It is usually reported that the last Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show was filmed the day before Lucille Ball filed for divorce in 1960, which was Desi's birthday on March 2. I've long been dubious of this assertion. The only evidence I have ever found of this is that on March 1, Lucy had completed "the last bit of film" required under her contract. But "last bit of film" does not necessarily mean the series itself. She was also required to film commercials for Westinghouse. So maybe that last bit of film was nothing but a commercial. In fact, in the closing credits of the last episode, doesn't it have a 1959 copyright date? Also, I just came across this October 1959 article on Vivian Vance, titled "Lucy, Vivian Part Friends." Everything about the show is written in the past tense, as if completed already. For example, this quote from Vivian: "In all the nine years I was with Lucy I never appeared in a movie or TV show. Toward the end I thought I was getting tired of acting, but I was just weary of the same role. From now on I hope to never be seen wearing a Marcel and house dress."

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19591014&id=4HZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Ej8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2631,4822017

Here's another article, from January 29, 1960. It's titled "End of an Era" and starts out talking about the last episode with Ernie Kovacs. It says that Lucy "hurried to her dressing room and wept," as the episode was completed. So clearly that episode could not have been filmed in March if an article about what happened after it was filmed appeared in the newspaper two months before that.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19600129&id=MQArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dUgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6797,5089983

In one of the I Love Lucy books it stated that Lucy waited until after the final episode aired to file for divorce, the reason being that Westinghouse was afraid that if she went public with the divorce before the last LDCH, it might hurt viewership. So it's more than likely the Kovacs episode was filmed a few months in advance. In any event, all shows require a certain amount of post-production work before it goes to air so it would have been next to impossible to complete filming one day and have it go on the air the next.

In one of the I Love Lucy books it stated that Lucy waited until after the final episode aired to file for divorce, the reason being that Westinghouse was afraid that if she went public with the divorce before the last LDCH, it might hurt viewership. So it's more than likely the Kovacs episode was filmed a few months in advance. In any event, all shows require a certain amount of post-production work before it goes to air so it would have been next to impossible to complete filming one day and have it go on the air the next.

I don't think any of the books stated that she waited until after the show aired to file for divorce because the divorce filing (March 3, 1960) is a matter of public record, as is the broadcast date of the final episode, which occurred a full month later, on April 1, 1960:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19600307&id=ElVVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BD8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3039,3434036

So the cat was well out of the bag by the time the show aired. What Lucille Ball did wait for before filing for divorce was to finish all the work she was required to do under her Westinghouse contract, regardless of when it would air. Now the question is when that final show was filmed. These three articles all indicate it was before March 3. This article at the last link was published March 7 and says the show was filmed "last month," which would mean February 1960. But the January 29, 1960 article from my original post indicates it had already been filmed at that point. But then the October 1959 article on Vivian Vance makes it appear it had been completed before then. Maybe because this one was not filmed with a live audience, the production schedule was spread out over a couple months, and Vivian's scenes were all completed in 1959? Just a theory, although I don't believe it myself. It's just weird that Vivian would be talking about the show as if it's in the past, and the article would say that Lucy and Vivian's partnership had already ended, if they still had another show left to film. It's not adding up for me. The only thing that seems clear is that filming on the show was completed no later than January 1960.

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UPDATE to this post: I just found another Vivian Vance article. It's dated December 6, 1959. Here's a quote from Vivian: "There's only one more Lucy show to go, and that's already been made." That's a pretty definitive statement!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19591206&id=28QwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bVUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5477,1199057

I don't think any of the books stated that she waited until after the show aired to file for divorce because the divorce filing (March 3, 1960) is a matter of public record, as is the broadcast date of the final episode, which occurred a full month later, on April 1, 1960:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19600307&id=ElVVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BD8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3039,3434036

So the cat was well out of the bag by the time the show aired. What Lucille Ball did wait for before filing for divorce was to finish all the work she was required to do under her Westinghouse contract, regardless of when it would air. Now the question is when that final show was filmed. These three articles all indicate it was before March 3. This article at the last link was published March 7 and says the show was filmed "last month," which would mean February 1960. But the January 29, 1960 article from my original post indicates it had already been filmed at that point. But then the October 1959 article on Vivian Vance makes it appear it had been completed before then. Maybe because this one was not filmed with a live audience, the production schedule was spread out over a couple months, and Vivian's scenes were all completed in 1959? Just a theory, although I don't believe it myself. It's just weird that Vivian would be talking about the show as if it's in the past, and the article would say that Lucy and Vivian's partnership had already ended, if they still had another show left to film. It's not adding up for me. The only thing that seems clear is that filming on the show was completed no later than January 1960.

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UPDATE to this post: I just found another Vivian Vance article. It's dated December 6, 1959. Here's a quote from Vivian: "There's only one more Lucy show to go, and that's already been made." That's a pretty definitive statement!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19591206&id=28QwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bVUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5477,1199057


For what it's worth: When Desilu, too repackaged the "Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours" as "We Love Lucy" in 1989-90, the copyright date on "Lucy Meets the Moustache" is shown as 1960. The copyright date usually means the first publication or broadcast of the material in question.

"Lucy Meets the Mustache" aired March 4, 1960, so if Vivian Vance is correct--and there's no reason to doubt Ethel Mertz!--Lucy "finished her last piece of film at least three months before the divorce was finalized...and "Desilu Playhouse" was cancelled on April 1, 1960, the day the last episode aired on CBS-TV.

And, as has been well-documented, had Lucy walked out before the Westinghouse contract ended, Westinghouse could have sued her for breach of contract...

you can be sure!

I can always be pretty sure when posters are drawing upon their own "knowledge" rather than checking sources. As has already been pointed out in this very thread, the airdate for 'Lucy Meets The Mustache' was April 1st, 1960, not March 4th [:confused:]. Furthermore, Desilu Playhouse (which technically was an entirely different series anyway) continued until June of 1960.

I can always be pretty sure when posters are drawing upon their own "knowledge" rather than checking sources. As has already been pointed out in this very thread, the airdate for 'Lucy Meets The Mustache' was April 1st, 1960, not March 4th [:confused:]. Furthermore, Desilu Playhouse (which technically was an entirely different series anyway) continued until June of 1960.

Correct, April 1, 1960 was the air date of "Lucy Meets the Mustache." I'm not sure the significance of March 4, 1960, other than that it's about a day after the date Lucille Ball filed for divorce. As to Lucille Ball's statement that she did not file for divorce until she "finished the last piece of film" under the Westinghouse contract, note that she said "last piece of film," not "last episode." Her contract also required her to film commercials for Westinghouse, not just episodes. So "last piece of film" may simply refer to the last commercial she had to film.

So here's the rundown:

1) The copyright date shown on the last episode is 1959 (I watched the "Mustache" a few days ago and it shows 1959). Check it out for yourself, here at 50:25 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI3iGfx-QGI

2) As someone pointed out to me in LucyLounge, Desi Arnaz was discussing the year 1959 in his autobiography and stated that the they completed the last episode "before the end of the year."

3) In an article dated December 6, 1959, Vivian Vance stated, "There's only one more Lucy show to go, and that's already been made."
http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=5477,1199057

4) In an October 1959 article on Vivian Vance, titled "Lucy, Vivian Part Friends," everything about the show is written in the past tense, as if it was completed already. For example, this quote from Vivian: "In all the nine years I was with Lucy I never appeared in a movie or TV show. Toward the end I thought I was getting tired of acting, but I was just weary of the same role. From now on I hope to never be seen wearing a Marcel and house dress." http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=2631,4822017

5) A January 29, 1960 article, titled "End of an Era," starts out talking about the last episode with Ernie Kovacs. It says that Lucy "hurried to her dressing room and wept," as the episode was completed. So clearly that episode could not have been filmed in March if an article about what happened after it was filmed appeared in the newspaper two months before that.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=6797,5089983

I see no evidence that they waited until 1960 to film the final episode. Besides, Lucy and Desi knew they were getting divorced. Why would they wait all those months to film their last show? It was painful so I'm sure they were ready to get it over with.