Lucille’s incredible talent as a comedian came from the simple fact that she was the only woman at the time willing to get a little dirty in the name of good comedy. For the sake of good physical comedy, she didn’t mind getting messed up. Ball herself said that it took her years of acting and playing many roles in different films to finally understand that it was comedy she loved, and her tough character and openness to do different things for laughs. And this is what placed her as one of history’s most iconic comedians.
In an interview with People magazine in 1980, she said, “I guess after about six months out here 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. That’s how I got into physical comedy.”
She Defied Ageism and Set a New Precedent
Lucille Ball turned 40 before I Love Lucy even went on the air! That was unheard of in a time when no big Hollywood actress, or any actress, for that matter, was even considered for a part if she was over 35 years old.
Ball defied ageist film moguls and set a new precedent for women, making the world understand that talent is ageless.
Lucy Loved Gardening and Painting
Lucille loved plants and tended carefully to her beautiful, lush garden in her Hollywood home.
Gardening wasn't the only hobby she had. She also took up painting, and according to sources close to her, she used to sit for hours on end in her garden in front of her canvas.
Lucille Ball Was Very Particular
Lucille had her quirks, she wasn’t your typical woman. For example, when she started auditioning for Broadway, she used to go by the name 'Diane Belmont'.
The name came from a racetrack in New York called Belmont Racetrack, which she loved dearly.
She Wanted to Keep a Little Magic in the World
During the I Love Lucy episode with Superman, she strictly forebode George Reeve’s (who played Superman at the time) name to appear in the end credits, because she wanted children who were watching to believe Superman was real.
We guess it was her own way of trying to keep a little magic in the world, at least for those who still didn't know any better.