The Show I Love Lucy Essay -- Television 1950s

We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can. –- Will Rogers Television’s rise in popularity throughout the fifties saw the emergence of the situation comedy, a style that captivated audiences by presenting a story with a beginning, a middle, and a happy end. One of the most popular of these shows, I Love Lucy, continues to appeal to both young and old some forty years later -- and counting. For most people, the answer to how I Love Lucy continually and effectively draws viewers to the screen is that "It’s funny." There is more to this funny show than meets the eye. For television viewers of the fifties, Lucy and Ricky could have been familiar neighbors from down the street. People could relate to this young couple, the Ricardos, who were experiencing the trials and tribulations of marriage as typical Americans were. They lived in a modest brownstone in Manhattan with common worries such as paying the rent and affording new household commodities. The humor came when ordinary situations were exaggerated as Lucy managed to get herself into trouble time and time again, and proceeded to untangle herself from the mess. Ricky, her husband, would often discover -- and thwart -- her numerous schemes, and the best friends, Fred and Ethel Mertz, somehow managed to get involved as well. The zany redhead and the thick-accented Cuban were an oddly-matched pair, not only as a comedy team but as a married couple too. The combination of these factors yielded a television show that portrayed situations that average Americans could identify with. The luck of having talent is not enough; one must also have a talent for luck. -- Hector Berlioz Undoubtedly, Lucille Ball carried the show with her impeccable comedic timing an... ...ll be a "funny" show. Since we said, 'I do,' there are so many things we don't. –- Lucy Ricardo Bibliography Andrews, Bart and Watson, Thomas. LOVING LUCY: AN ILLUSTRATED TRIBUTE. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1980. Andrews, Bart. THE "I LOVE LUCY" BOOK. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1985. Brady, Kathleen. THE LIFE OF LUCILLE BALL. New York: Hyperion Publishing, 1994. Halberstam, David. THE FIFTIES. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1993. Marc, David and Thomson, Robert. PRIME TIME, PRIME MOVERS. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1992. Morella, Joe and Epstein, Edward. FOREVER LUCY. New Jersey: Lyle Stuart, Inc., 1986. Oppenheimer, Jess. LAUGHS, LUCK...AND LUCY. New York: Syracuse University Press, 1996. Sanders, Coyne Steven and Gilbert, Tom. DESILU: THE STORY OF LUCILLE BALL AND DESI ARNAZ. New York: William and Morrow Company, Inc., 1993.