Television: Lucy Turns 60!

by Jack Garcia

 

I Love Lucy, which first aired on October 15, 1951 on CBS is one of my favorite television sitcoms of all time.  Probably my very favorite.  Lucille Ball's comedic timing is just spot-on and I honestly don't feel I laugh as much during any of today's sitcoms as much as I do when watching I Love Lucy reruns.  The show is simply fantastic, and today is its 60th anniversary!

Lucille Ball and real-life husband Desi Arnaz played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, and the pairing was quite controversial at the time.  Arnaz was the first Cuban-American to star in a television series and their marriage was the first interracial one to be shown onscreen.  Most episodes involved Lucy getting into some crazy trouble, where Ricky would eventually get so upset that he would shout in both English and Spanish without even knowing it!  But in the end, Ricky always calmed down and stood by Lucy's side.  They really were quite a romantic pair when it came right down to it.

William Frawley and Vivian Vance played Fred and Ethel Mertz, who were their landlords, neighbors and best friends.  The four of them shared many adventures together during their nine seasons, featuring brilliant slapstick, lots of great musical numbers, and plenty of opportunities for the whole cast to show off their schtick!

Check out some of my favorite I Love Lucy clips below:

Lucy mirroring Harpo Marx



Lucy hiding eggs in her shirt



Lucy and Ethel wrapping chocolates



And be sure to check out The Hallmark Channel, because they always show reruns of I Love Lucy!