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    Lucille Ball was tired of being the "Queen Bee".

"Desi, I want to do something important, I want to 

make people laugh." At this point in American society a 

women being the lead comedian was unheard of. Lucille Ball 

refused to let that happen, she had a dream that one day, she 

would be a comedian. 

"Lucy honey," Desi said with his thick Cuban accent, "I believe you 

can do anything.

Lucille was named 

the "Queen Bee" 

because she stared 

in a leading role of 

many B movies

     "Mrs. Ball, we like this idea, unfortunately we don't think that the, 

American public would watch a show with such diverse characters in a 

relationship such as yours."

Lucille was taken aback. 

"But we're really married, Desi is really my husband! This is crazier 

than the Mad Hatter!"

"Mrs. Ball, we really hate to tell you this, but we could find a more 

suitable partner if you want to continue with this idea." Lucille 

refused, if she was going to achieve her dream, she wanted her 

husband to be a part of it.

      Lucille was determined to achieve her dream. She and Desi were like a 

traveling circus, they traveled the country gaining America's support for their 

unlikely relationship. 

"Have you heard of Desi and Lucy?" everyone was talking about the redhead 

and the Cuban. It was as if they were the biggest thing since sliced bread. 

"Lucy, I know how much you want this, what if we formed our own company?" 

Desi asked. Lucille believed that was a fantastic idea, and with that they formed 

Desilu Productions. 

     As people poured into the theater, CBS realized that "I Love Lucy" could be a gold mine.  

Although they expected large profits, the executives didn't want to take any risks.

"We don't want to shoot on Kinescope," argued Lucille. "We want to shoot on film, it looks 

different, and the viewers can tell the quality is better."

"Mrs. Ball, we have a set budget, you can take the $1000 pay cut and use film or use 

Kinescope." Lucille saw her dream take a nose dive in front of her, and took the pay cut. 

Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice to achieve your dreams.

While filming "I Love 

Lucy", Lucille and Desi 

received just a $4000 

combined salary 

      Since the beginning of the show, I Love Lucy dominated the charts. "Who would have 

thought, women can be funny!" remarked surprised viewers. Lucy Ricardo consistently proved 

that women could not just be funny, but could set even the most stoic of viewers into a fit of 

laughter. Lucille and Desi recognized that they could not just entertain the people of America, 

but they could also influence their decisions. "Desi, do you realize, we can actually make a 

difference in society!"

      With hilarious scenes such as "Vitameatavegamin" and "The Chocolate 

Factory", I Love Lucy addressed the hot-button issues of the day such as 

women in the workplace, suburban living, and marital issues. Many women 

said "Well if Lucy can go to work, why can't I give it a try?" Lucille also 

showed it was okay to make mistakes, and that there was no such thing as 

a "perfect woman". One important issue discussed on I Love Lucy was 

pregnancy.

Lucille would 

practice 

hours in 

front of a 

mirror to 

perfect her 

facial 

expressions

    When Lucille became pregnant with her second child, CBS threatened to end the show all 

together. "Lucille, being pregnant on national television is simply indecent!" Lucille saw her 

dreams being shattered in an instant. Lucille was like a spider on a hot plate, thinking quick on 

her feet, Lucille responded with a bombshell, "What if my character was pregnant too?" CBS 

was uncertain, but the ratings were strong, and this could be their chance to improve their 

ratings further. they decided to go with "expecting" to get around any censorship rules.

Within six months 

"I Love Lucy was 

the number one 

program, with 11 

million people out 

of a total of 15 

million watching 

the show 

regularly.

      Lucille broke the news to Desi on the show, and with that decision they captured his 

reaction on film. His expressions will last as if they were engraved into stone. As he moved from 

couple to couple asking if it was them, his eyes slowly moved to Lucille. "We're having a baby!" 

he yelled to the crowd. He was the happiest man in the world. It was easily one of the most 

endearing scenes they ever shot. 

     On the morning of January. 19, 1953, Lucille gave birth to Desi Jr. That afternoon Lucy 

gave birth to Little Ricky. Millions of viewers tuned in to see Lucy Ricardo give birth. More 

people watched that episode then President Eisenhower's inauguration. "I cared about all any 

mother cares about" remembered Lucille. "I had a healthy baby boy". No longer was being 

pregnant on TV considered taboo.

"I Love 

Lucy" was 

nominated 

for 24 

Emmy's, 5 

wins, 2 of 

which were 

for Lucille.

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