LUCILLE BALL

CHILDHOOD

• Born in Jamestown, New York on August 6, 1911
• Drops out of high school at 15
• Unsuccessfully tried to attend drama school
• Became a waitress and modeled
• Acted small roles in Broadway shows

CAREER

• Selected to model for Chesterfield Cigarettes
• Most people saw her for the first time
• She caught the attention of Hollywood
• Started with small roles in low budget films
• Appears in over 60 films by the late 1940s

CAREER

• Married costar Desi Arnaz after performing musical "Too Many Girls"
• Formed their own production company called "Desilu"
• She refused and offer for her own show unless her husband could costar
• They produced "I Love Lucy"
• Became the most popular TV show at the time

I LOVE LUCY

• Lucy finally became a megastar on "I Love Lucy"
• Birth of son had more press coverage than president inauguration
• She was first woman to be obviously pregnant on TV
• She also became the first female comedienne
• "I Love Lucy" won over 200 awards including 5 Emmys

DESILU

• Produced "The Lucy Desi Comedy Hour"
• Powerful and respected corporation
• Lucy bought other half for $3 million
• First woman to hold powerful position
• Sold Desilu for $17 million

LATER YEARS

• Spent later year out of the spotlight
• Open heart surgery
• Two weeks later had a ruptured aorta
• Died on April 26, 1989
• "I Love Lucy" is still rerun in over 80 countries