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'I Love Lucy' Still Funny at 50

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'I Love Lucy' Still Funny at 50 ---- -- ---- -- -- ------:------------- - --------------------------------------------- ------ 'I LoveLucy' still funny at 50 By Doug Nye throughout most of its network run. America is still in need of a few good laughs. The (Columbia, S.C.) State Lucy and her bandleader husband Ricky Monday at 9 p.m . .ET, TVLand will celebrate In 1951, America needed a good laugh. Ricardo (played by Ball's real-life husband, Desi the show' s golden anniver6ary by telecasting the Its soldiers were away fighting in some distant Arnaz) and their best friends Fred and Ethel first episode of/ Love Lucy exactly as it aired 50 place called Korea. Communism was spreading Mert z ,(William Frawley and Vivian Vance) years ago to the hour. It serves to launch a week­ its tenfacles across FNope. The fear of a Soviet became American icons before anyone really long prime-time Lucy marathon. atomic attack on U.S. soil was very real. And kids knew what the word meant. Bob Schiller, who served as one of the writers spent their summers worried Every Monday night at on the series, says fr's no secret why / Love Lucy about catching the cripplin g 9 for six years, families has endured over five decades. infantile paralysis, a k a gathered around their "It' s good clean humor with lovable characters polio. I LOVE LUCY black-and-white TV · sets . and outlandishly funny situations," Schiller said .They were frightening MARATHON to enjoy the antics of the during a recent telephone conversation. "It was a times. Monday, 1O p.m.-2 a.m., Ricardos and the Mertzes. family show that everybody could watch and Fifty years ago Monday Tuesday-Friday,9 p.m.-2 a.m. At the show 's zenith, laugh at." on Oct. 15, 1951, that much­ (CDT), TVLand seven out qf every 10 TV Schiller admits, however, that the thought of/ needed laugh came when / households were watching Love Lucy being around 50 years later never Love Lucy premiered on the I Love Lucy. entered his head. CBS television network. The When Lucy gave birth "We didn't know anything about reruns or show centered on a wacky redhead housewife to little Ricky on the Jan. 19, 1953, show, it was long-time syndication," Schiller said. "It was named Lucy Ricardo , enthusiastically portrayed a national event which made the front page of unheard of then." by Lucille Ball . many daily newspapers. Courtesy photo I Love Lucy was an immediate hit, soaring to A half-century later, after generations have Please see .Lucy There was a time when seven out of every 1O TV households grown up watching / Love Lucy re-runs, some tuned In to watch / Love Lucy. No. 3 in the ratings during its first season and Page 7E j moving to No.l the next season, where it stayed things haven 't changed. < I U'-'• J.vv.a -.,vl\.utu ruHucul auu porn. TV, Britain's Sean Maguire, who disease." Lucy: Her show became a lucrative blueprint From Page 1E episode," Schiller said. "It seemed like a duced 13 / Leve Lucy one-hour episodes good deal. Who Practically everything on television could have dreamed of under the banner The Lucille Ball-Desi what would eventually happen?" was done live in the early 1950s. Lucy AmazShow. He said, though, he wouldn't trade and Desi, the driving forces behind the "We had fun with those," Schiller anything for his experiences of working show, decided to film each epis9de said. "Each one had a guest or guests in on the series. front of a live audience using three cam­ stars and it gave us some opportunities "Lucy and Desi were both great to to come with some new situations." eras. CBS was lukewarm about the plan, work with," Schiller said. "Lucy would but reluctantly Asked if he thought there were any agreed. try anything we writers came up with. Several current sitcoms that might years later, the value of Some stars wouldn't do that, but Lucy have the same shooting film was demonstrated when / was a lways willing . If it was funny, she impact of I Leve Lucy 50 years Lcye Lucy became the first lucrative wanted to do it. She was fearless." from now, Schiller said he doubted it. re~un property. It served as the blueprint When / Leve Lucy ended its network "I just don't care for much of the f9r,the hundreds of sitcoms and dramat­ run with the 1956-57 season, the show stuff that's on now," Schiller said. ''T he ic;~ows that followed. was still ranked No.l. Lucy and Desi last one I really watched regularly was , Schiller said he doesn't get any resid­ had done 180 half -hour episodes and Seinfeld because of the writing and it uals from all those years of reruns. were ready to try a different format. was funny. I'm not sure, though. that it "We •got paid for four runs of each During the next t.hree years they pro- will be as popular 50 years from lj'lW." .
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