¶ … Lucille Ball. Born in Jamestown Lucille went to New York City Lucille in pursuit of a career to act in films. She played many roles in the small movies during 1930s and by 1940s she was regarded as one of the 'B-grade' cine star. Lucille is acknowledged to be the hardest working person on the stage. She had yet to attain the place that would discharge her to super-stardom in films in spite of her performances. Ball gradually shifted her performance to a new medium of television after a couple of successful years of 'My Favorite Husband' along with Desi Arnaz, the contemporary Cuban band leader who later became her husband. Her debut television program was 'I Love Lucy'. Ball felt perfectly accommodative in I Love Lucy where she could accomplish the true opportunity to exhibit her expertise on physical comedy simultaneously working with her loved one. And 'I Love Lucy' became so successful which made it the No. 1-rated show on television and gave Lucille the much-awaited popularity. Love Lucy was regarded more a reality than a mere TV show and the Ball was regarded as the perfect star for the small screen. Her achievements were an inspiration for other actresses to follow. The paper shall further discuss on her work associated with 'I Love Lucy' and other programs which followed. She later entered into the filed of production after achieving heights in acting. The Desilu Productions was considered to be their own entertainment empire that she had built along with her husband, Desi Arnaz. However by the mid-1970s the soft lighting, the surgical tape 'face lifts', the skilled makeup and bright wig could not conceal her reducing physical flexibility or her enhanced reliance on cue-cards. In the final section, we shall make an analysis of the artist's achievements and her downfalls.

Lucille Ball

Lucille Ball was regarded as one of the premier actress in American Television and considered to be the paramount women in the television world. (Ball, Lucille: U.S. Actor/Comedienne) She took her birth in Jamestown, New York and after the death of her father, was brought up by her employed mother and grand-parents. In pursuit of her career as an actress she went to New York City and succeeded in becoming a fashion model and chorus girl. She went to Hollywood in 1933 to act in films. She initiated her career as a Goldwyn Girl being a young contract artist for MGM, but initially did not attain remarkable accomplishment in films. She played many roles in the small movies during 1930s as a contract artist for RKO. (Lucille Ball: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) She accomplished less as a cine- actress for her role in Roman Scandals till 1933. (Zoglin, Lucille Ball)

However Lucille was the single most popular actress up to mid 1930s appearing in almost all the movies, often in the role of a nurse or dancer or a flower clerk or a college girl. (Lucille Ball: www.pbs.org) During 1940s she was regarded as one of the 'B-grade' cine star and became a supreme and famous star in the world of television. She debuted in B. grade movies with outstandingly pretty look having a chestnut hair dyed blond and gradually elevated to classy fares like Stage Door, in that she held her own with Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers. (Zoglin, Lucille Ball) In many of the Hollywood circles she was regarded as 'the B-Movie queen' who was co-partnering the 'royalty' honor with Macdonald Carey then known as the 'King'. (Lucille Ball: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Irrespective of the fact that she was acknowledged commonly to be a true talent and fascinating performer, she had yet to attain the place that would discharge her to super-stardom. She exhibited seriously dramatic performance in her parts played in different films so as to dominant in the field of romantic lead. She could perform anything ranging from dramas, comedies to musicals. (Lucille Ball: www.pbs.org) Buster Keaton, the great unspoken clown employed as a consultant at MGM acknowledged her comic qualities and worked with her on stunts. She had few opportunities to exhibit her skills in movies like DuBary Was a Lady with Red Skelton and Fancy Pants with Bob Hope but never broke through to the top. (Zoglin, Lucille Ball)

Lucille's true skill revealed only after her role on the radio show, 'My Favorite Husband', a situational comedy on representing a housewife that was always getting into trouble. Irrespective of invisibility of the beauty and grace of Ball over the airwaves the perfect comic...

Her skill extended to express all of the idiosyncratic awkwardness of physical comedians like Keaton, Chaplin or the Marx Brothers with a pause, a hesitation or a firmly asserted absurdity and much praised by her audience. Ball gradually shifted her performance to a new medium of television after a couple of successful years of 'My Favorite Husband' along with her husband Desi Arnaz, the contemporary Cuban band leader. (Lucille Ball: www.pbs.org) She met her husband in the stage of Too many Girls in 1940 that encouraged her to play on television. (Zoglin, Lucille Ball)
Thus with about two decades of experience in cine world Lucille moved to small screen with an eventual transformation from the platinum blonde glamour symbol to a wise cracking redhead. Her debut television program was 'I Love Lucy'. 'I Love Lucy' had a glorious debut in October 1951, when it was visualized initially as distinguishable from other domestic comedies that were begun to transform from radio to TV. With her flexible expressions, jesting skills and unique oral talents she dominated the airwaves for the next two and half decades through a series of comedies. (Ball, Lucille: U.S. Actor/Comedienne) Further in the perspective of production the using the real film at the time of production rather than creating a second quality kinescope like the most TV shows resulted in rebroadcast through syndication. In the suiting of 'I Love Lucy' the '3-camera setup' was first introduced by Desi Arnaz which has been a paradigm in the present days. The cans of paint indicating the technique to make the shades range from white to medium gray was resorted to with a view to painting out the unsuitable shadows and mask the lighting flaws. (Lucille Ball: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The program 'I Love Lucy' was not only remarkable in sphere of her star career, but also a mode of her attempts to solemnize the marriage to Desi Arnaz, which was adversely overwrought with the busy suiting program of both. (Lucille Ball: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Lucille Desiree Ball acted in I Love Lucy as a comedian. Ball felt perfectly accommodative in I Love Lucy where she could accomplish the true opportunity to exhibit her expertise on physical comedy simultaneously working with her loved one. This accomplishment of love and work and the people resulted in a unique and more individualistic type of star previously unknown to the television world. (Lucille Ball: www.pbs.org) To most of the Americans, the witnessing of television set every week had become an objective to watch how her performance was improving. (Lucille Ball: www.pbs.org)

During the four seasons out of six, the serial 'I Love Lucy' became the No. 1-rated show on television; during 1952-53 it reached the pinnacle with an average of incredible 67.3 rating, implying that more than two thirds of all homes with TV sets were tuned to Lucy in the typical Monday nights. (Zoglin, Lucille Ball) Each of the new episodes was highlighting different aspect of everyday life, infusing wittiness in our dreams and frustration. (Lucille Ball: www.pbs.org) In those early I Love Lucy episodes Lucy Ricardo was only a daffy house. The show continued to be shaped and improved to become a great comedy with the comic luminosity of the Ball. The idiosyncrasy and eccentricity of the Lucy depicted in terms of her thriving to be in show biz, her crazy schemes that always backfired, the constant fights with the Mertzes has become a unique and popular face across the dinner table. Love Lucy was regarded more a reality than a mere TV show and the Ball was regarded as the perfect star for the small screen. She proclaimed that she looked like an actress in consonance with the conception of everybody to that effect however she herself felt more like a housewife. Like Sid Caesar and Jackie Gleason regarded as big men with larger than life personas, Lucy was regarded as one among us. (Zoglin, Lucille Ball)

Presently, I Love Lucy is often discarded as an antique with its ludicrous plots, broad physical humor and conventional image of marriage. However, the show has been an illustration of non-evasive perfection of a crystal chalice. She was able to explore the common themes in all its comic hyperbole and the tensions of married life, the cash between the career and home, the meaning of loyalty and friendship. The serial also depicted the most important social phenomenon of the decade. In the serial the Ricardos had a…