Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Earlier this week (August 6) marked the birthday of Lucille Ball, who came to Hollywood to be a model and movie starlet.  Learning the ropes from Ginger Rogers' mother, who took these hopefuls under her wing, she eventually found her way as a B actress and then broke through the cracks to the A list. But her destiny was made in the newly-forming small screen of television in a little show called, I Love Lucy.  Therein lies history, and really, no further explanation is necessary.

But why do I write of I Love Lucy in my movie blog?  Well, the fourth season of the series (and a portion the fifth season) finds Lucy & Ricky Ricardo and their best friends, Fred & Ethel Mertz, on a trip to Hollywood, California.  Now Lucille Ball, who had already been paired with the likes of Henry Fonda, Red Skelton, Gene Kelly, and the Marx Brothers on the big screen, is now portraying 'every woman' on the small screen and taking that which the viewers can relate to greater depths.  Who wouldn't want to rub elbows with the rich and famous by having lunch with Richard Widmark, dancing with Van Johnson, and getting into a picture yourself? I know I would!  "Lucy Gets in Pictures" is my favorite episode of the entire I Love Lucy series.  The scenarios and dialog Lucy shares with Bobby the bellboy,  the Mertz's, and especially the director who is unfortunate to have Mrs. Ricardo on the set are absolutely priceless, and yes, words that I would say!  Every scene makes me laugh hysterically and fall in love with Lucy once again.

Lucille Ball understood the 'regular Joe' who was watching her program and made Lucy Ricardo that much more relatable; her star-struck character was believable and lovable at a time when Lucille Ball was the biggest star in Hollywood herself.