Lucille Ball (2025)

Lucille Ball
(2025, 9x12, pencils)

Lucille Ball left home at 15 to enroll in a NY drama school, where she was told she had no future in show business. I’d say that puts her in the running for Most Epic “proving the haters wrong” as her most famous project, “I Love Lucy” (1951-1957), was the most popular television series in the US and in 79 other countries. 79, dude. And she wasn’t just the actress but also the producer.

Lucy was also the first woman own her own film studio, Desilu Productions, which she co-owned for a while with her co-star and husband, Desi Arnaz. He eventually sold her his share and retired from the biz.

All you Trekkies better show some love, too. Desilu Productions produced the original “Star Trek”. Everyone said it would bankrupt her studio but she did it anyway. Eventually, it was cited as a factor in her having to sell the studio, but the world was forever changed by her decision. Desilu also produced “The Untouchables” and “Mission: Impossible”. Nothing but nothing but hits.

She was nicknamed the Queen of Comedy, a title she always felt belonged to Carole Lombard, who is on my list for later.

Before making it big, Lucy was fired from an ice cream store for constantly forgetting to put bananas in the banana splits. Sounds a lot like the plot to an episode of “I Love Lucy”.

While playing a slave girl in “Roman Scandals” (1953), she had her eyebrows shaved off and they never grew back.

Lucy was Frank Sinatra’s first choice for the role of Mother (Eleanor Shaw Iselin) in “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962), a role that eventually went to Angela Lansbury. Since I think Ms. Lansbury nailed it in that role, this would have been interesting.

Had 31 movie roles between 1934-1936, mostly uncredited or bit parts.

Notable Films Include:
Stage Door (1937)
The Big Street (1942)
Du Barry Was a Lady (1943)
The Dark Corner (1946)
Lured (1947)