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The Cast of
“Lucy”
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Television
critics of the day were already beginning to tire of the sitcom centered on
the institution of marriage. But what is it about that show biz wannabe
redhead, her Cuban bandleader husband, and their landlords/best
friends/co-conspirators that drove upwards of 40,000,000 viewers a week to
tune in - and continues to entertain millions of people the world over?
Perhaps the key lies with the show's mastery of the graceful transition from
sense to nonsense. Each episode opens with a plausible situation (home
economy, child rearing, postdating a check) thrown awry with exaggerated
absurdity (Lucy is starched, frozen, stuffed with chocolate, locked in a
trunk, and lowered to the deck of a ship by helicopter, just to name a few).
Yet somehow, Lucy never seems to lose touch with the audience - the show is
human, and so are we. While the
comic brilliance of Lucille Ball and the magic chemistry of the four main
characters were the cornerstones of the show, I Love Lucy owes its success in no small part to a band of brilliant
creators and innovators. The show gave birth to the rerun, was the first to
use three cameras simultaneously filming before a live audience, and overcame
many technical obstacles of early television through ingenious lighting, set
design, and editing. Catch |
