Series Description

The I Love Lucy Show was a 30 minute comedy series on CBS about a Cuban bandleader (Ricky) and his American, wacky, red-headed wife. Ricky was a headliner performer at the Tropicana Club and actually, a star. He really did love Lucy very much but love is not everything! He wished that she'd be satisfied to be a wife and mother. She also had enormous love for her husband, but longed to be a star just like Ricky. She would pull every trick in the book to perform at the Tropicana even though it was clear to everyone that she had no real talent. Occasionally she got a taste of show biz but, of course, she always messed up! Perhaps the best-known example was in I Love Lucy episode #30, "Lucy Does A Television Commercial". Lucy got hired to do a commercial about a health product called, "Vitameatavegamin". After several takes it becomes evident that the product is pretty high in alcohol content! Lucy ends out drunk by the end of the episode!

In the fourth season of I Love Lucy, Lucy, Ricky and their landlords/friends the Mertzes headed for California where Ricky was being offered a movie contract. These episodes were especially popular as many people of that time had little or no opportunity to travel and it was very exciting to watch! Also, it gave the writers an opportunity to interact Lucy with many top celebrities of the day in California.

This was the first program to be recorded directly on film rather than kineoscoped

(filming a TV screen). It was also the first to use the "3 camera" process allowing the scenes to be filmed from different angles (That was actually Desi Arnaz's idea and became the industry standard)!

I Love Lucy Show Broadcast History:

Monday Nights from 9:00 to 9:30 PM on CBS during the entire series original run

I Love Lucy Cast

Lucille Ball ............... Lucy Ricardo

Desi Arnaz ................. Ricky Ricardo

William Frawley ............ Fred Mertz

Vivian Vance ............... Ethel Mertz