I Love Lucy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids I Love Lucy |
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Logo from the syndicated edition
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Based on | My Favorite Husband |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) |
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| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 180 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Desi Arnaz |
| Producer(s) | Jess Oppenheimer |
| Production location(s) | Desilu Studios, Los Angeles |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 23–26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Desilu Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | October 15, 1951 – May 6, 1957 |
| Chronology | |
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I Love Lucy is a very famous American sitcom (a funny TV show about everyday life). It first aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957. The show had 180 episodes over six seasons. It starred real-life husband and wife Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Vivian Vance and William Frawley also played important roles.
The series is about Lucy Ricardo (played by Lucille Ball). She is a housewife in New York City. Lucy often makes plans with her best friends and landlords, Ethel and Fred Mertz. She wants to perform with her husband, Ricky Ricardo (played by Desi Arnaz), in his nightclub. Lucy tries many funny ways to get into show business. After the show ended in 1957, a new version continued for three more seasons. These were 13 one-hour specials. They ran from 1957 to 1960. This new show was first called The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show. Later, in reruns, it was known as The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour.
I Love Lucy was the most-watched show in the United States for four of its six seasons. It was the first show to finish its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings. As of 2011, episodes of the show have been shown in many languages worldwide. It is still popular in America, with 40 million viewers each year. In 2013, a colorized version of its Christmas episode aired. More than eight million people watched it. This was 62 years after the show first started.
This show was the first TV program to be filmed on 35 mm film in front of a live audience. Karl Freund was the cinematographer. I Love Lucy won five Emmy Awards. It also received many other awards and honors. It was the first show to have an ensemble cast (a group of main actors). Many people think it is one of the greatest and most important sitcoms ever. In 2012, ABC News and People magazine voted it the 'Best TV Show of All Time'. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it #12 on their list of the 101 Best Written TV Series.
Contents
Meet the Characters of I Love Lucy
The show I Love Lucy is mostly set in an apartment building in New York City. It focuses on Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) and her husband, Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz). Ricky is a singer and bandleader. Their best friends and landlords are Fred Mertz (William Frawley) and Ethel Mertz (Vivian Vance).
Lucy and Ricky's Family Life
In the second season, Lucy and Ricky have a son named Ricky Ricardo Jr.. He is often called "Little Ricky." Different actors played him as he grew up. His birth on the show happened at the same time Lucille Ball's real-life son, Desi Arnaz Jr., was born.
Lucy is a bit innocent and very eager. She loves the idea of becoming a star. She often gets herself and Ricky into funny trouble when she tries to make it big in show business.
Fred and Ethel: The Best Friends
The Ricardos' best friends, Fred and Ethel, used to perform in Vaudeville (a type of stage entertainment). Their past in entertainment makes Lucy want to prove herself even more. She often feels left out because she is not as involved in the entertainment world as Ricky, Fred, and Ethel.
Lucy is charming, but she is often shown as not having many performance skills. She can't sing well and struggles to play the saxophone. Many of her performances end in disaster. However, she is a good dancer and sometimes a good singer. She was even offered contracts by TV or film companies twice.
Lucy's Background and Personality
Not much was said about Lucy's past. Some episodes mentioned she was born in Jamestown, New York. Her maiden name was "McGillicuddy." She met Ricky on a cruise. Her family was not often seen, except for her mother, Mrs. McGillicuddy (Kathryn Card). Lucy was also private about her age and hair color. She tended to spend money easily and loved buying new clothes. Despite this, she was a devoted housewife, a good cook, and a caring mother. She stayed home to take care of the house. When she took jobs outside the home, the show often showed her as clumsy.
Ricky's Background and Personality
Lucy's husband, Ricky Ricardo, is a rising Cuban American singer and bandleader. He has a very lively personality. Lucy's attempts to get into showbiz and her spending often test his patience. When he gets frustrated, he often starts speaking quickly in Spanish.
Like Lucy, not much is known about Ricky's past. His mother appeared in two episodes. Lucy once said he had five brothers. Ricky also mentioned that his Uncle Alberto "practically raised" him. He also went to the University of Havana.
How Lucy and Ricky Met
A special episode in 1957, "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana," showed how Lucy and Ricky met. The story was that they met in Havana in 1940. Lucy and the Mertzes were on vacation there. Ricky was a taxi driver. He was hired to be one of Lucy's tour guides, and they fell in love. Lucy helped Ricky get an audition with singer Rudy Vallée. Ricky was hired for Vallée's orchestra. This allowed him to move to the United States. Lucy later said Ricky played for Vallée for only one night before joining Xavier Cugat's orchestra.
However, another episode, "Don Juan and the Starlets," told a different story. In that episode, Lucy said she met Ricky on a blind date with a Cuban drummer fifteen years earlier.
Ethel and Fred Mertz: The Landlords
Throughout the series, Lucy is usually with her best friend, Ethel. Ethel used to be a model from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She tries to relive her old days in vaudeville. Ricky often includes Ethel in performances at his nightclub. This is because she can sing and dance very well, unlike Lucy.
The show mentions that Ethel's husband, Fred, fought in World War I. He also lived through the Great Depression. Because of this, Fred is shown as being very careful with money. He is also a no-nonsense kind of person. But he can also be very kind, especially to Little Ricky. Fred is Little Ricky's godfather and honorary "uncle." Fred can also sing and dance, and he often performs with Ethel.
The apartment building where they all lived was at a made-up address in Manhattan. They later moved to Westport, Connecticut in the sixth season.
Main Actors of I Love Lucy
- Lucille Ball as Lucille Esmeralda "Lucy" McGillicuddy Ricardo
- Desi Arnaz as Enrique Alberto Fernando y de Acha "Ricky" Ricardo III
- Vivian Vance as Ethel Mae Potter Mertz
- William Frawley as Frederick "Fred" Eedee Hobart Mertz
- Richard Keith as Enrique Alberto Fernando y de Acha Ricardo IV ("Ricky Ricardo Jr.")
- Twins Mike Mayer and Joe Mayer played "Little Ricky" when he was a toddler.
- Kathryn Card as Lucy's mother, Mrs. McGillicuddy.
- Mary Jane Croft as Betty Ramsey and other characters.
- Frank Nelson as Freddie Fillmore and other characters.
- Jerry Hausner as Ricky's agent, Jerry.
- Doris Singleton as Carolyn Appleby.
- Shirley Mitchell as Marion Strong.
- Elizabeth Patterson as Mrs. Matilda Trumbull.
- Bob Jellison as Bobby the Bellboy in the Hollywood episodes.
Many characters in the show were named after Lucille Ball's family or friends. For example, Marion Strong was one of her best friends. She even set up Ball and Arnaz on their first date.
Behind the Scenes: The Creative Team
The show had a talented team working behind the cameras.
- Directors: Marc Daniels, William Asher, James V. Kern
- Producers: Jess Oppenheimer, Desi Arnaz
- Writers: Jess Oppenheimer (head writer), Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf
- Original Music: Wilbur Hatch, Eliot Daniel, Marco Rizo
- Cinematography: Karl Freund (he filmed the show)
- Costume design: Elois Jenssen, Edward Stevenson
- Editors: Dann Cahn, Bud Molin
Episodes and Broadcast History
List of I Love Lucy episodes
When I Love Lucy Aired
I Love Lucy was shown on Mondays from 9:00 to 9:30 PM ET on CBS. This was for its entire first run. During the summer break each year, other shows took its place. Starting in April 1955, CBS also began showing reruns of the early episodes on weekends. This was the first time I Love Lucy reruns were shown on CBS's evening schedule.
In 1967, CBS started offering the series to other TV stations. As of August 2017, reruns air on the Hallmark Channel and MeTV networks. They are also shown on many TV stations in the U.S. and around the world. It is currently available on Paramount+. CBS has also aired many special episodes. These include new colorized versions of old episodes. On February 14, 2023, Pluto TV launched a 24-hour I Love Lucy channel in the United States.
How Popular Was I Love Lucy?
The episode "Lucy Goes to the Hospital" aired on January 19, 1953. It set a record with a rating of 71.7. This means 71.7% of all homes with TVs were watching the show. This was about 44 million viewers. Only Elvis Presley's first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 had a higher rating. The average rating for the entire 1952 season of I Love Lucy was 67.3. This is still the highest average rating for any single season of a TV show ever.
Awards and Honors for I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy won many awards and received many nominations.
Primetime Emmy Awards
- 1953: Won Best Situation Comedy and Best Comedienne (Lucille Ball).
- 1954: Won Best Series Supporting Actress (Vivian Vance) and Best Situation Comedy.
- 1956: Won Best Actress—Continuing Performance (Lucille Ball).
The show and its actors were nominated for many other Emmy Awards over the years.
Other Special Honors
- The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy in Jamestown, New York, is a museum about Lucy and I Love Lucy. It has copies of the apartment set.
- In 1990, I Love Lucy was the first TV show to be added to the Television Hall of Fame.
- In 1997, the episodes "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" and "Lucy's Italian Movie" were ranked among TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
- In 1999, Entertainment Weekly said the birth of Little Ricky was the fifth greatest moment in TV history.
- In 2002, TV Guide ranked I Love Lucy as the #2 greatest show.
- In 2012, I Love Lucy was named the Best TV Comedy and Best TV Show in "Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time."
- In 2013, TV Guide ranked I Love Lucy as the third greatest show of all time.
- In 2023, Variety chose I Love Lucy as the greatest TV show of all time.
Images for kids
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Cast members from left, standing: William Frawley, Desi Arnaz, seated: Vivian Vance and Lucille Ball
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Mike (left) and Joe Mayer played Little Ricky as a toddler.
See also
In Spanish: Yo amo a Lucy para niños
