Original photo by Photo 12/ Alamy Stock Photo
Upon its premiere in 1951, I Love Lucy became an immediate hit. Audiences were charmed by the sitcom, which revolved around Lucy’s hairbrained schemes to enter show business, much to her husband Ricky’s chagrin. To this day, the show remains as iconic as ever, cementing Lucille Ball as a comedy legend and television pioneer. And though she may be best remembered for her wacky on-screen antics, fiery red hair, and larger-than-life comedic presence, Ball was equally influential for her work behind the scenes as the first female head of a Hollywood production company. Here are some little-known facts about the life of the legendary trailblazer.
Lucille Ball Auditioned for the Role of Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With the Wind”
In 1939, Ball — along with 1,400 other hopefuls — auditioned for one of the most celebrated roles in Hollywood history. Her audition proved to be disastrous, however, as she showed up soaking wet and tipsy, the result of running through a rainstorm after having one too many drinks to ease her nerves. But that isn’t Ball’s only Gone With the Wind connection. In an ironic twist, she would go on to own many of the movie’s sets. In 1957, her production studio, Desilu Productions, purchased 33 soundstages (among other things) from RKO Pictures, including the exterior of the Tara plantation.
Lucy and Desi Were Television’s First Interracial Couple
When CBS first offered Ball an opportunity to star in a TV show based on her radio program “My Favorite Husband,” she agreed to do so under one condition: She insisted her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, play her television spouse. The network initially refused, claiming that audiences wouldn’t be receptive to an interracial couple, especially given Arnaz’s thick Cuban accent. But Ball proved them wrong by embarking on a nationwide tour with Arnaz. The pair charmed crowds around the country with their vaudevillian act. Only then did CBS agree to cast the couple, since fans couldn’t get enough of the duo.
Lucille Ball Was One of the First Women to Appear Pregnant on Network TV
Pregnant characters are commonplace now, but in the 1950s, Lucy’s television pregnancy was groundbreaking. Both CBS and the show’s sponsor, Philip Morris, were so concerned about airing this seemingly suggestive idea that they had the production studio work with various religious organizations to determine how to most sensitively express this supposedly controversial plot point. Ultimately, the producers agreed to avoid the word “pregnant,” going with the euphemism “expecting” (and similar terms) instead. The then-radical six-episode pregnancy arc paid off, as over 44 million people tuned in on January 19, 1953, to see Lucy welcome her son Little Ricky. The episode, titled “Lucy Goes to the Hospital,” aired the same day Ball actually gave birth by planned cesarean section to Desi Arnaz Jr.
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Lucy Almost Drowned Filming the Famous Grape Scene
Plenty of people are familiar with the classic grape-stomping episode of I Love Lucy. But not everyone knows that filming the scene proved dangerous. The Italian actress who appeared alongside Lucy spoke little English. She was given instructions to act out a fight via an interpreter, but the details may have gotten lost in translation. As Ball recounted on The Dick Cavett Show, "I got into the vat … and she had been told that we would have a fight. I slipped and, in slipping, I hit her accidentally and she took offense, until she hauled off and let me have it…. She'd get me down by the throat! I had grapes up my nose, in my ears, and she was choking me, and I'm really beating her to get her off… she didn't understand that she had to let me up once in a while. I was drowning in these grapes!"
She Helped Get “Star Trek” on TV
As the first female head of a major Hollywood studio — Desilu Productions, which she formed with Arnaz but took over by herself after their divorce in 1960 — Ball helped produce some of the most influential television shows of all time. She was particularly instrumental in getting Star Trek on the air. There was apparently some trepidation by Desilu board members when it came to the budget of the ambitious series, leaving Ball to personally finance not one but two pilots of the science fiction mainstay. One studio accountant, Edwin “Ed” Holly, even claimed: “If it were not for Lucy, there would be no Star Trek today.” Lucille Ball truly allowed the show to live long and prosper.
She Had a Communist Past
During the 1950s, amidst Joseph McCarthy’s congressional reign, many celebrities faced accusations of Communist loyalties. Many had their reputations tarnished, but amazingly, Ball emerged unscathed despite being questioned by both the FBI and the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1953. It turns out Ball had identified as a Communist when she registered to vote in 1936. However, she only did so to pacify her grandfather and his political leanings. Desi Arnaz came fiercely to his wife’s defense, and even phoned FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover directly to clear her name. Arnaz once famously quipped, "The only thing red about her was her hair, and even that was not legitimate."
She Starred in 5 Different TV Shows
While she’s best known for her role as Lucy Ricardo in I Love Lucy, Ball starred in four other television shows over the course of her career. Following I Love Lucy, there was The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, which ran from 1957 to 1960. Then she worked with former co-star Vivian Vance over six seasons on The Lucy Show, which premiered in 1962. Next came Here’s Lucy in 1968. The show was a true family affair, as it starred her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. In 1986 she staged a TV comeback on Life With Lucy, one of the most poorly received sitcoms of all time, where child star and future musician Jenny Lewis played her granddaughter. Only eight episodes made it to air before the show was canceled — a rare misstep in an otherwise illustrious career.
Jessica Gentile is a writer and librarian based in New Jersey
