Lucille Ball (1911–1989)
Author of Love, Lucy
About the Author
Lucille Desiree Ball Morton was born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York. She started out as a fashion model for Hattie Carnegie in New York City in 1928. In 1932 she started her acting career working as the Chesterfield cigarette girl and as part of many chorus lines on Broadway. Lucille show more Ball then moved to Hollywood where she appeared in many small movie roles in the 1930's as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures. In 1936 she landed the role of Julie Tucker in the play Hey Diddle Diddle which premiered in Princeton, N.J. The play received great reviews. This launched her career and she went on to star in the The Wonder Show, the musical play DuBarry was a Lady, Lover Come Back and the murder mystery Lured. In 1948 Ball was cast as a wacky wife in My Favorite Husband , a CBS Radio Show. The program was a success and CBS took it to television with Lucille Ball playing Lucy and her real life husband Desi Arnaz playing Ricky and "I Love Lucy" was born. Lucy became the head of her production company Desilu which pioneered a number of practices like filming before a live audience with several cameras and distinct sets. Lucy went on to star in two other successful T.V. shows "The Lucy Show" and 'Here's Lucy". During the 1980's Ball hosted a two part Three's Company Retrospective and she also made a T.V. film called Stone Pillow. In May 1988 Lucille Ball was hospitalized after suffering a mild heart attack. She died on April 26, 1989 in Los Angeles California. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Lucille Ball
Works by Lucille Ball
First Lady of Comedy: Lucille Ball Four Pack - Her Husband's Affairs - Miss Grant Takes Richmond - The Fuller Brush… (2014) — Actress — 6 copies
The Lucy Show, Vol. 3 2 copies
The Lucy Show Volume 7 1 copy
The Lucy Show Volume 8 1 copy
Laugh With Lucy 1 copy
The Lucy Show Collection 1 copy
Lucy Show 4 1 copy
Telling Secrets: This is my Journey — Author — 1 copy
Lucy's Lost Episodes 1 copy
The Lucy Show 28 Episodes 1 copy
Associated Works
The Jack Benny Show. The Life and times of America's Best-loved Entertainer (1977) — Foreword — 42 copies
TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Volume One [Bathing Beauty / Easy to Wed / On an Island with You / Neptune's Daughter /… (2007) 14 copies
TV Classics: The Lucy Show: Volume 1 4 copies
Lucy's Really Lost Moments 4 copies
The Magic Carpet [1951 film] 3 copies
The Lucy Show Marathon [DVD box set] 2 copies
Lucy: A Legacy of Laughter [DVD] — Actor — 2 copies
The Lucille Ball Collection [5 DVD set] — Performer — 2 copies
I Dream Too Much [1935 film] — Actor — 2 copies
The I Love Lucy Collection, Vol. 1: Lucy Does a TV Commercial / Lucy's Italian Movie [VHS] — Actor — 1 copy
Lucille Ball Classics 1 Forever Darling 2 The Long, Long Trailer — Actor — 1 copy
The I Love Luch funny money special — Actor — 1 copy
the new I Love Lucy superstar special — Actor — 1 copy
The Lucy Show: Lucy and the Plumber [and] Lucy and The Barbershop Quartet [TV episodes] — Actor — 1 copy
The Best of The Lucy Show: 20 Episodes of Classic TV [DVD] — Actor — 1 copy
Classic TV Bloopers: Uncensored — Actor — 1 copy
A Tribute to Lucy — Artist — 1 copy
Classic TV Comedy: The Lucy Show [and] The Dick Van Dyke Show [6 TV episodes of each] — Actor — 1 copy
Lucy: The Funny World of Lucy — Artist — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Ball, Lucille
- Legal name
- Ball, Lucille Désirée
- Other names
- Belmont, Diane
Morton, Lucille Ball - Birthdate
- 1911-08-06
- Date of death
- 1989-04-26
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Jamestown, New York, USA
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- Cause of death
- ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Places of residence
- Hollywood, California, USA
Chatsworth, California, USA
Palm Springs, California, USA
New York, New York, USA
Jamestown, New York, USA - Occupations
- actor
television producer
singer - Relationships
- Arnaz, Desi (husband|divorced)
Arnaz, Lucie (daughter)
Cook, Carole (protegee) - Organizations
- RKO Pictures
Desilu Productions - Awards and honors
- Kennedy Center Honors (1986)
Presidential Medal of Freedom (1989)
Television Academy Hall of Fame (1984)
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Members
Reviews
Didn't finish. My expectations, as set by prior reviews, were not met. This manuscript was a little too glossy in some parts. Eve Arden's bio, which I am also reading right now, is better.
But here we run into the issues we always face with classic film and TV personalities. They were very much type cast--- and coached to be that way all the time. This was one of the issues with Lucy in her early movies. They couldn't really find a type for her and, once the show found one that worked, audiences wouldn't settle for anything else. Arden's book is written like the made-for-her personality. Lucy's... it has that struggle(especially since I gather this was an unfinished project, published posthumously). I'm not, in any way, trying to avoid the hard stories. I just wish it had a distinctive voice and a bit more polish.
I will always love Lucy. If you want a good book about the show days, read the one written by the show's writer, Jess Oppenheimer. If you want one about her life... actually I recommend something on film. You can't capture her beauty, vibrance, classy-ness, and toughness on paper.… (more)
But here we run into the issues we always face with classic film and TV personalities. They were very much type cast--- and coached to be that way all the time. This was one of the issues with Lucy in her early movies. They couldn't really find a type for her and, once the show found one that worked, audiences wouldn't settle for anything else. Arden's book is written like the made-for-her personality. Lucy's... it has that struggle(especially since I gather this was an unfinished project, published posthumously). I'm not, in any way, trying to avoid the hard stories. I just wish it had a distinctive voice and a bit more polish.
I will always love Lucy. If you want a good book about the show days, read the one written by the show's writer, Jess Oppenheimer. If you want one about her life... actually I recommend something on film. You can't capture her beauty, vibrance, classy-ness, and toughness on paper.… (more)
There is so much more to Lucy than the funny, witty, memorable comedian. She was a regular woman with hopes, dreams, struggles, fears, and daily life just like any other woman in her era.
Reading this book was a wonderful experience for me.
Reading this book was a wonderful experience for me.
Very awesome book. Written by the crazy red head herself and packed full of info that not many people know. I now have even more respect and love for this woman after having read this book. I dare say... I just Love Lucy 💜
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 21
- Also by
- 111
- Members
- 694
- Popularity
- #36,476
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 9
- ISBNs
- 17
Lucy tells of growing up in Jamestown, New York until a family member offered to send her to drama school and that changed the course of her life. Lucy details her time as a background actress, becoming a leading lady, and of course, meeting Desi. While Lucy does not get into detail about Desi's affair, she does explain that the point of no return was when he could not keep his temper in check. Despite divorcing, Lucy and Desi remained the closest and friends and the best parents their children could have asked for.
As a huge Lucy fan, I have been wanting to read this for a very long time. I found her story to be interesting and informative. My favorite parts were finding out friends from her childhood ended up as characters on I Love Lucy - including the friend who originally tinted her hair red. All in all, I loved this book...almost as much as I Love Lucy.… (more)