Legends of Comedy

Lucille Desiree Ball Morton was born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York. She started out as a fashion model for Hattie Carnegie in New York City in 1928. In 1932 she started her acting career working as the Chesterfield cigarette girl and as part of many chorus lines on Broadway. Lucille Ball then moved to Hollywood where she appeared in many small movie roles in the 1930's as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures. In 1936 she landed the role of Julie Tucker in the play Hey Diddle Diddle which premiered in Princeton, N.J. The play received great reviews. This launched her career and she went on to star in the The Wonder Show, the musical play DuBarry was a Lady, Lover Come Back and the murder mystery Lured.

In 1948 Ball was cast as a wacky wife in My Favorite Husband , a CBS Radio Show. The program was a success and CBS took it to television with Lucille Ball playing Lucy and her real life husband Desi Arnaz playing Ricky and "I Love Lucy" was born. Lucy became the head of her production company Desilu which pioneered a number of practices like filming before a live audience with several cameras and distinct sets. Lucy went on to star in two other successful T.V. shows "The Lucy Show" and 'Here's Lucy".

During the 1980's Ball hosted a two part Three's Company Retrospective and she also made a T.V. film called Stone Pillow. In May 1988 Lucille Ball was hospitalized after suffering a mild heart attack. She died on April 26, 1989 in Los Angeles California.

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