Lucille Ball had an impact on the world of television that few others will ever be able to match.
So, what else is there to know about the pioneering and intrepid Lucille Ball?
What was she like in real life; what made her tick?
Read on to discover her untold truth.
As Ball tells it, they were strict and had “old-country ideas.”
Perhaps unwittingly, however, that method of arguablyincorrect parentingled Ball to discover the power of humor.
“It gave me a feeling of frustration and of reaching-out-and-trying-to-just,” she explained.
“I found the quickest and easiest way to do that was to make people laugh.”
Her stepparents also encouraged her to pursue the arts.
And while he didn’t die, the bullet severed his spinal cord, paralyzing him for life.
The boy’s family later sued Ball’s grandfather for everything he was worth.
“My grandfather never worked again.”
She added that it took the heart out of him.
“I was young, very backward and awkward.
Vaudeville was the only thing I knew so I tried to break in.”
“The lack of food and work forced me into modeling,” she continued.
“I finally became a showgirl and my first job in Hollywood was as a showgirl.”
And, in fact, she was one of the first women ever to do so.
Ball wasn’t shy about discussing herbirthexperiences either.
“Little Desi was delivered by Cesarean too.
Who would have thought?
This was despite the fact that Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz had basically invented the sitcom, too.
Was Vivian Vance really Lucille Ball’s rival?
However, there’s more to the story, according to celebrity interviewer Tom Johnson.
He revealed that Ball actually adored Vance.
“She always watched her.”
Ball wasa smoker in real life, too.
“I’ve never tried it.”
And when she drankalcohol, Ball said she either got sick or fell asleep.
“I’m allergic to morphine, Percodan [aspirin and oxycodone], codeine,” she continued.
“I can’t take any of those things because they work in reverse.
The eyes won’t close.”
Certainly some of the comedy gold from these moments was improvisational magic, right?
Actually, wrong, according to celebrity interviewer David Fantle and Lucille Ball was adamant about telling this truth.
“She wanted people to know that there was no ad-libbing,'” he explained toFox News.
“She said, ‘We knew our characters inside and out.
There was no ad-libbing.
We came in, read the script and did our jobs.'”
Ball insisted, instead, that credit should be given to the talented writers.
“It took us a day and a half to get that name Vitameatavegamin, too.
That was a tough one.”
“The most amazing thing is that she didn’t use any cue cards,” they continued.
“She did that whole thing in one take.
Which she did a lot.”
That’s a real testament to the star’s comedic and acting prowess.
So, what did they do with all of that money?
According toEntertainment Weekly, the couple decided to purchase the former RKO Studios.
They renamed it Desilu Productions and quickly saw success as one of the biggest independent production companies in SoCal.
Fortunately for Roddenberry, Ball overruled them and saw to it that the expensive pilot was made.
Still, NBC rejected the pilot.
This time, NBC picked it up.
But that never fazed Ball, who says sparks flew fairly quickly between them.
That was in spite of Arnaz’s more wild nature, specifically how he operated a motor vehicle.
“He frightened me,” she continued.
“Marrying Desi was the boldest thing I ever did.”
“Always have,” she toldPeoplemagazine.
“We didn’t even get two lawyers for the divorce.”
Like Arnaz, Ball also remarried.
In 1961, she wed comedian Gary Morton, who she described as a naturally moderate person.
“Desi was a very generous man who built many houses but never lived in any home.”
Ball and Morton were married for 28 years until the actress passed away in 1989, according to theIndependent.
Morton died ten years later.
“It’s perfectly all right with me,” she proclaimed during the 1980 interview.
“Some of the most gifted people I’ve ever met or read about are homosexual.
How can you knock it?”
Things quieted down after those revelations went public.
Another 144 to 185 people were accused of witchcraft, including everyone from a five-year-old girl to octogenarians.
So, what does all of this history have to do with Lucille Ball?
