Queen of Television - Lucille Ball

She was the star of four different popular television shows, and she left a legacy of over 500 episodes of television over her multi decade show business career. And she was a woman who made a difference.

Their contributions made the world a better place. This is Women Who Made a Difference.

She would go on to be the star of four different successful television shows and leave a legacy unrivaled in television history.

This is the story of Lucille Ball, the genius who gave us Both Lucy herself and the show I Love Lucy are still loved and adored by millions of people, more than three decades after her death and more than six decades after the show came to an end.

But who was this amazing woman?

Lucille Ball was born in 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Her father died when she was only three years old, so she was raised by both her mother and her grandparents. One of the lessons Lucy learned growing up was that hard work was the key to success. It's a trait her grandparents helped instill in young Lucy.

While she was still in school, Lucy began performing in plays. By 15, she knew she wanted to be in show business. At 18, she launched her career as a model and then landed a part on Broadway under the stage name Diane Belmont. Now in those days, she didn't have her signature red hair that we remember so vividly today.

No, believe it or not, Lucy was a blonde at the start of her career. But those early days were filled with disappointments. She did get to work on Broadway, but she was fired multiple times. She was underestimated, but she would not be deterred, despite the fact that multiple industry insiders told her she was talentless.

It's a good thing Lucy didn't believe them.

In 1933, she got a break and was hired by the Chesterfield Cigarette Company as the Cigarette Girl in a series of national advertising posters. And this was the launching pad that catapulted her into her Hollywood career. The poster campaign got her into the movie Roman Scandals.

Over the next two decades, she appeared in over 70 films. But she was never able to make it as a leading lady in the biggest films. She was the lead actress in a number of bee movies during the 1930s and 40s. In fact, she became known as the Queen of the Bees. And she also appeared in more popular films, but usually in supporting roles.

While filming the movie, Too Many Girls, she met the Cuban band leader, Desi Arnaz. They instantly fell in love and were married the same year. Lucy went to work for Metro Goldwyn Mayer making movies in the 1940s, but she still couldn't establish herself as an A list lead actress.

Now, in addition to her film work, she also appeared on the radio on shows, including the popular.

Phil Baker show. And later she worked on radio's The Wonder Show. That didn't last long. But this is where she met actor Gail Gordon, whom she would work with on and off for the next 50 years.

After World War II came to an end, Lucille Ball landed the leading role in the radio show, My Favorite Husband on CBS. It was so successful that CBS asked her to transform it into a television show.

Now, this was the big break Lucy had been looking for for so long. But she had one requirement. She wanted Desi Arnaz, her real life husband, to play her husband on the new TV show.

Now, the suits at CBS did not think it was the best idea to feature a white woman married to a Cuban.

But Lucy had her way, and she won the battle with the network. Her victory over the network showed her savvy business mind and keen insight for creating successful and engaging television.

I Love Lucy would become a smash hit. It starred Lucy and Desi, along with Vivian Vance and William Frawley as their neighbors, the Mertzes.

The show would run for 180 episodes, many consider it the best television series ever created. Lucy's comedic timing and her vivid facial expressions made for TV magic.

And her success. at the dawn of the age of television, led her to be a pioneer on many fronts. She was the first woman to appear pregnant on a major television network, but the executives didn't want the show to refer to her as being pregnant, so on the show, it was presented that Lucy One of the episodes, Lucy Goes to the Hospital, featured the birth of little Ricky on the show.

It aired the same day that Lucy gave birth to her son in real life, Desi Arnaz Jr. That episode, Lucy Goes to the Hospital, received a 72 percent share of all households watching television, a feat that was only surpassed by Elvis Presley when he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

I Love Lucy's 1952 season averaged a 67 percent share of everyone watching TV, a feat that will never be topped with today's fragmented entertainment choices.

Now, after Lucy gave birth in real life, she received 30, 000 letters of congratulations. And Lucy and Desi's success led them to become television's first millionaires. I Love Lucy gave Americans a lot of joy during the 1950s. But the show would come to an end. It aired its last episode on May 6th, 1957.

It was followed up a year later by the Lucy Desi Comedy Hour, which ran for three seasons and basically served as a sequel, with the four regular cast members from I Love Lucy appearing as the same characters they played. The format of the Comedy Hour was different. Each episode was one hour in length as opposed to the 30 minute runtime of I Love Lucy. But there were fewer episodes each year, and the last episode aired in 1960. As the new decade was beginning, Lucy and Desi's marriage was coming to an end. The two were divorced in 1960, and the following year, Lucy married Gary Morton. But Lucy wouldn't stay off the TV screen for too long. In 1962, she launched a new sitcom called The Lucy Show. It was a very different show indeed. In this one, she played Lucy Carmichael, a widow. Also co starring on the show was Vivian Vance, who played the character Vivian Bagley. Gail Gordon joined the show in the second season as Mr. Mooney.

The Lucy Show ran for 156 episodes and stayed on the air until 1968. Its last episode aired in March of that year. And that fall, Lucy reinvented herself again for another TV show. This time, it was called Here's Lucy. Now, Gail Gordon would also appear in this show, and so did her children in real life, Lucy Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr.

Six seasons and 144 episodes later, the show would end in 1974, ending a 23 year span where Lucille Ball appeared on television in her own show. Lucille attempted a comeback in the 1980s with a new sitcom, which also included Gail Gordon. This was called Life with Lucy.

But by this time, America had moved on. The show was canceled after just a few months in late 1986. Lucille Ball made her final public appearance at the Academy Awards in 1989, where she and Bob Hope received a standing ovation for their long and successful careers.

Four weeks later, Lucille Ball died in Los Angeles at the age of 77. The legacy of Lucille Ball remains strong all these years later. After her death, she received the Presidential Freedom Award. At the end of the 20th century, Time magazine published a list that included Lucia Ball among the 100 most important people of the 20th century.

The post office honored her with a commemorative stamp, and she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2001. Looking back, it's not hard to see why America, and the world, love her. She gave us countless hours of entertainment, and she also was a savvy businesswoman.

When she was leading Desilu Studios, she financed the making of the original Star Trek television show. That's a franchise that has spawned 13 movies and 9 different TV shows itself. And without Lucy, Star Trek may have not even left space dock.

Lucy had so much talent. She had an incredible work ethic. And she was a great entertainer. Her comedic timing and ability to deliver a punchline made the world fall in love with her.

One of Lucille Ball's most famous quotes is that you cannot teach someone comedy. Either they have it or they don't. Well, Lucy certainly had it. And she was a woman who made a difference.