How Two Actors Created Iconic TV Series and Innovations
How Two Actors Created Iconic TV Series and Innovations
by Bill Knell
In 1940 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were married. By that time both were working steadily in Hollywood and well known to movie fans. Having learned the inner workings of the Entertainment Business, the always forward thinking couple established Desilu Productions in 1950.
Their first venture was ‘I Love Lucy' which premiered in 1951 and ran until 1957. It could have continued, but Lucy wanted to pursue other projects. The very successful TV series starred the couple as Ricky and Lucy Ricardo. They wisely brought on board Vivian Vance and William Frawley as their neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz. Both were experienced and talented performers. Together, the foursome created comedic gold.
Among the innovative firsts established by ‘I Love Lucy' was the featuring of what some called an ‘interracial marriage' on TV. Another was how it was filmed. Most comedy TV shows were broadcast Live and produced in New York City. A few were saved on early versions of fragile and poor quality video. Thanks to Desi's insistance, the show was filmed on 35mm film and shot by several cameras filming simultaneously in front of a live studio audience. That move brought TV show production from NYC to Los Angeles and Hollywood. It also created the opportunity to have the series run in syndication where it remains today.
Next up was ‘The Lucy Show' (1962-1968). It technically starred Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance, but the series was actually an ensemble effort. Veteran actors like Gale Gordon, Mary Jane Croft and Roy Roberts made the show very successful. Following in the footsteps of ‘I Love Lucy' which featured guest celebs like Harpo Marx and William Holden, ‘’The Lucy Show' guest celebs included Sammy Davis Jr, Petula Clark, Van Johnson, Orson Welles, Fred MacMurray and Richard Widmark.
After her divorce from Desi in 1960, Lucille Ball became the primary player at Desilu. Her initiative and artistic nature brought us a TV series turned down by all the major studios. 'Star Trek' was bought by Desilu. Although it took two pilots and a massive budget to get the series off the ground and into the stars, the show ultimately became a critical and monetary success. The series premiered in 1966 and ran for just three seasons. That's because the old guard executives never really got fully behind the series.
NBC executives worried that future episodes might run afoul of audience reaction and media scrutiny after controversial innovations had been included in earlier scripts. The ‘Star Trek' series featured African American actress Nichelle Nichols cast as one of the main characters. In 1968 she was part of TV's first interracial kiss. Nichols kissed William Shatner during an episode titled “Plato's Stepchildren”. After the first run episodes ended, the series went into syndication and became an immediate favorite. This caused a movie to be made, and many others that followed, ten years after the series cancellation. It also inspired a number of Trek TV series, some still running today.
Desilu produced TV shows that ruled the airwaves in the 1960s with series like ‘The Untouchables’, ‘Mission: Impossible', ‘Mannix’, ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ and ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show' to name a few. Some went on to inspire major films, while others caused various series rebirths and sequels.
It's almost impossible to determine and list all the industry, cultural and social influences that Desilu caused. The company ultimately became the largest independent production studio in the USA. Lucy sold it to a Paramount Pictures company in 1968. It may have ceased operation in 1970, but it leaves behind a history of entertainment excellence. Thanks Desi and Lucy!
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