Does anybody know of stories where Lucy clashed with guest-stars on any of her shows? (ILL, TLS, HL) Apparently she didn't get along with Joan Blondell.

...this was overheard during production of the "Lucy Meets Danny Kaye" episode on "THE LUCY SHOW" in 1964 (both had big egos):

DANNY: Just who the hell do you think you are?
LUCY: You're full of ****, that's who I am!


Writer Everett Greenbaum, while working on "M*A*S*H" at 20th Century-Fox in 1975, recalled this incident to Jeff Kissseloff in his book, "The Box" (1991):

Once I was sitting in the Fox commissary. It was near a stage, and we heard a big argument. A door opened and [Jackie] Gleason screamed to somebody inside, "Go to hell. I'm not having anything more to do with this."
And then Lucy came to the door, and said, "You fat ****."

Lucy and Jackie were co-starring in an hour-long special (forgotten today) filmed by her production company on a Fox soundstage, and, inevitably, tempers flared.


And then, of course, there were several instances between her and Vivian Vance on "THE LUCY SHOW" and "HERE'S LUCY", but not enough to destroy their friendship.

:tv:

These stories don't make me think negatively of Lucille Ball or paint her as some sort of B--. It is known that she expected top notch performance from EVERYONE, in front of the camera and behind. I just think its interesting that some guest stars clashed with her expectations. I also realize some of these stories could be exaggerated.

An early example of problems with a guest star was Tullulah Bankhead, who appeared on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,in the second episode, The Celebrity Next Door. According to The I Love Lucy Book, filming for this episode was a nightmare, as Bankhead was half bombed everyday during rehearsals. Lucy and Desi regretted hiring her.

If you'd like a backstage view of how Lucy could behave, you might like to check out this account:

http://www.freshyarn.com/38/essays/winchell_clash1.htm

If you'd like a backstage view of how Lucy could behave, you might like to check out this account:

http://www.freshyarn.com/38/essays/winchell_clash1.htm
I don't know how reliable the details are in this story. I know one fact for sure that was wrong. the person who wrote this story claimed Vivian Vance was on the set that day. When this particular episode was filmed Vivian Vance was no longer on the show and was living with her husband in Conneticut. So it is very unlikely she would have been on set that day.

I don't know how reliable the details are in this story. I know one fact for sure that was wrong. the person who wrote this story claimed Vivian Vance was on the set that day. When this particular episode was filmed Vivian Vance was no longer on the show and was living with her husband in Conneticut. So it is very unlikely she would have been on set that day.

Also incorrect is the claim that Paul Winchell played a recurring role as Lucy's grandfather. He played several old-man characters on her shows, but they were not a recurring character. And he never played her grandfather. I'm also dubious about the recreational drug thing. Is she making assumptions, or did she actually see Lucy do this with her father? She doesn't say. This is the first time I've ever heard anyone claim she used recreational drugs.

Wikipedia says this about April Winchell: "Ms. Winchell did not speak publicly about his mental illness and drug use for many years, due to the 'tremendous responsibility' she felt to his fans, and the people who had fond childhood memories of his work from the 1960s through the late 1980s. But her silence ended in March 2004 after her father published his autobiography Winch, in which he openly criticized his ex-wife, Nina Russell, and other family members." Take from that what you will.

There are so many stories out there trying to paint Lucy as some sort of a B***H and frankly, I think most of it is malarky. As for the stories above, first of all, I can tell you Danny Thomas DID have a tremendous ego, and his daughter Marlo is absolutely impossible to be around.

Jackie Gleason got on the nerves of anyone he worked with. He refused to rehearse and spent most of his time boozing and smoking like a fiend. I do know that later, Lucy regretted doing her special with Gleason because she said he was "smashed" during the entire production. And, he certainly looks it...you can see your reflection in his eyeballs he is so smashed!

The original post refers to Danny Kaye, not Danny Thomas.

I don't know how reliable the details are in this story. I know one fact for sure that was wrong. the person who wrote this story claimed Vivian Vance was on the set that day. When this particular episode was filmed Vivian Vance was no longer on the show and was living with her husband in Conneticut. So it is very unlikely she would have been on set that day.

I see the logic of your statement; however, consider the following:

True; by that time in the show's history, Vivian Vance had already left as a regular. However, this episode appeared about the same time as the one where Vivian Vance had returned for one episode. So while it's true she wasn't in this episode, she still could've been on the set.

I was in Denver the day Lucy had died in 1989 as was Tom Bosley who was in town to film the Father Dowling Mysteries.

When it got around that Lucy had died of course the local media had approached Tom asking for his thoughts on Lucy since the two had done the 1968 movie Yours, Mine & Ours. Imagine the surprise the Denver media had received when Tom said "...I am glad that B***** is DEAD...I *****ing hated HER !!!"

Tom Bosley never did get into details as to exactly why he hated Lucy though the local press sure had a field day with it. I think I still have the KMGH channel 7 newscast in my collection where Tom's "words" were the top story and yes KMGH did bleep out Tom's use of the "F" word.

Flash forward to approx. 15 years later. Lucie Arnaz came to my hometown. One day I get a call from a former co-worker telling me that he will be the one interviewing Lucie Arnaz for his TV program. I asked him to ask Lucie about her mother and Tom Bosley ( I told him what happened in Denver in 89 ). He did only to have Lucie refusing to say anything about the situation at all other than "...I don't want to talk about it".

His reaction makes me wonder if they shot more than that one scene together.

She certainly had a knack of making a lasting impression on people.

I'm surprised that didn't make national news. If that happened today, the tabloids would be all over it. :eek:

And how about the late Gale Gordon,the late Roy Roberts and the late Mary Jane Croft?Did THEY get along with the late Lucille Ball?I presume they did.Just curious.

Speaking of Gale Gordon; in the autobiography "That's Not All, Folks," Mel Blanc didn't care too much for him.

And how about the late Gale Gordon,the late Roy Roberts and the late Mary Jane Croft?Did THEY get along with the late Lucille Ball?I presume they did.Just curious.

I can't speak for Roy Roberts, but Gale Gordon and Mary Jane Croft got along well with her and have spoken very highly about their experience of working with her. After Lucille Ball's death, Gale Gordon actually referred to the experience of working with her as "sheer heaven." I wouldn't think he would have kept working with her for 40 years if he felt differently. And Mary Jane worked with her off and on for nearly 30 years. Gale Gordon, in an early '90s interview, explained Lucy's work ethic, saying working in television was like "a sausage factory" where (unlike movies) everything, from the initial script readings, to figuring out stage lighting, to blocking scenes, learning lines, positions, song and dance numbers and choreography, and everything else right up to filming the final product, all had to be accomplished within a matter of days. And production schedules couldn't be extended. So there was no time to waste. So she needed for people to be really professional, be on time, be sober, and to work very hard. So I think it boils down to whether or not a person was willing to work hard on Lucy's set. Lucy was a hard worker and expected those around her to work equally hard. If they did, they got along great with her; if they didn't, then she was likely to get irritated and they might clash. A few of the people who had trouble with her were big stars who, perhaps, felt they were above having to work that way, or were from a movie environment and weren't used to that pace. But other major stars like Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Bob Hope, Carol Burnett, and Milton Berle, to name a few, got along splendidly with her. I suspect they were all hard-working, down-to-earth types, in spite of their star status.

I'm surprised that didn't make national news. If that happened today, the tabloids would be all over it. :eek:

The Tom Bosley-Lucy "feud" actually did make national headlines for a week or two until it was totally overshadowed by the death of Gilda Radner which took place not long after Lucy's death.

I was in Denver the day Lucy had died in 1989 as was Tom Bosley who was in town to film the Father Dowling Mysteries.

When it got around that Lucy had died of course the local media had approached Tom asking for his thoughts on Lucy since the two had done the 1968 movie Yours, Mine & Ours. Imagine the surprise the Denver media had received when Tom said "...I am glad that B***** is DEAD...I *****ing hated HER !!!"

Tom Bosley never did get into details as to exactly why he hated Lucy though the local press sure had a field day with it. I think I still have the KMGH channel 7 newscast in my collection where Tom's "words" were the top story and yes KMGH did bleep out Tom's use of the "F" word.

Flash forward to approx. 15 years later. Lucie Arnaz came to my hometown. One day I get a call from a former co-worker telling me that he will be the one interviewing Lucie Arnaz for his TV program. I asked him to ask Lucie about her mother and Tom Bosley ( I told him what happened in Denver in 89 ). He did only to have Lucie refusing to say anything about the situation at all other than "...I don't want to talk about it".
Mr. Cunningham said THAT? Ritchie and Joanie's dad??? I'm shocked beyond disbelief! :shocked: :shocked:

Its curious you never hear any stories of Lucy having problems with Bill Frawley.
Wasn't he a heavy drinker? He must not have let it affect him on the set.

Its curious you never hear any stories of Lucy having problems with Bill Frawley.
Wasn't he a heavy drinker? He must not have let it affect him on the set.
He was too busy fighting with Vivian. :lol:

Its curious you never hear any stories of Lucy having problems with Bill Frawley.
Wasn't he a heavy drinker? He must not have let it affect him on the set.

I think that's because she was working with him during the I Love Lucy days. At that time, she didn't have the same pressures as she did later on because Desi and Jess were doing all the heavy lifting. I imagine if she had been working with Bill Frawley on The Lucy Show, it would have been a different situation. Like that funny story Carol Burnett has been relaying recently, it was once she was out there on her own without Desi providing the support that she felt she had to get tough.

Something else regarding Tom Bosley, one of his co-stars on Father Dowling Mysteries was Mary Wickes, one of Lucy's close friends! What must have she thought of Bosley, when he made that statement?

Its curious you never hear any stories of Lucy having problems with Bill Frawley.
Wasn't he a heavy drinker? He must not have let it affect him on the set.
Bill Frawley did have a reputation as a heavy drinker which is why Lucy did not want him to play Fred Mertz. However Desi did want him so he was hired with the stipulation that if he showed up to work drunk or hungover even once he would be fired on the spot. Obviously Bill behaved himself since he was on the show for it's entire run!

I previously posted this on the I Love Lucy board, but since the topic of Bill Frawley came up, I thought I'd post it here too. I hope those who haven't yet read this, will enjoy it.


Here's the story of his being hired as it was told in Desi Arnaz's 1976 autobiography "A Book by Desi Arnaz - The outspoken memoirs of "Ricky Ricardo" ---the man who loved Lucy"


"The writers said, "It may be tiresome just to have Lucy and Ricky week after week. Also, the Lucy character needs someone to be her ally. The Ethel character should be the one she would talk into helping her with her wild plans and schemes, and even though Ethel many times would say. "Oh no you're not going to get me into that deal," Lucy would eventually connive or blackmail her into it."

They also felt that Ricky needed the counterpart to Ethel. That would be Fred, her husband. Ricky's ally in these battles of the sexes.

While we were trying to resolve all the physical, mechanical and bureaucratic problems, the writers had been busy writing the first few segments of the series, which we would have to start doing soon in order to meet our on-the-air schedule. So we had to find somebody -- two anybodies--who fitted what those neighbors were supposed to be like.

I must say we were pretty lucky (all due respect to Philip Morris, who never allowed us to use that word while they were sponsoring our show) to find two people we found to play Fred and Ethel Mertz.

Soon after this writer's conference and decision I got a call from William Frawley. I hadn't thought about him for the part, but somehow he knew about the series format and wanted to be considered for Fred. I had seen Frawley in many pictures with Bing Crosby, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and other stars. He had been a top character actor for years but hadn't done anything lately.

"Thanks for calling, Mr. Frawley," I said. "I think you might be a possibility. Let me call you back."

After I hung up I kept seeing his puss and remembering how good he was at playing the kind of gruff character he usually played. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced he was Fred Mertz.

I then checked with the CBS people, the sponsor and the advertising agency. They all said, "Yeah, we know what he had done in the past, but what has he done lately? Besides, he's an alcoholic. You'd be out of your mind to hire him. There are a lot of actors who are much more dependable and can play that part."

The more they kept tearing this guy apart, the more I liked the idea of hiring him, and the more I thought he would be perfect for Fred.

According to my contract as executive producer, I had complete creative control of the show. I knew I could land on my ass by doing the wrong thing, but I'd rather land on it by doing that than by having someone else talk me into doing something which would land me there anyway.

I made up my mind to hire Frawley, regardless of what they said. I made a date to meet him the next day at Nickodell's, a restaurant and bar on Melrose Avenue, right behind RKO Studios. We had a drink together and I told him that everybody was telling me he was an alcoholic, that he might not even show up. etc.

"Well those bastards, those SOB's," he said "They're always saying that about me. How the hell do they know, those bastards?"

"Look, I don't give a damn whether you drink or not. I like to drink myself and I'll drink you under the table anytime you'd like to give it a try, except during working hours. But Lucy and I have everything going on this project. She's given up her motion-picture career and I've given up my band business. If we fail, I don't want it to be because some character like you loused us up."

"Give us another drink here, will you?" He told the waiter.
"Now listen, Mr. Frawley."
"Call me Bill."
"All right, Bill, I want you to know that I have given this thing a lot of thought. I have considered many good character actors for this part, especially Gale Gordon, who's very well liked by the agencies and the networks."
"What can he do, that I can't?" Bill asked.
"Nothing, it's what you do that he doesn't do that louses you up. But I am convinced that there is no one better in the whole world to play Fred Mertz than William Frawley."

The drinks arrived and he told the waiter this was his tab.

The he turned to me and said, "All right, so what's your problem? William Frawley is now sitting next to you and willing to listen to the kind of proposition you are willing to offer him to make your show a success."

"Okay, Bill, I'll tell you what I'll do with you. The first time you are not able to do your job, I'll try to work around you for that day. The second time, I'll try to manage again. But if you do it three times, you are through, and I mean through, not only on our show, but you'll never work in this town again as long as you live. Is that fair enough?"

"All right, g..damn it, that's fair enough."

"After work if you feel like coming to Nickodell's, and splitting a bottle of whatever you like, I'll be happy to come and split it with you."

"Hey waiter, what the hell is this, the Sahara Desert? We are thirsty. Okay, Cuban, we have a deal and we'll show all them bastards how wrong they are."

He never missed a day's work nor was he even a few minutes late during all the years he was with us.

Something else regarding Tom Bosley, one of his co-stars on Father Dowling Mysteries was Mary Wickes, one of Lucy's close friends! What must have she thought of Bosley, when he made that statement?


I am sure being the classy lady she was Wickes took the "..I am sitting this one out" route, that is if she even knew what Bosley had said.

Many years ago I attended one of those Q&A things starring Carol Burnett. One thing that Carol had brought up which may or may not come as a surprise to many as that many celebrities do NOT follow the gossip, read the tabolids or even watch TV or listen to the radio ( Example: LA's famous radio disc jockey the Real Don Steele..story goes despite his radio fame, he didnt even own a radio ). Carol claims the reason for this was that people just don't have the time for such stuff. Meanwhile her daughter Jody some years back on her podcast mentioned more/less the same thing only in her case to avoid the gossip, rumors and news is an effort for them to "try to live normal". Anyway I have a hard time believing that one.