No one could have predicted that when I Love Lucy first premiered on October 15, 1951, it would turn into one of television’s most beloved programs of all time. Thanks to the show’s brilliant writing, innovative filming methods, Lucille Ball’s impeccable humor, and Desi Arnaz’s business genius, I Love Lucy topped the ratings and even picked up a handful of awards along the way. For these reasons alone, we compiled 20 facts you probably didn’t know about the show, the cast, and the crew.
Not Believable
When CBS first approached Lucille Ball with the proposal to transform her popular radio show My Favorite Husband into a TV show, she agreed. But with one mere condition: her real-life husband, Desi Arnaz, would star as her spouse. However CBS were hesitant to accept her proposal as they believed American viewers wouldn’t “buy that Lucy (an average housewife) was married to a ‘foreign’ man”. Of course CBS disregarded that Lucy and Desi had already been married for over a decade at this time.
On The Road
Going off the last fact, in order to convince CBS, the duo created a vaudeville act which was added to the performance of Arnaz’s orchestra. Audiences absolutely loved every minute of it which convinced the CBS executive Harry Ackerman to believe that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were the perfect on-screen duo.