There have been a lot of very important television shows since television was invented, and one of the most important and influential ones has been I Love Lucy. Even though it aired long ago, this series still has an impact on television these days.
The effects of it will probably be seen for many more years, since it was such a game-changer back then. For example, Lucille had a lot of power behind the scenes of the show. That was a groundbreaking thing since women didn’t typically have much control over television shows back then. Here are some other interesting facts about this series that fans probably didn’t already know.
Lucille Didn’t Like Desi Being On The Road
Part of the reason why audiences have been able to enjoy I Love Lucy for so long is because Lucille did not want her husband being on the road all the time. Fans might remember that Desi was part of a band in real life, and that meant that he was spending lots of time traveling, and Lucille was not a fan of that.
The actress wanted her husband to spend more time with her, so that is why she wanted him to play her husband on the series. It’s interesting to think about what the show might have looked like if she did not feel that way.
William Was Not The First Choice For Fred
William Frawley was not the first choice when it came to who was going to play Fred Mertz. Lucille actually wanted someone else to play the part, and that was Gale Gordon. Apparently, she loved the work the actor did on the radio show they starred in together, which was My Favorite Husband.
But that actor ended up asking for too much money, so he was not cast in the role. William heard that I Love Lucy was being created, so he gave Lucille a call to find out if there was a part for him. Some people who worked on the series were reluctant to hire him, but Desi believed he would be great for the role, so they met for lunch, and Desi offered him the role.
CBS Didn’t Want Desi To Play Ricky
It is hard to imagine what this show would have been like if any of the main characters had been played by different actors, but some of the creators of the show were originally not in favor of Desi being cast as Lucille’s husband, despite the fact that they were really together at the time. CBS really liked My Favorite Husband, and they wanted the man who played her husband on that show to play him on television as well.
But, Lucille would only take the role of Lucy if her actual husband was cast as Ricky. The creators didn’t think the audience was going to believe that they could ever be a couple, but history has proved them wrong.
A Dream Pushed Lucille To Take On This Role
Lucille was not sure about whether she should take on the role of Lucy Ricardo or not, but a dream is what convinced her to do it. The actress was very reluctant to join the cast of the show because she was unsure about how the transition from movies to television was going to affect her career, but then she had a dream that pushed her to do it.
In the dream, a deceased friend of hers talked to her. The friend was an actress named Carole Lombard, and if Lucille had not had that dream, television as we know it would certainly look a lot different than it does at the moment.
Vivian And William Did Not Get Along
Lots of shows have had some behind the scenes feuds between the cast members, and even I Love Lucy could not escape that since the people who played Fred and Ethel Mertz never really got along with one another. Part of the reason why they did not like one another is because William was so much older than Vivian (there was 22 years between them) and she did not think anyone would believe she was married to a man who was so much older than she was.
William didn’t have many nice things to say about her, either. He often referred to her as “that old sack of doorknobs.”
Lucille Was Not A Natural Redhead
Lucy Ricardo’s hair was one of her most famous and identifiable features, but the actress who played her was actually not a natural redhead. Another interesting fact is that her hairdresser did not just use any common hair dye to color her hair.
Someone brought the hairdresser a unique mixture that involved hair dye and henna, and that is what was used to create the iconic hair color that I Love Lucy fans are so familiar with. The distinct mixture was locked up in a safe spot when the hairdresser was not using it on the actress, since it was such an important part of her character.
Reruns Are A Thing Because Of This Show
Anyone who loves to watch reruns of their favorite shows are probably very thankful to those who created I Love Lucy. In real life, Lucille and Desi shared two children. Desi thought his wife could use a break from work when she had their second child, so that is when he came up with what audiences now know as a rerun.
The actor suggested that instead of filming new episodes for a bit, the studio could show some of the old episodes that had already proven to be really popular with the shows’ fanbase. This obviously worked out pretty well for them, since fans can still catch reruns of the series on television today.
It Was All Part Of The Script
Every line that was spoken when the show was being filmed was scripted out. That may seem pretty obvious, but there are actually lots of movies and television shows that feature some lines that the actors made up on the spot, since some unexpected things can happen on the set (there is a rumor that a certain scene in The Dark Knight is a perfect example of this).
But some people might be surprised to find out that none of the actors ever said anything that was not scripted when they were creating any of the episodes of I Love Lucy.
There Was One Thing That Only Lucy Was Allowed To Do
Lucy was the only character on the series who was allowed to make fun of Ricky’s accent. Those who have seen the series probably noticed that Ricky has a very thick accent, and they also probably noticed that the only person who ever made fun of him for it was Lucy.
When Lucy did it, the audiences seemed to think it was very funny. But when the series creators attempted to have the other characters do it, things were a bit different. The jokes were not very well-received, so the writers stopped allowing the other characters in the show to poke fun at his accent.
Nearly Everything Shut Down When New Episodes Aired
Lots of businesses closed up shop when new episodes of I Love Lucy aired. These days, there are multiple ways for people to catch episodes of their favorite television shows, even if they have already aired on television before, but things were not always like that.
Back when I Love Lucy was still being filmed, fans could only watch it when it aired live each week (except for when Desi invented the rerun), and that resulted in some businesses closing when they knew a new episode was going to air. Almost everyone loved this show, so it seems that the title was fairly appropriate.