Let's Celebrate National 'I Love Lucy' Day! [October 15th]

[updated October 15th, 2022]

If you’re anything like me, you love Lucy everyday, but how fun to have a National day of celebration!

I started watching I Love Lucy when I was little and love it even more today. The show premiered 67 years ago and ran for a total of six seasons, but you can catch reruns just about any time you'd like to.

Yes, I may quote lines from the show too often, slur as if I’m tipsy on Vitameatavegamin “it’s hot in here,” take a bite of chocolate and contemplate putting it back in the box if I don’t like it, often have some ’splaining to do, and try my best impression of Lucy’s famous ‘ewwwwwww.’

Here are a few fun facts about the show:

• • For the giant bread baking scene in “Pioneer Women”, the producers of the show had to have one actually baked. It was cut and served to the audience after the show was over. I wonder how that tasted!
  • I Love Lucy was one of the first shows filmed on 35mm film using three cameras, which became the standard. It was also groundbreaking because it was filmed in Los Angeles. Most shows were filmed in New York at the time.
  • Lucille Ball was one of the first pregnant women to be shown on TV, starting in the episode “Lucy is Enceinte.” More Americans watched the birth of Little Ricky than the inauguration of President Eisenhower. Lucy remembers receiving thousands and thousands of letters and telegrams congratulating them.
  • Vivian Vance and William Frawley, who played Ethel and Fred Mertz, didn’t like each other in real life. Frawley once referred to his co-star as “that sack of doorknobs.” I’ve read that Lucy actually wanted Gale Gordon to star as Fred.
  • Desi Arnaz was actually only 5'9" tall, and wore lifts in his shoes so he looked taller than Lucille Ball.
  • The “Job Switching” episode (Candy Factory) was one of Lucy's favorites, but “Lucy’s Italian Movie” is said to be her most favorite. 
    

If I'm ever in Jamestown, New York, I will definitely be visiting the Lucy Desi Museum.

Let’s join thousands of happy, peppy people, stuff our faces with chocolates, and watch an episode (or twelve!) of this favorite.

Check out more fun facts, special event details, and shop at https://lucy-desi.com/