History Creator / LucilleBall

* IndifferentBeauty: She was a very lovely woman, but she didn't mind compromising her beauty and looking foolish if it was for a laugh.

Her children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr., are actors and singers in their own right; both appeared alongside their mother as regulars on ''Here's Lucy''.

Creator/NicoleKidman portrays Lucille in the 2021 {{biopic}} film ''Film/BeingTheRicardos'' which is set at the time of ''I Love Lucy''.

* BetterAsFriends: Her marriage to Desi Arnaz was a turbulent one due to his infidelities and alcoholism, and the stress of jointly running their production company. After they divorced, their relationship reportedly improved dramatically, though they never remarried.

Creator/NicoleKidman portrays Lucille in the 2021 {{biopic}} film ''Film/BeingTheRicardos'' which is set at the time of ''I Love Lucy'', while Creator/JavierBardem portrays Desi Arnaz.

In 1940 she met Cuban-born bandleader Desi Arnaz while filming ''Too Many Girls''; the couple fell in love and soon eloped. 1948 saw her cast in a successful radio sitcom called ''My Favorite Husband'', which Creator/{{CBS}} soon decided to develop for television. She insisted that Arnaz be cast as her husband on the show and, after a [[{{Vaudeville}} vaudeville]] tour to prove that the pairing could work, CBS agreed. ''Series/ILoveLucy'' ensued. It was followed by several ''Series/LucyDesiComedyHour'' specials and two more successful sitcoms (''Series/TheLucyShow'' and ''Here's Lucy''), which extended her TV stardom virtually uninterrupted through 1974.

* ''Film/ThreeLittlePigskins'' (!934) as Blonde Girl

* ''Film/ThreeLittlePigskins'' as Blonde Girl

* TheCastShowOff: Any chance she would get to show off her extensive background as a dancer, she would take it. Within her many sitcoms she could be seen waltzing with Van Johnson, doing the Charleston with Ginger Rogers, Tap Dancing with John Bubbles, Modding with her son, and of course performing alongside Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley.

Along with her late brother Fred, Lucille spent most of her childhood in or near her native Jamestown, New York. She first became involved in show business by performing as a chorus girl in a [[BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats Shriners]] show at age 12. After attending drama school she found work as a fashion model and actress in New York City. In the early 1930s she moved to Hollywood and began appearing in small movie roles. Eventually she moved up to starring in [[BMovie B-movies]]; so many of them, in fact, that she came to be known as the "Queen of the B's." Among her better-known films are ''Film/StageDoor'', ''Film/DanceGirlDance'', and ''Film/FiveCameBack''. She also worked in the theater and in radio.

During this time she continued to appear occasionally in movies and on Broadway, co-founded Creator/DesiluStudios with Arnaz -- which the couple would continue to run even after their 1960 divorce, until Ball purchased it outright two years later -- and even took the time to mentor an up-and-coming young comedic actress named Creator/CarolBurnett, who soon went on to achieve success in her own right. An attempt at a television comeback in the [[TheEighties 1980s]] (''Life with Lucy'') failed.

* BenevolentBoss: As head of Desilu, while on set and in the office/boardroom she was tough as nails, off-set she was said to have treated every one of her employees, no matter how small the job, like a member of the family.

In 1940 she met Cuban-born bandleader Desi Arnaz while filming ''Too Many Girls''; the couple fell in love and soon eloped. 1948 saw her cast in a successful radio sitcom called ''My Favorite Husband'', which Creator/{{CBS}} soon decided to develop for television. She insisted that Arnaz be cast as her husband on the show and, after a [[{{Vaudeville}} vaudeville]] tour to prove that the pairing could work, CBS agreed. ''Series/ILoveLucy'' ensued. It was followed by several ''Series/LucyDesiComedyHour'' specials and two more successful sitcoms (''Series/TheLucyShow'' and ''Here's Lucy''), which extended her television stardom virtually uninterrupted through 1974.

In 1940 she met Cuban-born bandleader Desi Arnaz while filming ''Too Many Girls''; the couple fell in love and soon eloped. 1948 saw her cast in a successful radio sitcom called ''My Favorite Husband'', which Creator/{{CBS}} soon decided to develop for television. She insisted that Arnaz be cast as her husband on the show and, after a [[{{Vaudeville}} vaudeville]] tour to prove that the pairing could work, CBS agreed. ''Series/ILoveLucy'' ensued. It was followed by several ''Series/LucyDesiComedyHour'' specials and two more successful sitcoms (''Series/TheLucyShow'' and ''Here's Lucy''), which extended her television career virtually uninterrupted through 1974.

In 1940 she met bandleader Desi Arnaz while filming ''Too Many Girls''; the couple fell in love and soon eloped. 1948 saw her cast in a successful radio sitcom called ''My Favorite Husband'', which Creator/{{CBS}} soon decided to develop for television. She insisted that Arnaz be cast as her husband on the show and, after a [[{{Vaudeville}} vaudeville]] tour to prove that the pairing could work, CBS agreed. ''Series/ILoveLucy'' ensued. It was followed by several ''Series/LucyDesiComedyHour'' specials and two more successful sitcoms (''Series/TheLucyShow'' and ''Here's Lucy''), which extended her television career virtually uninterrupted through 1974.

During this time she continued to appear occasionally in movies and on Broadway, co-founded Creator/DesiluStudios with Desi -- which the couple would continue to run even after their 1960 divorce, until Ball purchased it outright two years later -- and even took the time to mentor an up-and-coming young comedic actress named Creator/CarolBurnett, who soon went on to achieve success in her own right. An attempt at a television comeback in the [[TheEighties 1980s]] (''Life with Lucy'') failed.

During this time she continued to appear occasionally in movies and on Broadway, co-founded Creator/DesiluStudios with Desi -- which the couple would continue to run even after their 1960 divorce, until Ball purchased it outright two years later -- and even took the time to mentor an up-and-coming young comedic actress named Creator/CarolBurnett, who soon went on to achieve success in her own right.
An attempt at a television comeback in the [[TheEighties 1980s]] -- ''Life with Lucy'' -- failed.

In 1940 she met bandleader Desi Arnaz while filming ''Too Many Girls''; the couple fell in love and soon eloped. 1948 saw her cast in a successful radio sitcom called ''My Favorite Husband'', which Creator/{{CBS}} soon decided to develop for television. She insisted that Arnaz be cast as her husband on the show and, after a [[{{Vaudeville}} vaudeville]] tour to prove that the pairing could work, CBS agreed. ''Series/ILoveLucy'' ensued. It was followed by two more successful sitcoms which extended her television career through 1974. During this time she continued to appear occasionally in movies and on Broadway. She also co-founded Creator/DesiluStudios with Desi. An attempt at a television comeback in the [[TheEighties 1980s]] -- ''Life with Lucy'' -- failed.

She did, however, take the time to mentor an up-and-coming [[Creator/CarolBurnett young actress]] who went on to achieve success in her own right.

Her children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr., are actors and singers in their own right.

In 1940 she met and eloped with bandleader Desi Arnaz. 1948 saw her cast in a successful radio program called ''My Favorite Husband'' which Creator/{{CBS}} soon decided to develop for television. She insisted that Arnaz be cast as her husband on the show and, after a [[{{Vaudeville}} vaudeville]] tour to prove that the pairing worked, CBS agreed. ''Series/ILoveLucy'' ensued. It was followed by two more successful sitcoms which extended her television career through 1974. During this time she continued to appear occasionally in movies and on Broadway. She also co-founded Creator/DesiluStudios with Desi. An attempt at a television come-back in the [[TheEighties 1980s]] -- ''Life with Lucy'' -- failed.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lucy_YankArmy_cropped_8597.jpg]]

Along with her late brother Fred, Lucille spent most of her childhood in or near her native Jamestown, New York. She became involved in show business by performing as a chorus girl in a [[BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats Shriners]] show at age 12. After attending drama school she found work as a fashion model and actress in New York City. In the 1930s she moved to Hollywood and began appearing in small movie roles. Eventually she moved up to starring in [[BMovie B-movies]], so many in fact that she came to be known as "Queen of the B's." Among her better known films are ''Film/StageDoor'', ''Film/DanceGirlDance'', and ''Film/FiveCameBack''. She also worked in the theater and in radio.

In 1940 she met and eloped with bandleader Desi Arnaz. 1948 saw her cast in a successful radio program called ''My Favorite Husband'' which Creator/{{CBS}} soon decided to develop for television. She insisted that Arnaz be cast as her husband on the show and, after a [[{{Vaudeville}} vaudeville]] tour to prove that the pairing worked, CBS agreed. ''Series/ILoveLucy'' ensued. It was followed by two more successful sitcoms which extended her television career through 1974. During this time she continued to appear occasionally in movies and on Broadway. She also co-founded Creator/DesiluStudios with Desi. An attempt at a television come-back in the [[TheEighties 1980s]] - ''Life with Lucy'' - failed.

Her children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., are actors and singers in their own right.

Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 - April 26, 1989) was an American comedienne, actress, model, and film and television executive. She appeared on stage, screen and radio, but is primarily known as one of the most popular and influential television stars of all time.

At present, with the exception of ''Here's Lucy'', CBS owns the rights to all series starring Ball, having acquired the rights to ''I Love Lucy'' (and by extension, ''The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour'') when it purchased Desilu's pre-1960 library in 1960, and inherited the rights to ''The Lucy Show'' and ''Life with Lucy'' from Creator/{{Paramount}} (who had inherited the former from Desilu, and the latter from [[Creator/AaronSpelling Spelling Entertainment and its distribution arm, Worldvision Enterprises]]). Paramount has released the entirety of the CBS-owned series on DVD.

Along with her late brother Fred, Lucille spent most of her childhood in or near Jamestown, New York. She became involved in show business by performing as a chorus girl in a [[BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats Shriners]] show at age 12. After attending drama school she found work as a fashion model and actress in New York City. In the 1930s she moved to Hollywood and began appearing in small movie roles. Eventually she moved up to starring in [[BMovie B-movies]], so many in fact that she came to be known as "Queen of the B's." Among her better known films are ''Film/StageDoor'', ''Film/DanceGirlDance'', and ''Film/FiveCameBack''. She also worked in the theater and in radio.

[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lucy_YankArmy_cropped_8597.jpg]]

* BenevolentBoss: As head of Desilu, while she was on set and in the office and in the office/boardroom she was tough as nails, off-set she treated everyone of her employees, no matter how small the job, like a member of the family.