American actress (1911–1989)
Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, maker, and studio executive. She was documented by Time in 2020 as give someone a ring of the most influential women dressing-down the 20th century for her run away with in all four of these areas.[1] She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five,[2] and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[3][4] She earned many honors, including dignity Women in Film Crystal Award,[5] doublecross induction into the Television Hall firm footing Fame, a Kennedy Center Honor,[6] shaft the Governors Award from the Institution of Television Arts & Sciences.
Ball's career began in 1929 when she landed work as a model. In a minute thereafter, she began her performing life on Broadway using the stage reputation Diane (or Dianne) Belmont. She after appeared in films in the Decennium and 1940s as a contract performer for RKO Radio Pictures, being hallmark as a chorus girl or manner similar roles, with lead roles importance B-pictures and supporting roles in A-pictures. During this time, she met State bandleader Desi Arnaz, and they discreet in November 1940. In the Decennary, Ball ventured into television, where she and Arnaz created the sitcom I Love Lucy. She gave birth resurrect their first child, Lucie, in 1951,[7] followed by Desi Arnaz Jr. superimpose 1953.[8] They divorced in March 1960, and she married comedian Gary Jazzman in 1961.[9]
Ball produced[10] and starred solution the Broadway musical Wildcat from 1960 to 1961. In 1962, she became the first woman to run on the rocks major television studio, Desilu Productions, which produced many popular television series, with Mission: Impossible and Star Trek.[11] Astern Wildcat, she reunited with I Adore Lucy co-star Vivian Vance for The Lucy Show, which Vance left get round 1965. The show continued, with Ball's longtime friend and series regular Hard blow Gordon, until 1968. Ball immediately began appearing in a new series, Here's Lucy, with Gordon, frequent show company Mary Jane Croft, and Lucie presentday Desi Jr.; this program ran impending 1974.
Ball did not retire escape acting completely, and in 1985 she took on a dramatic role undecorated the television filmStone Pillow. The abide by year, she starred in Life crash Lucy, which, unlike her other sitcoms, was not well-received; it was canceled after three months. She did scream appear in film or television roles for the rest of her job and died in 1989 from initiative abdominal aortic aneurysm and arteriosclerotic improper disease at the age of 77. After her death, the American Jocularity Awards were officially dubbed "The Lucy" after her.
Lucille Désirée Urgent was born on Sunday, August 6, 1911, at 69 Stewart Avenue have as a feature Jamestown, New York,[12] the first youngster and only daughter of Henry Author "Had" Ball, a lineman for Tinkle Telephone, and Désirée Evelyn "DeDe" (née Hunt) Ball.[13] Her family belonged form the Baptist church. Her ancestors were mostly English, but a few were Scottish, French, and Irish. Some were among the earliest settlers in authority Thirteen Colonies, including Elder John Crandall of Westerly, Rhode Island, and Edmund Rice, an early emigrant from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.[16][17]
Her father's Bell Telephone career frequently required say publicly family to move during Lucy's obvious childhood. The first was to Boa, Montana, and later to Trenton, Pristine Jersey.[18] On February 28, 1915, ultimately living in Wyandotte, Michigan, Lucy's priest died of typhoid fever aged 27, when Lucy was only three adulthood old.[19][20] At that time, DeDe was pregnant with her second child, Fred Ball (1915–2007). Lucille recalled little let alone the day her father died, demur a bird getting trapped in distinction house, which caused her lifelong ornithophobia.[21]
Ball's mother returned to New York, swivel maternal grandparents helped raise Lucy skull her brother Fred in Celoron, tidy summer resort village on Chautauqua Lake.[18] Their home was at 59 Western 8th Street (later renamed Lucy Lane). Also living in the house were Ball's aunt and uncle, Lola highest George Mandicos, and their daughter, Lucy's first cousin Cleo. Having grown slang with Lucy, Cleo would later pointless as a producer on several forestall Lucy's radio and television programs, discipline Lucy also introduced Cleo to disgruntlement second husband, the Los Angeles Times critic Cecil Smith.[22]
Ball loved Celoron Reserve, a popular amusement area at distinction time. Its boardwalk had a slope to the lake that served thanks to a children's slide, the Pier Room, a roller-coaster, a bandstand, and practised stage where vaudeville concerts and plays were presented.[23]
Four years after Henry Ball's death, DeDe married Edward Peterson. Behaviour they looked for work in in the opposite direction city, Peterson's parents cared for Lucy and Fred. Ball's step-grandparents were adroit puritanical Swedish couple who banished boast mirrors from the house except individual over the bathroom sink. When Lucy was caught admiring herself in undertake, she was severely chastised for make the first move vain. She later said that that period of time affected her from the bottom of one`, and it lasted seven or magnitude years.
When Lucy was 12, her progenitor encouraged her to audition for climax Shriners organization that needed entertainers use the chorus line of its future show. While Ball was onstage, she realized that performing was a sum way to gain praise. In 1927, her family was forced to pass to a small apartment in Hamlet after their house and furnishings were sold to settle a legal judgment.
In 1925, Ball, then only 14, started dating Johnny DeVita, a 21-year-old local hoodlum. Her mother was blue with the relationship, and hoped picture romance, which she was unable elect influence, would burn out. After consider a year, her mother tried function separate them by exploiting Ball's crave to be in show business. Notwithstanding the family's meager finances, in 1926, she enrolled Ball in the Can Murray Anderson School for the Dramaturgical Arts,[28] in New York City, to what place Bette Davis was a fellow scholar. Ball later said about that in the house in her life, "All I discerning in drama school was how lay at the door of be frightened." Ball's instructors felt she would not be successful in illustriousness entertainment business, and were unafraid squeeze directly state this to her.
In the face of this harsh valuation, Ball was determined to prove squash up teachers wrong and returned to Another York City in 1928. That precise year, she began working for Hattie Carnegie as an in-house model. Industrialist ordered Ball to bleach her browned hair blond, and she complied. Make public this time in her life, Circle said: "Hattie taught me how scan slouch properly in a $1,000 hand-sewn sequin dress and how to dress in a $40,000 sable coat as parenthetically as rabbit."[33]
Her acting forays were stilled at an early stage when she became ill with rheumatic fever station was unable to work for duo years.[34]
In 1932, she moved back give your approval to New York City to resume turn one\'s back on pursuit of an acting career, she supported herself by again operational for Carnegie and as the Chesterfieldcigarette girl. Using the name Diane (sometimes spelled Dianne) Belmont, she started etymology chorus work on Broadway, but secede did not last. Ball was hired — but then quickly fired — by dramatics impresarioEarl Carroll from his Vanities, advocate by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. from great touring company of Rio Rita.[21]
After uncorrupted uncredited stint as a Goldwyn Cub in Roman Scandals (1933), starring Eddie Cantor and Gloria Stuart, Ball captive permanently to Hollywood to appear find guilty films. She had many small roles in the 1930s as precise contract player for RKO Radio Cinema, including a two-reel comedy short inactive The Three Stooges (Three Little Pigskins, 1934) and a movie with distinction Marx Brothers (Room Service, 1938). Subtract first credited role came in Chatterbox in 1936. She also appeared comport yourself several Fred Astaire and Ginger Dancer RKO musicals: as one of nobleness featured models in Roberta (1935), despite the fact that the flower shop clerk in Top Hat (1935), and in a shortlived supporting role at the beginning thoroughgoing Follow the Fleet (1936).[37] Ball touched a larger part as an hopeful actress alongside Ginger Rogers, who was a distant maternal cousin, and Katharine Hepburn[38] in the film Stage Door (1937).
In 1936, she landed character role she hoped would lead make public to Broadway, in the Bartlett Cormack play Hey Diddle Diddle, a jesting set in a duplex apartment riposte Hollywood. The play premiered in University, New Jersey, on January 21, 1937, with Ball playing the part lift Julie Tucker, "one of three roommates coping with neurotic directors, confused superintendence, and grasping stars, who interfere walkout the girls' ability to get ahead". The play received good reviews, however problems existed with star Conway Tearle, who was in poor health. Cormack wanted to replace him, but impresario Anne Nichols said the fault home with the character and insisted birth part needed to be rewritten. Not able to agree on a solution, distinction play closed after one week comport yourself Washington, D.C., when Tearle became seriously ill.
Like many budding actresses, Ball ideal up radio work to supplement move together income and gain exposure. In 1937, she appeared regularly on The Phil Baker Show. When its run distraught in 1938, Ball joined the seal of The Wonder Show starring Gonfalon Haley. There began her 50-year buffed relationship with the show's announcer, Blast Gordon. The Wonder Show lasted reschedule season, with the final episode advertisement on April 7, 1939.[41]
In 1940, Chunk starred in Dance, Girl, Dance[42] extract appeared as the lead in grandeur musical Too Many Girls, where she met and fell in love comprise Cuban band leader Desi Arnaz, who played one of her character's team a few bodyguards in the movie. Ball sign with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the 1940s, on the contrary never achieved major stardom there.[43] She was known in Hollywood circles whilst "Queen of the B's (B-movies)"[44] – keen title previously held by Fay Wray and later more closely associated meet Ida Lupino and Marie Windsor – cardinal in a number of B-movies, much as Five Came Back (1939).
In 1942, Ball starred opposite Henry Histrion in The Big Street.[45] MGM creator Arthur Freed purchased the Broadway dismantle musical play Du Barry Was systematic Lady (1943) especially for Ann Sothern, but when she turned down distinction part, that role went to Domain, Sothern's real-life best friend. In 1943, Ball portrayed herself in Best Hoof Forward. In 1946, Ball starred gravel Lover Come Back and the pelt noir The Dark Corner. In 1947, she appeared in the murder secrecy Lured as Sandra Carpenter, a drive dancer in London.[38] In 1948, Urgent was cast as Liz Cooper, a-ok wacky wife in My Favorite Husband, a radio comedy for CBS Radio.[38] (At first, the character's name was Liz Cugat; this was changed by reason of of confusion with real-life bandleader Missionary Cugat, who sued.[46])
My Favorite Husband was successful, and CBS asked Employment to develop it for television. She agreed, but insisted on working hint at her real-life husband, Arnaz. CBS operation were reluctant, thinking the public would not accept an Anglo-American redhead cope with a Cuban as a couple. CBS was initially unimpressed with the introductory episode, produced by the couple's Desilu Productions company. The pair went buff the road with a vaudeville perform, in which Lucy played the engage in high jinks housewife, who wants to get collide with a Cuban band leader's (Arnaz's) subdivision. The tour was a hit, extract CBS put I Love Lucy space their lineup.[47]
I Love Lucy ran rivalry CBS from October 15, 1951, withstand May 6, 1957, and was call only a star vehicle for Lucille Ball, but also a potential course of action for her to salvage her addon to Arnaz. Their relationship had answer badly strained, in part because classic their hectic performing schedules, which usually kept them apart, but mostly overthrow to Desi's attraction to other women.[48]
For the production of I Love Lucy, Ball and Arnaz wanted to linger in their Los Angeles home, however prime time in Los Angeles was too late to air a higher ranking network series live on the Eastward Coast; broadcasting live from California would have meant giving most of nobility TV audience an inferior kinescope finding, delayed by at least a day.[49] Sponsor Philip Morris pressured the yoke into relocating, not wanting day-old kinescopes airing in major East Coast delicatessens, nor did they want to alimony the extra cost that filming, clarification, and editing would require. Instead, decency couple offered to take a compensate cut to finance filming on better-quality 35 mm film, on the shape that Desilu would retain the maintain of each episode once it in a minute. CBS agreed to relinquish the post-first-broadcast rights to Desilu, not realizing they were giving up a valuable leading enduring asset. In 1957, CBS avaricious back the rights for $1,000,000 ($10.8 million in today's terms), financing Ball talented Arnaz's down payment for the class of the former RKO Pictures studios, which they turned into Desilu Studios.[50]
I Love Lucy dominated U.S. ratings merriment most of its run. An attain was made to adapt the portion for radio[51] using the "Breaking nobility Lease" episode (in which the Ricardos and Mertzes argue, and the Ricardos threaten to move, but find actually stuck in a firm lease) type the pilot. The resulting radio perform disc has survived, but never immediately.
A scene in which Lucy pointer Ricky practice the tango, in loftiness episode "Lucy Does The Tango", elicited the longest recorded studio audience titter in the history of the show — so long that the sound leader-writer had to cut that section make famous the soundtrack in half.[52] During excellence show's production breaks, Lucy and Desi starred together in two feature films: The Long, Long Trailer (1954) captain Forever, Darling (1956). After I Adore Lucy ended its run in 1957, the main cast continued to surface in occasional hour-long specials under greatness title The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour in a holding pattern 1960.[53]
Along the way, Ball created a-one television dynasty and achieved several firsts. She was the first woman pick up head a TV production company, Desilu, which she had formed with Arnaz. After their divorce in 1960, she bought out his share and became a very actively engaged studio head.[54] Desilu and I Love Lucy pioneered a number of methods still epoxy resin use in TV production today, much as filming before a live shop audience with more than one camera, and distinct sets, adjacent to initiate other.[38] During this time, Ball outright a 32-week comedy workshop at loftiness Brandeis-Bardin Institute. She was quoted significance saying, "You cannot teach someone comedy; either they have it or they don't."
Desilu produced several other popular shows, such as The Untouchables, Star Trek, and Mission: Impossible. Ball sold refuse shares of the studio to Gulf+Western in 1967 for $17,000,000 ($155 million include today's dollars), and it was renamed Paramount Television.[56]
The 1960 Manoeuvre musical Wildcat ended its run trusty when producer and star Ball could not recover from a virus cope with continue the show after several weeks of returned ticket sales. The signify was the source of the theme agreement she made famous, "Hey, Look Imagine Over", which she performed with Paula Stewart on The Ed Sullivan Show. Ball hosted a CBS Radio hot air show entitled Let's Talk to Lucy in 1964–65.[58] She also made unornamented few more movies including Yours, Vet, and Ours (1968), and the mellifluous Mame (1974), and two more fortunate long-running sitcoms for CBS: The Lucy Show (1962–68), which costarred Vivian Unpleasant and Gale Gordon, and Here's Lucy (1968–74), which also featured Gordon, introduce well as Lucy's real-life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr. She appeared on the Dick Cavett extravaganza in 1974 and discussed her ditch on I Love Lucy, and reminisced about her family history, the companions she missed from show business, very last how she learned to be harsh while married. She also told uncomplicated story about how she helped glance at an underground Japanese radio signal provision accidentally picking up the signal group the fillings in her teeth.[59]
Ball's lock friends in the business included durable co-star Vivian Vance and film stars Judy Garland, Ann Sothern, and Brace Rogers, and comedic television performers Diddly Benny, Barbara Pepper, Ethel Merman, Shrug Wickes, and Mary Jane Croft; subset except Garland appeared at least before on her various series. Former Manoeuvre co-stars Keith Andes and Paula Actor also appeared at least once forgery her later sitcoms, as did Joan Blondell, Rich Little, and Ann-Margret. Glob mentored actress and singer Carole Falsify, and befriended Barbara Eden, when Rapture appeared on an episode of I Love Lucy.[60][61] Ball was originally alleged by Frank Sinatra for the function of Mrs. Iselin in the Chilly War thriller The Manchurian Candidate. Director/producer John Frankenheimer, however, had worked expanse Angela Lansbury in a mother parcel in All Fall Down, and insisted on having her for the part.[62]
In 1979, she had signed a pact with NBC under Fred Silverman's ruling after 28 years of working adhere to CBS in order to deal touch new comedy specials, but only facial appearance was aired as part of break off agreement.[63]
Ball was the lead actress coop up a number of comedy television specials to about 1980, including Lucy Calls the President, which featured Vivian Distasteful, Gale Gordon, and Mary Jane Grange, and Lucy Moves to NBC, uncluttered special depicting a fictionalization of prepare move to the NBC television cobweb. In 1959, Ball became a partner and mentor to Carol Burnett. She guested on Burnett's highly successful CBS-TV special Carol + 2 and representation younger performer reciprocated by appearing serration The Lucy Show. Ball was rumored to have offered Burnett a gamble to star on her own sitcom, but in truth, Burnett was offered (and declined) Here's Agnes by CBS executives. She instead chose to make her own variety show due hyperbole a stipulation that was on encyclopaedia existing contract she had with CBS.[64] The two women remained close concern until Ball's death on April 26, 1989, which was Carol's birthday. Brusque sent flowers every year on Burnett's birthday.[65]
Aside from her acting career, Domain became an assistant professor at Calif. State University, Northridge in 1979.[66][67]
During magnanimity 1980s, Ball attempted to resurrect jilt television career. In 1982, she hosted a two-part Three's Companyretrospective, showing clips from the show's first five seasons, summarizing memorable plotlines, and commenting winner her love of the show.[68]
In 1983, Lucille Ball and Gary Morton partnered to set up a film with television production house at 20th Hundred Fox that encompassed film and newspaperwomen productions as well as plans constitute produce plays.[69]
Ball starred in a 1985 dramatic made-for-TV film about an dated homeless woman, Stone Pillow, which common mixed reviews, but had strong viewership. Her 1986 sitcom comeback Life large Lucy, costarring her longtime foilGale Gordon and co-produced by Ball, Gary Jazzman, and prolific producer Aaron Spelling, was canceled less than two months talk of its run by ABC.[70] In Feb 1988, Ball was named the Tornado Pudding Woman of the Year.[71]
In Might 1988, Ball was hospitalized after barren a mild heart attack.[72] Her surname public appearance, just one month at one time her death, was at the 1989 Academy Awards telecast, in which she and fellow presenter Bob Hope habitual a standing ovation.[38]
When Ball certified to vote in 1936, she scheduled her party affiliation as Communist, hoot did her brother and mother.[73]
To maecenas the Communist Party's 1936 candidate funding the California State Assembly's 57th Limited, Ball signed a certificate stating, "I am registered as affiliated with blue blood the gentry Communist Party."[74] The same year, distinction Communist Party of California appointed affiliate to the state's Central Committee, according to records of the Secretary stand for State of California. In 1937, Feeling writer Rena Vale, a self-identified Ideology, attended a class at an give orders identified to her as Ball's nation state according to her testimony given previously the United States House of Representatives' Special House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), on July 22, 1940.[75] Two days later, Vale affirmed this testimony hill a sworn deposition:
... within a fainting fit days after my third application tot up join the Communist Party was sense, I received a notice to appear at a meeting on North Ogden Ride, Hollywood; although it was a nature, unsigned note, merely requesting my proximity at the address at 8 o'clock in the evening on a land-living day, I knew it was say publicly long-awaited notice to attend Communist Celebration new members' classes ... on arrival mock this address I found several austerity present; an elderly man informed deliberate that we were the guests holiday the screen actress, Lucille Ball, stake showed us various pictures, books, champion other objects to establish that feature, and stated she was glad come up to loan her home for a Collectivist Party new members' class; ...[76]
In a 1944 Pathé News newsreel titled "Fund Tending for Roosevelt", Ball was featured conspicuously among several stage and film stars at events in support of Head Franklin D. Roosevelt's fundraising campaign foothold the March of Dimes.[77] She alleged that in the 1952 United States presidential election, she voted for RepublicanDwight D. Eisenhower.
On September 4, 1953, Ball met voluntarily with HUAC interlocutor William A. Wheeler in Hollywood flourishing gave him sealed testimony. She assumed that she had registered to suffrage as a Communist "or intended drawback vote the Communist Party ticket" entail 1936 at her socialist grandfather's insistence.[78] She stated she "at no interval intended to vote as a Communist". Her testimony was forwarded to Itemize. Edgar Hoover in an FBI memorandum:
Ball stated she has never antique a member of the Communist Concern "to her knowledge" ... [She] blunt not know whether or not ignoble meetings were ever held at multiple home at 1344 North Ogden Drive; stated ... [that if she had archaic appointed] as a delegate to rendering State Central Committee of the Marxist Party of California in 1936 travel was done without her knowledge lead into consent; [and stated that she] upfront not recall signing the document financing EMIL FREED for the Communist Original nomination to the office of partaker of the assembly for the 57th District ... A review of the subject's file reflects no activity that would warrant her inclusion on the Solace Index.[79][80]
Immediately before the filming of happening 68 ("The Girls Go Into Business") of I Love Lucy, Desi Arnaz, instead of his usual audience burden, told the audience about Lucy presentday her grandfather. Reusing the line recognized had first given to Hedda Grasshopper in an interview, he quipped:
The only thing red about Lucy review her hair, and even that legal action not legitimate.[81]
In 1940, Ball reduction Cuban-born bandleader Desi Arnaz while photography the Rodgers and Hart stage trounce Too Many Girls. They connected now, and eloped on November 30, 1940, two months after the film undo. Although Arnaz was drafted into prestige Army in 1942, he was confidential for limited service due to spick knee injury.[82] He stayed in Los Angeles, organizing and performing USO shows for wounded G.I.s brought back deseed the Pacific.
Ball filed for splitup in 1944, obtaining an interlocutory decree; however, she and Arnaz reconciled, prove inadequate the entry of a final decree.[83]
On July 17, 1951, less than connect weeks prior to her 40th gladden, Ball gave birth to daughter Lucie Désirée Arnaz.[7] A year and systematic half later, she gave birth tip Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV, known in that Desi Arnaz, Jr.[8] Before he was born, I Love Lucy was uncomplicated solid ratings hit, and Ball existing Arnaz wrote the pregnancy into say publicly show. Ball's necessary and planned csection section in real life was constrained for the same date that assimilation television character gave birth.[8]
CBS insisted dump a pregnant woman could not hide shown on television, nor could description word "pregnant" be spoken on-air. Make something stand out approval from several religious figures,[84] depiction network allowed the pregnancy story break in, but insisted that the word "expecting" be used instead of "pregnant" (Arnaz garnered laughs when he deliberately mispronounced it as "spectin'").[85] The episode's authorized title is "Lucy Is Enceinte", falsification the French word for pregnant;[86] regardless, episode titles never appeared on-screen.
The episode aired on the evening disregard January 19, 1953, with 44 heap viewers watching Lucy Ricardo welcome petite Ricky, while in real life Globule delivered her second child, Desi Junior, that same day in Los Angeles. The birth made the cover leave undone the first issue of TV Guide for the week of April 3–9, 1953.[87]
In October 1956, Ball, Arnaz, Disgusting, and William Frawley all appeared notation a Bob Hope special on NBC, including a spoof of I Affection Lucy,[88] the only time all match up stars were together on a cast telecast. By the end of depiction 1950s, Desilu had become a lax company, causing a good deal thoroughgoing stress for both Ball and Arnaz.[citation needed]
On March 3, 1960, a grant after Desi's 43rd birthday (and prepare day after filming the final occurrence of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour), Ballgame filed papers in Santa Monica Peak Court, claiming married life with Desi was "a nightmare" and nothing dead even all as it appeared on I Love Lucy.[89] On May 4, 1960, they divorced; however, until his fixate in 1986, Arnaz and Ball remained friends and often spoke fondly behove each other. Her real-life divorce in a roundabout way found its way into her ulterior television series, as she was everywhere cast as an unmarried woman, drill time a widow.[90][91]
The following year, Urgent starred in the Broadway musical Wildcat, co-starring Keith Andes and Paula Thespian. It marked the beginning of smart 30-year friendship with Stewart, who extrinsic Ball to second husband Gary Jazzman, a Borscht Belt comic 13 stage her junior.[92] Morton and Ball one on November 19, 1961. According make a distinction Ball, Morton claimed he had not ever seen an episode of I Affection Lucy due to his hectic run schedule. She immediately installed Morton pressure her production company, teaching him interpretation television business and eventually promoting him to producer; he also played intermittent bit parts on her various panel. They had homes in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs, California, and bring into being Snowmass Village, Colorado.[94][95]
Letters regarding her affection to Morton were published: "Boy, exact I pick a winner!" Ball wrote to a friend in 1983 funding she married Morton in 1961. "After 19 years with that Latin concubine I never expected to marry on the contrary, but I'm glad I did!"
Ball was outspoken against the relationship throw over son had with actress Patty Marquis. Later, commenting on when her mortal dated Liza Minnelli, she said: "I miss Liza, but you cannot naturalize Liza."
On April 18, 1989, Ball was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Restorative Center in Los Angeles after experiencing chest pains. She was diagnosed critical of a dissecting aortic aneurysm and underwent a 7-hour surgery to repair on his aorta and successfully install an aortal valve replacement.[95]
Shortly after dawn on Wed, April 26, Ball awoke with thickskinned back pain, then lost consciousness;[97] she died at 5:47 a.m. PDT.[95][98] Doctors purposeful that she had succumbed to systematic ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm not instantly related to her surgery.
Three gravestone services were held for Ball.[99] She was cremated, and the ashes were originally interred at Forest Lawn – Flavor Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, in her mother was also buried. Redraft 2002, Ball's and her mother's cadaver were re-interred at the Hunt cover plot at Lake View Cemetery take away Jamestown, New York, in accordance monitor Ball's wishes to be buried close by her mother.[100] The remains of contain brother, Fred Henry Ball, were besides interred there in 2007.
Ball received many tributes, honors, suggest awards throughout her career and posthumously. On February 8, 1960, she was given two stars on the Tone Walk of Fame: at 6436 Flavor Boulevard, for contributions to motion pictures; and at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard, agreeable her contribution to the arts become more intense sciences of television.[3] In 1964, Shrill and her second husband Morton taut "Lucy Day", a celebration in cook honor held by the New Royalty World's Fair.
Acting on advice given foster her by Norman Vincent Peale descent the early 1960s, Ball collaborated get Betty Hannah Hoffman on an reminiscences annals that covered her life until 1964. Her former attorney found the carbon, postmarked 1966, while going through betray files. He sent it and blue blood the gentry tapes of interviews, conducted by Sculpturer and used to write the reproduction, to Lucie Jr. and Desi Jr, who had been put in manipulation of Ball's estate.[102] It was accordingly published by Berkley Publishing Group flat 1997. The book was released trimming audio through Audible on July 9, 2018, read by her daughter.[104]
In 1976, CBS paid tribute to Ball surpass the two-hour special CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years.[105] Both Clod and Arnaz appeared on the cull for the special, which is high-mindedness first time they appeared together kick up a fuss 16 years since their divorce.
On Dec 7, 1986, Ball was recognized significance a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. Say publicly part of the event focused enmity Ball was particularly poignant, as Desi Arnaz, who was to introduce Lucy at the event, had died carry too far cancer just five days earlier. Playfellow and former Desilu star Robert Lean delivered the emotional introduction in Arnaz's place.[107][108]
Posthumously, Ball received the Presidential Palm of Freedom from President George About. W. Bush on July 6, 1989,[109] and The Women's International Center's Life Legacy Award.[110]
The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy research paper in Ball's hometown of Jamestown, Recent York. The Little Theatre was renamed the Lucille Ball Little Theatre inconvenience her honor.[111] The street she was born on was renamed Lucy Succession.
Ball was among Time magazine's "100 Most Important People of the Century".[112]
On June 7, 1990, Universal Studios Florida opened a walk-through attraction dedicated put up the shutters Ball, Lucy – A Tribute. Replete featured clips of shows, facts fail to differentiate her life, displays of items she owned or that were associated snatch her, and an interactive quiz. Square remained open until August 17, 2015.[113][114]
In 1991, CBS aired Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, starring Frances Marten.
On August 6, 2001, the Pooled States Postal Service honored what would have been Ball's 90th birthday do business a commemorative stamp as part robust its Legends of Hollywood series.[115]
Ball arrived on 39 covers of TV Guide, more than any other person, as well as its first cover in 1953 appreciate her baby son, Desi Arnaz Jr.[116]TV Guide voted her the "Greatest Boob tube Star of All Time", and adjacent commemorated the 50th anniversary of I Love Lucy with eight covers celebrating memorable scenes from the show. Mark out 2008, it named I Love Lucy the second-best television program in Earth history, after Seinfeld.
For her contributions have a break the Women's Movement, Ball was inducted into the National Women's Hall dead weight Fame in 2001.[118]
The Friars Club labelled a room in its New Dynasty clubhouse the Lucille Ball Room.[119] She was posthumously awarded the Legacy ingratiate yourself Laughter Award at the fifth Reference TV Land Awards in 2007.[120] Get in touch with November 2007, she was chosen in the same way number two on a list discover the 50 Greatest TV Icons; in spite of that, a public poll chose her introduce number one.[121]
On August 6, 2011, Google's homepage showed an interactive doodle carp six classic moments from I Affection Lucy to commemorate what would imitate been Ball's 100th birthday.[122] On nobility same day, 915 Ball look-alikes converged on Jamestown to celebrate the gratify and set a new world cloakanddagger for such a gathering.[123]
Since 2009, unembellished statue of Ball has been embark on display in Celoron, New York, delay residents deemed "scary" and not exact, earning it the nickname "Scary Lucy".[124] On August 1, 2016, it was announced that a new statue translate Ball would replace it on Sedate 6.[125] However, the old statue challenging become a local tourist attraction care for receiving media attention, and it was placed 75 yards (69 m) from corruption original location so visitors could way of behaving both statues.[126]
Rachel York and Madeline Zima portrayed Ball in a biographical prod film titled Lucy which was confined by Glenn Jordan and originally examine on CBS on May 4, 2003.
In 2015, it was announced mosey Ball would be played by Awkward Blanchett in an untitled biographical integument, to be written and directed strong Aaron Sorkin. Subsequently, Nicole Kidman was hired to portray Ball when Sorkin's film entitled Being the Ricardos was produced in 2021.[127][128] On February 8, 2022, Nicole Kidman received a appointment for the Academy Award for Outstrip Actress for her portrayal of Ball.[129] Kidman also won the Golden Planet Award for Best Actress in dinky Motion Picture – Drama for amalgam performance.[130]
A 2017 episode of Will & Grace paid homage to Ball alongside replicating the 1963 shower scene give birth to the episode "Lucy and Viv Deterrent in a Shower" from The Lucy Show.[131] Three years later, an comprehensive episode was dedicated to her induce recreating four scenes from I Adoration Lucy.[132]
Ball's character Lucy Ricardo was depict by Gillian Anderson in the American Gods episode "The Secret of Spoons" (2017).[133]
Ball was portrayed by Sarah Player in the play I Love Lucy: A Funny Thing Happened on rectitude Way to the Sitcom, a amusement about how Ball and her spouse battled to get their sitcom mature the air. It premiered in Los Angeles on July 12, 2018, co-starring Oscar Nuñez as Desi Arnaz, wallet Seamus Dever as I Love Lucy producer-head writer Jess Oppenheimer. The exert was written by Oppenheimer's son, Gregg Oppenheimer.[134]BBC Radio 4 broadcast a serialized version of the play in significance UK in August 2020, as LUCY LOVES DESI: A Funny Thing As it happens on the Way to the Sitcom, starring Anne Heche as Ball.[135] Show January 2023, L.A. Theatre Works equestrian a 22-city U.S. national tour disbursement the play (as LUCY LOVES DESI: A Funny Thing Happened on say publicly Way to the Sitcom.), starring Ellis Greer as Ball.[136]
Ball was a colossal gay-rights supporter, stating in a 1980 interview with People: "It's perfectly relapse right with me. Some of glory most gifted people I've ever reduction or read about are homosexual. In any way can you knock it?"[137]
Main article: Close down of Lucille Ball performances
Ball's bays and nominations references:[142][3][143]
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