"I Love Lucy" (1951) TV series 1951-1957

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

15 October 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

A daffy woman constantly strives to become a star along with her bandleader husband and gets herself in the strangest situations.

Plot Keywords:

Bandleader | Sitcom | Friendship | Product Placement | Wife And Husband Lead Actors

Awards:

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 24 nominations

Cast

Lucille Ball	...	Lucy Ricardo / ... (181 episodes, 1951-1957)
Desi Arnaz	...	Ricky Ricardo (181 episodes, 1951-1957)
Vivian Vance	...	Ethel Mertz (176 episodes, 1951-1957)
William Frawley	...	Fred Mertz (175 episodes, 1951-1957)

Series Directed by
William Asher		(101 episodes, 1952-1957)
James V. Kern		(39 episodes, 1955-1957)
Marc Daniels		(33 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Writing credits
Bob Carroll Jr.		(174 episodes, 1951-1957)
Madelyn Davis		(174 episodes, 1951-1957)
Jess Oppenheimer		(151 episodes, 1951-1956)
Bob Schiller		(50 episodes, 1955-1957)
Bob Weiskopf		(50 episodes, 1955-1957)

Series Produced by
Desi Arnaz	....	executive producer / producer / ... (158 episodes, 1952-1957)
Jess Oppenheimer	....	producer / co-producer (155 episodes, 1951-1956)
Al Simon	....	associate producer (33 episodes, 1951-1952)
Jack Aldworth	....	associate producer (22 episodes, 1956-1957)

Series Original Music by
Eliot Daniel		(181 episodes, 1951-1957)
Wilbur Hatch		(33 episodes, 1951-1954)

Series Cinematography by
Karl Freund		(149 episodes, 1951-1956)
Sidney Hickox		(14 episodes, 1956-1957)
Robert De Grasse		(8 episodes, 1956)

Series Film Editing by
Bud Molin		(105 episodes, 1953-1957)
Dann Cahn		(33 episodes, 1951-1952)

Series Casting by
Kerwin Coughlin		(20 episodes, 1956-1957)

Series Art Direction by
Ralph Berger		(106 episodes, 1953-1957)
Larry Cuneo		(17 episodes, 1951-1952)

Series Set Decoration by
Ted Offenbecker		(2 episodes, 1954)

Series Costume Design by
Edward Stevenson		(35 episodes, 1955-1957)
Eloise Jensson		(9 episodes, 1953-1954)

Series Makeup Department
Max Factor	....	makeup artist (122 episodes, 1951-1955)
Irma Kusely	....	hairstylist / hair stylist (99 episodes, 1952-1957)
Hal King	....	makeup artist (47 episodes, 1955-1957)

Series Production Management
Argyle Nelson	....	production manager (135 episodes, 1952-1957)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Aldworth	....	assistant director (51 episodes, 1954-1956)
Jerry Thorpe	....	assistant director (33 episodes, 1953-1954)
James Paisley	....	assistant director (31 episodes, 1952-1953)
Jay Sandrich	....	assistant director (14 episodes, 1956-1957)
Edward M. Hillie	....	assistant director (7 episodes, 1956)

Series Art Department
Ted Offenbecker	....	set dresser (103 episodes, 1953-1957)
Dick Henrikson	....	property master (50 episodes, 1954-1956)

Series Sound Department
Cam McCulloch	....	sound recordist (104 episodes, 1953-1957)
Robert Reeve	....	re-recording editor (104 episodes, 1953-1957)
Glen Glenn	....	sound (25 episodes, 1954-1957)
E.C. Norton	....	re-recording editor (2 episodes, 1956-1957)
Jim Bullock	....	sound editor (unknown episodes)
John Speak	....	boom operator (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Maury Thompson	....	camera coordinator (23 episodes, 1956-1957)
Louie Anderson	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)
Emily Daniels	....	camera coordinator (unknown episodes)
Sam Leavitt	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eloise Jensson	....	wardrobe supervisor / wardrobe: Miss Ball / ... (48 episodes, 1953-1955)
Edward Stevenson	....	wardrobe: Miss Ball / wardrobe: Lucille Ball / ... (12 episodes, 1955-1957)

Series Editorial Department
Dann Cahn	....	editorial supervisor / supervising editor (136 episodes, 1952-1957)

Series Music Department
Wilbur Hatch	....	musical director / conductor / ... (135 episodes, 1951-1957)
E.C. Norton	....	music editor (44 episodes, 1955-1957)
Ralph Carmichael	....	composer: incidental music (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Lee Scott	....	choreographer (17 episodes, 1951-1952)
Bob Gilbreath	....	helicopter pilot (unknown episodes)
Hal Hudson	....	network supervisor (unknown episodes)
Frank Inn	....	animal trainer (unknown episodes)
Maury Thompson	....	script supervisor (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• CBS Television Network (1951-1957)
• Desilu Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1951-1957) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Independent Television (ITV) (1955) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• Viacom (1971-1994) (USA) (TV)
• CBS Films (1967-1971) (USA) (TV)
• Paramount Television (1994-2006) (USA) (TV)
• CBS Paramount Domestic Television (2006-) (USA) (TV)
• CBS Paramount International Television (2004-) (Non-USA) (TV)
• NHK (1957) (Japan) (TV)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Ohrbach's  fashion
• Philip Morris Cigarettes  original sponsor
• Procter & Gamble  original sponsor (Cheer detergent)

Also Known As:

Lucy (USA) (working title)
Lucy & Ricky (USA) (working title)
Lucy in Connecticut (USA) (rerun title)
The Sunday Lucy Show (USA) (rerun title)
The Top Ten Lucy Show (USA) (rerun title)
I Love Lucy (Greece) [el]
I Love Lucy (France) [fr]
Lucy ed io (Italy) [it]
Lucy ja minä (Finland) [fi]
Te quiero, Lucy (Spain) [es]
Yo amo a Lucy (Argentina) [es]

Runtime:

30 min (179 episodes) | Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | Canada:G

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 6625 Romaine Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

CBS Television Network

Trivia:

References to the series' original sponsor, Phillip Morris, can still be seen in some episodes today. Most notable is the scene in "Lucy Does a TV Commercial" in which Lucy dresses up as Johnny the Bellhop, the Phillip Morris icon.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Lucy and Ricky swap apartments with a couple downstairs; therefore, in most episodes they are in 3D (and thus on the same floor as the Mertzes), but in some they are in 4A and living upstairs from the Mertz's.

Quotes:

Ethel Mertz: [Lucy has a loving cup for Johnny Longden stuck on her head, and has to get to the Tropicana to give it to longden shortly] Lucy, does heat make metal contract or expand?
Lucy Ricardo: Expand, I think. Why?
Ethel Mertz: That's it! We'll put your head in the oven!
Lucy Ricardo: Oh fine.
Ethel Mertz: Well, don't you like the idea?
Lucy Ricardo: It's great. Why don't you stick an apple in my mouth and barbecue me?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Family Secret (#3.16)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

Superb show

The great female comedian Lucille Ball performed Lucy Ricardo who got herself in some strange situations in this comedy show that ran from 1951 to 1957.Desi Arnaz played her husband Ricky and the neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz were played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance.I Love Lucy may be nearly fifty years old but the humor in it is timeless.It works no matter how old the show was.The actors were great and everything else was also great in this show.Everybody should watch I Love Lucy no matter how old or young you were.