Happy 100th Lucy!

[EnsignHarper]

And if you think this is OT, you haven't been paying attention....

Simply this: No Lucy - No Trek. Period. Exclamation point.

Desilu was the ONLY studio willing to take the risk on the Roddenberry's crazy space show, and as Herb Solow, the Desilu board did NOT want to actually commit to the series - Lucy was the one who took the HUGE gamble of finally saying 'yes' to committing to doing the actual series.

Actually, TV itself would probably be radically different without her......it might have taken YEARS before someone figured out how to properly do the sitcom.

So let us celebrate Lucy's 100th with a little Vitameatavegimin! Its so tasty!

 

[Botany Bay]

I love Herb Solow's story about Lucy enquiring about progress on Star Trek : "How's that show about stars entertaining the troops going?" - the ultimate hands off boss!

Happy birthday Lucy - thanks for letting Solow's crazies do their thing!

 

[Anji]

Lucille Ball was very progressive in her thinking. Look what she did on "I Love Lucy." Most of the series was about how her character strived for equality for her husband. That's a pretty progressive thought for the 1950s. Not to mention she was fearless when it came to her comedy.

It's no surprise that she could back a series like "Star Trek."

Thanks, Lucy. Another wonderful gift you left us.

 

[Amaris]

Thank you, Lucy. Love ya!

 

[Esteban]

She may have played the ditzy redhead, but she knew entertainment. Without her trust in Solow, none of this would have happened.

Bless her.

 

[23skidoo]

One of my favorite stories about Lucille Ball is I think from Solow's book in which he recalls showing up on the Star Trek set - might have been The Cage, or Where No Man, and seeing Lucy helping to sweep up!

I think Lucy's involvement in making Star Trek happen is one of the most under-reported stories in TV history.

Alex

 

[spooky spice]

I ♥ Lucy

 

[EnsignHarper]

One of my favorite stories about Lucille Ball is I think from Solow's book in which he recalls showing up on the Star Trek set - might have been The Cage, or Where No Man, and seeing Lucy helping to sweep up!

I think Lucy's involvement in making Star Trek happen is one of the most under-reported stories in TV history.

Alex

It was WNHGB - it was the very end of shooting, and they needed someone to sweep the Delta Vega set, so they could finish. Lucy was there all dolled up waiting for the wrap party, and grabbed a broom so the party could start! Desilu was VERY big on parties....

 

[Captain Robert April]

It was a bit more complicated than that.

The wrap party was set up and ready to go in the next soundstage. Studio and network execs are in attendance, all getting more and more anxious about getting thsi shindig underway, so Lucy comes over, hair flaming red and in a glittering cocktail dress, wondering what the holdup was. Turns out, they were having trouble getting the last shot because of all the debris getting in the rails of the dolly tracks, and nobody being available to sweep the crap out of the way. Lucy asks if she can do anything to help, James Goldstone, the director, tells her that if she could sweep the crap out of the way of the camera, they can get that last shot, wrap, and they can finally pop the champagne corks. She grabs a broom, they get the shot, call it a wrap, and proceed to party next door.

Now, if someone could come up with a picture of that, startrekhistory.com would really have something...

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Desi Arnaz was actually the smart business guy who came up with "how to do a sitcom" - everything from working with Karl Freund to get the three-camera set-up to work with a live audience to inventing back-end syndication itself. In fact, when he and Lucy split and she took over the studio the betting was that Desilu would founder without him. That Lucy was more than capable of running it on her own (more or less) surprised a lot of people.

 

[EnsignHarper]

Desi Arnaz was actually the smart business guy who came up with "how to do a sitcom" - everything from working with Karl Freund to get the three-camera set-up to work with a live audience to inventing back-end syndication itself. In fact, when he and Lucy split and she took over the studio the betting was that Desilu would founder without him. That Lucy was more than capable of running it on her own (more or less) surprised a lot of people.

I always find it interesting that Marc Daniels gets a short shrift in the history of I Love Lucy. Daniels was the first season director, and had a LOT to do with the setting up of that three camera system ( it actually started out as four cameras). Daniels had been hired specifically because he was one of the early geniuses in directing live plays for television, so he understood how the cameras should be set up, and how the shows would would be blocked and rehearsed. Daniels quit the show after one season because of - surprise - problems with Ms. Ball, but if you look at his subsequent credits, he ended up doing a vast majority of his work in the 50s and 60s directing either shows that filmed at Desilu, or shows that Desilu produced.

In fact, when he came to direct Trek, he brought that 'rehearsal' idea to the show: In between shots, while the gaffers, riggers and camera people were adjusting and moving, instead of the actors running off to their trailers/dressing rooms, Daniels started the tradition of having the actors sit around a table and rehearse the next couple of scenes. This was tremendously valuable to Trek, as that meant less actual takes while filming. Justman in INSIDE STAR TREK, cannot praise Daniels enough for his work. Daniels ended up directing more Treks than any other director...

 

[Captain Robert April]

It was also Desi's idea to film the shows instead of kinescope, thus inventing the rerun.

 

[EnsignHarper]

It was also Desi's idea to film the shows instead of kinescope, thus inventing the rerun.

Actually Desi himself had nothing to do with actually 'inventing' the rerun here is a brief sequence of what happened:

CBS wants to put I Love Lucy on the air - only if the Arnazes move to NY to do the show live from there.

Lucy and Desi both want to stay in Hollywood, and FILM the show there - in front of an audience, because Lucy Needs and Audience to be Funny.

CBS says 'Sure - but only if you put the money up for the extra costs.

The Arnazes offer to take a pay cut for the extra money, and Desi casually also asks for ownership of the films. CBS - to their future dismay - agrees. Lucy and Desi set up shop at General Service Studios - a very small independent lot in Hollywood.

FLASH FORWARD about three years - I Love Lucy is the biggest phenomenon in not just television, but show business. Desilu has become THE place to do a sitcom, and has run out of rental space at General Service. Desi wants to buy a lot called Motion Picture Center - the future Desilu Cuheunga lot, but needs cash. Also, the Desilu deal with CBS is running out, so Desi swings a deal where CBS buys those films they had given Desi for 'free',for 5 million solid 1954 dollars. Desi promptly buys MPC, and truly starts the Desilu empire.


MEANWHILE - CBS is now sitting on a bunch of I Love Lucy films. Also, between 1951 and 1954, the FCC, which had frozen TV station licensing,, had unfroze the same, and a ton of new markets had come into being - all of which had not seen those Lucy shows. CBS took those Lucy episodes, retitled them, and started showing early Sunday evenings. After I Love Lucy ended, CBS started showing ALL the I Love Lucys weekday mornings ( I remember seeing Lucy weekday mornings as a very little kid). It was not until the mid 60s that CBS actually started syndicating Lucy to local channels.

So in reality, Desi Arnaz did NOT invent the rerun - but he was a smart enough businessman to keep his films of his show, then sell those films when he needed the cash to expand his company, There is enough testimony from former CBS executives around that say that Arnaz was the toughest negotiator they ever dealt with - he knew exactly how much money CBS made off his show, and was determined to get most of it from them. The rerun started because CBS needed to recoup that money they had put out when Desi basically screwed them from the beginning by getting that ownership of the original shows.

 

[Nurse Marmalade]

Lovely thread, too bad I joined too late to see it when it was first posted.

I've been a lifelong I Love Lucy fan, and when I fell in love with TOS, I was beyond pleased to find out about Lucille Ball's faith in the show. Thank you so much, Lucy!!

 

[Captain Robert April]

It was also Desi's idea to film the shows instead of kinescope, thus inventing the rerun.

Actually Desi himself had nothing to do with actually 'inventing' the rerun here is a brief sequence of what happened:

CBS wants to put I Love Lucy on the air - only if the Arnazes move to NY to do the show live from there.

Lucy and Desi both want to stay in Hollywood, and FILM the show there - in front of an audience, because Lucy Needs and Audience to be Funny.

CBS says 'Sure - but only if you put the money up for the extra costs.

The Arnazes offer to take a pay cut for the extra money, and Desi casually also asks for ownership of the films. CBS - to their future dismay - agrees. Lucy and Desi set up shop at General Service Studios - a very small independent lot in Hollywood.

FLASH FORWARD about three years - I Love Lucy is the biggest phenomenon in not just television, but show business. Desilu has become THE place to do a sitcom, and has run out of rental space at General Service. Desi wants to buy a lot called Motion Picture Center - the future Desilu Cuheunga lot, but needs cash. Also, the Desilu deal with CBS is running out, so Desi swings a deal where CBS buys those films they had given Desi for 'free',for 5 million solid 1954 dollars. Desi promptly buys MPC, and truly starts the Desilu empire.


MEANWHILE - CBS is now sitting on a bunch of I Love Lucy films. Also, between 1951 and 1954, the FCC, which had frozen TV station licensing,, had unfroze the same, and a ton of new markets had come into being - all of which had not seen those Lucy shows. CBS took those Lucy episodes, retitled them, and started showing early Sunday evenings. After I Love Lucy ended, CBS started showing ALL the I Love Lucys weekday mornings ( I remember seeing Lucy weekday mornings as a very little kid). It was not until the mid 60s that CBS actually started syndicating Lucy to local channels.

So in reality, Desi Arnaz did NOT invent the rerun - but he was a smart enough businessman to keep his films of his show, then sell those films when he needed the cash to expand his company, There is enough testimony from former CBS executives around that say that Arnaz was the toughest negotiator they ever dealt with - he knew exactly how much money CBS made off his show, and was determined to get most of it from them. The rerun started because CBS needed to recoup that money they had put out when Desi basically screwed them from the beginning by getting that ownership of the original shows.

You left out where Desi and Lucy buy the old RKO lot, right next door to Paramount Pictures.