#Lucy Moves To NBC

[loveaffairwithgenekelly]

Gene Kelly appearance on the Lucille Ball special "Lucy Moves to NBC" 1980.

[jonahark8]

fan fiction quotes that I love so much<33

"Bella was beginning to wonder if the dissection was less for the sake of understanding the anatomy, and more for the sake of watching a thing bleed." (Hannibal) '

“Can I trust you now?” “You seem to already; lying about your whereabouts and crawling into the lion’s den in the dead of night.” “The lion doesn’t fear its ilk.” (hannibal)

"Are you stuck in your veins? does your blood feel like chains?" (tma doorway fic, I will be forever mad I didn't write this line)

"It is. When my head is all..." Lucy trailed off and made a wavy gesture without moving his face from Linus' chest. "You feel like rain." (the house in the cerulean sea fanfiction)

“Where Alana is a firefly, Will is the sun” (hannibal)

"She looks so small in that moment, so lost, like a little dove that flew right into a hurricane.” (honestly idk, probably Hannibal)

"We’ve always been here. You can have me, Cas, I'm yours." (supernatural)

“I love you. I did even when I didn’t know that I did. When I thought that I didn’t. You are the blood that gets caked under my nails after a hunt. I couldn’t wash you off. I threw you off a cliff to see if the ocean would make me clean.”  (nbc Hannibal, re: Will abt The Fall)

Thank you For Coming To My Ted Talk

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY & THE SWANS

BALL, CAPOTE & PALEY

The new FX series "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans" depicts a world that Lucille Ball knew all too well - wealth, fame and celebrity. Although she does not inhabit the New York Society of Babe Paley, Slim Keith, Ann Woodward, C.Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness and others, she and her Desilu empire lie just outside of it - her influence on the era keenly felt.

Episode 1 of the teleplay ("Pilot") begins in 1958, and takes us to the executive boardroom of CBS in New York. There, Bill Paley (Treat Williams) holds forth, a photo of Lucy and Desi prominently hovering over his shoulder.

In this room, the Paley and the CBS brass made programming moves played out on a schedule board. The Monday 9pm time slot is occupied by "I Love Lucy", with a small photo of Lucy and Desi (the same one that hung on the wall) tucked into the title card - as if they needed reminding of who they were! The only slight faux pas is that "I Love Lucy" (as a half hour series) did not run in 1958. Its final episode aired in May 1957. It then became an hour-long celebrity-driven musical comedy hour under the banner of "The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse." Paley and CBS probably wanted Lucy and Desi for a 7th season, but Desi had other plans. He wouldn't kill the Ricardos (metaphorically) but relegate them to specials, interspersed with Desilu productions of new drama and comedy. It is possible that the action of "Feud" in this scene lies somewhere in that murky period between Desi's plans, and Paley's wishes for a seventh season of the half-hour format.

In actuality, during 1958, the 9pm Monday time slot was occupied by "The Danny Thomas Show" (filmed at Desilu) and "The Ann Sothern Show" (produced by Desilu). Monday also featured the Desilu Western "The Texan," making the only half hour of CBS's Monday primetime NOT created by Lucy and Desi "Father Knows Best."

Episode 6 ("Hats, Gloves, and Effete Homosexuals") set in 1978 includes a luncheon conversation at La Cote that mentions Lucille Ball and Lucie Arnaz. Truman's new boyfriend Rick (Vito Schnabel) is a handyman who once fixed Ball's air conditioner in Palm Springs.

Truman has promised to bring Rick to see They're Playing our Song on Broadway starring Lucie Arnaz. Rick says that he met little Lucie while she was swimming laps.

BILL & BABE PALEY

The power and influence of William S. Paley cannot be underestimated. He literally built CBS (the Columbia Broadcasting System) from a small radio station to a multi-media conglomerate, serving as Chairman for much of its existence. He shepherded CBS from radio to television, and was responsible for giving the green light to Lucille Ball making the transition from "My Favorite Husband" to "I Love Lucy," bringing her real-life husband along for the ride. Without Paley and Lucy, CBS would not have gotten a foothold in an industry dominated by the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).

Paley's second wife was socialite Barbara Cushing Mortimer, who he married the year before he met Lucille Ball. Mortimer is best known as Babe Paley, and she was Truman Capote's favorite of the Swans. In "Lucy's Barbershop Quartet" (1963), the group needs to find a replacement singer for the group and Viv suggests the unseen character of Barbara Cushing, who is a soloist in their church choir. Although Lucy, Viv, Thelma, and Dorothy were definitely not swans (more like Danfield Ducks) the writers were tipping their hat to the big boss's wife.

A few years later, in "Lucy Meets Danny Kaye" (1964), Kaye telephones Bill Paley to see if he has any spare tickets for his show to give fan Lucy. The best he can do is tickets to "The Jackie Gleason Show." Paley does not appear, nor do we hear his voice.

In real life, Paley and Ball were both in the first group of inductees to the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1984. Ball and Paley sat at the same table together at the ceremony.

In 1976, he joined those paying tribute to Lucy on "Lucy and CBS: The First 25 Years." Paley and his wife Babe had homes in Manhasset Long Island, and Squam New Hampshire, respectively known as Kiluna Farm South, and Kiluna Farm North, where they entertained a myriad of celebrities, Lucille Ball among them.

TRUMAN CAPOTE

On screen Lucille Ball had little to no interaction with writer Truman Capote. But in her personal life, Ball was guest at at least one of his lavish parties. Gary and Lucy's photo album included a photo of the Mortons at a December 13, 1975 party hosted by Capote, Allan Carr, and John O'Shea in Lincoln Heights, a wealthy neighborhood of Los Angeles. The 'mug shot' was part of a party game where guests were 'arrested' and forced to pay bail in order to get released. The money was usually donated to the host's favorite charity.

In July 1978, Capote joined Lucille Ball at Westbury Music Fair to see Lucie Arnaz perform in "Annie Get Your Gun".

Capote's one foray into acting was in Neil Simon's Murder By Death (1976), a camp comedy send-up of Agatha Christie-style murder mysteries where Capote played the eccentric host, Lionel Twain. The film featured a few stars with close connections to Lucille Ball.

Peter Sellars (Sidney Wang) starred in Will The Real Mr. Sellars...?, an oddball film from 1969 with a very brief cameo by Lucille Ball courtesy of hidden camera footage.

Elsa Lanchester (Jessica Marbles) famously guest-starred on "I Love Lucy" as a woman who may - or may not be - a hatchet murderess. In 1973, she appeared on "Here's Lucy" as kooky bank robber Mumsie Westcott.

Although screen writer Neil Simon never wrote for Lucille Ball, or even appeared on the same screen with her, they did share credits on two television shows. He was a staff writer on “The Garry Moore Show,” which Lucy appeared on in 1960. Simon and Ball were both featured on “Bob Hope’s World of Comedy” (1976), but were not onstage at the same time.  It was Lucie Arnaz who worked closest with Simon. She starred on Broadway in They’re Playing Our Song (for which Simon wrote the libretto) in 1978. She then took over the role of Bela in Simon's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play Lost in Yonkers in 1992.

MISC. SWANS

Vivian Vance doing an in-character commercial for Swan dish soap on "The Lucy Show." Swan was made by Lever Brothers, and was discontinued in 1974.

SWAN SONGS

LUCY: "Would you begrudge an expectant swan her song?" RICKY: "You seem to forget that this particular swan has no talent." ~ Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song (1952)

LUCY: “It’s time for that swan to hit the come-back trail.” FRED: “That swan’s got a little ham in it.”  ~ The Indian Show (1953)

[farmerbrown]

In 1964, Lucille Ball was the sole owner of Desilu Studios and the first woman to ever run a major Hollywood studio. At the time, Desilu producers were looking for ideas that could be developed into new series and they contracted two ambitious writers to develop pilots: Gene Roddenberry with "Star Trek" and Bruce Geller with "Mission: Impossible."

Desilu took the Star Trek pilot to CBS with whom they had a first-refusal agreement but the network rejected it and opted to pick up another new space-themed show "Lost in Space." The studio then took the pilot, "The Cage," to NBC which called it "too cerebral" but, rather than rejecting it outright, they took the unprecedented move of ordering a second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The network decided to order a season but the Desilu Board of Directors balked. Fearing that the studio was overstretching itself with three expensive new programs -- Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and a western called The Long Hunt for April Savage -- all but one of the board members voted to cancel Star Trek in February 1966.

Lucille Ball, however, had high hopes for the fledgling show and was impressed by Roddenberry’s vision so she used her power as board chair to override the decision. Production of the show continued and the first episode aired in September of that year. As studio accountant Edwin Holly later conceded, "If it were not for Lucy, there would be no 'Star Trek' today." So the next time that you’re watching Star Trek -- or one of the many science fiction future worlds that it inspired -- remember that you have one more reason to love Lucy!

The Acid Test 1967

[jedivoodoochile]

In 1964, Lucille Ball was the sole owner of Desilu Studios and the first woman to ever run a major Hollywood studio. At the time, Desilu producers were looking for ideas that could be developed into new series and they contracted two ambitious writers to develop pilots: Gene Roddenberry with "Star Trek" and Bruce Geller with "Mission: Impossible."

Desilu took the Star Trek pilot to CBS with whom they had a first-refusal agreement but the network rejected it and opted to pick up another new space-themed show "Lost in Space." The studio then took the pilot, "The Cage," to NBC which called it "too cerebral" but, rather than rejecting it outright, they took the unprecedented move of ordering a second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The network decided to order a season but the Desilu Board of Directors balked. Fearing that the studio was overstretching itself with three expensive new programs -- Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and a western called The Long Hunt for April Savage -- all but one of the board members voted to cancel Star Trek in February 1966.

Lucille Ball, however, had high hopes for the fledgling show and was impressed by Roddenberry’s vision so she used her power as board chair to override the decision. Production of the show continued and the first episode aired in September of that year. As studio accountant Edwin Holly later conceded, "If it were not for Lucy, there would be no 'Star Trek' today." So the next time that you’re watching Star Trek -- or one of the many science fiction future worlds that it inspired -- remember that you have one more reason to love Lucy!

[ncisfranchise-source]

The evolving dramatic universe centered around "NCIS" is hitting a major milestone: 1,000 combined episodes.

The April 15 episode of the original "NCIS" (9 EDT/PDT) will reach the millennial mark propelled by the "NCISverse" of shows that now spans from "NCIS: Hawaii" to "NCIS: Sydney," on CBS and Paramount+. Franchise stars from past and present were on hand for a February celebration during the filming of the episode, which features crossover stars Daniela Ruah (from now-defunct "NCIS: Los Angeles") and Vanessa Lachey (from "NCIS: Hawaii").

Two new upcoming shows – "NCIS: Origins" and the still-untitled spinoff led by Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo – were also represented at the party.

"Now it's like our own Marvel universe within 'NCIS,' which is the ultimate testament of the power of this show," says Rocky Carroll, who has portrayed Leon Vance on "NCIS" since 2008.

'NCIS' (2003 - )

"NCIS," also known as "The Mothership," is a spinoff of creator Donald Bellisario's naval legal show "JAG," which aired on NBC in 1995-96 and for nine more seasons (1997-2005) on CBS. 

Notable characters: Mark Harmon, the "NCIS" cornerstone as Leroy Jethro Gibbs, left in 2021 after nearly two decades. Other departed original characters include Weatherly's Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo, who departed in 2016 after 13 seasons, Pauley Perrette's Abby Sciuto, exiting in 2018 after 350 episodes, and David McCallum's Donald "Ducky" Mallard (the veteran actor died last year).

"NCIS" has been network TV's most-watched drama for the last five seasons with a team that includes Carroll, Sean Murray (Timothy McGee), Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer), Wilmer Valderrama (Nicholas Torres), Katrina Law (Jessica Knight), Diona Reasonover (Kasie Hines) and Gary Cole (Alden Parker).

Seasons: 21

How to watch: CBS (Mondays 9 EDT/PDT); Paramount+; Netflix (first 15 seasons).

'NCIS: Los Angeles' (2009-23)

Notable characters: Ruah's Kensi Blye and the star pairing of Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J, as G. Callen and Sam Hanna, respectively. Linda Hunt starred as Henrietta "Hetty" Lange and Eric Christian Olsen as Marty Deeks.

Seasons: 14

How to watch: PlutoTV, for purchase on iTunes.

Flavor: The first spinoff was an instant hit that played a crucial role in expanding the franchise "during its incredibly long run," says David Stapf, president of producer CBS Studios.

'NCIS: New Orleans' (2014-21)

Notable characters: Scott Bakula as Dwayne "King" Pride, CCH Pounder as Loretta Wade and Lucas Black as Christopher LaSalle.

Seasons: 7

How to watch: Paramount+, PlutoTV.

'NCIS: Hawai'i' (2021- )

Notable characters: Lachey became the franchise's first female and Asian American, lead as Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant of the Pearl Harbor Field Office. Supporting stars include Alex Tarrant (Kai Holman), Noah Mills (Jesse Boone), Jason Antoon (Ernie Malik), Tori Anderson (Kate Whistler) and Yasmine Al-Bustami (Lucy Tara). Sam, LL Cool J's LA transplant, moved to "NCIS: Hawai'i" in Season 3.

Seasons: 3

How to watch: CBS (Mondays at 10 EDT/PDT), Paramount+.

Flavor: Set in paradise with unforgettable island surroundings and many crimes intertwined with Hawaiian lore – with an added dose of Cool J. Stapf says the actor will continue "hopefully, forever, or as long as he wants to do it."

'NCIS: Sydney' (2023- )

Notable characters: Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) heads the collaboration between the NCIS Sydney office and the Australian Federal Police led by Jim "JD" Dempsey (Todd Lasance). Originally conceived for Australian TV audiences but recruited to the American schedule during the Hollywood strike, "NCIS: Sydney" has proven its worth, fair dinkum, and was renewed for a second season in March.

Seasons: 1

How to watch:Paramount+

'NCIS: Origins' (CBS 2024-25)

Notable characters: Beloved leader Gibbs returns as a younger man for the franchise's prequel series, "NCIS: Origins," announced in March "The Hating Game" star Austin Stowell will play young Gibbs. "We weren't just casting Gibbs; we were casting a young Mark Harmon," says Stapf. "And Austin embodies it all."

Harmon, 72, will narrate and serve as executive producer. Sean Harmon, Mark's real-life son, who often played the younger version of Gibbs in flashbacks on "NCIS," will also serve as executive producer.

"Origins" follows young Gibbs as he fights for his place on the team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks. Kyle Schmid has been cast as the younger version of the Texan Franks (Muse Watson in "NCIS") who played a pivotal role in Gibbs' early career.

How to watch: Coming to CBS this fall.

Untitled Tony and Ziva spinoff (CBS)

Notable characters: Fans loved the special sizzle between agents Tony DiNozzo (Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote De Pablo, who left "NCIS" in 2013 after eight seasons). The couple, known as Tiva, announced their return in February for a European-set spinoff on Paramount+. No premiere date has been set, nor has an actor been cast to play the couple's young daughter Tali.

After Tony’s security company is attacked by terrorists, the new show features a family on the run through Europe.

How to watch: Coming to Paramount+

Flavor: Whatever the title, it's "NCIS: Tiva." In a statement, the two stars promised "an action-packed roller coaster fueled by love, danger, tears and laughter."

[yourreddancer]

In 1964, Lucille Ball was the sole owner of Desilu Studios and the first woman to ever run a major Hollywood studio. At the time, Desilu producers were looking for ideas that could be developed into new series and they contracted two ambitious writers to develop pilots: Gene Roddenberry with "Star Trek" and Bruce Geller with "Mission: Impossible."

Desilu took the Star Trek pilot to CBS with whom they had a first-refusal agreement but the network rejected it and opted to pick up another new space-themed show "Lost in Space." The studio then took the pilot, "The Cage," to NBC which called it "too cerebral" but, rather than rejecting it outright, they took the unprecedented move of ordering a second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The network decided to order a season but the Desilu Board of Directors balked. Fearing that the studio was overstretching itself with three expensive new programs -- Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and a western called The Long Hunt for April Savage -- all but one of the board members voted to cancel Star Trek in February 1966.

Lucille Ball, however, had high hopes for the fledgling show and was impressed by Roddenberry’s vision so she used her power as board chair to override the decision. Production of the show continued and the first episode aired in September of that year. As studio accountant Edwin Holly later conceded, "If it were not for Lucy, there would be no 'Star Trek' today." So the next time that you’re watching Star Trek -- or one of the many science fiction future worlds that it inspired -- remember that you have one more reason to love Lucy!

[bugheadchemistry]

When I was 8 I got my appendix removed and I used to watch Bewitched, The Love Boat and I Love Lucy when I was at home after I was an odd child but it really helped little me

Nothing wrong with a classic tv binge fest. I grew up watching shows like I Love Lucy, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Get Smart, and Gilligan’s Island. In fact, most of my tv watching experiences when I was a kid were watching re-runs since we did not have any of the network channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc). In fact, I didn’t start watching network tv shows until I had moved out in my 20s. 😂

[hitchell-mope]

January 11 2020-April 2 2024

That’s how long it took me to watch supergirl from start to finish. It probably would’ve been quicker. But they just HAD to keep Lex’s bastard sister around and keep writing off the men who did nothing wrong except exist in the same space as the hellers “lesbian queens”. Despite, you know, there being an ACTUAL lesbian couple in the final two seasons. Personally. I blame the Dracula show on NBC from 2013.

But I digress. Now we move onto the My Universe au. And to start. I have a poll for you.

I do not like the fact that Lena was a witch in the final season. It reeked of a blatant nostalgia grab. But at least in Merlin. Morgana died and lost. Lena’s going to die in this au as well. And there are other options for the witch in season six. Four to be exact.

Alex Danvers. Magic could help her with her Hand of the Soldier. Plus. Tumblr keeps going on about sapphic witches, which, honestly, I don’t really mind. And Alex is CANONICALLY a lesbian. So that would, I dunno, two birds one stone it as it were.

Lucy Lane. She stays around in this au. And I just think it’d be funny really.

Samantha Arias. My personal favourite She stays around in this au. Samantha was CREATED by a coven of Kryptonian witches. So it would work. Reign becomes Sovereign. And I have this Triassic Triumph sort of idea for the finale.

Ruby Arias. Samantha’s daughter. Half Kryptonian. The whole coming of age shebang thingy.Plus. It’d be a great source of angst for Samantha.

Now for the poll.

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Cute Little Blonde Haired American Child Star Actress 👩🏼 Of The 90's & Early 2000's Of The Biggest Movies 🎥 In Her Acting Career/ Now All Grown Up

Born On February 23rd,  1994

Fanning was born in Conyers, Georgia. She attended a Montessori School in Covington. Her mother, Heather Joy (née Arrington), played tennis professionally, and her father, Steven J. Fanning, played minor league baseball and later worked as an electronics salesman in Los Angeles, California. Fanning is the elder sister of actress Elle Fanning When Fanning was a small child, she was an actress at the Towne Lake Arts Center in Woodstock, Georgia, starring in small plays. In 1999, at the age of five, she began her professional acting career, appearing in a Tide television commercial. Her first significant acting job was a guest role in the NBC prime-time drama ER, which remains one of her favorite roles.

She is an American actress. She rose to prominence at the age of seven for her performance as Lucy Dawson in the drama film I Am Sam (2001), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination at the age of eight, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. Fanning played major roles as a child actress in the films Uptown Girls (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Dreamer (2005), Hide and Seek (2005), Charlotte's Web (2006), Push (2009), and the title character in Coraline (2009).

Fanning also played more mature roles, including Lewellen in Hounddog (2007), Lily in The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Cherie Currie in The Runaways (2010) and Jane in The Twilight Saga (2009–2012). Throughout the 2010s, she continued appearing in independent productions such as the dramas Now Is Good (2012) and Night Moves (2013), the comedy-drama Very Good Girls (2013), and the biographical film Effie Gray (2014). In 2018, she appeared in the heist comedy Ocean's 8 and had a starring role in the period drama series The Alienist. She has since portrayed Manson girl Squeaky Fromme in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Susan Ford in the drama series The First Lady (2022), and CIA agent Emma Collins in The Equalizer 3 (2023).

Please Wish This Little Radiant & Marvelous Blonde Haired 👩🏼Child Star Actress Of The 90's & Early 2000's/ Now All Grown Up. A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU'VE KNOWN HER SINCE CHILDHOOD STARDOM

YOU SEEN HER GROWN UP INTO A BEAUTIFUL & REMARKABLE YOUNG WOMAN

& WE STILL LOVE HER 💘 ALL THE SAME

THE 1 & THE ONLY

MS. HANNAH DAKOTA FANNING 👩🏼❤

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MS FANNING 👩🏼& HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME

#DakotaFanning

[blogger360ncislarules]

Kate Micucci, who portrayed Lucy on The Big Bang Theory, has revealed she was diagnosed with lung cancer.

“This is not a TikTok, it’s a SickTok”, the 43-year-old actress and comedian said in a video she shared on TikTok after undergoing surgery for the disease.

“I had lung cancer surgery yesterday,” Micucci said from the hospital. “It’s really weird because I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life so uh, you know, it was a surprise. But I guess it happens and so the greatest news is they caught it early, they got it out — I’m all good.”

“It’s been a little bit of a trip,” she added, “I’ll probably be moving slow for a few weeks, but then I’ll be back at it.”

“Why am I still talking? … ‘cause I’m on drugs!” she quipped as she gave a thumbs up.

Her TikTok post also included a video of herself walking in the hospital hallway while wheeling her IV drip.

You can watch the video below.

Micucci recurred as Lucy, a love interest of Kunal Nayyar’s Raj in seasons 6, 7 and 10 on the CBS sitcom. She was most recently cast in a voice role for the upcoming animated Angry Birds Mystery Island TV series. Her other credits include NBC’s Four Kings, Scrubs, Till Death, Raising Hope, Steven Universe, How I Met Your Mother and Malcolm in the Middle, among others. Film credits include The Last Hurrah, Bart Got a Room and When in Rome. Also a musician, Micucci is half of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates.

[stubobnumbers]

Television History - 1953.

Debuting Shows: February 10 – Romper Room (1953–1994). Medallion Theatre (CBS) (1953-1954). The Man Behind The Badge (CBS) (1953-1954). Place the Face, with principal host Bill Cullen, on CBS (1953–1954); then transferred to NBC (1954–1955) Bank on the Stars on CBS (1953), then NBC (1954). Judge for Yourself with Fred Allen on NBC (1953–1954). Jukebox Jury on ABC (1953–1954). The George Jessel Show on ABC. Make Room For Daddy with Danny Thomas on ABC (1953-1957), then moved to CBS (1957–1964). October 2 – The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, an anthology series, The Comeback Story, a reality show, and The Pride of the Family, a situation comedy, all on ABC. Of Many Things, panel discussion show with Dr. Bergen Evans on ABC (1953–1954). Where's Raymond?, starring Ray Bolger on ABC (in season 2, it is known as The Ray Milland Show) (1953–1955). November 11 - The public affairs series Answers for Americans on ABC. November 11 - The current affairs series Panorama on BBC Television; now the longest-running program on British television. December 1 – CBC Theatre on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [later known as General Motors Theatre (1954–1956) and General Motors Presents (1958–1961).

Shows That Went Off The Air (The Year They Began): Kaleidoscope - UK (1946). Cafe Continental - UK (1947). The Amos & Andy Show (1951). Front Page Detective (1951). Biff Baker, USA (1952). Victory At Sea (1952). A Date with Judy (prime time version) (1952). Leave It To Larry (1952).

Notable Events In TV History: January 23 – TP1, a predecessor of TVP1, a member of Telewizja Polska, becomes the first television station in Poland when it officially begins a regular broadcasting service, from Warsaw.

February 1 - Japanese television begins when JOAK-TV begins broadcasting from Tokyo.

February 18 – Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sign an $8,000,000 contract to continue the I Love Lucy television series through 1955. (8 million dollars in early 1950s money!).

February 26 – Fulton J. Sheen, on his program Life Is Worth Living, reads Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, with the names of high-ranking Soviet officials replacing the main characters. At the end of the reading, Sheen intones that "Stalin must one day meet his judgment". Stalin dies one week later.

March 19 – The 25th Academy Awards is broadcast by NBC in the U.S. This becomes the first Academy Awards ceremony to be televised.

April 3 – TV Guide is published for the first time in the United States, with 10 editions and a circulation of 1,562,000.

May 1 – Czechoslovak Television becomes the first television station in the country when it officially begins a regular broadcasting service, from Prague; this station will separate into Česká televize and Slovenská televízia in January 1993.

May 25 – KUHT in Houston becomes the first non-commercial educational TV station in the United States.

July 18 - The Tonight Show begins as a local New York variety show, originally titled The Knickerbocker Beer Show.

August 28 – Nippon Television, becomes the first regular broadcast service to start in Tokyo, Japan.[5] The first program is Hato no kyujitsu.

September 27 – RecordTV, a major free-to-air television network in Brazil, becomes the first official regular broadcasting service to start in Sao Paulo.

October 23 – Alto Broadcasting System of the Philippines makes the first television broadcast in Southeast Asia through DZAQ-TV. Alto Broadcasting System is the predecessor of what is now ABS-CBN Corporation.

October 31 – Le NIR, predecessor of Één, becomes the first television station in Belgium, when it officially begins a regular broadcasting service.

November 15 – Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) becomes the first television station in Venezuela when it officially begins a regular broadcast service.

November 22 – RCA airs (with special permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S.) the first commercial color program in compatible color, The Colgate Comedy Hour with Donald O'Connor.

November 26 – NBC broadcasts its first national telecast of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

December 2 – BBC broadcasts its 'Television Symbol' for the first time, the first animated television presentation symbol.

December 12 – The DuMont Television Network televises its first ever National Basketball Association game with the Boston Celtics defeating the Baltimore Bullets 106–75. This marked the first year the NBA had a national television contract. This was the only year of NBA coverage on DuMont; the Saturday afternoon package moved to NBC for the 1954–55 season, mainly because NBC could clear the games on far more stations that DuMont could. (December 13th, Beef was invented).

[papermoonloveslucy]

LEAVE THE DRIVING TO US!

Lucy & Busses

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - but what about busses?  When all other forms of transportation failed, there was always reliable bus transportation to rely upon. 

In May 1944, the St. Louis (MO) Public Service Company issued bus passes with film promotion for the Lucille Ball motion picture Meet the People co-starring Dick Powell. Such ads on bus passes were not uncommon in larger cities. 

Busses were common forms of transportation for touring theatrical performers, including Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra. In early July 1947 they performed in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin before hitting the road for Akron, Ohio. At the last minute, Arnaz and his brother-in-law, Fred Ball, the band manager, decided to fly to Detroit to see Lucy’s play Dream Girl, while the rest of the orchestra traveled to Akron by bus. Disaster struck as the Checkerway Charter Coach driver James O’Brien fell asleep at the wheel. A westbound truck driver tried to swerve out of the way but couldn’t avoid the out-of-control bus. Nearly everyone inside was hurt - some seriously. The two band members who took Desi’s and Freddy’s regular seats up front were hurt the worst.

THE (BUS) TOUR

“The Tour” (1955) ~ Possibly the most famous example of Lucy and busses came in this memorable episode of “I Love Lucy” when Lucy and Ethel take a bus tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills while Ricky has lunch with Richard Widmark. This episode integrated studio-shot footage, second unit location filming of the bus in Beverly Hills, and actor doubles. We see Lucy and Ethel boarding the bus (#134) and later walking towards what is supposed to be Richard Widmark’s house, but was in actuality the Arnaz mansion on Roxbury Drive. 

They board a Tanner Gray Line Motor Tour, which was an actual guided tour at the time. The Gray Line still operates sightseeing bus tours to this day.

Once aboard, the interior of the bus was recreated in the studio. The tour bus driver was played by Benny Rubin. Other passengers include Barbara Pepper (who takes the seat Lucy wanted), Audrey Bentz (the large woman who sits on Lucy), Vivian’s stand-in Renita Reachi, Desi’s stand-in Bennett Green, and Lucy’s future stand-in Joan Carey are also aboard. 

LUCY: Pardon me, this seat is taken. PEPPER (not moving): It sure is, honey.

The tour bus route as it appears today, thanks to Google Earth! 

“Lucy Moves To NBC” (1980) ~ The special opens with a tour bus covering the very same route as in “The Tour”. Lucille Ball (playing herself) gets off the bus and we realize she has hitched a ride home! 

“Lucy Gets Lucky” (1975) ~ Lucy Collins takes the bus to Las Vegas to see her favorite star, Dean Martin. The bus lets her off at the MGM Grand, but Lucy’s budget has her staying at the less glamorous Cactus Flower Motel. 

Stone Pillow (1985) ~ When Florabelle is mistakenly herded onto a bus to the Brooklyn shelter, an overweight woman accidentally sits on her. A similar thing happened in “The Tour” in 1955, when Lucy Ricardo was switching seats on a bus tour of the movie stars’ homes.

SPEAKING OF BUSSES...

“Fred and Ethel Fight” (1952) ~ While trying to repair the Mertzes’ relationship, Lucy and Ricky fight and Ricky leaves. She schemes how to get him back. 

ETHEL: I'll call up Ricky and tell him you've been run over by a bus. LUCY: Run over by a bus? Well, that seems rather drastic. ETHEL: Oh, we'll only pretend. Have you got plenty of adhesive tape and bandages in the house? LUCY: Well, that all depends. ETHEL: On what? LUCY: On what kind of a bus I get hit by, local or express. I hope you got the number of the bus that hit me.

“Getting Ready” (1954) ~ No sooner has Lucy agreed to take the train to Hollywood, she re-considers. She peruses the bus schedule, which has been redacted to obscure the brand name: Greyhound. 

“Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (1954) ~ When ‘Cousin’ Ernie visits, he refuses to accept a bus ticket home. The episode becomes about how to get Ernie on the bus home without hurting his pride. 

RICKY: Get a load of this. LUCY: What is it? RICKY: This is a bus ticket to Bent Fork. LUCY: He won't take it.

“California, Here We Come!” (1955) ~ Just before the gang leave for California, Lucy’s mother (Kathryn Card) shows up unexpectedly. How did she get there from Jamestown? 

Mrs. McGillicuddy: I took the bus. It let me off right in front of the door. Lucy: Wait a minute. The bus doesn't come down this street. Mrs. McGillicuddy: That's what the bus driver tried to tell me.

“Visitor from Italy” (1956) ~ Mario (Jay Novello), a Venitian gondolier they met on their trip to Europe, shows up on the Ricardos’ doorstep looking for his brother. He refuses to accept bus fare to San Francisco, where they believe his brother has gone. 

RICKY: (Returning home) Well, that's that. LUCY: You get him on the bus? RICKY: Yep. He's on his way to San Francisco. I stayed there until the bus pulled out.

The doorbell rings. It is Mario’s brother. He’s been visiting a sick friend - Sam Franceso, not in San Francisco. Of course, the episode is best known for Lucy making pizza.

“Lucy and Superman” (1957) ~ Carolyn Appleby (Doris Singleton) tells Lucy and Ricky about the film they saw starring Marilyn Monroe. Although the title is never mentioned, it is clearly a description of Bus Stop, also starring Don Murray. It was released in August 1956, two and a half months before this episode was filmed. The story, from a play by William Inge, takes place primarily at a desolate bus stop cafe. 

“Lucy Meets Sheldon Leonard” (1967) ~ Lucy's excuse for being late to work is that the smog was so thick she couldn't find the bus.

“Lucy and Viv Reminisce” (1968) ~ Instead of flying her out, cheapskate Mr.  Mooney sends Viv a bus ticket to travel 3,000 miles to come and nurse Lucy when she breaks her leg.

“Leave The Driving To Us” ~ was the advertising slogan of the Greyhound Bus Company. It was first used in 1956 and appeared for the next 40 years. It was used as a punchline in “Lucy the Laundress” (1970), “Lucy Helps Craig Get a Driver’s License” (1969) and “Lucy and the Used Car Dealer” (1969).  

BUS SPOTTING

1940 ~ A New York City bus passes by the Roxy Theatre where Desi Arnaz was performing when he eloped with Lucille Ball.

1955 ~ “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” includes stock footage of a bus passing by Grauman’s Chinese theater, where the Clark Gable / Jane Russell film The Tall Men was premiering. 

1957 ~ “Lucy and Superman” includes a rare insert shot of the street below the ledge where Lucy intends to ‘crash’ Little Ricky’s birthday party as Superman. This view shows a city bus stopping outside 623 East 68th Street. This disproves Lucy’s assertion to her mother in 1955′s “California Here We Come” that the bus doesn’t come down their street! 

1957 ~ In “Lucy Wins a Racehorse” a bus unloads passengers headed into Roosevelt Raceway in this establishing footage. 

1958 - Busses in the distance line up to go through customs headed in and out of Tijuana in “Lucy Goes To Mexico”. This second unit footage was shot on location using actor doubles. 

1966 ~ The iconic double-decker busses of London crowd Picadilly Circus in this establishing footage from “Lucy in London”, a special shot on location. 

SPECIAL BUS ROUTES

“I Love Lucy Comics” (1961) ~ “The School Bus” has Little Ricky missing the bus! 

“Lucy is a Process Server” (1964) ~ Tracking Mr. Mooney to the train station, a bedraggled Lucy passes a winter-themed travel poster for Greyhound. 

2013 ~ A Toronto sightseeing bus is wrapped with advertising for an “I Love Lucy” stage show. 

Busses for the “Lucytown Tours” in Jamestown NY stop at the Lucy-Desi Museum. 

The Rat Race (2011) ~ In the film, Cuba Gooding Jr. drives a tour bus full of Lucy look-a-likes!  

In a scene deleted from the film (but included on the DVD extras), the bus-load of Lucys encounter a tour bus full of Rickys!

Finally, the most famous bus driver on television, Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) makes a cameo appearance at the end of “Lucy Visits Jack Benny” (1968). It seems money-hungry Benny charges busses of tourists to tour his Palm Springs home. The tour includes a hamburger or hot dog. Bus driver Kramden opts for a hamburger with dollar bill lettuce!  

[thebarefootcajunpetiteshistoires]

Petite Histoire - Ms. Lilac and the Crepes

The owner of the Crepes named Ms. Lilac had lived there for years. She was an independent woman, in the day, and that was bold; the year was 1965, lots of notable history, but I’ll mention one important to Ms. Lilac, the soap opera, “Days of our Lives” debuted on NBC. Ms. Lilac was an avid follower; even prayed for the characters.

Ms. Lilac’s living was earned through quilting - good old fashioned homemade quilts. On most days she quilted on a big screened in porch on the backside of the house. There she had bird feeders; especially, honing in on hummingbirds; she was enamored with the suce-fleurs, (flower suckers), as she referred to the tiny jet moving birds. On occasion, she had counted exactly one hundred birds flitting around her old-fashion garden sucking nectar from her colorful native plants. There was a buzz in the air as those beautiful petite oiseaux (little birds) flitted about moving their tiny wings at breakneck speed.

Often her customers wanted themed hummingbird quilts. Ms. Lilac thought that God had played a cruel joke on women when He created the male hummingbirds more beautiful with their neon feathers glowing brightly in the noon hour sun. Ms. Lilac sang church hymns while she quilted - mostly the ones that she sang at the First Baptist Church of the Mimosa village, her favorite hymn was “In the Garden” since she loved her garden so much. There were more mimosa trees in that Cajun village than they were residents living there. Mimosas grew wild, and during the summer, pink fluffy feathery-like flowers emitted a sweet, sticky nectar-like smell all over the Crepes.

Ms. Lilac was a happy woman. Her parents had died young, leaving her an adult orphan at the age of eighteen. The only child of farmers Octavia and Ollie. Giving up on having children, Octavia and Ollie had accepted that they would be childless until one day, a surprise; Octavia felt the baby stirring inside of her. They celebrated sitting under the Crepes drinking muscadine wine and eating sweet cantaloupe plucked straight from their large garden patch. Those melons were like basketballs - Ollie swore it was the soil that he scraped from the barn floor used as fertilizer - big ole melons like giant sized basketballs. Octavia and Ollie never sold their vegetables or fruit, they gave it all away. People who left with melons had to use both hands, usually stopping to rest before arriving during the short walks to their 60’s vehicles.

Sweetest melons ever - like injecting sugar straight from the sugar bowl. Octavia even made jams and jellies from the melons leaving out any added sugar. Ms. Lilac grew melons to this day, often leaving them in the garden patch for the animals who lived on her property. Ms. Lilac had a natural ability to communicate with animals. She only had two pets; two cats named Ti Coon and Grande Blanche - both feral cats that had become tame - inside and outside cats - they had the best of both worlds.

The cats were instructed by Ms. Lilac not to disturb the animals who lived on her property. She fed the cats plenty, and she had a hard and fast rule, no killing her animals - all were welcome. The Crepes was a virtual zoological wonder with every sort of creature imaginable; I mean Cajun animals native to the South Louisiana Prairie. Of course I failed to mention two other special pets - Lucy Bee and Ethel, two of Ms. Lucy’s prize laying hens. Each day these two girls placed two giant light brown eggs in a planter on Ms. Lilac’s steps on a rug that said, “Mais, Cher, Bonjour!” (Well, honey, welcome!)

Ms. Lilac also milked a cow named Tevalia. That cow was pretty special, too. Ms. Lilac always placed fresh flowers from her yard clipped onto Tevalia’s ears. Ms. Lilac had fresh milk, cream and butter each day of her life. She preferred her butter on homemade white, fluffy, soft bread that she made in an outdoor oven on the ground. She had created a fire ring using old stones that she had found on the prairie and created a tripod to hang a black pot suspended above the fire. Ms. Lilac preferred outside cooking. Her homemade bread in a black pot was the best within a twenty-five mile radius. Ms. Lilac had never gone beyond that; therefore she could only judge her bread by how far she had traveled in her lifetime. Always, she added a smidgen of salt atop the butter on her homemade bread; she liked it best that way.

In her spare time, Ms. Lilac wrote using an old fountain pen and a Big Red tablet bought at the Ben Franklin five and dime. She loved shopping in that old store - it had creaky wood floors and a variety of unique items, for only, you guessed it, a nickel or a dime. She especially enjoyed buying five and dime nick-nacks - mostly ceramic ones painted with vibrant colors. She knew it was an addiction, but she didn’t care; they brought her joy. Each Monday morning she carefully picked each one up, adored it, and dusted it off; this was one of her favorite chores in her house.

Ms. Lilac wrote short stories about people in her community; mostly fun, humorous stories about the people she loved. With no family to speak of, her community was her family. One night a month, Ms. Lilac had a reading on her screened-in porch; remember it was a big porch since that’s where she quilted. Ms. Lilac also slept on that porch most nights. She was a healthy spry woman, nimble and quick. Each day she stretched - somewhat doing yoga poses before that was in vogue. She did her stretching in her back yard where she could face the rising sun while doing sun poses and greeting the sun. Each day animals seemed to mimic her pose - maybe that’s why the animals living on the Crepes lived for years beyond what was expected.

All was well with Ms. Lilac; at one hundred and one, the combined ages of her parents when they died; Octavia was fifty-one and Ollie was fifty. Ms. Lucy had a message from God that He needed another angel in heaven; not a surprise, she had a sense that God would take her home soon. He told her that He had the perfect work for her in heaven. Giddy, ready to meet the Lord and be reunited with her parents, she could only hope that the Lord meant that he needed a quilter; one who specialized in Hummingbird quilts.

To this day when people pass through the village of Mimosa in South Louisiana on the Cajun Prairie and trek through the Crepes, tiny breezes of sweetness wafting through the air linger in remembrance of Ms. Lilac, the Crepes and her menagerie of animals.

Suggestion: be aware of Ms. Lilacs and the Crepes all around you, or maybe you’re a Ms. Lilac who lives on a place like the Crepes. Life is good, notice eccentricities; they just might bless you?!

One of my nieces calls me her eccentric Uncle; that’s a compliment!

An original Barefoot Cajun, South Louisiana, petite histoire (little story)

[sothischickshe]

Ok so (when) did rio learn/guess that the reason Beth et al stopped supplying the money was to do with not having the plate/s? Because that is the problem he solves.

I figure, the money doesn't appear, he sends mick round. Cos what's this maniac doing this time? Is she making moves? Has she shot up the machinery?

Mick reports back that Beth's super freaked, seemed about half a second off offering him a blowjob but then tried a bullshit bribe that makes no sense because she's clearly not making money atm. (oh and BTW there's a small chance this is all his fault cos mick twiddled all the knobs on the press the other day while snooping.)

So then Rio's like uh huh uh huh sounds familiar. He goes - maybe to yell at Beth? Maybe to snoop? Works out Lucy's place in everything. Maybe he is thinking hmm replacement material for a minute. (But I kinda doubt it? Because she's not. There's no reason to believe Lucy knows about the rest of the process or has any desire to do crime.)

I feel like when rio and his boys grab Lucy, she knows enough from what Beth and the girls have said to put stuff together. Maybe she's like, oh you're the one who sent Beth to get me to make more? And rio gets enough info from Lucy to work out what's fucked with the supply and what needs to be remedied? (or maybe he'd already figured that out from seeing Beth's whole process previously, knowing how printing works, clocking that Beth's stalled and freaked, knowing Lucy does all the designs and is connected to Beth and the store, being pretty sure it's not an issue with the press itself if that's what beth told mick it was...?)

Importantly: did Lucy tell rio that Beth stole her bird over it?????

[girlactionfigure]

Lucille Ball is famed as a comedian and entrepreneur, but did you know that she also has a special place in the history of science fiction as the savior of Star Trek? Born on this day in 1911, Ball was the sole owner of Desilu Studios and the first woman to ever run a major Hollywood studio. In 1964, Desilu producers were looking for ideas that could be developed into new series and they contracted two ambitious writers to develop pilots: Gene Roddenberry with "Star Trek" and Bruce Geller with "Mission: Impossible."

Desilu took the Star Trek pilot to CBS with whom they had a first-refusal agreement but the network rejected it and opted to pick up another new space-themed show "Lost in Space." The studio then took the pilot, "The Cage," to NBC which called it "too cerebral" but, rather than rejecting it outright, they took the unprecedented move of ordering a second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." The network decided to order a season but the Desilu Board of Directors balked. Fearing that the studio was overstretching itself with three expensive new programs -- Star Trek, Mission Impossible, and a western called The Long Hunt for April Savage -- all but one of the board members voted to cancel Star Trek in February 1966.

Lucille Ball, however, had high hopes for the fledgling show and was impressed by Roddenberry’s vision so she used her power as board chair to override the decision. Production of the show continued and the first episode aired in September of that year. As studio accountant Edwin Holly later conceded, "If it were not for Lucy, there would be no 'Star Trek' today." So the next time that you’re watching Star Trek -- or one of the many science fiction future worlds that it inspired -- remember that you have one more reason to love Lucy!

A Mighty Girl