Predicting the past - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

dawsongirl · 11-03-2001, 08:25 PM

*I typed this once already....*

Anyway, back to what I was getting at. I was pondering this the other day and thought I'd put it to you guys. Think about this:

We all know that Lucy and Desi were a very successful team both in front of the camera and behind it (in terms of Desilu anyway.) However, what would their careers have been like had Too Many Girls never existed and Lucy and Desi never met? Would they be anywhere near as successful on their own? Keep in mind that their biggest accomplishment, I Love Lucy would not exist (in that format anyway.)

So what do you think?

*and I'm typing my password in correctly this time*

Terry Ross · 11-03-2001, 09:55 PM

Hey Dawsongirl-
I haven't been on this site for a whileand just logged on to read your question. Good one and I think the answer is: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz may never have met, hence no "I Love Lucy", which means they would not have been TV legends. She probably would have made a lot of 'B' movies and his acting career would have gone nowhere and he would have ended up a band leader throughout his career.

Anyway, that's my take.

DarleneIllyria · 11-03-2001, 11:18 PM

I agree with Terry. Neither would've been very popular if Desi and Lucy hadn't met or did I Love Lucy. If that had happened, I bet Lucy would just be known as the B movie actress..

------------------
Hottest Men alive:
Dale Midkiff
Anthony Starke
Tim McGraw
Jonathan Crombie

Lumpy: Did you go out for anything, Dud?

Dudley: Well, I went out for football, but I got my finger stepped on, so my mother made me quit.

Eddie: Well listen-- I went out for basketball and I got my hair pulled, and my mother made ME quit.

Dudley: It's not that I was afraid of getting hurt or anything; it's just that-- well, it's kind o' hard to play the flute with a busted finger.

[Eddie and Lumpy suppress laughter]

Dale Midkiff is my man!

Class of 2002!

PPatters · 11-03-2001, 11:23 PM

Their lives wouldn't be the only ones affected, either, we wouldn't have such classics as Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, and other wonderful shows. (TAGS may have made it with a different production company, but ST had a HARD, HARD time getting anyone to stand behind it.)

NCVARick · 11-04-2001, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by PPatters:
Their lives wouldn't be the only ones affected, either, we wouldn't have such classics as Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, and other wonderful shows. (TAGS may have made it with a different production company, but ST had a HARD, HARD time getting anyone to stand behind it.)

"The Andy Griffith Show" was a spinoff of "The Danny Thomas Show" (AKA "Make Room for Daddy"). Desi was responsible for getting Thomas's series on the air, which was done for Desilu Productions. Without "I Love Lucy," there would have been no Desilu Productions, and therefore no "Danny Thomas Show" and, consequently, no "Andy Griffth Show," no "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C." and no "Mayberry R.F.D."

QueenOfTheGypsies · 11-04-2001, 12:32 AM

I have to agree with the rest of you - I don't think either of them would have been nearly as successful in their careers had they never met.

------------------
Lucy: "Ever since we said 'I do' there are so many things we don't."

Lucy : "That must be my dear friend Ethel. I'll open the door, Fred."
Fred : "Open it?! I was going to lock it!"

Lucy : "Gee, did you hear that, honey? It's going to be called "Bitter Grapes." I wonder what part they want me for."
Fred : "Oh, you're probably going to be one of the bunch."

LucyFan · 11-04-2001, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by NCVARick:
"The Andy Griffith Show" was a spinoff of "The Danny Thomas Show" (AKA "Make Room for Daddy"). Desi was responsible for getting Thomas's series on the air, which was done for Desilu Productions. Without "I Love Lucy," there would have been no Desilu Productions, and therefore no "Danny Thomas Show" and, consequently, no "Andy Griffth Show," no "Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C." and no "Mayberry R.F.D."

Don't forget that there would be no "The Lucy Show", and "Here's Lucy" either as well as the other Lucy shows and "The Dick Van Dyke Show". And if it wasn't for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" there would have probably been no "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", therefore no "Rhoda", no "Phyllis", and no "Lou Grant". And if it wasn't for "Rhoda" there would have probably been no "Hogan Family" (AKA Valerie/Valerie's Family). Wait there's more . . . if it wasn't for "Here's Lucy" there would probably been no "The Lucie Arnaz Show", no "Sons & Daughters" and no "Automan". WOW, what a chain reaction this is causing.

[This message has been edited by LucyFan (edited 11-04-2001).]

dawsongirl · 11-04-2001, 02:47 AM

Gosh, I never thought about how that would have affected other shows, but that's an excellent point. Some shows never would have had a studio, some never would have had a prayer. It's amazing what these two have done with television.

I did consider that maybe Lucy would have made My Favorite Husband with Richard Denning for TV, but when they (CBS I think) actually brought that show to TV, it wasn't the most successful. So no Queen of Comedy title for Lucy.

------------------
Get your kicks on Route 66!

Happy Birthday to Me!

dawsongirl · 11-04-2001, 02:49 AM

BTW, welcome back Terry! I wondered if you disappeared.

------------------
Get your kicks on Route 66!

Happy Birthday to Me!

DarleneIllyria · 11-04-2001, 11:22 AM

I am so glad Lucy and Desi met then. I never would've thought about all those shows not being made if it hadn't been for Desilu. I can't even imagine a world without Andy Griffith and Gomer Pyle.

PPatters · 11-04-2001, 12:19 PM

Actually, as I mentioned, "The Danny Thomas Show" was probably strong enough to be presented to another production company. But, a show like "Star Trek" that was STRUGGLING for ANYONE to stand behind it most definitely wouldn't have made it without a Desilu.

MsLulu · 11-04-2001, 01:16 PM

I agree with everyone. Lucy and Desi may have had some success in show biz with out the other. But definitely not the success they had with each other. I know Lucie and Desi Jr. and their children are happier than anyone that Lucy and Desi got together!

[This message has been edited by MsLulu (edited 11-04-2001).]

NCVARick · 11-04-2001, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PPatters:
Actually, as I mentioned, "The Danny Thomas Show" was probably strong enough to be presented to another production company. But, a show like "Star Trek" that was STRUGGLING for ANYONE to stand behind it most definitely wouldn't have made it without a Desilu.

Actually, with Danny Thomas, I don't think it was a case of him going out looking for someone to produce his show; rather, Desi Arnaz was interested in Thomas and in having a show created for him, so he went after Thomas. Were it not for Desi, there would have been no "Make Room for Daddy" at all.

NCVARick · 11-04-2001, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LucyFan:
Don't forget that there would be no "The Lucy Show", and "Here's Lucy" either as well as the other Lucy shows and "The Dick Van Dyke Show". And if it wasn't for "The Dick Van Dyke Show" there would have probably been no "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", therefore no "Rhoda", no "Phyllis", and no "Lou Grant".

Well, in that case, we have to look beyond those shows as well. Thanks to "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," where he really made his mark, James L. Brooks has gone on to write such films as "As Good as it Gets," and to create such sitcoms as "Taxi" and "The Simpsons" and to direct others such as "Will and Grace." Also, some of the MTM writing team, taking the acclaim and what they learned from writing that show, went on to create "Cheers," which led to "Frasier." Bob Carroll, Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Davis took their "I Love Lucy" writing credentials and went on to write and create "The Lucy Show" and "The Mothers-in-Law," , to write many episodes of "Here's Lucy," and then to produce "Alice" and "Private Benjamin" in the '70s and '80s. "I Love Lucy" writers Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf went on to write for "The Lucy Show," then later "All in the Family" and "Maude." Ultimately, they became the producers of "Maude," which established Bea Arthur as a television star and introduced Rue McClanahan. Those two, of course, teamed up with MTM alum Betty White to do "The Golden Girls," which led to a spinoff series, "Empty Nest." Desilu Productions, in 1967, became Paramount Television. The newly named company, which had been created by Lucy and Desi, has gone on to create numerous television series, such as "Happy Days" and its spinoff series, "Laverne & Shirley," "Mork and Mindy," and "Joanie Loves Chachi," all produced by former "Lucy Show" writer Garry Marshall. Several Desilu productions have gone on to spawn movie spinoffs in the '80s, '90s and beyond: "The Untouchables," the various "Star Trek" movies and TV series, the '80s "Mission: Impossible" TV series and more recent Tom Cruise "Mission: Impossible" movie. We could go on and on. When you get right down to it, you would have to look long and hard to find anything on television that hasn't in some way been directly impacted by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and "I Love Lucy."

PPatters · 11-04-2001, 07:11 PM

Desilu did NOT become Paramount, it was bought by Paramount.

11-03-2001, 08:25 PM	#1
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,128	Predicting the past I typed this once already.... Anyway, back to what I was getting at. I was pondering this the other day and thought I'd put it to you guys. Think about this: We all know that Lucy and Desi were a very successful team both in front of the camera and behind it (in terms of Desilu anyway.) However, what would their careers have been like had Too Many Girls never existed and Lucy and Desi never met? Would they be anywhere near as successful on their own? Keep in mind that their biggest accomplishment, I Love Lucy would not exist (in that format anyway.) So what do you think? and I'm typing my password in correctly this time

11-03-2001, 09:55 PM	#2
Terry Ross Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 20, 2000 Location: New Jersey Posts: 196	Hey Dawsongirl- I haven't been on this site for a whileand just logged on to read your question. Good one and I think the answer is: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz may never have met, hence no "I Love Lucy", which means they would not have been TV legends. She probably would have made a lot of 'B' movies and his acting career would have gone nowhere and he would have ended up a band leader throughout his career. Anyway, that's my take.

11-03-2001, 11:18 PM	#3
DarleneIllyria Gone Forum Star Join Date: Oct 15, 2000 Posts: 19,086	I agree with Terry. Neither would've been very popular if Desi and Lucy hadn't met or did I Love Lucy. If that had happened, I bet Lucy would just be known as the B movie actress.. ------------------ Hottest Men alive: Dale Midkiff Anthony Starke Tim McGraw Jonathan Crombie Lumpy: Did you go out for anything, Dud? Dudley: Well, I went out for football, but I got my finger stepped on, so my mother made me quit. Eddie: Well listen-- I went out for basketball and I got my hair pulled, and my mother made ME quit. Dudley: It's not that I was afraid of getting hurt or anything; it's just that-- well, it's kind o' hard to play the flute with a busted finger. [Eddie and Lumpy suppress laughter] Dale Midkiff is my man! Class of 2002!

11-03-2001, 11:23 PM	#4
PPatters Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 27, 2001 Location: Rockford, MI, USA Posts: 404	Their lives wouldn't be the only ones affected, either, we wouldn't have such classics as Star Trek, The Andy Griffith Show, and other wonderful shows. (TAGS may have made it with a different production company, but ST had a HARD, HARD time getting anyone to stand behind it.)

11-04-2001, 12:32 AM	#6
QueenOfTheGypsies Crazy redhead Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 23, 2001 Posts: 358	I have to agree with the rest of you - I don't think either of them would have been nearly as successful in their careers had they never met. ------------------ Lucy: "Ever since we said 'I do' there are so many things we don't." Lucy : "That must be my dear friend Ethel. I'll open the door, Fred." Fred : "Open it?! I was going to lock it!" Lucy : "Gee, did you hear that, honey? It's going to be called "Bitter Grapes." I wonder what part they want me for." Fred : "Oh, you're probably going to be one of the bunch."

11-04-2001, 02:47 AM	#8
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,128	Gosh, I never thought about how that would have affected other shows, but that's an excellent point. Some shows never would have had a studio, some never would have had a prayer. It's amazing what these two have done with television. I did consider that maybe Lucy would have made My Favorite Husband with Richard Denning for TV, but when they (CBS I think) actually brought that show to TV, it wasn't the most successful. So no Queen of Comedy title for Lucy. ------------------ Get your kicks on Route 66! Happy Birthday to Me!

11-04-2001, 02:49 AM	#9
dawsongirl Member Forum Icon Join Date: Jan 04, 2001 Posts: 53,128	BTW, welcome back Terry! I wondered if you disappeared. ------------------ Get your kicks on Route 66! Happy Birthday to Me!

11-04-2001, 11:22 AM	#10
DarleneIllyria Gone Forum Star Join Date: Oct 15, 2000 Posts: 19,086	I am so glad Lucy and Desi met then. I never would've thought about all those shows not being made if it hadn't been for Desilu. I can't even imagine a world without Andy Griffith and Gomer Pyle.

11-04-2001, 12:19 PM	#11
PPatters Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 27, 2001 Location: Rockford, MI, USA Posts: 404	Actually, as I mentioned, "The Danny Thomas Show" was probably strong enough to be presented to another production company. But, a show like "Star Trek" that was STRUGGLING for ANYONE to stand behind it most definitely wouldn't have made it without a Desilu.

11-04-2001, 01:16 PM	#12
MsLulu Wiggly Mom Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 30, 2001 Location: San Diego, CA, USA Posts: 144	I agree with everyone. Lucy and Desi may have had some success in show biz with out the other. But definitely not the success they had with each other. I know Lucie and Desi Jr. and their children are happier than anyone that Lucy and Desi got together! [This message has been edited by MsLulu (edited 11-04-2001).]

11-04-2001, 07:11 PM	#15
PPatters Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 27, 2001 Location: Rockford, MI, USA Posts: 404	Desilu did NOT become Paramount, it was bought by Paramount.