Inspiration compilation storybook part 7 Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball

Born in August of 1911, Lucille was the daughter of an electrician Henry Ball who died from typhoid fever when Lucille was three years old. At that time her mother was pregnant with Lucille’s brother Fred. She would later state that it was this that formed her first real and significant memory.

Her mother then went on to marry Ed Peterson, who was not particularly fond of children. While Fred was packed off to live with Lucille’s mother’s parents, Lucille went to live with Ed’s mother, a grim and stern woman who had little money to spare for a granddaughter not genetically hers.

At the age of 11, she and her brother returned to Jamestown NY to live with her mother and Ed Peterson. By now, Lucille had dreams of the spotlight and convinced her mother to enroll her in a drama school. Within a year, she was kicked out. The girl was said to be too nervous and tongue-tied to perform. The school wrote to her mother saying that Lucille was wasting not just her time but the school’s time, as she was too shy to try.

Undaunted, and certainly not ready to give up that easily, Lucille began working as a model under the name of Dianne Belmont, first for clothing designer Hattie Carnegie and then for Chesterfield cigarettes.

In the 1930s, Lucille moved to LA and proved she was no shy flower when she became one of 12 “Goldwyn Girls” promoting Eddie Cantor’s Roman Scandals. She found bit parts and small roles, and in the 40s earned a reputation as “The Queen of B Movies.” Two of these, Dance Girl, Dance, and Too Many Girls introduced her to a young man named Desi Arnaz. The two fell in love and soon married.

As the 40s came to an end, Lucille faced a dead-end career. Desi encouraged her to try broadcasting, and she landed the role with Desi in a radio comedy My Favorite Husband. CBS wanted a similar show but did not want Desi. Lucille refused and walked away from the contract rather than work without him.

Ready to find success on her terms, she instead turned the show into a vaudeville show, and they took it on the road. It was a huge success, and CBS returned with a contract for the pair of them.

Lucille again exerted her independence when she stated she wanted the show shot on film, much more expensive than the standard kinescope. To procure that, she and Desi agreed to take a pay cut on the provision that they retained the rights to the show. That saw the creation of Desilu productions that when went on to manage the show.

I love Lucy ran for six seasons, four of them in the number one slot. Playing the wild, zany Lucy proved to the world in general that whatever shyness she’d felt as a child was long past. Her offbeat humor and willingness to put herself out there in crazy situations proved that she was a comedienne worthy of note. During the episode where little Ricky was born, they captured a 71.1 rating, far exceeding even President Eisenhower’s inauguration.

Lucille and Desi divorced, and Lucille bought his share of Desilu, making her the first woman to head a major television studio. Under the Desilu banner, they created such shows as Star Trek, Hogan’s Heroes, Mission Impossible, Mannix, The Untouchables, and others.

While Lucille Ball might not have looked like much as a child and had been told time and again that she was not wanted (first by her mother, and again by the school where she wanted to train), she proved herself worthy, far beyond the expectations of those around her. Where she had been told by the world to give up, she instead thrived and built a career and a name for herself, with a body of work that is still recognized years after her death. Never did she let rejection get her down, nor did she allow the world around her to define her. Lucille Ball was merely …herself.

And that was quite enough. 

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