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The Life of Lucille Ball
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Lucille Désirée Ball
Lucille Ball was born in Celoron, New York. Her father was Henry Dunnell Ball, and her mother was Desiree Hunt Ball. She had one sibling, a younger brother named Fred Ball, who was born in 1915 ("Lucille Ball" Biography.com). -
Early Career
In 1927, Lucille Ball worked as a model for Hattie Carnegie, a fashion designer. She later worked as a model for Chesterfield cigarettes advertisements ("Lucille Ball" Biography.com). -
Marriage
In 1940, Lucille Ball met Desi Arnaz, "a Cuban band leader and musician," while filming the movie DANCE, GIRL, DANCE. They eloped shortly after meeting (Harmon). -
Desilu Productions
With the growing popularity of television, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz wanted to develop a T.V. show loosely based on their married life. In response to CBS's rejection of the idea of the show, the two formed Desilu Productions to produce and develop the show. CBS eventually offered the couple a contract for the show, and I LOVE LUCY became a reality. The company later produced othe T.V. shows, including STAR TREK and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE ("Lucille Ball" Biography.com). -
Lucille Ball's Daughter
"Lucie Arnaz was born on July 17, 1951. (Ball had chosen the name Susan, but Arnaz put "Lucie on the birth certificate to surprise his wife.) The birth was a difficult one, with the baby's head coming out last in a breech, and an emergency operation called a cesarean, or C-section, had to be performed" (Woog 57). -
I LOVE LUCY
The T.V. show I LOVE LUCY appeared on televeision for the first time. The show starred both Lucille Ball and her husband, Desi Arnaz. It was an instant success and was the number one show in the country for four seasons. Lucille Ball's "groundbreaking work in the area of comedy paved the way for future stars such as Mary Tyler Moore, Penny Marshall, Cybill Shepard, even Robin Williams" ("Lucille Ball" Biography.com). During its six seasons, the I LOVE LUCY show won five Emmy Awards (Harmon). -
Lucille Ball's Son
"Lucille Ball gave birth to Desi Arnaz Jr. on January 19, 1953. Ball's pregnancy [was] written into the show [I LOVE LUCY]" (Woog 64). -
Divorce
The marriage between Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball was not an ideal marriage. The two fought a great deal. Arnez was also a heavy drinker and was continually unfaithful to Lucille Ball. Eventually, Desi Arnez moved out and the two filed for divorce (Woog 78-81). -
Second Marriage
Lucille Ball was introduced to professional comedian Gary Morton through her agent, Danny Welkes. The two began dating shortly after meeting. Then the two married "in a quiet civil ceremony" (Woog 85-86). -
Desilu Productions Take-over
In 1960, Lucille Ball "bought out her former husbad, [Desi Arnaz], and took over Desilu Productions, making her the first woman to run a major television production studio. She eventually sold the company to Gulf-Western in 1967 for $17 million" ("Lucille Ball" Biography.com). -
Death
In April of 1989, Lucille Ball underwent open-heart surgery in Los Angeles, California. She died shortly after the surgery (Harmon). -
Symbol #1: Diamond
One symbol that represents Lucille Ball is a diamond. Diamonds represent "durability ... brilliance, [and] intellectual knowledge" ("Diamond"). She is like a diamond because she endured a lot in her marriage because her husband was unfaithful and a heavy drinker. She was a brilliant comedian who paved the way for many female comedians. She was also very intelligent and made many good business decisions when she was the head of Desilu Productions. -
Symbol #2: Horse
A second symbol that represents Lucille Ball is a horse. Horses represent "fidelity ... [and] strength" ("Horse"). She is like a horse because she was a faithful wife to Desi Arnaz despite the fact that he was not a faithful husband. She was also a strong person. She was able to work her way up from being a model to being a famous comedian and the first female president of a major production studio. -
Works Cited
Video Clip
"Diamond." University of Michigan. Web. 02 Dec. 2011. http://www.umich.edu/. Harmon, Justin, et. al. "Lucille Ball." Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 28 Nov 2011. "Horse." University of Michigan. Web. 02 Dec. 2011. http://www.umich.edu/~umfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/H/horse.html. "Lucille Ball." 2011. Bography.com 28 Nov 2011. http://www.biography.com/people/lucille-ball-919658. Woog, Adam. Lucille Ball. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2002. -
Image Locations #1
Video Clip
Title Image: http://www.pics-celeb.com/2009/12/lucille-ball.html 8/6/11: http://backlots.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/star-of-the-week-lucille-ball/
1/1/27: http://characteractors.blogspot.com/2008/10/lucille-ball.html 11/30/27: http://www.edelweisspatterns.com/blog/?p=792 1/1/50: http://blogs.evergreen.edu/rc1bman/ 7/17/51: http://heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy.tumblr.com/post/8038302822/lucille-ball-with-her-children-desi-jr-and-lucie
10/15/51: http://mossfreestone.com/page/2/ -
Image Locations #2
Video clip
1/19/53: http://articles.sfgate.com/2002-08-12/entertainment/17555839_1_tv-guide-s-internet-digital-systems-winona-ryder
3/2/60: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desi_Arnaz
1/1/62: http://www.supervisor194.com/blog/?p=649
11/19/61: http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/blogs/2010/tv-news/heirs-fight-over-lucille-ball-love-letters/
4/26/89: http://movies.nytimes.com/person/599102/Lucille-Ball/biography
Diamond: http://www.jewelry.com/education-diamond-landing.shtml -
Image Locations #3
Video clip
Horse: http://www.alop.org/2011/10/horse-insurance/ Works Cited: http://msmariemassacre.tumblr.com/post/8546702180/i-used-to-watch-i-love-lucy-late-night-on-nick-at Images #1: http://squaretender.com/lucille-ball-scorekeeping-method/ Images #2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnbNcQlzV-4&feature=related Images #3 : http://www.playle.com/listing.php?i=KDL58133
