Random Fascinating Facts About Lucille Ball You Probably Didn't Know (16 items)

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  (#1) She Almost Drowned In the Famous Grape Stomping Episode

  In one of the show’s most memorable scenes, Lucy stomps on grapes in a giant vat with an Italian woman. That woman was actress and opera singer Teresa Tirelli D'Amico who, according to Ball, attempted to drown her during the scene. Apparently, D'Amico held her down under the crushed grapes for longer than the script directions told her to and Ball got grapes in her nose, which made it difficult to breathe. Although it's not likely that Ball almost met her maker during the filming of the scene, it is likely that the language barrier incited D'Amico to become much more physical than the script instructed.
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  (#2) She Was The First Woman To Own A Production Studio

  In 1962, Ball became the first woman to own a Hollywood production company. She took full control of "Desilu," the studio she and her husband Desi Arnaz built together – as well as the first ever independent television production company – after the two divorced. In addition to I Love Lucy, Desilu would go on to produce hits like Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, and That Girl. In 1967, Ball sold the company for $17 million to Gulf+Western. Desilu would eventually become part of the broadcasting company CBS.
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  (#3) She Insisted On Having Arnaz Play Her Onscreen Husband

  It’s difficult to imagine the lines “Lucy, I’m home!” being delivered by someone other than Desi Arnaz, but if CBS and I Love Lucy’s sponsor Philip Morris had had their way, that might have been the case. They didn’t believe the American public would buy a marriage between Lucy, “a red-blooded American girl,” and a "foreigner," even though Ball and Arnaz had already been married for ten years in real life. Luckily, Ball stuck to her guns, insisting that Arnaz be signed on as her co-star, and the network caved.
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  (#4) She Saved Star Trek

  In 1965, when NBC received the pilot for Star Trek, they initially rejected it because they thought it was “too cerebral.” Ball, who at this point was the sole owner of Desilu, liked the idea of the show so much that she used her considerable influence and money to help Gene Roddenberry make another pilot – this time with an entirely new cast. The second pilot was a hit and was picked up by NBC. Ed Holly, a former studio executive said the following about Ball’s role in the production of Star Trek: “If it were not for Lucy, there would be no Star Trek today.”
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  (#5) Her Onscreen Pregnancy Got Higher Ratings Than The Presidential Inauguration

  As one of the earliest onscreen depictions of a real-life pregnancy, the story of Lucy and Desi's soon-to-be-born baby was a big sensation both onscreen and off. Ball gave birth to her second child, Desi Arnaz Jr., just 12 hours before her onscreen counterpart gave birth to hers. The episode in which Lucy finally gives birth to her and Ricky’s first child brought in a whopping 44 million viewers (71.9% of American homes tuned in), while the presidential inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, which aired the following day, tallied a respectable 29 million.
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  (#6) She Was Registered With The Communist Party

  In 1953, Ball’s family was investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee for their ties to the Communist Party. During her testimony, Ball told the committee that she and the rest of her family only registered as Communists to appease their dying grandfather who was an ardent supporter of the socialist cause. At the end of her testimony, she was told that she was cleared of all suspicion.

  Arnaz told reporters that “[the] only thing red about Lucy is her hair, and even that is not legitimate.”
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  (#7) She Started 'I Love Lucy' When She Was In Her 40s

  Ball’s story was not one of overnight success. In Hollywood, she gained the moniker “Queen of the B’s” because of the number of B movie films she starred in. It wasn’t until CBS decided to rework the radio show My Favorite Husband into the television series I Love Lucy that Ball’s star status began to rise. She had just turned 40 when the show began filming.
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  (#8) She Was Not A Natural Redhead

  Apart from her unparalleled comedic talent, Ball was also known for her iconic red hair. However, as they joked about on the show, red wasn’t her natural hair color. Ball was born a brunette and sported a blonde 'do during her modeling career, but she dyed her hair at her hair dresser's suggestion, a woman who once told Ball that her "hair is brown, but the soul is on fire." Ball kept her signature hair dye safely locked away in a garage safe.
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  (#9) She Wasn’t Allowed To Say She Was Pregnant

  When Ball was expecting her second child, she and her husband, Desi Arnaz, wrote her pregnancy into the show, making her one of the first women to have her pregnancy depicted on air. It might not seem like a big deal now, but in the '50s, it was fairly controversial. Because, in the era of poodle skirts and sexual repression, anything even remotely linked to sex was controversial. However, Ball's pregnancy didn’t spur a scandal – quite the opposite, actually. It helped rake in the viewers.

  However, while the network allowed Ball to appear on the show very visibly with child, she and the rest of the cast weren't allowed to say the word “pregnant” on air. CBS thought the word was too vulgar. 
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  (#10) Her Mother Attended Every Taping Of Her Show

  Die hard fans of I Love Lucy may have picked up on what seems to be an extremely consistent audience member yelling the words “Oh no” or Uh-oh” every time Lucy finds herself in one of her beloved pickles. The person behind those exclamations was Ball’s mother, DeDe Ball. Ever the proud mom, she attended every taping of I Love Lucy.
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  (#11) A Creepy Statue Was Made In Her ‘Image’

  The original life-size Lucille Ball statue in Celeron, New York was been dubbed “Scary Lucy” by fans who thought the statue looked nothing like the comedy icon. A group of fans started the Facebook page "We Love Lucy! Get Rid of this Statue” in an effort to get a replacement statue to honor the redheaded legend, and the mayor of Celeron even came out in opposition to the statue. Their wishes came true in 2016 when a different sculptor unveiled a new statute, one that, unlike the original, bears a strong resemblance to Ball.
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  (#12) She Told Her Daughter Not To Audition For Rizzo’s Role In 'Grease'

  Ball’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz, was being considered for the iconic role of the tough-as-nails leader of the Pink Ladies. However, when the time came to audition for the role, Ball told her daughter not to do it. She thought her daughter was too good to audition and proceeded to call the film’s producers to tell them just that. Obviously, Lucy's sass wasn't enough to convince the producers of her daughter's talent – the role went to Stockard Channing.
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  (#13) She Was Responsible For The Longest Recorded Laugh In Television History

  Considering the fact that Ball is still thought of by many as the Queen of Comedy, it’s no surprise that I Love Lucy holds the record for one of the longest audience laughs in history. The laugh in question can be heard on the episode “Lucy Does the Tango.” The audience laughs for a total of 64 joyous seconds.
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  (#14) She Hoarded Pencils

  When Ball was young, her family was so poor that she could not afford a pencil for school. This poverty affected her well into her adult life. She would collect pencils from her studio offices and even had a closet filled with unopened pencil packages. When an executive asked her about the hoarding, she supposedly said, “If when you were a little boy you didn’t have a pencil in school, the way I didn’t, you would understand.”
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  (#15) She Did Things Other Actresses Wouldn’t Do

  Ball was widely regarded as a beauty, but it wasn’t just her looks that helped her make her mark on Hollywood. Unlike other beautiful budding starlets, Ball was game for physical comedy. In an interview with People magazine, Ball said the following: “In the ’30s I realized there was a place for me. Eddie Cantor and Sam Goldwyn found that a lot of the really beautiful girls didn't want to do some of the things I did—put on mud packs and scream and run around and fall into pools. I said ‘I'd love to do the scene with the crocodile.’ He didn't have teeth, but he could sure gum you to death. I didn't mind getting messed up.”
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  (#16) She And Arnaz Still Loved Each Other After Their Divorce

  Although Ball and Arnaz’s marriage was a tumultuous one, with Ball threatening to file for divorce several times because of Arnaz’s womanizing and drinking, the two still cared for one another after their divorce. Friends of the couple said that Ball and Arnaz spoke fondly of one another long after their split, and it’s said that Arnaz’s last words to Ball were, “I love you too, honey. Good luck with your show.”

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