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Lucille Ball

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Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball
Birthday
BirthplaceJamestown, New York, U.S.
Died
Occupation
Actress, comedienne, model, film executive

Ball, Lucille (Désirée)

(1910–89) television comedian, movie actress; born in Celaron, N.Y. Leaving school at age 15 to become a stage actress, her early efforts were unsuccessful; she turned to modeling (as Diane Belmont) which led to her first movie role, in Roman Scandals (1934). She appeared in numerous movies and radio shows afterward but didn't become truly successful until 1951, when she teamed up with her Cuban-born, bandleader husband, Desi Arnaz, to play the zany middle-class couple, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo in television's prototypical situation comedy I Love Lucy. With near perfect timing and a genius for sightgags, redhaired Ball careened through 179 episodes of the original sitcom as a ditzy housewife; the 1953 episode on which she gave birth to "Little Ricky," filmed to coincide with delivery of her real-life son, was said to attract more viewers than the concurrent inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Desilu Productions, which she and Arnaz founded in 1950, was a successful independent producer of television shows before Gulf-Western acquired it. After divorcing Arnaz in 1960, she appeared on Broadway in Wildcat (1961) and then soloed in two other successful sitcoms, The Lucy Show (1962–1968) and Here's Lucy (1968–73). She continued to appear on television specials almost to her death.
The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.

Ball, Lucille

(1910–) American comedienne; “unchallenged queen of scatterbrains.” [TV: “I Love Lucy” in Terrace, I, 383]
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive
The center's mission is to preserve and celebrate the legacy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and enrich the world through the healing powers of love and laughter.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon has scooped up the rights to the Lucille Ball biopic that has a script by Aaron Sorkin and Cate Blanchett is in talks to star in the project.
Since the bronze sculpture was unveiled in 2009 in Lucille Ball Memorial Park in the village of Celoron, the statue has been blasted by critics who say it bears little or no likeness to the popular 1950s sitcom actress and comedian.
Since the bronze sculpture was unveiled in 2009 in Lucille Ball Memorial Park the village of Celoron, the statue has been blasted by critics who say it bears little or no likeness to the popular 1950s sitcom actress and comedian.
The outrageous Phyllis Diller, 'America's favourite redhead."' Lucille Ball, Hattie Jacques, with co-star Eric Sykes and, inset below, comedienne and actress Dora Bryan paved the way for today's female comics
31,000) the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival includes 50 events over a five day span, with Jay Leno as the headliner.
His pictures include Lucille Ball, Sammy Davis Jr, Richard Pryor and River Phoenix as well as more recent luminaries such as Tom Cruise and a youthful Mel Gibson.
It's Amanda Wingfield meets Mama Rose, as played by Bette Davis or perhaps Lucille Ball.
10 1/2, Marc Stevens, among them--is to confront a Lucille Ball of sex.
So Lucille Ball was more popular than the president while I Love Lucy showed her to be the most gifted comedienne ever to explode on to our screens.
Lucille Ball also lived here for a while," says Joe Kaminski, GM of the Delmonico for the past ten years.
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