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Lucille: The Life of Lucille Ball
Everyone loved Lucy, the scheming, madcap redhead who ruled television for more than twenty years. In life, however, Lucille Ball presented a far more complex and contradictory personality than was ever embodied by the television Lucy. In The Life of Lucille Ball Kathleen Brady presents the actress as a fully rounded human being, often at odds with the image she presented as an entertainment icon. Brady has gone far beyond the typical celebrity biography to present a funny, unflinching and ultimately moving portrait of Lucille Ball as a performing artist, daughter, mother, friend, colleague, and television mogul. Many think they know the story of Lucille Ball’s life, but Brady provides new details and a fresh perspective on this complex woman through a wealth of anecdotes and firsthand accounts.
Lucille Ball is revealed not only as a television archetype and influential icon of postwar American culture, but as a driven yet fragile human being who spent her life struggling to create of life of normalcy, but ultimately failed—even as she succeeded in bringing laughter of millions of fans.
In researching Lucille , Brady interviewed more than 150 people from her hometown to Hollywood. She spoke with her grade school classmates, and those like Katherine Hepburn and Ginger Rodgers who met her when she arrived in Hollywood in the 1930s. She gained insights from those who knew her before her fame and from those she loved throughout her life. Film, radio and television history come to life with the appearances on these pages of such greats as The Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, Louis B. Mayer, and of course Desi Arnaz, who march and pratfall through the pages of this outstanding biography.
Lucille Ball is revealed not only as a television archetype and influential icon of postwar American culture, but as a driven yet fragile human being who spent her life struggling to create of life of normalcy, but ultimately failed—even as she succeeded in bringing laughter of millions of fans.
In researching Lucille , Brady interviewed more than 150 people from her hometown to Hollywood. She spoke with her grade school classmates, and those like Katherine Hepburn and Ginger Rodgers who met her when she arrived in Hollywood in the 1930s. She gained insights from those who knew her before her fame and from those she loved throughout her life. Film, radio and television history come to life with the appearances on these pages of such greats as The Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton, Louis B. Mayer, and of course Desi Arnaz, who march and pratfall through the pages of this outstanding biography.
549 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1994
71 people are currently reading
995 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Brady
4 books5 followersKathleen Brady's newest biography is Francis and Clare The Struggles of the Saints of Assisi, which won a 2022 Catholic Media Association Award. Learn more at https://bit.ly/3lhXHsh. Her work appears in Commonweal, America, and National Catholic Reporter. Brady is also the author of the critically well-received Lucille, The Life of Lucille Ball, and is featured on the TCM 12-part podcast series on the famed comedienne. In recognition of her biography Ida Tarbell: Portrait of a Muckraker Brady was named a Fellow of the Society of American Historians. She appears on the NPR Planet Money podcast on Standard Oil and Anti-Trust. The ABC-TV movie, A Passion for Justice, starring Jane Seymour, was based on Brady's research into the life of Mississippi journalist and civil rights activist Hazel Brannon Smith. Her brief life of this figure appears in the collection Forgotten Heroes.
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March 26, 2016Lucille Ball has become a fixture in our home of late. My daughter has become, arguably, Lucy's youngest super fan. She was home sick one day last year and didn't feel up to doing much besides the time honored tradition of lying on the couch all day in front of television. She asked my husband what he used to watch when he was a kid and several vintage programs were mentioned. I Love Lucy (which was always running in syndicated re-runs in the seventies) was one of them. He thought that Youtube might be an easy way to show our then ten-year-old who Lucy was. So he found an episode and they started watching.
I was soon drawn out of the kitchen by the howls of laughter coming from my daughter...all stomach bug angst seemingly vanished, if only temporarily. This particular episode had Lucy, at the height of her ballsy snooping, creeping into the apartment of some new neighbors whom Lucy believed to be murderous criminals. (In reality, they were an acting couple, rehearsing lines for a play.) Lucy was almost busted when the couple came back unexpectedly and she was forced to disguise herself as an easy chair. This scene displayed Lucy at the height of her physical comedy prowess and, even 60 some years later, she totally kills. I started to laugh, too. And my daughter has subsequently watched every single episode of I Love Lucy, and is working her way through the longer 'Lucy and Desi Comedy Hour' specials. She is equally amused by Lucy's later adventures as whacky widow, Lucy Carmichael in The Lucy Show. Lucille Ball has provided hours of entertainment in our 21st century life.
Our daughter is so hard core about Lucy that we are planning a trip to Jamestown, NY for our summer vacation this year. Fortunately, Ms Ball's home town is not much more than a 2-3 hour drive from our neighborhood. All this Lucy Mania got me interested in the real life story of this iconic 20th century star. (The fact that I am a goof ball by nature, enjoy a long term relationship with my hair colorist, and am married to a musical man from a Latin background may also enhance my affection for the Ricardos and the people who created them.)
It was not easy to decide which Lucy biography to read. Some reviews warned me off of this one because it was not considered to be a reverent enough treatment. Others declared that this book was THE last word on the life of Lucille. Lucy wrote an autobiography (as did Desi Arnaz). I may end up reading her book some day. However, I tend to select biographies rather than auto-biographies because I know that we would all put a fairly dramatic slant on the story of our own life. I am interested in what other people who knew and worked with a subject have to say about the person and their legacy.
In Lucy's case, the usual imperfections are revealed. She was hard driven and ambitious. She knew what she wanted. She was not afraid to fight for it. She could be a real bitch. Many of her co stars could not stand her. Others revered her. She had a tough childhood (who didn't, it seemed, back in the first part of the 20th century?) Yet she had a strong sense of family and was supportive of and devoted to her family from the very beginning of her career through her years of super stardom.
In Lucille, Kathleen Brady gives us a solid back ground about Lucy's young days prior to her life in the public eye. Much attention is also paid to the workings of the Desilu Studio. Some reviewers felt that the narrative was bogged down in detail about the behind-the-scenes story of Desilu. Contrarily, I felt that this aspect of Lucy's life was integral to who she was -- one the first superstars that came from television, rather than the silver screen. (Lucy's movie career never really got off the ground.) My interest in retro/mid twentieth century television perhaps gives me more tolerance for detail in this area. However, I found this section of the book interesting. And the Desilu days were very much a metaphor for the Ball-Arnaz marriage. They were brilliant together but, in the end, unworkable.
Fans who grew up, as I did, watching the reruns in black and white and fantasizing about how much fun adult life would be...married to a dashing and endlessly patient man like Ricky Ricardo...spending my days cutting capers and getting into improbably hysterical situations with a devoted best friend and side kick like Ethel Mertz...may not want to hear about how much Desi drank and whored around...or how Lucy and Desi would literally come to blows when they were fighting. They might want to see Lucy as the loveable ditz and Desi and the practical and level headed straight man.
But readers who are interested in the real personalities behind the characters...not only Lucy and Desi, but the writers, producers, directors, co-stars and guests who made the show the comedy masterpiece that it was, would probably do well to start with this biography and then move on to Lucy and Desi's respective autobiographies.
Although their personal lives were no more perfect than the rest of us (and, certainly, more tarnished than some)-- Lucy and Desi were talented TV performers and very adept business people. Drink and ill health broke Desi down and Lucy also suffered the usual ravages of aging. But nothing can detract from the hours of laughs they have provided so many of us for decades. And, if my daughter is evidence, will continue to provide to a new generation into the future.
I was soon drawn out of the kitchen by the howls of laughter coming from my daughter...all stomach bug angst seemingly vanished, if only temporarily. This particular episode had Lucy, at the height of her ballsy snooping, creeping into the apartment of some new neighbors whom Lucy believed to be murderous criminals. (In reality, they were an acting couple, rehearsing lines for a play.) Lucy was almost busted when the couple came back unexpectedly and she was forced to disguise herself as an easy chair. This scene displayed Lucy at the height of her physical comedy prowess and, even 60 some years later, she totally kills. I started to laugh, too. And my daughter has subsequently watched every single episode of I Love Lucy, and is working her way through the longer 'Lucy and Desi Comedy Hour' specials. She is equally amused by Lucy's later adventures as whacky widow, Lucy Carmichael in The Lucy Show. Lucille Ball has provided hours of entertainment in our 21st century life.
Our daughter is so hard core about Lucy that we are planning a trip to Jamestown, NY for our summer vacation this year. Fortunately, Ms Ball's home town is not much more than a 2-3 hour drive from our neighborhood. All this Lucy Mania got me interested in the real life story of this iconic 20th century star. (The fact that I am a goof ball by nature, enjoy a long term relationship with my hair colorist, and am married to a musical man from a Latin background may also enhance my affection for the Ricardos and the people who created them.)
It was not easy to decide which Lucy biography to read. Some reviews warned me off of this one because it was not considered to be a reverent enough treatment. Others declared that this book was THE last word on the life of Lucille. Lucy wrote an autobiography (as did Desi Arnaz). I may end up reading her book some day. However, I tend to select biographies rather than auto-biographies because I know that we would all put a fairly dramatic slant on the story of our own life. I am interested in what other people who knew and worked with a subject have to say about the person and their legacy.
In Lucy's case, the usual imperfections are revealed. She was hard driven and ambitious. She knew what she wanted. She was not afraid to fight for it. She could be a real bitch. Many of her co stars could not stand her. Others revered her. She had a tough childhood (who didn't, it seemed, back in the first part of the 20th century?) Yet she had a strong sense of family and was supportive of and devoted to her family from the very beginning of her career through her years of super stardom.
In Lucille, Kathleen Brady gives us a solid back ground about Lucy's young days prior to her life in the public eye. Much attention is also paid to the workings of the Desilu Studio. Some reviewers felt that the narrative was bogged down in detail about the behind-the-scenes story of Desilu. Contrarily, I felt that this aspect of Lucy's life was integral to who she was -- one the first superstars that came from television, rather than the silver screen. (Lucy's movie career never really got off the ground.) My interest in retro/mid twentieth century television perhaps gives me more tolerance for detail in this area. However, I found this section of the book interesting. And the Desilu days were very much a metaphor for the Ball-Arnaz marriage. They were brilliant together but, in the end, unworkable.
Fans who grew up, as I did, watching the reruns in black and white and fantasizing about how much fun adult life would be...married to a dashing and endlessly patient man like Ricky Ricardo...spending my days cutting capers and getting into improbably hysterical situations with a devoted best friend and side kick like Ethel Mertz...may not want to hear about how much Desi drank and whored around...or how Lucy and Desi would literally come to blows when they were fighting. They might want to see Lucy as the loveable ditz and Desi and the practical and level headed straight man.
But readers who are interested in the real personalities behind the characters...not only Lucy and Desi, but the writers, producers, directors, co-stars and guests who made the show the comedy masterpiece that it was, would probably do well to start with this biography and then move on to Lucy and Desi's respective autobiographies.
Although their personal lives were no more perfect than the rest of us (and, certainly, more tarnished than some)-- Lucy and Desi were talented TV performers and very adept business people. Drink and ill health broke Desi down and Lucy also suffered the usual ravages of aging. But nothing can detract from the hours of laughs they have provided so many of us for decades. And, if my daughter is evidence, will continue to provide to a new generation into the future.
August 30, 2007
Lucille Ball is my hero and this is well written, but the fact that the biographer portrayed her as a bit of a monster was very upsetting. I just don't want to believe half of what the author had to say-I don't think she fell enough in love with her subject.
October 17, 2025
My wife and I rewatched several seasons of Lucille Ball's original television show, I LOVE LUCY. We were re-impressed by her ability, which, as author Kathleen Brady points out, puts her on a par with both Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
How did she get to that point? Talent, of course, but that raw talent was honed, and that honing came from a fiery determination. She had a few people who helped her (Ginger Rogers at RKO Studios when Lucille was a contract player and the former a big star; Buster Keaton himself, a onetime star and gag writer at MGM; and director/vaudevillian Eddie Sedgwick, who became almost a substitute father for the dad she lost all too early.
She also had Desi Arnaz, who was both husband and a producer who made decisions that helped make I LOVE LUCY a success, inventing a three-camera system and insisting on the show being shot in 35mm film (rather than kintoscoped) and in front of a live audience. Lucille (as Lucy Ricardo) could take creative flight from the energy she got from those live audiences. The pioneering techniques Arnaz and the team put together made the show enduring, a staple for countless reruns all over the world. (And, incidentally, provided the template for much of modern television comedy up to the present day.)
Many have pointed out in other reviews that Lucille Ball was not always easy to get along with. This book, which is well-written and researched, makes her out to be one driven lady (even after she had nothing left to prove.)
But I think that's why she got to where she was, frankly. She gave the maximum of herself, working long and hard on all her projects in film, television or stage. And she expected the best from everyone around her, whether it was from an assistant director, bit player, or a big star doing a cameo on one of her shows like HERE'S LUCY. I have read enough biographies of artistic talents to know that's generally the way the best stay the best.
I give Miss Lucille Ball a lot of credit. She did not kick back and rest on her laurels, ever, and for that, and for all the great performances she gave in films and television, she is worth watching again and again.
How did she get to that point? Talent, of course, but that raw talent was honed, and that honing came from a fiery determination. She had a few people who helped her (Ginger Rogers at RKO Studios when Lucille was a contract player and the former a big star; Buster Keaton himself, a onetime star and gag writer at MGM; and director/vaudevillian Eddie Sedgwick, who became almost a substitute father for the dad she lost all too early.
She also had Desi Arnaz, who was both husband and a producer who made decisions that helped make I LOVE LUCY a success, inventing a three-camera system and insisting on the show being shot in 35mm film (rather than kintoscoped) and in front of a live audience. Lucille (as Lucy Ricardo) could take creative flight from the energy she got from those live audiences. The pioneering techniques Arnaz and the team put together made the show enduring, a staple for countless reruns all over the world. (And, incidentally, provided the template for much of modern television comedy up to the present day.)
Many have pointed out in other reviews that Lucille Ball was not always easy to get along with. This book, which is well-written and researched, makes her out to be one driven lady (even after she had nothing left to prove.)
But I think that's why she got to where she was, frankly. She gave the maximum of herself, working long and hard on all her projects in film, television or stage. And she expected the best from everyone around her, whether it was from an assistant director, bit player, or a big star doing a cameo on one of her shows like HERE'S LUCY. I have read enough biographies of artistic talents to know that's generally the way the best stay the best.
I give Miss Lucille Ball a lot of credit. She did not kick back and rest on her laurels, ever, and for that, and for all the great performances she gave in films and television, she is worth watching again and again.
September 26, 2021
A very professional biography - clearly written, fascinating and, ultimately sad. It is another life governed and ruled by ambition, and desire for fame and the accolates of both peers and fans. It is another success story, a wildly successful story, because Lucille Ball was indeed America's favorite redhead and probably America's favorite housewife. I certainly loved Lucy and I still do. It is a hardscrabble climb to the top (the toppermost of the poppermost, as John Lennon used to encourage the early Beatles) and once there it is a (at least from this bio, and the last celebrity bio I read, that about Cary Grant) a lonely bitter place to be. Lucy's love story with Desi Arnaz is another cautionary tale because come to find out true love does not trump all, true love does not always win out. I was fascinated all the way through this book, and it left me sadder, but with the Lucy shows newly ensconced on my Amazon wish list because what a glorious piece of Americana and history of the nascent television industry they are.
April 26, 2017
This was a heavily researched, well written biography and it doesn't pull any punches with its subject--it never tries to skirt the truth to paint Lucy in a better light. It is dense but that's a sign of how well researched it is and full of detail. It's truthfully a bit sad (and disappointing) to learn the truth of how sad much of Lucy's life was given how much joy she always brought onscreen.
October 7, 2016
I am a HUGE Lucy and Desi fan and I loved this book. What an amazing life she led. It was so fascinating to see the other side of her that we wouldn't know from her famous character. A must read for any fan.
March 18, 2018
Ball was one of a kind & the first female performer to achieve real power in the early days of television. A gifted comic she never quite found her place in movies, partly because the studios didn't really know what to do with her. But once she created her harried housewife character in I Love Lucy (ironic, considering she was one of the wealthiest, not to mention independent, females in the U.S. at the time) she locked in on comedy gold. An artist who believed in 'the work', which usually meant exhausting rehearsals, she was also very generous in providing opportunities for people she had worked with in the past (in front of & behind the camera) who weren't getting what she felt they deserved. Once she & husband, Desi Arnaz, formed Desilu Productions they became the king & queen of L. A. After the marriage broke up she struggled to master the business elements of running the most successful production company of the time (Mission Impossible was also a Desilu production). It was only during this period of her life that she became somewhat mean & nasty to those she worked with. Hers was another story of a career-driven actor who found it difficult to ever establish meaningful relationships with her children but she made her mark in the medium & will be remembered as one of the greats.
October 4, 2022
A line up of events but lots of interesting stories in the mix from Lucy’s childhood forward.
January 12, 2024
I can’t help but say “I love Lucy” and have since I was a kid. I found her story interesting from beginning to end, but it left me sad for her and feeling a bit empty.
April 2, 2025
Growing up on I Love Lucy, I knew I had to read this when it popped up on my feed. Took me through the important parts of Lucy’s life. She was a true spitfire! Really enjoyed this book!
March 22, 2021
Someone gave me this book years ago, and I debated whether to read it or just donate it because it sat on my shelf for so long. It looked lengthy and I feared it would take me forever to get through it. I finally decided to take the plunge though and was pleasantly surprised. I looked forward to reading it each day and learning about her and Desi's lives outside of I Love Lucy, my only exposure to them. It was a little depressing though reading about some of the struggles and tragedies they endured behind the scenes. Overall I enjoyed it enough that I plan to seek out more biographies in the future - I'm not sure I've explored the genre much.
February 25, 2020
*Listened to audiobook*
I love Lucy. I really do. I grew up watching reruns. In 3rd grade we had a wax museum, I choose to be Lucy. I know I researched but there's still a lot I don't know. This book was eye opening. I'll have to find more. Because I love Lucy!
I love Lucy. I really do. I grew up watching reruns. In 3rd grade we had a wax museum, I choose to be Lucy. I know I researched but there's still a lot I don't know. This book was eye opening. I'll have to find more. Because I love Lucy!
April 1, 2008
Please see my detailed review at Amazon.com
Grace's "Lucille" Review
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I need to dig into my library for more books on Lucille, Vivian, and William Frawley (I read Desi Arnaz's "A Book" many years ago), because this title was far from definitive. I think that Lucille, like Buster Keaton, is still waiting for that perfect author to come along and give us a well-researched, well-written, even-handed biography. This wasn't quite it.
Please click that the review was helpful to you at Amazon so that my rating continues to climb! Thanks!
I need to dig into my library for more books on Lucille, Vivian, and William Frawley (I read Desi Arnaz's "A Book" many years ago), because this title was far from definitive. I think that Lucille, like Buster Keaton, is still waiting for that perfect author to come along and give us a well-researched, well-written, even-handed biography. This wasn't quite it.
March 21, 2013
This was a detailed biography of one of my favorite people. I knew most of the details of her life but this book filled in the few holes in my knowledge. The narration was okay but some street names were not pronounced correctly . . . now I know what people whose first language is not English think when the hear names and words mispronounced in those languages. After listening to this audio offering I wanted to get out my I LOVE LUCY DVD's and watch them all over again.
May 16, 2020
Truthful to the point of pain, this biography summarizes Lucille Ball's life, skimming only a bit towards the end over her later (and harder to read about) years. Lucy and Desi will live forever as Mr. and Mrs. Ricardo, but their personal lives remind one of all the terrible pitfalls of success. I do not envy Lucy her last couple decades and their loneliness as she vied for love and affection, and faced an unfamiliar foe each time she looked in the mirror.
July 3, 2015
This was a good book to know more about the actress's life. It was a bit surfacey and didn't have much reflection in it but not terribly written. There was so much about contracts and the way deals worked for Desilu that didn't interest me very much. I will be interested to read her autobiography and see a different perspective.
May 7, 2008
For Lucy fans, this is an absolute treasure. This book contains facts that previous authors have long since abandoned. However, it doesn't feel like useless information. It feels like things I should have known. Things EVERYONE should know, about Lucy.
Great read. Hard to put down.
Great read. Hard to put down.
July 12, 2011
Kathleen Brady did a fantastic job with Lucy's biography. It told a sad and believable account of her life. It was tedious, in some places, with all the business side of Desilu, but intersperced were stories that broke it up. In all, I enjoyed this book and was glad I read it.
December 11, 2010
Interesting
Read
January 1, 2015I loved hearing about how much she liked to play and win at scrabble. Also her very conservative approach to business...or maybe that was both of them together.
May 28, 2015
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13206045
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13206045
April 17, 2016
I. Love. Lucy.
March 24, 2022
Pretty good, although I found two small errors (see my visible notes) which is sloppy.
September 20, 2014
An Excellent Biography!
November 3, 2021
"Don't wish for something or you may get it." That kept running through my mind as I read about this indomitable but ultimately sad woman. Lucille Ball brought joy to generations -- and will for generations to come -- but she found little happiness in her own life.
Kathleen Brady is good at choosing moments in this life that hammer this home. By the time she has established Lucy Ricardo, once she's half of the Desilu production juggernaut, once she's the most famous woman in America, a lot of the fun is gone. Everyone defers to her and is afraid of her but where is the joy? On set, one of the very young children of her production team recalls the horror of being pulled onto her lap. Her hair was orange, her voice was loud, her manner rough, she smelled of cigarettes and nail polish. He couldn't wait to squrim away from her. This rich, powerful and acclaimed woman was now scaring children. No wonder she was lonely.
The book is the most fun during her early years in Hollywood, when she's a working movie actress but not quite a star. Her childhood and teens are illuminating, too. Those first roller-coaster, passionate years with Desi were romantic and exciting, too.
The only thing missing from much of this book was how Lucille felt about many of the people in her life. We know she loved her mother, Johnny from Jamestown, and, of course, Desi and and Desi Jr. But was she in love with Pandro Berman, the married Hollywood producer she carried on with for a long while? Was she ever really in love with Al Hall, the older director she dumped for the younger Desi? What about second husband Gary Morton? What about daughter Lucie Arnaz? It seems these were more complicated relationships, and I couldn't get a handle on them with what Brady gives us.
Lucille Ball's best relationship, though, was with us. Lucy at the chocolate factory, Lucy stomping grapes, Lucy stealing John Wayne's footprints from the Chinese Theater ... I hope she's resting in peace. She worked so hard and deserves some calm, some relaxation, some happiness.
Kathleen Brady is good at choosing moments in this life that hammer this home. By the time she has established Lucy Ricardo, once she's half of the Desilu production juggernaut, once she's the most famous woman in America, a lot of the fun is gone. Everyone defers to her and is afraid of her but where is the joy? On set, one of the very young children of her production team recalls the horror of being pulled onto her lap. Her hair was orange, her voice was loud, her manner rough, she smelled of cigarettes and nail polish. He couldn't wait to squrim away from her. This rich, powerful and acclaimed woman was now scaring children. No wonder she was lonely.
The book is the most fun during her early years in Hollywood, when she's a working movie actress but not quite a star. Her childhood and teens are illuminating, too. Those first roller-coaster, passionate years with Desi were romantic and exciting, too.
The only thing missing from much of this book was how Lucille felt about many of the people in her life. We know she loved her mother, Johnny from Jamestown, and, of course, Desi and and Desi Jr. But was she in love with Pandro Berman, the married Hollywood producer she carried on with for a long while? Was she ever really in love with Al Hall, the older director she dumped for the younger Desi? What about second husband Gary Morton? What about daughter Lucie Arnaz? It seems these were more complicated relationships, and I couldn't get a handle on them with what Brady gives us.
Lucille Ball's best relationship, though, was with us. Lucy at the chocolate factory, Lucy stomping grapes, Lucy stealing John Wayne's footprints from the Chinese Theater ... I hope she's resting in peace. She worked so hard and deserves some calm, some relaxation, some happiness.
July 2, 2019
This is not the first book I've read on Lucille Ball, one of the first women to hold true power in the early days of television. There wasn't much here I didn't already know- far from being the scatterbrained Lucy Ricardo, Ball was a woman with a complex personality and a total perfectionist, who often came into conflict with her co-stars and guest stars. I didn't know that at one point, she had actually made guest star Joan Crawford cry due to her perfectionism, promoting the "Mommy Dearest" inspiration to quip that Lucille was a far bigger bitch than she had ever been.
The book traces Lucille's early life, from humble and somewhat rocky beginnings in Jamestown, New York, and a somewhat unstable childhood that had her moving around, from Michigan to Montana, before returning to Jamestown, after her young father's death. Her young life was further disrupted due to a financial judgement, which wiped out her family's money after a neighborhood boy was accidentally shot and paralyzed while under the supervision of Ball's grandfather.
Still, her early ambition was to be an actress and she slowly went about her way of getting to the top. Unfortunately, she never really hit her stride in films, mostly since everyone was unsure exactly what to do with her. Television, however, was where her career would finally hit its peak- and she was nearly 40 by the time she finally became an international icon. Just goes to show, you should never give up.
All in all, a good read about a woman who was as funny and talented as she was driven and complex.
The book traces Lucille's early life, from humble and somewhat rocky beginnings in Jamestown, New York, and a somewhat unstable childhood that had her moving around, from Michigan to Montana, before returning to Jamestown, after her young father's death. Her young life was further disrupted due to a financial judgement, which wiped out her family's money after a neighborhood boy was accidentally shot and paralyzed while under the supervision of Ball's grandfather.
Still, her early ambition was to be an actress and she slowly went about her way of getting to the top. Unfortunately, she never really hit her stride in films, mostly since everyone was unsure exactly what to do with her. Television, however, was where her career would finally hit its peak- and she was nearly 40 by the time she finally became an international icon. Just goes to show, you should never give up.
All in all, a good read about a woman who was as funny and talented as she was driven and complex.
January 13, 2023
Just when you think you know everything there is to know about Lucille Ball, you realize you really know nothing.
Kathleen Brady's biography of the brilliant and phenomenally talented actress is a thorough study and well-written book. She captures who Lucille was in all the stages of her professional career, as well as who she was behind the scenes. I knew she was a harsh task master but I don't think I fully comprehended just how passionate and strict she was to her fellow performers until I read this book. Having Brady illustrate Lucille Ball's personality and demeanor in this book was much needed for me to read.
I've been an avid fan of Lucy and haven't seen one performance that made me second guess her acting. This book just reminds everyone that even performers like Lucille are human, and that they aren't perfect by any means. When reading this, I was happy I read her life in the autobiography earlier last year. I found myself comparing notes and found a healthy balance between her own perspective as well as those who've worked with her.
This is a great biography, and as I've indirectly said in my review of this, be prepared to see the actress for who she really is, not for what I Love Lucy and her many performances have shown of her.
Kathleen Brady's biography of the brilliant and phenomenally talented actress is a thorough study and well-written book. She captures who Lucille was in all the stages of her professional career, as well as who she was behind the scenes. I knew she was a harsh task master but I don't think I fully comprehended just how passionate and strict she was to her fellow performers until I read this book. Having Brady illustrate Lucille Ball's personality and demeanor in this book was much needed for me to read.
I've been an avid fan of Lucy and haven't seen one performance that made me second guess her acting. This book just reminds everyone that even performers like Lucille are human, and that they aren't perfect by any means. When reading this, I was happy I read her life in the autobiography earlier last year. I found myself comparing notes and found a healthy balance between her own perspective as well as those who've worked with her.
This is a great biography, and as I've indirectly said in my review of this, be prepared to see the actress for who she really is, not for what I Love Lucy and her many performances have shown of her.
November 26, 2020
While binge watching the entire series of i Love Lucy, I found this biography in a second hand book store. Its a pretty standard hollywood bio that doesn't gloss over the negative stuff too much but is also not lurid nor does it sensationalize. Good coverage is given to all aspects of Lucy's life, from her early days in Jamestown, NY, her years as a movie actress who had potential but could never quite catch that big break that would make her a star, her marriage to Desi Arnaz. Her breakthrough as a comedienne came in the radio program My Favorite Husband, whose plot lines became the basic plots for I Love Lucy when the show moved to TV and became the standard by which all sitcoms are judged. Her later series and her later years are covered a little more briefly. Often when I read bios of famous entertainers that I've appreciate over the years, I come away disappointed at what my favorite stars were like in real life. I didn't feel that way with this book. Lucy came across as a real person with foibles and faults but with a great strength of character.
November 22, 2024
A detailed review of Lucille Ball's life. She has always been an enigma to me. A popular star of stage and early television, a female who called her shots, probably the first female tv situation comedy producer. So I was in awe. How did she do it?
This book answers that and is a slow read. It is tedious in places but you can skim through it quickly to get the gist.
I found the Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor appearance on her tv show, very telling. I saw that episode a long time ago and found it very humorous. Unfortunately, this book puts a pin into the enigma and makes it seem that one would have to be ruthless and general like to make something work, especially if you are a woman.
Probably, because it was the 1950's and 1960's, so it is difficult to comment on what is going on with the population right after coming out of a war.
However, I do hope that one can get such success without being a television set bully.
I am curious as to the success of their daughter, Lucie Arnaz and hope to read about her success in due course.
This book answers that and is a slow read. It is tedious in places but you can skim through it quickly to get the gist.
I found the Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor appearance on her tv show, very telling. I saw that episode a long time ago and found it very humorous. Unfortunately, this book puts a pin into the enigma and makes it seem that one would have to be ruthless and general like to make something work, especially if you are a woman.
Probably, because it was the 1950's and 1960's, so it is difficult to comment on what is going on with the population right after coming out of a war.
However, I do hope that one can get such success without being a television set bully.
I am curious as to the success of their daughter, Lucie Arnaz and hope to read about her success in due course.
August 28, 2020
It’s not always easy to write facts and a lifetime Of details. The author did well conveying this. As someone who grew up watching “I love Lucy” and saw a few of the specials she made, it was so interesting hearing about her life. As with so many in Hollywood, her life has so much sadness in it. I always knew that people were sad about how Desi had hurt her. Now I understand why. It was fun to see their partnership and ultimately to know more about the real Lucy. (I listened to the audio version and also appreciated the fact that the voice actress they selected to read it sounded like Lucille Ball.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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