Product Description

The true, behind-the-scenes story of television's happiest couple, andHollywood's most tumultuous marriage.

Fifty years ago the magical union of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz enthralled American audiences who couldn't got enough of the fiery redhead or her sexy Cuban husband. But off camera the situation couldn't have been less comic, with backstage battles, oversized egos, drinking, philandering, and the demands of phenomenal success undermining what was once a storybook romance.

With exclusive access to family members (including daughter Lucie Arnaz) and rare photographs, Desilu is the firstcandid, inside account of a celebrated, complex, passionate, but ultimately tragic relationship -- as well as a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Desilu Studios, the Golden Age of Television's most powerful production empire.

Customer Reviews (41)

Overall, Pretty Good Book
I read this book more as a fan of 50's tv and the historic aspects than as a big Lucy fan.To be honest, I like the old Lucy show, especially the one-hour concept at the end, but have never been a super big Lucy fan.

From that POV I did enjoy the book.The author gave us considerable insight into the relationship between Desi and Lucy over the years and how that effected their public and private lives.Since Desi ran the business operations knowing a bit about the personal life helped figure out some of the various moves he made over the years.I'm not an expert on Lucy lore, but I would imagine the author covered her life in great detail here, and Desi as well.

What I enjoyed most about the book was how the author filled in the background on various decisions Desi made while running Desilu.Since what he did had a great deal to do with our early TV history it's a kin to being there at the begining.Much of what we now know as network TV has its roots in Desi Arnaz running Desilu.

Desilu went from being a standard issue vehicle production company for Ball and Arnaz to the greatest heights in the business to being sold and merged into Paramont and eventually ending up as something call Desilu Too LLC, which exists to capture proceeds from I Love Lucy residuals, products and projects.For example, the Lucy Museum in Jamestown, NY is a joint venture between Desilu Too LLC thru the children (Lucie and Desi IV)and local businessmen in Jamestown.The operation, for lack of a better word, hasn't been doing well as of late and is rumored to be losing money.Some key managers were fired or replaced and the Gift Shop closed.Some locals are concerned the operation may be closing down soon.The company also does business with the marketing firm that specializes in departed celebs, like Elvis, etc.

On the weak side, I think the book is rather thin on detailing why Arnaz sold his share of Desilu in 1962 to Lucy for $3,000,000.The book provides little detail on the period from March, 1960 until the sale.I was curious why Arnaz wanted to sell and what terms he and Lucy had agreed to.All we get is the standard 'Lucy bought Desi's share of Desilu for xxx'.And, the book doesn't give much detail on where the studio was before Lucy sold it in 1967.For years her show was the only one Desilu produced, with most of its cash flow coming from studio rentals to other shows (like Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle, etc).It totally skips over the logic behind Desilu suddenly getting on board with two shows (Star Trek and Mission: Impossible) and later Mannix.Further research showed that Desilu needed something on the air and turned to the shows at the last minute to improve it's position for potential buyers.Lucy actually knew close to nothing about all three shows and maintained considerable distance from day to day operations.One review at the time said adding the shows increased the value of Desilu by up to $7,000,000.

But, overall a good book.And, I'm sure, not the last on the subject.Finally, I find myself rooting for Arnaz and feeling sad for the way he turned out.It was clear that the pressures of running things and his addiction to the booze nearly took down Desilu, ruined his marriage and eventually led to his early passing.You could almost say he gave his life for show business and building Lucy into a major tv star.

the no so innocent "ricardos":uncut and uncensored!!!
i became a big fan of i love lucy show when i was 10. i love seeing lucy and ricky. they were the perfect tv couple. when i found out that the actors who played them are actually married in real life, i thought that was even more awesome!!!! i decided to get this book to learn more about them. when i started reading this book, i was amazed.............i never knew that desi was actually a womanizing, man whore and that their marriage was in trouble. it's a shame...they made such a cute couple. it was really sad to read all the terrible things that lucy went through. she lost her father at a young age, suffered miscarriages, and had to deal with desi's playboy and drinking ways. the books also uncovers what goes on behind the scenes of the show. i recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of "i love lucy" and would like to know more information about the show itself and the actors. i promised you...it's one book that is filled with surprises!!! this book will make you sad, laugh, cry, smile, and everything else!!

"WONDERFUL"
I've been a Lucy and Dezi fan from as far as I can remember.
I ordered this book and now I can't put it down. The pictures are like
so realizom.
I recommend for those who are "REAL" Lucy and Dezi fans, they should get
their book!!!!

I love lucy
If you love Lucy, you should read this and know the real her. This book is about how the I Love Lucy show came to be and the adventures the Arnaz's went through to accomplish their goals. Highly recommended

Desilu is what is was about.....Less Lucy and Desi
I was unpleasantly surprised about this book. I love biographies , but this biography was mostly about the business and less about the people.... hence the name. The beginning of the book is sad because you do not get a good feel about how Desi and Lucy meet or their life before Desilu, it was more like a list of every job they had and every person that helped produce whatever they were doing.After the book was over, I didn't feel well informed. They continuously repeat themselves throughout the book. I was pretty disappointed considering how much information is out there about this couple. ... Read more

Product Description
The one and only New York Times bestselling autobiography by Lucille Ball...

"Filled with light and laughter." (New York Times Book Review)

"Lucy fans will find this book fascinating." (Detroit News)

"A winner." (New York Newsday)

"Intensely moving."(San Francisco Chronicle)

Amazon.com Review
Although Lucille Ball died in 1989, this autobiography writtenprior to 1964 has only recently been discovered among her papers. Shedescribes a childhood deeply affected by her father's death and hermother's withdrawal from her life. Raised by her grandparents, Ballcraved attention and developed a tempestuous, vivacious, fiery, andyet insecure personality that would later lead her to comicstardom. It took years of working from the bottom of show businessbefore she became a television hit, with the help of her husband,co-star, and business partner, former Cuban bandleader DesiArnaz. Ball abandoned the book for fear of hurting Arnaz,although she gives him credit for the tremendous success she enjoyedwith "I Love Lucy." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (102)

Absolutely wonderful!!!
When I received this book, I couldn't put it down. Unlike any other book about Lucy, this one is unique because it is in her own words. It is Lucy's thoughts and feelings straight from her heart and not interpreted from someone else. She didn't go into all the scandalous details of her relationship with Desi. I'm sure she felt that this information was personal and I totally respect her for that. She did talk about when they first met and how much she was in love with him which I would much rather read about than the scandalous details many others seem interested in. Overall, I absolutely loved this book. I have already read it a second time. Wonderful!!!

Amazing Life Story
I absolutely love this book! It is well written and feels as if Lucy herself telling you her life story. I could not put it down, it was so good. I kept telling my husband that it was like watching Lucy's life, it was really well written. I love Lucy more after reading this book :)

I Love Lucy!
A must read for all Lucille Ball fans! I've always loved Lucy, but after reading this book I have SO much more love and respect for what an amazing woman she was!
2 thumbs WAY up!!

Awesome!
This book is awesome!I never knew about the beginning of her life.You can really sense the love she had for her family and most of all for Desi Arnaz. The way she talks about their first meeting and how much the were in love was really stunning.Most of the book is dedicated to how great and special he was. She even told the stories about his faults in a way that showed how much she really did care for him. It was touching when she talked about how she wanted to be such a great wife and only wanted to make Desi happy, they were both very flawed people that accomplished something great.I was glad she only talked about Gary for a couple of pages.OVerall, it was a terrific read and I would recommend it to anyone that loves Lucy and Desi.

Excellent book
I purchased this book with moderate expectations and wound up being unable to put it down.Hearing this amazing woman tell the story of her own life was compelling.While she does allude to the drama with Desi, it was obvious that she was mindful of the fact that her children would one day be reading this.I think she does a great job of navigating that tightrope of providing the reader with insight into her experiences while, at the same time, being careful not to compromise the privacy of her family.I would have loved more juicy details, however, I am willing to forego those details in exchange for preserving my memory of her as the class act who we believed her to be.The only part about this book which I did not like was that it ended far too soon! ... Read more

Product Description
For more than fifty years Lucille Ball has been television's most recognizable and beloved face. As Lucy Ricardo she was the ultimate screwball housewife, getting herself into and out of scrapes with unmatched comic finesse. Indeed, she was so funny, and so central to the cultural landscape, that we often overlook Ball's role in shaping that turf: as producer of her own show and a cofounder of a major studio, she was a pioneer, rewriting the rules and forging new paths for women in the boardroom and on the sound stage. In Ball of Fire, Stefan Kanfer goes beyond the icon to examine the difficult life and enduring work of the most influential woman in modern American comedy.

Kanfer traces the arc of her career from its unlikely beginnings in a lonely and desolate childhood in upstate New York. There she discovered that making people laugh could ease the pains of a fragmented family life. But she was more than amusing. She was also beautiful, and when Lucy's adolescent attempts to crack Broadway ended in failure, she became a runway model and on a fluke, journeyed out to California to be an extra in one film. That led to another, and another, and another bottom-of-the-bill movie, until she became, in her own words, "The Queen of the B's". Ball of Fire tracks Lucy's pursuit of the superstardom that eluded her on the big screen and follows the actress through a series of disappointing affairs and sorrows until she meets a Cuban conga drummer six years her junior, and falls headlong in love with Desi Arnaz. Working with her husband, Lucille Ball becomes a different kind of comic artist in a program called I Love Lucy, the show that is still running in more than eighty countries around the globe.

Taking us through the development of television both as technology and cultural phenomenon, Kanfer chronicles the difficult birth of the sitcom that changed the world. He details the early executive meetings, the rocky first productions, the shaky first weeks and the unpredicted triumph. We see all of Lucy's behind-the-scenes battles for creative control of the show; her surprising confrontation with the House Un-American Activities Committee when it was discovered that she had once registered to vote as a Communist; her groundbreaking on-air pregnancy; and a series of in-depth analyses of the classic scenes and Chaplinesque slapstick that guarantee her a permanent place in the pantheon of American comedy.

Finally, we see the aftermath of her hard-won fame: the turbulent marriage and painful split from Desi, the man she never stopped loving; her second marriage; and her sad last years out of the limelight and away from the applause.

This is the first biography to examine the legendary Lucille Ball in all her many dimensions: her personal struggles and the torments that forged a comic genius; and, at last, her posthumous influence on television comedy, on feminist scholars and cultural critics, and on the public at large. Ball of Fire is the definitive biography Lucy fans have been waiting for.Amazon.com Review
Those expecting a vicious Hollywood tell-all from Stefan Kanfer’s Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball will be disappointed. Kanfer, whose past work includes a biography of Groucho Marx and a history of the animation industry, comes to his famous red-headed subject with admiration, and readers will be drawn by his exuberance for early film and television history.

Kanfer opens with a brief recounting of Ball's tragic childhood (her father died of typhoid when she was 3 years old) and her early career as an unintentionally starving model in New York City. The significant portion of the book begins, however, when Ball gets her first offer for a stint of film work in California and finds herself launched on a moderately successful film career. Here Kanfer provides details of the inner workings of United Artists, Columbia, and RKO as Ball does battle with Ginger Rogers, Kathryn Hepburn, and a host of other young actresses struggling for screen time. But, as Kanfer notes, it was in television that Ball made her great mark, starring with her husband Desi Arnaz. I Love Lucy debuted in 1951, and readers will delight in Kanfer’s behind-the-scenes details of the show’s production. The first situation comedy to be filmed before a live audience, Lucy offered countless challenge--technical, professional, and personal—for the volatile couple.

Kanfer argues that Ball is one of the few truly enduring television personalities to emerge from the early years of television. His book, entertaining as it is educational, does much to secure her legacy. --Patrick O’Kelley ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

I Can't Even Believe This Got Published
So.... if I choose a subject matter, and then read several different books about that subject matter, and then summarize all the facts (while managing to get many of them wrong because I have no real understanding of what I'm writing about in the first place) into a new book...I can get published?Because that's exactly what this guy did. No new information of any consequence, and all he did was take information that he read from "Desilu", "Love, Lucy", "Lucille", "Lucy in the Afternoon", "I Loved Lucy", and a few others, and regurgitate it into one book. Yes, he sourced all of his information and gave credit appropriately, but still... isn't this what a book report is? Also, numerous errors throughout where he gets the different shows confused.I'm not suggesting he has to be one of those people who can answer trivia quizzes about every single episode of every show, but still -- there were only 3. It shouldn't be THAT hard to keep track of.He confuses the timelines several times, including having Robert Stack on the set of "I Love Lucy" (it was "The Lucy Show") and Joan Crawford on the set of "Here's Lucy" (it was "The Lucy Show.")The book is kind of like a "Greatest Hits" album -- except he didn't perform any of the songs himself.

height discrepancy
He states that her height was 5'7" in one section of the book, then a few chapters later states she was 5'9". Am I the only one who noticed this, or am I not reading it correctly?I read the Kathleen Brady book just prior to reading this one (she states she was 5'7", but another website said she was 5'6.5") and while it portrayed a Lucy that you really pity toward the end (so consumed with aging), I think it was the more complete and better researched overall. Just thought if he couldn't get her height correct then what else did he not get right?

Ball of fire is right
Overall I thought the book was very good.I really didn't "know" who Lucy was and I feel I know the person now.What was very interesting to me was the fact that Lucy was a control freak who people hated to work with.She would also have temper tantrums like a little girl and would later apologize.

The sections (and there are a lot of them) on Desi were very good.I never knew how smart he was.The talent he had for choosing the right actors and projects.Not just for the Lucy show itself but for their production company.You will be surprised at some of the popular titles that we still hear about today.

Lastly the one glaring omission is Buster Keaton.In the book it states that Buster was a mentor to Lucy.She listened to him when everyone else thought he was washed up.He helped her with her comic timing.The book, just gave a few sentences to this, which I thought was very disappointing and because of this omission I cannot give it 5 stars.

This book tells all - both good and bad
If you've watched all the "I Love Lucy" episodes, yet never read a book on Lucille Ball, then this is the place to start. Although this book may be seen as a tell-all, there's a strong undercurrent of admiration the author obviously has for his subject.

Ball, as seen by Kanfer, knew she was a star but never seemed to enjoy the priviledges and the adulation that came with the role. Instead, Ball was insecure during all her adult life and showed it by being tactless on the set, overly authoritative to her directors and fellow actors, and hated the fact that she was growing older and people might forget about her (no chance of that). One wonders, from reading the book, how Ball managed ever to have any friends.

But Kanfer shows another side of Ball that displays his admiration of her talent. Ball was perfect on her timing, a very hard worker, and tried to do everything just right. Although these tendencies tended to grate people at time, Kanfer expertly shows that this contributed to her stardom and most importantly, making sure that people would never forget Lucille Ball.

Stafan Kanfer does what few other writers do to famous people - he helps his readers understand Lucille Ball in a much better light by pointing out her faults and making sure they know the world owes much to this red-headed commedienn.

Great biography!
You know how some biographies are dreadful to read, filled with mundane details or too much author opinion? This is definitely not one of those! After rediscovering I Love Lucy on DVD I became more and more curious as to the woman behind the myth. This book didn't disappoint.

It was very sad in that it completely shattered the persona Lucy and Desi portrayed in I Love Lucy. Desi was an alcoholic and a womanizer while Lucy was a workaholic. Their children readily admit that a nanny raised them and after wanting children so badly, Lucy and Desi were actually terrible parents.

The thing I like best about the book was that Kanfer seems to know what parts of her subject's life made a good story. The parts on her childhood and later years weren't a major part of the book, while I Love Lucy and her film career took center stage. He doesn't sugar-coat anyone. At times you will hate Lucy and Desi, at times your heart will break for them.

It truly read more like a story (which is what makes a great biography in my opinion). I would recommend this book to everyone, especially Lucy fans. ... Read more

Product Description
Lucille: The Life of Lucille Ball is an entertaining, informative, scholarly, and fascinating biography of one of the most revered actresses in television history. Moving beyond the typical celebrity bio, author Kathleen Brady separates the actress from Lucy Ricardo, the antic, enduring character she created on I Love Lucy.

Brady is the only biographer to have spent extensive time inJamestown, New York, Lucille Ball's hometown, where she interviewedBall's childhood friends. Other interviews for the book includedfamily, employees, Bob Hope, Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, MiltonBerle, Maureen O'Hara, Maxine Andrews of the Andrews Sisters, and thelate chairman of CBS Bill Paley. Kathleen Brady's definitive biographypresents a human Lucille Ball the fans have never known: the would-beshowgirl in New York, fired almost as soon as she was hired becauseshe was too flat-chested and mousy; her great love for Desi Arnaz,their tempestuous marriage, the day she thought she had killed himwith a hammer, and the incident that ended their marriage; Lucille ashead of Desilu Studios, overriding the advice of her most trustedexecutives and agreeing to green light the pilots of Star Trek andMission Impossible; and her run-in with the House on Un-AmericanActivities Committee and fears of being black-listed.

Brady reveals that Lucille Ball's life was a roller coaster, going from disaster to victory and triumph to tragedy. As a young woman, Ball believed that she had to work had to make people like and appreciate her. As a star, she felt she had to work hard to maintain her popularity, and was also conscious that what her fans wanted from her was not herself, but Lucy Ricardo.

Of the first edition of this book, published by Hyperion in 1994, critic Molly Haskell wrote: "It's a beautiful portrait of someone with enormous talent as an entertainer and heartbreaking fragility as a woman. In giving Lucille Ball the serious appraisal she deserves, Kathleen Brady has really gotten behind the scenes and the cameras to provide an invaluable chronicle of several areas and eras of show business."

New to this edition of Lucille is an introductory essay focusing on the place of the character of Lucy Ricardo in the history of comedy, going back to the traditions of the Italian commedia dell'arte and forward to the end of the 20th century. In this essay, Lucille Ball is compared to other key female figures in comedy like Mabel Normand, Mae West, Frannie Brice, Gilda Radner, and Fran Drescher. As the author writes, "Lucille Ball was a revolutionary figure because Lucy Ricardo was the first female character to combine the knock-about physical comedy of vaudeville and music halls (and 15th century carnivals) while being beautiful, feminine, and sweetly appealing." This edition also includes many new photographs from various sources. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Great Book
I bought this book with a few other items about Lucille Ball.I thought it was put together well. Though the book has factual items in it there are some things that are not correct.Otherwise it is a wonderful read.

Lucy, a woman for the ages
The author tried really hard to portray Ms Ball realistically. And I think for the most part she succeeded. Certainly, I felt no less for the famous comedienne than I had before. If anything, I was greatly saddened by her childhood, which, I think Ms Ball herself mildly characterized in her own autobio, as difficult. She's short-changing herself there. Parts of her early life were traumatic in my opinion.

Nevertheless, she clearly triumphed over the adversity she had. Most impressive to me is that she always thought about the welfare of her immediate family, mother, brother, grandfather, etc...and worked very hard to keep the relationship between them close. That's amazing to me and shows what kind of woman she really was.

The fact that the author brought out some of the more unpleasant aspects of her personality, only made her seem more human to me. Nobody's perfect. But because society tends to deify celebrity, many become intolerant or unwilling to listen to the truth about their very human side.

But this is exactly why I enjoy reading these bio's. Some books are better than others. This one is well-researched even if the facts are a bit skewed here and there. It doesn't detract from a sympathetic portrait of the famous comedienne. At least not for me, because as I read it, I discovered that Ms Ball was an extraordinarily gifted woman who cared deeply about humanity, and left a priceless legacy.

She sure as heck still makes me laugh!

Disappointing Telling of Miss Ball's Interesting Life
I had been looking forward to this biography, and found myself quite disappointed by the result.The first red flag was a rookie mistake located on the second page of the introduction, and then another on the third (Buster Keaton didn't work for Sennett - five minutes of research would reveal this to a conscientious writer; nor were Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance the first female comedy team - Hal Roach gave us Todd & Pitts a good 20 years prior to Ball & Vance).When these clear mistakes are at the very beginning, one has to wonder what else is in error throughout the book (the topless photo purported to be Lucille, but clearly not, for instance).

Aside from that, this book paints Lucille in a fairly monstrous light, with only glimmers of her generosity and kindness.She herself indicated that she wasn't a funny person, but that it was her writers who made her work SEEM funny, so that's not what's at issue here.The discussions of her seemingly endless tantrums, fits and petty jealousies are piled on until Lucille reads like "Lucy Dearest."Desi, Sr. and her children don't come off much better, and even Gary Morton, who loved her for the last 28 years of her life, doesn't emerge unscathed.

I wanted to read an even-handed biography of Lucy, and a complete one, one that covered her early career in some detail and dealt with her life after I Love Lucy in more than just glancing copy.The bulk of the book is made up of her admittedly iconic 1950's series, but I don't feel as if I learned anything more about Lucille Ball than I knew before I opened the pages, and even more problematic, I don't know what, if any, of the work I can believe.This one is for the completists, I'm afraid, and not to be read as a definitive work on the complex woman who was Lucille Ball.

Best Bio (and I've read them all)
There are some minor factual errors with regard to some oftheTV series indicating that the author--an obvious admirer--was not a fan per se.This actually helps in terms of objectivity.The book is unflinching but warm, and is the sole book to really go in depth about Lucille's childhood and teen/young adult years."Ball of Fire" and many others are shockingly un-new in their stoties and historical references.No one can really know "Lucille" after the fact but this book, and "Desilu" come as close as you canget.

My favorite book about my favorite commedienne
When I was ten and heard that Lucy and Desi were divorcing, I was devastated.No one in my little village had ever divorced, and I did not know anyone who knew anyone who had.So, Lucy and Ricky, who were interchangeable in my mind with Lucy and Desi, were the first people I "knew" who took that drastic step.I couldn't figure out how they could be so happy on TV and still want to split.

A few years later, when Lucy returned to television, along with Ethel, rechristened as Vivian, I kept longing for DesiRicky to show up.Of course he didn't.Later, I saw some of her early movies and became one of the three people in the US who loved her on the screen as Mame. Even though I appreciated her skill and talent, for me, she was always Lucy Riccardo.Somewhere along the line, though, I realized that Lucille Ball was more complex than her TV counterpart.

Of the half-dozen books I've read about Lucy, which include the newly-released "Ball of Fire", a couple of the books about the series, and Vance's biography, Kathleen Brady's is my favorite. She comes closest to cracking the code, finding what drove Lucille Ball to the top of her profession.

Brady treats her subject tenderly, but does whitewash the harder side of her character. Rather, she tries to bring the apparently incompatible parts of her personality together into one whole, very understandable person.As much as is possible, she succeeds.

Where she is sure of details, she gives them.Where she is not, she offers alternate possibilities, for example, the unknown cause of Ball's paralysis that sent her home from NY and to bed for months or, on the more humorous side, exactly what happened the night that Tallulah Bankhead decided to disrobe during a production meeting of the LucyDesi Comedy Hour.

Well-researched and well-written, this is mandatory reading for any die-hard Lucy fan and an excellent choice for anyone who intends reading only one book about America's most famous comedienne. ... Read more

Product Description
The world knows her as the First Lady of Television, but Lucille Ball's talent also shone brightly on the cinema screen in over eighty films spanning five decades, most from Hollywood's glamorous golden age of the 1930s and '40s. Lucy at the Movies is a long overdue showcase for this area of the star's career, offering behind-the-scenes stories and essential information for every film in which she appeared. The pages are filled with rare photos of the beautiful young actress, many from her own first scrapbooks. Explored from her days as a showgirl through blonde, brunette, and "Tango Red" incarnations, from black-and-white through glorious Technicolor, this is a complete reference guide and a tribute to a star and an era. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

One of my fave!!
This is one of my fave Lucille Ball books.It lists and discusses EVERY single movie she was ever in.It's a nice book too (the condition)--hard cover, big, great pictures.Super book!!One of my faves.

Lucille Ball. The Best!
I just loved this book and didnt realise how big it was. It's fabulous, it has everything in it fabulous photos and the biography tells it all. I am so glad i bought it.

1 Star
This book is awful. There's nothing new and the photos have been published before. One of the worst books I have ever read!

Great pictorial treasury of Lucille Ball's life and career
This is Cindy de la Hoz's first book, and judging from this and her next two books (_Platinum Fox_ on Marilyn Monroe and _Lana_ on Lana Turner, written with Turner's daughter Cheryl Crane), de la Hoz is going to be a major writer on classic films in the years to come.I've got all three of her books and expect to keep buying them as long as she keeps on putting out work as good as this.

As with her next two books, _Lucy at the Movies_ is a substantial, high-quality hardback, with the accent on outstanding pictures in both color and B&W, many of them not previously published.De la Hoz begins with a good, concise biographical section and then goes on to the meat of the book, a film-by-film discussion of Lucy's movie career (again, accompanied by numerous first-rate photographs). De la Hoz carefully researched this book, with extensive endnotes and a long bibiliography.

I only own one book on Lucille Ball so far, but I'm glad it's this one!

A True Must Have
This book is truly amazing.I am 47 and have been a huge fan of Lucille Ball since I was young.HERE'S LUCY was on prime time then, both other shows were in constant reruns and MAME was released - a huge treat.I have always loved the whole package that is Lucille Ball - not just Lucy - and this book glorifies exactly that.

Lucille Ball became a legend and a never equalled comedienne when she became Lucy on the infamous I LOVE LUCY.Of course this is her tour de force from herr entire career but many don't know that Lucy was around for decades before I LOVE LUCY with an expansive film career.She was considered the QUEEN OF THE B MOVIES.There was some true quality work here like LURED and the truly exceptional THE BIG STREET.She also made many films after becoming Lucy.

This book is not only a beautiful coffee table book which it indeed is.There are hundreds of amazing pictures both in black and white and color - candids plus pictures from the films.But this book is also a true encyclopedia of the film history of Lucille Ball.Every film she made from the beginning to MAME andeven her final television movie STONE PILLOW are thoroughly researched.There is an in depth synopsis of each film, wonderful pictures and multiple critics reviews of each piece.It is priceless.

There is also a full biography and a detail of all the film shorts she did before she was in her first film ROMAN SCANDALS.So to sum it up - this book is the rare exception.It is a true beautiful coffee table book filled with beautiful pictures but it also provides the fully researched in depth film history of Lucille Ball which has never been tackled like this before.

For all you Lucy fans this book is a must and you will learn how much more there was to this multi-faceted artist.You will run out to get and watch all these films to discover the true Lucille Ball.But this book is not only for Lucy fans for Lucille Ball is one of the greatest artists ever and this book is her true film history.It is a must for any entertainment library as well.

But for all you true Lucy fans - rejoice!!You will devour the beautiful pictures and all the info on the film career of the glorious Lucille ball.Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
If you think you know everything about Lucille Ball, think again! Lucy A to Z is a unique encyclopedic tribute to the life and career of Lucy, the most beloved comedian of our time.

This Fourth Edition of Lucy A to Z is filled with newly discovered archival research and updated information, plus 50 pictures, many of them exclusives! Author Michael Karol obtained exclusive interviews with such I love Lucy insiders as Dann Cahn, the show's film editor, and William Asher, who director most of the episodes... plus details of the stage careers of the four I Love Lucy principals. biographies of all the stars and coworkers who touched Lucy and her career, and so much more!

The magazine Classic Images reviewed Lucy A to Z and called it, "The most detailed -- and most enjoyable -- book available on Lucille Ball. A must-have."

Of the new Fourth Edition, Lucille Ball's personal secretary, Wanda Clark, has noted, "This new Fourth Edition of Lucy A to Z is a wonderful read and I'm very pleased to recommend it to everyone."

The public has loved Lucille Ball for more than 50 years. Lucy A to Z was created especially for these millions of fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Wonderful book
I thought I knew just about everything there was about Lucy. This books goes over all of Lucy's life and everybody she worked with and then some. It is enjoyable to just read it thru but an excellent resource to just look up things about her life. Want to get some information about Fred Mertz....you can find it easily. I even discovered that Lucy and Desi were not the first couple to have a baby on their tv show. To find out who , wellyou'll just have to find the book and read it for yourself.

Love this book!
"Lucy A to Z" is well researched and fact filled.It is one of the few books about Lucille Ball that I can recommend without reservation and I have read most of them.It is an easy read and well worth the time invested in reading about Lucy's career.Wanda Clark

I Loved This Encyclopedia About Lucy!
I was a fairly big Lucy fan but hadn't bought many books about her, mostly those about her show, I Love Lucy. But when I found this book, the idea of an encyclopedia intrigued me, and I figured there'd be lots of stuff about I Love Lucy, in any case. There sure is, and there's a lot more, on every aspect of Lucy's career, arranged alphabetically. The pictures are great and everything is super easy to find. The writing is both breezy and insightful; the author's obviously a big fan, but he knows his stuff. A lot of research must have gone into this. As someone else on the page says, if you need any `splainin' about anything in Lucy's life or career, it's here.

For my money, the best book on Lucille Ball Out There!
Everything you could ever want to know about Lucy...in one place! I bought a copy of the second edition a few years ago and liked it very much, but I was disappointed that there were no pictures inside. Well, the author has taken care of that in this new fourth edition, and then some! There are lots of pictures, many of which I haven't seen before. The cover photo alone is a real knockout! Not only that, but the book size is bigger and there are many more new entries. It looks like it has been totally redesigned. And if you ever needed to find out anything about Lucy, it's an encyclopedia format, so just look alphabetically (there's also a huge index). I love Lucy, and I love this book! Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Lucille Ball was one of tv's foremost pioneers and, quite likely, the preeminent woman in the history of television. As a young contract player for MGM, Ball began her career as a Goldwyn Girl, moving up to become a moderately respected star of "B" movies. She came to television after nearly 20 years in film, gradually transforming from platinum blonde sex symbol to a wise-cracking redhead. Her first television program, I Love Lucy, premiered in 1951 and for the next 25 years Lucille Ball virtually ruled the airwaves in a series of situation comedies designed to exploit her elastic expressions, slapstick abilities and distinct verbal talents. A five-time Emmy award winner, the first woman inducted into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame, a recipient of a Genii Award and a Kennedy Center Honor, Lucille Ball was perhaps the most beloved of all television stars, and certainly the most recognizable.Her fan clubs are run in countries all over the world, and on social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the childhood, early film career, television success, and later years of the entertainer who became a favorite sitcom character in the show "I Love Lucy." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A GOOD BOOK
MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, BECAUSE THIS BOOK HAS A GREAT COVER AND ITS A GOOD BOOK. I WOULD HAVE READ IT EVEN IF I HADN'T HAD TO READ IT FOR A SCHOOL PAPER. I'M A FAN OF LUCILE BALL AND NOW I WATCH "I LOVE LUCY" AS MUCH AS I CAN, BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK.THANKS.

Short but Sweet!!
I joined the I Love Lucy Fan Club and this book was recommended. I liked how this book was short, and easy to read, but had a lot of good information about Lucys life. Her life wasn't always easy, but she made the best of it and really made a splash on television.I admire her a lot and I liked this book.

I Love LUCY...not this!
This is a flat, dry, boring biography of Lucille Ball.Try another bio instead!

THE REAL LUCY: Her Life, Love, and Legacy
On screen, Lucy Ball was one of the funniest women America had ever seen--but off screen, life wasn't always a comedy.This biography isenough to tell you that, and tells about some perticularlly important ILOVE LUCY episodes.But the text is dry and not lively and detialed. While it is a nice book to read for beginning readers who love theRecardos, it is not detialed, and focuses more on Lucy's acting career thanher personal life. If you want a good biography, try "Love Lucy",Lucy's autobiography.While it was written a few years before her death,it won't have close-to-end-of-life information, but it will be a whole lotmore detialed.

A fun book to read in the bathtub.
I liked this book because it was full of interesting facts about Lucy's life. I didn't know that much about her before I read the book, but when I did, I liked her a whole lot because she seemed like a real person. ... Read more

Product Description
To viewers worldwide Ball remains the ultimate screwball housewife, getting in and out of outlandish scrapes with hilarious finesse. Stefan Kanfer's biography looks behind the image, tracing Ball's comedic genius to its beginnings in a lonely childhood in upstate New York. En route Kanfer chronicles the runaway success of the sitcom I Love Lucy, the fiery marriage and eventual split from Desi - the Cuban bandleader who made her famous - and Ball's struggles to manage both a business empire and her own rebellious children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Whose life is it anyway!
I am what you call a Lucyfile who seeks and loves all things about I LOVE LUCY.I thought I had read all there was in terms of books and stories about the glory days of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz!How happy I was to find a book written in 2001 almost 10 years after it was written.However, I realized why it took so long for me to find out about the book, as it wasn't really about Lucille Ball's life.It was more about the people in her life and what was going on rather about the actress herself.Whatever was going in her life was made to read like she was a third party.The author, Stefan Kanver, does not delve into the mind of his subject so I always questioned its validity that it really happened as he described.On a positive note, I found the book enjoyable, as it was very readable.I kept saying how did Lucy really feel with the frustrations of living with someone like Desi Arnaz whom I love too.She was devoted to him as he helped to make her into the superstar that she later enjoyed. But I kept questioning who are these people were really?If the man was such a philanderer then why did he stay in the marriage for 20 years?It takes two to tango to make a marriage work or fail.The author never really talked about Lucille's role in her marriage that ultimately broke up because of the fame.

I did enjoy reading the book, as I love all things Lucy.I have a collection to show my devotion to the show that aired before I was born but the book did not give me an insight into the person the world knows as Lucille Ball. ... Read more

Product Description
Few people knew America's comic sweetheart Lucille Ball the way Lee Tannen did.Lee first met Lucy as a child but cemented their close and enduring friendship as an adult.During the last ten years of Lucy's life--years mostly lived out of the spotlight and mainly around a backgammon table in New York, Beveryly Hills, Snowmass, Colorado and Palm Springs, Lee was fortunate enough to be sitting opposite Lucy.For the first time we get a glimpse of what it was like to be with Lucy, the way she truly was, and the way she chose to live.This is Lucy the way you've never seen her before; a warts and all look at arguably the most famous female entertainer of the twentieth century!Perhaps Lucy's daughter Lucie Arnaz summed it up best when she said,"What a wonderful look through the keyhole at this unique and complicated woman. A more perfect portrait of the the lost Lucy years I cannot imagine being drawn.It had me in tears.Good tears.People should read I LOVED LUCY." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

I LOVED LUCY
Totally enjoyed reading this book. Such an intimate relationship with such an icon of the 20th century.Easy to read, well written with such personal accounts, I recommend this book very highly!

Interesting but quite disturbing
I just ordered a bunch of Lucy books and this one arrived first. I was eager to read it and learn more about what Lucy was really like in real life. Yes, I too read the book in one sitting. Yes, I too loved Lucy and wanted to know everything that was in the book asap.

Overall, I was pleased to be able to peer a little into her life offscreen. But, and this is big, big but, I cringed way too often. I totally agree with the others here who say Lee was "creepy", or "starstuck" or "disrespectful", or that the book was "disturbing". It is!

First of all, it takes a good dose of chutzpa for him to say he's "distantly related" to Lucy. He is, but only by marriage and only then due to some sort of Yiddish technicality practiced in his family.

Although he says he spent all this time with Lucy, it's pretty clear to me that he totally squandered it. The constant references he makes to Lucy about specific episodes made me feel bad, and sad, for Lucy. Lee Tannen, better than most, should have been able to figure out that Lucy didn't need that sort of information flung at her, especially not during this last lap of life. It was so painfully evident that he was constantly campaigning for "World's Best Fan", or "Best (non)Supporting Actress"[sic]. He has the nerve to compare his staying at Lucy's home to being locked in prison. Cringe again. The cringe moments are numerous, unfortunately. And they also apply to his "style". He jumps all over the time line, often within the same paragraph. I found myself several times having to go back and reread passages just to remember where in time we really were.

As they say, it takes two to tango. So Lucy was obviously getting some benefit out of the situation. At least until she called it quits after Lee had a tantrum in a limo. It's clear that Lee never seems to get beyond the fact that he's hanging out with Lucy the Legend. So the book is actually an interesting read from that standpoint: What compelled Lucy the Legend to hang out with Lee the Leech? If you loved Lucy (and who didn't?), I say read this book. Just ignore all the creepy comments the author makes.

That said, I can't wait for all the other books to get here!

We all love Lucy.
This was a very good read if you are into celeb biographies.It is well written and interesting.The author, a close friend of Lucille Ball's, gives plenty of info both on her good side and bad. But even the criticism is written kindly.
I just wish there had been more pictures.

LovedIt
This is not supposed to be a movie star biography. It is supposed to be one man'srecollection - a love letter - of a ten year friendship with the most famous redhead of all time.
Lee Tannen's loving, insightful memoir is littered with genuinely delightful moments: a true New Yorker, I loved his references to the theatergoers from New Jersey as the "bridge and tunnel crowd."
Then there's Lucy.
If a mad old lady invited you to California, underfed you, gave you only iced water to drink, then kept you hostage in the pool house so she could play backgammon with you all night, what would you do?
Tannen stayed.
The mad old lady is Lucy. She is his obsession and besides, he enjoys backgammon - her obsession.
Their verbal exchanges are hilarious. When Lee finally does win parole and insists on leaving the house to go out for breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel because he wants to see the Polo Lounge, she tells him it's crummy and he should go to the Fountain Room instead. (Lee says she was right. The food is great). A friend of Lucy's is waiting for him; she's another of Lucy's backgammon buddy (one who gets snarky when she's losing).
Tannen was distantly related to Lucy but closer than some of her own family. His uncle Gary Morton (Lucy's husband) doesn't come off well but isn't exactly assaulted either.
As fascinating as all this is, you know as a reader that Tannen only stayed friends because she's Lucille Ball. Some of her temper tantrums and stubbornness would send most normal people screaming out of the house straight for the airport.
But through it all you see why he did and still does love Lucy. And whyyou now love her even more.

Superb
Lee's book focused on the post-I-Love-Lucy Lucille Ball and shows us a real woman. His memories of his friendship with the actress are both heartwarming and real. You could feel the love that he had for this remarkable woman. I absolutely loved this book... one of my favorites. ... Read more

Product Description
Half a century after its debut, "I Love Lucy" remains themost popular and influential sitcom phenomenon in TV history. JessOppenheimer, "the brains" of "I Love Lucy," gives us an insider's viewof this groundbreaking show, generously interspersed with actualrecordings of classic Lucy performances--including her famous"Vitameatavegamin" routine. Sounding much like an episode of "Lucy"itself, Oppenheimer weaves a wonderfully entertaining tale of thecreation of this landmark show. Lucy aficionados will also delight inhis personal accounts of stars such as Desi Arnaz, William Frawley,Vivian Vance, and of course, Lucille Ball. Read by three-time "I LoveLucy" veteran Larry Dobkin, and featuring comedy performances byLucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Gale Gordon, Hans Conried, Bea Benaderet,Frank Nelson, and more! Published in hard cover as "Laughs, Luck...andLucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time."Amazon.com Review
Laughs indeed as Jess Oppenheimer charts his rise from radiostation gofer to inventor of the sitcom, as he winds up writing--thenproducing--Lucille Ball's show, first on radio, then on television.Luck,too, as the author recounts the good fortune that has him, withinminutes of arrival in Hollywood, sitting down at a lunch counter andgetting a tip that secures a job within days and a career for life.Ironic, too, that this inveterate TV writer had to be cajoled foryears to set down these Hollywood heyday memoirs.He never finished,and it was left to son Gregg to complete the book.All this,plus a reproduced Lucy script, and a CD-ROMfilled with famous sketches! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Great Story
Lucy and Desi started on radio. They wanted to move to TV but had been turned down by everyone and had to pay to make their own TV pilot. Lucy was going ballistic and driving the writers crazy. Greg Oppenheimer came in and provided the firm hand that freed her from micromanaging and let her concentrate on comedy. It's quite a story
I should note he tells some pre-Lucy old time radio stories that are classics.
The book was in rough form when he died and it was finished for publication by his son.

Light, engaging, informative!
I was initially a little concerned because Jess' book didn't really get to the very personal aspects of the "Desi and Lucy" relationship.But soon I found his writing style to be fresh, engaging, and full of interesting facts and anecdotes about the early days of Hollywood and TV.And it merged nicely with the facts related to the evolution of the Desilu phenomenon.I had already read 3 other books about the Arnazes and so had had my fill of info about their relationship.This book was a surprising and very pleasant departure from those other books.The title of the book and positive look of the picture on the cover of this book is just what you get on the inside!
A very pleasant read.And Jess writes very well!

Great book and cd!!!
This is an excellent informative book about the "I Love Lucy" show and a must have for any Lucy fan! The cd that is included is worth the price of the whole set alone. In the cd it includes hours of hilarious episodes from I Love Lucy and My Favorite Husband starring Lucille Ball, you will also receive lost scenes from the shows on the cd. I am not much of a reader but this book you just can't put down because it is so good and of course I love Lucy! The book doesn't look thick on the picture shown on Amazon but it is a nice thick paperback book and includes lots of wonderful pictures of the cast of I Love Lucy and fun information that you may have not of known about I love Lucy and how it became to be produced.

Good bargain
Out of print book came quickly and condition was very good, service was quick.I will be back.

COULDNT PUT IT DOWN!
I THOUGHT THE BOOK WAS VERY INTERESTING AND INFORMTIVE! IT WAS HILARIOUS AND I JUST COULDNT PUT IT DOWN. IT ONLY TOOK ME THREE DAYS TO READ IT. I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING HOW IT TOLD ABOUT THE LIFE OF JESS OPPENHEIMER AS WELL AS THE LIFE OF LUCILLE BALL AND OTHER CAST MEMBERS FROM THE SHOW I LOVE LUCY. I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK AND I THINK EVERY I LOVE LUCY FAN SHOULD READ IT!!! ... Read more

Product Description
1986 - 1st Edition - St. Martin's Press - Hardcover - LUCY : The Real Life of Lucille Ball - By Charles Higham - With orignal dust jacket - Book & dust jacket are in remarkable condition - Out of Print - Hard to Find - Like New Condition - Collectible ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

"I Love Lucy...---Even MORE!!"
I had to read this book as part of my AP american history course at school.We had a semester to read a book on an Amercian person, and being me, I procrastinated until the last two days.Let me say, reading this book was no chore!I enjoyed it, and flew right through it.Charles Higham presents excellent in depth information into the private, and not so private lives of the Arnezes.I'd recommend this book to any Lucy fan! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Decent Overview, but Lacking in Detail
This is a good overview for those who are only generally interested in the life of Lucille Ball, but hardcore fans may prefer the longer biography written by Kathleen Brady, written after her passing.

Charles Higham had the advantage of interviewing Miss Ball and several of her contemporaries, and even for this, he is remarkably harsh in his discussions of her later life; her cutting remarks regarding Desi, Jr. and how difficult she was to work with are covered in great, uncomfortable detail.It's clear from this narrative that she never stopped loving Desi, though they could not remain married to one another and still maintain any semblance of sanity.Gary Morton was a much more suitable husband for a lady as mercurial and quick-tempered as Lucy.

For fans who are very familiar with Lucille Ball and her work, there will be no new information here.For those who are new to her, or just casual admirers, it's a good start.I found nothing that was glaringly erroneous and nothing salacious.In a market of "biography" which is really just a means to express the author's base fantasies, I found Higham's approach to the comedy icon that is Lucy refreshing.

Academic-style biography succeeds
Higham really plunges deep with his account...I'm probably
in the minority who really and truly like his approach,
but he hits on just about everything I was hoping to
find. Released just a few years before Lucy died and
months before Desi died, the last few years of
Lucy's life aren't covered.

The tone is fairly despondent, and until reading
the bio, I never knew just how rough things
got for Lucy after she and Desi started up
their show in 1951. Their marriage was
clearly a match made in hell. Luckily Lucy
was able to go on and do a few other successful
projects over the years, despite her unstable
health and the incredible volume of stress
she endured.

One particularly nice chapter in the book is the
one that describes the purchase of RKO studios (which
would become Desilu Studios), putting nearly all their good fortune
on the line.This turned out to be a great
investment, but it was not without its problems-
it was the last big business deal made during
their marriage.During the course of the deal,
they were rehearsing the episode of "The Lucy Desi Comedy
Hour" with Tallulah Bankhead.Tallulah, being
her temperamental, melodramatic self, was
breaking nearly every rule in the book.She
was unpunctual, flubbed lines, drunk constantly, cursed out
the director and Lucy on the set.Desi
made the deal, only to come back to the
set and plunge headlong into another violent
fight with their guest star.Luckily, on the
night the show was shot in front of the
audience, Tallulah was flawless.

This book is a good supplement to the "Love, Lucy"
autobiography resurrected by Lucie Arnaz. Highly
recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Profiles the life and work of Lucille Ball, discussing her youth, movies, television, romances, marriage, divorce, achievements as a businesswoman, and legacy. ... Read more

Product Description
Lucille Ball - The FBI Files is a high quality publication of the official records and files of the Federal Buereau of Investigations related to Lucille Ball. This concerns Lucille Ball's testimony at the 1953 House Select Committee on Un-American Activit ... Read more

Product Description
THE BOOK IS HARDCOVER AND PUBLISHE BU LYLE STUART IN 1973. IT IS COLLECTABLE AND ILLUSTRATED. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Loving Lucy
Lucy, a simple title, a not so simple life for Lucille Ball. Very well done, the book takes you through the birth through death life journey of Lucy. To my surprise Lucy didn't get an easy start to her acting career. Known for her number one show "I Love Lucy" Lucy and her husband Desi start the show with a great start and a great end. There's more to Lucy's then what you've seen on TV. She went through a head to head war with broadcasting companies and moviemakers. Also starring in her famous radio show "My Favorite Husband", she fell into her career show "I Love Lucy", and accomplished a great deal in her life. This book lets you know what happened from head to toe, Birth to death and is very well done. You don't miss out on a thing, it's like you walked with Lucy through it all.
Written so that you can picture the words and events in your head, the book is well written. Even though at some points in time you get lost and lose track of where the heck the book is trying to get at you catch back on rather quickly. There were some foul langue every once in a while but you know the old days right. This book is on Lucy's heels every step of the way that you'd know if she got a scratch from anything.
My over all opinion of the book is that it was well done and I'm not just saying that, I mean it. At first it would take Lucy like two seconds to get into her career of acting, wrong more like two decades. It changed my visual opinion about Lucy completely. I still watch her show and it just cracks me up I like the book, but I will always love Lucy.To my recommendation I would consider this book to anyone who likes Lucille Ball. Also to anyone who life a humors life of someone. Giving this book three stars of my approval because at some points you want to keep going at others you don't.

Best Of the 1970's Lucille Ball Book
My aunt bought this book in 1970's and I found it in the bookshelf in my house in 1994. Although it was quite old and dusty, I enjoyed the book. Cheers to all Lucille Fans ... Read more

Product Description
What Becomes an Icon Most?

Fifty-five years ago, a sitcom called I Love Lucy transformed the television landscape and made its leading lady, Lucille Ball, a superstar. No one could have known that Ball, formerly a showgirl, B-movie queen, and radio actress, would become one of the world’s most beloved performers, and take her place in a rare pantheon reserved for the likes of Elvis, Marilyn, and Chaplin.

This book, by acclaimed Lucy author Michael Karol—Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia, The Lucille Ball Quiz Book, Lucy in Print—examines Ball’s impact and dissects what it was, and is, that makes Lucy not only an icon of laughter, but a powerful tonic in a troubled world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book
Love the book. Has a lot of interesting facts.I know just about every think there is to know about Lucille Ball ...but this book taught me something new!!!

Unmatched DNA!
This little book is chock full of more interesting info than a full sized book on ANY celebrity. Lucy fans will find it fascinating, riveting, informative and fun to read. Chock full of interesting trivia. I highly reccomend this book about Lucille Ball (and her varioous television incarnations), the greatest and most popular entertainer in the history of television. ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of Lucille Ball, a versatile entertainer who has appeared in movie, stage, and television productions. ... Read more