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.
She Was a Physical Slapstick Comedy Pioneer
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.”
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.
13 Nominations and 4 Emmy Awards
Lucille Ball was a four-time Emmy Award winner. She won Best Actress three times and once for Best Comedienne.
She received 13 nominations during her career and won four Emmy Awards: one for Best Comedienne in 1953, Best Actress in 1956 and Best Actress in a Leading Roll in a Comedy Series in 1967 and 1968.
The Show Was More Important Than a Paycheck
I Love Lucy was so important to Lucille and Desi that they were always trying to find new ways to make it better. They decided they wanted the show to be produced and filmed with better materials (e.g. more expensive celluloid film, etc.)
When they talked to producers about receiving a higher budget for this, the producers refused. So, Lucille and Desi decided to take a cut from their own salaries to make it happen. Afterward, she made a deal to ensure she and Desi had ownership rights to whatever was produced.