The story of I love Lucy began on the night of October 15, 1951 when the US saw the first episode of a television sitcom that would run for 179 episodes and establish the series as a perennial favorite. On paper, the show “I Love Lucy” was just the story of a marriage, but what marriage, what wife?
1950s television was awash with family and marriage programmers, and critics may have been ready to blast the show, but from the first run it was a huge hit and before long 40,000,000 viewers were tuning in regularly. The phenomenal success of the show was due in no small part to the casting of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez, a true husband-and-wife team, as the main characters, and the team of creative writers who created the story lines that usually they were wildly absurd, but still achieved a kind of hilarious humor. reality.
The program was of its time and in it you can see the problems and contradictions that affected the lives of many American women at that time. Looking back at the story of “I love Lucy” allows us to see the fight for change as it was happening. Beneath the coverage of the wild antics and quirky humor of the very attractive redhead Lucille Ball, a plot line could be detected, which continued throughout the episodes and struck a chord with the women. This is a contradiction between women’s traditional role as housewife and mother and the need to be recognized as intelligent decision-makers in their own right. Escape the traditional restrictions of domesticity and leave the confines of home, family and financial dependency, to have a life in which they can make decisions.
These themes were very real to women in the postwar 1950s and were clearly reflected in Lucy’s continued rebellion to become a part of her husband’s world. The I love Lucy story isn’t really a story at all. Because since the first broadcast, the show has not been off the air. Somewhere in the world, as you read this, another generation is learning to love the crazy behavior of this team. Although the situations and humor may not be clear to new audiences and the clothes and sets are from another era. The humor still works and the show, now past its golden anniversary, has a timelessness and innocence that is a quality lost on much of today’s audience.
So, as reruns of the show continue, history continues to repeat itself and characters have come to life far from the sitcom screen. So the actors of “I love Lucy” and their real lives have become a source of interest. If you are a true fan, you can increase your knowledge of the I love Lucy story by visiting Lucille Balls’ hometown and experiencing the unique places that commemorate the series, such as the Lucy-Desi Museum, the Lucy-Desi Center Gift Shop and Desilu Playhouse. Then, to round out your visit, don’t miss the “I Love Lucy” wall murals in downtown Jamestown.