepy.

  • Isn't that a coincidence that both Lucille Ball and Bea Arthur who both co-starred in the movie Mame died in April. Ball died in April 26,1989 and Bea Arthur died in April 25, 2009. I know that both actresses lived full lives but their deaths that's weird I mean the years 1989 and 2009 the 9 part and the month of April? It seems like a coincidence even tho it's 20 years apart, it's just too weird! May they both rest in peace.

  • Lucille is the BEST!. Now 2 of the best are together once again. RIP Bea and Lucy.

  • I also appreciate youtube for allowing me to see specials like these that I wasn't around for. I used to love TvLand until they stopped showing the shows I love like Dick Van Dyke, MTM, I Love Lucy, Three's Company, ect.

  • i know! now they even have stupid shows!

  • Mary Tyler Moore if thats really you. this is a pleasure. Love ya, Gary

  • no no no no. this isnt mary tyler moore! sorry if i confused you but this isnt her. i wasnt trrying to make people think i am either. i made this account when i really liked her and i am in no way her or trying to impersonate her either. sorry for the confusion

  • There will only be on Bea Arthur

  • I saw this when it first aired! Awesome days. I remember when Desi died...I cried. He was a fave of mine!

  • the golden years of television are sadly over. we get crap like "the hills" and over-exposed "reality" shows.

    I doubt seriously young ppl today would even 'get' shows like the ones these wonderful women brought to life. All I can say is that I am sure glad I was born in the 60s, so I was around for the likes of Lucy, Bea, Valerie, MTM, Pam Dawber, Betty White, Vicki Lawrence and Carol Burnett.

  • AMEN!!

  • I am so mad at TVLand because now their old shows are from the 90s. When I was little I used to stay up watching nick at night Dick Van Dyke, Bob Newhart, Patti Duke, and more

  • I am with you! Though I was born in 71 but still enjoyed shows through 94, after that TV went to reality around 97. Bring TV back!

  • I completely agree! I was born in 1989 so I wasn't around for the golden years of television. What I know is all from reruns. Sometimes I wish I was born earlier so I could have enjoyed the shows I love more and enjoyed the ones I have never seen but only heard about, like Maude. I love the actresses you listed so much. Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Bea Arthur, MTM, Betty White, Vicki Lawrence, and the list goes on. I feel privileged to be one of the few people my age to appreciate these ladies.

  • @latinguy67 --i have to agree with you. though im only 21 years old, i grew up watching some these old classic shows and i can honestly say there will never be anything like it again (unfortunately). everything is now over-exposed and trashy. its sad to see. :-/

  • @latinguy67 I agree I wish I was born in the 60's but I'm stuck growing up in this era......but thank god to you tube that allows me to watch "I Love Lucy, MTM, Golden Girls, etc. I can't stand todays television.

  • @latinguy67 i was born in the 90s and i completely agree with you! television is never going to be the same...and i wish it was like how it was back then. They could do comedy without profanity or anything like what they do today. Lucille Ball is my hero and I miss her very much

  • @latinguy67 I'm a young person, still in my teens, and any of Lucy's shows, The Carol Burnett, and many other shows from that time are the shows I watch (Thanks to YouTube and DVD)! I don't have TV because most of the shows on now a days a crap! Since when do you need to use disgusting four letter words to make people laugh? It's people like Lucille Ball, Bea, Betty White, Vicki and Carol, who know how to make people laugh from the heart. Especially Lucy. I "get" these kind od shows.

  • @latinguy67 Those gals were the cream of the crop. Each and every one of them worked hard at their craft, and there'll never be anyone like them again.

  • @latinguy67 I beg to differ. im 15 and all of my cousins and i would chose lucy over anything playing on tv today.

  • @lucyfanamber8611 well you are definitely a nice exception to the rule

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  • @latinguy67 my 6 year old little cousin is in love with the show. She threw a tantrum bc I was watching the superbowl in my room and i wouldn't turn on Lucy, lol. I'll upload a video of her watching it. She's adorable. <3 She's Lucy's youngest fan and tbh I LOVE lucille ball. She's my favorite actress and I only watch TV land and my lucy dvds. (:

  • @latinguy67 and I know pretty much everything about her ahahaha.

  • @latinguy67 I completely agree with you. Thank the Lord that I'm an old soul in a young body. I love watching the Lucy Show, I Love Lucy, Maude, Golden Girls, Carol Burnett Show, Dean Martin Roast and the list goes on. I wish I could live in the Golden Years of T.V. and during the great years of Broadway. All the talent is dying and replacing them are people that frankly have no talent or they have talent, just not something as show-stopping as their predecessors.

  • That was Sec Shultz's wife.

  • 1st estelle now bea :'( this is really sad.

    RIP bea

  • R.I.P Bea Arthur

  • LOVE this - still crying. Everyone keeps mentioning how Lucy still loved Desi. His letter shows he still loved her too. They stayed close.

    P.S. Gotta love the 1980's and Pam Dawber's goofy dress lolol - sadly those times/clothes are still very fresh in my memory lololol :-D

  • 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.

  • I wouldn't lie, I got all teary eyed.. :( "I love Lucy was not just the title". So true to Desi, and the world. Thanks again for posting! Lucy deserved the honour.

  • That is so sad this was done 5 days after desi died. who was that lady they showed was that vivianne vance?

  • Vivian Vance died long before this occurred; I believe she died from Breast/Bone cancer in 1979-ish.

  • If you mean the woman at 1:03, that is Helena "Obie" Shultz, wife of President Reagan's Secretary of State George Shultz (sitting beside her).

  • It had to be so very painful for her, only days after Desi's death, and in front of the entire nation, to listen to Desi's words being read to her. She looks like she's on the verge of tears.

  • Hell I'm on the verge of tears!

  • Yes, she is on the verge of tears. She has tears in her eyes, and her lip quivers, so she covers her mouth. Lucy said in an interview at this show that the award should have gone to BOTH of them and not just her. She always credited him and the writers, and Gale Gordon, and her kids.

  • I love her reaction when he says "Golden Girls, Bea Arthur" I LOVE YOU LUCY!

  • So touching, Lucy's face says it all. Brought tears to my eyes. I knew she still loved him. Thanks for posting this.

  • When did Bea say that? I know she's said unflattering things about their film, Mame, but I've never heard her say anything like that about Lucy, herself. In fact, I remember her accepting an award on Lucy's behalf after her death and talking about their friendship and how Lucy was a "fun" person.

  • Uhh..Bea never said she didn't like Lucy, she just didn't, as Beejjjjjj said, didn't like them working on Mame together..So yeah Bea was good friends with Lucy so don't say things you are not sure of.

  • Okay, my mistake for saying that Bea didn't like Lucy. If you read any of the accounts of their interactions, maybe I should say that Bea was resentful of the fact that Lucy bought the rights of Mame...and left Angela Lansbury by the roadside. I think that Bea was more of an Angela supporter than she was of Lucy. That's all I am saying.

  • She never bought the rights of Mame. She lobbied for the part, yes. The producers decided against Lansbury because they didn't feel she was a big enough cinema draw ... she was, at that time, the toast of Broadway, but not as well known to the mass audiences as she would become later on TV.

  • Bea Arthur and Lucy were VERY good friends. Trust me. I know these things.

  • touching :(

  • This is true to the fact that lucy's love for Desi never died. Even though both would go on to remarry...true love never dies. No matter how much u may think you hate the person or think u can't no longer be with them

  • im 13 AND STILL WATCH HER SHOWS I LOVE LUCY AND I LOVE THE GOLDEN GIRLS

  • OMG!!! I majorly got all choked up during that clip. I also got this awefull feeling in the pit of my stomach. They were sooo cute togeather!!!!!

  • That is so sad and happy at the same time

  • i am so sad still...22 years later...we miss and love you lucy. thanks for this video.

  • i love lucy's reaction when she hears bea arthur's name

  • It's very moving seeing her reaction to hearing Desi's final words to her, as read by Robert Stack. So emotional.

  • How about those dresses :(

  • Thank you so much for posting. These clips are priceless.

  • And might I add that I dont cry often while watching youtube videos, but this one just touched me and tears just started rolling out of my eyes.

  • thank you for posting this, you angel from heaven! This was fabulous!

  • Thank you for posting! I learned to love Lucy last year when I found clips here on youtube--- this is such a touching ceremony; I actually cried a tear or two.

    And having Bea Arthur there was a great touch. :)

  • Funny how he reffered to William Frawley as Fred but he called Vivian by her real name and not Ethel.

  • What year was this from?

  • This was December 7, 1986, one week after Desi died.

  • This almost made me cry... I love it!

  • Jeesus!!!That was "WOW"!!!Thank you very much honey, for sharing it with us.You don't know how much watching that was important to me.Thank you once more!

  • Comments like yours make it all worthwhile. I'm so glad you enjoyed this.

  • Doesn't the honoree get up and make a speech?? I thought they did. This was great, somehow I missed it. Thanks ever so much.

  • No, at the Kennedy Center Honors the honoree never makes a speech. For this occasion, they're allowed to just sit back and be an audience member, albeit a very special one.

  • Oh this was WONDERFUL!