Lucille Ball: Paying It Forward

In 1951, when Lucille Ball finally became the producer instead of the produced, she was able to hire many of the actors she worked side by side with in films since 1933. Here’s a look at Lucille Ball’s film career and the actors that later worked for Lucille Ball on her sitcoms.

Note: This list only includes actors who appeared on programs that Lucille Ball herself produced and appeared in, not other Desilu or LBP (Lucille Ball Productions) projects. The list also does not include Lucille Ball’s TV films, like “Stone Pillow”. 

Follow the underlined hyperlinks to read about their series appearances. 
* Indicates a background performer (extra) on a Lucille Ball series.

THE BOWERY (October 1933)

• Charles Lane
• Irving Bacon
• John Bleifer*

BROADWAY THROUGH A KEYHOLE (November 1933)

• Charles Lane
• Ann Sothern
• Walter Winchell

BLOOD MONEY (November 1933)

• John Bleifer*
• Bess Flowers*

ROMAN SCANDALS (December 1933)

• Barbara
  Pepper

MOULIN ROUGE (January 1934)

• Barbara Pepper
  

NANA (February 1934)

HOLD THAT GIRL
(March 1934)

BOTTOMS UP (April 1934)

• Barbara Pepper

MURDER AT THE VANITIES (May 1934)

• Shep Houghton*

BULLDOG
DRUMMOND STRIKES BACK (August 1934)

THE AFFAIRS OF CELLINI (August 1934)

• Bess
  Flowers*
• James Flavin

KID MILLIONS (November 1934)

• Ethel Merman
• Ann Sothern
• Bess Flowers*
• Sam Harris*
• Caryl Lincoln*
• Barbara Pepper
• Rolfe Sedan

PERFECTLY MISMATED (November 1934)

MEN
OF THE NIGHT (November 1934)

JEALOUSY (November 1934)

BROADWAY BILL
(December 1934)

• Charles Lane
• Irving Bacon
• Bess Flowers*

THREE LITTLE PIGSKINS (December 1934)

FUGITIVE LADY (December 1934)

• William
  Demarest
• Bess Flowers*
• Mike Lally*

BEHIND THE EVIDENCE (January 1935)

HIS
OLD FLAME (January 1935)

CARNIVAL (January 1935)

• Jimmy Durante

THE WHOLE TOWN’S TALKING (February 1935)

• Edward G. Robinson
  
• Paul Harvey
• Bess Flowers*

ROBERTA (March 1935)

• Ginger Rogers
• Torben Mayer
• Mike Lally*

I’LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU (March 1935)

• Irving
  Bacon

HOORAY FOR LOVE (June 1935)

• Ann Sothern
• Bess Flowers*

A NIGHT AT THE BILTMORE BOWL (June 1935)

OLD MAN RHYTHM (August 1935)

• Buddy Rogers
• Bess Flowers*
• Sam Harris*

TOP HAT (September 1935)

• Ginger Rogers
  
• Edward Everett Horton

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (November 1935)

• Moroni
  Olsen

I DREAM TOO MUCH (November 1935)

• James
  Conaty*

FOOLISH HEARTS (December 1935)

CHATTERBOX (January 1936)

MUSS ‘EM UP
(February 1936)

• Florence Lake

FOLLOW THE FLEET (February 36)

• Ginger
  Rogers

THE FARMER IN THE DELL (February 1936)

• Moroni Olsen
• Torben Meyer

BUNKER BEAN (June 1936)

• Hedda Hopper
• Pierre Watkin

SWING IT (July 1936)

DUMMY ACHE
(July 1936)

• Florence Lake

SO AND SEW (August 1936)

ONE LIVE GHOST
(November 1936)

WINTERSET (December 1936)

• John Carradine
• Paul Fix
• Jack Chefe
• Barbara Pepper

THAT GIRL FROM PARIS (January 1937)

• Jack
  Chefe

DON’T TELL THE WIFE (May 1937)

• William Demarest

THERE GOES MY GIRL (May 1937)

• Ann Sothern
• Irving Bacon
• George DeNormand*

STAGE DOOR (October 1937)

• Ginger Rogers
• Eve Arden
• Bert Stevens*

GO CHASE YOURSELF (April 1938)

• Fritz Feld
• Bobs Watson

JOY OF LIVING (May 1938)

• James Burke
• Mike Lally*
• Charles Lane
• Harold Miller*

HAVING WONDERFUL TIME (July 1938)

• Ginger
  Rogers
• Red Skelton
• Eve Arden
• Sam Harris*
• Florence Lake

THE AFFAIRS OF ANNABEL (September 1938)

• Fritz Feld
• James Burke

ROOM SERVICE (September 1938)

• Harpo Marx

ANNABEL TAKES A TOUR (November 1938)

• Pepito Perez
• Bess Flowers*
• Sam Harris*

NEXT TIME I MARRY (December 1938)

• Jack Albertson
  
• Dick Elliot
• Florence Lake

BEAUTY FOR THE ASKING (February 1939)

• Leon
  Belasco
  
• Harold Miller*

TWELVE CROWDED HOURS (March 1939)

• John
  Gallaudet
• Mike Lally*

PANAMA LADY (May 1939)

• Donald Briggs

FIVE CAME BACK (June 1939)

• John Carradine
• Allan Jenkins

THAT’S RIGHT YOU’RE WRONG (November 1939)

• Edward Everett Horton
• Moroni Olsen
• Hedda Hopper

THE MARINES FLY HIGH (May 1940)

• Nestor Paiva
• Paul Harvey

YOU CAN’T FOOL YOUR WIFE (May 1940)

• Charles Lane
• Irving Bacon

DANCE GIRL DANCE (August 1940)

• Bess Flowers*
• Sam Harris*
• Mike Lally*
• Bert Stevens*

TOO MANY GIRLS (October 1940)

• Iron Eyes Cody
• Shep Houghton*

A GIRL, A GUY & A GOB (March 1941)

• Lloyd Corrigan
• Irving Bacon
• Leon Belasco
• Mike Lally*

LOOK WHO’S LAUGHING (November 1941)

• Irving Bacon
• Dorothy Lloyd
• Charles Lane

VALLEY OF THE SUN (February 1942)

• Iron Eyes Cody

THE BIG STREET (September 1942)

• Jack Chefe
• James Conaty*
• Hans Conried
• Bess Flowers*
• Sam Harris*
• Harold Miller*
• Gil Perkins

SEVEN DAYS’ LEAVE (November 1942)

• Bob LeMond

DU BARRY WAS A LADY (August 1943)

• Red
  Skelton
• Marilyn Maxwell
• Hans Moebus*
• The Pied Pipers
• Paul Power
• Buddy Rich
• Pierre Watkin
• Eve Whitney

BEST FOOT FORWARD (October 1943)

• Harry
  James
• Bess Flowers*

THOUSANDS CHEER (January 1944)

• Mickey Rooney
• Ann Sothern
• Red Skelton
• Marilyn Maxwell
• Don Loper
• Dick Winslow*
• Eve Whitney

MEET THE PEOPLE (June 1944)

• Betty Jaynes
• Leon Belasco
  
• Patsy Moran
• Eve Whitney

GI JOURNAL (1944)

WITHOUT LOVE (May 1945)

• James Flavin

ZIEGFELD FOLLIES (April 1946)

• Red Skelton
• William Frawley
• Eve Whitney

ABBOTT & COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD
(October 1945)

• Fred Aldrich
• Sam Harris*
• Harold Miller*
• Frank J. Scannell
• Amzie Strickland

THE DARK CORNER (May 1946)

• Ellen Corby
• Sam Harris*
• Harold Miller*

TWO SMART PEOPLE (June 1946)

• Lloyd Corrigan
• Bess Flowers*
• Shelley Winters

LOVER COME BACK (June 1946)

• Charles
  Winninger
  
• Ellen Corby
• Bess Flowers*
• Frank J. Scannell

EASY TO WED (July 1946)

• Van Johnson
• James Flavin
• Dick Winslow*

LURED (September 1947)

• Jack Chefe
• James Conaty*
• Sam Harris*
• Shep Houghton*
• Mike Lally*
• Harold Miller*

HER HUSBAND’S AFFAIRS (November 1947)

• Edward
  Everett Horton
• Mabel Paige
• Pierre Watkin
• Harry Cheshire

SORROWFUL JONES (July 1949)

• Bob Hope
• William Demarest
• Ben Welden
• Bert Stevens*
• Walter Winchell
• Chuck Hamilton*

EASY LIVING (September 1949)

• Amzie Strickland

MISS GRANT TAKES RICHMOND
(September 1949)

• William Holden
• Peter Brocco
• Harry Cheshire
• Sam Harris*
• Charles Lane
• Roy Roberts
• Will Wright

A WOMAN OF DISTINCTION (March 1950)

• Gail
  Bonney
• Harry Cheshire
• Gale Gordon
• Mary Ellen Kay
• Norman Leavitt
• Hans Moebus*

FANCY PANTS (July 1950)

• Bob Hope
• Norma Varden
• Sam Harris*

THE FULLER BRUSH GIRL (September 1950)

• Eddie
  Albert
• Jerome Cowan
• Gail Bonney
• Barbara Pepper
• Red Skelton
• Bert Stevens*
• Amzie Strickland
• Mary Treen

THE MAGIC CARPET (October 1951)

• William Fawcett

~ After “I Love Lucy” ~

THE LONG LONG TRAILER (February 1954)

• Gladys
  Hurlbut
• Moroni Olsen
• Madge Blake
• James Conaty*
• Fred Aldrich
• Juney Ellis
• Mike Lally*
• Norman Leavitt
• Louis A. Nicoletti
• Herb Vigran

FOREVER DARLING (February 1956)

• John Emery
• Natalie Schafer
• Ralph Dumke
• Nancy Kulp
• Ruth Brady
• Leon Alton*
• Audrey Betz
• Bess Flowers*
• Sam Harris*
• Marilyn Maxwell
• Harold Miller*
• Monty O’Grady*
• Hazel Pierce
• Murray Pollack*

THE FACTS OF LIFE (November 1960)

• Bob Hope
• Phil Ober
• William Lanteau
• Robert F. Simon
• Leon Alton*
• George Bruggerman*
• Steve Carruthers*
• George DeNormand*
• Bess Flowers*
• Norman Leavitt
• Caryl Lincoln*
• William Meader*
• Hans Moebus*
• Monty O’Grady*
• Hazel Pierce
• Vito Scotti
• Bert Stevens*
• Hal Taggart*
• Norman Stevans*
• Judith Woodbury*
• Bernard Sell*

CRITICS CHOICE (April 1963)

• Bob Hope
• Marilyn Maxwell
• Richard Deacon
• Jerome Cowan
• Stanley Adams
• Leon Alton*
• Paul Cristo*
• George DeNormand*
• James Flavin
• Bess Flowers*
• Sid Gould
• Breena Howard
• Mike Lally*
• Harold Miller*
• Murray Pollack*
• Freida Renti*
• Victor Romito*
• Bernard Sell*
• Hal Smith
• Ralph Volkie

YOURS, MINE, AND OURS (April 1968)

• Van
  Johnson
• Tim Matheson
• Leon Alton*
• Paul Bradley*
• Leoda Richards*
• Norman Stevens*

MAME (March 1974)

• John McGiver
• Don Porter
• Ruth McDevitt
• Burt Mustin
• Joseph La Cava*
• Mike Lally*
• Leoda Richards*
• Victor Romito*
• George Holmes*
• Robert Hitchcock*
• Norman Stevens*

Busiest Actors in LucyLand!

Bess Flowers (aka ”Queen of the Extras”) ~ 17 films (1933-1963)

Mike Lally ~ 10 films (1934-1963)

Irving Bacon ~ 7 films (1933-1941)

Charles Lane ~ 7 films (1933-1949)

Ginger Rogers ~ 5 films (1935-1938)

Ann Sothern ~ 5 films (1933-1944)

Barbara Pepper ~ 5 films (1933-1936)