LUCY IS BACK!

January 5, 1962

The January 5, 1962 issue of Life magazine featured a cover photo triptych of Lucille Ball with the text “LUCY IS BACK!” and the description “A favorite warms up for her big TV return.”  The cover photo was taken by Leonard McCombe.

Photographer Leonard McCombe was born on June 1, 1923 on the Isle of Man. He became a professional photographer at the age of 16. He moved to the United States and started working for Life at the age of 22 in 1945. He continued to work for the magazine until its closure in 1972.

This was one of several times McCombe photographed Lucille Ball for Life Magazine. 

Pg. 74 ~ SPOTLIGHT: “A Lusty Return by Lucy, a Tuneful Romp for Julie: Two Queens Prepare for TV Shows.” 

Although Lucille Ball returned to weekly television in October 1962 with “The Lucy Show”, the much-anticipated return heralded by this magazine cover is actually for a TV special called “The Good Years” co-starring Henry Fonda. 

Based on a best-selling 1960 book by Walter Lord about the years leading up to World War One, the special was a hodge-podge of sketches and musical numbers about the time period 1900 through 1920. The 90-minute CBS presentation was a critical failure and has largely been forgotten.

Meanwhile, Julie Andrews was also gearing up for the February 11, 1962 airing of  “The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe” a salute to the Broadway hit-makers. Andrews had starred in their My Fair Lady (1956) and Camelot (1960).

Ball and Andrew had both been on Broadway at the same time in early 1961. They even played softball together for the Broadway League!  For the cameras, Ball bunted in her Wildcat holster and Julie was catcher in her Camelot crown!  Joe E. Brown was referee for the charity outing. Except for a 1988 AFI Tribute to Jack Lemmon, Lucille Ball and Julie Andrews never appeared on screen together. 

Coincidentally, the back cover of this January 5, 1962 issue is a full-page ad for Philip Morris cigarettes, the original sponsor of “I Love Lucy.” 

This was only Lucille Ball’s second cover of a regular issue of Life Magazine. She previously appeared with her family on the cover of the April 6, 1953 edition.  To thank the editors, Lucy and Desi created the “I Love Lucy” episode, “Ricky’s Life Story” (ILL S3;E1). Thereafter the magazine was frequently used as a prop on the series.  

As an executive, film, television, and radio star, Ball was often written about and photographed inside Life, sometimes even referenced by name on the cover, without a photograph. 

Ball also appeared on the covers of two special editions: “Remarkable American Women” in 1976, and “Classic Faces” in 1991. 

The very same cover photo by Leonard McCombe turned up on the cover of Palm Springs Life in January 2002!