Lucy's Downfall: Her own vanity

[king of comedy]

She could have done a supporting role instead of a lead and still pursue more dramatic roles. Life with Lucy was a low note.

[ThatOtherFan]

I disagree.

Lucy was keeping up with the times. We must remember where television was in the 60s. Escapism and fantasy ruled the day. Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Mr. Ed, The Addams Family, The Munsters, Gomer Pyle, Gilligan's Island, etc.. these weren't sophisticated, brilliantly written sitcoms that made Lucy's humor look dated and/or sub par.

In fact, I would argue the most "sophisticated" sitcom of that time period was "The Dick Van Dyke Show", and TV didn't catch up to and/or surpass type of writing until the 70's with "All In The Family", "Maude", "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" etc.

You also must remember that "The Lucy Show" was a top 10 show for the duration of it's run, and "Here's Lucy" was a top 10 show for four of it's six season, and never fell out of the top 30.

If the ratings didn't hold the humor would have changed, or Lucy simply would have quit. Which is exactly what she did after six seasons of "Here's Lucy".

[TV Guy]

"Here's Lucy" was utterly anachronistic in its last few years, which ran at the same time as the rise of the Norman Lear sitcoms, like "All in the Family" and "Maude". And those last two seasons were Lucy's worst-rated years in prime time.

[Kasey]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

"Here's Lucy" was utterly anachronistic in its last few years, which ran at the same time as the rise of the Norman Lear sitcoms, like "All in the Family" and "Maude". And those last two seasons were Lucy's worst-rated years in prime time.

....but ironically--and in hindsight--those last 2 seasons were the best ones in HERE'S LUCY's run.

[ILuvCarolBurnett]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

Gary Morton supposedly also (as her manager) declined her opportunity to star in "Driving Miss Daisy,"which garnered an Oscar for Jessica Tandy.



Financial woes between 1964 and 1967? The company was getting back up on its feet by then. In 1962, Desi Arnaz was essentially forced by stockholders to cede his control of the company to his ex-wife because the company had begun struggling under his leadership. He had built up the company in the '50s, but by 1960 his drinking was taking a toll on his ability to run the company. For several years it had failed to get any new hits shows on the air. Under Lucy's tenure, the ship was righted and she got several hit shows going: Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Mannix, and her own series. Lucy hated running the company and was eager for the opportunity to unload it so that she could just be an actress again. By 1967 with these hit shows up and running, she seized the opportunity and sold the company and got a huge payday for herself and the other stockholders. With that sale, completed in 1968, she became incredibly wealthy.

She could have sold it for much more if there was not mounting debt. One of the producers of Star Trek, in a book about that series, confirmed that Gary Morton made some "unwise" decision re: Desilu that did cause problems for Lucy and the studio.

[TV_on_the_Porch]

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

cruel to her with his endless womanizing.

I heard from at least one source was that the final straw was actually Desi unzipping for Caesar Romero.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Kasey

....but ironically--and in hindsight--those last 2 seasons were the best ones in HERE'S LUCY's run.

Really? I've been watching the show on and off through Hulu skipping around seasons trying to find any episode that's worth watching. It's very hard to get into that show. It's just not funny like I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show. Majority of the episodes are these special guests with a song and dance number. The wheelchair episode in season 5 was looking like it would be a good one until Lucie Arnaz took the episode over and then started singing at the end. I'm sorry to any Lucie Arnaz fans, but she stinks at acting. She tries too hard that it's difficult to enjoy what she's trying to present to you. Her voice can get irritating as well. I know Lucille loves her kids, but she should have gotten kid performers that knew how to act in those roles. Look at the kids on The Lucy Show. Their acting is a million times better than Lucie and Desi Arnaz Jr. It's obvious the only reason Lucille Ball did Here's Lucy was to pimp her kids out to the public and help them build a career in acting.

[OH Nuts!]

While I really enjoyed Lucy's 60s shows, I LOVED I Love Lucy. I don't think Lucy was overly vain-part of being in show business is presenting yourself to best advantage. Lucille Ball certainly wasn't perfect (who is?) but I still adore her.

[MichaelKeith]

I agree. Well put “oh nuts”!!

[nvtlover]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

I think work is how she dealt with (or avoided dealing with) her emotional issues. She never got over her divorce from Desi and by constantly working she was able to keep her mind occupied so she wouldn't have to think too much about personal disappointments. She probably would have benefited from psychotherapy to work out her issues, but instead she used work as a substitute. So she was really just pushing these issues aside rather than confronting them head on. I think if she had dealt with these things in a healthy way (therapy), she would have retired from series television earlier on and focused on just doing an occasional quality special or movie, and her later legacy might have been even greater.

I agree. Even Lucie Arnaz acknowledged this in an interview. She never could face those issues and constant work kept her mind busy enough to drown that out. I think that is why she took Life With Lucy's failure so hard. Here again she was working while Desi is dying and suddenly he's gone and the show. I agree that her later years could have been better if she took on more drama and not do Bob Hope specials or LWL despite it having some good moments in more dramedy episodes

[Schmo]

Lucille Ball did play some dramatic roles early in her career. See the 1937 movie “Five Came Back”, for example.