"Very important.... Fresh insights.... This is the most detailed — and most enjoyable — book available on Lucille Ball. A must-have." — Laura Wagner, Classic Images
"This new fourth edition is a wonderful read, and I'm pleased to recommend it to everyone." — Wanda Clark, Lucille Ball's personal secretary
Click to order online.

Here's Vivian Vance onstage in one of her biggest Broadway hits, the 1943 musical Let's Face It (See What's New? for some exciting related information). In the background is co-star Eve Arden. It's one of many exclusive photos you can find here. A good place to start looking is my Lucy Photo Album.
WHAT'S NEW IN THE LUCYVERSE?
SPOTLIGHT: KISS, KISS
One of my favorite made-up holidays is coming up ... Valentine's Day, of course. It's a day when couples feel obligated to give cards (thanks, Hallmark!), feed their loved one chocolate(s) of some kind or give them flowers, and in general act more romantic than they do the rest of the year. In an effort to save you-all some calories, I'm offering a virtual Hollywood air-kiss, courtesy of my favorite fictional couple: Lucy and Ricky Ricardo (a.k.a. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz). This billboard lit up Times Square in New York circa 1997 as part of Apple Computer's "Think Different" campaign. This is part of the ad copy for one of the print ads: "Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." Lucy and Desi did think different. They thought the public was ready for a switch from baggy-pants vaudeville comedy on TV to situation-related comedy. They filmed their show live in front of an audience, thus creating the rerun. Desi and Oscar-winning cinematographer Karl Freund came up with a unique three-camera shooting technique, to get all the good angles while shooting, and rigged a special editing console (dubbed "the three-headed monster") to go with it, both of which revolutionized the sitcom and is still used today. While Lucy and Desi themselves thought very differently about certain things, they came together on loving each other, working together, and creating a masterpiece that is still analyzed, and most important, enjoyed, today, almost 60 years later: I love Lucy. My niece Jennifer shot this picture for me because she knew I'd get a kick out of it. And I did. So this year, on VD, as I like to call it, give your loved ones a kiss, and show them some tenderness, but don't feel bad if you forgot the chocolates. It's better for their waistlines, anyway (unless we're talking 70%-plus cacao).

This site ©2010 by Michael Karol. No text or photos may be used without permission. Screen captures are created for your enjoyment, and are not meant to infringe on any copyrights held by the creators.
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Fashion File
This looks like a more sophisticated version (perhaps for evening or a theater matinee?) of the familiar blue polka-dot dress that Lucy wore in I Love Lucy. Lucy's costumer, Elois Jenssen, designed the original short-sleeved dress. This sketch is by Edward Stevenson, who took over for Jenssen when she demanded a raise later in the series and the Arnazes replaced her.
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