Lucille Ball~Lucy Ricardo

Lucille Ball met her husband and future show-business partner, Desi Arnaz, on the set of an RKO picture in 1940. She continued pursuing film stardom for the next several years, trading in on her sex appeal as well as her sharp wit. Not achieving the kind of success she desired, Ball decided to try her hand at radio. Beginning in 1948, she played the daffy wife on the three-year series, "My Favorite Husband." It was here that she developed a broader style of humor, something she would use to great advantage on her next project, the television series, "I Love Lucy." After 25 years in the business, this show made Ball a household name.

"I Love Lucy" was one of the most successful shows in all of television history. It made Ball and Arnaz wealthy enough to purchase RKO Studios, which they renamed Desilu. Although "I Love Lucy" was still at the top of the ratings, Lucy and Desi decided to end the TV series in 1957 and devote their time to a series of one-hour specials featuring the same characters. "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour" ran until 1960, when Ball and Arnaz divorced.

In 1961, Ball married nightclub comedian Gary Morton, who later served as a producer for her projects. From 1962 until 1974, she worked steadily on television and starred in two consecutive series: "The Lucy Show" and "Here's Lucy." It is interesting to note that all three of Ball's TV shows ran on CBS on Monday evenings at either 8:30 or 9:00, making her a 23-year owner of that time slot.

Toward the end of her career, Ball starred in two final feature films: "Yours, Mine, and Ours" in 1968 and the musical "Mame" in 1974. In 1985 she experimented with non-comedic material, playing a homeless woman in the dramatic TV movie "Stone Pillow." The following year she was back performing pratfalls with her steady co-star of the 1960's, Gale Gordon, in the short-lived sitcom "Life With Lucy."

Lucille Ball's last television appearance was with Bob Hope, who was in many respects her male counter part in show business. Together they presented a production number featuring rising young talent on the 1989 telecast of the Academy Awards.

One of Lucy's most persistent ambitions is to be a show-business performer, even though she lacks any talent whatsoever. Presumably she feels that her marriage to a star performer is her ticket to the stage, but Ricky is shrewd enough to understand that his wife makes a much better housewife than an entertainer. He must constantly resort to the phrase, "No, Lucy, you can't be in the show."

Lucy often conspires in farfetched plots with her best friend, neighbor, and landlord, Ethel Mertz. These plots inevitably end up getting her into trouble. That's when we hear Lucy's celebrated, "Wwhhaaaa!!" Luckily Ricky is usually there to bail her out, although her plights drive him to utter dark Cuban imprecations.