Eileen Brennan's recent passing got me thinking about the legacy of funny women we see in entertainment. Comedy, often in the form of a TV sitcom has provided fertile ground for women to thrive on television. Over the ages we've watched women break barriers and offer social commentary all while generating a tremendous amount of laughter. I initially started to create a top ten list of my favorites but quickly generated a list of 15 names and I was barely in the 1980s. So instead I've decided to highlight women individually and thematically. The vast diverse talent of comedic women warrants it and besides it allows me to wax nostalgic on some of the terrific TV shows I grew up loving and now share with my own daughter, thanks to cable syndication and streaming. These periodic posts will simply reflect women who I find luminescent, smart and funny.I am sure those of you reading have an instant list in your own head. Here's to seeing how much our lists coincide.
Any conversation about comedy, women and television must begin with Lucille Ball. Period. Fittingly, today would have been the great Lucy's 102nd birthday. I Love Lucy was a groundbreaking show for a myriad of reasons. It was the first television show to shoot in 35 mm film and pioneered the use of a three camera shoot in front of a live audience. In fact, CBS initially balked on the show because they didn't believe audiences would accept Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as a couple on television because due to the fact that he was Cuban. However, the most impressive act around this historic show was Lucille Ball's business sense, when she along with Arnaz conceded a portion of their salaries to own the rights to the show.
Still, what made I Love Lucy an iconic part of television history was the singular physical comedic brilliance embodied by Lucille Ball. It is well documented that Ms. Ball did not think she was funny. In fact she actively sought out mentors and coaches to perfect her physical comedy. Given the clip below, I would dare anyone to look at any given scene from this show and not laugh. Her perfectionist desire certainly paid off in spades.
I began watching reruns of I Love Lucy weekday afternoons after school. The humor, hijinks and misunderstandings are a fundamental mix that we still see in TV sitcoms today. Think about the great married sitcom couples - Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Ray and Debra Barone, and most recently Claire and Phil Dunphy. All owe a debt to the foundation I Love Lucy created over 60 years ago. The situations that Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel found themselves in remain universal and as a result timeless. I know this with absolute certainty because just the other day I came downstairs to find my 8 year old watching a marathon of episodes on the Hallmark Channel by her own her choice. In an age of kids obsessed with bad Nickelodeon and Disney 'tween comedies' that's saying something.
More often than not tributes point to the classic moments of Vitametavegamin and the candy making episode. For my money "Hollywood At Last" remains the pinnacle showcase of Lucille Ball's genius. I begin laughing with anticipation the moment they sit down at The Brown Derby and I am in tears by the time she butters her hand. The back and forth between her and a straight faced, silent William Holden is spectacular. Ultimately what makes I Love Lucy's comedic genius work is that there is never a false note or trace of cynicism in the joke. No matter how ludicrous the situation, how exaggerated the moment Lucille Ball conveys a sincerity that makes the audience adore her the way that Ricky does. There is a pure joy the emanates from the final scene in each episode, especially the ones when Ricky is singing to her.
In an age of crass and often derogatory humor I Love Lucy is a great reminder that comedy can be rooted in joy and that the human condition, irony and shared experience will always generate a knowing smile, no matter the generation of the audience that is watching.
We all have our favorite Lucy moments, let me know yours in the comments. In the mean time join me in remembering Lucy Ricardo's birthday on what would have been Lucille Ball's 102nd.
Happy Birthday Lucy!
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