Time went on and life continued. Following her father’s death, her mother returned to New York from Montana and Lucy and her brother were raised by their mother and grandparents. Four years later, when Lucille was 11-years-old, her mother remarried to a Swedish-American man named Edward Peterson. He became Lucille’s stepfather. While Ball was happy to introduce a father figure back into her life, her new step-father wasn’t as happy with the idea. He seemed to have no intention of becoming a father and insisted that Ball call him Ed. In her autobiography, Lucille talks about her step-father, sharing “Ed was never mean or abusive,” she recalled in her autobiography. “But his presence in the house was shadowy.”
As Lucille grew older, she discovered her passion in life, acting, thanks to her step-father offering her to audition for his organization’s choir. After turning 15, she convinced her mother to sign her up in a New York City drama school. Her mother was very supportive of her passions and helped fuel her career. Lucille was lucky to have such an encouraging mother. It was clear from her days performing in the butcher shop, that this girl was meant to be a star. However, stardom definitely did not come easy to her.
Her First Performance Was on the Butcher's Counter
Lucille had a huge imagination when she was a child. Coupled with her abundance of energy, she would often stray from home by herself, causing her parents a lot of nerves and fright. In order to attempt to control her daughter, her mother made a deal with the local butcher for Ball to run up and down the street between his shop and their home. It was in his shop that Lucille first made her entertainment debut.
In her autobiography, Ball shares details of her first performance on the butcher's counter. She would exuberantly take to the stage and perform for the customers coming into the shop to buy meat. Lucille loved to dance and twirl for them, but there was one thing she loved doing more than that and that was giving her rendition of a jumping frog. She would stick her tongue out and croak. Her fans couldn't get enough of it and would give her some pennies or a sweet treat. Those lucky customers got a 2 for one- meat and a concert. And to think, that little girl would later be a star!
Her Father Died When She Was Young
In the winter of 1916, when Ball was just five-years-old, and her mother was pregnant with their second child, her father got sick with a bad case of the flu. It had started storming and her father, who worked as a telephone lineman, went out to fix the damaged telephone wires from the storm. He did what was required of him, however, this time it came with a consequence. After he came home from work, her father got into bed with a high fever. However, his fever did not go down and he only got sicker. His illness eventually turned into typhoid. He died shortly after. Ball recalled those days very clearly with a painful heart.
Lucille didn't remember much about the day he died, but she did remember a bird getting trapped in their home. Since the incident, she couldn't stand to look at pictures of birds and even refused to stay in hotel rooms showing birds.
She Was Painfully Shy
You would never expect that this boisterous and energetic girl would freeze up on stage. But, that's exactly how Ball felt when she took to the stage. Her outgoing and charming personality didn't seem to shine on the stage in the same way that it did in her daily life. Her mentors at school started to notice and they weren't afraid to share their opinion with the to-be-star. “I was a tongue-tied teenager spellbound by the school’s star pupil, Bette Davis,” shared Ball. The school sent her mother a letter with some very discouraging news.
In the letter that her mother received, the school wrote that Lucy was wasting her time at the school. “Lucy’s wasting her time…and ours. She’s too shy and reticent to put her best foot forward.” Although this dispiriting letter could have shattered Lucille into pieces, even in the face of criticism, she was unwilling to let them ruin her dream of becoming a star.
She Changed Her Name
After Lucille received the tough criticism from her school, she decided to stay in New York and pursue a career as a model. She decided that along with her fresh start, she would need a new name. She changed her name to Diane Belmont, and was ready for her first big assignment. In 1927, she had her picture taken for fashion designer Hattie Carnegie. Lucille was young, she was stunning, and she belonged in front of the camera. That much was clear.
Despite her looks and her career starting to fall into place, all was not well with Ball's health. Towards the end of her teens, she started to suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis. Despite this health barrier, Ball did not let it come in the way of her career. She continued to model and became more confident in herself. She started to feel like she was slowly starting to take over the world. Shortly after, she decided that it was time for a physical change. She said goodbye to her natural chestnut colored brown hair and became a blonde.