Misplaced Pages

#148851

106-463: The Casagrandes is an American animated comedy television series developed by Michael Rubiner and Miguel Puga that aired on Nickelodeon from October 14, 2019 to September 30, 2022. It is a spin-off of The Loud House and the second television series in the overall franchise , which follows the adventures of Ronnie Anne, her brother Bobby Santiago, and their family living in the fictional Great Lakes City. An animated feature film which serves as

212-572: A multiple-camera setup . Sitcoms are seldom presented as realistic depictions of life, but they can generate honest humour through the relationships between and development of characters. Improvisational comedy is a genre that features actors creating dialogue while in the process of acting. It has a history of prominence in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Before appearing on television, comedy programs were already present on

318-464: A 20-episode order. On February 14, 2019, it was announced that The Casagrandes , formerly Los Casagrandes , would premiere in October 2019. On May 7, 2019, it was announced that Eugenio Derbez , Ken Jeong , Melissa Joan Hart , Leah Mei Gold, and Lexi Sexton joined the voice cast. Mike Rubiner serves as executive producer, while Karen Malach serves as producer. On September 4, 2019, it was announced that

424-454: A 35 mm or 16 mm film camera to record the show from a television monitor. Although the pilot film shown to Philip Morris had been a kinescope, the sponsor did not want the lucrative East Coast market, accustomed to quality broadcasts, to see a low-quality kinescope film. Owing to the impending birth of their first child, both Ball and Arnaz insisted on staying in Hollywood and producing

530-651: A Cuban bandleader who had just come off a successful run in the 1939–40 Broadway show Too Many Girls . RKO, after purchasing film rights to the show, cast Ball as Arnaz's love interest in the picture. The duo began a whirlwind courtship, leading to their elopement in Connecticut in November 1940. Despite their marriage, however, their careers kept them separated, with Ball's film work keeping her anchored in Hollywood, while Arnaz's nightclub engagements with his orchestra kept him on

636-463: A TV Commercial". Since the original sponsor references were no longer appropriate when the shows went into syndication, a new opening was needed, which resulted in the classic "heart on satin" opening. Other sponsors, whose products appeared during the original openings, were Procter & Gamble for Cheer and Lilt Home Permanent (1954–57), General Foods for Sanka (1955–57), and Ford Motor Company (1956–57). The later Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show

742-476: A blonde, dyed her hair red to complement the Technicolor features that MGM planned to use her in. MGM cast Ball in a variety of films, but it was her work with fellow comedian Red Skelton in the 1943 film DuBarry Was a Lady that brought Ball's physical comedy to the forefront, earning her the reputation as "that crazy redhead,” which Ricky would later call her on the show. Nonetheless, Ball's striking beauty

848-433: A boy. Desi Arnaz agreed, telling Oppenheimer that Ball had already given him one girl, and might give him another—this might be his only chance to get a son. When the baby boy was born, Desi Arnaz immediately called Oppenheimer and told him, "Lucy followed your script. Ain't she something?", to which Oppenheimer replied "Terrific! That makes me the greatest writer in the world!" The opening familiar to most viewers, featuring

954-468: A business manager by the name of Mr. Andrew Hickox, and in the first episode of season 4, called "The Business Manager" Ricky hires a man named Mr. Hickox. Lucille Ball came to Hollywood after a successful stint as a New York model. She was chosen by Samuel Goldwyn to be one of 16 Goldwyn Girls to co-star in the picture Roman Scandals (1933), with film star Eddie Cantor . Enthusiastic and hard-working, Ball had been able to secure film work briefly at

1060-457: A civil court judge. Gordon was a veteran from the classic radio days in which he perfected the role of the exasperated character, as in Fibber McGee and Molly and Our Miss Brooks . He would go on to co-star with Ball in all of her post– I Love Lucy series ( The Lucy Show , Here's Lucy and Life with Lucy ). Benaderet was a guest star in one episode as elderly Miss Lewis, a neighbor of

1166-812: A continuation and series finale to the show was released on Netflix on March 22, 2024. Having moved to Great Lakes City back in The Loud House episode "The Loudest Mission: Relative Chaos", Ronnie Anne Santiago, her older brother Bobby, and their mother Maria move in with their extended family called the Casagrandes consisting of grandparents Hector and Rosa, aunt and uncle Frida and Carlos, their cousins Carlota, C.J., Carl, and Carlitos, and their pets Lalo and Sergio. Maria reason of moving her children to her relatives because she wants someone to look after her children while she works. Ronnie Anne meets new friends like Sid Chang, expresses more about her relatives, and explores

SECTION 10

#1732845628149

1272-722: A contract producer William Hanna had secured privately. The program sponsor, Philip Morris cigarettes was incorporated into many of these sequences, so when I Love Lucy went into repeats, they were replaced by the now familiar heart logo. However Hazelton's original animation survives, and can be seen in the DVD boxed set as originally presented. Desilu Productions , jointly owned by Ball and Arnaz, would gradually expand to produce and lease studio space for many other shows. For seasons 1 and 2 (1951–1953), Desilu rented space and filmed I Love Lucy at General Service Studios, which eventually became known as Hollywood Center Studios . In 1953, it leased

1378-499: A drinking problem like Frawley. Vivian Vance became a consideration on the recommendation of I Love Lucy director Marc Daniels. Daniels had worked with Vance in New York on Broadway in the early 1940s. Vance had already been a successful stage star performing on Broadway for nearly 20 years in a variety of plays, and in addition, after relocating to Hollywood in the late 1940s, had two film roles to her credit. Nonetheless, by 1951, she

1484-681: A larger entertainment extravaganza. Some gameshows may give the guests a chance to perform stand up comedy to win a round. Examples of this genre in the UK include Have I Got News For You , 8 Out of 10 Cats , Mock the Week , and Never Mind the Buzzcocks . In the US this is a less common genre, Oblivious being one of the few examples. In Japan and South Korea, these comedy gameshows , often with subtitles and word bubbles , are extremely popular. A comedy-drama ,

1590-453: A performer, though she often feels excluded, as her industry involvement is limited, relative to that of Ricky, Fred, and Ethel. Though charismatic, throughout the series, she is depicted as having few marketable performance skills, and she is often portrayed as being tone deaf, struggling to sing anything other than off-key renditions of songs such as " Glow Worm " on the saxophone, and many of her performances end in disaster. However, to say she

1696-455: A positive reception. Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media described the series as a "charming Loud House spin-off about Mexican American family." She further noted that cartoon violence only happens infrequently, with differences between characters rarely coming up, and said that while "humor can be slightly vulgar," it is a lot of fun, and is "worth your while." Television comedy The situation comedy , or sitcom , has become one of

1802-420: A pregnant woman. Later, during the second season, Ball was pregnant again with second child Desi Arnaz Jr. , and this time the pregnancy was incorporated into the series' storyline. (Contrary to popular belief, Ball's pregnancy was not television's first on-screen pregnancy, a distinction belonging to Mary Kay Stearns on the late 1940s sitcom Mary Kay and Johnny .) CBS would not allow I Love Lucy to use

1908-574: A staple of variety and late-night talk shows; talk-variety shows such as The Tonight Show traditionally open with a comedy monologue performed by the program host. Television stand-up reached a peak of popularity on British schedules with the ITV programme The Comedians . Their style of comedy was swept away almost entirely in the Britain of the early 1980s when a new generation of stand-ups challenged what they saw as racist and sexist humour and revolutionised

2014-509: A studio party using a rubber Ricky dummy as her dancing partner. Little information was offered about Lucy's past. A few episodes mentioned that she was born in Jamestown, New York (Ball's real-life home town), later specified to be West Jamestown , that she graduated from Jamestown High School, that her maiden name was "McGillicuddy" (indicating a Scottish or Irish ethnicity, at least on her father's side, though she once mentioned her grandmother

2120-580: A survey conducted by ABC News and People magazine . In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it #12 on their list of the 101 Best Written TV Series. Originally set in an apartment building in New York City, I Love Lucy centers on Lucy Ricardo ( Lucille Ball ) and her singer/bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo ( Desi Arnaz ), along with their best friends and landlords , Fred Mertz ( William Frawley ) and Ethel Mertz ( Vivian Vance ). During

2226-440: A top notch, first-rate comedian. They also highlighted her growing popularity with audiences, enticing CBS to further use her skills. In 1950, CBS asked Ball to take My Favorite Husband to television with co-star Richard Denning . Ball saw a television show as a great opportunity to work with Arnaz, however, and she insisted that he play her husband, much to the dismay of CBS, which was reluctant to cast Arnaz in that role, as he

SECTION 20

#1732845628149

2332-531: Is a program that combines humor with more serious dramatic elements, aiming for a considerably more realistic tone than conventional sitcoms. These programs are shot with a single-camera setup and presented without a laugh track, and typically run an hour in length. This can refer to a genre of television or radio drama series. There are different subgenres within this category, such as the medical comedy dramas like M*A*S*H and Grey's Anatomy , legal comedy dramas like Ally McBeal and Boston Legal , and

2438-573: Is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes spanning six seasons. The series starred Lucille Ball and her husband Desi Arnaz , along with Vivian Vance and William Frawley , and follows the life of Lucy Ricardo (Ball), a young, middle-class housewife living in New York City, who often concocts plans with her best friends and landlords, Ethel and Fred Mertz (Vance and Frawley), to appear alongside her bandleader husband, Ricky Ricardo (Arnaz), in his nightclub. Lucy

2544-621: Is an up-and-coming Cuban American singer and bandleader with an excitable personality. His patience is frequently tested by his wife's antics trying to get into showbiz , along with her exorbitant spending on clothes and furniture. When exasperated, he often reverts to speaking rapidly in Spanish. As with Lucy, not much is revealed about his past or family. Ricky's mother (played by actress Mary Emery) appears in two episodes; in another, Lucy mentions that he has five brothers. Ricky also mentions that he had been "practically raised" by his Uncle Alberto (who

2650-470: Is both godfather and honorary "uncle." Fred can also sing and dance, and he often performs duets with Ethel. The Manhattan building they all lived in before their move to Westport, Connecticut during the sixth season, was addressed at a fictional 623 East 68th Street, at first in apartment 4A, then moving to the larger apartment 3B (subsequently re-designated 3D; the Mertzes’ apartment is then numbered 3B), on

2756-556: Is completely without talent would be untrue, as on occasion, she is shown to be a good dancer and a competent singer. She is also at least twice offered contracts by television or film companies—first in the season 1 episode "The Audition", when she replaces an injured clown in Ricky's act at the Tropicana nightclub, and later in the season 5 episode "Lucy and the Dummy", when she dances in Hollywood for

2862-449: Is depicted trying numerous schemes to mingle with and be a part of show business. After the series ended in 1957, a modified version of the show continued for three more seasons, with 13 one-hour specials, which ran from 1957 to 1960. It was first known as The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show, and later, in reruns, as The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour . I Love Lucy became the most-watched show in the United States in four of its six seasons and it

2968-524: Is hired to be in Vallée's orchestra, thus allowing him to emigrate to the United States on the very ship on which Lucy and the Mertzes were returning. Lucy later states that Ricky played for Vallée only one night before being traded to Xavier Cugat 's orchestra. The extended flashback segment "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" and the story of how Lucy and Ricky met is inconsistent with the season 4 episode "Don Juan and

3074-575: Is more inclined to include Ethel in performances at his nightclub because, unlike Lucy, she can sing and dance rather well. The show mentions that Ethel's husband, Fred, served in World War I , and lived through the Great Depression . As such, in the series, Fred is depicted as being very stingy with money and as being an irascible, no-nonsense type. However, he also reveals that he can be a soft touch, especially when it comes to Little Ricky, to whom Fred

3180-509: The Columbia Pictures film Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949), to play Fred Mertz. However, Gleason wanted nearly $ 3,500 per episode to play the role, a price that was far too high to sustain. Sixty-four-year-old William Frawley , a seasoned vaudevillian and movie character actor with nearly 100 film credits to his name, was a long shot to play Fred Mertz and only came into consideration after he telephoned Ball personally to ask if there

3286-521: The Motion Picture Center at 846 Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood, renaming it Desilu Studios , to shoot seasons 3–6 (1953–1957) of I Love Lucy . After 1956, it became known as Desilu-Cahuenga Studios to avoid confusion with other acquired Desilu locations. In an effort to keep up with the studio's growth, and need for additional sound stages, Arnaz and Ball purchased RKO Radio Pictures from General Tire in 1957 for over $ 6 million, effectively owning

The Casagrandes - Misplaced Pages Continue

3392-605: The Samuel Goldwyn Studio and Columbia Pictures and then eventually at RKO Radio Pictures . It was at RKO that Ball received steady film work, first as an extra and bit player and eventually working her way up to co-starring roles in feature films and starring roles in second rate B pictures , collectively earning her the nickname "Queen of the B's". During her run at RKO, Ball gained the reputation for doing physical comedy and stunts that most other actresses avoided, keeping her steadily employed. In 1940, Ball met Desi Arnaz,

3498-636: The Upper East Side of Manhattan . In actuality, however, the addresses go up only to the 500s before the street terminates at the East River . Gale Gordon and Bea Benaderet , supporting cast members on My Favorite Husband , were originally approached for the roles of Fred and Ethel, but neither could accept, owing to previous commitments. Gordon did appear as a guest star in three episodes, playing Ricky's boss, Mr. Littlefield, in two episodes, and later in an episode of The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show as

3604-411: The musical comedy drama Glee . Sketch comedy programs differ from sitcoms in that they do not basically feature recurring characters (though some characters and scenarios may be repeated) and often draw upon current events and emphasize satire over character development. Sketch comedy was pioneered by Sid Caesar , whose Your Show of Shows debuted in 1950 and established many conventions of

3710-442: The 1952–53 season and a toddler from 1953 to 1956. However, for the 1956–57 season, Little Ricky suddenly aged by two years, becoming a young school-age boy from 1956 to 1960. Five actors played the role, two sets of twins and later Keith Thibodeaux, whose stage name when playing Ricky Ricardo Jr. was Richard Keith . (In " Lucy and Superman ", Little Ricky is mentioned as being five years old but it had been less than four years since

3816-470: The 2000 U.S. presidential election, 435,000 young adults viewed Stewart's coverage, while 459,000 watched traditional news. Despite its satirical approach, journalists have stated that programs such as The Daily Show and " Weekend Update " still broadcast real news, which ensures that its producers are aware of how to cover this news in a way that viewers can gain knowledge. Stand-up comedy has been represented on television. Stand-up comedians have been

3922-531: The Hospital" was watched by more people than any other television program up to that time, with 71.7% of all American television sets tuned in, topping the 67.7 rating for the inauguration coverage the following morning. Unlike some programs that advance the age of a newborn over a short period , I Love Lucy at first allowed the Ricardos' son Little Ricky to grow up in real time. America saw Little Ricky as an infant in

4028-470: The Mertzes vacationed there in 1940. Despite his being a university graduate and proficient in English, Ricky is portrayed as a driver of a horse-drawn cab who waits for fares at a pier where tourists arrive by ship. Ricky is hired to serve as one of Lucy's tour guides, and the two fall in love. Having coincidentally also met popular singer, Rudy Vallée , on the cruise ship, Lucy arranges an audition for Ricky, who

4134-480: The Ricardos needed an older couple to play off of. While performing in Husband , veteran character actors Gale Gordon and Bea Benaderet had played Rudolph and Iris Atterbury, an older, more financially stable couple as Mr. Atterbury had been George Cooper's boss. Ball had initially wanted both actors to reprise their roles on television; however, both were unavailable at the time the show went into production as Benaderet

4240-435: The Ricardos. Barbara Pepper (later featured as Doris Ziffel in the series Green Acres ) was also considered to play Ethel, but Pepper had been drinking very heavily after the death of her husband, Craig W. Reynolds. Her friendship with Ball dated back to the film Roman Scandals (1933), in which both appeared as Goldwyn Girls . She did, however, turn up in at least nine episodes of I Love Lucy in bit parts. Many of

4346-606: The Starlets". At one point in that episode, Lucy, after finding out that she was not invited to join Ricky at a movie premiere, bemoans that she made a mistake fifteen years before when her friend Marion Strong asked her if she would like to go on a blind date with a Cuban drummer, to which she said "yes." Throughout the series, Lucy is usually found with her best friend, Ethel. A former singer and actress in Albuquerque, New Mexico , Ethel tries to relive her glory days in vaudeville . Ricky

The Casagrandes - Misplaced Pages Continue

4452-422: The US. Television comedy is described by media scholar Bore as a way to bring audiences to a collective sense in viewing and enjoying commonly-watched programs across societies. One specific way this can be done is through laugh tracks. While some view laugh tracks as ways to allow audiences to lightheartedly poke fun at characters, others see them as ways to restrict viewers to only laugh at certain moments. For

4558-464: The United States, sitcoms have become more prominent among television viewers. I Love Lucy was popular in Nielsen's audience ratings, topping the viewing charts in four out of their six years on the air. Sitcoms will often portray comedic moments through audience laughter, either through live audiences or a laugh track. They are almost always a half-hour in length, and in some cases, they will film using

4664-612: The airing of "Lucy Goes to the Hospital".) Jess Oppenheimer stated in his memoir, Laughs, Luck...and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time , that the initial plan was to match the sex of the Ricardo's baby with Ball's real baby, inserting one of two alternate endings into the broadcast print at the last minute. When logistical difficulties convinced Oppenheimer to abandon this plan, he advised Desi Arnaz that as head writer, he would have Lucy Ricardo give birth to

4770-419: The attention of CBS, which, in 1948, enlisted her to star in one of two new half-hour situation comedies in development, Our Miss Brooks and My Favorite Husband . Choosing the latter, Ball portrayed Liz Cugat (later anglicized to Cooper), the frustrated and scheming housewife of a Minneapolis banker, played originally by actor Lee Bowman in the series pilot, and later by actor Richard Denning . Based on

4876-410: The background during scenes in which he did not perform, as well as Ball's mother, DeDe, whose distinctive "uh oh" could be heard in many of the episodes. In later years, CBS would devise a laugh track from several I Love Lucy audiences and use them for canned laughter on shows done without a live audience. I Love Lucy' s pioneering use of three cameras led to it becoming the standard technique for

4982-623: The camera. News comedy is a genre that brings humour into stories reported on mainstream news, commonly adding this by creating mostly-fictional jokes to summarize true events. It is a common way for young adults to learn about the political news and events of their time. Programs that have accomplished this include The Daily Show and " Weekend Update " on Saturday Night Live . The Daily Show became more well-known when Jon Stewart began hosting in 1999. The award-winning show mocks political events and candidates, and brings in correspondents to report further on these events and people. During

5088-461: The characters in the series were named after Ball's family members or close friends. For example, Marion Strong was one of her best friends and a roommate for a time in New York, and she also set Ball and Arnaz up on their first date. Lillian Appleby was a teacher of Ball's when she was in an amateur production on the stage. Additionally, Pauline Lopus was a childhood friend, while Fred was the name of both her brother and grandfather. Ball and Arnaz had

5194-405: The contrast. Freund also pioneered "flat lighting," in which everything is brightly lit to eliminate shadows and the need for endless relighting. Audience reactions were live, which created a more authentic laugh than the canned laughter used on most filmed sitcoms of the time. Regular audience members were sometimes heard from episode to episode, and Arnaz's distinctive laugh could be heard in

5300-418: The corporation that would produce the I Love Lucy shows. The company was named Desilu , from the combination of both their first names "Desi" and "Lucille". Though some television series were already being filmed in Hollywood, most used the single-camera format familiar from movies, with a laugh track added to comedies to simulate audience response. Ball wanted to work in front of a live audience to create

5406-506: The credits superimposed over a "heart on satin" image, was created specifically for the 1959–67 CBS daytime network rebroadcasts, and subsequent syndication. As originally broadcast, the episodes opened with animated matchstick figures of Arnaz and Ball making reference to whoever the particular episode's sponsor was. These sequences were created by the animation team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera , who declined screen credit because they were technically under exclusive contract to MGM at

SECTION 50

#1732845628149

5512-437: The early days of comedy, and in shows such as Roseanne and Ellen , ratings could be changed up to TV-14 and receive a "mature content" warning as a result. Ellen DeGeneres famously came out on her show, although ABC cancelled Ellen one year later, with some gay rights groups protesting this decision. I Love Lucy became the first sitcom to have a multilingual couple. Lucy was American and spoke English, while Ricky

5618-464: The endless possibilities in Great Lakes City. Bobby helps Hector run the mercado as he discovers similarities with his family's quirky neighbors. On March 6, 2018, it was announced that Nickelodeon was developing a spinoff of The Loud House under the working title of Los Casagrandes . On July 2, 2018, it was announced that Nickelodeon officially green-lit the comedy series with

5724-495: The entire run of the show. In 1957, I Love Lucy was re-tailored into an hour-long show originally titled The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show that was to be part of an anthology series called the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse . The hour-long Lucy–Desi show was to alternate on a monthly basis with other hour long Playhouse shows. The new series put a much heavier emphasis on big name guest stars as being part of

5830-403: The episodes. Ball and Arnaz enlisted the services of Karl Freund , a cinematographer who had worked on such films as Metropolis (1927), Dracula (1931), The Good Earth (1937) and DuBarry Was a Lady (1943) (which also starred Ball), as well as directing The Mummy (1932), to be the series cinematographer. Although at first Freund did not want anything to do with television, it

5936-456: The fact that Ricky never says this sentence exactly this way. An extended flashback segment in the 1957 episode "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" of The Lucille Ball–Desi Arnaz Show filled in numerous details of how Lucy and Ricky met and how Ricky came to the United States. The story, at least insofar as related to newspaper columnist Hedda Hopper , is that the couple met in Havana when Lucy and

6042-407: The form under the banner alternative comedy . In the US, stand-up comedy programs became popular on many cable television channels beginning in the mid-1980s, as such "brick wall" shows (nicknamed for the stereotypical use of a fake brick wall as a backdrop) were cheap to produce and air. Stand-up humour later had mixed fortunes on the small screen, often shunted away to the small hours or as part of

6148-540: The genre. American sketch comedy reached a later peak in the mid-1970s with the debut han Saturday Night Live , originally a variety program but soon devoted mostly to sketches. In the UK, two of the more successful examples are Monty Python's Flying Circus and Little Britain . Animated cartoons have long been a source of comedy on television. Early children's programming often recycled theatrical cartoons; later, low-budget animation produced especially for television dominated Saturday-morning network programming in

6254-470: The idea of two central forms of humour that comedies will use: one prioritizes the joke itself and how it generates laughter from an audience, while the other prioritizes the personal characteristics of whom an actor is impersonating. Comedy has been a television genre prominent for introducing concepts that typically do not align with series' respective social norms. One of these concepts is same-sex intimacy. The appearance of these scenes were not popular in

6360-665: The kind of comic energy she had displayed on radio. The idea of a film studio that could accommodate an audience was a new one for the time, as fire safety regulations made it difficult to allow an audience in a studio. Arnaz and Oppenheimer found the financially struggling General Service Studios located on Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood. Studio owner Jimmy Nasser was eager to accommodate the Desilu company and allowed them, with financial backing of CBS, to renovate two of his studios so that they could accommodate an audience and be in compliance with local fire laws. Another component to filming

6466-443: The latter, it can also be seen as collectively taking over the real laughter of viewers watching from home. Another aspect of audience's interpretations of comedy on television refer to how far writers go when poking fun at characters or real-life people. Saturday Night Live found itself in controversy when a sketch was performed, imitating politician David Paterson for both his political abilities and his blindness. This brought up

SECTION 60

#1732845628149

6572-427: The most commonly-watched types of television comedy. As the name suggests, these programs feature recurring characters placed in humorous situations. The first television sitcom was the U.K.'s Pinwright's Progress , ten episodes being broadcast bi-weekly from November 1946 to May 1947. Since the early 1950s, with shows including Hancock's Half Hour in the U.K. (derived from a radio show), and I Love Lucy in

6678-412: The music and played the piano for the show, while Wilbur Hatch was used to conduct the orchestra. Two problems arose after Philip Morris signed on to sponsor the show, that would ultimately change the fate of I Love Lucy . Ball and Arnaz had originally decided that the series would air on a biweekly basis, much like The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show . Philip Morris, however, was insistent that

6784-531: The novel, Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, by Isabel Scott Rorick , My Favorite Husband was produced by Jess Oppenheimer and written by Oppenheimer, plus scribes Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll Jr. Premiering on July 23, 1948, and sponsored by General Foods , Husband became a hit for CBS. During the run of the radio program, Ball also appeared in two feature films with Bob Hope, Sorrowful Jones in 1949, and Fancy Pants in 1950. Both films were box office and critical successes, further cementing Ball's reputation as

6890-469: The plot and although the Mertz characters continued into the new series, their roles became somewhat diminished. Although a lighter workload was welcomed by Frawley, Vance came to somewhat resent the change. Arnaz, in an effort to please Vance, for whom he had much respect, proposed doing a spin-off from I Love Lucy called The Mertzes . Seeing a lucrative opportunity and the chance to star in his own show, Frawley

6996-418: The premise of the show and writing the series' first scripts. The trio chose to adapt many storylines for television using the backlog of episodes of My Favorite Husband . In addition, the series' ensemble cast and crew were assembled. Arnaz retained his orchestra, which was used in the series musical numbers and to score the show's background and transitional music. Arnaz's childhood friend Marco Rizo arranged

7102-411: The production of most sitcoms filmed in front of an audience. Single-camera setups remained the technique of choice for sitcoms that did not use audiences. This led to an unexpected benefit for Desilu during the series' second season when it was discovered that Ball was pregnant. Not being able to fulfill the show's 39-episode commitment, both Desi and Oppenheimer decided to rebroadcast popular episodes of

7208-719: The radio. Several of these programs, including The Day Today and The Mary Whitehouse Experience , eventually transferred over to television. Whose Line is it Anyway? was created in 1988 by The Comedy Store Players , Mike Myers ' improvisation students in London. It began broadcasting in the UK before expanding to the US, with Drew Carey starring in the American version until its cancellation. Some sitcoms may also use improvisation when filming. The actors of Curb Your Enthusiasm had general episode summaries to rely on, but would often create their own lines when they were in front of

7314-459: The road. Despite steadily working in pictures, Ball's movie career never advanced to the level of a headlining feature-film actress. Nevertheless, she remained popular with film audiences. Ball came to the attention of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer after receiving critical acclaim for her starring role in the 1942 Damon Runyon film The Big Street , which bought out her contract. It was under contract with MGM, however, that Ball, who had previously been

7420-673: The role of Fred Mertz to be a less financially successful and more curmudgeonly (in contrast to Gordon's Mr. Atterbury) character to fit Frawley's persona. CBS relented only after Arnaz contractually bound Frawley to complete sobriety during the production of the show, and reportedly told the veteran actor that if he ever appeared on-set more than once in an intoxicated state he would be fired. Not once during I Love Lucy' s nine seasons did Frawley's drinking ever interfere with his performance, and over time Arnaz became one of Frawley's few close friends. The role of Ethel Mertz also took quite some time to cast. Since Lucy's Husband co-star Bea Benaderet

7526-477: The same time, rival networks NBC , ABC , and DuMont were showing interest in a Ball-Arnaz series, which Ackerman used to convince CBS to sign the duo. A pilot was ordered and kinescoped in Hollywood in March 1951, which coincided with Ball's first pregnancy, and the ending of Husband , which aired its last radio show on March 31, 1951. Ball and Arnaz used the same radio team of Oppenheimer, Pugh, and Carroll to create

7632-590: The second season, Lucy and Ricky have a son named Ricky Ricardo Jr. , who often goes by "Little Ricky" and is portrayed by multiple actors throughout the seasons. His birth was timed to coincide with the real-life birth of Ball's son, Desi Arnaz Jr. Lucy is naïve and ambitious, with a hunger for stardom and a knack for getting both herself and her husband into trouble whenever she yearns to make it big in show business. The Ricardos' best friends, Fred and Ethel, are former vaudevillians . The Mertzes' history in entertainment only strengthens Lucy's resolve to prove herself as

7738-427: The series would premiere on October 14, 2019. The series is produced by Nickelodeon. On February 19, 2020, it was announced that the series was renewed for a second season of 20 episodes, which premiered on October 9, 2020. On September 24, 2020, it was announced that the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on September 17, 2021. On February 17, 2022, Axios reported that Nickelodeon had cancelled

7844-588: The series' first season to help give Ball the necessary rest she needed after she gave birth, effectively allowing fewer episodes to be filmed that season. Unexpectedly, the rebroadcasts proved to be ratings winners, effectively giving birth to the rerun , which would later lead to the profitable development of the rerun syndication market. The show's original opening and commercial bumpers were animated caricatures of Ball and Arnaz. They were designed and animated by MGM character designer and future "Flintstones" cartoonist, Gene Hazelton (1917–2005) and were produced under

7950-418: The series, though the characters would continue to appear in The Loud House . On December 11, 2023, it was announced that The Casagrandes Movie would release on Netflix in 2024. The film is directed by Miguel Puga and written by Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May, and Lalo Alcaraz & Rosemary Contreras. On February 1, 2024, it was announced that the film would be released on March 22. The series received

8056-501: The show air weekly, thus diminishing the possibility of Ball continuing her film career alongside a television show. Another problem lay in the fact that Philip Morris wanted the series to originate from New York rather than Hollywood. At the time, most television shows were produced from New York with live broadcasts of the show airing for eastern and Midwest audiences. West Coast viewers were able to view live programs only through low-quality kinescopes , which derived their images by using

8162-410: The show came when it was decided to use three 35 mm film cameras to simultaneously film the show. The idea had been pioneered by Jerry Fairbanks , and had been used on the live anthology series The Silver Theater, and on the game show Truth or Consequences , as well as subsequently Amos 'n' Andy as a way to save money, though Amos n' Andy did not use an audience. Edwards's assistant Al Simon

8268-433: The show never displayed episode titles on the air). The episode in which Lucy Ricardo gives birth, " Lucy Goes to the Hospital ", first aired on January 19, 1953, which was the day before the inauguration of Dwight Eisenhower as President of the United States. To increase the publicity of this episode, the original air date was chosen to coincide with Ball's real-life delivery of Desi Jr. by Caesarean section . "Lucy Goes to

8374-411: The show on film, however, would require that Ball and Arnaz become responsible for producing the series themselves. Union agreements at the time stipulated that any production filmed in a studio use film studio employees. CBS staff were television and radio employees and thus fell under different union agreements. Thus, Arnaz reorganized the company he created to manage his orchestra bookings and used it as

8480-498: The show on film, something a few Hollywood-based series had begun to do. Both CBS and Philip Morris initially balked at the idea, because of the higher cost that filming the show would incur, yet acquiesced only after the couple offered to take a $ 1,000 a week pay cut in order to cover the additional expense. In exchange, Ball and Arnaz demanded, and were given, 80% ownership in the I Love Lucy films (the other 20% went to Oppenheimer who then gave 5% to Pugh and 5% to Carroll). Shooting

8586-409: The show, Ball and Arnaz learned that she was once again pregnant (after multiple miscarriages earlier in their marriage) with their first child, Lucie Arnaz . They filmed the original pilot while Lucy was "showing", but did not include any references to the pregnancy in the episode. This was because CBS thought that talk of pregnancy might be in bad taste and because an ad agency told Arnaz not to show

8692-413: The show. Frawley derisively described Vance's appearance as "a sack of doorknobs." It was reported that Vance, who was 22 years younger than Frawley, was not really keen on the idea that her character Ethel was married to a man that was old enough to be her father. Vance also complained that Frawley's song-and-dance skills were not what they once were. Frawley and Vance had an adversarial relationship during

8798-701: The studio where they had started as contract players. Desilu acquired RKO's two studio complexes located on Gower Street in Hollywood, and in Culver City (now part of the Paramount lot and Culver Studios respectively), along with the Culver City back lot nicknamed " Forty Acres ". The sale was achieved by the duo selling their ownership of the once-thought-worthless I Love Lucy films back to CBS for over four million dollars. In 1962, two years after their marriage dissolved, Ball bought out Arnaz's shares of Desilu, becoming

8904-475: The studio's sole owner. She eventually sold off Desilu in 1967 to Gulf+Western , owners of Paramount Pictures . After the sale, Desilu-Cahuenga became a private production company and was known as Ren-Mar Studios until 2010, when it was acquired by the Red Digital Cinema Camera Company and renamed Red Studios – Hollywood. As with My Favorite Husband , I Love Lucy writers decided that

9010-508: The television series that was named I Love Lucy . The couple's agent, Don Sharpe, brought the pilot to several advertising agencies with little luck but finally succeeded with the Milton H. Biow agency. Biow's agency presented the pilot to its clients and was able to convince cigarette giant Philip Morris to sponsor the show. During the spring and summer of 1951, I Love Lucy moved into production. Oppenheimer, Pugh, and Carroll began fine-tuning

9116-532: The time. The original sponsor was cigarette maker Philip Morris , so the program opened with a cartoon of Lucy and Ricky climbing down a pack of Philip Morris cigarettes. In the early episodes, Lucy and Ricky, as well as Ethel and Fred on occasion, were shown smoking Philip Morris cigarettes. Lucy even went so far as to parody Johnny Roventini 's image as the Philip Morris "bellhop" in the May 5, 1952, episode, "Lucy Does

9222-400: The word "pregnant", so "expecting" was used instead. In addition, sponsor Philip Morris made the request that Ball not be seen smoking during the pregnancy episodes. The episode "Lucy Is Enceinte" first aired on December 8, 1952 ("enceinte" being French for "expecting" or "pregnant"). One week later, on December 15, 1952, the episode titled "Pregnant Women Are Unpredictable" was aired (although

9328-527: Was Cuban and spoke Spanish. The relationship between spouses in sitcoms has also changed throughout history. In earlier shows, the women would be the ones who made comedic errors, while the men, having more dominance, would become upset at their wives. Some more recent shows, such as The King of Queens , would have the opposite roles, with the male characters making more mistakes, while their more sophisticated wives would become upset at their husbands for their actions. I Love Lucy I Love Lucy

9434-420: Was Cuban. CBS executives did not think audiences would buy into a marriage between an all-American girl and a Latin man. To prove CBS wrong, the couple developed a vaudeville act, written by Carroll and Pugh, that they performed at Newburgh NY's historic Ritz Theater with Arnaz's orchestra. The act was a hit and convinced CBS executive Harry Ackerman that a Ball-Arnaz pairing would be a worthwhile venture. At

9540-526: Was Swedish), and that she met Ricky on a cruise with her friend from an agency she once worked for. Her family was absent, other than occasional appearances by her scatter-brained mother Mrs. McGillicuddy ( Kathryn Card ), who could never get Ricky's name right. Lucy was also secretive about her age and true hair color, and tended to be careless with money, in addition to being somewhat materialistic, insisting on buying new dresses and hats for every occasion and telling old friends that she and Ricky were wealthy. She

9646-437: Was a role for him on her new show. Ball, who had only briefly known Frawley from her days at RKO , suggested him to both Arnaz and CBS. The network objected to the idea of casting Frawley, fearing that his excessive drinking—which was well known in Hollywood —would interfere with a commitment to a live show. Arnaz nonetheless liked Frawley and lobbied hard for him to have the role, even to the point of having Lucy scribes re-tailor

9752-515: Was already playing Blanche Morton on The Burns and Allen Show , and Gordon was under contract by CBS to play Mr. Conklin on both the radio and television versions of Our Miss Brooks . Casting the Mertzes, as they were now called (the surname taken from a doctor that I Love Lucy scriptwriter Madelyn Pugh knew as a child in Indianapolis), proved to be a challenge. Ball had initially wanted character actor James Gleason , with whom she appeared in

9858-414: Was also depicted as a devoted housewife, adept cook, and attentive mother. As part of Lucy's role was to care for her husband, she stayed at home and took care of the household chores, while her husband Ricky went to work. During the post war era, Lucy took jobs outside of the home, but in these jobs, the show portrayed her as being inept outside of her usual domestic duties. Lucy's husband, Ricky Ricardo,

9964-537: Was becoming interested in playing more glamorous roles rather than Ethel. During the thirteen-episode run of the Lucy–Desi hour-long shows, Vance was given a lot more latitude to look more attractive as Ethel, something she was denied during the run of the I Love Lucy episodes. Frawley's resentment of Vance intensified after she declined to do the spin-off show and the two rarely talked to each other outside of their characters' dialogue with one another. Just before filming

10070-425: Was enthused. Vance, however, declined for a number of reasons, the biggest factor being that she felt she and Frawley could barely work together on the ensemble show they were doing at the time, so it would be much less likely the two could work together on their own series. Vance also felt that the Mertz characters would not be as successful without the Ricardos to play off of, and despite being her biggest success, she

10176-512: Was hired by Desilu to help perfect the new technique for the series. The process lent itself to the Lucy production as it eliminated the problem of requiring an audience to view and react to a scene three or four times in order for all necessary shots to be filmed. Multiple cameras would also allow scenes to be performed in sequence, as a play would be, which was unusual at the time for filmed series. Retakes were rare and dialogue mistakes were often left in

10282-631: Was in sharp contrast to the physical antics she performed in her films. Throughout her career, MGM tried to utilize her in multiple different film genres that did little to highlight her skills. Given their difficulties in casting her, MGM chose not to renew her contract when it expired in 1946. Ball began working as a freelance artist in films and also began to explore other venues. Before and during World War II, Ball made several notable and successful guest appearances on several radio programs, including both Jack Haley 's radio show and bandleader Kay Kyser 's radio program. These appearances brought Ball to

10388-504: Was no threat and was professional, Ball began to warm to her. In 1954, Vance became the first actress to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress . Vance and Ball developed a close, lifelong friendship with Ball frequently listening to Vance's input during episode productions. In 1962, after the end of I Love Lucy, Ball would ask Vance to co-star in her new series The Lucy Show . Vance and Frawley disliked each other. However, they were always professional while performing on

10494-476: Was not available, Mary Wickes , a longtime friend was offered the role, but declined because she did not want to strain her friendship with Ball. Actress Barbara Pepper , who was a close friend of Ball, was also considered for the role. The two had a long history together, as Pepper had been one of the Goldwyn Girls who came to Hollywood with Lucy in 1933. Pepper was ruled out by Ball and Arnaz because she too had

10600-549: Was seen during a family visit to Cuba ), and that he had attended the University of Havana . A catchphrase strongly associated with Ricky is " Lucy, you got some 'splaining to do" (sometimes "Lucy, you got a lotta splainin to do" ), whenever something Lucy had kept a secret from Ricky that turned into a complicated, problematic situation and was finally revealed to him. The line is still often mentioned in articles about I Love Lucy and even printed on official merchandise, despite

10706-493: Was sponsored by Ford Motor Company (1957–58) and Westinghouse Electric Corporation (1958–60), as part of the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse . The original openings, with the sponsor names edited out, were revived on TV Land showings, with a TV Land logo superimposed to obscure the original sponsor's logo. However, this has led some people to believe that the restored introduction was created specifically for TV Land as an example of kitsch . The animated openings, along with

10812-552: Was still a relatively unknown actress in Hollywood. Vance was performing in a revival of the play The Voice of the Turtle in La Jolla, California . Arnaz and Jess Oppenheimer went to see her in the play and hired her on the spot. Vance was reluctant about giving up her film and stage work for a television show, yet was convinced by Daniels that it would be a big break in her career. Ball, however, had many misgivings about hiring Vance, who

10918-404: Was the first scripted television program to be filmed on 35 mm film in front of a studio audience, by cinematographer Karl Freund – won five Emmy Awards and received many nominations and honors. It was the first show to feature an ensemble cast . As such, it is often regarded as one of the most influential television programs in history. In 2012, it was voted the 'Best TV Show of All Time' in

11024-469: Was the first to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings . As of 2011, episodes of the show have been syndicated in dozens of languages across the world and remain popular with an American audience of 40 million each year. A colorized version of its Christmas episode attracted more than eight million viewers when CBS aired it in prime time in 2013, 62 years after the show premiered. The show – which

11130-440: Was the personal plea of the couple that convinced him to take the job. Freund was instrumental in developing a way to uniformly light the set so that each of the three cameras would pick up the same quality of image. Freund noted that a typical episode (20–22 min.) was shot in about 60 minutes, with one constant concern being the shades-of-gray contrast in the final print, as each stage of transmission and broadcast would exaggerate

11236-489: Was younger and far more attractive than the concept of Ethel as an older, somewhat homely woman (Vance was two years older than Ball). Ball was also a believer in the Hollywood adage at the time that there should be only one pretty woman on the set and Ball, being the star of the show, would be it. Arnaz, however, was impressed by Vance's work and hired her. The decision was then made to dress Vance in frumpier clothing to tone down her attractiveness. Eventually realizing that Vance

#148851